Quality of service in transport

Abstract

A vehicle includes a display including selectable indicia associated with a plurality of mobile devices, the display being operable to enable a user to select one of the plurality. The vehicle includes a controller configured to limit Internet protocol traffic of the one through a wireless access point within the vehicle to ensure quality of service for messages sent via the wireless access point related to the impact. The limiting is responsive to an impact on the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to quality of service in transportation. Background Art

[0002] Modern vehicles are equipped with communication systems that can provide wireless network connectivity to vehicle occupants and send critical information to incident responders during transients. Common use of communication systems can result in unacceptable performance during transients. Summary of the invention

[0003] A vehicle includes a display including selectable indicia associated with a plurality of mobile devices, the display being operable to enable a user to select one of the plurality. The vehicle includes a controller configured to limit Internet protocol traffic of the one through a wireless access point within the vehicle to ensure quality of service for messages sent via the wireless access point related to the impact. The limiting is responsive to an impact on the vehicle.

[0004] A method includes selecting one of a plurality of indicia associated with a plurality of mobile devices from a display of a vehicle. The method includes limiting Internet protocol traffic of the one through a wireless access point of the vehicle in response to an impact with the vehicle to ensure quality of service for messages sent via the wireless access point related to the impact.

[0005] A vehicle includes a controller configured to restrict Internet Protocol traffic through a wireless access point within the vehicle from one of a plurality of mobile devices selected from a display having indicia, the display being operable to enable a user to select the one such that quality of service for messages sent via the wireless access point related to the impact is guaranteed. The restriction is in response to an impact with the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle telematics system;

[0007] Figure 2 is a display of a vehicle including a marking; and

[0008] Figure 3 Is an algorithm used to limit Internet Protocol traffic. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may take various forms and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized in order to show the details of a particular component. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as being restrictive, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to implement the present invention in different ways. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the various features shown and described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings may be combined with the features shown in one or more other drawings to produce embodiments that are not explicitly shown or described. The combination of features shown provides representative embodiments for typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired for specific applications or implementations.

[0010] The vehicle may include a network connection configured to connect the vehicle to an Internet service provider. The Internet service provider may provide data communications to the vehicle via the Internet, thereby enabling over-the-air downloading of updates, media, or navigation information. The network connection may be shared with occupants of the vehicle via the access point. For example, the occupants may have tablets, computers, or phones that are capable of connecting to the access point.

[0011] A vehicle may experience a transient situation that requires off-vehicle communications. For example, a vehicle may sense an impact. Information related to the occupants may be sent to incident responders in an off-vehicle manner. Incident responders may provide emergency assistance. A shared data connection between the vehicle and the occupants may limit the bandwidth available during a transient situation. For example, an occupant may be using all available bandwidth to stream a video or game. Data throughput associated with the occupants may be reduced or eliminated during transient conditions to ensure that vehicle data is transmitted.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary vehicle 102 is shown implementing a controller to communicate with a remote server 150. The vehicle 102 may include a vehicle computing system (VCS) 106 configured to communicate using a cellular modem 116 over a wide area network 152 (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, SRC, IEEE 802.11p, VANET) using a telematics control unit (TCU) 120-A. The system also includes a vehicle data server 150 configured to send and receive vehicle transient information. The transient information may be relayed to emergency responders or other agencies. Although in Figure 1An exemplary system is shown in the figure, but the exemplary components shown are not intended to be limiting. In fact, the system may have more or fewer components, and additional or alternative components and / or implementations may be used. Some functions may be performed by the vehicle, the server, or a combination thereof.

[0013] The vehicle 102 may include various types of automobiles, hybrid utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, recreational vehicles (RVs), boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or goods. In many cases, the vehicle 102 may be powered by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, the vehicle 102 may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV), a parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a parallel / series hybrid electric vehicle (PSHEV). Since the type and configuration of the vehicle 102 may vary, the capabilities of the vehicle 102 may vary accordingly. As some other possibilities, the vehicle 102 may have different capabilities with respect to passenger capacity, traction capacity and capacity, and storage capacity.

[0014] The VCS 106 may be configured to support voice commands and BLUETOOTH interactions with the driver and devices carried by the driver, receive user input via various buttons or other controls, and provide vehicle status information to the driver or other occupants of the vehicle 102. An exemplary VCS 106 may be the SYNC system provided by FORD MOTOR COMPANY of Dearborn, Michigan.

[0015] The VCS 106 may also include various types of computing devices that support execution of the functions described herein of the VCS 106. In an example, the VCS 106 may include one or more processors configured to execute computer instructions and a storage medium that may maintain computer executable instructions and / or data. Computer-readable storage media (also referred to as processor-readable media or storage devices) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor). In general, the processor receives instructions and / or data, such as from a storage device, to a memory, and uses the data to execute the instructions, thereby performing one or more processes including one or more of the processes described herein. The computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted by a computer program created using a variety of programming languages ​​and / or technologies, including, but not limited to, and individually or in combination, Java, C, C++, C#, Fortran, Pascal, Visual Basic, Python, JavaScript, Perl, PL / SQL, and the like.

[0016] The VCS 106 may also receive input from a human-machine interface (HMI) control 108 configured to provide occupant interaction with the vehicle 102. For example, the VCS 106 may interact with one or more buttons or other HMI controls 108 (e.g., steering wheel audio buttons, push-to-talk buttons, dashboard controls, etc.) configured to invoke functions on the VCS 106. The VCS 106 may also drive or otherwise communicate with one or more displays 110, which are configured to provide visual output to the vehicle occupant, such as through a video controller. In some cases, the display 110 may be a touch screen that is also configured to receive user touch input via a video controller, while in other cases, the display 110 may be just a display without touch input capabilities. In an example, the display 110 may be a head unit display included in a center console area of ​​the vehicle 102 cabin. In another example, the display 110 may be a screen of an instrument cluster of the vehicle 102.

[0017] The VCS 106 may also be configured to communicate with other components of the vehicle 102 via one or more in-vehicle networks 112 or vehicle buses 112. As some examples, the in-vehicle network 112 may include one or more of a vehicle controller area network (CAN), an Ethernet network, and a media oriented systems transport (MOST). The in-vehicle network 112 may allow the VCS 106 to communicate with other vehicle 102 systems, such as a vehicle modem of a TCU 120-A (which may not be present in certain configurations), a global positioning system (GPS) module 120-B configured to provide current vehicle 102 location and heading information, and various other vehicle ECUs configured to cooperate with the VCS 106. As some non-limiting possibilities, the vehicle ECU may include: a powertrain control module (PCM) 120-C, which is configured to provide control of engine operating components (e.g., idle control components, fuel delivery components, emission control components, etc.) and monitoring of engine operating components (e.g., the status of engine diagnostic codes); a body control module (BCM) 120-D, which is configured to manage various power control functions, such as exterior lighting, interior lighting, keyless entry, remote starting, and access point status verification (e.g., the open or closed status of the hood, doors, and / or trunk of the vehicle 102; a radio transceiver module (RCM) 120-E, which is configured to communicate with a key fob or other local vehicle 102 device; a climate control management (CCM) 120-F module, which is configured to provide control and monitoring of heating and cooling system components (e.g., compressor clutch and blower fan control, temperature sensor information, etc.); a battery control module (BECM) 120-G, which is configured to monitor the charge state or other parameters of the battery of the vehicle 102.

[0018] As some non-limiting examples, the wide area network 152 may include one or more interconnected communication networks, such as the Internet, a cable TV distribution network, a satellite link network, a local area network, a wide area network, and a telephone network. The network medium may be through radio frequency. For example, a series of radio towers 154 may be used to propagate signals. Using the embedded modem 116 of the VCS 106, the vehicle 102 may be able to send outgoing data from the vehicle 102 to a network destination through the wide area network 152, and receive incoming data to the vehicle 102 from the network destination through the wide area network 152. The vehicle may also send data to and receive data from the V2V modem 122 or the WPAN modem 116. It should be understood that any information communicated disclosed herein may be provided by any combination of processors located inside or outside the vehicle and transmitted using any combination of networking protocols. The processing may be distributed among all vehicles 102 near the event, or executed on a back-end server 150. The vehicle 102 may include various communication media and methods for distributing vehicle path information among all autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles affected by the event. For example, the vehicles 102 may form an ad-hoc distributed network to distribute the processing of gestures or path information. The vehicles 102 may form a distributed network to communicate detour instructions and travel paths between each other. The vehicles 102 may collaboratively determine rejection rates or modified travel paths.

[0019] The TCU 120-A may include a cellular modem or other network transceiver configured to facilitate communication between the vehicle 102 and other devices of the system through a wide area network 152. In an example, the VCS 106 may be configured to communicate with the TCU 120-A through the vehicle bus 112 to access the communication features of the TCU 120-A. As some examples, the vehicle bus 112 may include a controller area network (CAN) bus, an Ethernet bus, or a MOST bus. In other examples, the VCS 106 may use the communication services of the mobile device to access the wide area network 152. In an example, the VCS 106 may communicate with the mobile device through a local connection (e.g., Bluetooth), and the mobile device then uses the cellular modem of the mobile device to communicate through the wide area network 152. The TCU 120-A may include a wireless access point 114 to provide a local area network to the occupants of the vehicle. The local area network may run on an 802.11 protocol or other tools.

[0020] refer to Figure 2, showing the display 108. The display includes a plurality of selectable indicia 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218. The selectable indicia may be associated with an occupant of the vehicle. For example, selectable indicia 202 represents John's phone. The indicia 202, 204, 206 in the device column include separate indicators for each mobile device connected to the wireless access point 114. The indicia may be selected by touch screen, voice activation, or other human-machine interaction.

[0021] The indicia 208, 210, 212 in the status column represent the connection status of the device. The information displayed in the status column may also relate to the data throughput associated with a given device. The status column indicia 208, 210, 212 may also indicate the classification of the connected device 202, 204, 206. For example, a driver may have a different data throughput classification than a passenger or child.

[0022] Action column tags 214, 216, 218 allow the user to set a classification or allow or deny access. The selection may be based on other factors and events. For example, the user may use selectable tags 214, 216, 218 to set a classification, prevent access to the network during a transient period, limit network traffic through an access point or another network device.

[0023] refer to Figure 3 , showing algorithm 300. Algorithm 300 can operate continuously, and the order of operations can be changed or expanded. Steps can be added or deleted. The algorithm includes a request 302 for Wi-Fi or network access from a wireless access point 114 or another network device. The user device can request to use an available data path to receive information from a website or other content. The controller can be configured to limit Internet Protocol traffic passing through the wireless access point. Internet Protocol traffic can be of any protocol or specified. Before forwarding the request, in step 304, the controller determines the current system state. The emergency state may be a collision or other vehicle transient. The sensing input can provide notification of the collision to the controller. During an emergency or low signal, the controller can limit the bandwidth of the attached device.

[0024] In step 306, the controller checks the functionality of the Internet connection. This may include filling packets, sending pings, or sending IMCP requests. If the emergency traffic cannot be sent or is delayed by more than a predetermined threshold, the controller will deny the traffic request from the user device in step 322. For example, if the delay between sending the signal and receiving the notification is higher than a predetermined threshold, the controller may limit other vehicle traffic.

[0025] If emergency communications are still available and unimpeded, in step 310, the controller may check the user profile or classification of the traffic request. Based on the user profile assigned to the device by the user, the controller may grant the traffic request or require further review. For example, if the traffic request comes from a device associated with the driver in step 320, the controller will grant the traffic request in step 324. In a particular embodiment, the controller may be configured to always allow driver traffic even during a crash. The controller may be configured to limit traffic requests associated with children's devices only. If the user category is a general passenger in step 316, the controller may determine the amount of data remaining on the data plan in step 318. If there is still remaining data or an amount above a predetermined threshold, the controller may grant the traffic request. Otherwise, the controller will deny the passenger traffic request. If the traffic request comes from a child's device, the controller may determine whether there is a parental control associated with the child's device. For example, a child may have a predetermined amount of allocated data traffic to prevent overuse. In step 314, the controller may deny the traffic request based on parental control, or allow traffic if there is enough data remaining on the plan. The system may keep track of the data consumption of each attached device. Devices may be associated with each occupant in a database or table. Data consumption may be kept so that passengers may be required to pay for their consumption. The requirement may be based on a percentage of consumption of the vehicle's entire data plan.

[0026] The words used in the specification are descriptive and not restrictive, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As previously described, the features of the various embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. Although various embodiments may be described as providing advantages or being superior to other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, it should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve the desired overall system properties depending on the specific application and implementation. These properties may include, but are not limited to, cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. In this way, embodiments described as being inferior to other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the present disclosure, but may be desirable for specific applications.

Claims

1. A means of transport, comprising: a display including selectable indicia associated with a plurality of mobile devices, the display being operable to enable a user to select one of the selectable indicia to request network access; as well as A controller, the controller being configured to: receiving notification of an impact with the vehicle; In response to receiving the notification of an impact on the vehicle, limiting the receipt of requests for network access to limit Internet Protocol traffic of mobile devices corresponding to the one optional tag passing through a wireless access point within the vehicle and to ensure quality of service of messages related to the impact sent via the wireless access point.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the plurality of mobile devices is a mobile device associated with a passenger of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The display is operable to enable the user to prevent Internet Protocol traffic from traversing the wireless access point associated with the one selectable indicia.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The Internet Protocol traffic is switched based on the amount of wireless data remaining on the wireless subscription plan.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is also configured to: using emergency communications in response to the impact; In response to the emergency communication being unimpeded, determining whether a user profile associated with the selected one of the selectable indicia includes a permitted user classification; In response to the user profile including a permitted user classification, the request for network access via the emergency communication is permitted.

6. A method for ensuring the quality of service in a vehicle, comprising: selecting, from a display of the vehicle, one of a plurality of indicia associated with a plurality of mobile devices; receiving notification of an impact with the vehicle; as well as In response to receiving the notification of the impact on the vehicle, limiting the receipt of requests for network access to limit Internet Protocol traffic of mobile devices corresponding to the one tag that passes through a wireless access point of the vehicle and to ensure quality of service for messages related to the impact sent via the wireless access point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein: At least one of the plurality of mobile devices is a mobile device associated with a passenger of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein: The display is operable to enable the user to prevent Internet Protocol traffic from traversing the wireless access point associated with the one indicia.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein: The Internet Protocol traffic is switched based on the amount of wireless data remaining on the wireless subscription plan.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: using emergency communications in response to the impact; In response to the emergency communication being unimpeded, determining whether a user profile associated with the selected one of the indicia includes a permitted user classification; In response to the user profile including a permitted user classification, the request for network access via the emergency communication is permitted.

11. A means of transport, comprising: A controller, the controller being configured to: receiving notification of a collision with a vehicle; In response to receiving the notification of an impact on the vehicle, limiting the receipt of requests for network access to limit Internet Protocol traffic through a wireless access point within the vehicle from one of a plurality of mobile devices selected by a display having an indicia operable to enable a user to select the one of the plurality of mobile devices and to ensure quality of service for messages sent via the wireless access point related to the impact.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: At least one of the plurality of mobile devices is a mobile device associated with a passenger of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The display is operable to enable the user to prevent Internet Protocol traffic from traversing the wireless access point associated with the one of the plurality of mobile devices.

14. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The Internet Protocol traffic is switched based on the amount of wireless data remaining on the wireless subscription plan.

15. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The controller is also configured to: using emergency communications in response to the impact; responsive to the emergency communication being unimpeded, determining whether a user profile associated with the one of the plurality of mobile devices includes a permitted user classification; In response to the user profile including a permitted user classification, the request for network access via the emergency communication is permitted.

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