Reliable broadcast transmission in a vehicular environment

• US 8,436,751 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autotalks Ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Autotalks Ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haran, Onn
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hol
• Application Number:
  US12/996,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,512 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.1, 340/539.3, 340/904, 340/988, 370/328, 370/338, 370/392, 370/329, 370/462, 370/330, 701/1, 701/301, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/3.01, 455/63.1
• US Class Current: 340/995.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/022 with dynamic range variability
• 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 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance

Abstract

Methods for reliable broadcast transmission in a vehicular environment comprise providing a dynamic local map for a driven vehicle, selecting a pivot vehicle based on the local map and optionally on a radio frequency coverage limit and performing a RTS/CTS handshake between the driven vehicle and the pivot vehicle. The CTS message by the pivot vehicle clears the way for the driven vehicle to broadcast data to other vehicles in the environment.

Claims

1. A method for reliable broadcast transmission by a moving driven vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) providing a local road map that changes dynamically, as the driven vehicle moves, according to transmissions of at least one other vehicle; and

b) using the local road map and a request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) handshake to reliably broadcast data to other vehicles in the vehicular environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a local map includes creating the local road map incrementally at the driven vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a local map includes obtaining the local road map from a navigation system.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

c) determining a radio frequency (RF) coverage limit; and

d) using the RF coverage limit in conjunction with the local road map and the RTS/CTS handshake to reliably broadcast the data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the creating a local map incrementally includes creating the local road map using GPS information received in a plurality of beacons transmitted by a respective plurality of vehicles, wherein each beacon is associated with a particular vehicle.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining a RF coverage limit includes learning the RF coverage limit iteratively.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of using the local road map and a RTS/CTS handshake includes:

i. determining a RTS/CTS area; and

ii. performing the RTS/CTS handshake with a pivot vehicle within the RTS/CTS area.

8. A method for reliable broadcast transmission in a vehicular environment comprising the steps of:

a) providing a dynamic local map, for a driven vehicle;

b) selecting a pivot vehicle;

c) performing a request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) handshake between the driven vehicle and the pivot vehicle to allow reliable broadcast of data by the driven vehicle to other vehicles in the vehicular environment; and

d) subsequent to said handshake, broadcasting the data by the driven vehicle to the other vehicles in the vehicular environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting a pivot vehicle includes selecting the pivot vehicle based on the dynamic local map.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selecting a pivot vehicle includes selecting the pivot vehicle based on the dynamic local map and on a radio frequency (RF) coverage limit.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing a dynamic local map includes creating the dynamic local map incrementally at the driven vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing a dynamic local map includes obtaining the dynamic local map from a navigation system.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the creating a dynamic local map incrementally includes creating the dynamic local map using GPS information received in a plurality of beacons transmitted by a respective plurality of vehicles, wherein each beacon is associated with a particular vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the RF coverage limit is learned iteratively by the driven vehicle.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic local map is a local road map that changes dynamically, as the driven vehicle moves, according to transmissions of at least one other vehicle.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the pivot vehicle is selected by the driven vehicle.

17. A system for reliable broadcast transmission in a vehicular environment that includes a plurality of vehicles, comprising:

a) driven vehicle;

b) means to provide, to the driven vehicle, a dynamic local map;

c) means for the driven vehicle to select a pivot vehicle based on the dynamic local map; and

d) means to perforin a request to send/clear to send (RTS/CTS) handshake between the driven vehicle and the pivot vehicle to allow reliable broadcast of data by the driven vehicle to other vehicles in the vehicular environment.