Method and system for testing cellular network integrity using telematics

• US 20050208936A1
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Kamdar, Hitan S., Veliu, Shpetim S., Reeser, Brad T., Sumcad, Anthony J., Patenaude, Russell A., Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,123,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic

Abstract

A method and system for testing cellular network integrity using telematics comprising determining at least one network condition data at a telematics unit, initiating a data call from the telematics unit to a telematics call center, establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center, and transmitting at least one network condition data to the telematics call center via the established data call communication channel. A computer usable medium with suitable computer program code is employed for testing cellular network integrity using telematics.

Claims

1. A method for testing cellular network integrity using telematics, the method comprising:

determining at least one network condition data at a telematics unit;

establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center; and

transmitting at least one network condition data to the telematics call center via the established data call communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

recognizing a failure to establish the data call from the telematics unit to the telematics call center; and

writing the network condition data to an in-vehicle memory based on the recognized failure.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining at least one network condition data comprises:

initiating a test for at least one network condition data;

generating a memory record for the network condition data at the telematics unit; and

writing the network condition data to the memory record.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center comprises:

initiating a data call from the telematics unit to a telematics call center; and

detecting the data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the call center.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data call is initiated at a substantially regular interval.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the data call is initiated at a predetermined test point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network condition data comprises one or more types of data selected from the group consisting of:

a properly loaded number verification, a measured and stored GPS coordinate comparison, a cellular traffic load measurement, a no cellular coverage area identification, and a no GPS coverage area identification.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data call communication channel is a cleared number data call communication channel.

9. A computer usable medium including computer program code for testing cellular network integrity using telematics comprising:

computer program code for determining at least one network condition data at a telematics unit;

computer program code for establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center; and

computer program code for transmitting at least one network condition data to the telematics call center via the established data call communication channel.

10. The computer usable medium of claim 9 further comprising:

computer program code for recognizing a failure to establish the data call from the telematics unit to the telematics call center; and

computer program code for writing the network condition data to an in-vehicle memory based on the recognized failure.

11. The computer usable medium of claim 9 wherein computer program code for determining at least one network condition data comprises:

computer program code for initiating a test for at least one network condition data;

computer program code for generating a memory record for the network condition data at the telematics unit; and

computer program code for writing the network condition data to the memory record.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 9 wherein, computer program code for establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center comprises:

computer program code for initiating a data call from the telematics unit to a telematics call center; and

computer program code for detecting the data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the call center.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 9 wherein the data call is initiated at a substantially regular interval.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 9 wherein the data call is initiated at a predetermined test point.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 9, wherein the network condition data comprises one or more types of data selected from the group consisting of:

a properly loaded cleared number verification, a measured and stored GPS coordinate comparison, a cellular traffic load measurement, a no cellular coverage area identification, and a no GPS coverage area identification.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 9, wherein the data call is a cleared number data call.

17. A system for testing cellular network integrity using telematics, the system comprising:

means for determining at least one network condition data at a telematics unit;

means for establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center; and

means for transmitting at least one network condition data to the telematics call center via the established data call communication channel.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

means for recognizing a failure to establish the data call from the telematics unit to the telematics call center; and

means for writing the network condition data to an in-vehicle memory based on the recognized failure.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein means for determining at least one network condition data comprises:

means for initiating a test for at least one network condition data;

means for generating a memory record for the network condition data at the telematics unit; and

means for writing the network condition data to the memory record.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein means for establishing a data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the telematics call center comprises:

means for initiating a data call from the telematics unit to a telematics call center; and

means for detecting the data call communication channel between the telematics unit and the call center.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein the data call is initiated at a substantially regular interval.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the network condition data comprises one or more types of data selected from the group consisting of:

a properly loaded cleared number verification, a measured and stored GPS coordinate comparison, a cellular traffic load measurement, a no cellular coverage area identification, and a no GPS coverage area identification.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the data call is a cleared number data call.