Method and apparatus for dynamically distributing information in a vehicle

• US 10,595,174 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Kerselaers, Anthony, Gomme, Liesbeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Mohebbi, Kouroush
• Application Number:
  US16/039,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20190082313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless vehicle communication system (500, 600) includes a vehicle (200) having a plurality of wireless communication units (220, 240, 260) located in or attached to the vehicle (200). The plurality of wireless communication units is configured to operate in a first communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to a communication unit located in a vicinity of the vehicle (200). The plurality of wireless communication units (220, 240, 260) is additionally configured to operate in a second communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to at least one other of the plurality of communication units (220, 240, 260) located In or attached to the vehicle (200).

Claims

1. A wireless vehicle communication system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication units located in or attached to a vehicle, wherein

each of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to;

operate in a first communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to an external communication unit located in a vicinity of the vehicle, and

operate in a second short range communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to at least one other of the plurality of communication units located in or attached to the vehicle, the wireless transfer of data in second short range communication mode using an output power that is lower than an output power used in the wireless transfer of data in the first communication mode; and

a first one of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to communicate a common data set with both the external communication unit and a second one of the plurality of wireless communication units, respectively using the first communication mode of operation and the second short range communication mode of operation.

2. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of wireless communication units are configured to communicate concurrently in the first communication mode of operation and second short range communication mode of operation using at least one of:

time division duplex mode of operation or a frequency division duplex mode of operation.

3. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 2 wherein the plurality of wireless communication units comprise an antenna operably coupled to radio frequency transceiver circuits configured to operate in either first communication mode of operation or second short range communication mode of operation.

4. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein transmissions on the second short range communication mode are configured to be in excess of 40 dB lower than transmissions on the first communication mode, and wherein the output power is fixed at a level of output power or set using adaptive output power control.

5. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the second short range communication mode is used for in-vehicle wireless communications to transfer status information relating to at least one of the plurality of wireless communication units.

6. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the second short range communication mode wirelessly distributes received data obtained in the first communication mode of operation.

7. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the first communication mode operates using a first vehicle to everything (V2X) standard frequency and the second short range communication mode operates using a radio local area network (RLAN) intelligent transportation system (ITS)-G5C (5.470-5.725 GHz) standard.

8. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the second short range communication mode operates using one of:

Wi-Fi™

in a 2.5 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band, Bluetooth™

in a 2.5 GHz ISM band.

9. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1 wherein the second short range communication mode is configured to use adaptive frequency band selection.

10. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein:

the second one of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to transmit, in response to experiencing a failure in communicating a data set to the external communication unit, the data set to the first one of the plurality communication units using the second short range communication mode, and

the first one of the plurality of communication units is configured to transmit the data set to the external communication unit using the first communication mode.

11. The wireless vehicle communication system of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second ones of the plurality of wireless communication units are configured to receive common data sets from the external communication unit, and

the first one of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to transmit, in response to the second one of the plurality of wireless communication units experiencing a failure in receiving a particular data set from the external communication unit, the particular data set as received from the external communication unit via the first communication mode, to the second one of the plurality of wireless communication units using the second short range communication mode.

12. A vehicle comprising a plurality of wireless communication units located in or attached to the vehicle, wherein

the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to operate in a first communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to an external communication unit located in a vicinity of the vehicle,

the vehicle is characterized in that the plurality of wireless communication units is additionally configured to operate in a second short range communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to at least one other of the plurality of communication units located in or attached to the vehicle, the wireless transfer of data in the second short range communication mode using an output power that is lower than an output power used in the wireless transfer of data in the first communication mode, and

a first one of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to communicate a common data set with both the external communication unit and a second one of the plurality of wireless communication units, respectively using the first communication mode and the second short range communication mode.

13. A wireless communication unit for attaching to a vehicle and communicating with at least one of a plurality of wireless communication units within the vehicle and at least one communication unit located external to the vehicle, wherein

each of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to operate in a first communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to the at least one external communication unit located in a vicinity of the vehicle,

each of the plurality of wireless communication units is characterized in that each of the wireless communication units is additionally configured to operate in a second communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to at least one other of the plurality of wireless communication units located in or attached to the vehicle, the wireless transfer of data in the second communication mode using an output power that is lower than an output power used in the wireless transfer of data in the first communication mode,

wherein each of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to receive data in the first communication mode and communicate the received data to another one of the plurality of wireless communication units in the second communication mode, and each of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to transmit data in the first communication mode that is received from another one of the plurality of wireless communication units in the second communication mode to the communication unit located external to the vehicle.

14. A method of operating a wireless vehicle communication system having a plurality of wireless communication units located in or attached to a vehicle;

the method comprising;

operating the plurality of wireless communication units in a first communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to an external communication unit located in a vicinity of the vehicle; and

operating the plurality of wireless communication units additionally in a second short range communication mode of operation that wirelessly transfers data to at least one other of the plurality of communication units located in or attached to the vehicle, the wireless transfer of data in the second short range communication mode using an output power that is lower than an output power used in the wireless transfer of data in the first communication mode,

wherein a first one of the plurality of wireless communication units is configured to communicate a common data set with both the external communication unit and a second one of the plurality of wireless communication units, respectively using the first communication mode and the second short range communication mode.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating concurrently in the first communication mode of operation and second short range communication mode of operation using at least one of:

time division duplex mode of operation or a frequency division duplex mode of operation.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising using the second short range communication mode for in-vehicle wireless communications to transfer status information relating to at least one of the plurality of wireless communication units.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the second short range communication mode comprises wirelessly distributing received data obtained in the first communication mode of operation.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first communication mode operates using a first vehicle to everything (V2X) standard frequency and the second short range communication mode operates using a radio local area network (RLAN) intelligent transportation system (ITS)-G5C (5.470-5.725 GHz) standard.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second short range communication mode operates using one of:

Wi-Fi™

in a 2.5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band, Bluetooth™

in a 2.5 GHz ISM band.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring the second short range communication mode to use adaptive frequency band selection.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein transmissions on the second short range communication mode are configured to be at least 40 dB lower than transmissions on the first communication mode.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein transmit output power of transmissions on the second short range communication mode is set using adaptive output power control.