Hierarchical floating car data network

• US 7,188,026 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2003
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dash Navigation, Inc. (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Tzamaloukas, Assimakis
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong
• Application Number:
  US10/436,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20040230373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200, 701/213, 701/24, 701/96, 701/207, 731/78.R, 340/991, 340/993, 340/999, 340/902, 340/988, 340/989, 342/350, 342/351, 342/352, 342/367, 455/39, 455/507, 455/524, 455/525, 455/899, 455/3.01, 455/414.2, 455/456
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A hierarchical floating car data network comprises a central server, an egress point network, and a participating vehicle network. The egress point network is in communication with the central server. The egress point network comprises a plurality of egress points. The participating vehicle network comprises a plurality of participating vehicles. At least some of the plurality of participating vehicles are in direct communication with each other. At least some of the plurality of participating vehicles are in communication with at least some of the plurality of egress points. Furthermore, at least some of the plurality of participating vehicles may be in communication with the central server. A geographic database is formed from content communicated between the elements of the hierarchical floating car data network.

Claims

1. A hierarchical floating car data network, comprising:

a central server;

a plurality of fixed egress points that each comprise a wireless local area network (WLAN) radio and a communication link to the central server, wherein the WLAN radio of each fixed egress point transmits a beacon signal; and

a participating vehicle network that comprises a first on-board equipment carried in a first vehicle and a second on-board equipment carried in a second vehicle, wherein the first on-board equipment and the second on-board equipment each comprise a WLAN radio and a locate position module, and wherein the WLAN radios in the first and the second on-board equipments operate in an enhanced ah-hoc communication mode when not in range of the beacon from one of the plurality of fixed egress points and dynamically switch to an infrastructure mode upon the detection of the beacon from one of the plurality of fixed egress points.

2. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1, wherein the second on-board equipment further comprises:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio for communication with the central server.

3. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and/or the second on-board equipment WLAN radio employs an adaptive data-rate control method.

4. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the WLAN radio in the first and/or second on-board equipment further comprises an automated transmit power control mechanism for transmitting a radio signal at a variable transmit power level, and wherein the automated transmit power control mechanism reduces the transmit power level as the first and/or second on-board equipment approaches the location of one of the plurality of fixed egress points and increases the transmit power level as the first and/or second on-board equipment moves away from the location of one of the plurality of fixed egress points.

5. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the locate position module in the first and/or second on-board equipment further comprises a global positioning system receiver.

6. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising an egress point communication link between two of the plurality of fixed egress points.

7. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the communication link from each of the plurality of fixed egress points to the central server is selected from a wireline connection and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) radio.

8. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of fixed egress points comprises means for receiving data transmitted from the WLAN radio in the first and/or the second on-board equipment, means for processing the data, and means for updating a geographic database with the processed data.

9. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of fixed egress points comprises means for reading a database, means for performing calculations on the database to produce data, and means for transmitting the data to WLAN radio in the first and/or the second on-board equipment.

10. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 9, further comprising channel frequency allocation map means for assigning frequency channels to the WLAN radio in each of the plurality of fixed egress points and to the WLAN radios in the first and/or the second on-board equipment such that the WLAN radio in each of the plurality of fixed egress points and the WLAN radios in the first and/or the second on-board equipment communicate over frequency channels assigned by the central server.

11. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 10, wherein the channel frequency allocation map means further comprises scanning means for locating frequency channels.

12. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and/or the second on-board equipment further comprises on-board software, and wherein the on-board software receives automatic updates from the central server and/or one of the plurality of fixed egress points.

13. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and/or the second on-board equipment WLAN radio employs a redundant packet retransmission method.

14. A hierarchical floating car data network method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a beacon signal from each of a plurality of fixed egress points;

relaying data between a first on-board equipment carried in a first vehicle and a second on-board equipment carried in a second vehicle, wherein the data are communicated using a first wireless local are network (WLAN) radio in the first on-board equipment and a second WLAN radio in the second on-board equipment, and wherein the first and the second WLAN radios operate in an ad-hoc communication mode when not in range of the beacon from one of the plurality of fixed egress points;

communicating data between the first on-board equipment and one of the plurality of fixed egress points via an infrastructure communication mode, wherein the first WLAN radio dynamically switches to the infrastructure communication mode upon detection of the beacon from one of the plurality of fixed egress points.

15. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

accumulating content data from the first on-board equipment at one of the plurality of fixed egress points;

transmitting the accumulated content data from the one of the plurality of fixed egress points to a central server; and

relaying data stored at the one of the plurality of fixed egress points and/or the central server to the first and/or the second on-board equipment WLAN radios using the infrastructure communication mode.

16. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 14, wherein the step of communicating data between the first on-board equipment and the one of the plurality of fixed egress points further comprises a location-based adaptive rate control method that uses an automated transmit power control mechanism in the first on-board equipment to vary the transmit power from the first on-board equipment WLAN radio as a function of proximity of the first vehicle to the one of the plurality of fixed egress points.

17. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 14, 15, or 16, further comprising the steps of:

communicating state information from WLAN radios in the first and/or the second vehicle to the WLAN in one of the plurality of fixed egress points; and

sharing the state information among the plurality of fixed egress points.

18. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 14, 15, or 16, further comprising the step of:

exchanging content among the plurality of fixed egress points.

19. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 18, wherein the content comprises a beacon service table.

20. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 18, wherein the content comprises a vehicle service table.

21. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 14, 15, or 16, further comprising the step of:

transmitting data from the first and/or the second WLAN radios using a redundant packet retransmission method.