Method and apparatus for transmitting wireless signals on a mobile platform

• US 7,598,851 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Dagci, Oguz H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L
• Application Number:
  US11/538,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521
• US Class Current: 340/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2458 Modification of priorities while in transit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus to wirelessly transmit information within a mobile platform is provided, comprising a local processor, signally connected to a plurality of sensing devices and operative to process input signals from the sensing devices. There is a control module and a wireless communication system, operative to selectively transmit information between the local processor and the control module. Selectively transmitting information comprises assigning a communications priority to each input signal, the communications priority comprising one of a non-event, a first-level event, a second-level event, and a third-level event; and, transmitting the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority.

Claims

1. Method for wirelessly transmitting information within a mobile platform from a plurality of sensing devices to a control module, comprising:

monitoring input signals from the sensing devices;

assigning a communications priority to each input signal; and

selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority, said selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module corresponding to an occurrence of an event;

wherein selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority comprises

transmitting a first-level event only when either of a second-level and a third-level event is not being transmitting, and

transmitting a second-level event when a third-level event is not being transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning a communications priority to each input signal comprises selectively assigning each input signal as one of a non-event, the first-level event, the second-level event, and the third-level event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority further comprises not transmitting the input signals when all the input signals comprise non-events.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the non-event when a change in the selected input signal is less than a minor threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the first-level event when a change in the selected input signal exceeds a minor threshold.

6. The method of claim 2, comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the first-level event when a predicted change in the selected input signal exceeds a minor threshold.

7. The method of claim 2, comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the second-level event when a change in the selected input signal exceeds a major threshold.

8. The method of claim 2, comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the third-level event when a change in the selected input signal exceeds a major threshold for greater than a predetermined period of time without being transmitted to the control module.

9. The method of claim 2, comprising selectively assigning the input signal as the third-level event when a change in the selected input signal exceeds a threshold greater than a major threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising canceling transmitting the first-level event at occurrence of either of a subsequent second-level and third-level event.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a sensor-based priority to each input signal from the sensing device; and

,

selectively transmitting one of the second-level event and a subsequent second-level event based upon the sensor-based priority.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring input signals from the sensing devices further comprises conditioning the input signals.

13. System to wirelessly transmit information within a mobile platform, comprising:

a control module;

a wireless communication system; and

a local processor

signally connected to a plurality of sensing devices,

configured to monitor input signals from the sensing devices, and

configured to use the wireless communication system to selectively transmit information to the control module, the selective transmission comprising

i) determining a change in each of the input signals

ii) selectively assigning a communications priority to each input signal based upon the change in the input signals, the communications priority comprising one of a non-event, a first-level event, a second-level event, and a third-level event, and

iii) selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority, said selectively transmitting the input signals to the control module corresponding to an occurrence of an event.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising the local processor configured to predict a change in one of the input signals and selectively assign the communications priority based upon the predicted change in the input signal.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the wireless communication system comprises the local processor having first and second transceivers configured to communicate with first and second transceivers of the control module.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first transceivers communicate using a communications channel distinctive from a communications channel used by the second transceivers.

17. System to control an actuator in a mobile platform, comprising:

a local processor signally connected to a plurality of sensing devices and operatively connected to an actuator;

a control module, configured to determine a control signal for the actuator; and

a wireless communication system configured to selectively transmit information between the local processor and the control module the system configured to

i) monitor input signals from the sensing devices,

ii) assign a communications priority to each input signal based upon a change in the input signal,

iii) selectively transmit the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority, and

iv) communicate the control signal to the local processor.

18. System for wireless communication in a mobile platform, comprising:

a local processor signally connected to a plurality of sensing devices;

a control module, configured to determine a control signal for an actuator;

a wireless communication system configured to selectively transmit information between the local processor and the control module based upon a communications priority, the system configured to

i) assign a sensor priority to each sensing device,

ii) monitor input signals from the sensing devices,

iii) assign a communications priority to each input signal, and

iv) selectively transmit the input signals to the control module based upon the communications priority and the sensor priority.

19. Method for determining a priority for wirelessly transmitted sensor signals from a local processing unit to a central processing unit, comprising:

assigning a priority to each sensor signal;

changing the assigned priority for each sensor signal based upon occurrence of an event affecting the sensor signal;

transmitting each sensor signal based upon the assigned priority; and

wherein the occurrence of an event may comprise the sensor signal exceeding a minor threshold, the sensor signal exceeding a major threshold, and the sensor signal exceeding an alarm level.