Multiple transceiver and antenna verification system

• US 9,379,828 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Banasky, Lawrence Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US14/535,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20160134383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.14, 455/423
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/15 Performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/29 Performance testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/309 Measuring or estimating channel quality parameters

Abstract

A system includes a control unit and multiple transceivers connected by a communication bus. The transceivers are respectively connected to antennas. The control unit tests the operation of the transceivers by transmitting a test signal from a first transceiver to a second transceiver, receiving a return signal based on the test signal from the second transceiver, and determining if the strength of the return signal is within a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a control unit included in a vehicle including a processor and a memory;

a first radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle and communicatively coupled to a vehicle communication bus included in the vehicle,

a first antenna connected to the first transceiver;

a second radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle and communicatively coupled to the vehicle communication bus; and

a second antenna connected to the second transceiver;

wherein the control unit is programmed to;

provide a command via the vehicle communications bus to set the first transceiver in a transmit mode and set the second transceiver in a receive mode;

instruct the first transceiver to transmit a first test signal at a first predetermined strength via the first antenna; and

receive data representing at least one characteristic of a first return signal from the second transceiver based upon the first test signal received by the second antenna.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further programmed to:

provide a command via the communications bus to set the second transceiver in the transmit mode and set the first transceiver in the receive mode;

instruct the second transceiver to transmit a second test signal at a second predetermined strength via the second antenna; and

receive data representing at least one characteristic of a second return signal from the first transceiver based upon the second test signal received by the first antenna.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the control unit is further programmed to determine an operational status of a transmission path from the second transceiver to the first transceiver at least in part based on the at least one characteristic of the second return signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one characteristic of the second return signal includes a second confirmation status of a digital test code within the second return signal, and the control unit determines the operation status of the transmission path from the second transceiver to the first transceiver at least in part based on the second confirmation status.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one characteristic of the second return signal includes a strength of the second return signal, and

the control unit is further programmed to determine if the strength of the second return signal is within a second predetermined range.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control unit is further programmed to provide an indication that the strength of the second return signal is outside the second predetermined range.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further programmed to determine an operational status of a transmission path from the first transceiver to the second transceiver at least in part based on the at least one characteristic of the first return signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one characteristic of the first return signal includes a first confirmation status of a digital test code within the first return signal, and the control unit determines the operational status of the transmission path from the first transceiver to the second transceiver at least in part based on the first confirmation status.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one characteristic of the first return signal includes a strength of the first return signal, and

the control unit is further programmed to determine if the strength of the first return signal is within a first predetermined range.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control unit is further programmed to provide an indication that the strength of the first return signal is outside the first predetermined range.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further programmed to:

receive status information from the vehicle;

determine based at least in part on the status information that a condition to start testing of the first and second transceivers is satisfied; and

execute testing of the first and second transceivers.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the status information includes at least one of the following:

vehicle running, vehicle not running, vehicle starting, and vehicle stopping.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further programmed to:

determine that the data represents at least one characteristic outside of a predetermined range; and

repurpose one of the first and second transceivers to assume at least some of the communications of the other one of the first and second transceivers, based at least in part on the determination that at least one characteristic represented by the data is outside of the predetermined range.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined range is based at least in part on a type of vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined range is determined empirically for the type of vehicle.

16. A system comprising:

a control unit included in a vehicle including a processor and a memory;

a first radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle communicatively coupled to a vehicle communication bus included in the vehicle;

a first antenna connected to the first transceiver;

a second radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle communicatively coupled to the vehicle communication bus;

a second antenna connected to the second transceiver;

a third transceiver included in the vehicle communicatively coupled to the vehicle communication bus; and

a third antenna connected to the third transceiver;

wherein the control unit is programmed to;

provide a command to set the first transceiver in a transmit mode, set the second transceiver in a receive mode and set the third transceiver in the receive mode;

instruct the first transceiver to transmit a third test signal at a third predetermined strength via the third antenna;

receive data representing a strength of a third return signal from the second transceiver based upon the third test signal received by the second antenna;

determine if the strength of the third return signal is within a third predetermined range;

receive data representing a strength of a fourth return signal from the third transceiver based upon the third test signal received by the third antenna; and

determine if the strength of the fourth return signal is within a fourth predetermined range.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the second transceiver is responsible for critical functions of a vehicle;

the third transceiver is responsible for non-critical functions of the vehicle; and

the control unit is programmed to repurpose the third transceiver to perform at least one of the critical functions for which the second transceiver is responsible based at least in part upon a determination that the strength of the third return signal is not within the third predetermined range and the strength of the fourth return signal is within the fourth predetermined range.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is further programmed to:

provide a command via the communications bus to set the first transceiver in the transmit mode, set the second transceiver in the receive mode and set the third transceiver in the transmit mode;

instruct the first transceiver to transmit a fourth test signal at a fourth predetermined strength via the first antenna;

receive data representing a strength of a fifth return signal from the second transceiver based upon the fourth test signal received by the second antenna;

determine if the strength of the fifth return signal is within a fifth predetermined range;

instruct the third transceiver to transmit a fifth test signal at a fifth predetermined strength via the third antenna;

receive data representing a strength of a sixth return signal from the second transceiver based upon fifth test signal received by the second antenna; and

determine if the strength of the sixth return signal is within a sixth predetermined range.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the first transceiver is responsible for critical functions of a vehicle;

the third transceiver is responsible for non-critical functions of the vehicle; and

the control unit is programmed to repurpose the third transceiver to perform at least one of the critical functions for which the second transceiver is responsible based at least in part upon a determination that the strength of the fifth return signal is not within the fifth predetermined range and the strength of the sixth return signal is within the sixth predetermined range.

20. A method, carried out according to instructions stored in a non-transitory read memory of a control unit in a vehicle comprising:

setting, via a vehicle communications bus in the vehicle, a first in-vehicle radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle and connected to a first in-vehicle antenna in a transmit mode;

setting, via the vehicle communications bus in the vehicle, a second in-vehicle radio frequency transceiver included in the vehicle and connected to a second in-vehicle antenna in a receive mode;

instructing the first transceiver to transmit, via the first antenna, a first test signal at a first predetermined strength;

receiving data representing a strength of a first return signal from the second transceiver based on the first test signal received by the second antenna; and

determining if the strength of the first return signal is within a first predetermined range.