SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR THE FLEXIBLE ACCESS AND MANAGEMENT OF MONITORING APPLICATIONS IN A NETWORK OF MOVING THINGS INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• US 20170374493A1
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veniam Inc.
• Original Assignee: Veniam Inc.
• Inventors: Pereira Cabral, Henrique Manuel, Ameixieira, Carlos Eduardo Braga, Magalhes de Matos, Ricardo Jorge
• Granted Patent: US 10,321,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2475 for supporting traffic characterised by the type of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• 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 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Communication network architectures, systems and methods for supporting a network of mobile nodes. As a non-limiting example, various aspects of this disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication network comprising a complex array of both static and moving communication nodes (e.g., the Internet of moving things). The communication network architectures, systems, and methods of the disclosure support flexible access and management of monitoring applications in a network of moving things.

Claims

1. A method of managing a plurality of software applications configured to perform, on a node of a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes, monitoring of various aspects of the operation of the node, the method comprising:

determining a current operating context of the node using information sources communicatively coupled to the node and data representative of one or more types of context in which the node is operable;

adjusting a respective priority of each of the one or more software applications, according to the determined current operating context; and

requiring a first software application of the plurality of software applications running on the node at a respective first priority to limit usage of at least one resource of the node, based on execution of a second software application of the plurality of software applications on the node at a respective second priority, according to the determined current operating context and a respective application type assigned to the first software application and the second software application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each type of context of the one or more types of context comprises one or more context variables that define a particular aspect of operation of the node when operating according to the type of context.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information sources comprise a sensor of an environment external to a vehicle in which the node is located.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information sources comprise information sources of a vehicle in which the node is located.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information sources comprise sources of information from one or more systems of an autonomous vehicle in which the node is located.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method of managing the one or more software applications is performed by a software application supported by an operating system of the node on which operation of the one or more software applications is supported.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the operating system of the node also supports at least one additional software application of a customer of an operator of the wireless network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one resource of the node comprises one or more of the following:

wireless communication capacity of the node, data storage capacity of the node, and computing capacity of the node.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium on which is stored a plurality of code sections, wherein each code section comprises a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of a method of managing a plurality of software applications configured to perform, on a node of a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes, monitoring of various aspects of the operation of the node, the method comprising:

determining a current operating context of the node using information sources communicatively coupled to the node and data representative of one or more types of context in which the node is operable;

adjusting a respective priority of each of the one or more software applications, according to the determined current operating context; and

requiring a first software application of the plurality of software applications running on the node at a respective first priority to limit usage of at least one resource of the node, based on execution of a second software application of the plurality of software applications on the node at a respective second priority, according to the determined current operating context and a respective application type assigned to the first software application and the second software application.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein each type of context of the one or more types of context comprises one or more context variables that define a particular aspect of operation of the node when operating according to the type of context.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the information sources comprise a sensor of an environment external to a vehicle in which the node is located.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the information sources comprise information sources of a vehicle in which the node is located.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the information sources comprise sources of information from one or more systems of an autonomous vehicle in which the node is located.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the method of managing the one or more software applications is performed by a software application supported by an operating system of the node on which operation of the one or more software applications is supported.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the operating system of the node also supports at least one additional software application of a customer of an operator of the wireless network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one resource of the node comprises one or more of the following:

wireless communication capacity of the node, data storage capacity of the node, and computing capacity of the node.

17. A system for managing a plurality of software applications configured to perform, on a node of a wireless network comprising a plurality of nodes, monitoring of various aspects of the operation of the node, the system comprising:

one or more processors operably coupled to storage for data and for instructions executable by the one or more processors, and operably coupled to one or more interfaces for communicating wirelessly via the wireless network, the one or more processors operable to, at least;

determine a current operating context of the node using information sources communicatively coupled to the node and data representative of one or more types of context in which the node is operable;

adjust a respective priority of each of the one or more software applications, according to the determined current operating context; and

require a first software application of the plurality of software applications running on the node at a respective first priority to limit usage of at least one resource of the node, based on execution of a second software application of the plurality of software applications on the node at a respective second priority, according to the determined current operating context and a respective application type assigned to the first software application and the second software application.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein each type of context of the one or more types of context comprises one or more context variables that define a particular aspect of operation of the node when operating according to the type of context.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the information sources comprise a sensor of an environment external to a vehicle in which the node is located.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the information sources comprise information sources of a vehicle in which the node is located.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein the information sources comprise sources of information from one or more systems of an autonomous vehicle in which the node is located.

22. The system according to claim 17, wherein the method of managing the one or more software applications is performed by a software application running on an operating system of the node on which operation of the one or more software applications is supported.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the operating system of the node also supports at least one additional software application of a customer of an operator of the wireless network.

24. The system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one resource of the node comprises one or more of the following:

wireless communication capacity of the node, data storage capacity of the node, and computing capacity of the node.