Multiprotocol vehicle communications

• US 9,565,625 B1
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Makkiya, Aziz, Kurochkin, Leonid Mikhailovich, Popov, Sergei Gennadevich, Glazunov, Vadim Valerievich, Kurochkin, Mikhail Aleksandrovich, MacNeille, Perry Robinson, Gusikhin, Oleg Yurievitch, Hatton, David Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer, Temica M
• Application Number:
  US14/848,604
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.6, 455/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A system includes a computer including a processor. The processor is programmed to receive data mapping one or more predicted signal metrics for each of one or more types of wireless communications within a geographic area. Based on optimization targets, the processor is programmed to select, for a vehicle travelling along a planned path within the geographic area, a respective type of communications to be used respectively for each area along the planned path. The processor is further programmed to activate the selected type of communications when the vehicle is within the respective area.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor in a first vehicle and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor such that the processor is programmed to:

receive, via a radio frequency communications circuit in the first vehicle communicatively coupled with the processor via a wired vehicle network, data mapping one or more predicted signal metrics for each of one or more types of wireless communications within a geographic area;

determine an availability of the first vehicle communicating with a second vehicle;

select, for the first vehicle travelling along a planned path within the geographic area, based on one or more optimization targets, a respective one of the types of communications to be used respectively for each of one or more areas along the planned path, the types of communications including the first vehicle communicating with the second vehicle; and

activate the selected type of communications when the first vehicle is within the respective area.

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

determine, based on the data, a first type of communications with a first area best correlation with the one or more optimization targets in a first area and a second type of communications with a second area best correlation with the one or more optimization targets in a second area contiguous with the first area; and

switch the communications circuit in the first vehicle from the first type of communications to the second type of communications as the first vehicle moves from the first area to the second area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mapping of predicted signal metrics includes a mapping of at least one of a predicted signal strength and a predicted signal latency.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more types of wireless communications include one or more of cellular communications, satellite communications, local area radio frequency communications, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and digital radio frequency communications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more optimization targets includes optimizing the predicted received signal strength along the planned travel path and the processor is further programmed to:

determine, based on the data, a first type of communications with a first area greatest predicted received signal strength in a first area and a second type of communications with a second area greatest predicted received signal strength in a second area contiguous with the first area; and

switch a communications circuit in the first vehicle from the first type of communications to the second type of communications as the vehicle moves from the first area to the second area.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of predetermined goals includes minimizing the costs of communications along the planned path of travel and the processor is further programmed to:

determine, based on the data, a first type of communications with a first area lowest predicted cost in a first area and a second type of communications with a second area lowest predicted cost in a second area contiguous with the first area; and

switch the communications circuit in the first vehicle from the first type of communications to the second type of communications as the vehicle moves from the first area to the second area.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

identify a first area along the path with at least one type of communications with a predicted signal strength sufficient to be received;

identify a second area along the path contiguous with and following the first area, without a type of communications with a predicted signal strength sufficient to be received; and

collect data related to the second area while travelling in the first area; and

store the data for use during travel in the second area.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

identify, based on the communications map, an area along the path where a predicted strength of a global positioning signal may not be sufficient to be received; and

activate an inertial based positioning system prior to the first vehicle entering the area.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

determine that a received signal strength for a type of communications is outside of a predicted range at a given location; and

transmit an indication to a remote server that the received signal is outside of the predicted range.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

create, for one or more types of communications along the path, a queue for messages to be transmitted by the respective type of communications,

receive a message to be transmitted; and

select a queue for storing the message based on characteristics of the message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

store the message in the queue;

identify that the type of communications associated with the queue is available; and

transmit the message via the type of communications.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second computer including a processor and a memory, the memory of the second computer storing instructions executable by the processor of the second computer such that the processor of the second computer is programmed to:

receive, from the computer, a request for data representing at least one mapping of predicted signal metrics for at least one type of wireless communications within the geographic area; and

transmit the data representing the at least one mapping to the computer.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor of the second computer is further programmed to:

receive current data representing current signal metrics for one of the at least one type of wireless communications within the geographic area from one or more other computers; and

modify a mapping of the predicted signal metrics for the one type of wireless communications based at least in part on the received current data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor of the second computer is further programmed to:

receive data representing at least one of subsurface geology, subsurface water table, predicted weather conditions and predicted solar conditions for a particular time and a particular location in the geographic area; and

modify a mapping of the predicted signal metrics for one or more types of wireless communications for the particular time and the particular location based at least in part on the received data representing at least one of subsurface geology, subsurface water table, predicted weather conditions and predicted solar conditions.

15. A system comprising a computer in a first vehicle including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor such that the processor is programmed to:

receive, via a radio frequency communications circuit in the vehicle communicatively coupled with the processor via a wired vehicle network, data mapping one or more predicted signal metrics for each of one or more types of wireless communications within a geographic area;

determine an availability of the first vehicle communicating with a second vehicle;

receive a destination for the vehicle; and

plan a path for the first vehicle in order to optimize communications during a trip from a current location to the destination, according to one or more optimization targets.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the mapping of predicted signal metrics includes a mapping of at least one of a predicted signal strength and a predicted signal latency.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more types of wireless communications include one or more of cellular communications, satellite communications, local area radio frequency communications, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and digital radio frequency communications.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the optimization targets include, optimizing a predicted received signal strength along the planned travel path and the processor is further programmed to:

identify a first and second potential path from the current location to the destination;

determine a potential communications plan for each of the first and second potential paths, the respective potential communication plan including one or more selected types of communication for each area along the respective potential path;

select the potential path with the greatest predicted received signal strength.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

actuate the one or more selected types of communications for each respective area when the first vehicle is within the respective area.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein selecting the potential path with the greatest predicted received signal strength includes;

identifying a first area with a weakest predicted signal strength along the first potential path and a second area with a weakest predicted signal strength along the second potential path;

determining that the predicted signal strength in the first area is stronger than the predicted signal strength at the second area; and

including, based on determination, the first potential path in the plan.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

receive data from a mobile device communicatively coupled with the computer; and

include the data in planning the travel path.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

identify a WiFi hotspot for the mobile device along the planned path; and

recommend to a user, via a user interface included in the vehicle, to connect the mobile device to the WiFi hotspot.

23. The system of claim 15 further comprising a second computer including a processor and a memory, the memory of the second computer storing instructions executable by the processor of the second computer such that the processor of the second computer is programmed to:

receive, from the computer, a request for data representing at least one mapping of predicted signal metrics for at least one type of wireless communications within the geographic area; and

transmit the data representing the at least one mapping to the computer.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor of the second computer is further programmed to:

receive current data representing current signal metrics for one of the at least one type of wireless communications within the geographic area from one or more other computers; and

modify a mapping of the predicted signal metrics for the one type of wireless communications based at least in part on the received current data.

25. A system, comprising a computer in a vehicle, the computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor such that the processor is programmed to:

receive data mapping one or more predicted signal metrics for each of one or more types of wireless communications within a geographic area, wherein the one or more types of communications include first and second radio station channels;

determine, based on a current direction and speed of travel, that the vehicle will be leaving a range to receive a first signal with a first predicted strength above a first predetermined threshold from the first radio station channel within a first predetermined period of time;

prevent a radio tuner from selecting the first radio station channel, based on the determination that the vehicle will be leaving the range to receive the first signal;

determine, based on the current direction and speed of travel, that the vehicle will further be within range to receive a second signal with a second predicted strength above a second predetermined threshold from the second radio station channel for a second predetermined period of time; and

instruct the radio tuner to select the second radio station channel.