Enhanced network connectivity for connected cars and in-vehicle user equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to enhanced network connectivity for connected cars and in-vehicle user equipment. The connected car and in-vehicle user equipment (UE) can establish independent cellular connections and can also establish a connection with each other. The UE performs the following operations: establishes a first cellular link between the UE and a first network; establishes a connection with the connected car, where the connected car has a second cellular link between the connected car and a second network; evaluates one or more conditions; and, based at least on the one or more conditions, declares one of the first cellular link or the connection with the connected car as the primary network interface for the UE.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The connected car can be configured to establish a connection to a network. The driver or passenger of the connected car can be equipped with user equipment (UE). The UE can also be configured to establish a connection to a network. Thus, the connected car and the UE can each establish independent network connections.

[0002] The UE can establish another connection with the connected vehicle. Once paired, the connected vehicle can utilize the UE's resources, and vice versa. Conventionally, even when the quality of the connected vehicle's network connection is lower than the UE's network connection, the connected vehicle's network connection is used to provide network access on behalf of both the connected vehicle and the UE. Therefore, improvements are needed in how to select one of the independent network connections to provide network access for both the connected vehicle and the UE.

[0003] The performance associated with a device's network connection depends on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the device's hardware and the type of services provided to the device by the network. Generally speaking, the hardware of a connected car can outperform the hardware of a UE. However, the type of services provided by the network to a UE may outperform the type of services provided by the network to the connected car. Therefore, when a UE and a connected car are paired, there may be scenarios where the connected car's hardware is available but not being utilized. Similarly, there may be scenarios where the UE's network services are available but not being utilized. Therefore, a mechanism is needed that can utilize resources from both the connected car and the UE for network connectivity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some example embodiments relate to a processor of a user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations including: establishing a first cellular link between the UE and a first network; establishing a connection with a connected vehicle, wherein the connected vehicle has a second cellular link between the connected vehicle and a second network; evaluating one or more conditions; and declaring a primary network interface for the UE for one of the first cellular link or the connection with the connected vehicle based at least on the one or more conditions.

[0005] Other example embodiments relate to a processor of a connected car configured to perform operations including establishing a connection with a user equipment (UE), receiving an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) profile corresponding to the UE, establishing a network connection using the eSIM profile corresponding to the UE, receiving data from a network via the network connection, and forwarding the data received from the network to the UE via the connection with the UE.

[0006] Additional exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a connected car configured to perform operations including establishing a first connection with a first user equipment (UE); establishing a network connection; receiving a first set of data from a network via the network connection; forwarding the first set of data received from the network to the first UE via the first connection with the first UE; collecting data usage information of the first UE, wherein the data usage information of the first UE is based on at least the first set of data; and reporting the data usage information of the first UE to a network component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 An exemplary arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0008] Figure 2 An exemplary group of connected automotive components is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 Methods for selecting a cellular link to be used for a network connection are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0011] Figure 5 Methods for using one or more resources from a UE and one or more resources from a connected car for a network connection are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Figure 6 An exemplary data flow between a connected car and multiple in-vehicle UEs is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Priority Claim / Incorporation by Reference

[0014] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 62 / 923,076, filed on October 18, 2019, entitled “Enhanced Network Connectivity for a Connected Car and Onboard User Equipment,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0015] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals.The exemplary embodiments describe devices, systems, and methods for improving network connectivity for connected cars and / or in-vehicle user equipment (UE).

[0016] Throughout this specification, the term "connected car" may refer to an automobile equipped with hardware, software, and / or firmware configured to establish one or more network connections. However, reference to a connected car is provided for illustrative purposes only, and different entities may refer to similar concepts by different names. Furthermore, reference to a connected car is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments to automobiles. The exemplary embodiments are applicable to any type of vehicle (with or without a motor) that is configured to navigate within any type of environment and equipped with hardware, software, and / or firmware configured to establish one or more network connections.

[0017] The exemplary embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the term UE as used herein is intended to represent any electronic component.

[0018] A UE can establish a connection with a connected vehicle. Once paired, the connected vehicle can utilize the UE's resources, and vice versa. Example embodiments relate to managing resources of the UE and the connected vehicle. In a first aspect, example embodiments relate to selecting a network connection of the UE or a network connection of the connected vehicle to provide network access on behalf of both the UE and the connected vehicle. In a second aspect, example embodiments relate to utilizing one or more resources of the UE and one or more resources of the connected vehicle for the network connection.

[0019] Figure 1 An exemplary arrangement 100 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, tablet, smartphone, phablet, embedded device, wearable device, Cat-M device, Cat-M1 device, MTC device, eMTC device, other types of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. A practical network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. In fact, exemplary scenarios will be described below that include multiple users in a connected car 112, each user having their own UE. In Figure 1 In the illustration of FIG, UE 110 is shown as being above connected car 112. However, this is for illustration purposes only. UE 110 will typically be located in connected car 112 with the user.

[0020] Arrangement 100 also includes a connected car 112. Connected car 112 may represent any type of vehicle (with or without a motor) configured to navigate within any type of environment and equipped with hardware, software, and / or firmware configured to establish one or more network connections.

[0021] UE 110 can communicate directly with one or more networks. In the example of arrangement 100, UE 110 is shown as being connected to a first radio access network (RAN) 120 via a first base station 120A. Connected car 122 can also communicate directly with one or more networks. In the example of arrangement 100, UE 110 is shown as being connected to a second RAN 122 via a second base station 122A. The UE 110 network connection and the connected car 122 network connection can each be independent of each other and exist simultaneously. Reference to the first RAN 120, the first base station 120A, the second RAN 122, and the second base station 122A is intended only to illustrate that the UE 110 and the connected car 112 can each establish an independent network connection. In another example, the UE 110 and the connected car 112 can each establish an independent connection to the first RAN 120 via the first base station 120A.

[0022] The RANs 120 and 122 may be part of a cellular network that may be deployed by a cellular provider (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). For example, the RANs 120 and 122 may be 5G New Radio (NR) RANs, LTE RANs, or legacy RANs. The RANs 120 and 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (Node Bs, eNodeBs, HeNBs, eNBs, gNBs, gNodeBs, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from devices equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets (e.g., UE 110 and connected car 112).

[0023] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant procedures may be performed to connect UE 110 to RAN 120 and to connect connected car 112 to RAN 122. For example, as discussed above, RANs 120 and 122 may be associated with a particular cellular service provider. UE 110 and / or its user may have contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of RAN 120, UE 110 may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with RAN 120. More specifically, UE 110 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., base station 120A of RAN 120). Similarly, connected car 112 may also be associated with contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of RAN 122, connected car 112 may transmit the corresponding credential information to associate with RAN 122. More specifically, connected car 112 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., base station 122A of RAN 122).

[0024] UE 110 may establish a connection with connected car 112. In this example, UE 110 is on connected car 112. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited to scenarios where UE 110 is located inside connected car 112. Exemplary embodiments may also be applicable to scenarios where UE 110 is connected to connected car 112 while located outside of connected car 112.

[0025] In some embodiments, the connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112 is a wired connection (e.g., via a USB connection, a Lightning connector, etc.). In other embodiments, the connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112 is a wireless connection, such as WiFi, WiFi peer-to-peer, Bluetooth, or any other suitable short-range communication protocol. Thus, if the UE 110 and the connected car 112 are within proximity of each other (e.g., within a distance where WiFi or Bluetooth communication can be performed), the UE 110 and the connected car 112 can exchange data. Throughout this specification, any reference to any particular type of connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112 is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments are applicable to any suitable type of connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112.

[0026] When UE 110 and connected car 112 are paired (using a wired or wireless connection), UE 110 and connected car 112 may have a companion relationship. In some embodiments, UE 110 is a source device and connected car 112 is an accessory device. In other embodiments, connected car 112 is a source device and UE 110 is an accessory device. The accessory device may be configured to access network services by utilizing only a wired connection or a short-range communication protocol, without requiring a connection to either RAN 120 or RAN 122. For example, UE 110 may be connected to RAN 120 and may relay data exchanged with RAN 120 to connected car 112 via a wired connection or a short-range communication path. In another example, connected car 112 may be connected to RAN 122 and may relay data exchanged with RAN 122 to UE 110 via a wired connection or a short-range communication path. In another example, one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM, etc.) of the UE 110 can be used for network connectivity together with one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM, etc.) of the connected car 112. As described above, the UE 110 and the connected car 112 can each establish simultaneous independent network connections. Thus, the UE 110 and the connected car 112 can be connected to the RAN 120, RAN 122 regardless of whether a companion relationship exists.

[0027] To provide a general example of a situation in which a user might utilize arrangement 100, consider the following exemplary scenario. A user is driving a connected car 112 to a destination, and UE 110 is aboard the car. UE 110 has established a WiFi connection with connected car 112. UE 110 also has established a standalone connection to RAN 120 via base station 120A, and connected car 112 has established a standalone network connection to RAN 122 via base station 122A.

[0028] As will be referred to below Figure 2 In more detail, connected car 112 may include one or more display devices located at various locations throughout the car. For example, the dashboard of connected car 112 may include a touch screen. Connected car 112 may be configured to provide a variety of different user interfaces on the touch screen. Each user interface may include one or more interactive features.

[0029] UE 110 and connected car 112 can exchange information and data via a WiFi connection to perform various tasks for the user. For example, connected car 112 can be configured to display a user interface associated with UE 110. This user interface can allow the user to access data stored on UE 110 and / or network services generally available to UE 110. Thus, the user can interact with the touchscreen display of connected car 112 to access data and / or services of UE 110.

[0030] To provide a first general example, UE 110 may have locally stored music. When paired with connected car 112, an indication of the music stored locally on UE 110 may be displayed on the touchscreen of connected car 112. User input received at the touchscreen of connected car 112 may trigger the music stored locally on UE 110 to be output via an audio output device included in connected car 112.

[0031] To provide a second general example, UE 110 may have a locally stored navigation application. When UE 110 is paired with connected car 112, an icon for the navigation application stored locally on UE 110 may be displayed on the touchscreen of connected car 112. User input received at the touchscreen of connected car 112 may trigger the navigation application to launch. Once launched, the navigation application stored locally on UE 110 may communicate with a network using the network connection of connected car 112. These turn-by-turn navigation features may then be output by the touchscreen of connected car 112 and / or an audio output device included in connected car 112.

[0032] As described above, in a first aspect, exemplary embodiments relate to selecting one of the UE 110 network connection or the connected car 112 network connection to provide network access on behalf of both the UE and the connected car 112. For example, in the example provided above, the connected car 112 network connection is used for a navigation application. Exemplary embodiments provide various mechanisms for determining which network connection (the UE 110 network connection or the connected car 112 network connection) to use when the UE 110 and the connected car 112 are paired. In a second aspect, exemplary embodiments relate to using one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM card, etc.) of the UE 110 and one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM card, etc.) of the connected car 112 for network connectivity. The above scenarios and examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments in any way. The above scenarios and examples are intended only to provide general examples of scenarios in which a user may utilize the arrangement 100.

[0033] Figure 2An exemplary set of connected car components 200 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. The set of connected car components 200 will be described with reference to arrangement 100. As described above, the connected car 112 can represent any type of vehicle (with or without a motor) that is configured to navigate within any type of environment and is equipped with hardware, software, and / or firmware configured to establish one or more network connections. Thus, the connected car 112 can include a variety of different components configured to perform a wide variety of different tasks. The set of connected car components 200 relates to how the connected car 112 i) communicates with a network, ii) communicates with the UE 110, and iii) interacts with a user.

[0034] The set of connected automobile components 200 may include a processor 205 , a display device 210 , an input / output (I / O) device 215 , a plurality of radio components 220 , an antenna arrangement 225 , a memory arrangement 230 , and other components 235 .

[0035] Display device 210 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user. Connected car 112 may include one or more display devices 210. For example, the dashboard of connected car 112 may include display device 210. In another example, display device 210 may be integrated into one or more headrests. I / O device 215 may be a hardware component that enables a user to enter input. Connected car 112 may include one or more I / O devices 215. For example, display device 210 and I / O device 215 may be integrated together, such as a touch screen. In another example, I / O device 215 may be represented as one or more buttons on the dashboard and / or steering wheel.

[0036] The plurality of radio components 220 may be hardware components configured to establish a connection with the RAN 122 (e.g., 5G NR RAN, LTE RAN, traditional RAN, etc.) and to establish a connection to the UE 110 using a short-range communication protocol (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.). Thus, the plurality of radio components 220 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a contiguous set of frequencies). For example, the connected car 112 may establish a connection with the UE 110 via the 2.4 GHz frequency band and / or the 5 GHz frequency band. The antenna arrangement 225 may include one or more antennas configured to transmit and receive wireless traffic for the plurality of radio components 220.

[0037] The processor 205 can be configured to execute multiple engines of the connected car 112. For example, the engines may include an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) engine 240 and a network connectivity engine 245. The IVI engine 240 can manage how and when multimedia data (e.g., audio, video, text, graphics, etc.) is presented to the user via one or more components from the set of connected car components 200. The network connectivity engine 245 can collect data associated with the connected car 112 network connection and / or the UE 110 network connection.

[0038] The description of each engine as an application (e.g., program) executed by processor 205 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate, integrated component of connected car 112, or may be a modular component coupled to connected car 112, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as a single application or as separate applications. Furthermore, in some connected cars, the functionality described with respect to processor 205 is shared between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of a connected car.

[0039] The memory arrangement 230 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the connected car 112. Other components 235 may include, for example, a SIM card, an audio input device, an audio output device, a port for electrically connecting to other devices (e.g., the UE 110), sensors for detecting conditions of the connected car 112, and the like.

[0040] Other components 140 may also include an e-commerce module, which includes sensors and a communication interface. The sensors may be configured to detect an e-commerce entity. The communication interface may facilitate communication between the connected car 112, the UE 110, the e-commerce entity, and a cellular data plan provider, allowing a user to make payments using a cellular data plan. For example, the e-commerce module may be configured to detect a toll and allow a user to pay for a toll using their cellular data plan.

[0041] Figure 3 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1100 is used to describe the UE 110. The UE 110 can represent any electronic device and can include a processor 305, a display device 310, an input / output (I / O) device 315, multiple radio components 320, a memory arrangement 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 can include, for example, a SIM card, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, one or more antennas, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices (e.g., a connected car 112), sensors for detecting conditions of the UE 110, and the like.

[0042] The processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include a connected car configuration engine 335 and a network connectivity engine 340. The connected car configuration engine 335 may manage the relationship between the UE 110 and the connected car 112. For example, the connected car configuration engine 335 may provide data used by the connected car 112 to generate a user interface that allows a user to access data stored on the UE 110 and / or network services generally available to the UE 110 when interacting with the connected car 112. The network connectivity engine 345 may collect data associated with the connected car 112 network connection and / or the UE 110 network connection.

[0043] The aforementioned execution of the engine by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a separate, integrated component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as a single application or as separate applications. Furthermore, in some UEs, the functionality described with respect to the processor 305 is shared between two or more processors, such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in accordance with any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0044] The plurality of radio components 320 may be hardware components configured to establish a connection with the RAN 120 (e.g., 5G NR RAN, LTE RAN, traditional RAN, etc.) and to establish a connection to the connected car 112 using a short-range communication protocol (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.). Thus, the plurality of radio components 320 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a contiguous set of frequencies). For example, the UE 110 may establish a connection with the connected car 112 via the 2.4 GHz frequency band and / or the 5 GHz frequency band.

[0045] The memory arrangement 325 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 310 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 315 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 310 and the I / O device 315 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen).

[0046] Figure 4 A method 400 for selecting a cellular link to be used for network connectivity is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 3 UE 110, Figure 2 of connected cars 112 and Figure 1 The method 400 is described with reference to the arrangement 100 .

[0047] Consider the following exemplary scenario, in which a user is driving connected car 112 to a destination, and UE 110 is in the car. UE 110 has already established a network connection with RAN 120 via base station 120A to form a first cellular link. Connected car 112 has also established a network connection with RAN 122 via base station 122A to form a second cellular link. The first and second cellular links can be established separately and can exist simultaneously. Method 400 for selecting between the first and second cellular links for network connectivity will be described with reference to UE 110. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to UE 110 making this selection and are also applicable to connected car 112 making this selection.

[0048] In 405, UE 110 establishes a connection with connected car 112. In this example, the connection between UE 110 and connected car 112 is a WiFi connection. In other embodiments, the connection can be a wired connection or a wireless connection according to any suitable short-range communication protocol.

[0049] As described above, when paired, a user can interact with the connected car 112 to access data stored on the UE 110 and / or network services generally available to the UE 110. In this configuration, a first cellular link (e.g., a connection between the UE 110 and the base station 120A) or a second cellular link (e.g., a connection between the connected car 112 and the base station 122A) can be used for network connectivity. To use the first cellular link, the UE 110 communicates directly with the RAN 120. To use the second cellular link, the UE 110 can communicate with the connected car 112 via a WiFi connection, and the connected car 112 can communicate with the RAN 122 on behalf of the UE 110.

[0050] As shown below, when the first cellular link is to be used, UE 110 declares the first cellular link as the primary network interface and the WiFi connection as the secondary network interface. When the second cellular link is to be used, UE 110 declares the first cellular link as the secondary network interface and the WiFi connection as the primary network interface. During operation, UE 110 will use the primary network interface to communicate with the network. In some embodiments, if a connection problem occurs that prevents UE 110 from communicating with the network via the primary network interface, UE 110 may use the secondary network interface to communicate with the network.

[0051] At 410, UE 110 identifies a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may indicate to UE 110 that UE 110 is to declare a primary network interface. The predetermined condition may be based on any of a number of different factors, including, but not limited to: a timer; a schedule; initial establishment of a connection between UE 110 and connected car 112; launching an application; user input; a change in geographic location of UE 110 and / or connected car 112; a handover; a tracking area update (TAU); information received from the network; information stored on UE 110 or connected car 112 about previous network interactions under similar circumstances; a combination thereof, and the like. However, any reference to a specific factor that triggers UE 110 to declare a primary network interface is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiment may be triggered to declare a primary network interface based on any suitable factor identified in any situation.

[0052] At 415, UE 110 determines whether the first cellular link is preferred. Typically, the network service provided by the operator to UE 110 is superior to the network service provided by the operator to connected car 112. Therefore, the selection mechanism can be configured to have a preference for the first cellular link (e.g., the network connection between UE 110 and RAN 120). In some embodiments, this preference can be explicitly set by the user, the network, one or more operators, or any combination thereof. In other embodiments, the preference can be implicitly indicated based on previous interactions with the network under similar circumstances, previous instances of using a particular feature or application under similar circumstances, information stored or collected by UE 110, information stored or collected by connected car 112, information received from the network, etc. If the first cellular link is preferred, method 400 continues to 420.

[0053] At 420, UE 110 determines whether a data plan between an account associated with UE 110 and a carrier satisfies a predetermined condition. The carrier may charge the account associated with UE 110 based on the amount of data used by UE 110 in the downlink and / or uplink directions. The predetermined condition may indicate to UE 110 that using the first cellular link for network connection may result in unreasonable charges being charged to the account associated with UE 110. The predetermined condition may be satisfied when the account associated with UE 110 has an unlimited data plan or has an amount of unused available data exceeding a predetermined threshold. In some embodiments, the predetermined condition may also be satisfied through explicit user input. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, method 400 proceeds to 425.

[0054] At 425, UE 110 declares the WiFi connection as the primary network interface because there is a risk of being unreasonably charged for data services on an account associated with UE 110. UE 110 then utilizes the second cellular link to exchange data with the network.

[0055] Returning to 420, when the predetermined conditions are met, method 400 proceeds to 430. At 430, UE 110 determines whether the cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link meet the predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions may indicate to UE 110 that the first cellular link is of sufficient quality and / or has sufficient performance and, therefore, can be declared as the primary network interface. How the first cellular link is evaluated is described in detail below with reference to 445. When the predetermined conditions are met, method 400 proceeds to 435.

[0056] UE 110 declares the first cellular link as the primary network interface at 440. Since UE 110 is configured with a preference for the first cellular link and the account associated with UE 110 is not at risk of receiving unreasonable charges, the first cellular link may be declared as the primary network interface regardless of the status of the second cellular link.

[0057] Returning to 430, when the predetermined condition is not met, method 400 proceeds to 440. At 440, UE 110 determines whether the cellular parameters associated with the second cellular link meet the predetermined condition. The predetermined condition may indicate to UE 110 that the second cellular link is of sufficient quality and / or has sufficient performance, so that the WiFi connection can be declared as the primary network interface. How the second cellular link is evaluated is described in more detail below with reference to 450.

[0058] If the predetermined conditions are not met, method 400 proceeds to 435. As described above, UE 110 declares the first cellular link as the primary network interface at 435. Because UE 110 is configured to have a preference for the first cellular link, the account associated with UE 110 is not at risk of incurring unreasonable charges, and the second cellular link is not of sufficient quality and / or does not have sufficient performance, UE 110 may declare the first cellular link as the primary network interface even though the radio component conditions associated with the first cellular link do not meet the predetermined conditions at 430. UE 110 then utilizes the first cellular link to exchange data with the network.

[0059] Returning to 435, if the predetermined conditions are met, method 400 continues to 425. As described above, at 425, UE 110 declares the WiFi connection as the primary network interface. Although UE 110 has a preference for the first cellular link and the user account associated with UE 110 is not at risk of being charged unreasonable fees, at 440, UE 110 declares the WiFi connection as the primary link based on the radio component conditions associated with the second cellular link that meet the predetermined threshold. UE 110 then utilizes the second cellular link to exchange data with the network.

[0060] Returning to 415, if no preference exists, method 400 proceeds to 445. At 445, UE 110 evaluates cellular parameters corresponding to the first cellular link. The parameters corresponding to the first cellular link may be based on any of a variety of different factors. For example, one factor may relate to the type of base station / RAN on which UE 110 is currently camped (e.g., 5G NR, LTE, legacy, etc.). Another factor may relate to radio conditions associated with the currently camped base station. Radio conditions may include, but are not limited to, reference signal received power (RSRP), channel quality indicator (CQI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SINR), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), energy-to-interference ratio (ECIO), received signal code power (RSCP), etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand how measurement data associated with these radio conditions may be collected. Another factor may relate to radio load reported by the base station or estimated by UE 110. In addition, the uplink data rate may be considered. The uplink data rate may be determined based on parameters such as, but not limited to, power headroom and characteristics associated with a scheduling request between UE 110 and the currently camped base station. Other factors may include estimated available bandwidth, data plan type, and available unused data. However, reference to any specific cellular parameters is provided for illustrative purposes only, and exemplary embodiments may be applicable to any appropriate factors.

[0061] At 450, UE 110 evaluates cellular parameters corresponding to the second cellular link. The parameters corresponding to the second cellular link may be based on any of a variety of different factors. For example, one factor may relate to the type of base station / RAN (e.g., 5G NR, LTE, legacy, etc.) on which the connected car 112 is currently camped. Another factor may relate to radio conditions associated with the currently camped base station. Radio conditions may include, but are not limited to, reference signal received power (RSRP), channel quality indicator (CQI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-noise ratio (SINR), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), energy-to-interference ratio (ECIO), received signal code power (RSCP), etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand how measurement data associated with these radio conditions may be collected. However, reference to any specific cellular parameter is provided for illustrative purposes only, and exemplary embodiments may apply to any appropriate factors. It should also be understood that UE 110 may receive cellular parameters corresponding to the second cellular link via a connection (e.g., a short-range connection) with connected car 112. For example, the hardware / software of connected car 112 may perform appropriate measurements for the second cellular link and provide this information to UE 110 for comparison purposes.

[0062] When evaluating the cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link in 445 and the second cellular link in 450, UE 110 may consider the type of application being utilized (e.g., streaming multimedia data, navigation, video calls, audio calls, etc.). For example, one of the first cellular link or the second cellular link may be able to provide better performance for audio calls, and the other cellular link may be able to provide better performance for streaming multimedia data. In addition, when evaluating the cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link in 445 and the second cellular link in 450, UE 110 may also refer to information received from the application layer and / or the transport layer. This information may include indications of previously experienced stalls or errors, end-to-end delay, estimated bandwidth, real-time protocol erasures, indications of disconnected links (e.g., the first cellular link or the second cellular link), push notification failures, failed Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection attempts, TCP round-trip time (RTT), etc. However, reference to any particular type of information received from the application layer and / or transport layer is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the exemplary embodiments are applicable to any suitable type of information associated with the application layer and / or transport layer.

[0063] Returning to method 400, at 455, UE 110 compares the cellular parameters corresponding to the first cellular link with the cellular parameters corresponding to the second cellular link. At 460, UE 110 declares one of the first cellular link or the WiFi connection as the primary network interface based on the comparison. Example embodiments are not limited to any particular criteria for the comparison, and UE 110 may use any suitable basis to decide between the first cellular link and the second cellular link.

[0064] Connected car 112 may travel from a first location to a second location. During travel between these locations, the cellular environment relative to connected car 112 and UE 110 may change. For example, at the first location, connected car 112 and UE 110 may be within the coverage area of a first base station, and at the second location, connected car 112 and UE 110 may be within the coverage area of a second base station. Similarly, at the first location, connected car 112 and UE 110 may initially be located within a coverage area that provides sufficient cellular quality / performance, and at the second location, connected car 112 and UE 110 may be located at the edge of the same coverage area. Furthermore, during travel, connected car 112 and UE 110 may be used to perform a variety of different tasks (e.g., streaming music, conducting voice calls, turn-by-turn navigation, etc.). To ensure that the primary network interface provides sufficient quality and / or performance for a particular task, method 400 may be an ongoing process. Thus, as indicated in 410, UE 110 may be triggered to declare the primary network interface based on any appropriate factors identified in any situation.

[0065] Method 400 is described with reference to a single UE 110. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited to a single UE 110 connected to a connected car 112. When multiple UEs are onboard the vehicle, method 400 may be performed for each of the onboard UEs. Thus, there may be scenarios where more than one UE uses its respective direct cellular link as its primary network interface, and more than one UE uses its respective connection to the connected car 112 as its primary network interface.

[0066] As indicated above, in certain scenarios, the hardware of the connected car 112 may be able to outperform the hardware of the UE 110. To provide an example, the connected car 112 antenna arrangement 225 may be superior to the antenna included in the UE 110. To provide another example, the connected car 112 may have a more powerful processor 205 than the processor 305 of the UE 110. However, the connected car 112 may be configured with a data plan that does not provide the same quality of experience as the data plan for the UE 110. Therefore, there may be scenarios where the connected car 112 hardware is available but not being utilized. There may also be scenarios where the UE 110 data plan is available but not being utilized. The exemplary embodiments described below relate to using one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM, etc.) of one or more in-vehicle UEs with one or more resources (e.g., hardware, software, firmware, SIM, etc.) of the connected car 112 for network connectivity.

[0067] In a first example, utilizing the resources of UE 110 and connected car 112 may include utilizing the hardware of connected car 112 as a Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 2 (L2) relay. For example, UE 110 may transmit information and / or data in a low-power mode. The information and / or data may be received by connected car 112 and forwarded to the network on behalf of UE 110 (at a higher power level).

[0068] Figure 5 A method 500 for using one or more resources from a UE 110 and one or more resources from a connected car 112 for a network connection is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Figure 3 UE 110, Figure 2 of connected cars 112 and Figure 1 The method 500 is described with reference to the arrangement 100 .

[0069] As will be described in greater detail below, method 500 involves making a network connection using the hardware of connected car 112 and the data plan of UE 110. This may include configuring connected car 112 with an embedded SIM (eSIM) profile corresponding to UE 110. From the network's perspective, the eSIM profile may make it appear as if UE 110 is communicating with the network. However, connected car 112 is actually engaging in signaling exchanges with the network.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a SIM contains information used by a device to establish a network connection. For example, a SIM may include an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) that can be used to authenticate a network provider. However, reference to the IMSI is provided for illustrative purposes only, and a SIM may include a wide variety of different types of information that may be referred to by different names by different networks or entities. Thus, the exemplary embodiments are applicable to SIMs containing any type of information used by a device to establish a network connection.

[0071] Connected car 112 may include an eSIM. This eSIM is an embedded integrated circuit and is not intended to be physically removed. In contrast, a SIM is an integrated circuit that can be physically inserted into and removed from a device. An eSIM profile may be provided for the eSIM of connected car 112. In one embodiment, the eSIM profile may be a clone of the SIM of UE 110. In another embodiment, the eSIM profile and SIM of UE 110 may be associated with the same phone number and / or account on the network side. In this example, the SIM of UE 110 may be the primary profile, while the eSIM of connected car 112 may be the secondary profile. The SIM of UE 110 may be associated with multiple different secondary profiles. The operator may bill the use of the primary profile and one or more secondary profiles to the same account. Therefore, when configured with an eSIM profile corresponding to UE 110, UE 110 and connected car 112 may be associated with the same phone number and / or account. However, reference to connected car 112 being equipped with an eSIM and UE 110 being equipped with a SIM is provided for illustrative purposes only. The UE 110 and the connected car 112 may each be equipped with an eSIM and / or a SIM.

[0072] In 505, UE 110 establishes a connection to connected car 112. In this example, the connection between UE 110 and connected car 112 is a WiFi connection. In other embodiments, the connection can be a wired connection or a wireless connection according to any suitable short-range communication protocol.

[0073] At 510, the connected car 112 is provided with an eSIM profile corresponding to the UE 110. In some embodiments, the eSIM profile information is stored locally on the UE 110 and provided to the connected car 112 via a WiFi connection. In other embodiments, the eSIM profile can be retrieved from a network server (directly or indirectly) by the UE 110 or the connected car 112. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand how to retrieve the eSIM profile information and provide it to the connected car 112.

[0074] At 515 , the connected car 112 communicates with the network via a cellular link using the hardware of the connected car 112. For example, the connected car 112 may participate in a signaling exchange with one of the RAN 120 , 122 using the antenna arrangement 225 and one of the radios 220 .

[0075] At 520, connected car 112 establishes an Internet Protocol (IP)-based connection to the network using the eSIM profile corresponding to UE 110. Thus, from the network's perspective, the network is connected to UE 110. However, in reality, connected car 112 hardware is maintaining a cellular link with a base station. Because the eSIM associated with UE 110 is being used to connect to the network, UE 110 can transition its cellular baseband processor to a low-power mode. This ensures that cellular traffic is sent and received via connected car 112, and not to UE 110.

[0076] In 525, the connected car 112 forwards data received from the network via the WiFi connection to the UE 110 over the cellular link, and forwards data received from the UE 110 over the cellular link to the network over the WiFi connection. Thus, in this example, the hardware resources of the connected car 112 and the SIM / network resources of the UE 110 are used for network connectivity.

[0077] In some embodiments, after the connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112 is terminated, the eSIM profile associated with the UE 110 may remain stored within the memory arrangement 230 of the connected car 112. This may be convenient for a user if the user owns both the UE 110 and the connected car 112. However, to ensure that unauthorized use of the data plan associated with the UE 110 does not occur, the UE 110 may deactivate the eSIM profile associated with the UE 110 before terminating the connection to the connected car 112. The connected car 112 may also be configured to deactivate the eSIM profile associated with the UE 110 when the connected car 112 determines that the connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112 no longer exists.

[0078] In some implementations, instead of relying on the connected car 112 to perform all baseband processing, the baseband processing can be split between the connected car 112 and the UE 110. Thus, the connected car 112 can perform baseband processing for a first portion of the protocol stack, and the UE 110 can perform baseband processing for a second portion of the protocol stack. This split-baseband approach is achieved through a high-speed / low-latency connection between the UE 110 and the connected car 112.

[0079] As a security measure, during the split-baseband method, UE 110 may implement a NAS module that performs authentication. Furthermore, PDCP may be implemented by UE 110, or higher-layer PDCP (e.g., ciphering, integrity protection) may be implemented by UE 110, while lower-layer PDCP (e.g., reordering, robust header compression) may be performed by connected car 112. However, any reference to UE 110 or connected car 112 performing any specific protocol stack operations during the split-baseband method is provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may split baseband processing between connected car 112 and UE 110 in any suitable manner.

[0080] UE 110 may be one of multiple in-vehicle UEs. Connected car 112 may be configured with an eSIM profile associated with each of the in-vehicle UEs. In some embodiments, connected car 112 maintains an independent relationship with each of the UEs. Therefore, a data plan associated with a particular UE accounts for all data used by that UE. In other embodiments, network services associated with one of the UEs may be provided to other in-vehicle UEs via connected car 112. Therefore, a data plan associated with a particular UE may account for some data used by different in-vehicle UEs.

[0081] Figure 6 An exemplary data flow 600 between a connected car 112 and multiple in-vehicle UEs is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Consider the following exemplary scenario: a first user is driving connected car 112 to a destination, and the first user's UE 110 is in the car. Connected car 112 also includes a second user, the second user's UE 602, a third user, and the third user's UE 604. Similar to UE 110, UE 602 and UE 604 can represent any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network.

[0082] Each of UE 110, UE 602, UE 604 may have an independent WiFi connection to connected car 112. Therefore, data is exchanged between UE 110, UE 602, UE 604 and connected car 112 using communication interface 610. In this example, because communication interface 610 uses WiFi, data received from UE 110, UE 602, UE 604 is provided to IP layer 620 for processing. Data to be provided to UE 110, UE 602, UE 604 via communication interface 610 may first be provided to IP layer 620 so that the data can be appropriately formatted for transmission via WiFi.

[0083] Data for UE 110 is provided by IP layer 620 to a first agent 630. First agent 630 may be a driver within a connected car operating system that is configured to manage communications on behalf of UE 110. Similarly, data for UE 602 is provided by IP layer 620 to a second agent 632, and data for UE 604 is provided by IP layer 620 to a third agent 634.

[0084] The data from the first agent 630 is then processed according to protocol stack layer 640. Protocol stack layer 640 may include, but is not limited to, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio link layer (RLC), and medium access control (MAC) layer. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand the services provided by these protocol stack layers as data flows toward antenna arrangement 225 and as data flows toward UE 110, UE 602, and UE 604. Similarly, data from the second agent 632 is then processed according to protocol stack layer 642, and data from the third agent 634 is then processed according to protocol stack layer 644. Reference to protocol stack layers is provided for illustrative purposes only. Physical (PHY) layer processing and processing associated with any other type of layer in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model may also occur.

[0085] Data from protocol stack layer 640 is provided to transceiver 650. For example, if the data is to be sent to a 5G NR RAN, transceiver 650 may be a 5G NR radio included within multiple radios 220. Similarly, data from protocol stack layer 642 is provided to transceiver 652, and data from protocol stack layer 644 is provided to transceiver 644. In some embodiments, each of transceivers 640, 642, 644 may be the same transceiver. In other embodiments, one or more transceivers 640, 642, 644 may be associated with different RANs. Data from transceivers 640, 642, 644 is provided to filter 660. From filter 660, the data is then provided to antenna arrangement 625, where it is propagated toward a base station. Example data flow 600 is not intended to limit example embodiments in any way. Different entities may refer to similar concepts by different names. The exemplary data flow 600 is provided merely to illustrate how a single antenna arrangement 225 may be used on behalf of multiple in-vehicle UEs 110 , UE 602 , UE 604 .

[0086] The connected car 112 can be configured to have a non-shared operating mode and a shared operating mode. In the non-shared operating mode, the connected car 112 sends traffic associated with a specific UE to its corresponding operator network. For example, referring to Figure 6, the data to be transmitted by the antenna arrangement 225 of the connected car 112 on behalf of the UE 110 will be sent to the operator of the UE 110 .

[0087] In the shared operating mode, the connected car 112 can send traffic associated with one UE to an operator associated with a different UE. This allows a UE located in a geographic location that is not served by the operator associated with the UE to have network connectivity at that geographic location via an operator associated with a different UE.

[0088] For example, consider the following exemplary scenario: connected car 112 has established a first cellular link with a first operator on behalf of UE 110, a second cellular link with a second operator on behalf of UE 602, and a third cellular link with a third operator on behalf of UE 604. When connected car 112 receives data to be transmitted on behalf of UE 110, connected car 112 may determine which cellular link (e.g., the first cellular link, the second cellular link, or the third cellular link) to utilize to transmit the data. The selection of a cellular link may be based on factors such as, but not limited to, the quality of each link, the cost of each link, and service availability. In some embodiments, connected car 112 selects a single link. In other exemplary embodiments, connected car 112 may select multiple cellular links and multiplex all data using the selected cellular links.

[0089] When multiple UEs are connected to the connected car 112, the connected car 112 may establish an aggregated virtual data bearer with one of the operators. The aggregated virtual data bearer may consolidate all data requests from the multiple UEs connected to the connected car 112. The connected car 112 may select an operator for the aggregated virtual data bearer based on factors such as, but not limited to, energy per bit, cost per bit, service availability, information received from the network, measurement data collected by the connected car 112, measurement data collected by the UE 110, historical data about previous interactions with operators in similar situations, and the like. Thus, with reference to Figure 6 , the connected car 112 can use a single bearer to perform communications on behalf of all UEs 110, UE 602, and UE 604. From a protocol stack perspective, the application layer can be used by the operator or broker subscribed by the connected car 112 to perform operations such as operator selection, handover, and data recovery for the aggregated virtual data bearer. The application layer can implement protocols for managing the aggregated virtual data bearer, such as Multipath TCP (MPTCP), IP Security (IPsec), and PDCP.

[0090] References Figure 5 and Figure 6The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to using data plans associated with one or more UEs for network connectivity. Alternatively, the data plan of connected car 112 can be used for network connectivity. To improve the conventional data plans typically associated with connected car 112, exemplary embodiments may implement a connected car data plan broker. The connected car data plan broker may collaborate with multiple carriers to maximize coverage areas. Connected car 112 may be configured to report data usage information for each UE to the connected car data plan broker. The connected car data plan broker may provide billing and account services on behalf of all users.

[0091] To provide an example, a user may be a passenger in a connected car 112. The user may connect their UE 110 to the connected car 112. The connected car 112 may provide network connectivity to the UE 110 using both the hardware of the connected car 112 and the data plan of the connected car 112. At the end of the ride, the connected car 112 may report the data usage of the UE 110 to the connected car data plan broker. The connected car data plan broker may then bill the user of the UE 110 for the data usage.

[0092] To provide application layer mobility in this multi-operator network, the Connected Car Data Plan Broker can implement an overlay network on multiple operators. The overlay network can be built using an MPTCP proxy, and / or a virtual private network (VPN) server can be built using Mobile IPsec (MOBIKE), an extension of Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) that provides mobility for VPN connections.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above can be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. In other examples, the exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, can be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0094] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various embodiments, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner not publicly denied, or with features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or described function of the device of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0095] As mentioned above, one aspect of the present technology is the collection and use of data from specific and legitimate sources. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, the collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to identify a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data, online identifiers, SIM information, phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, data or records related to a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other personal information.

[0096] This disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data within the present technology can be used to benefit users. For example, personal information data can be used to declare the primary network interface, provision an eSIM profile for a connected car, and perform billing / accounting services for data usage. Thus, the use of such personal information data improves the user experience by enabling operators to track and bill for data usage.

[0097] This disclosure contemplates that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing, or otherwise using such personal information will adhere to established privacy policies and / or practices. Specifically, such entities are expected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Such information regarding the use of personal data should be prominently displayed and easily accessible to users and updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Users' personal information should be collected only for lawful uses. Furthermore, such collection / sharing should occur only after receiving user consent or other lawful basis as provided in applicable law. Furthermore, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to safeguard and secure access to such personal information and ensure that others with access to such personal information comply with their privacy policies and procedures. Furthermore, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Furthermore, policies and practices should be tailored to the specific types of personal information being collected and / or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations that may impose higher standards. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

[0098] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementations in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware components and / or software components to prevent or block access to such personal information data.

[0099] Furthermore, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated where appropriate by removing identifiers, controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods such as differential privacy.

[0100] Therefore, while this disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, this disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not be unable to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data. For example, tracking data usage may be based on aggregated non-personal information data or an absolute minimum amount of personal information.

[0101] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a processor configured to perform operations comprising: establishing a first cellular link between the electronic device and the first network; establishing a connection with a connected car, wherein the connected car has a second cellular link between the connected car and a second network; determining whether the first cellular link is preferred; Evaluate one or more conditions; declaring one of the first cellular link or the connection with the connected car as a primary network interface for the electronic device based on the determination of whether the first cellular link is preferred and the evaluation of the one or more conditions; when the first cellular link is declared as the primary network interface, the electronic device and the connected car are both configured to access network services from the first network via the first cellular link between the electronic device and the first network; as well as When the connection with the connected car is declared as the primary network interface, both the electronic device and the connected car are configured to access network services from a second network via a second cellular link between the connected car and the second network, Wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: Upon determining that the first cellular link is not preferred, evaluating a first set of cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link and a second set of cellular parameters associated with the second cellular link taking into account a type of application to be executed by one of the electronic device or the connected car.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: The first set of cellular parameters and the second set of cellular parameters are compared, wherein the one or more conditions are based at least on the comparison.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: Upon determining that the first cellular link is preferred, a data plan associated with the first cellular link is evaluated.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: A first set of cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link is evaluated. 5 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein evaluating the data plan comprises determining whether the data plan is an unlimited data plan or whether the data plan has an amount of unused available data that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: A type of application to be executed by one of the electronic device or the connected car is determined.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the connection with the connected car comprises a wired connection or a short-range wireless connection. 8 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first network and the second network are the same network or different networks.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise: Prior to evaluating the one or more conditions, determining whether a predetermined condition exists, wherein the existence of the predetermined condition triggers the evaluation of the one or more conditions, and wherein the predetermined condition includes one of the following: expiration of a timer, a scheduled event, initial establishment of the connection, launch of an application, user input, a change in the geographic location of the electronic device, a change in the geographic location of the connected car, a handover, a tracking area update (TAU), information received from the network, information stored on the electronic device, or information stored on the connected car.

10. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with the connected car and with a network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations comprising: Establishing a first cellular link between the UE and a first network; establishing a connection with the connected car, wherein the connected car has a second cellular link between the connected car and a second network; determining whether the first cellular link is preferred; Evaluate one or more conditions; declaring one of the first cellular link or the connection with the connected car as a primary network interface for the UE based on the determination of whether the first cellular link is preferred and the evaluation of the one or more conditions; When the first cellular link is declared as the primary network interface, both the UE and the connected car are configured to access network services from the first network via the first cellular link between the UE and the first network; and When the connection with the connected car is declared as the primary network interface, both the UE and the connected car are configured to access network services from a second network via a second cellular link between the connected car and the second network, Wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: Upon determining that the first cellular link is not preferred, a first set of cellular parameters associated with the first cellular link and a second set of cellular parameters associated with the second cellular link are evaluated taking into account a type of application to be executed by one of the UE or the connected car.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: The first set of cellular parameters and the second set of cellular parameters are compared, wherein the one or more conditions are based at least on the comparison.

12. The UE of claim 10, wherein evaluating the one or more conditions comprises: Upon determining that the first cellular link is preferred, evaluating a data plan associated with the first cellular link, wherein evaluating the data plan includes determining whether the data plan is an unlimited data plan or whether the data plan has an amount of unused available data exceeding a predetermined threshold.

13. The UE of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: Prior to evaluating the one or more conditions, determining whether a predetermined condition exists, wherein the existence of the predetermined condition triggers the evaluation of the one or more conditions, and wherein the predetermined condition includes one of the following: expiration of a timer, a scheduled event, initial establishment of the connection, launch of an application, user input, a change in the geographic location of the UE, a change in the geographic location of the connected car, a handover, a tracking area update (TAU), information received from the network, information stored on the UE, or information stored on the connected car.

14. The UE of claim 10, wherein evaluating one or more conditions comprises: A type of application to be executed by one of the UE or the connected car is determined.

15. The UE of claim 10, wherein the connection with the connected car comprises a wired connection or a short-range wireless connection. The UE of claim 10 , wherein the first network and the second network are the same network.

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