METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK QUALITY AND DOWNLOADING MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DATA

• US 20150304874A1
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Oldewurtel, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 10,582,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method determines a mobile communications network quality for downloading mobile communications data. Data which quantify the mobile communications network quality in a current location of a respective motor vehicle, is continually acquired using acquisition units provided in the motor vehicle. This data is transferred to a database in which it is stored. A route of a select motor vehicle is determined. A data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality along the route, is retrieved from the database. Mobile communications data is downloaded to a memory of the select motor vehicle taking the data record into consideration. A total data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality is determined at predetermined intervals by a data processing device, taking into consideration the data transferred to the database, and the data record quantifying the mobile communications network for the select motor vehicle is obtained from this total data record.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method for determining a mobile communications network quality and downloading of mobile communications data, comprising:

continually acquiring, using acquisition units provided in respective motor vehicles, data which quantify the mobile communications network quality such that each acquisition unit acquires information about the network quality for one of the motor vehicles, at a present location of the motor vehicle along a travel route of the motor vehicle;

transmitting the data to a database in which the data are stored;

determining a route of a select motor vehicle;

determining, using a data processing device, an overall data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality, the overall data record being continually updated and determined at predetermined intervals, taking into consideration the data transmitted to the database, the overall data record being stored in the database, the overall data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality along travel routes of the respective motor vehicles;

retrieving, by a communication unit of the select motor vehicle, an individual data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality along the route of the select motor vehicle, the individual data record being obtained from the overall data record, the individual data record being acquired from the database;

downloading mobile communications data for operating respective different applications within the select motor vehicle, the mobile communications data being downloaded into a data memory of the select motor vehicle by the communication unit, the mobile communications data being downloaded taking into consideration for the different applications, the individual data record, the mobile communications data being downloaded according to predetermined respective data rates, the data rates being predetermined by allocating available mobile communications data to the different applications.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein,

based on the overall data record, a digital map linked to the database is generated at specified intervals, and

the mobile communications network quality is represented with the map.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein,

the individual data record is taken into consideration for the different applications of the select motor vehicle to specify a sequence according to which the mobile communications data is allocated to the different applications.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein,

the individual data record is taken into consideration for the different applications to assign download start times to at least two different applications, and

after each download start time, mobile communications data are downloaded for one of the at least two different applications.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein,

at least one of favorites and a play list is stored in the data memory and used to predict data use along the route of the select motor vehicle, to allocate the mobile communications data to the different applications.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the data which quantify the mobile communications network quality at the present location are selected from the group consisting of received signal strength measurement values, signal delay time measurement values, network loading measurement values, data transmission rate measurement values and type of available mobile communications network information.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the overall data record includes information regarding the mobile communications network quality for at least one of different daytimes, different weekdays, different seasons and different events.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

a display device of the select motor vehicle displays, based on the individual data record, a map showing the mobile communications network quality along the route.

23. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

each acquisition unit acquires present position coordinates for one of the motor vehicles,

data tuples are formed by grouping the present position coordinates with the data which quantify the mobile communications network quality, and

transmitting the data to the database comprises transmitting the data tuples.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein

the data tuples are transmitted to the database immediately after having been formed.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein

before being transmitted to the database, the data tuples are combined to form a data tuple record comprising a plurality of data tuples.

26. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

each acquisition unit forms data tuples by grouping current time of day and/or current date information with the data which quantify the mobile communications network quality, and

transmitting the data to the database comprises transmitting the data tuples.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein

the data tuples are transmitted to the database immediately after having been formed.

28. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein

before being transmitted to the database, the data tuples are combined to form a data tuple record comprising a plurality of data tuples.

29. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

a prediction is made regarding which of the different applications will be used along the route of the select motor vehicle, and

data are downloaded into the data memory so that it will be available locally within the select motor vehicle when needed by the applications predicted to be used.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein

a prediction is made regarding a sequence with which the different applications will be used, and

the mobile communication data are allocated to the different applications according to the sequence so that, for each of the applications predicted to be used, the data are available locally within the select motor vehicle when needed.

31. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the mobile communications data are allocated such that data for high priority applications are downloaded before data for low priority applications.

32. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the route of the select motor vehicle is determined by a prediction based on prior use.

33. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

determining the route of the select motor vehicle comprises predicting a predicted route likely to be used by the select motor vehicle,

a prediction is made regarding which of the different applications will be used by the select motor vehicle along the predicted route, and

using the individual data record, the mobile communications data are allocated to the different applications such that data for the applications predicted to be used is stored locally in the select motor vehicle so as to be locally available when needed.

34. A system to determine a mobile communications network quality and to download mobile communications data, comprising:

a plurality of motor vehicles comprising respective acquisition units to continually acquire data along respective travel routes of the motor vehicles, each acquisition unit acquiring data which quantify the mobile communications network quality at a present location of one of the motor vehicles and transmitting the data to a database of the system, which stores the data;

respective route determining units of the motor vehicles which are designed to determine a route of the respective motor vehicles; and

a data processing device to determine an overall data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality, the overall data record being continually updated and determined in predetermined intervals, taking into consideration the data transmitted to the database, the overall data record being stored in the database, the overall data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality along the travel routes traveled of the respective motor vehicles, wherein

a communication unit of a select motor vehicle retrieves an individual data record quantifying the mobile communications network quality along the route of the select motor vehicle, the individual data record being obtained from the overall data record, the individual data record being acquired from the database, and

the communication unit of the select motor vehicle downloads mobile communications data for operating respective different applications within the select motor vehicle, the mobile communications data being downloaded into a data memory of the select motor vehicle by the communication unit, the mobile communications data being downloaded taking into consideration for the different applications, the individual data record, the mobile communications data being downloaded according to specified respective data rates, the data rates being specified by allocating available mobile communications data to the different applications.