Method and system for initializing radio network for radio modules in vehicle

• US 9,510,269 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Jong Young, Rho, Suk Young, Yoon, Hun Joung
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US14/477,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/330, 370/312, 370389-392, 370/351, 370/352, 370/332, 370/333, 455/515, 455/516
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and system for initializing a radio network for radio modules mounted in a vehicle, which can efficiently establish a radio network formed among the radio modules. In the method, radio modules and coordinators, transmit radio communication beacon frames. Each radio module searches for peripheral nodes by receiving radio communication beacon frames from peripheral nodes and generates a neighbor table with respect to the searched peripheral nodes. Each radio module selects a coordinator, using the neighbor table, and requests a connection to the selected coordinator. The connection request of each radio module with respect to the coordinator is then processed.

Claims

1. A method for initializing a radio network using radio modules mounted in a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting, at each of the radio modules, radio communication beacon frames;

searching, at each of the radio modules, for peripheral nodes based on radio communication beacon frames received from peripheral nodes;

generating, at each of the radio modules, a neighbor table with respect to the searched peripheral nodes;

selecting, at each of the radio modules, a coordinator, using the neighbor table of the respective radio module;

requesting, at each of the radio modules, a connection to the coordinator selected by the respective radio module; and

processing the connection request of each radio module with respect to the selected coordinator, wherein

in the generating of the neighbor table with resect to the searched peripheral nodes, the neighbor table stores a node address, a node type, and a radio signal intensity, each obtained from one or more of the radio communication beacon frames, and

when a peripheral node and a radio module are connected to the same coordinator, the neighbor table stores an address of the coordinator, a radio signal intensity of the coordinator, a node type, and a radio signal intensity, each obtained from a radio communication beacon frame of the radio module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when a number of the searched peripheral nodes is two or more, each radio module selects the coordinator by performing a coordinator selection process, and requests a connection to the selected coordinator.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when the number of the searched peripheral nodes is one, each radio module immediately requests a connection to the coordinator without performing the coordinator selection process.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the coordinator selection process, a coordinator having the best signal intensity among coordinators is selected, and a coordinator of a radio module having the best signal intensity among the radio modules connected to the coordinator is selected, and

when the two coordinators correspond to each other, the corresponding coordinator is selected as a coordinator for transmitting a connection request.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the coordinator selection process, a coordinator having the best signal intensity among coordinators is selected, and a coordinator of a radio module having the best signal intensity among the radio modules connected to the coordinator is selected,

when the two coordinators do not correspond to each other, different basic weights are provided to the respective coordinators, based on radio signal intensities of the coordinators, such that an additional weight is further provided to the coordinator connected to the radio modules, based on radio signal intensities of the connected radio modules, and

the coordinator of the two coordinators having the greatest total weight, which is obtained by adding up the basic weight and the additional weight, is selected as a coordinator for transmitting a connection request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when receiving a failure message from the coordinator in response to the connection request, each radio module waits for a predetermined time, regenerates a neighbor table by re-searching for peripheral nodes, and then retries a connection to the coordinator, using the regenerated neighbor table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when a number of radio modules currently connected to the coordinator is less than a maximum number of child radio modules, the coordinator accepts the connection request of the radio module, and

when the number of radio modules currently connected to the coordinator is not less than the maximum number of child radio modules, the coordinator denies the connection request of the radio module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when the coordinator accepts the connection request of the radio module, each of the coordinator and the radio module broadcasts a notification message for notifying peripheral nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when information of the currently connected coordinator is different from that of the coordinator obtained from the notification message, each radio module renews information of a neighbor table, re-selects a coordinator, using the renewed neighbor table, and requests a connection to the re-selected coordinator.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the transmitting of the radio communication beacon frames, each of the radio module and the selected coordinator transmits a radio communication beacon frame periodically or in the generation of a request from the radio module.

11. A method for initializing a radio network using radio modules mounted in a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting, at each of the radio modules, radio communication beacon frames;

searching, at each of the radio modules, for peripheral nodes based on radio communication beacon frames received from peripheral nodes;

generating, at each of the radio modules, a neighbor table with respect to the searched peripheral nodes;

selecting, at each of the radio modules, a coordinator, using the neighbor table of the respective radio module;

requesting, at each of the radio modules, a connection to the coordinator selected by the respective radio module; and

processing the connection request of each radio module with respect to the selected coordinator, wherein

in the requesting of the connection to the coordinator, when a number of the searched peripheral nodes is two or more, each radio module selects the coordinator by performing a coordinator selection process, and requests a connection to the selected coordinator,

in the coordinator selection process, a coordinator having the best signal intensity among coordinators is selected, and a coordinator of a radio module having the best signal intensity among the radio modules connected to the coordinator is selected,

when the coordinator having the best signal intensity among coordinators does not correspond to the coordinator of a radio module having the best signal intensity among the radio modules, different basic weights are provided to the respective coordinators, based on radio signal intensities of the coordinators, such that an additional weight is further provided to the coordinator connected to the radio modules, based on radio signal intensities of the connected radio modules, and

the coordinator having the greatest total weight between the coordinator having the best signal intensity among coordinators and the coordinator of a radio module having the best signal intensity among the radio modules, the total weight obtained by adding up the basic weight and the additional weight, is selected as a coordinator for transmitting a connection request.