Information gathering system using multi-radio telematics devices

• US 8,447,804 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Fan, Grimm, Donald K., Correia, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, KHANH Q
• Application Number:
  US12/974,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/220, 709/225, 709/228, 370/328
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for intelligent procurement of data from a plurality of vehicles in a data-aggregation region using long-range communications, short-range communications, and group leader vehicles. The method includes a central server defining a plurality of data-aggregation areas and identifying at least one group leader vehicle in each data-aggregation area. The method also includes the group leader vehicle in each data-aggregation area collecting data from other vehicles in the data-aggregation area using short-range communications and the group leader vehicle in each data-aggregation area determining to cease collecting data from the other vehicles in the data-aggregation area. The method further includes the group leader vehicle in each data-aggregation area generating a consensus report using the data collected from the other vehicles in its data-aggregation area.

Claims

1. A method, or intelligent procurement of data from a plurality of automotive vehicles, comprising:

determining, by a central server using a computer processor, a plurality of data-aggregation areas;

determining a group leader vehicle for each data-aggregation area determined; and

receiving, from the group leader vehicle of each data-aggregation area, a consensus report generated by the group leader vehicle using data collected, by the group leader vehicle, from other vehicles in the data-aggregation area, using short-range communications, until the group leader vehicle determined to cease collecting the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the group leader vehicle is performed according to a data-aggregation protocol, including according to a distinguishing arbitrary characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the group leader vehicle according to the distinguishing arbitrary characteristic includes determining the group leader vehicle as a vehicle being associated with a most-extreme unique identification number, being a highest or lowest identification number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the group leader is performed according to a data-aggregation protocol, including according to a strategic characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area and a pre-determined benefit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the group leader vehicle according to the strategic characteristic includes determining the group leader vehicle as a vehicle having a most-extreme communications-plan usage quality.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the group leader vehicle as the vehicle having the most-extreme communications quality includes determining the group leader vehicle as the vehicle having one of:

a highest number of minutes remaining on account in a long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle;

a lowest use of an allocation in the long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle; and

a lowest percentage or ratio of use in the long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the group leader vehicle of each data-aggregation area determines to cease collecting data in response to determining that a pre-determined threshold value has been met.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the group leader vehicle determining that the pre-determined threshold value has been met includes the group leader vehicle determining that a result of a relative-standard-error calculation has been lower than a relative-standard-error threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the group leader vehicle determining that the pre-determined threshold value has been met includes the group leader vehicle determining that:

data has been received from a pre-determined number of vehicles;

or

a pre-set amount of time has passed.

13. The method, for intelligent procurement of data, of claim 1, wherein, to determine the areas and group leader vehicle, the processor of the central server executes a data-aggregation protocol stored at a memory of the central server, and to generate and transmit, to the central server, the consensus report, a processor of the group leader vehicle executes the data-aggregation protocol, being stored at a memory of the group leader vehicle.

10. A tangible computer-readable storage device comprising instructions that include a data-aggregation protocol and, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, for intelligent procurement of data from a plurality of automotive vehicles positioned in a data-aggregation region, comprising:

determining a plurality of data-aggregation areas;

determining a group leader vehicle, for each data-aggregation area, of the vehicles positioned in the data-aggregation area; and

receiving from the group leader vehicle of each data-aggregation area, a consensus report generated by the group leader vehicle using data collected by the group leader vehicle, using the data-aggregation protocol and short-range communications, from other vehicles in the data-aggregation area, until the group leader vehicle determined to cease collecting the data.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the group leader vehicle determines, according to the data-aggregation protocol, to cease collecting data by determining that a pre-determined threshold value has been met.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 10, wherein the operation of determining the group leader vehicle for each data-aggregation area comprises determining the group leader according to a characteristic selected from a group consisting of:

a distinguishing arbitrary characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area; and

a strategic characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area and a pre-determined benefit.

14. A tangible computer-readable storage device, for use at an automotive vehicle when positioned in a pre-defined data-aggregation area, comprising instructions that include a data-aggregation protocol and, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a group leader vehicle for the data-aggregation area by communicating with processors of other automotive vehicles positioned in the data-aggregation area and executing the data-aggregation protocol; and

responsive to determining that the automotive vehicle is the group leader vehicle for the data-aggregation area;

collecting data from processors of other vehicles in the data-aggregation area using short-range communications;

determining to cease collecting data from the other vehicles in the data-aggregation area; and

generating a consensus report using the data collected from the other vehicles in its data-aggregation area.

15. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operation of determining the group leader vehicle comprises determining the group leader vehicle according to a characteristic selected from a group consisting of:

a distinguishing arbitrary characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area; and

a strategic characteristic associated with the vehicles in the data-aggregation area and a pre-determined benefit.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein determining the group leader vehicle according to the distinguishing arbitrary characteristic includes determining the group leader vehicle as a vehicle being associated with a most-extreme unique identification number, being a highest or lowest identification number.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein determining the group leader vehicle according to the strategic characteristic includes determining the group leader vehicle as a vehicle having a most-extreme communications-plan usage quality.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein determining the group leader vehicle as the vehicle having the most-extreme communications quality includes determining the group leader vehicle as the vehicle having a quality selected from a group consisting of:

a highest number of minutes remaining on account in a long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle;

a lowest use of an allocation in the long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle; and

a lowest percentage or ratio of use in the long-range communications plan associated with the vehicle.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the operation of determining to cease collecting data includes determining that a pre-determined threshold value has been met.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein:

the operation of determining that the pre-determined threshold value has been met comprises making a determination, selected from a group of determinations consisting of;

determining that a result of a relative-standard-error (RSE) calculation has been lower than a relative-standard-error (RSE) threshold, the RSE calculation being given by;