VEHICLE TO VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND METHODS FOR RECREATIONAL VEHICLES

• US 20180077524A1
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polaris Industries Incorporated (Polaris Inc.)
• Inventors: Post, Benjamin L., Krosschell, Brian D., Betcher, Benjamin J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,154,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A mobile communication device and method of using, the device including a processor, a communications module for a MESH network; a GPS module to determine a global position; and at least one output. The processor receives at least one instance of location data authored by at least one system of one or more other vehicles. Each instance of location data received via the MESH network describing a location of said other vehicle that authored the data. The processor comparing received location data to position data obtained from the GPS module; determining, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device and the one or more other vehicles; and generating a signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output that is responsive to the determined level.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device supported by a vehicle, the mobile communication device including:

a processor;

a communications module, the processor having instructions thereon to utilize the communications module to participate in a MESH network;

a GPS module operable to determine a global position of the GPS module; and

at least one of an audio output and a display output, the processor having instructions that when carried out by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive at least one instance of location data authored by a system of at least another vehicle, the received at least one instance of location data describing a location of the at least another vehicle that authored the data, the at least one instance of location data being received via the MESH network;

compare the received at least on instance of location data to position data obtained from the GPS module;

determine, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle; and

generate a signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output that is responsive to the determined level.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the received at least one instance of location data also includes trajectory data associated with the at least another vehicle.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use the received trajectory data to determine an expected near-term location for the at least another vehicle.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction includes considering the expected near-term location of the at least another vehicle.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive data from the GPS module and determine a group of locations that the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle has greater than a threshold likelihood of being located in within a defined period of time.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the group of locations define a cone of influence.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is mounted on the vehicle.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the communications module is operable to broadcast the received at least one instance of location data.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein generating the signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output includes generating a signal indicating a direction that the at least another vehicle is located relative to the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and indicating the level of the likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the least another vehicle.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit GPS position data received from the GPS module and trajectory information via the communications module.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate an area of influence based in part on the position data obtained from the GPS module, and wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction is further based on comparing the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle to the area of influence, the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle.

22. The device claim 21, wherein:

the level of the likelihood of interaction is high when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is within the area of influence;

the level of the likelihood of interaction is moderate when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence but the at least another vehicle has a high possibility of entering the area of influence in a short period of time; and

the level of the likelihood of interaction is low when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence.

11. A method of operating a MESH communications network, including:

providing a mobile communications device supported by a vehicle, the mobile communications device having a processor, a communications module operable to communicate via a MESH network, a GPS module operable to determine a global position of the GPS module, and at least one of an audio output and a display output;

receiving at least one instance of location data authored by a system of at least another vehicle, the received at least one instance of location data describing a location of the at least another vehicle that authored the data, the at least one instance of location data being received via the MESH network;

comparing the received at least one instance of location data to position data obtained from the GPS module;

determining, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle; and

generating a signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output that is responsive to the determined level.

12. The method of claim 11, further including transmitting GPS position data received from the GPS module and trajectory information via the communications module.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the received at least one instance of location data also includes trajectory data associated with the at least another vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction includes considering an expected near-term location of the at least another vehicle.

15. The method of claim 11, further including receiving data from the GPS module and determining a group of locations that the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle has greater than a threshold likelihood of being located in within a defined period of time.

16. The method of claim 11, further including broadcasting, by the communications module, the received at least one instance of location data and broadcasting GPS data received from the GPS module.

17. The method of claim 11, further including outputting a display signal that when received by a display is suitable for presenting a visual indication of a relative position of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle and the least another vehicle.

23. The method of claim 11, further including generating an area of influence based in part on the position data obtained from the GPS module, and wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction is further based on comparing the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle to the area of influence, the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle.

24. The method claim 23, wherein:

the level of the likelihood of interaction is high when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is within the area of influence;

the level of the likelihood of interaction is moderate when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence but the at least another vehicle has a high possibility of entering the area of influence in a short period of time; and

the level of the likelihood of interaction is low when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence.

18. A non-transitive computer readable medium having instructions to be interpreted by a processor of a mobile communication device supported by a vehicle, the instructions when interpreted by the processor cause the processor to:

receive at least one instance of location data authored a system of at least another vehicle, the received at least one instance of location data describing a location of the at least another vehicle that authored the data, the at least one instance of location data being received via a MESH network;

compare the received at least one instance of location data to position data obtained from a GPS module of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle;

determine, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle and the at least another vehicle; and

generate a signal to at least one of an audio output and a display output of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle that is responsive to the determined level.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit GPS position data received from the GPS module of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle and trajectory information via a communications module of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to output a display signal that when received by a display is suitable for presenting a visual indication of a relative position of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle and the least another vehicle.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate an area of influence based in part on the position data obtained from the GPS module, and wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction is further based on comparing the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle to the area of influence, the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device coupled to the vehicle.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein:

the level of the likelihood of interaction is high when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is within the area of influence;

the level of the likelihood of interaction is moderate when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence but the at least another vehicle has a high possibility of entering the area of influence in a short period of time; and

the level of the likelihood of interaction is low when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is outside the area of influence.