FLEET COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20100216498A1
• Filed: 02/24/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Schmidgall, Jeffrey J., MINTAH, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/507
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communication network for a fleet of vehicles is disclosed. The communication network has a first group of the fleet of vehicles having a first level of priority on the network and a second group of the fleet of vehicles having a second level of priority on the network. A first vehicle in the first group is assigned as a supervisor of a second vehicle in the second group.

Claims

1. A communication network for a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

a first group of the fleet of vehicles having a first level of priority on the network; and

a second group of the fleet of vehicles having a second level of priority on the network,

wherein a first vehicle in the first group is assigned as a supervisor of a second vehicle in the second group.

2. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the vehicles are configured to:

receive a message destined for the second vehicle;

determine whether the second vehicle is within direct communication range; and

when the second vehicle is not within direct communication range, forward the message to the first vehicle.

3. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to a third vehicle, in the second group, when the first vehicle is not within direct communication range.

4. The communication network of claim 3, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to a fourth vehicle, in the first group, when the third vehicle is not within direct communication range.

5. The communication network of claim 4, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to any vehicle in the fleet that is within direct communication range when the fourth vehicle is not within direct communication range.

6. The communication network of claim 2, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are configured to forward the message to the second vehicle when it is determined that the second vehicle is within direct communication range.

7. The communication network of claim 1, wherein the first level of priority is greater than the second level of priority.

8. A communication method for a network of a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

assigning a first group of the fleet of vehicles to a first level of priority on the network;

assigning a second group of the fleet of vehicles to a second level of priority on the network; and

assigning a first vehicle in the first group as a supervisor of a second vehicle in the second group.

9. The communication method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a message destined for the second vehicle;

determining whether the second vehicle is within direct communication range; and

when the second vehicle is not within direct communication range, forwarding the message to the first vehicle.

10. The communication method of claim 9, further comprising forwarding the message to a third vehicle, in the second group, when the first vehicle is not within direct communication range.

11. The communication method of claim 10, further comprising forwarding the message to a fourth vehicle, in the first group, when the third vehicle is not within direct communication range.

12. The communication method of claim 11, further comprising forwarding the message to any vehicle in the fleet that is within direct communication range when the fourth vehicle is not within direct communication range.

13. The communication method of claim 9, further comprising forwarding the message to the second vehicle when it is determined that the second vehicle is within direct communication range.

14. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the first level of priority is greater than the second level of priority.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a message indicating that a vehicle in the first group is off-line;

determining whether the off-line vehicle is a supervisor of a plurality of supervisee fleet members in the second group;

if the off-line fleet vehicle is a supervisor, selecting one of the supervisee fleet members for promotion to the first level; and

reassigning the remaining supervisee fleet members as supervisees of the promoted fleet member.

16. A communication network for a fleet of vehicles, comprising:

an off-board system configured to transmit a message destined for a first vehicle in the fleet;

a first group of the fleet of vehicles having a first level of priority on the network and including the first vehicle; and

a second group of the fleet of vehicles having a second level of priority on the network and including a second vehicle assigned as a supervisor of the first vehicle, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are configured to;

receive the message from the off-board system;

determine whether the first vehicle is within direct communication range; and

when the first vehicle is not within direct communication range, forward the message to the second vehicle.

17. The communication network of claim 16, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to a third vehicle, in the first group, when the second vehicle is not within direct communication range.

18. The communication network of claim 17, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to a fourth vehicle, in the second group, when the third vehicle is not within direct communication range.

19. The communication network of claim 18, wherein the vehicles in the fleet are further configured to forward the message to any vehicle in the fleet that is within direct communication range when the fourth vehicle is not within direct communication range.

20. The communication network of claim 16, wherein the off-board system is further configured to:

receive a message indicating that a vehicle in the second group is off-line;

determine whether the off-line vehicle is a supervisor of a plurality of supervisee fleet members in the first group;

if the off-line fleet vehicle is a supervisor, select one of the supervisee fleet members for promotion to the second level;

reassign the remaining supervisee fleet members as supervisees of the promoted fleet member; and

broadcast a message to the fleet containing information about the reassignment