NETWORK SELECTION AND BASE STATION ACQUISITION WITH OTA PROGRAMMING FOR A VEHICLE TELEMATICS UNIT

• US 20110039527A1
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Company
• Inventors: Madhavan, Sethu K., Yi, Ki Hak
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A system and method for making vehicle originated calls to a telematics service provider or other call center. The method includes identifying a call type associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data to the call center, and then carrying out one of a number of different call connection processes depending on the call type. For voice channel cellular connections, an in-band modem cellular connection is preferably established in most instances using a connection retry strategy that includes primary, secondary, and possibly tertiary connection attempts. Cell selection can be carried out using an acquisition task, background scan and inter-country PLMN reselection process that are used to select among available PLMNs and base stations. The system and method can be carried out in connection with various cellular system technologies, but is especially suited for use with GSM systems.

Claims

1. A network and base station acquisition method for use by a vehicle telematics unit in selecting a wireless cellular system and activating the telematics unit on the selected wireless cellular system, comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting a cellular network from among a plurality of available cellular networks;

(b) attaching to a base station in the selected cellular network;

(c) determining that the telematics unit is connected to a home cellular network;

(d) determining whether the telematics unit has been activated on the home cellular network; and

(e) if the telematics unit has not been activated, then carrying out over-the-air programming of the telematics unit from the home cellular network.

2. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of executing an idle mode process that permits cellular network reselection.

3. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, after step (e), the step of carrying out an idle mode process that permits cellular network and cell reselection using updated preferred network lists received during the over-the-air programming.

4. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), the steps of receiving an acquisition task trigger in response to a change in operational state of the telematics unit, and carrying out steps (a)-(e) in response to the acquisition task trigger.

5. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, wherein the telematics unit has associated therewith a home PLMN selector and access technologies in the home PLMN selector, and wherein step (a) further comprises identifying available cellular networks by scanning all bands supported by the access technologies in the home PLMN selector.

6. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 5, wherein step (a) further comprises the step of carrying out a background scan and attaching to a base station during the background scan.

7. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (c), the step of attempting reselection of a cellular network if not currently attached to a base station in one of the cellular networks included on a controlled preferred network list stored at the vehicle.

8. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 7, wherein the attempting reselection step further comprises attempting reselection of a cellular network using a reselection procedure that is selected based on an operational state of the telematics unit.

9. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the telematics unit has been activated in step (d) comprises determining whether the telematics unit is to receive the over-the-air programming.

10. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of obtaining a user controlled selector list and an operator controlled selector list during the over-the-air programming.

11. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 10, wherein step (e) further comprises determining if the cellular network of the attached base station is different than the cellular network used prior to carrying out steps (a)-(d) and, if so, carrying out the over-the-air programming.

12. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises determining whether the telematics unit has been activated on the home cellular network based on a flag, and changing the flag after carrying out the over-the-air programming.

13. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 1, wherein step (c) is carried out using a roaming determination process.

14. A network and base station acquisition method for use by a vehicle telematics unit in selecting a wireless cellular system and activating the telematics unit on the selected wireless cellular system, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an acquisition task request associated with a change in a telematics unit operational mode from a standby state to an active state;

(b) carrying out a PLMN reselection process and attaching to a base station within the selected PLMN in response to the acquisition task request;

(c) determining if the selected PLMN is listed on a preferred network list stored at the telematics unit and, if not, carrying out one or more PLMN reselection processes and attaching to a base station on one of the PLMNs listed on the preferred network list;

(d) determining if the telematics unit requires over-the-air programming by it home cellular network and, if so;

(d1) determining that the reselected PLMN is different than the most recently used PLMN;

(d2) determining if the telematics unit is in the standby state and, if so, then carrying out the over-the-air programming based on the acquisition task request; and

(d3) determining if the telematics unit is in the active state and, if so, then carrying out the over-the-air programming.

15. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, wherein the over-the-air programming includes supplying one or more preferred network lists to the telematics unit.

16. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, wherein step (d2) further comprises carrying out the over-the-air programming if the acquisition task request is an ignition off trigger.

17. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, wherein the telematics unit has associated therewith a home PLMN selector and access technologies in the home PLMN selector, and wherein step (b) further comprises determining all available PLMNs by scanning all bands supported by the access technologies in the home PLMN selector.

18. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, further comprising, prior to step (b), the step of executing an idle mode process that permits PLMN reselection.

19. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, wherein step (b) further comprises the step of carrying out a background scan and attaching to a base station during the background scan.

20. A network and base station acquisition method as defined in claim 14, further comprising the step of carrying out steps (d) and (d1)-(d3) only if the telematics unit is not roaming.