Vehicular Content Distribution

• US 20110164562A1
• Filed: 01/03/2011
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lili Qiu, Yin Zhang
• Original Assignee: Lili Qiu, Yin Zhang
• Inventors: Qiu, Lili, Zhang, Yin
• Granted Patent: US 8,542,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/543 based on requested quality, e.g. QoS

Abstract

A system and method provides an electronic content to a vehicle from access point(s) within a network using a controller. The controller divides the electronic content into one or more files wherein each file contains at least one packet, and generates two or more random linear combinations of the packets within each file. For each file, each random linear combination of the packets is replicated to a different access point within the network. The electronic content is provided to the vehicle using at least one of the different access points. The controller can also determine a set of nearest trajectories for the vehicle in a location database that match a recent location history for the vehicle. For each determined nearest trajectory, one or more mobility trajectories are determined for the vehicle, and a set of access points are determined that correspond to the determined mobility trajectories for the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of providing an electronic content to a vehicle from one or more access points within a network using a controller, the method comprising the steps of:

dividing the electronic content into one or more files wherein each file contains at least one packet using the controller;

generating two or more random linear combinations of the packets within each file using the controller;

for each file, replicating each random linear combination of the packets to a different access point within the network in accordance with a linear program; and

providing the electronic content to the vehicle using at least one of the different access points.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle comprises a scooter, a motorcycle, a car, a truck, a boat, or a non-motorized vehicle; and

at least one of the access points is communicably coupled to the Internet.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic content is provided to an electronic device within the vehicle comprising a computer, a communications device, a smartphone, a personal data assistant, an entertainment device, an information center or a combination thereof.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the different access points are determined based on a mobility prediction algorithm.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the electronic content to the vehicle comprises the steps of:

associating the vehicle with one of the different access points;

providing a list of the files received and a list of the files requested from the vehicle to the associated access point; and

downloading one or more files from the associated access point until the download is complete or the vehicle is no longer associated, wherein the downloaded files are;

(i) within the list of the files requested, (ii) not within the list of the requested files, or (iii) not available at the associated access point until the associated access point obtains the unavailable files from an external source.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of using the vehicle to transfer one or more files from a first access point to a second access point.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by Equations (2) and (3).

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the network comprises a mesh network.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by the equations in paragraph [0044].

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of uploading files from the vehicle to one of the access points as part of the replication process.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by the equations in paragraph [0050].

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of replicating the files using inter-flow network coding.

14. A method for providing electronic content to a vehicle using a network of access points, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a set of nearest trajectories for the vehicle in a location database that match a recent location history for the vehicle;

for each determined nearest trajectory, determining one or more mobility trajectories for the vehicle;

determining a set of access points corresponding to the determined mobility trajectories for the vehicle; and

providing the electronic content to the vehicle using the determined set of access points.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein:

the location database comprises a GPS location database; and

the recent location history comprises a set of GPS coordinates received from the vehicle over a specified time period.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the GPS coordinates are converted to an indexed grid square.

17. A system comprising:

at least one vehicle;

one or more access points within a network;

a controller communicably coupled to the one or more access points, wherein the controller is configured to;

(i) divide the electronic content into one or more files wherein each file contains at least one packet, (ii) generate two or more random linear combinations of the packets within each file, and (iii) for each file, replicate each random linear combination of the packets to a different access point within the network in accordance with a linear program; and

wherein at least one of the different access points provide the electronic content to the vehicle.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the vehicle comprises a scooter, a motorcycle, a car, a truck, a boat, or a non-motorized vehicle.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein:

the electronic content is provided to an electronic device within the vehicle comprising a computer, a communications device, a smartphone, a personal data assistant, an entertainment device, an information center or a combination thereof; and

at least one of the access points is communicably coupled to the Internet.

20. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2.

21. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the different access points are determined based on a mobility prediction algorithm.

22. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the electronic content is provided to the vehicle by associating the vehicle with one of the different access points, providing a list of the files received and a list of the files requested from the vehicle to the associated access point, and downloading one or more files from the associated access point until the download is complete or the vehicle is no longer associated, wherein the downloaded files are:

(i) within the list of the files requested, (ii) not within the list of the requested files, or (iii) not available at the associated access point until the associated access point obtains the unavailable files from an external source.

23. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the vehicle transfers one or more files from a first access point to a second access point.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by Equations (2) and (3).

25. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the network comprises a mesh network.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by the equations in paragraph [0044].

27. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein files are uploaded from the vehicle to one of the access points as part of the replication process.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the linear program comprises the equations shown in FIG. 2 as modified by the equations in paragraph [0050].

29. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the files are further replicated using inter-flow network coding.

30. A system comprising:

at least one vehicle;

one or more access points within a network;

a controller communicably coupled to the one or more access points, wherein the controller is configured to;

(i) determine a set of nearest trajectories for the vehicle in a location database that match a recent location history for the vehicle, (ii) for each determined nearest trajectory, determine one or more mobility trajectories for the vehicle, and (iii) determine a set of access points corresponding to the determined mobility trajectories for the vehicle; and

wherein the electronic content is provided to the vehicle using at least one of the determined set of access points.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein:

the location database comprises a GPS location database; and

the recent location history comprises a set of GPS coordinates received from the vehicle over a specified time period.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein the GPS coordinates are converted to an indexed grid square.