System and method for routing, mobility, application services, discovery, and sensing in a vehicular network environment

• US 9,036,509 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Addepalli, Sateesh K., Sudhaakar, Raghuram S., Dai, Lillian Lei, Lee, Kevin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sloms, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/118,220
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/008 where the control data relates to payload of a different packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0858 One way delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• 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 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 : Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0009 : for a plurality of users or terminals, e.g. group communication or moving wireless networks user group management H04W4/08; processing of subscriber group data H04W8/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 : Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 : Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 : based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 : based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 : in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 : where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0264 : by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/12 : Outer and inner loops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 : Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/225 : Calculation of statistics, e.g. average, variance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/241 : taking into account channel quality metrics, e.g. SIR, SNR, CIR, Eb/lo
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 : distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/53 : based on regulatory allocation policies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 : for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 : Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 : Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 : Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 : between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 : Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method includes selecting a path for routing a data packet from a source node to a destination node in a vehicular ad hoc network, storing the data packet if the selected path is identified as a dead end, and establishing a communication link with a first node. The method also includes forwarding the data packet to the first node if a first distance between the first node and the destination node is less than a second distance between the source node and the destination node. More specific embodiments include sending a query for location information of the destination node, receiving the location information including two or more available paths from the source node to the destination node, and determining the path for routing the data packet is an optimal path of the two or more available paths.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving at a receiving node, from a sending node, a data packet to be routed from the receiving node to a destination node in a vehicular ad hoc network;

decapsulating the data packet to identify a path to the destination node;

determining the identified path is a dead end if no neighbor nodes are currently available to the receiving node;

storing the data packet if the identified path is determined to be a dead end; and

initiating a timer for the stored data packet, wherein the data packet is not dropped by the receiving node if an available path to the destination node is identified and selected for the data packet before expiry of the timer, wherein the available path is identified and selected by;

querying by the receiving node, after the identified path is determined to be a dead end and before the expiry of the timer, a geo location server for location information of the destination node;

receiving from the geo location server a response to the query, wherein the response includes the location information of the destination node; and

selecting the available path from two or more available paths from the receiving node to the destination node, wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on a user tolerance for delay associated with the data packet, a connection cost associated with the available path, and an infrastructure connection type associated with the available path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an anchor in the decapsulated data packet;

determining a next node based on the anchor;

routing the data packet to the next node if the identified path is not a dead end; and

determining the identified path is a dead end if a communication link is not available from the receiving node to any neighbor node in which a first distance between the neighbor node and the destination node is less than a second distance between the receiving node and the destination node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing a communication link with the first node occurs before an expiration of a predetermined time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the available path has a fewest number of hops from the receiving node to the destination node of the two or more available paths.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the available path includes a sequence of anchors, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a first anchor in the sequence of anchors;

determining the first node based on the first anchor; and

encapsulating in the data packet other anchors in the sequence of anchors between the first anchor and the destination node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first anchor is a node with an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining the first anchor is a waypoint indicating geographical coordinates located between the receiving node and the destination node,

wherein the determining the first node includes evaluating a location of the first node relative to the waypoint.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

routing the data packet to a neighbor node if the identified path is determined not to exist and a dead end has not been reached, wherein a first distance between the neighbor node and the destination node is less than a second distance between the receiving node and the destination node.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a routing option table configured to store routing data;

a routing engine; and

a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the routing data, wherein the routing engine, the processor, and the routing option table cooperate such that the apparatus is configured for;

receiving, from a sending node, a data packet to be routed from the apparatus to a destination node in a vehicular ad hoc network;

decapsulating the data packet to identify a path to the destination node;

determining the identified path is a dead end if no neighbor nodes are currently available to the apparatus;

storing the data packet if the identified path is determined to be a dead end; and

initiating a timer for the stored data packet, wherein the data packet is not dropped by the receiving node if an available path to the destination node is identified and selected for the data packet before expiry of the timer, wherein the available path is identified and selected by;

querying, after the identified path is determined to be a dead end and before the expiry of the timer, a geo location server for location information of the destination node;

receiving from the geo location server a response to the query, wherein the response includes the location information of the destination node; and

selecting the available path from two or more available paths from the apparatus to the destination node, wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on a user tolerance for delay associated with the data packet, a connection cost associated with the available path, and an infrastructure connection type associated with the available path.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to execute further instructions such that the apparatus is configured for:

routing the data packet to a neighbor node if the identified path is determined not to exist and a dead end has not been reached, wherein a first distance between the neighbor node and the destination node is less than a second distance between the receiving node and the destination node.

9. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving at a receiving node, from a sending node, a data packet to be routed from the receiving node to a destination node in a vehicular ad hoc network;

decapsulating the data packet to identify a path to the destination node;

determining the identified path is a dead end if no neighbor nodes are currently available to the receiving node;

storing the data packet if the identified path is determined to be a dead end; and

initiating a timer for the stored data packet, wherein the data packet is not dropped by the receiving node if an available path to the destination node is identified and selected for the data packet before expiry of the timer, wherein the available path is identified and selected by;

querying by the receiving node, after the identified path is determined to be a dead end and before the expiry of the timer, a geo location server for location information of the destination node;

receiving from the geo location server a response to the query, wherein the response includes the location information of the destination node; and

selecting the available path from two or more available paths from the receiving node to the destination node, wherein the selecting is based, at least in part, on a user tolerance for delay associated with the data packet, a connection cost associated with the available path, and an infrastructure connection type associated with the available path.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein when executed by the processor, the code is operable to perform further operations comprising:

routing the data packet to a neighbor node if the identified path is determined not to exist and a dead end has not been reached, wherein a first distance between the neighbor node and the destination node is less than a second distance between the receiving node and the destination node.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the particular infrastructure connection type is selected from a group of infrastructure connection types comprising cellular, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMax), WiFi, and dedicated short range communications (DSRC).