Network cloud load distribution for an electric vehicle application

• US 10,555,369 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2018
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, Scott A., Remegio, Prince R., Falkenmayer, Tim Uwe, Kyle, Roger Akira, Kakimi, Ryoma, Heide, Luke D., Puranik, Nishikant Narayan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jay P
• Application Number:
  US15/866,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20190215898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/34 Selective release of ongoing connections

Abstract

A method and device are provided to monitor a wireless link state for an electric-powered vehicle, and comparing the wireless link state with a wireless-link trigger condition. When the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition, a thick-client application request may be transmitted based on the wireless-link trigger condition. A thick-client application load is received in response, and the thin-client application is transitioned to a thick-client application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a wireless link state for an electric-powered vehicle;

comparing the wireless link state with a wireless-link trigger condition;

when the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition;

transmitting, via a wireless link, a thick-client application request based on the wireless-link trigger condition;

receiving, in response, a thick-client application load; and

transitioning a thin-client application to a thick-client application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

while the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition, maintaining the disabling of the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes a wireless-link signal degradation condition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes an a priori no-service condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes excessive wireless-link service cost condition.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the disabling the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle further comprises:

sending a user confirmation request; and

receiving in response a user acknowledgment.

8. A method for managing a client application load of an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a principal set of client applications data based on frequency-of-use data;

loading a thin-client image for each of the principal set of client applications to produce a principal set of thin-client applications;

monitoring a wireless link state;

comparing the wireless link state with a wireless-link trigger condition;

when the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition;

transmitting a thick-client application request;

receiving, in response, a thick-client application load for the each of the principal set of thin-client applications; and

transitioning the thin-client application of the each of the principal set of thin-client applications to a respective thick-client application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

disabling the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

while the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition, maintaining the disabling of the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes a wireless-link signal degradation condition.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes an a priori no-service condition.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes excessive wireless-link service cost condition.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the disabling the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle further comprises:

sending a user confirmation request; and

receiving in response a user confirmation.

15. A client application load management unit for an electric vehicle comprising:

a communication interface to service communication with a vehicle network and an external network;

a processor communicably coupled to the communication interface; and

memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing;

an electric-vehicle client application load module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

produce frequency-of-use data;

receive, in response to the frequency-of-use data, principal set of client applications data that functions to identify the principal set of thin-client applications for an electric vehicle; and

load a thin-client image for each of a principal set of thin-client applications; and

a wireless link module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

monitor a wireless link state for an electric-powered vehicle;

compare the wireless link state with a wireless-link trigger condition;

when the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition;

transmit, via a wireless link, a thick-client application request;

receive, in response, a thick-client application image for the each of the principal set of client applications; and

transition the thin-client application of the each of the principal set of thin-client applications to produce a respective thick-client application.

16. The client application load management unit of claim 15, further comprising:

disabling the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

17. The client application load management unit of claim 16, further comprising:

while the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition, maintaining the disabling of the wireless link of the electric-powered vehicle.

18. The client application load management unit of claim 15, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes a wireless-link signal degradation condition.

19. The client application load management unit of claim 15, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes an a priori no-service condition.

20. The client application load management unit of claim 15, wherein the wireless-link trigger condition includes excessive wireless-link service cost condition.