Hierarchical floating car data network

• US 8,965,695 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tzamaloukas, Assimakis
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/714,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,913 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/200, 701/400, 701/422, 701/451, 701/517, 701/537, 318/280, 340/993, 340/905, 340/10.2, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 701/537
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A hierarchical floating car data network comprises a central server, an egress point network, and a participating vehicle network. The egress point network is in communication with the central server. The egress point network comprises a plurality of egress points. The participating vehicle network comprises a plurality of participating vehicles. At least some of the plurality of participating vehicles are in direct communication with each other. At least some of the plurality of participating vehicles are in communication with at least some of the plurality of egress points. Furthermore, at least some of the plurality of participating vehicles may be in communication with the central server. A geographic database is formed from content communicated between the elements of the hierarchical floating car data network.

Claims

1. A vehicle data network comprising:

a central server that transmits signals;

an egress point network, comprising a plurality of egress points, in communication with said central server wherein the plurality of egress points include fixed egress points and mobile egress points and further, wherein the plurality of egress points each receives the signals transmitted by the central server, and

a participating vehicle network, comprising a plurality of participating vehicles, in communication with the egress point network and wherein the plurality of participating vehicles are in direct communication with each other for vehicle-to-vehicle communications and each mobile egress point in the egress point network corresponds to a participating vehicle in the participating vehicle network, wherein at least one of other participating vehicles communicating in vehicle-to-vehicle communication communicates with a mobile egress point in the egress point network, and wherein, the at least one of the other participating vehicles comprises a vehicle other than the mobile egress points, and

wherein the at least one of the other plurality of vehicles participating in the vehicle network that is communicating in vehicle-to-vehicle communication communicating with the mobile egress point in the egress point network is in communication with the central server through the participating vehicle network and further, wherein when the at least one of the other participating vehicles is not able to receive signals from the central server, the at least one of the other participating vehicles receives information using vehicle-to-vehicle communication from the at least one of the participating vehicles that is a mobile egress point.

2. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the participating vehicles that is a mobile egress point uses a wireless wide area network for communication from the participating vehicle network.

3. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 wherein the plurality of participating vehicles that are in direct communication with each other use ad-hoc wireless network equipment using broadcast packet transmissions.

4. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 wherein at least some of said egress points are in communication with each other and each egress point of said plurality of egress points is in communication with said central server.

5. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 4 wherein each fixed egress point transmits and receives an enhanced beacon format beacon.

6. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 4 wherein the fixed egress points comprise a wireline connection for communicating with the central server.

7. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 4 wherein each egress point of the plurality of egress points comprises means for receiving data from the plurality of vehicles, means for processing the data, and means for updating a geographic database with the processed data.

8. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 4 wherein each egress point of the plurality of egress points comprises means for reading a database, means for performing calculations on the database to produce data, and means for transmitting the data to said plurality of vehicles.

9. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 4 further comprising channel frequency allocation map means for assigning frequency channels to the plurality of egress points and to the plurality of participating vehicles such that the plurality of egress points and the plurality of participating vehicles communicate over frequency channels assigned by the central server.

10. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 9 wherein the channel frequency allocation map means further comprises scanning means for locating frequency channels.

11. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 10 wherein the enhanced mobile communication device comprises on-board software, and wherein the on-board software receives automatic updates from the egress point network or said central server.

12. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of participating vehicles comprises on-board equipment.

13. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 12 wherein the on-board equipment comprises on-board software, and wherein the on-board software receives automatic updates from the egress point network or the central server.

14. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 12 wherein the on-board equipment comprises means for reading a database, means for performing calculations on the database to produce data, means for transmitting the data to other participating vehicles of said plurality of participating vehicles, and means for transmitting the data to said egress point network.

15. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 14 wherein the on-board equipment further comprises means for transmitting the data to the central server.

16. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 12 wherein the on-board equipment comprises means for receiving data from other vehicles of the plurality of vehicles, means for receiving data from the egress point network, means for processing the data from the other vehicles and from the egress point network, and means for updating a geographic database with the processed data.

17. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 1 wherein the central server comprises a central database.

18. The hierarchical floating car data network of claim 17 wherein the central server comprises means for updating a central geographic database.

19. A vehicle data network method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting content from a participating vehicle network comprising a plurality of participating vehicles to an egress point network comprising a plurality of egress points wherein the egress points include fixed egress points and mobile egress points, wherein the plurality of egress points each receives signals transmitted by a central server, wherein the plurality of participating vehicles are in direct communication with each other for vehicle-to-vehicle communications and each mobile egress point corresponds to a participating vehicle in the participating vehicle network, wherein at least one of other plurality of participating vehicles communicating in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication communicates with a mobile egress point in the egress point network, wherein, the at least one of the other participating vehicles comprises a vehicle other than the mobile egress points, and further, wherein the content comprises signals that include location based information;

(b) accumulating content at the plurality of egress points;

(c) transmitting the accumulated content at the plurality of egress points to a central server; and

(d) at the central server, performing calculations on the accumulated content and

wherein the at least one of the other plurality of participating vehicles that is communicating in vehicle-to-vehicle communication communicating with the mobile egress point is in communication with the central server through the participating vehicle network and further, wherein when the at least one of the other participating vehicles is not able to receive signals from the central server, the at least one of the other participating vehicles receives information using vehicle-to-vehicle communication from the at least one of the participating vehicles that is a mobile egress point.

20. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 wherein the step of transmitting in (a) comprises adjusting transmit power according to a distance between each of the plurality of participating vehicles to each of the plurality of egress points.

21. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of communicating state information from the plurality of participating vehicles to the plurality of egress points, and sharing the state information between the plurality of egress points.

22. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting content directly between the plurality of participating vehicles according to an enhanced ad-hoc wireless communication network using broadcast packet transmissions.

23. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting content from the plurality of participating vehicles to the central server.

24. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of exchanging content between the plurality of egress points.

25. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19, 22, 23, or 24 wherein the content comprises a beacon service table.

26. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19, 22, 23, or 24 wherein the content comprises a vehicle service table.

27. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting content from at least one of the plurality of egress points to the plurality of participating vehicles.

28. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting from the central server to at least one of the plurality of egress points.

29. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting content from the central server to at least one of the plurality of participating vehicles.

30. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 19 further comprising the step of at the central server, creating and updating a geographic database with the accumulated content.

31. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 30 further comprising the step of computing routes from the geographic database.

32. The hierarchical floating car data network method of claim 31 further comprising the step of transmitting the routes to the participating vehicles.