METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING SAFETY MESSAGE INFORMATION

• US 20140051346A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Wu, Xinzhou, Subramanian, Sundar
• Granted Patent: US 9,048,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/046 involving vehicles, e.g. floating traffic data [FTD] or vehicle traffic prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Various embodiments, relate to a communications system in which communications devices of users and communications devices of vehicular systems communicate safety messages through a cellular communications band or the DSRC (Dedicated short-range communications) vehicular communications band or a combination of both. Various methods and apparatus are directed to communicating safety messages between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists through the use of a cell phone, thus improving the impact of vehicular communications. In some embodiments, at least some cell phones in a communications system includes both a DSRC communications capability and a cellular communications capability.

Claims

1. A method of operating a safety system, comprising:

receiving, at a server in a cellular network, information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

transmitting at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals includes:

receiving at least some of said information from roadside devices which receive DSRC signals from vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals includes:

receiving at least some of said information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving from cellular network devices GPS location information in addition to said at least some information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices includes sending a digest report of safety information to cellular network devices.

6. A safety system, comprising:

means for receiving at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

means for transmitting at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices.

7. The safety system of claim 6, wherein said means for receiving at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals includes:

means for receiving at least some of said information from roadside devices which receive DSRC signals from vehicles.

8. The safety system of claim 6, wherein said means for receiving at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals includes:

means for receiving at least some of said information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals.

9. The safety system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving from cellular network devices location information in addition to said at least some information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

10. The safety system of claim 8, wherein said means for transmitting at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices includes:

means for sending a digest report of safety information to cellular network devices.

11. A computer program product for use in a safety system, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices.

12. A safety system comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals;

transmit at least some information of said received information to cellular network devices; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

13. The safety system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is configured to receive at least some of said information from roadside devices which receive DSRC signals from vehicles, as part of being configured to receive at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals.

14. The safety system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is configured to receive at least some of said information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals, as part of being configured to receive at a server in a cellular network information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals.

15. The safety system of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive from cellular network devices location information in addition to said at least some information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

16. A method of operating a multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, comprising:

receiving at least one DSRC signal; and

communicating information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device in the cellular network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising;

receiving additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices;

and wherein said communicating information obtained from the DSRC signal is performed as part of communicating information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving safety message information from the cellular network;

generating a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received safety message; and

transmitting the generated DSRC message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating a DSRC message includes:

identifying a subset of information received from the cellular network relevant to the proximate area in which the multimode wireless communications device is located; and

including said subset of information in said generated DSRC message, said DSRC message communicating less than all the information received from the cellular network.

21. A multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the device comprising:

means for receiving at least one DSRC signal; and

means for communicating information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device in the cellular network.

22. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 21, further comprising;

means for receiving additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices; and

means for communicating information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

23. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving safety message information from the cellular network;

means for generating a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received safety message; and

means for transmitting the DSRC message.

24. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein the safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.

25. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 24, wherein said means for generating a DSRC message includes:

means for identifying a subset of information received from the cellular network relevant to the proximate area in which the multimode device is located; and

means for including said subset of information in said generated DSRC message, said DSRC message communicating less than all the information received from the cellular network.

26. A computer program product for use in a multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive at least one DSRC signal; and

code for causing said at least one computer to communicating information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device in the cellular network.

27. A multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive at least one DSRC signal; and

communicate information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device in the cellular network; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

28. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices; and

communicate information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

29. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive safety message information from the cellular network;

generate a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received safety message; and

transmit the DSRC message.

30. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 29, wherein the safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.