Vehicle communication system and method

• US 10,609,528 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Doggart, Peter, Reed, Matt, Loveday, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Blane J
• Application Number:
  US16/315,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20190306680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A method of managing a vehicle convoy, the method comprising: sending a convoy setup invitation message from a first vehicle to set up a vehicle convoy; receiving, at the first vehicle, a confirmation message from a second vehicle accepting the convoy setup invitation; sending, from the first vehicle, convoy data messages to the second vehicle, the convoy data messages comprising data required to maintain the vehicle convoy.

Claims

1. A message broadcasting method from a first vehicle within a vehicle convoy, the method comprising:

receiving, via a first communications channel, a convoy data message from a second vehicle in the vehicle convoy, the convoy data message comprising a communication status indication providing an indication of the various communication channels available to the second vehicle within the convoy;

determining, at the first vehicle, that a second communication channel is unavailable;

analyzing, at the first vehicle, the received convoy data message to identify the availability of the second communications channel in the second vehicle in the convoy; and

sending, from the first vehicle, a convoy data message via the first communications channel with a request that the convoy data message is to be forwarded from the second vehicle using the second communications channel.

2. A method as claimed in any claim 1, wherein the convoy data messages comprise vehicle data from a communications network within the first or second vehicle.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convoy data messages comprise vehicle configuration settings for the first vehicle.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the vehicle configuration settings comprise wade data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wade data comprises the depth of recent wading events.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the vehicle configuration settings comprise the wading configuration of the first vehicle.

7. A method as claimed claim 3, wherein the vehicle configuration settings comprise terrain mode configuration settings.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convoy data messages comprise one or more selected from:

terrain response configuration of the first vehicle;

control speed data of the first vehicle;

control speed variation data of the first vehicle;

wade data;

wheel articulation data;

wheel slip data;

GPS data; and

tire pressure data.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the convoy data messages comprise multimedia content.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first vehicle broadcasts a vehicle status message, the status message comprising a standard element for notifying surrounding environment of status of vehicle and a customized element, the customized element comprising the convoy data message.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising sending convoy setup invitation messages to and receiving confirmation messages from a plurality of vehicles.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle convoy is an off road convoy and the convoy data messages comprise data relating to off road driving.

13. A message broadcasting system from a first vehicle within a vehicle convoy, the system comprising:

an electronic processor having an electrical input arranged to receive, via a first communications channel, a convoy data message from a second vehicle in the vehicle convoy, the convoy data message comprising a communication status indication providing an indication of the various communication channels available to the second vehicle within the convoy; and

an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the electronic processor and having instructions stored therein;

wherein the electronic processor is arranged to access the at least one electronic memory device and execute the instructions stored therein so as to determine, at the first vehicle, that a second communication channel is unavailable and to analyze, at the first vehicle, the received convoy data message to identify the availability of the second communications channel in the second vehicle in the convoy; and

wherein the system comprises an electrical output arranged to send, from the first vehicle, a convoy data message via the first communications channel with a request that the convoy data message is to be forwarded from the second vehicle using the second communications channel.

14. A vehicle comprising a message broadcasting system from a first vehicle within a vehicle convoy according to claim 13.