Communication configuration system for a fleet of automated vehicles

• US 9,432,929 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uatc, LLC (Uber Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Aitken, Michael, Ross, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Kiet
• Application Number:
  US14/962,918
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/932.1, 340/995.1, 340/539.13, 340/989, 455/457, 455/434, 455/515, 455/522, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks

Abstract

A communication configuration system for a fleet of autonomous vehicles (AVs) stores a network resource map for a given region that indicates locations of base stations for connecting the fleet of AVs with a backend system. The communication configuration system receives localization information from a respective AV of the fleet which indicates location and orientation of the respective AV. Using the network resource map, the system selects a proximate base station relative to the respective AV transmits array configuration commands to the respective AV to cause the respective AV to direct an on-board communications array to transmit and receive data with the proximate base station.

Claims

1. A communication configuration system for a fleet of automated vehicles (AVs) in a given region, the communication configuration system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory resources storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication configuration system to;

store a network resource map for the given region, the network resource map indicating locations of base stations for connecting the fleet of AVs with a backend system;

receive localization information from a respective AV of the fleet of AVs, the localization information comprising a location and an orientation of the respective AV;

using the network resource map, select a proximate base station relative to the respective AV based on the location of the respective AV; and

based on the orientation of the respective AV, transmit array configuration commands to the respective AV to cause the respective AV to direct an on-board communications array to transmit and receive data with the proximate base station.

2. The communication configuration system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions further cause the communication configuration system to:

using the localization information of the respective AV, perform a ray tracing operation to identify a plurality of base stations through which the respective AV can communicate with the backend system.

3. The communication configuration system of claim 2, wherein the executed instructions cause the communication configuration system to select the proximate base station based on results of the ray tracing operation.

4. The communication configuration system of claim 3, wherein the results of the ray tracing operation indicate that the selected proximate base station provides a highest signal strength.

5. The communication configuration system of claim 4, wherein the results of the ray tracing operation further indicate an optimal communication channel available for the respective AV to communicate with the backend system.

6. The communication configuration system of claim 5, wherein the array configuration commands further cause the respective AV to select the optimal channel to communicate with the backend system via the selected proximate base station.

7. The communication configuration system of claim 1, wherein the localization information for the respective AV is received periodically as the respective AV travels throughout the given region.

8. The communication configuration system of claim 7, wherein the executed instructions cause the communication configuration system to select proximate base stations and transmit the array configuration commands in response to each instance of the periodically received localization information.

9. A computer-implemented method of managing communications between a backend system and a fleet of automated vehicles (AVs) over a given region, the method performed by one or more processors and comprising:

storing a network resource map for the given region, the network resource map indicating locations of base stations for connecting the fleet of AVs with a backend system;

receiving localization information from a respective AV of the fleet of AVs, the localization information comprising a location and an orientation of the respective AV;

using the network resource map, selecting a proximate base station relative to the respective AV based on the location of the respective AV; and

based on the orientation of the respective AV, transmitting array configuration commands to the respective AV to cause the respective AV to direct an on-board communications array to transmit and receive data with the proximate base station.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

using the localization information of the respective AV, perform a ray tracing operation to identify a plurality of base stations through which the respective AV can communicate with the backend system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting the proximate base station is based on results of the ray tracing operation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the results of the ray tracing operation indicate that the selected proximate base station provides a highest signal strength.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the results of the ray tracing operation further indicate an optimal communication channel available for the respective AV to communicate with the backend system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the array configuration commands further cause the respective AV to select the optimal channel to communicate with the backend system via the selected proximate base station.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the localization information for the respective AV is received periodically as the respective AV travels throughout the given region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors select proximate base stations and transmit the array configuration commands in response to each instance of the periodically received localization information.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a backend system for a fleet of AVs within a given region, cause the backend system to:

store a network resource map for the given region, the network resource map indicating locations of base stations for connecting the fleet of AVs with a backend system;

receive localization information from a respective AV of the fleet of AVs, the localization information comprising a location and an orientation of the respective AV;

using the network resource map, select a proximate base station relative to the respective AV based on the location of the respective AV; and

based on the orientation of the respective AV, transmit array configuration commands to the respective AV to cause the respective AV to direct an on-board communications array to transmit and receive data with the proximate base station.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the executed instructions further cause the backend system to:

using the localization information of the respective AV, perform a ray tracing operation to identify a plurality of base stations through which the respective AV can communicate with the backend system.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein results of the ray tracing operation indicate that the selected proximate base station provides a highest signal strength, and wherein the executed instructions cause the backend system to select the proximate base station due to the proximate base station providing the highest signal strength.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the results of the ray tracing operation further indicate an optimal channel to communicate with the backend system, and wherein the array configuration commands further cause the respective AV to select the optimal channel to communicate with the backend system via the selected proximate base station.