System and method for vehicle based cellular offload

• US 8,995,956 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Lavi, Nadav, Rotstein, Ron, Scheim, Kobi Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal, Khawar
• Application Number:
  US13/241,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/426.1, 455/566, 455/11.1, 455/187.1, 455/40, 455/411, 4554141-4144, 455/422.1, 455436-437, 455/452.2, 455/456.1, 455/507, 455/522, 455/450.16, 370/338, 370/235, 370/310, 370/331, 307/9.1, 343/711
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

One or more vehicle communication systems associated with one or more vehicles may be activated. The one or more vehicles may, for example, include a gateway vehicle. A backhaul connection between a vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle and a cellular infrastructure may be established. Signals from the cellular infrastructure may be received at the vehicle communication system associated with gateway vehicle. Using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, the signals received from the cellular infrastructure may be transmitted. Signals from one or more mobile devices may be received using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle. The signals received from the one or more mobile devices may be transmitted to the cellular infrastructure using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

activating a plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with a plurality of vehicles, wherein the activating the plurality of vehicle communication systems comprises;

determining, by a network management system, based on one or more vehicle owner policies associated with the plurality of vehicle communication systems whether to activate the plurality of vehicle communication systems; and

activating, if the one or more vehicle owner policies is not be violated, the plurality of vehicle communication systems; and

activating, if an operator network capacity and load necessitate additional coverage, the plurality of vehicle communication systems, according to the operator network;

determining a gateway vehicle as a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles having a strongest backhaul link;

establishing a backhaul connection by a backhaul hardware module of the vehicle communication system associated with the plurality of vehicle communication systems with the gateway vehicle, between the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle and a cellular infrastructure, wherein said backhaul connection is operative to aggregate data from the plurality of vehicles;

receiving signals from the cellular infrastructure at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle;

transmitting, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, the signals received from the cellular infrastructure;

receiving signals from one or more mobile devices at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle; and

transmitting, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, to the cellular infrastructure using the backhaul connection, the signals received from the one or more mobile devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

transmitting, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, the signals received from the cellular infrastructure comprises;

transmitting signals from the vehicle communication system associated with gateway vehicle to the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles;

receiving, at the one or more mobile devices, signals transmitted by the gateway vehicle via one or more vehicle communication systems associated the plurality of vehicles; and

receiving signals from the one or more mobile devices at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle comprises;

receiving, at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, signals from one or more mobile devices transmitted via the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, to the cellular infrastructure the signals received from the one or more mobile devices comprises:

aggregating the signals from the one or more mobile devices; and

transmitting the aggregated signals from the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle to the cellular infrastructure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the of the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with one or more of the plurality of vehicles comprises determining based on one or more vehicle battery levels whether to activate the one or more plurality of vehicle communication systems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles comprise a self organizing network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles comprises:

a radio access system to transmit signals to and receive signals from the one or more mobile devices and the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

a backhaul system to provide the backhaul connection to the cellular infrastructure and to transmit signals to and receive signals from the cellular infrastructure.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the radio access system comprises one or more femto cells.

8. A system comprising:

a backhaul hardware module, to;

establish a backhaul connection between a vehicle communication system associated with a vehicle and a cellular infrastructure, wherein the backhaul connection is operative to aggregate data from a plurality of vehicles; and

a processor to;

activate a plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles, wherein to activate the plurality of vehicle communication systems comprises;

determining, by a network management system, based on one or more vehicle policies associated with the plurality of vehicle communication systems whether to activate the plurality of vehicle communication systems; and

activating, if the one or more vehicle owner policies is not be violated, the plurality of vehicle communication systems; and

activating, if an operator network capacity and load necessitate additional coverage, the plurality of vehicle communication systems, according to the operator network;

determine a gateway vehicle as a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles having a strongest backhaul link;

receive signals from the cellular infrastructure at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle;

transmit, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, the signals received from the cellular infrastructure using the backhaul connection;

receive signals from one or more mobile devices at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle; and

transmit, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, to the cellular infrastructure, using the backhaul connection, the signals received from the one or more mobile devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein to:

transmit, using the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle, the signals received from the cellular infrastructure the processor is to;

transmit signals from the vehicle communication system associated with gateway vehicle to vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

receive, at the one or more mobile devices, signals transmitted by the gateway vehicle via the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles;

receive signals from the one or more mobile devices at the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle the processor is to;

receive, at the vehicle communication system associated with gateway vehicle, signals from the one or more mobile devices transmitted via the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein to transmit signals from the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle to the cellular infrastructure the processor is to:

aggregate the signals from the one or more mobile devices transmitted via vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

transmit the aggregated signals from the vehicle communication system associated with the gateway vehicle to the cellular infrastructure.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein to activate the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles, wherein the one or more vehicles comprises the gateway vehicle the processor is to determine based on one or more vehicle battery levels whether to activate the one or more of plurality of vehicle communication systems.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is to deactivate one or more the plurality of vehicle communications systems if a battery level associated with the of plurality of vehicle communication systems is below a pre-defined threshold.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles comprise:

a radio access system to transmit signals to and receive signals from the one or more of mobile devices and the plurality of vehicle communication systems associated with the plurality of vehicles; and

a

backhaul system to establish the backhaul connection to the cellular infrastructure and to transmit signals to and receive signals from the cellular infrastructure.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the cellular infrastructure comprises a dedicated communication hub.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the radio access system comprises one or more wireless access points.