Adaptive connection routing over multiple communication channels

• US 7,389,319 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Barr, Terrence, Razavi, Behfar, McWalter, William F., Jensen, Peter Strarup, Mocek, Darryl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US10/104,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 709/227, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

A telematics system is provided. The system includes a telematics client framework having an interface to client applications and being integrated with a client communications framework. The client communications framework has a client stream manager, a client data pump, a client policy manager, and a client channel monitor. The channel monitor detects availability of channels for communication with a telematics server framework. The telematics server framework includes an interface to server applications and is integrated with a server communications framework. The client channel monitor is configured to communicate availability of channels to connection objects of the client data pump. Switching between channels is triggered based on information obtained from the client policy manager.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for routing between communication channels used to communicate between a client application and a server application integrated in a telematics technology framework, comprising:

a communications framework, the communications framework including,

a data pump for managing connections between the client application and the server application, the data pump implements dedicated connection objects for handling each connection between the client application and the server application;

a policy manager for setting a pluggable policy of quality of service properties for connections between the client application and the server application to enable each connection of the dedicated connection objects to switch between channels depending upon the pluggable policy set by a user; and

a channel monitor for monitoring availability of each channel capable of interfacing with the communications framework;

whereby a connection object of the dedicated connection objects, triggered to switch from a current channel to another channel based on channel availability information obtained from the channel monitor and the pluggable policy of the policy manager, interfaces with a synchronization control to avoid data loss between the client application and the server application and to enable communication between the client side and the server side.

2. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization control is in communication with the data pump of the client application and a data pump of the server application.

3. The computer implemented system of claim 1, further comprising:

a stream manager, the stream manager being configured to initiate communication between the client application and the communications framework.

4. The computer implemented system of claim 3, further comprising:

a message manager, the message manager being configured to handle message communication between the client application and the communications framework.

5. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the client application is a carlet and the client application is executed on a telematics control unit (TCU) of a vehicle, the carlet configured to render control and interfacing with a component of the vehicle.

6. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the system is integrated in a telematics technology client framework.

7. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the server application is integrated in a telematics technology portal framework.

8. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the data pump defines a data multiplexer and flow controller.

9. A computer implemented telematics system, the system comprising:

a telematics client framework, the telematics client framework including an interface to client applications and being integrated with a client communications framework, the client communications framework including,

a client stream manager,

a client data pump,

a client policy manager for setting a pluggable policy of quality of service properties for connections between a client application and a server application to enable each connection of the dedicated connection objects to switch between channels depending upon the pluggable policy set by a user; and

a client channel monitor for detecting availability of channels for communication with a telematics server framework, the telematics server framework including an interface to server applications and being integrated with a server communications framework, the client channel monitor being configured to communicate availability of channels to connection objects of the client data pump, and the client channel monitor enabling a connection object between the client application and a server application to be triggered to switch between channels based on information obtained from the client policy manager.

10. The computer implemented telematics system of claim 9, wherein the telematics client framework is running on a telematics control unit (TCU) of a vehicle.

11. The computer implemented telematics system of claim 9, wherein the telematics control unit (TCU) includes hardware, a real-time operating system, a JVM, an OSGi servicespace, the telematics client framework that includes the client communications framework, and client applications.

12. The computer implemented telematics system of claim 9, wherein the client applications are carlets.

13. The computer implemented telematics system of claim 9, wherein the client communications framework uses a wireless channel to connect to the server communications framework.

14. The computer implemented telematics system of claim 9, wherein the telematics system implements a synchronization control to manage communication changes between channels.

15. A method for adaptively routing between multiple communication channels used to communicate between a client application and a server application of a telematics system, comprising:

receiving a request for a communications connection from the client application to the server application;

establishing a connection object to define a wireless connection between the client application and the server application using one channel selected from two or more available channels;

monitoring the two or more available channels;

detecting a change in availability of the two or more available channels;

referring to a pluggable policy of quality of service properties for connections between the client application and the server application to enable each connection, which is set by a user, to determine if a change in the selected channel of the connection object is required after detecting the change in availability, and if a change is required,

synchronizing data transferred between the client side and the server side to avoid data loss between the client application and the server application; and

switching from the selected channel to another of the two or more available channels within the connection object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a change in availability of the two or more available channels is detected when one of a new channel becomes available and an existing channel becomes unavailable.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the two or more available channels provide connections of the same or different bandwidth.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method is executed using a java virtual machine.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the pluggable policy defines logic for when switching is desirable in view of current available channels.