Methods and apparatus for communicating safety message information

• US 9,048,960 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Junyi, Wu, Xinzhou, Subramanian, Sundar
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US13/588,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20140051346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.3, 455/344, 455/345, 455/352, 455/67.11, 455/450, 455 411- 413, 455/414.1, 455/66.1, 709/202, 709/301, 340/901, 340/903, 340/905, 340/425.5, 340/435, 340/436, 340/917, 340/925, 340/944, 701/445, 701/489, 701/301, 701/214, 701/70, 701/117, 701/30, 701/29, 701/33
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/046 involving vehicles, e.g. floating traffic data [FTD] or vehicle traffic prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Various embodiments, relate to a communications system in which communications devices of users and communications devices of vehicular systems communicate safety messages through a cellular communications band or the DSRC (Dedicated short-range communications) vehicular communications band or a combination of both. Various methods and apparatus are directed to communicating safety messages between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists through the use of a cell phone, thus improving the impact of vehicular communications. In some embodiments, at least some cell phones in a communications system includes both a DSRC communications capability and a cellular communications capability.

Claims

1. A method of operating a safety system, comprising:

receiving, at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

transmitting, to mobile cellular network devices which do not have DSRC capability, via a cellular wireless transmitter, cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information obtained from DSRC signals.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said mobile cellular network devices include telephones which do not have DSRC capability;

and

wherein said at least some safety message information obtained from DSRC signals includes information useful for altering an intended course.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some safety information indicates a location and path of nearby vehicular traffic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals includes receiving at least some of said safety message information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving from cellular network devices GPS location information in addition to said at least some safety message information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information, to the mobile cellular network devices includes sending a digest report of safety information to the mobile cellular network devices.

6. A safety system, comprising:

means for receiving, at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

means for transmitting, to mobile cellular network devices which do not have DSRC capability, cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information obtained from DSRC signals.

7. The safety system of claim 6, wherein said mobile cellular network devices include telephones which do not have DSRC capability.

8. The safety system of claim 6, wherein said means for receiving at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals, includes:

means for receiving at least some of said information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals.

9. The safety system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving from cellular network devices location information in addition to said at least some safety message information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

10. The safety system of claim 8, wherein said means for transmitting cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information to mobile cellular network devices includes:

means for sending a digest report of safety information to the mobile cellular network devices.

11. A computer program product for use in a safety system, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals; and

code for causing said at least one computer to transmit to mobile cellular network devices which do not have DSRC capability, via a cellular wireless transmitter, cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information obtained from DSRC signals.

12. A safety system comprising:

at least one processor configured to control said safety system to;

receive at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) signals;

transmit, to mobile cellular network devices which do not have DSRC capability, via a cellular wireless transmitter, cellular network signals communicating at least some of said received safety message information obtained from DSRC signals; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

13. The safety system of claim 12, wherein said mobile cellular network devices include telephones which do not have DSRC capability.

14. The safety system of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is configured to control said safety system to receive at least some of said information from mobile wireless terminals in said cellular network which receive DSRC signals from vehicles in addition to receiving cellular network signals, as part of being configured to receive at a server in a cellular network, safety message information obtained from dedicated short-range communications signals.

15. The safety system of claim 14, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to control said safety system to:

receive from cellular network devices location information in addition to said at least some safety message information obtained from DSRC signals, said location information indicating the location of the devices providing DSRC information.

16. A method of operating a multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, comprising:

receiving at least one DSRC signal communicating safety message information; and

communicating safety message information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device that operates as a server in a cellular network and which communicates said safety message information via cellular wireless signals to mobile cellular devices which do not have DSRC capability.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising;

receiving additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices;

and wherein said communicating safety message information obtained from the DSRC signal is performed as part of communicating information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving additional safety message information from the cellular network;

generating a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information; and

transmitting the generated DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating a DSRC message includes:

identifying a subset of the additional safety message information received from the cellular network relevant to the proximate area in which the multimode wireless communications device is located; and

including said subset of the additional safety message information in said generated DSRC message, said DSRC message communicating less than all the additional safety message information received from the cellular network.

21. A multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the device comprising:

means for receiving at least one DSRC signal communicating safety message information; and

means for communicating safety message information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device that operates as a server in a cellular network and which communicates said safety message information via cellular wireless signals to mobile cellular devices which do not have DSRC capability.

22. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 21, further comprising;

means for receiving additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices; and

means for communicating information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

23. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for receiving additional safety message information from the cellular network;

means for generating a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information; and

means for transmitting the DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information.

24. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 23, wherein the additional safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.

25. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 24, wherein said means for generating a DSRC message includes:

means for identifying a subset of the additional safety message information received from the cellular network relevant to the proximate area in which the multimode device is located; and

means for including said subset of the additional safety message information in said generated DSRC message, said DSRC message communicating less than all the additional safety message information received from the cellular network.

26. A computer program product for use in a multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising;

code for causing at least one computer to receive at least one DSRC signal communicating safety message information; and

code for causing said at least one computer to communicate safety message information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device that operates as a server in a cellular network and which communicates said safety message information via cellular wireless signals to mobile cellular devices which do not have DSRC capability.

27. A multi-mode wireless communications device which supports cellular and DSRC communications, the device comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive at least one DSRC signal communicating safety message information; and

communicate safety message information obtained from the DSRC signal to a device that operates as a server in a cellular network and which communicates said safety message information via cellular wireless signals to mobile cellular devices which do not have DSRC capability; and

memory coupled to said at least one processor.

28. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive additional DSRC signals from a plurality of different devices; and

communicate information aggregated from DSRC signals received from multiple different DSRC capable devices.

29. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 27, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive additional safety message information from the cellular network;

generate a DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information; and

transmit the DSRC message communicating at least some of the received additional safety message information.

30. The multi-mode wireless communications device of claim 29, wherein the additional safety message information from the cellular network includes at least one of a safety message digest report corresponding to a geographic region, weather alerts, traffic alerts or construction alerts.