RATING SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING A NETWORK CONNECTIVITY PERFORMANCE STREET MAP

Abstract

Rating system (10) that determines a network connectivity performance road map (12), wherein the rating system (10) comprises: one or more back-end servers (20) in wireless communication with multiple vehicles (24) located in a geographical area (26) through a wireless communication network (28), wherein the multiple vehicles (24) collect multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28); and one or more street map databases (54) in electronic communication with the one or more back-end servers (20), wherein the one or more street map databases (54) store a map data street graph of the geographic area (26) containing multiple nodes (60) connected by multiple edges (62), and one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28) for each of the multiple nodes (60), and where one or more back-end servers (20) execute instructions to: Calculating one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communications network (28) for each of the multiple edges (62) of the map data street graph of the geographic area (26); and Determining the network connectivity performance road map (12) of the geographical area (26) based on one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes (60) and for each of the multiple edges (62), Receiving a route request containing a starting point and a final destination from one of the vehicles (24); Calculating distance costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12) in response to receiving the route request; Calculating time costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12), Combining the distance costs and the time costs together on the basis of a weight value assigned to the distance costs and a weight value assigned to the time costs to determine basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12); and Determining one or more basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges (62) located between the starting point and the final destination of the route requirement, characterized by the fact that the one or more back-end servers (20) further execute instructions to: Calculating relief costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12) in response to receiving the route request; and Calculating network live latency costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12).

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an evaluation system comprising one or more back-end servers in wireless communication with multiple vehicles via a wireless communication network. The back-end servers determine a network connectivity performance roadmap that specifies overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network, wherein the overall performance metrics include performance metrics of the back-end servers.

[0002] Document US 2022 / 0196426A1 discloses a rating system that determines a network connectivity performance road map, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0003] A connected vehicle communicates with other vehicles, mobile devices, cloud servers, and infrastructure over one or more wireless networks to support various features and services, including but not limited to data streaming, navigation, and autonomous driving functionality. In some cases, the features and services provided by the wireless network may be affected by connectivity issues arising from situations such as high network bandwidth demand, heavy loads experienced by the back-end server coupled with limited availability, and intermittent network coverage. It is acknowledged that these connectivity issues depend on the connected vehicle's current geographic location, the time of day, and the load experienced by the network and associated back-end servers.For example, a connected vehicle may experience no problems when driving through densely populated urban areas that tend to have robust wireless network infrastructure. However, the same vehicle may experience a loss of connectivity or a reduction in quality of service (QoS) at other times of day in the same urban area. Similarly, the same vehicle may experience a loss of connectivity or QoS when driving through sparsely populated areas or rural areas that tend to have limited wireless network infrastructure.

[0004] Although connected vehicles fulfill their intended purpose, one object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved method for enabling wireless vehicle communication. SUMMARY

[0005] The aforementioned problem is solved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments result from the dependent claims.

[0006] According to several aspects, a rating system is disclosed that determines a network connectivity performance roadmap. The rating system includes one or more back-end servers in wireless communication with multiple vehicles located in a geographic area via a wireless communication network, the multiple vehicles collecting multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network. Furthermore, the rating system includes one or more roadmap databases in electronic communication with the one or more back-end servers, the one or more roadmap databases storing a map data roadgraph of the geographic area containing multiple nodes connected by multiple edges, and one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple nodes.The one or more back-end servers execute instructions for each of the multiple edges of the map data street graph of the geographic area to calculate one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communications network. Based on the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes and for each of the multiple edges, the one or more back-end servers determine the network connectivity performance street map of the geographic area.

[0007] According to another aspect, the one or more network servers are in wireless communication with the one or more back-end servers via the wireless communication network, with the one or more network servers sending live network performance data of the wireless communication network to the one or more back-end servers.

[0008] According to yet another aspect, one or more back-end servers execute instructions to annotate each of the multiple nodes that are part of the network connectivity performance roadmap with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network.

[0009] According to one aspect, the one or more back-end servers execute instructions to receive a navigation request for one of the following: the network connectivity performance road map of the geographical area or a navigation route calculated on the basis of the network connectivity performance road map, from a vehicle that is one of the multiple vehicles, and send either the network connectivity performance road map or the navigation route over the wireless communication network to the vehicle that sent the navigation request.

[0010] According to another aspect, the one or more back-end servers calculate the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple edges of the map data street graph of the geographic area by averaging the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for two adjacent nodes connected by a single edge and assigning an average value for the two adjacent nodes to the single edge.

[0011] The one or more back-end servers execute instructions to receive a route request, containing a starting point and an end point, from one of the vehicles. Upon receiving the route request, they calculate distance costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map. The one or more back-end servers also calculate time costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map.

[0012] The one or more back-end servers execute instructions to combine distance costs and time costs based on a weight value assigned to distance costs and a weight value assigned to time costs to determine basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map, and to determine one or more basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges that are between the starting location and the final destination of the route request.

[0013] The one or more back-end servers execute instructions to calculate relief costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map in response to receiving the route request and to calculate network live latency costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map.

[0014] According to yet another aspect, one or more back-end servers execute instructions to combine the relief costs and the network live latency costs based on a weight value assigned to the relief costs and the weight value assigned to the network live latency costs, in order to determine network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity power road map, and to determine one or more network power-based route plans by minimizing the network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges that are between the starting point and the final destination of the route request.

[0015] According to one aspect, the overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network include one or more of the following: end-to-end latency, wireless communication latency, network bandwidth, bandwidth utilization, jitter, server compute time, server resource utilization, the server's geographic location, server hardware, and the geographic location of a specific vehicle collecting the corresponding overall performance data.

[0016] According to another aspect, a method for determining a network connectivity performance road map by means of a rating system is disclosed. The method includes receiving a navigation request for one of the following from a vehicle that is part of a group of vehicles located in a geographical area: the network connectivity performance road map of the geographical area by one or more back-end servers, and a navigation route calculated based on the network connectivity performance road map, wherein the one or more back-end servers are in wireless communication with the group of vehicles via a wireless communication network, and the group of vehicles collect several total performance metrics of the wireless communication network.In response to the navigation request, the one or more back-end servers calculate, for each of the multiple edges of a map data street graph of the geographic area stored in one or more street map databases that are in electronic communication with the one or more back-end servers, one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network. The map data street graph of the geographic area contains multiple nodes connected by the multiple edges, and the one or more street map databases store one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple nodes.The procedure involves determining the network connectivity performance road map of the geographical area based on one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes and each of the multiple edges.

[0017] According to another aspect, the method further includes the sending of live network performance data of the wireless communication network to the one or more back-end servers by one or more network servers in wireless communication with the one or more back-end servers through the wireless communication network.

[0018] According to yet another aspect, the procedure also includes annotating each of the multiple nodes that are part of the network connectivity performance road map with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network.

[0019] According to one aspect, the procedure further includes receiving a route request containing a starting point and a final destination, in response to receiving a route request from the vehicle, calculating distance costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map, and calculating time costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map.

[0020] According to another aspect, the procedure further includes combining distance costs and time costs on the basis of a weight value assigned to distance costs and a weight value assigned to time costs to determine basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map, and determining one or more basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges that are between the starting point and the final destination of the route request.

[0021] According to yet another aspect, the procedure further includes calculating relief costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map in response to the receipt of the route request and calculating network live latency costs for each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity performance road map.

[0022] According to one aspect, the procedure further includes combining the relief costs and the network live latency costs based on a weight value assigned to the relief costs and the weight value assigned to the network live latency costs to determine network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges that are part of the network connectivity power road map, and determining one or more network power-based route plans by minimizing the network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges that are between the starting point and the final destination of the route request.

[0023] According to another aspect, a rating system that determines a network connectivity performance road map is disclosed. The rating system includes one or more back-end servers in wireless communication with multiple vehicles located in a geographic area through a wireless communication network, the multiple vehicles collecting multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network. The rating system includes one or more network servers in wireless communication with the one or more back-end servers through the wireless communication network, the one or more network servers sending live network performance data of the wireless communication network to the one or more back-end servers.Furthermore, the rating system includes one or more road map databases in electronic communication with one or more back-end servers. The one or more road map databases store a map data road graph of the geographic area, containing multiple nodes connected by multiple edges, and one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple nodes. The one or more back-end servers execute instructions to receive a navigation request from a vehicle (one of the multiple vehicles) for one of the following: the network connectivity performance road map of the geographic area and a navigation route calculated based on the network connectivity performance road map.In response to the navigation request, the one or more back-end servers calculate the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple edges of the map data road graph of the geographic area. The one or more back-end servers determine the network connectivity performance road map of the geographic area based on the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes and each of the multiple edges.The one or more back-end servers annotate each of the multiple nodes that are part of the network connectivity performance road map with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network and send the network connectivity performance road map over the wireless communication network to the vehicle that sent the navigation request.

[0024] According to another aspect, the one or more back-end servers calculate the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network for each of the multiple edges of the map data street graph of the geographic area by averaging the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for two adjacent nodes connected by a single edge and assigning an average value for the two adjacent nodes to the single edge.

[0025] According to yet another aspect, the overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network include one or more of the following: end-to-end latency, wireless communication latency, network bandwidth, bandwidth utilization, jitter, server compute time, server resource utilization, the geographical location of the server, and the geographical location of a specific vehicle collecting the corresponding overall performance data.

[0026] Further areas of application will become apparent from the description given here. Of course, the description and specific examples serve only as illustrations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings described here are for illustrative purposes only; they show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of the disclosed rating system for determining a network connectivity performance road map, which specifies overall performance metrics of a wireless communication network containing one or more back-end servers in wireless communication with multiple vehicles, according to an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 2. A representation that shows the software architecture for one or more back-end servers and one or more controllers that are part of one of the in Fig. The vehicles shown in 1 represent an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 3 an exemplary map data graph structure of the geographic area, wherein the map data graph structure contains multiple nodes connected by multiple edges, according to an exemplary embodiment; Fig. 4. A process flow diagram illustrating a method for determining the network connectivity performance road map by the rating system according to an exemplary embodiment; and Fig. 5 a process flow diagram which represents a procedure for determining one or more basic route plans and one or more performance-based route plans by the evaluation system, according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following description is essentially only exemplary.

[0029] In Fig. Figure 1 is an exemplary rating system 10 that generates a network connectivity performance road map 12. The rating system 10 includes one or more back-end servers 20 located at a back-end office 22. The one or more back-end servers 20 communicate wirelessly via a wireless communication network 28 with several vehicles 24 located in a geographical area 26. It will be acknowledged that the several vehicles 24 can be any type of vehicle, such as a sedan, a truck, an off-road vehicle, a van, or a motorhome, but are not limited to these. According to the as described in Figure 10, the rating system 10 includes one or more back-end servers 20 located at a back-end office 22. The one or more back-end servers 20 communicate wirelessly via a wireless communication network 28 with several vehicles 24 located in a geographical area 26. It will be acknowledged that the several vehicles 24 can be any type of vehicle, such as a sedan, a truck, an off-road vehicle, a van, or a motorhome, but are not limited to these types of vehicles. Fig. In the non-restrictive embodiment shown in Figure 1, each vehicle 24 contains one or more controllers 30. The wireless communication network 28 connects each of the one or more controllers 30 of each vehicle 24 to the one or more back-end servers 20. Some examples of wireless communication protocols on which the wireless communication network 28 is based include, but are not limited to, dedicated short-range vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) cell communication networks (DSRC networks) or a wireless network protocol based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication network 28 also connects one or more network servers 32, which are part of the wireless communication network 28, to the one or more back-end servers 20. The network servers 32 transmit the live network performance data, such as, but not limited to, the real-time latency of the wireless communication network 28, to the one or more back-end servers 20. According to one embodiment, one or more of the vehicles 24 receive the live network performance data from the back-end servers 20 via the wireless communication network 28. If the live network performance data indicates low network connectivity along a particular road segment of the current route, a vehicle 24 can recalculate its current route. It should also be noted that the transmission of the live network latency data from the network servers 32 is optional and can be omitted according to some implementations.

[0031] As explained below, the one or more back-end servers 20 generate the network connectivity performance roadmap 12 based on one or more overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 collected by the multiple vehicles 24. As explained below, the one or more overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 also include one or more performance metrics of the one or more back-end servers 20. The network connectivity performance roadmap 12 indicates one or more overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 in the geographic area 26 where the multiple vehicles 24 are located, with the overall performance metrics being collected by the multiple vehicles 24.Some examples of overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 include, but are not limited to, end-to-end latency, wireless communication latency, network bandwidth, bandwidth utilization, jitter, server compute time, server resource utilization, the server's geographic location, server hardware, and the geographic location of the specific vehicle 24 collecting the corresponding overall performance data. As another example, the overall performance metrics may include, for instance, a frame rate (measured in frames per second) and a frame resolution if the wireless communication network 28 transmits video files. According to one embodiment, the network connectivity performance road map 12 can be annotated with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network 28 collected by the network servers 32.According to some embodiments, the one or more back-end servers 20 then transmit the network connectivity performance road map 12 to the multiple vehicles 24 via the wireless communication network 28. However, according to another embodiment, the network connectivity performance road map 12 is stored in memory by the back-end servers 20, and a navigation route calculated on the basis of the network connectivity performance road map 12 is sent to the multiple vehicles 24.

[0032] Fig. Figure 2 is a block diagram representing the software architecture of the one or more back-end servers 20 and the one or more controllers 30 of one of the vehicles 24. It is acknowledged that the one or more controllers 30 of the vehicle 24 execute one or more applications 40. It is acknowledged that the one or more applications 40 require data from the wireless communication network 28. Some examples of the vehicle applications 40 include, but are not limited to, a navigation application, a video application for streaming video files, or an audio application for streaming audio files.Furthermore, the one or more controllers 30 of the vehicle 24 include a network performance data monitoring module 42, which receives one or more wireless network performance metrics from the one or more vehicle applications 40, wherein the wireless network performance metrics indicate the performance of the wireless communication network 28. Some examples of the wireless network performance metrics include, but are not limited to, the end-to-end latency, the wireless communication latency, the network bandwidth, jitter, and the geographic location of the specific vehicle 24 collecting the corresponding overall performance data. The network performance data monitoring module 42 of the one or more controllers 30 of the vehicle 24 transmits the wireless network performance metrics for one or more vehicle applications 40 via the wireless communication network 28 to the network connectivity performance database 52.

[0033] Based on the two Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 include one or more back-end servers, 20 a workload processing server, 50 (in Fig. 2 shown). The one or more back-end servers 20 are in electronic communication with a network connectivity performance database 52, with a road map database 54, and with a road network database 56. As shown in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 1, the network connectivity performance database 52 and the road network database 56 are located at the back-end office 22 according to one embodiment, although it will be noted that Fig. 1 is merely an example and that the network connectivity performance database 52 and the road network database 56 may also be stored at a different location far from the back-end office 22.

[0034] Based on Fig. 2 At least a portion of the computational workload required to execute the one or more applications 40 is offloaded from the one or more controllers 30 of the vehicle 24 to the workload processing server 50 of the one or more back-end servers 20. The workload processing server 50 of the one or more back-end servers 20 executes the one or more applications 40 that have been offloaded from the one or more controllers 30 of the vehicle 24. The workload processing server 50 of the one or more back-end servers 20 sends back-end server performance metrics relating to the execution of the application 40 to the network connectivity performance database 52.Some examples of back-end server performance metrics relating to the execution of application 40 include, but are not limited to, server compute time, server resource utilization, and the server's geographic location. The back-end server performance metrics received by the workload processing server 50 are combined with the wireless network performance metrics received by the controllers 30 of the multiple vehicles 24 to generate the overall performance metrics of the wireless communications network 28, which are stored in the network connectivity performance database 52.

[0035] Fig. Figure 3 is a representation of an exemplary map data graph structure 58 of the geographical area 26 ( Fig. 1), where the map data graph structure 58 is in the road map database 54 ( Fig. 1) is stored. Based on Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 stores the road network database 56, which contains road network data corresponding to the geographic area 26 where the multiple vehicles 24 are located. One example of road network data is OpenStreetMap (OSM), although it should be noted that other types of road network data can also be used. The map data graph structure 58 contains multiple nodes 60 connected by multiple edges 62. The multiple nodes 60 and the edges 62 are part of the road network data received by the one or more back-end servers 20.

[0036] As explained below, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine the map data graph structure 58 by annotating the multiple nodes 60, which are part of the road network data received from the road network database 56, with the overall performance metrics for the wireless communication network 28, which are stored in the network connectivity performance database 52. The map data graph structure 58 contains the multiple nodes 60, which are connected by the multiple edges 62, where the nodes 60 represent fixed elements in the geographic area 26 in which the multiple vehicles 24 are located, and the edges 62 represent roads connecting the nodes 60. Some examples of the elements represented by the nodes 60 include, but are not limited to, buildings such as schools, offices, and residences, and a road intersection.

[0037] Based on the two Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The one or more back-end servers 20 calculate for each of the multiple nodes 60 that are part of the geographic area 26 represented by the map data graph structure 58. Fig. 1) are one or more statistical measures of the overall performance metrics. The one or more statistical measures refer to, but are not limited to, technical terms of a statistical distribution such as the mean and the median of a specific overall performance metric of the wireless communication network 28. The one or more back-end servers 20 first determine the one or more statistical measures of the overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes 60 by reading the overall performance metrics stored in the network connectivity performance database 52. The one or more back-end servers 20 then group the overall performance metrics based on a date and time when a specific overall performance metric was collected.

[0038] Subsequently, the one or more back-end servers 20 receive from the road network database 56 the road network data corresponding to the geographic area 26 represented by the network connectivity performance road map 12. The one or more back-end servers 20 assign the overall performance metric, based on the geographic location of the specific vehicle 24 that collected the overall performance data, to one or more nodes 60 that are part of the geographic area 26 represented by the map data graph structure 58. Fig. 1) are, to. Subsequently, the one or more back-end servers 20 calculate the one or more statistical measures of the overall performance metrics for each node 60 that is part of the geographic area 26 represented by the network connectivity performance road map 12. Finally, the one or more back-end servers 20 store the one or more statistical measures of the overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 for each node 60 that is part of the geographic area 26 represented by the map data graph structure 58 in the one or more road map databases 54.

[0039] Based on Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 determine the one or more back-end servers 20 of the rating system 10 on the basis of the one or more statistical measures of the overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28 the network connectivity performance road map 12. Fig. 4 is a process flowchart that describes a procedure 400 for determining the in Fig. The network connectivity performance map shown in Figure 12 illustrates this. Generally, based on... Fig. 1-4, the procedure 400 can begin in decision block 402. In decision block 402, the one or more back-end servers 20 continue to monitor the wireless communication network 28 until a navigation request is received. The navigation request is for the network connectivity performance road map 12 of the geographical area 26 from one of the vehicles 24 (in Fig. (shown in Figure 1) or for the navigation route calculated on the basis of the network connectivity performance road map 12. Upon receiving the navigation request, procedure 400 can then proceed to block 404.

[0040] In block 404, one or more back-end servers calculate 20 in response to receiving the navigation request for each of the multiple edges 62 ( Fig. 3) of the map data graph structure 58 of the geographic area 26, the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28. More precisely, the one or more back-end servers 20 calculate, for each edge 62, by averaging the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for two adjacent nodes 60 connected by a single edge 62, the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network 28. The one or more back-end servers 20 then assign an average value for the two adjacent nodes 60 to the single edge 62. The procedure 400 then proceeds to block 406.

[0041] In block 406, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine the network connectivity performance road map 12 of the geographic area 26 based on the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes and each of the multiple edges 62. The procedure 400 can then proceed to block 408.

[0042] In block 408, the one or more back-end servers 20 annotate each of the multiple nodes 60 that are part of the network connectivity performance road map 12 of the geographic area 26 with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network 28 received from the one or more network servers 32. It should be noted that block 408 is optional. Procedure 400 can then proceed to block 410.

[0043] In block 410, the one or more back-end servers 20 transmit the network connectivity service road map 12 over the wireless communication network 28 to the vehicle 24 that generated the navigation request for the network connectivity service road map 12. The vehicle 24 uses the network connectivity service road map 12 when performing one or more connected vehicle functions. Some examples of connected vehicle functions include, but are not limited to, audio data streaming, video data streaming, and navigation and mapping. It will be noted that, according to some embodiments, the back-end servers 20 transmit navigation routes to the vehicles 24, with the navigation routes being calculated based on the network connectivity service road map 12, rather than transmitting the network connectivity service road map 12 to the vehicles 24. Method 400 may then terminate.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the one or more back-end servers 20 receive a route request from one of the vehicles 24, the route request containing a starting location, a destination, and a vehicle specification. The vehicle specification relates to identification information, the model year, the hardware, and the computing capabilities of a vehicle. The one or more back-end servers 20 determine the route by minimizing distance-based and time-based costs associated with each edge 62 ( Fig. 3) between the origin and the destination of the route request, one or more basic route plans are assigned. In addition, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine one or more network performance-based route plans by minimizing end-to-end latency costs and network live latency costs assigned to each edge 62 between the origin and the destination of the route request.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a process flow diagram that represents a procedure 500 for determining the basic route plan and the power-based route plan by one or more back-end servers 20. It will be noted that the basic route plan and the power-based route plan can be determined in parallel. Furthermore, blocks 504A, 504B, 506A, 506B, 508, and 510 of procedure 500 describe the determination of the basic route plan, while blocks 512A, 512B, 514A, 514B, 516, and 518 describe the power-based route plan. Generally, based on Fig. In blocks 1-3 and 5, procedure 500 begins in block 502. In block 502, one or more back-end servers 20 receive the route request from one of the vehicles 24, the route request containing the starting point and the destination. Procedure 500 then proceeds to blocks 502A and 502B.

[0046] In block 504A, the one or more back-end servers 20, in response to receiving the route request for each of the edges 62 that are part of the network connectivity performance road map 12, calculate route costs c. d , where the distance costs are c d based on a length of 62 for each of the edges. The one or more back-end servers 20 can the c d also normalize or scale. Procedure 500 can then proceed to block 506A.

[0047] In block 506A, the one or more back-end servers determine a weight value based on one or more user-defined criteria, which corresponds to the distance cost c. d is assigned. The user-defined criteria can include the weight value that determines the distance cost c. dis assigned, reduce if other factors such as time, traffic congestion and live network coverage are more important to the user or the distance costs c d The assigned weight value can be increased if the distance is more important to the user compared to other factors. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the distance cost c d Assigned weight value 0.3.

[0048] Using block 504B, the one or more back-end servers 20 calculate the time cost c for each of the edges 62 that are part of the network connectivity performance road map 12. t , where the time costs are c d based on the time required to navigate the length of edge 62 when the vehicle 24 travels at an average traffic speed. The one or more back-end servers 20 can determine the time cost c talso normalize or scale. Procedure 500 can then proceed to block 506B.

[0049] In block 506B, the one or more back-end servers determine a weight value based on one or more user-defined criteria, which represents the time cost c. t is assigned. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the weight value that corresponds to the time cost c t The assigned value is 0.7. It will be appreciated that the sum of the weight value, which corresponds to the distance costs c d is assigned, and the weight value, which represents the time cost c t The assigned value is 1. Procedure 500 can then proceed to block 508.

[0050] In block 508, the one or more back-end servers combine the removal costs c. d and the time costs c t based on the weight value, which determines the distance costs c dis assigned, and the weight value, which represents the time cost c t is assigned to each other to determine basic edge costs assigned to edges 62, which are part of the network connectivity performance road map 12. Procedure 500 can then proceed to block 510.

[0051] In block 510, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine one or more basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges 62 located between the starting location and the end destination of the route request. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine the twenty best basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs.

[0052] Blocks 512A, 512B, 514A, 514B, 516, and 518 are now described. Using block 512A, the one or more back-end servers 20, in response to receiving the path request for each of the edges 62 that are part of the network connectivity performance road map 12, calculate relief costs c. o , where the relief costs c o based on reducing the end-to-end latency of each of the 62 edges and measured in milliseconds. The one or more back-end servers 20 can reduce the offloading costs c o Furthermore, normalize or scale. Procedure 500 can then proceed to block 506A.

[0053] In block 514A, the one or more back-end servers determine a weight value based on one or more user-defined criteria, which represents the relief cost c. ois assigned. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the weight value that corresponds to the relief costs c o The assigned value is 0.6.

[0054] Using block 512B, the one or more back-end servers 20 calculate the network live latency cost c for each of the edges 62 that are part of the network connectivity performance roadmap 12. n , where the network live latency costs c n based on an average setup latency of edge 62 and measured in milliseconds. The one or more back-end servers 20 can influence the network live latency cost c n Furthermore, normalize or scale. Procedure 500 then proceeds to block 514 B.

[0055] In block 514B, the one or more back-end servers determine a weight value based on one or more user-defined criteria, which represents the network live latency cost c. nis assigned. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the weight value that corresponds to the network live latency cost c is n The assigned value is 0.6. It will be acknowledged that the sum of the weight value, which represents the network live latency costs, is c. n is assigned, and the weight value that represents the network live latency cost c n The assigned value is 1. Procedure 500 then proceeds to block 516.

[0056] In block 516, one or more back-end servers combine the relief costs c. o and the network live latency costs c n based on the weight value that corresponds to the relief costs c o is assigned, and the weight value that represents the network live latency cost c nis assigned to each other to determine network performance edge costs assigned to each edge 62 that is part of the network connectivity performance road map 12. Procedure 500 then proceeds to block 518.

[0057] In block 518, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine one or more of the network-based route plans by minimizing the network power edge costs associated with each of the edges 62 located between the starting point and the final destination of the route request. According to a non-restrictive embodiment, the one or more back-end servers 20 determine the three best basic route plans by minimizing the network power edge costs.

[0058] In block 520, one or more back-end servers 20 transmit the one or more basic route plans and the one or more network-power-based route plans via the wireless communication network 28 to the vehicle 24 that generated the route request. The vehicle 24 can then determine a route plan based either on the one or more basic route plans or on the one or more network-power-based route plans. The procedure 500 can then end.

[0059] In general, based on the figures, the disclosed rating system for determining the network connectivity performance road map offers various technical effects and advantages. The network connectivity performance road map contains historical data collected by vehicles, indicating the performance of the wireless communication network, back-end server capabilities, and, according to some implementations, the real-time latency of the wireless communication network. Accordingly, the network connectivity performance road map enables a vehicle to avoid roads with outdated or no wireless network infrastructure, or those with high network congestion depending on the time of day.Furthermore, real-time latency data allows a vehicle to avoid roads that are expected to provide poor network coverage, such as those affected by a high traffic event like a concert, political rally, or sporting event.

[0060] The controllers and back-end servers can refer to, or be part of, an electronic circuit, a combination logic circuit, a free programmable logic array (FPGA), a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code, or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-a-chip. Furthermore, the controllers can be microprocessor-based, such as a computer with at least one processor, memory (RAM and / or ROM), and associated input and output buses. The processor can operate according to the control of an operating system residing in memory. The operating system can manage computer resources in such a way that computer program code, embodied as one or more computer software applications, such as an application residing in memory, can direct instructions to be executed by the processor.According to an alternative embodiment, the processor can execute the application directly, and the operating system can be omitted in this case. legend

[0061] In the drawing figures, N stands for no and Y for yes.

Claims

[1] Rating system (10) that determines a network connectivity performance road map (12), wherein the rating system (10) comprises: one or more back-end servers (20) in wireless communication with multiple vehicles (24) located in a geographical area (26) through a wireless communication network (28), wherein the multiple vehicles (24) collect multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28); and one or more street map databases (54) in electronic communication with the one or more back-end servers (20), wherein the one or more street map databases (54) store a map data street graph of the geographic area (26) containing multiple nodes (60) connected by multiple edges (62), and one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28) for each of the multiple nodes (60), and where one or more back-end servers (20) execute instructions to: Calculating one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communications network (28) for each of the multiple edges (62) of the map data street graph of the geographic area (26); and Determining the network connectivity performance road map (12) of the geographical area (26) based on one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for each of the multiple nodes (60) and for each of the multiple edges (62), Receiving a route request containing a starting point and a final destination from one of the vehicles (24); Calculating distance costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12) in response to receiving the route request; Calculating time costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12), Combining the distance costs and the time costs together on the basis of a weight value assigned to the distance costs and a weight value assigned to the time costs to determine basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12); and Determining one or more basic route plans by minimizing the basic edge costs assigned to each of the edges (62) located between the starting point and the final destination of the route requirement, characterized by , that the one or more back-end servers (20) further execute instructions to: Calculating relief costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12) in response to receiving the route request; and Calculating network live latency costs for each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12). [2] Evaluation system (10) according to claim 1, further comprising: one or more network servers (32) in wireless communication with the one or more back-end servers (20) through the wireless communication network (28), wherein the one or more network servers (32) send live network performance data of the wireless communication network (28) to the one or more back-end servers (20). [3] Rating system (10) according to claim 2, wherein the one or more back-end servers (20) execute instructions to: Annotate each of the multiple nodes (60) that are part of the network connectivity performance road map (12) with the live network performance data of the wireless communication network (28). [4] Rating system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more back-end servers (20) execute instructions to: Receiving a navigation request for one of the following from a vehicle (24) that is one of the several vehicles (24): the network connectivity performance road map (12) of the geographical area (26) or a navigation route calculated on the basis of the network connectivity performance road map (12); and Sending either the network connectivity performance road map (12) or the navigation route via the wireless communication network (28) to the vehicle (24) that sent the navigation request. [5] Rating system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more back-end servers (20) calculate the one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28) for each of the multiple edges (62) of the map data street graph of the geographic area (26) by: means of one or more statistical measures corresponding to the multiple overall performance metrics for two adjacent nodes (60) connected by a single edge (62); and Assigning an average value for the two adjacent nodes (60) to the single edge (62). [6] Rating system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more back-end servers (20) execute instructions to: Combining the relief costs and the network live latency costs together, based on a weight value assigned to the relief costs and the weight value assigned to the network live latency costs, to determine network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges (62) that are part of the network connectivity power road map (12); and Determining one or more network power-based route plans by minimizing the network power edge costs assigned to each of the multiple edges (62) located between the starting point and the final destination of the route request. [7] Evaluation system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the overall performance metrics of the wireless communication network (28) include one or more of the following: an end-to-end latency, a wireless communication latency, the network bandwidth, bandwidth utilization, jitter, server computation time, server resource utilization, the geographical location of the server (20), server hardware and a geographical location of a specific vehicle (24) that collects the corresponding overall performance data.

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