VEHICLE INFORMATION COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20100045481A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: C/O Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated
• Inventors: Heft, Ronald, Tengler, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,279,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle information communication method is provided in which at least one of host vehicle probe data and surrounding vehicle probe data is collected in a host vehicle. After collection, the data is transmitted to a carrier vehicle. The carrier vehicle then disassociates identifying information from the data before sending the data to an external communication device.

Claims

1. A vehicle information communication method comprising:

collecting at least one of host vehicle probe data and surrounding vehicle probe data in a host vehicle;

preparing at least one of a host vehicle common message set by associating the host vehicle probe data with host vehicle identifying information and a surrounding vehicle common message set associating the surrounding vehicle probe data with surrounding vehicle identifying information;

transmitting the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to a carrier vehicle;

disassociating the host vehicle identifying information from the host vehicle common message set in response to the host vehicle common message set being prepared and transmitted and disassociating the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the surrounding vehicle common message set in response to the surrounding vehicle common message set being prepared and transmitted, the disassociating occurring after transmission from the host vehicle;

transmitting the at least one of the host vehicle probe data and the surrounding vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating at least one corresponding identifying information of the host vehicle identifying information and the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to an external communication device when the carrier vehicle is within a communication area of the external communication device.

2. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

erasing the at least one of the host vehicle probe common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the host vehicle upon completing transmission to the carrier vehicle.

3. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

erasing the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the carrier vehicle upon completing transmission to the external communication device.

4. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

erasing the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the host vehicle in response to the host vehicle being turned off.

5. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

erasing the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the carrier vehicle in response to the carrier vehicle being turned off.

6. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

broadcasting a carrier request signal from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle requesting the carrier vehicle to relay the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the external communication device;

sending a service channel change request from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receiving the carrier request signal from the host vehicle; and

switching to a service channel in the host vehicle upon receiving the service channel change request from the carrier vehicle,

with the transmitting of the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the carrier vehicle occurring via the service channel after the host vehicle has switched to the service channel.

7. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

sending a data received acknowledgement signal from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receipt of the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set.

8. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 7, further comprising

erasing the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle upon receipt of the data received acknowledgement signal.

9. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

collecting additional optional data from an optional information service to which a user of the host vehicle subscribes;

transmitting the additional optional data together with the at least one of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle;

disassociating identifying information from the additional optional data in response to transmission from the host vehicle; and

transmitting the additional optional data together with the at least one of the host vehicle probe data and the surrounding vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating the identifying information to the external communication device.

10. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 9, wherein

the collecting of additional optional data includes collecting at least one of origin data, destination data, and traveling time data with respect to the host vehicle.

11. A vehicle information communication method comprising:

collecting host vehicle probe data in a host vehicle;

preparing a host vehicle common message set by associating the host vehicle probe data with host vehicle identifying information;

transmitting the host vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to a carrier vehicle;

disassociating the host vehicle identifying information from the host vehicle common message set in response to transmission from the host vehicle; and

transmitting the host vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating the host vehicle identifying information from the host vehicle common message set to an external communication device when the carrier vehicle is within a communication area of the communication device.

12. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 11, further comprising

collecting surrounding vehicle probe data in the host vehicle;

preparing a surrounding vehicle common message set by associating the surrounding vehicle probe data with surrounding vehicle identifying information;

transmitting the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle;

disassociating the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the surrounding vehicle common message set in response to transmission from the host vehicle; and

transmitting the surrounding vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the surrounding vehicle common message set to the external communication device when the carrier vehicle is within the communication area of the communication device.

13. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 12, further comprising

erasing the host vehicle probe common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the host vehicle in response to at least one of completing transmission to the carrier vehicle and the host vehicle being turned off.

14. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 12, further comprising

erasing the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the carrier vehicle in response to at least one of completing transmission to the external communication device and the carrier vehicle being turned off.

15. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 12, further comprising

broadcasting a carrier request signal from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle requesting the carrier vehicle to relay the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the external communication device;

sending a service channel change request from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receiving the carrier request signal from the host vehicle;

switching to a service channel in the host vehicle upon receiving the service channel change request from the carrier vehicle,

with the transmitting of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the carrier vehicle occurring via the service channel after the host vehicle has switched to the service channel;

sending a data received acknowledgement signal from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receipt of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set; and

erasing the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle upon receipt of the data received acknowledgement signal.

16. A vehicle information communication method comprising:

collecting surrounding vehicle probe data in a host vehicle;

preparing a surrounding vehicle common message set by associating the surrounding vehicle probe data with surrounding vehicle identifying information;

transmitting the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to a carrier vehicle;

disassociating the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the surrounding vehicle common message set in response to transmission from the host vehicle; and

transmitting the surrounding vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating the surrounding vehicle identifying information from the surrounding vehicle common message set to an external communication device when the carrier vehicle is within a communication area of the communication device.

17. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 16, further comprising

collecting host vehicle probe data in the host vehicle;

preparing a host vehicle common message set by associating the host vehicle probe data with host vehicle identifying information;

transmitting the host vehicle common message set from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle;

disassociating the host vehicle identifying information from the host vehicle common message set in response to transmission from the host vehicle; and

transmitting the host vehicle probe data from the carrier vehicle after disassociating the host vehicle identifying information from the host vehicle common message set to the external communication device when the carrier vehicle is within the communication area of the communication device.

18. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 17, further comprising

erasing the host vehicle probe common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the host vehicle in response to at least one of completing transmission to the carrier vehicle and the host vehicle being turned off.

19. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 17, further comprising

erasing the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set automatically from the carrier vehicle in response to at least one of completing transmission to the external communication device and the carrier vehicle being turned off.

20. The vehicle information communication method as recited in claim 17, further comprising

broadcasting a carrier request signal from the host vehicle to the carrier vehicle requesting the carrier vehicle to relay the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the external communication device;

sending a service channel change request from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receiving the carrier request signal from the host vehicle;

switching to a service channel in the host vehicle upon receiving the service channel change request from the carrier vehicle,

with the transmitting of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set to the carrier vehicle occurring via the service channel after the host vehicle has switched to the service channel;

sending a data received acknowledgement signal from the carrier vehicle to the host vehicle upon receipt of the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set; and

erasing the host vehicle common message set and the surrounding vehicle common message set from the host vehicle upon receipt of the data received acknowledgement signal.