Vehicle data services

• US 20050197748A1
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Richard Lee, William Holst
• Original Assignee: David Richard Lee, William Holst
• Inventors: Holst, William, Lee, David Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,356,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185

Abstract

A method and devices are described for wirelessly uploading and downloading data to and from a mobile vehicular platform while within range of a coordinated network of base stations that monitor the location of the vehicle and optimize data throughput using any combination of diversity and beam forming adaptive antenna techniques while the vehicle is on the ground or additionally in the case of aircraft, not only on the ground, but also during take-off, climb, en-route, holding, on-approach, touchdown and rollout. Particularly, in describing this art, the intent is to address the aspects of a quantifiable vehicle environment, where the vehicle'"'"'s behavior is predictable, such as in train routes, bus routes, ship dockings and aircraft flight plans.

Claims

1. A vehicle data services communication system for uploading data information to a vehicle, said communication system comprising:

an uplink communication path configured for wireless link transmissions, said communication path comprising;

a primary network operations center (NOC) comprising a data source, wherein said NOC manages configuration control and distribution of data contained in said data source;

at least one vehicle operatively connected to said primary NOC, wherein said vehicle is an authenticated user authorized to receive data and whose credentials are resident in a user authentication database located in a network data source operatively connected to the NOC;

one or more primary base stations operatively connected to said primary NOC, wherein said base stations are dynamically assigned or de-assigned to said vehicle or vehicles by said primary NOC;

a Wide Area Network (WAN) comprising one or more secondary NOCS, wherein said secondary NOCs are operatively connected to said primary NOC;

a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) comprising one or more base stations, wherein said MAN is operatively connected to said primary NOC and configured to transmit and receive data communications between said vehicle and said primary NOC;

a vehicle Local Area Network (LAN) comprising one or more vehicle network devices operatively connected to said primary NOC;

A Person Area Network (PAN) comprising one or more portable network devices operatively connected to said WAN, vehicle LAN or MAN;

One or more input and output antenna configurations at the vehicle and base station ends of the wireless link, wherein said antenna configuration supports any number of wireless spread spectrum modulation schemes, including MIMO OFOM.

2. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein the said primary NOC further comprises the functionality of master control NOC, and all other operatively connected communication path components, including said vehicles, said secondary NOCs and said primary and secondary base stations, comprises the functionality of slave devices to said master control NOC.

3. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein said MAN further comprises one or more primary base stations in direct communication with said vehicles.

4. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein said MAN further comprises one or more primary base stations and one or more secondary base stations, said secondary base stations not in direct communication with said one or more vehicles until reclassified by said master primary NOC to a primary base station.

5. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein said MAN comprises micro cell RF coverage areas configured as 802.11 hotspots, each hotspot utilizing a wireless transceiver configured to relay data to vehicles within range by way of said communication path between said primary NOC and said vehicles.

6. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein said MAN further comprises one or more macro cell RF coverage areas configured as 802.16/1802.20 Non Line of Sight (NLOS) hotspots.

7. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 6, wherein said MAN further comprises wireless backhauling capability.

8. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 1, wherein said multiple antenna configuration comprises adaptive antenna array antennas or polarization antennas or a combination of both.

9. A method providing a dynamic assignment of one or more base stations to each vehicle associated with a master primary NOC, said method comprising:

receiving a vehicle polling request for connection to a NOC at one or more base stations, said receipt initiating a network authorization protocol between said vehicle and said base station with the strongest Received Signal Strength (RSS) signal;

relaying vehicle user information for user authentication purposes to the primary NOC, said relaying through an optimum ground network path, including the use of wireless backhauling;

establishing a communication link to primary NOC, wherein said communication link between said vehicle and said NOC comprises assigning one or more primary base stations in active communication with the vehicle while in a RF coverage area range.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of said primary NOC establishing said communication link further comprises the steps of:

assigning a vehicle user/emergency status priority for the vehicle data services communication link;

predicting the track through the RF coverage zones in proximity to the vehicle;

correlating to an RF Coverage database, said database comprising a software updateable statistical database or signal strength map originating and under configuration control of the NOC data store;

using past error statistics and correlation with projected vehicle track to dynamically adjust and update user session timeout tolerances through low signal strength hotspot areas;

utilizing navigation information from the vehicle in calculating the assigning and de-assigning of base stations along the vehicle track;

establishing handoff to the next one or more primary base stations along vehicle track at the time when RSS from the next assigned primary base stations'"'"' mean value RSS is increasing and exceeds the current primary base stations'"'"' mean value RSS.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said navigation information is derived from vehicle located GPS outputs received by said primary NOC.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the navigation information is derived from either a GPS or flight plan and flight management computer navigation outputs, wherein the vehicle further comprises an aircraft.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of said primary NOC assigning a priority status further comprises:

evaluating all network bandwidth traffic between a vehicle and NOC from the primary base station or base stations and all intermediate network nodes operatively connected to said vehicle;

performing adaptive multiple base station broadcasting to said vehicle depending on location;

categorizing data to be transmitted into a user priority ranking, wherein said user priority ranking includes a plurality of differentiable levels, including public safety, regional, municipal, private vehicle and individual users;

categorizing data to be transmitted into an emergency level priority ranking, wherein said emergency level priority ranking includes a plurality of differentiable levels, including national, regional, municipal, security and surveillance and no emergency;

combining the two-tiered ranking to calculate an overall priority ranking, wherein (I, I) is the highest and (V,V) is the lowest;

monitoring packet loss and channel traffic to adaptively reassign data channel distribution, multiple transmission and reception to minimize transfer latencies, wherein said reassignment is dependent on user policy criteria, other traffic priority and past error statistics.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the step of said primary NOC categorizing data to be transmitted into a user priority ranking configures said individual user providing transportation session information to a said vehicle user interface for that purpose to a user priority ranking equivalent to the said vehicle user priority category for the length of the session.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the step of said primary NOC evaluating network bandwidth traffic is alternatively tasked to the primary base station.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the step of said primary NOC evaluating network bandwidth traffic further comprises said assigned primary base stations operating in an ad-hoc infrastructure mode to support multiple output transmissions to the vehicle.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein the step of said primary NOC evaluating network bandwidth traffic further comprises adjusting signal strength and beam focusing when adaptive array antennas with beam focusing are the means of wireless communication at said assigned primary base stations.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein the step of said primary NOC evaluating network bandwidth traffic further comprises said primary NOC coordinating beam focusing adjustments along vehicle track using triangulation information from multiple primary base stations as a function of the known positions and Received Signal Strength readings at said base stations in order to correct for slight vehicle navigation output errors when an on-ground differential CPS system is not available.

19. A vehicle data services communication system for downloading data information to one or more primary base stations and primary NOC, said communication system comprising:

A downlink communication path configured for wireless link transmissions, said communication path comprising;

polling a vehicle signal for a base station to respond to a request for access to a network operatively connected to a ground-based Wide Area Network containing a NOC, configured to authenticate vehicle user credentials, said polling signal containing at least vehicle identification information for user identification;

communicating with the first responsive base station with a compatible network access protocol;

sending priority status to a NOC designated as master wherein, said NOC validates at least the user vehicle and assigns session keys to network nodes and clients operatively connected and activated in the downlink session to said NOC;

receiving timeout tolerance parameters from master NOC, wherein said parameter is used to bypass the re-establishment of handshaking and authentication process during an anticipated loss of link and during a valid session providing navigation updates, signal strength measurements, user policy criteria and past air statistics to the NOC, wherein the said NOC utilizes said provided data for optimizing the data distribution on said Vehicle Data Services Communication System.

20. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 19, wherein said download data information further comprises the automatic or remotely initiated data transfer of vehicle Maintenance Operations Quality Assurance (MOQA) data.

21. A vehicle data services communication system according to claim 19, wherein said download data information further comprises the automatic or remotely initiated data transfer of vehicle Video Operations Quality Assurance (VOQA) data.

22. A vehicle data services apparatus for operatively connecting at least one vehicle LAN to a base station for the purpose of controlled data transfers, wherein said apparatus comprises:

uploading data from on-ground network nodes to vehicle LAN device, wherein said uploading is automatically initiated or manually initiated under NOC procedural control;

downloading data to on-ground network nodes, wherein said downloading is automatically initiated or manually initiated under NOC procedural control;

bridging data from one of a plurality of dissimilar vehicle LANs, wherein said bridging is automatically initiated or manually initiated under NOC procedural control;

routing data to and from on-vehicle and on-ground network nodes, wherein said routing function further comprises processing video and audio codecs, data encryption, data sequencing for multiplexed or multiple transmissions when a plurality of antennae are used for communication, user certificate presentation, user policy information and session key data packet tagging;

storing data on-vehicle, wherein said downloading is automatically initiated or manually initiated under NOC procedural control and includes bridging prior to storing data originating from one or more dissimilar physical layer vehicle LANs.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said bridging further comprises FireWire LAN devices and associated Application Programmable Interface (API).

24. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said bridging further comprises MIL-1553 Bus devices and associated API.

25. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said bridging further comprises RS-232/RS422 Bus devices and associated API.

26. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said bridging further comprises USB devices and associated API.