SCTP based communication via a selected one of multiple modems based on available cellular radio access technologies and signal state parameters

• US 10,812,563 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2019
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Veloso, Alex J., Lim, Woongjin, Pal, Dipankar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nano, Sargon N
• Application Number:
  US16/451,297
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0001 Systems modifying transmission characteristics according to link quality, e.g. power backoff adaptive data allocation for multicarrier modulation H04L5/0044; controlling transmission power for radio systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1095 Inter-network session transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A telematics module includes modems and a modem selecting module, which communicates with a network device according to a SCTP. The modem selecting module includes RAT network and signal status modules. The RAT network module determines a RAT network availability status of each of the modems. The signal status module determines signal quality status parameters of each of the modems. The modem selecting module: determines which one of the modems has a higher data throughput based on the RAT network availability status and the signal quality status parameters of each of the modems; sets the one of the modems with the higher data throughput as an active modem and sets another modem as inactive, such that the another modem is in at least one of a standby or backup mode; and communicates with the network device via the one of the modems according to the SCTP.

Claims

1. A telematics module comprising:

a plurality of modems implemented in a vehicle; and

a modem selecting module configured to communicate with a network device according to a stream control transmission protocol, the modem selecting module comprising;

a radio access technology (RAT) network module configured to determine a RAT network availability status of each of the plurality of modems, and

a signal status module configured to determine signal quality status parameters of each of the plurality of modems,

wherein the modem selecting module is configured to

determine which one of the plurality of modems has a higher data throughput based on the RAT network availability status and the signal quality status parameters of each of the plurality of modems,

set the one of the plurality of modems with the higher data throughput as an active modem and set one or more other ones of the plurality of modems as inactive, such that the one or more other ones of the plurality of modems is in at least one of a standby or backup mode, and

communicate with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems according to the stream control transmission protocol.

2. The telematics module of claim 1, wherein:

a first modem of the plurality of modems is an active modem prior to the setting of the one of the plurality of modems with the higher data throughput as an active modem;

the one of the plurality of modems with the higher data throughput is a second modem; and

the modem selecting module is configured to maintain a connection with the network device and switch a data path from the first modem to the second modem in response to determining that the second modem has a higher data throughput than the first modem.

3. The telematics module of claim 1, wherein the modem selecting module is configured to:

determine which one of the plurality of modems is connected to a higher generation RAT network than another one of the plurality of modems;

set the one of the plurality of modems connected to the higher generation RAT network as an active modem; and

communicate according to the stream control transmission protocol with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems connected to the higher generation RAT network.

4. The telematics module of claim 1, wherein the modem selecting module is configured to:

determine two of the plurality of modems connected to a same RAT network;

in response to determining two of the plurality of modems are connected to a same RAT network,

determine which of the two of the plurality of modems has better signal quality status parameters;

set the one of the two of the plurality of modems with the better signal quality status parameters as an active modem; and

communicate with the network device via the one of the two of the plurality of modems according to the stream control transmission protocol.

5. The telematics module of claim 1, wherein the modem selecting module is configured to:

determine which one of the plurality of modems has best signal quality status values; and

communicate according to the stream control transmission protocol with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems having the best signal quality status values.

6. The telematics module of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of modems comprise a first modem and a second modem; and

the signal status module is configured to perform a first comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of the first modem is greater than a first threshold, perform a second comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the first modem is less than a second threshold, and based on a result of the first comparison and a result of the second comparison, set the first modem as an active modem.

7. The telematics module of claim 6, wherein the signal status module is configured to:

perform a third comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of the second modem is greater than a third threshold;

perform a fourth comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the second modem is less than a fourth threshold; and

based on a result of the third comparison and a result of the fourth comparison, set the second modem as an active modem.

8. The telematics module of claim 7, wherein the signal status module is configured to:

perform a fifth comparison to determine whether the received signal strength indicator of the first modem is greater than the received signal strength indicator of the second modem; and

based on a result of the fifth comparison, set one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.

9. The telematics module of claim 6, wherein the signal status module is configured to:

perform a third comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of the second modem is less than a third threshold;

perform a fourth comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the second modem is greater than a fourth threshold; and

based on a result of the third comparison and a result of the fourth comparison, set one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.

10. The telematics module of claim 9, wherein the signal status module is configured to, based on the result of the third comparison and the result of the fourth comparison:

perform a fifth comparison to determine whether the received signal strength indicator of the first modem is greater than the received signal strength indicator of the second modem plus a hysteresis value;

perform a sixth comparison to determine whether the bit error rate of the first modem is less than the bit error rate of the second modem plus the hysteresis value;

and based on a result of the fifth comparison and a result of the sixth comparison, set one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.

11. A method of operating a telematics module comprising:

communicating with a network device according to a stream control transmission protocol;

determining a radio access technology (RAT) network availability status of each of a plurality of modems of the telematics module in a vehicle;

determining signal quality status parameters of each of the plurality of modems;

determining which one of the plurality of modems has a higher data throughput based on the RAT network availability status and the signal quality status parameters of each of the plurality of modems;

setting the one of the plurality of modems with the higher data throughput as an active modem and setting one or more other ones of the plurality of modems as inactive, such that the one or more other ones of the plurality of modems is in at least one of a standby or backup mode; and

communicating with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems according to the stream control transmission protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising maintaining a connection with the network device and switching a data path from a first modem of the plurality of modems to a second modem of the plurality of modems in response to determining that the second modem has a higher data throughput than the first modem, wherein the first modem is an active modem prior to the setting of the second modem as an active modem.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining which one of the plurality of modems is connected to a higher generation RAT network than another one of the plurality of modems;

setting the one of the plurality of modems connected to the higher generation RAT network as an active modem; and

communicating according to the stream control transmission protocol with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems connected to the higher generation RAT network.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining two of the plurality of modems connected to a same RAT network;

in response to determining two of the plurality of modems are connected to a same RAT network;

determining which of the two of the plurality of modems has better signal quality status parameters;

setting the one of the two of the plurality of modems with the better signal quality status parameters as an active modem; and

communicating with the network device via the one of the two of the plurality of modems according to the stream control transmission protocol.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining which one of the plurality of modems has best signal quality status values; and

communicating according to the stream control transmission protocol with the network device via the one of the plurality of modems having the best signal quality status values.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

performing a first comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of a first modem is greater than a first threshold, wherein the plurality of modems comprise the first modem and a second modem;

performing a second comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the first modem is less than a second threshold; and

based on a result of the first comparison and a result of the second comparison, setting the first modem as an active modem.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

performing a third comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of the second modem is greater than a third threshold;

performing a fourth comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the second modem is less than a fourth threshold; and

based on a result of the third comparison and a result of the fourth comparison, setting the second modem as an active modem.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

performing a fifth comparison to determine whether the received signal strength indicator of the first modem is greater than the received signal strength indicator of the second modem; and

based on a result of the fifth comparison, setting one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

performing a third comparison to determine whether a received signal strength indicator of the second modem is less than a third threshold;

performing a fourth comparison to determine whether a bit error rate of the second modem is greater than a fourth threshold; and

based on a result of the third comparison and a result of the fourth comparison, setting one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, based on the result of the third comparison and the result of the fourth comparison:

performing a fifth comparison to determine whether the received signal strength indicator of the first modem is greater than the received signal strength indicator of the second modem plus a hysteresis value;

performing a sixth comparison to determine whether the bit error rate of the first modem is less than the bit error rate of the second modem plus the hysteresis value; and

based on a result of the fifth comparison and a result of the sixth comparison, setting one of the first modem and the second modem as an active modem.