Cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in networks of moving objects, including autonomous vehicles

Abstract

A system and method for cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects is provided.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Priority claim

[0001] This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 882,900, filed August 5, 2019. Each of the above-identified applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Cross-Citation / Inclusion by Reference to Related Applications This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 221,997, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Integrated Communication Network for a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,016, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Synchronizing a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,042, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,066, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Monitoring a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,066, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Monitoring a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,077, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Methods for Detecting and Classifying Anomalies in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,098, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,098, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Connectivity a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,No. 121, entitled "Systems and Methods for Collecting Sensor Data in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,135, entitled "Systems and Methods for Interfacing with a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,145, entitled "Systems and Methods for Interfacing with a User of a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,150, entitled "Systems and Methods for Data Storage and Processing for a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,168, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Data Storage and Processing Systems and Methods for a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,183, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Vehicle Traffic Management in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,183, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Environmental Management in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,No. 186, entitled "Systems and Methods for Port Management in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,190, entitled "Communication Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,192, entitled "Utilizing Historical Data to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things," filed October 22, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 244,828, entitled "Using Anchors to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things," filed October 22, 2015; No. 62 / 244,930, filed October 22, 2015, entitled "Using Anchors to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 246,368, filed October 26, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Inter-Application Communication in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 246,372, filed October 26, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Probing and Validating Communication in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 250, filed November 4, 2015, entitled "Adaptive Rate Control for Vehicular Networks";No. 544, entitled "Systems and Methods for Reconfiguring and Adapting Hardware in a Network of Moving Things," filed December 31, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 273,878, entitled "Systems and Methods for Optimizing Data Gathering in a Network of Moving Things," filed November 10, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 253,249, entitled "Systems and Methods for Delay Tolerant Networking in a Network of Moving Things," filed November 19, 2015; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 257,421, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Coverage and Throughput of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," filed November 19, 2015; No. 62 / 265,267, filed December 9, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Coverage and Throughput of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 270,858, filed December 22, 2015, entitled "Channel Coordination in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 257, filed November 20, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Network Coded Mesh Networking in a Network of Moving Things";No. 854, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Fixed Access Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 273,715, filed December 31, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility Controllers and Their Network Interactions in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 281,432, filed January 21, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing and Triggering Handovers of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 281,432, filed January 21, 2016, entitled "Captive Access Point Handovers in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Fixed Access Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility Controllers and Their Network Interactions in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing and Triggering Handovers of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Fixed Access Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 268,188, filed December 16, 2015, entitled "Portal-related Control and Management in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 270, filed December 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods to Extrapolate High-Value Data from a Network of Moving Things,"No. 62 / 272,750, filed December 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Remote Software Update and Distribution in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 278,662, filed January 14, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Remote Configuration Update and Distribution in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 286,243, filed January 22, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Adapting a Network of Moving Things Based on User Feedback"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 286,243, filed January 22, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods to Guarantee Data Integrity When Building Data Analytics in a Network of Moving Things"; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 278,764, filed January 14, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Ensuring Data Integrity When Building Data Analytics in a Network of Moving Things," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 286, filed January 25, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Self-Initialization and Automated Bootstrapping of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things,"No. 515, entitled "Systems and Methods for Power Management in a Network of Moving Things," and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 295,602, filed February 16, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Automating and Easing the Installation and Setup of the Infrastructure Supporting a Network of Moving Things." This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 299,269, filed February 24, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Automating and Simplifying the Installation and Configuration of Infrastructure Supporting a Network of Moving Objects," U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 823,736, filed March 26, 2019, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 856,448, filed June 3, 2019, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 863,393, filed June 19, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 882,924, filed August 5, 2019, all of which are entitled "Systems and Methods for Automating and Simplifying the Installation and Configuration of Infrastructure Supporting a Network of Moving Objects."

[0003]

[0003] Each of these patent applications is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes. [Background technology]

[0004]

[0004] Current communication networks cannot adequately support communication environments that involve stationary and mobile nodes, including, for example, autonomous vehicles. As a non-limiting example, current communication networks cannot adequately support networks that comprise complex arrays of both moving mode and stationary nodes (e.g., Internet of Moving Objects, autonomous vehicle networks, etc.).

[0005]

[0005] The limitations and drawbacks of conventional methods and systems will become apparent to those skilled in the art by comparing such techniques with various aspects of the methods and systems of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of this disclosure and with reference to the drawings. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting and / or utilizing networks of mobile and / or stationary nodes. By way of non-limiting example, various aspects of the present disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting dynamically configurable communication networks comprising a composite array of both stationary and mobile communication nodes (e.g., Internet of Moving Objects, autonomous vehicle networks, etc.). For example, a communication network implemented according to various aspects of the present disclosure can operate in one of multiple modalities comprising various fixed nodes, mobile nodes, and / or combinations thereof, and can select these modalities to achieve any of a variety of system goals. In various example embodiments according to the present disclosure, such a communication network can be configured to support cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates a diagram of a metropolitan area network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 1 illustrates several network configurations that illustrate the flexibility and / or resiliency of communication networks in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] 1 illustrates several network configurations that demonstrate the flexibility and / or resilience of communication networks in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] 1 illustrates several network configurations that demonstrate the flexibility and / or resilience of communication networks in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an example communications network supporting cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example network, and processes executed therein, for supporting cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008]

[0015] As used herein, the terms "circuits" and "circuitry" refer to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) and any software and / or firmware ("code") that may comprise, be executed by, and / or be otherwise associated with such hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory (e.g., a volatile or non-volatile memory device, a general computer-readable medium, etc.) may comprise a first "circuit" when executing one or more first lines of code, and may comprise a second "circuit" when executing one or more second lines of code. In addition, circuits may include analog and / or digital circuits. Such circuitry may, for example, operate on analog and / or digital signals. It should be understood that a circuit may be located within a single device or chip, on a single motherboard, within a single chassis, in multiple enclosures at a single geographic location, in multiple enclosures distributed across multiple geographic locations, etc. Similarly, the term "module" can refer, for example, to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) as well as any software and / or firmware ("code") that may comprise, be executed by, and / or otherwise be associated with the hardware.

[0009]

[0016] As used herein, a circuit or module is "operable" to perform a function whenever the circuit or module has the necessary hardware and code (if any) to perform that function, regardless of whether the function has been disabled or enabled (e.g., by user-configurable settings, factory trim, etc.).

[0010]

[0017] As used herein, "and / or" means any one or more of the items in the list connected by "and / or." As an example, "x and / or y" means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, "x and / or y" means "one or both of x and y." As another example, "x, y, and / or z" means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. That is, "x, y, and / or z" means "one or more of x, y, and z." As used herein, the term "exemplary" means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms "for example" and "eg" define a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations.

[0011]

[0018] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," and the like, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but are understood not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0012]

[0019] It should be understood that, while terms such as first, second, and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element, first component, or first section discussed below could also be referred to as a second element, second component, or second section without departing from the teachings of this disclosure. Similarly, various spatial terms such as "upper," "lower," "side," and the like may be used to distinguish one element from another in a relative sense. However, it should be understood that components may be oriented differently, for example, an electronic device may be oriented on its side with its "top" surface oriented horizontally and its "side" surface oriented vertically, without departing from the teachings of this disclosure.

[0013]

[0020] With the proliferation of moving and / or static things (e.g., devices, machines, people, etc.) and the logistics of connecting such things to each other (e.g., logistics in the context of smart logistics, transportation, environmental sensing, etc.), there is a desire for platforms that are, for example, always on, robust, scalable, secure, and capable of providing connectivity, services, and Internet access to such things (or objects) anywhere and anytime. Efficient power utilization within the various components of such systems is also desired.

[0014]

[0021] Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure provide a fully operational, always-on, responsive, robust, scalable, and secure platform / system / architecture that provides connectivity, services, and Internet access to all moving and / or stationary objects (e.g., devices, machines, people, access points, end user devices, sensors, etc.) anywhere and anytime while operating in an energy-efficient manner.

[0015]

[0022] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a platform that is flexibly configurable and adaptable to the various requirements, characteristics, and demands of different environments. Each environment can be characterized by its level of mobility, density of moving and / or stationary objects, and the number and / or type of access to these objects. Characteristics of different environments include, for example, high node mobility (e.g., fluctuating contacts or connections), a large number of neighbors, a large number of connected mobile users, mobile access points, the availability of multiple networks and technologies (e.g., even within the same area), etc. For example, the platform's operating mode can be flexibly adapted for each environment based on the respective requirements and demands of each environment, which may differ from those of other environments. In addition, the platform can be flexibly optimized (e.g., at design / installation time and / or in real time) for different purposes (e.g., to reduce latency, increase throughput, reduce power consumption, balance loads, increase reliability, be more robust against failures or other disturbances, etc.), for example, based on the content, services, or data the platform provides or processes in a particular environment.

[0016]

[0023] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, many control and management services (e.g., mobility, security, routing, etc.) are provided on this platform (e.g., directly, using a control overlay, using containers, etc.) Such services are compatible with services currently deployed on the Internet or other communication network(s).

[0017]

[0024] For example, a communications network (or platform) may be operated in whole or in part, e.g., in public and / or private modes of operation, depending on the use case. A platform may be operated in public or private modes of operation, depending on the use case (e.g., public internet access, public environmental sensing, fleet operation, etc.).

[0018]

[0025] Additionally, for example, in embodiments where various network components are mobile, transport and / or signal control mechanisms may be adapted to meet the needs of a particular embodiment, such as adapting radio transmission power and / or speed (e.g., to mitigate interference, reduce power consumption, extend the lifetime of network components, etc.).

[0019]

[0026] Various exemplary implementations of a platform according to various aspects of the present disclosure can connect to different subsystems even when other subsystems that would normally be available are unavailable. For example, the platform can include various built-in redundancy and failure recovery mechanisms. For example, the platform can include self-healing, self-configuring, self-adaptive, etc. The platform's protocols and functions can be prepared to autonomously and seamlessly configure and adapt to the requirements and characteristics of different environments characterized, for example, by different levels of mobility and density of objects (or objects), and the number / type of accesses to those objects. For example, various aspects of the platform can collect contextual parameters that may influence any or all decisions. Such parameters can be derived, for example, locally, from neighbors, fixed APs, the cloud, etc. Various aspects of the platform can also seek historical information to aid in any decision, for example, and such information can be derived from historical data, from surveys, from simulators, etc. Additionally, for example, various forms of the platform can probe or monitor decisions across a network, for example, to evaluate the network and / or the decision itself in real time. Additionally, various aspects of the platform may, for example, implement decision-making in the network (e.g., after evaluating probing results). Various aspects of the platform may, for example, set thresholds to avoid any decisions that are constantly or repeatedly made without any significant benefit (e.g., technology changes, certificate changes, IP changes, etc.). Various aspects of the platform may, for example, learn locally (e.g., from decisions made) and dynamically update their decisions.

[0020]

[0027] In addition to (or instead of) robustness to failures, the platform may take advantage of multiple connections (or paths) that exist between separate subsystems or elements within the same subsystem to increase system robustness and / or increase load balancing.

[0021]

[0028] The following discussion presents example functions performed by various example subsystems of a communications network. It should be understood that the example functions discussed herein need not be performed by any particular example subsystem or by any single subsystem. For example, the subsystems presented herein may interact with each other, and data or control services may be deployed in a centralized manner, or their functions may be distributed among different subsystems, for example, to take advantage of cooperation between elements of each subsystem.

[0022]

[0029] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide communications networks that utilize vehicles (e.g., cars, buses, trucks, boats, forklifts, human-operated vehicles, autonomous and / or remote-controlled vehicles, etc.) as Wi-Fi hotspots (e.g., city-wide vehicular networks, shipping port-sized vehicular networks, campus-wide networks, etc.). It should be noted that while Wi-Fi is generally used as an example throughout this discussion, the scope of various aspects of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, other wireless LAN technologies, PAN technologies, MAN technologies, etc. may also be utilized. Such utilization may provide, for example, a cost-effective method for collecting large amounts of city data and supporting efficient offloading of traffic from congested cellular networks (or other networks). In controlled areas with many vehicles (e.g., ports, harbors, etc.), a communication network according to various aspects of the present disclosure can extend the wireless coverage of existing corporate Wi-Fi networks and accommodate real-time communications with vehicle drivers (e.g., human, computer controlled, etc.) and other mobile employees, for example, without the need for SIM cards or cellular (or other network) data plans.

[0023]

[0030] Vehicles can have many advantageous characteristics that make them useful as Wi-Fi (or general wireless) hotspots. For example, vehicles typically have at least one battery, vehicles are typically densely dispersed throughout cities at street level and / or can communicate with one another in controlled spaces, and can communicate with 10 times the range of regular Wi-Fi in the 5.9 GHz frequency band reserved for intelligent transportation systems in the EU, the United States, and elsewhere. Note that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to such 5.9 GHz wireless communications. Furthermore, vehicles can effectively expand their coverage area over a wide swath over time, allowing a single vehicle access point to interact with many more data sources over time.

[0024]

[0031] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an affordable multi-network onboard unit (OBU) is presented. Note that the OBU may also be referred to herein as a mobile access point, mobile AP, MAP, etc. The OBU may include, for example, multiple networking interfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi, 802.11p, 4G, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.). For example, the OBU can be easily installed in or on private and / or public vehicles (e.g., individual user vehicles, private fleet vehicles, public fleet vehicles, etc.). For example, the OBU can be installed in transportation fleets, waste management fleets, law enforcement fleets, emergency services, road maintenance fleets, taxi fleets, aircraft fleets, etc. For example, the OBU can be installed in or on a vehicle or other structure with free or relatively limited mobility. Also, for example, the OBU can be carried by a person or working animal, attached to a bicycle, attached to a general mobile machine, attached to a container, etc.

[0025]

[0032] For example, an OBU may operate to connect passing vehicles to the wired infrastructure of one or more network providers, telecommunications carriers, etc. In accordance with the architecture, hardware, and software functionality discussed herein, vehicles and fleets may connect not only to cellular networks (or other wide-area or metropolitan area networks, etc.) or existing Wi-Fi hotspots dispersed throughout a city or controlled space, but also to other vehicles (e.g., using multi-hop communications to the wired infrastructure, single- or multi-hop peer-to-peer vehicular communications, etc.). For example, vehicles and / or fleets may form an overall mesh of communication links, including, for example, OBUs and fixed access points (APs) connected to the wired infrastructure (e.g., local infrastructure, etc.). Note that OBUs may also be referred to herein as “mobile APs,” “mobile hotspots,” “MAPs,” etc. Note that fixed access points may also be referred to herein as roadside units (RSUs), fixed APs, FAPs, etc.

[0026]

[0033] In one example embodiment, the OBUs may communicate with the fixed APs utilizing a relatively long-range protocol (e.g., 802.11p, etc.), while the fixed APs may be hard-wired to the wired infrastructure (e.g., by cable, tethered optical link, etc.). Note that the fixed APs may also or instead be coupled to the infrastructure via a wireless link (e.g., 802.11p, etc.). In addition, clients or user devices may communicate with the OBUs using one or more relatively short-range protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, UWB, etc.). For example, an OBU having a longer effective wireless communication range than a typical Wi-Fi access point or other WLAN / PAN access point (e.g., at least for links such as those based on 802.11p, etc.) may be capable of a significantly larger coverage area than a typical Wi-Fi or other WLAN / PAN access point, i.e., fewer OBUs are required to provide blanket coverage over a geographic area.

[0027]

[0034] For example, the OBU may include a robust vehicle networking module (e.g., a connectivity manager) that builds on long-range communication protocol capabilities (e.g., 802.11p, etc.). For example, in addition to including 802.11p (or other long-range protocol) capabilities for communicating with fixed APs, vehicles, and other nodes in the network, the OBU may include a network interface (e.g., 802.11a / b / g / n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, any combination thereof, etc.) for providing wireless local area network (WLAN) connectivity to end-user devices, sensors, fixed Wi-Fi access points, etc. For example, the OBU may operate to provide in-vehicle Wi-Fi Internet access to users within and / or around a vehicle (e.g., a bus, train car, taxi cab, public work vehicle, etc.). Additionally, the OBU may also include one or more wireless backbone communication interfaces (e.g., a cellular network interface, etc.). In various example scenarios, the cellular network interface (or other wireless backbone communication interface) may not be the preferred interface for various reasons (e.g., cost, power, bandwidth, etc.), but the cellular network interface may be utilized to provide connectivity in geographic areas not currently supported by fixed APs, to provide a failover communication link, for emergency communications, to join local infrastructure access, etc. The cellular network interface may also be utilized to allow for the deployment of different solutions by, for example, cellular network operators.

[0028]

[0035] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the OBU may include, for example, a smart connectivity manager. The smart connectivity manager may select the best available wireless link(s) for accessing the Internet (e.g., Wi-Fi, 802.11p, cellular, vehicular mesh, etc.). The OBU may also provide, for example, geolocation capabilities (e.g., GPS, etc.), motion detection sensors to determine whether the vehicle is moving, and a power control subsystem (e.g., to ensure that the OBU is not draining the vehicle's battery, etc.). The OBU may include, for example, any or all of the sensors discussed herein (e.g., environmental sensors, etc.).

[0029]

[0036] The OBU may also include, for example, a manager that manages machine-to-machine data acquisition and transfer (e.g., real-time or delay-tolerant) to and from the cloud. For example, the OBU may log and / or transmit vehicle information.

[0030]

[0037] The OBU may include, for example, a connectivity and / or routing manager. The connectivity and / or routing manager operates to perform communication routing in vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure multi-hop communications. The mobility manager (or controller, MC) may ensure that a communication session persists (e.g., between different mobile APs, fixed APs, base stations, hotspots, etc.) through one or more handoffs (also referred to herein as "handover" or "multiple handovers"), for example, between different technologies (e.g., 802.11p, cellular, Wi-Fi, satellite, etc.), between different MCs (e.g., in failover scenarios, load redistribution scenarios, etc.), across different interfaces (or ports), etc. Note that the MC may also be referred to herein as a Local Mobility Anchor (LMA), network controller, etc. Note that the MC or multiple MCs may be implemented, for example, as part of a backbone, but may also be implemented as part of any of a variety of components or combinations thereof. For example, a MC may be implemented in a fixed AP (or a distributed system thereof), as part of an OBU (or a distributed system thereof), etc. Various non-limiting examples of system components and / or methods are provided in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,098, filed September 22, 2015, and entitled "Systems and Method for Managing Mobility in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It should be noted that in example embodiments including multiple MCs, such MCs may be co-located and / or geographically distributed.

[0031]

[0038] It should be understood that the term “vehicle” includes not only “autonomous vehicles” and “driver-assisted vehicles” but also any other type of vehicle. For example, a vehicle may be, by way of example and not limitation, a node for land and / or underground use, a vessel (e.g., boat, ship, speedboat, tugboat, barge, submarine, etc.) for surface and / or underwater use, or an aircraft / spacecraft (e.g., drone, plane, satellite, etc.) for air and / or space use. An in-vehicle application may be applicable to the operation of the vehicle or may be an application used by a passenger in the vehicle. For example, if the vehicle is an autonomous bus, in addition to the vast amount of data required to operate the bus, there may also be numerous passengers in the bus receiving data (streaming movies, songs, etc.) or transmitting data (uploading videos / photos, chats, etc.).

[0032]

[0039] Various aspects of the present disclosure also provide a cloud-based, service-oriented architecture that handles functions such as real-time network and client management, monitoring, and reporting, data storage, processing, and management, Wi-Fi client authentication, and captive portal display.

[0033]

[0040] A communications network (or components thereof) according to various aspects of the present disclosure can support, for example, a wide range of smart city applications (or controlled scenarios, or connected scenarios, etc.) and / or use cases, as described herein.

[0034]

[0041] For example, an example embodiment may operate to convert each vehicle (e.g., both public and private taxis, buses, trucks, etc.) into a mobile AP (e.g., mobile Wi-Fi hotspot) to provide Internet access to employees, passersby, mobile users, etc. traveling within a city, waiting at bus stops, sitting in parks, etc. Furthermore, through an example vehicular mesh network formed among vehicles and / or fleets, an example embodiment may be operable to ensure the widest possible coverage at the lowest possible cost while offloading cellular traffic via mobile Wi-Fi hotspots and / or fixed APs (e.g., 802.11p-based APs) spread throughout a city and connected to a public or private telecom operator's wired infrastructure at strategic locations.

[0035]

[0042] An example embodiment (e.g., of a communications network and / or components thereof) may be operable, for example, as a massive urban scanner that collects (e.g., continuously) large amounts of data on the move, which may or may not be immediately actionable, generated by a myriad of sources, ranging from in-vehicle sensors or on-board diagnostic system ports (e.g., OBD2, etc.), interfaces with autonomous vehicle drive systems, external Wi-Fi / Bluetooth enabled sensing units dispersed throughout the city, to vehicle driver and passenger devices (e.g., information characterizing such devices and / or passengers), positioning system devices (e.g., location information, speed information, trajectory information, driving history information, etc.), etc.

[0036]

[0043] Depending on the use case, the OBU may process (or calculate, transform, manipulate, aggregate, sum, etc.) this data before sending it from the vehicle, e.g., to provide a granularity (e.g., value resolution) and sampling rate (e.g., time resolution) appropriate for each individual application. For example, the OBU may process the data in any manner deemed advantageous by the system. For example, the OBU may send collected data (e.g., raw data, preprocessed data, metric information calculated based on the collected data, etc.) to a cloud (e.g., one or more networked servers coupled to any part of the network) in an efficient and reliable manner to improve the efficiency, environmental impact, and societal value of municipal operations and transportation services. Various use cases are described herein.

[0037]

[0044] In an example scenario where public buses are traveling along city routes and / or taxis are performing their private transportation services, the OBU may collect large amounts of real-time data from positioning systems (e.g., GPS, etc.), accelerometer modules, etc. The OBU may then, for example, communicate such data to a cloud, where it may be processed, reported, and reviewed, for example, to support such public or private bus and / or taxi operations, e.g., to support efficient remote monitoring and scheduling of buses and taxis, respectively.

[0038]

[0045] In one example implementation, small cameras (or other sensors) are coupled to small single-board computers (SBCs) located above the doors of public buses, allowing them to capture image sequences of people boarding and disembarking the bus and / or at stops along the bus route, thereby estimating the number of people waiting for the bus. Such data can be collected by the OBU for transmission to the cloud. Such data allows public transportation systems to detect peaks, overcrowded buses, routes, and stops, underutilized buses, routes, and stops, etc., and to take real-time countermeasures (e.g., reducing bus periodicity in locations and times with low passenger flow to reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions) and detect systemic transportation problems.

[0039]

[0046] The OBU can be operable to communicate with any of a variety of Wi-Fi-enabled sensor devices equipped with, for example, a heterogeneous collection of environmental sensors. Such sensors can include, for example, noise sensors (e.g., microphones), gas sensors (e.g., detecting CO, NO, O, volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), CO, etc.), smoke sensors, pollution sensors, and weather sensors (e.g., detecting temperature, humidity, light intensity, particles, solar radiation, wind speed (e.g., anemometers), wind direction, rain (e.g., rain gauges), light scanners, biometric scanners, cameras, microphones, etc.). Such sensors can also include sensors associated with users (e.g., vehicle drivers or passengers, passersby, etc.) and / or their personal devices (e.g., smartphones or smartwatches, biometric sensors, wearable sensors, embedded sensors, etc.). Such sensors can include, for example, sensors and / or systems associated with vehicle on-board diagnostics (OBD) units, autonomous vehicle drive systems, etc. Such sensors may include, for example, positioning sensors (e.g., GPS sensors, Galileo sensors, GLONASS sensors, etc.). Note that such positioning sensors may also be part of a vehicle's operating system (e.g., a local human-controlled vehicle, an autonomous vehicle, a remote human-controlled vehicle, etc.). Such sensors may include, for example, container sensors (e.g., a trash can sensor, a shipping container sensor, a container environment sensor, a container tracking sensor, etc.).

[0040]

[0047] Once a vehicle is in the vicinity of such a sensor device, a wireless link can be established so that the vehicle (or its OBU) can collect sensor data from the sensor device and upload the collected data to a database located in the cloud. Appropriate action can then be taken. In an example waste management implementation, various waste management (or collection) trucks can be equipped with OBUs that can periodically communicate with sensors mounted on containers to collect information about waste levels, time since last collection, etc. Such information can then be sent to a cloud (e.g., an internet-coupled waste management application) via the vehicular mesh network to improve the scheduling and / or routing of waste management trucks. Note that various sensors may always be within range of a mobile AP (e.g., a vehicle-mounted sensor). Additionally (or alternatively), sensors may be mobile (e.g., sensors mounted on other vehicles passing by a mobile or fixed AP, sensors mounted on drones, sensors mounted on sidewalks, etc.).

[0041]

[0048] In one example implementation, for example, in a controlled space with many vehicles, machines, and employees (e.g., a port, harbor, airport, factory, farm, mine, etc.), a communications network according to various aspects of the present disclosure can extend wireless coverage of an enterprise and / or local Wi-Fi network without relying on, for example, a telco-dependent solution based on SIM cards or cellular tariffs. In such an example scenario, in addition to avoiding expensive cellular data plans, limited data rates, and poor cellular coverage in some locations, a communications network according to various aspects of the present disclosure can also collect and / or transmit large amounts of data reliably and in real time. Such data can be used to optimize port logistics, transportation operations, etc.

[0042]

[0049] For example, in a port and / or harbor implementation, by collecting real-time information about vehicle location, speed, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions, the communications network allows port operators to improve the coordination of ship loading processes and increase port throughput. Also, for example, the communications network can enable remote monitoring of driver behavior, autonomous vehicle and / or its control system behavior, truck location, and engine status, and then provide real-time notifications to drivers, e.g., human drivers and / or automated vehicle drive systems (e.g., to start / stop the engine, follow the correct route within the port, take a break, etc.), thereby reducing the number and duration of port services and trips. Port officials can, for example, quickly detect broken-down or abnormal truck circulation, thereby avoiding accidents and increasing port efficiency, security, and safety. Additionally, the vehicles can connect to Wi-Fi access points from local port operators and provide Wi-Fi internet access to the vehicle occupants and surrounding port employees, enabling, for example, pilots to save time by completing reports over the internet while at sea.

[0043]

[0050] 1 is a block diagram of a communication network 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Any or all of the functions discussed herein may be performed by any or all of the example components of the example network 100. Additionally, the example network 100 (and / or network components) may share, for example, any or all characteristics with other example networks (and / or network components) 200, 300, 400, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein.

[0044]

[0051] The example network 100 includes, for example, a cloud. The cloud may include, for example, any of a variety of network-level components. The cloud may include, for example, any of a variety of server systems running applications that monitor and / or control the components of the network 100. Such applications may also manage the collection of information from, for example, any of a large array of network-connected information sources. Many examples of information sources are discussed herein. A cloud (or a portion thereof) may sometimes be referred to as an API. For example, a cloud (or a portion thereof) may provide one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) that other devices can use to communicate / interact with the cloud.

[0045]

[0052] An example cloud component may, for example, manage interoperability with various multi-cloud systems and architectures. Other example components (e.g., cloud service components) may, for example, provide various cloud services (e.g., captive portal services, authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services, API gateway services, etc.). Still other example components (e.g., DevCenter components) may, for example, provide network monitoring and / or management functionality, manage software update implementation, etc. Still other example cloud components may manage data storage, data analysis, data access, etc. Still other example cloud components may include any of various third-party applications and services.

[0046]

[0053] The cloud may be coupled to the backbone / core infrastructure of example network 100, for example, through the Internet (e.g., using one or more Internet service providers). While the Internet is used as an example, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047]

[0054] The backbone / core can include, for example, any one or more different communications infrastructure components. For example, one or more providers can provide the backbone network or various components thereof. As shown in the example network 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, a backbone provider can provide wireline access (e.g., PSTN, fiber, cable, etc.). For example, a backbone provider can also provide wireless access (e.g., microwave, LTE / cellular, 5G / TV spectrum, etc.).

[0048]

[0055] The backbone / core may also include, for example, one or more local infrastructure providers. The backbone / core may also include, for example, private infrastructure (e.g., operated by an implementer, owner, etc. of network 100). The backbone / core may provide, for example, any of a variety of backbone services (e.g., AAA, mobility, monitoring, addressing, routing, content services, gateway control services, etc.).

[0049]

[0056] The backbone / core infrastructure can include any of a variety of characteristics, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. For example, the backbone / core can be compatible with different wireless or wired technologies for backbone access. The backbone / core can also be adaptable to handle public (e.g., municipal, city, campus, etc.) and / or private (e.g., port, campus, etc.) network infrastructure owned by different local providers and / or network implementers or stakeholders. The backbone / core can, for example, include and / or interface with different authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) mechanisms.

[0050]

[0057] The backbone / core infrastructure may support, for example, different modes of operation (e.g., L2 in a port implementation, L3 in a land public transport implementation, any one or more of a number of different layers of digital IP networking, any combination thereof, the like, etc.) or addressable pools. The backbone / core may also be agnostic to, for example, cloud provider(s) and / or internet service provider(s). Additionally, for example, the backbone / core may be agnostic to requests coming from any or all subsystems of network 100 (e.g., mobile APs or OBUs (On Board Units), fixed APs or RSUs (Curbside Units), MCs (Mobility Controllers) or LMAs (Local Mobility Anchors), or network controllers, etc.) and / or third-party systems.

[0051]

[0058] The backbone / core infrastructure may comprise, for example, the ability to utilize and / or interface with different data storage / processing systems (e.g., MongoDB, MySql, Redis, etc.) Furthermore, the backbone / core infrastructure may provide, for example, different levels of concurrent access to infrastructure, services, data, etc.

[0052]

[0059] Additionally, the example network 100 may constitute, for example, a fixed hotspot access network. Various example characteristics of such a fixed hotspot access network 200 are illustrated in Figure 2. The example network 200 may share, for example, any or all characteristics with the other example networks (and / or network components) 100, 300, 400, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein.

[0053]

[0060] In example network 200, fixed APs (e.g., enterprise-specific APs, public third-party APs, private third-party APs, etc.) can be directly connected to a local infrastructure provider and / or a wireline / wireless backbone. Also, for example, example network 200 can include a mesh between various APs via wireless technologies. However, it should be noted that, depending on the implementation, various wired technologies can also be utilized. As shown, different fixed hotspot access networks can be connected to the same backbone provider, but they may also be connected to different respective backbone providers. In example implementations utilizing wireless technologies for backbone access, such implementations can be relatively fault-tolerant. For example, fixed APs can utilize wireless communication to a backbone network (e.g., cellular, 3G, LTE, other wide-area or metropolitan area networks, etc.) if the backhaul infrastructure fails. Also, for example, such implementations can accommodate relatively easy installation (e.g., fixed APs without cable power that can be deployed virtually anywhere).

[0054]

[0061] In example network 200, the same fixed AP can simultaneously grant access to multiple fixed APs, mobile APs (e.g., vehicular OBUs, etc.), devices, user devices, sensors, objects, etc. For example, multiple mobile hotspot access networks (e.g., OBU-based networks, etc.) can utilize the same fixed AP. Also, for example, the same fixed AP can simultaneously grant access to multiple other units (e.g., other fixed APs, mobile APs, devices, etc.) (e.g., using different channels, different radios, etc.).

[0055]

[0062] It should be noted that multiple fixed APs may be utilized for fault-tolerant / disaster recovery purposes. In one example embodiment, both the fixed AP and its failover AP may be normally operational (e.g., on the same switch). Alternatively, for example, one or more fixed APs may be deployed in inactive or monitor mode at various locations in the network, ready to become operational when needed (e.g., in response to a failure, in response to an emergency service need, in response to a data surge, etc.).

[0056]

[0063] Referring again to Figure 1, an example fixed hotspot access network is shown with wireless communication links to a backbone provider (e.g., one or more backbone providers and / or local infrastructure providers), a mobile hotspot access network, one or more end user devices, and the environment. An example fixed hotspot access network is also shown with wired communication links to one or more backbone providers, a mobile hotspot access network, one or more end user devices, and the environment. The environment can include any of a variety of devices (e.g., in-vehicle networks, devices, and sensors; autonomous vehicle networks, devices, and sensors; maritime (or ship) and port networks, devices, and sensors; general controlled space networks, devices, and sensors; residential networks, devices, and sensors; disaster recovery and emergency networks, devices, and sensors; military and aircraft networks, devices, and sensors; smart city networks, devices, and sensors; event (or venue) networks, devices, and sensors; underwater and underground networks, devices, and sensors; agricultural networks, devices, and sensors; tunnel (auto, underpass, train, etc.) networks, devices, and sensors; parking networks, devices, and sensors; security and surveillance networks, devices, and sensors; shipping equipment and container networks, devices, and sensors; environmental control or monitoring networks, devices, and sensors; municipal networks, devices, and sensors; waste management networks, devices, and sensors; road maintenance networks, devices, and sensors, and traffic management networks, devices, and sensors; advertising networks, devices, and sensors, etc.).

[0057]

[0064] The example network 100 of Figure 1 also includes a mobile hotspot access network. Various example characteristics of such a mobile hotspot access network 300 are shown in Figure 3. Note that various fixed network components (e.g., fixed APs) are also shown. The example network 300 may share, for example, any or all characteristics with the other example networks (and / or network components) 100, 200, 400, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein.

[0058]

[0065] Example network 300 includes a variety of mobile APs (or hotspots) that grant access to user devices, support sensor data collection, provide multi-hop connectivity to other mobile APs, etc. For example, example network 300 includes vehicles from different fleets (e.g., airborne, ground, underground, surface (underwater), etc.). For example, example network 300 includes one or more mass distribution / transport fleets, one or more mass passenger transport fleets, private / public user shared fleets, privately owned vehicles, city and municipal fleets, maintenance fleets, drones, watercraft (e.g., boats, ships, speedboats, tugboats, barges, etc.), emergency fleets (e.g., police, ambulance, fire, etc.), etc.

[0059]

[0066] The example network 300 illustrates vehicles from different fleets, e.g., directly connected and / or mesh-connected, using the same or different communication technologies. The example network 300 also illustrates vehicles simultaneously connected to different fixed APs, which may or may not belong to different respective local infrastructure providers. As a fault-tolerant mechanism, the example network 300 may include the use of a long-range wireless communication network (e.g., cellular, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc.) in the vehicles, for example, if the local network infrastructure fails or otherwise becomes unavailable. The same vehicle (e.g., mobile AP or OBU) may simultaneously grant access to multiple vehicles, devices, objects, etc., e.g., using the same communication technology (e.g., a shared channel and / or different respective channels) and / or using different respective communication technologies for each. The same vehicle may also grant multiple accesses to other vehicles, devices, objects, etc., e.g., using the same communication technology (e.g., a shared channel and / or different respective channels and / or different communication technologies).

[0060]

[0067] Additionally, multiple network elements can be interconnected to provide fault tolerance or recovery, to increase throughput, or to meet any or a variety of client networking needs, many of which are illustrated herein. For example, two mobile APs (or OBUs) can be installed in the same vehicle.

[0061]

[0068] Referring again to Figure 1, an example mobile hotspot access network is shown with wireless communication links to a backbone provider (e.g., one or more backbone providers and / or local infrastructure providers), to a fixed hotspot access network, to one or more end user devices, and to the environment (e.g., any one or more of the sensors or systems discussed herein, any other device or machine, etc.). The mobile hotspot access network is not shown with wired links to various other components, although such wired links may exist at least temporarily (at least occasionally).

[0062]

[0069] The example network 100 of Figure 1 also includes a set of end-user devices. Various example end-user devices are shown in Figure 4. Note that various other network components (e.g., fixed hotspot access network, mobile hotspot access network(s), backbone / core, etc.) are also shown. The example network 400 may share, for example, any or all characteristics with the other example networks (and / or network components) 100, 200, 300, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein.

[0063]

[0070] The example network 400 illustrates various mobile networked devices. Such networked devices may include end-user devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, smart watches, laptop computers, webcams, personal gaming devices, personal navigation devices, personal media devices, personal cameras, health management devices, personal location devices, monitoring panels, printers, etc.). These networked devices may also include any of a variety of devices operating in a general environment, such as those not associated with a specific user (e.g., any or all of the sensor devices discussed herein, vehicle sensors, municipal sensors, fleet sensors, road sensors, environmental sensors, security sensors, traffic sensors, waste sensors, and weather sensors, any of various different types of municipal or enterprise equipment, etc.). Any of these networked devices may be flexibly connected to separate backbones, fixed hotspot access networks, mobile hotspot access networks, etc., using the same or different wired or wireless technologies.

[0064]

[0071] A mobile device, for example, can act as an AP granting simultaneous access to multiple devices / objects, while multiple devices / objects can form an ad hoc network, ultimately interconnecting devices connected to separate backbone networks, fixed hotspots, and / or mobile hotspot access networks. A device (e.g., any or all of the devices or network nodes discussed herein) can have, for example, redundant techniques to access separate backbone, fixed hotspot, and / or mobile hotspot access networks, for fault-tolerance and / or load-balancing purposes (e.g., using multiple SIM cards, etc.). A device can also simultaneously access separate backbone, fixed hotspot, and / or mobile hotspot access networks, for example, belonging to the same provider or different respective providers. Additionally, for example, a device can grant multiple accesses (e.g., via different channels, radios, etc.) to other devices / objects.

[0065]

[0072] Referring again to Figure 1, an example end user device is shown with wireless communication links to a backbone provider (e.g., one or more backbone providers and / or a local infrastructure provider), a fixed hotspot access network, a mobile hotspot access network, and a wireless communication link to the environment. Also, for example, an example end user device is shown with wired communication links to the backbone provider, the fixed hotspot access network, the mobile hotspot access network, and the environment.

[0066]

[0073] The example network 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a flexible architecture that can be adapted at implementation time (e.g., for different user scenarios) and / or in real time, for example, as network components join and leave services. FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate such flexibility by showing example modes (or configurations). The example networks 500-570 may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the other example networks (and / or network components) 100, 200, 300, 400, 600, and 700 discussed herein. For example, and without limitation, any or all of the communication links (e.g., wired links, wireless links, etc.) shown in the example networks 500-570 are generally similar to similarly located communication links shown in the example network 100 of FIG. 1.

[0067]

[0074] For example, various aspects of the present disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting dynamically configurable communication networks (e.g., Internet of Moving Objects) that include complex arrays of both stationary and mobile communication nodes. For example, a communication network implemented according to various aspects of the present disclosure can operate in one of multiple modalities including various fixed nodes, mobile nodes, and / or combinations thereof, which can be selected to achieve any of a variety of system objectives (e.g., increased throughput, reduced latency and packet loss, increased system availability and robustness, extra redundancy, increased responsiveness, increased security in transmitting data and / or control packets, incorporating smart thresholds to reduce the number of configuration changes (e.g., technology changes, certificate changes, IP changes, etc.), providing connectivity in dead or difficult-to-reach zones, reducing the costs of accessing equipment for maintenance and updates / upgrades, etc.). At least some of these modalities can be configured entirely with fixedly located nodes, for example, at least temporarily, if not permanently.

[0068]

[0075] For ease of illustration, many of the example aspects shown in the example system or network 100 of Figure 1 (and other figures herein) have been omitted from Figures 5A-5C, but may be present. For example, the cloud, Internet, and ISP aspects shown in Figure 1 and other figures are not explicitly shown in Figures 5A-5C, but may be present in any of these example configurations (e.g., as part of or coupled to a backbone provider network, as part of or coupled to a local infrastructure provider network, etc.).

[0069]

[0076] For example, example first mode 500 is presented as a normal execution mode, e.g., a mode (or configuration) in which all of the components discussed herein are present. For example, the communication system in example first mode 500 includes a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure provider network, a fixed hotspot access network, a mobile hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0070]

[0077] As shown in FIG. 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example first mode 500 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the backbone provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0071]

[0078] 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example first mode 500 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. In various example configurations, the backbone provider network may also be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network via one or more wireless (or untethered) links.

[0072]

[0079] Although not shown in the first example mode 500 (or any of the example modes of Figures 5A-5C), one or more servers may also be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network and / or a local infrastructure network. Figure 1 shows an example of a cloud server communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network through the Internet.

[0073]

[0080] 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example first mode 500 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network (or any component thereof), a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the local infrastructure provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0074]

[0081] Also, although not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example first mode 500 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network (or any component thereof), a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note that the communication link between the local infrastructure provider network and the fixed hotspot access network shown in the example first mode 500 of FIG. 5A may be wired and / or wireless.

[0075]

[0082] The example first mode 500 also illustrates that the fixed hotspot access network is communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network, the end user devices, and / or the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. In addition, the mobile hotspot access network is also illustrated in the example first mode 500 as being communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. The example first mode 500 also illustrates that the end user devices are communicatively coupled to the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. It should be noted that in various example embodiments, any of such wireless links may alternatively (or in addition) include wired (or tethered) links.

[0076]

[0083] In a first example mode 500 (e.g., normal mode), information (or data) may be communicated between an end user device and a server (e.g., a computer system) through a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. As shown in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the end user device and the server over any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an end user device and a server may travel through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, and / or a local infrastructure provider network).

[0077]

[0084] Similarly, in the first example mode 500 (e.g., normal mode), information (or data) may be communicated between the environmental device and the server via a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device may communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to the local infrastructure provider network and / or the backbone provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, depending on, for example, network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc.

[0078]

[0085] For example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, and / or a local infrastructure provider network). Additionally, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network and / or a fixed hotspot access network).

[0079]

[0086] As discussed herein, the example networks presented herein are adaptively configurable to operate in any of a variety of different modes (or configurations). Such adaptive configuration may occur during initial installation and / or during subsequent evaluation of the controlled network (e.g., when adding or removing any or all of the network components discussed herein, expanding or removing network capacity, adding or removing coverage areas, adding or removing services, etc.). Such adaptive configuration may also occur in real time, for example, in response to real-time changes in network conditions (e.g., the availability of the network or its components based on vehicle or user device movement, network or component failure, network or component replacement or enhancement activities, network overload, etc.). The following example modes are presented to illustrate characteristics of the various modes in which a communication system may operate according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The following example is generally discussed in relation to a first example mode 500 (e.g., normal execution mode). It should be noted that these example modes are merely illustrative and not limiting.

[0080]

[0087] A second example mode (or configuration) 510 (e.g., backbone unavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the first example mode 500, but lacks the backbone provider network and communications link therewith. For example, the communications system in the second example mode 510 includes a local infrastructure provider network, a fixed hotspot access network, a mobile hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0081]

[0088] As shown in FIG. 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example second mode 510 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the local infrastructure provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0082]

[0089] Also, although not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example second mode 510 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), the mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), the end user devices, and / or the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note that the communication link(s) shown between the local infrastructure provider network and the fixed hotspot access network in the example second mode 510 of FIG. 5A may be wired and / or wireless.

[0083]

[0090] The example second mode 510 also illustrates the fixed hotspot access network being communicatively coupled to the mobile hotspot access network, the end user devices, and / or the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. In addition, the example second mode 510 also illustrates the mobile hotspot access network being communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. In addition, the example second mode 510 also illustrates the end user devices being communicatively coupled to the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. It should be noted that in various example embodiments, any of such wireless links may alternatively (or in addition) include wired (or tethered) links.

[0084]

[0091] In a second example mode 510 (e.g., a backbone unavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between an end user device and a server (e.g., a computer) through a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, and / or a local infrastructure provider network. As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the end user device and the server over any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through a fixed hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an end user device and a server may travel through a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network and / or a fixed hotspot access network).

[0085]

[0092] Similarly, in a second example mode 510 (e.g., a backbone unavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between the environmental device and the server through a mobile hotspot access network, a fixed hotspot access network, and / or a local infrastructure provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device may communicate with or through an end user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, depending on, for example, network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc.

[0086]

[0093] For example, information communicated between the environmental device and the server may be communicated through a fixed hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network), and for example, information communicated between the environmental device and the server may be communicated through a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network and / or a fixed hotspot access network).

[0087]

[0094] The example second mode 510 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. For example, the example second mode 510 can be utilized to disallow communications access to public cloud systems, the Internet at large, etc. for security and / or privacy purposes. For example, all network control and management functions may reside within a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., a wired local network, etc.) and / or a fixed access point network.

[0088]

[0095] In one example embodiment, the communication system may be entirely owned, operated, and / or controlled by a local port authority. There is no need to incur the extra expense associated with cellular connectivity. For example, there is no need to provide cellular connectivity capabilities (e.g., in mobile APs, fixed APs, end user devices, environmental devices, etc.). It should also be noted that the second example mode 510 may be utilized in scenarios where the backbone provider network is normally available but is currently unavailable (e.g., due to a server failure, a communication link failure, a power outage, a temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0089]

[0096] An example third mode (or configuration) 520 (e.g., local infrastructure and fixed hotspot unavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the example first mode 500, but lacks the local infrastructure provider network, fixed hotspot access network, and communication links thereto. For example, the communication system in the example third mode 520 includes a backbone provider network, a mobile hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0090]

[0097] As shown in FIG. 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example third mode 520 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the backbone provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0091]

[0098] 5A and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example third mode 520 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links.

[0092]

[0099] Additionally, the example third mode 520 also illustrates the mobile hotspot access network being communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. Additionally, the example third mode 520 also illustrates the end user devices being communicatively coupled to the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. It should be noted that in various example embodiments, any of such wireless links may alternatively (or in addition) include wired (or tethered) links.

[0093]

[0100] In a third example mode 520 (e.g., local infrastructure and fixed hotspot unavailable modes), information (or data) may be communicated between an end user device and a server (e.g., a computer) through a mobile hotspot access network and / or a backbone provider network. As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the end user device and the server over any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network).

[0094]

[0101] Similarly, in a third example operating mode 520 (e.g., local infrastructure and fixed hotspot unavailable modes), information (or data) can be communicated between the environmental device and the server through a mobile hotspot access network and / or a backbone provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device can communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication can be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the environmental device and the server can be communicated through the backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network).

[0095]

[0102] In the third example mode 520, all control / management functions can be implemented, for example, in the cloud. For example, because the mobile hotspot access network does not have a communication link through a fixed hotspot access network, the mobile AP can utilize a direct connection (e.g., a cellular connection) with the backbone provider network (or cloud). If the mobile AP does not have such capabilities, the mobile AP can also utilize data access granted by the end user device communicatively coupled to it (e.g., utilizing the end user device's data plan).

[0096]

[0103] The example third mode 520 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In one example embodiment, the example third mode 520 can be utilized in a larger deployment as the installation of communication system equipment increases, e.g., in the early stages of a deployment that will grow to other modes (e.g., the example first mode 500, the example fourth mode 530, etc.). It is also noted that the example third mode 520 can be utilized in scenarios where the local infrastructure provider network and fixed hotspot access network are typically available but are currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, communication link failure, power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0097]

[0104] An example fourth mode (or configuration) 530 (e.g., fixed hotspot unavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the example first mode 500, but without the fixed hotspot access network and communication link therewith. For example, the communication system in the example fourth mode 530 includes a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure provider network, a mobile hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0098]

[0105] As shown in FIG. 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fourth mode 530 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backbone provider network can be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the backbone provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0099]

[0106] 5B and shown in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may also be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fourth mode 530 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note that in various example configurations, the backbone provider network may also be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network via one or more wireless (or untethered) links.

[0100]

[0107] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fourth mode 530 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the local infrastructure provider network may also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0101]

[0108] Also, although not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fourth mode 530 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.) For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network (or any component thereof), a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links.

[0102]

[0109] The mobile hotspot access network is further shown in example fourth mode 530 to be communicatively coupled to end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. Further, in example fourth mode 530, the end user devices are also shown to be communicatively coupled to environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein.

[0103]

[0110] In a fourth example mode 530 (e.g., fixed hotspot exclusion mode), information (or data) may be communicated between an end user device and a server through a mobile hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. As shown in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the end user device and the server over any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between an end user device and a server may be communicated through a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an end user device and a server may be communicated through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the mobile hotspot access network and / or the local infrastructure provider network).

[0104]

[0111] Similarly, in an example fourth mode 530 (e.g., a fixed hotspot unavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between the environmental device and the server through a mobile hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device may communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, depending on, for example, network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc.

[0105]

[0112] For example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may be communicated through a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may be communicated through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network). Additionally, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may be communicated through a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a mobile hotspot access network and / or a backbone provider network).

[0106]

[0113] In one example implementation of the fourth example mode 530, some of the control / management functions may be implemented, for example, within a local backbone provider network (e.g., at the client premises). For example, communications to the local infrastructure provider may be performed through the backbone provider network (or cloud). Note that in scenarios where there is a direct communications path between the local infrastructure provider network and the mobile hotspot access network, such a communications path may be utilized.

[0107]

[0114] For example, because a mobile hotspot access network does not have a communications link through a fixed hotspot access network, the mobile AP may utilize a direct connection (e.g., a cellular connection) with a backbone provider network (or cloud). If the mobile AP does not have such capabilities, the mobile AP may also utilize data access granted by an end user device communicatively coupled to it (e.g., utilizing the end user device's data plan).

[0108]

[0115] The example fourth mode 530 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In one example implementation, the example fourth mode 530 can be utilized in a larger deployment as the installation of communication system equipment increases, e.g., in the early stages of a deployment that will grow to other modes (e.g., the example first mode 500, etc.). The example fourth mode 530 can be utilized, for example, in scenarios where fiber (or other) connectivity is unavailable to fixed APs (e.g., at sea, on farms, etc.) or where the fixed APs are difficult to access or connect to. For example, one or more mobile APs in a mobile hotspot access network can be used as a gateway to reach the cloud. The example fourth mode 530 can also be utilized, for example, when a fleet of vehicles and / or their associated mobile APs are owned by a first entity and the fixed APs are owned by another entity, and there is no current agreement for communication between the mobile APs and the fixed APs. It is also noted that the fourth example mode 530 can be utilized in scenarios where a fixed hotspot access network is normally available but is currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, due to power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0109]

[0116] An example fifth mode (or configuration) 540 (e.g., a mobile hotspot unavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the example first mode 500, but without the mobile hotspot access network and its communication links. For example, the communication system in the example fifth mode 540 includes a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure provider network, a fixed hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0110]

[0117] 5B and as shown in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fifth mode 540 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network (or any component thereof), a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary.

[0111]

[0118] 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fifth mode 540 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note also that in various example configurations, the backbone provider network may also be communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network via one or more wireless (or untethered) links.

[0112]

[0119] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fifth mode 540 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the local infrastructure provider network can be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network (or any component thereof), a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end-user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary. Note also that in various example configurations, the local infrastructure provider network can also be communicatively coupled, at least temporarily, to a mobile hotspot access network (or any component thereof) via one or more wired (or tethered) links.

[0113]

[0120] Also, although not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example fifth mode 540 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to a backbone provider network, a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note that in the example fifth mode 540 of FIG. 5B , the communication link(s) between the local infrastructure provider network and the fixed hotspot access network may be wired and / or wireless.

[0114]

[0121] The fixed hotspot access network is also shown in the example fifth mode 540 to be communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. The example fifth mode 540 is also shown to be communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein.

[0115]

[0122] In a fifth example mode 540 (e.g., a mobile hotspot unavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between an end user device and a server through a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. As seen in various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed over any of a variety of different communication paths between the end user device and the server, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the fixed hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing the fixed hotspot access network and / or the local infrastructure provider network).

[0116]

[0123] Similarly, in a fifth example mode 540 (e.g., a mobile hotspot unavailable mode), information (or data) may be communicated between the environmental device and the server through a fixed hotspot access network, a local infrastructure provider network, and / or a backbone provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device may communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a fixed hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, depending on, for example, network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc.

[0117]

[0124] For example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a local infrastructure provider network and / or a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a fixed hotspot access network). Also, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a backbone provider network (e.g., bypassing a fixed hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network). Additionally, for example, information communicated between an environmental device and a server may travel through a local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing a fixed hotspot access network and / or a backbone provider network).

[0118]

[0125] In one example implementation of the fifth example mode 540, the end user devices and environmental devices may communicate directly with the fixed AP (e.g., using Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.). Also, for example, the end user devices and / or environmental devices may communicate directly with the backbone provider network (e.g., using a cellular connection, etc.).

[0119]

[0126] The example fifth mode 540 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In one example implementation, end user devices and / or environmental devices can communicate directly with fixed APs, and such communications can be utilized in lieu of mobile AP communications. For example, a fixed hotspot access network can provide coverage for all desired areas.

[0120]

[0127] It is also noted that the fifth example mode 540 can be used in scenarios where a fixed hotspot access network is normally available but is currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, communication link failure, power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0121]

[0128] An example sixth mode (or configuration) 550 (e.g., fixed / mobile hotspot and local infrastructure unavailable modes) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the example first mode 500, but lacks the local infrastructure provider network, fixed hotspot access network, mobile hotspot access network, and communication links therewith. For example, the communication system in the example sixth mode 550 includes a backbone provider network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0122]

[0129] 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the sixth example mode 550 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary.

[0123]

[0130] 5B and in more detail in FIG. 1, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example sixth mode 550 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the backbone provider network may be communicatively coupled to end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links.

[0124]

[0131] Also shown in the sixth example mode 550 is the end user device being communicatively coupled to the environmental device via one or more wireless links, many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein.

[0125]

[0132] In an example sixth mode 550 (e.g., fixed / mobile hotspot and local infrastructure unavailable modes), information (or data) can be communicated between an end user device and a server over a backbone provider network. Similarly, in an example sixth mode 550 (e.g., fixed / mobile hotspot and local infrastructure unavailable modes), information (or data) can be communicated between an environmental device and a server over a backbone provider network. Also, for example, an environmental device can communicate with or through an end user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network).

[0126]

[0133] The example sixth mode 550 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. For example, in one example embodiment where an end user has not yet subscribed to a communication system, the end user device can subscribe to the system via a cloud application and by communicating directly with a backbone provider network (e.g., via a cellular link, etc.). The example sixth mode 550 can also be utilized in rural areas where mobile APs are sparse and installation of fixed APs is difficult or impractical, for example.

[0127]

[0134] It is also noted that the sixth example mode 550 can be utilized in scenarios where the infrastructure provider network, fixed hotspot access network, and / or mobile hotspot access network is normally available but is currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, due to power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0128]

[0135] A seventh example mode (or configuration) 560 (e.g., backbone and mobile hotspot unavailable mode) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with the first example mode 500, but lacks the backbone provider network, mobile hotspot access network, and communications links therewith. For example, the communications system in the sixth example mode 560 includes a local infrastructure provider network, a fixed hotspot access network, end user devices, and environmental devices.

[0129]

[0136] 5C and as shown in more detail in FIG. 1, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the seventh example mode 560 (or configuration) via one or more wired (or tethered) links. For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to a fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wired links. Note that such wired couplings may be temporary.

[0130]

[0137] Also, although not explicitly shown, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to any or all of the other elements present in the example seventh mode 560 (or configuration) via one or more wireless links (e.g., RF links, untethered optical links, etc.). For example, the local infrastructure provider network may be communicatively coupled to the fixed hotspot access network (or any component thereof), end user devices, and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Note that the communication link between the local infrastructure provider network and the fixed hotspot access network shown in the example seventh mode 560 of FIG. 5C may be wired and / or wireless.

[0131]

[0138] The example seventh mode 560 also illustrates the fixed hotspot access network being communicatively coupled to the end user devices and / or environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein. The example seventh mode 560 also illustrates the end user devices being communicatively coupled to the environmental devices via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are provided herein.

[0132]

[0139] In a seventh example mode 560 (e.g., backbone and mobile hotspot unavailable modes), information (or data) may be communicated between the end user device and the server through a fixed hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network. As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication may be flexibly performed between the end user device and the server over any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the end user device and the server may be communicated through the local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing the fixed hotspot access network).

[0133]

[0140] Similarly, in a seventh example mode 560 (e.g., backbone and mobile hotspot unavailable modes), information (or data) can be communicated between the environmental device and the server through a fixed hotspot access network and / or a local infrastructure provider network. Also, for example, the environmental device can communicate with or through an end-user device (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network). As seen in the various example modes presented herein, such communication can be flexibly performed between the environmental device and the server (e.g., communicatively coupled to a local infrastructure provider network) via any of a variety of different communication paths, e.g., depending on network availability, bandwidth utilization goals, communication priorities, communication time (or latency) and / or reliability constraints, cost, etc. For example, information communicated between the environmental device and the server can be communicated through the local infrastructure provider network (e.g., bypassing the fixed hotspot access network).

[0134]

[0141] The example seventh mode 560 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided here. In an example controlled space embodiment, cloud access may not be granted (e.g., for security reasons, privacy reasons, etc.), and full (or sufficient) coverage of the coverage area is provided by a fixed hotspot access network. That is, a mobile hotspot access network is not required. For example, end user devices and environmental devices can communicate directly with fixed APs (e.g., via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.).

[0135]

[0142] Also, note that the seventh example mode 560 can be used in scenarios where the backbone provider network and / or fixed hotspot access network is normally available but is currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, due to power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0136]

[0143] An example eighth mode (or configuration) 570 (e.g., backbone, fixed hotspot, and local infrastructure unavailable modes) may, for example, share any or all characteristics with example first mode 500, but lacks a backbone provider network, a local infrastructure provider network, a fixed hotspot access network, and communication links thereto. For example, the communication system in example eighth mode 570 includes a mobile hotspot access network, an end user device, and an environmental device.

[0137]

[0144] As shown in FIG. 5C and in more detail in FIG. 1, the mobile hotspot access network is shown in an eighth example mode 570 to be communicatively coupled to an end user device and / or an environmental device via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are shown herein. Further, the end user device is also shown in an eighth example mode 570 to be communicatively coupled to an environmental device via one or more wireless links. Many examples of such wireless couplings are shown herein.

[0138]

[0145] In the example eighth mode 570 (e.g., backbone, fixed hotspot, and local infrastructure unavailable modes), information (or data) may not (at least currently) be able to communicate between end user devices and servers (e.g., coupled to a backbone provider network, local infrastructure provider network, etc.). Similarly, information (or data) may not (at least currently) be able to communicate between environmental devices and servers (e.g., coupled to a backbone provider network, local infrastructure provider network, etc.). Note that environmental devices may communicate with or through end user devices (e.g., instead of or in addition to a mobile hotspot access network).

[0139]

[0146] The example eighth mode 570 can be utilized for any of a variety of reasons, non-limiting examples of which are provided herein. In one example implementation, the example eighth mode 570 can be utilized to collect and / or serve data (e.g., in delay-tolerant networking scenarios), provide peer-to-peer communications over a mobile hotspot access network (e.g., between clients of one mobile AP, between clients of different mobile APs, etc.), etc. In another example scenario, the example eighth mode 570 can be utilized in scenarios where vehicle-to-vehicle communications are prioritized over vehicle-to-infrastructure communications. In yet another example scenario, the example eighth mode 570 can be utilized in scenarios where all infrastructure access is lost (e.g., in tunnels, parking lots, etc.).

[0140]

[0147] Also, note that the eighth example mode 570 can be used in scenarios where the backbone provider network, local infrastructure provider network, and / or fixed hotspot access network are normally available but are currently unavailable (e.g., due to equipment failure, due to communication link failure, due to power outage, temporary denial of service, etc.).

[0141]

[0148] As shown and discussed above, it would be beneficial to have a comprehensive platform that enables multi-mode communication of multiple users or machines in different environments using multiple devices with multiple technologies and / or multiple networks, coupled to multiple moving / stationary objects by multiple technologies and / or multiple networks, forming wireless (mesh) hotspot networks across different environments, connected to multiple wired / wireless infrastructure / network backbone providers, and ultimately connected to the Internet, cloud, or personal network infrastructure.

[0142]

[0149] 6 illustrates yet another block diagram of an example network configuration according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Example network 600 may share any or all characteristics with, for example, the other example networks and / or network components 100, 200, 300, 400, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein. Notably, example network 600 illustrates multiple mobile APs (or OBUs) each communicatively coupled to a fixed AP (or RSU), each capable of providing network access to a vehicular network (e.g., including other vehicles or vehicular networks, user devices, sensor devices, etc.).

[0143]

[0150] In one example, various resources and / or capabilities available in a network of moving objects (e.g., a vehicular network, a network of autonomous vehicles, or a network including autonomous vehicles, etc.) can be utilized to optimize operations and / or services in such a network.

[0144]

[0151] 7 illustrates an example communication network 700 that supports dynamic and automatic connection to Wi-Fi access points and intelligent direction of traffic to public and private Wi-Fi hotspots in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0145]

[0152] The example network 700 may share any or all characteristics with, for example, the example networks 100, 200, 300, 400, 500-570, and 600 discussed herein and / or their network components. In this regard, the network 700 may be a network of moving objects (e.g., a vehicular network, a network of autonomous vehicles, or a network including autonomous vehicles, etc.), or at least a portion of such a network. As shown in FIG. 7 , the network 700 includes a mobile access point (MAP), MAP 720, shown deployed within a vehicle 710. The MAP 720 is configured to provide online access and / or connectivity to the Internet / Cloud 730 within the vehicular network (e.g., including other vehicles or vehicular networks, user devices, sensor devices, etc.).

[0146]

[0153] A mobile AP may utilize multiple communication technologies and / or interfaces. For example, although not shown in FIG. 7 , a mobile access point (MAP) such as MAP 720 may be communicatively coupled to the Internet / Cloud 730 using a cellular-based link, such as through a cellular base station, a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)-based link, such as through a fixed access point (FAP), or the like. Furthermore, a mobile access point (MAP) such as MAP 720 may support multiple technologies and / or interfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi, Ethernet, etc.) and / or connections using multiple networks (e.g., corresponding to one or more of the same type of technology or network interface) where these mobile APs serve the vehicular network.

[0147]

[0154] In one example, characteristics such as the mobility of particular elements (e.g., mobile APs) within a communications network such as network 700, the availability of and connectivity to the Internet / Cloud 730, and the availability of processing, storage, and communications resources in various elements within the network can be used to provide services that would otherwise be unavailable and / or to optimize such services. For example, the availability of processing, storage, and communications resources in a mobile AP can be used to take advantage of available Wi-Fi networks (both private and public), allowing the mobile AP to enter the coverage of an available Wi-Fi network by moving within the operating range of a corresponding Wi-Fi access point (e.g., Wi-Fi access point (AP) 750 in FIG. 7). In this regard, utilizing such Wi-Fi networks may be desirable in some cases to enable reduced utilization of other communications resources (e.g., cellular, etc.). Mobile APs, and communications networks including such mobile APs, can be configured to optimize the use of such Wi-Fi networks.

[0148]

[0155] Specifically, in various embodiments according to the present disclosure, a network such as network 700 can be configured to support cloud-based, data-driven WiFi connection management. In this regard, as vehicles increase the number and variety of network communication interfaces, the challenge of determining the best interface(s) and / or the best access point to send data becomes increasingly important (and not trivial).

[0149]

[0156] For example, when making such a decision, it is understandable that data transmission requirements vary from application to application. Some applications may require the lowest possible data transfer costs and can afford longer wait times while data is delivered. Other applications may require the lowest possible communication latency (e.g., for real-time streaming data), while still others may require the highest possible throughput, even at the expense of higher costs and latency. Furthermore, in some instances, when making such a decision, there may be no a priori knowledge of the best way to send data. For example, in theory, Wi-Fi can offer much lower latency and higher throughput than cellular (e.g., 4G / LTE). However, the access points (APs) in the public Wi-Fi infrastructure available in many cities may be unreliable. For example, some APs may stop providing Internet connectivity while continuing to advertise their wireless network, others may have poor performance, and others may have very different performance depending on the vehicle's location and speed.

[0150]

[0157] Selecting the AP with the strongest signal strength may not guarantee that it is the best AP for the application's needs, and in fact does not guarantee that the AP will provide Internet access. On the other hand, cellular networks have uneven coverage, perform very poorly in dark spots, and cellular network performance can vary depending on the vehicle's location and network usage / load, among other factors. Furthermore, combining different interfaces (bandwidth aggregation) can potentially result in higher throughput, but may also result in increased latency and / or jitter without any throughput improvement.

[0151]

[0158] To overcome these challenges, embodiments according to the present disclosure can leverage the mobility and resources of vehicles operating in a network of moving objects. In this regard, vehicles can have computing capabilities that allow them to log their experiences. For example, when connecting to a network, provider, access point, etc., and thus collecting the correct data, a model can be created that takes into account the vehicle's past experiences and also takes into account the vehicle's current context to select what is the best network decision. In this regard, not all data needs to be correct; in some instances, the decision model can be configured to incorporate robustness measures and therefore accommodate and fully account for imprecision in the data (e.g., error and / or noise). This process can be sped up and improved when various vehicles (e.g., a fleet) work together, such as by sharing their experiences in a common location (e.g., cloud 730 in FIG. 7). Models can be built based on the experiences of many vehicles, improving model generation (e.g., improving model quality, speeding up the model), and all vehicles benefit from the experiences of the rest.

[0152]

[0159] That is, embodiments according to the present disclosure can configure and utilize vehicles to make intelligent network decisions, i.e., intelligent wireless connection management, by utilizing data obtained from the vehicle's interaction with wireless network infrastructure (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, DSRC, vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), etc.) and context data (e.g., application requirements, vehicle speed, etc.). For example, in example embodiments according to the present disclosure, the vehicle can collect network metadata (e.g., whether a connection was successful, time to attempt connection (unsuccessful), time to send the first byte (e.g., successful), latency, throughput, packet loss) enriched with context data (e.g., location, time, visible APs, and their signal strength, among other properties). The vehicle can then send the data to a cloud (e.g., cloud 730 in FIG. 7 ) to facilitate centralized cloud-based processing of the data. The cloud can process data received from the vehicles and, based on such processing, can build decision models configured to enable the vehicles to select the best interface(s) and the best access point(s) to connect to to meet the needs of the application. The cloud can then send these decision models to the vehicles. As the vehicles move through the network, they can make decisions regarding their network connectivity based on the decision models built in the cloud. Furthermore, the vehicles can be configured to balance exploration versus exploitation in order to continue to learn and adapt to a changing environment.

[0153]

[0160] The cloud can be configured to support and / or provide the functionality necessary to provide cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections. For example, in the example embodiment shown in FIG. 7 , a cloud portal 740 (e.g., a server or any other suitable platform) can be used to manage and control intelligent direction of traffic to public and private Wi-Fi networks / APs. In this regard, the cloud portal 740 can include suitable circuitry (e.g., including one or more of communications circuit(s), circuit(s), processing circuit(s), etc.) for performing various functions and / or operations attributed to the cloud portal 740. However, while the cloud portal 740 is illustrated as a single device / system, the disclosure is not so limited. In this regard, in some examples, the solution according to the present disclosure can be implemented in a distributed manner, with the functionality necessary to provide cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections being performed by various components of the network, including within the cloud 730. That is, in some example embodiments, cloud portal 740 is implemented in a distributed manner, with some of the functions and / or operations attributed thereto being performed by different physical devices or components that are part of and / or connected to internet / cloud 730.

[0154]

[0161] An example implementation and associated usage scenario(s) according to the present disclosure in a communications network similar to network 700 is shown and described below with respect to FIG.

[0155]

[0162] 8 illustrates an example network 800 and processes performed within the network to support cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0156]

[0163] Network 800 may share any or all characteristics with, for example, example networks 100, 200, 300, 400, 500-570, 600, and 700 (and / or network components thereof) discussed herein. Network 800 may be configured to support cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management. In this regard, network 800 may incorporate a network model / architecture specifically configured to perform functions to support such cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management. As shown in FIG. 8, the network model / architecture may include, as major entities, a mobile node (e.g., a vehicle) 810 and a cloud infrastructure 820.

[0157]

[0164] Vehicle 810 may include suitable circuitry and other hardware for performing various functions and operations in accordance with the present disclosure, i.e., supporting cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects. In this regard, vehicle 810 may include one or more wireless interfaces, including a Wi-Fi interface, to support wireless connectivity between vehicle 810 and available access points, including Wi-Fi access points. For example, vehicle 810 may correspond to a combination of vehicle 710 described with respect to FIG. 7 and mobile access point (MAP) 720 deployed therein.

[0158]

[0165] Cloud infrastructure 820 may comprise cloud components configured to perform or support functions or operations in accordance with the present disclosure, i.e., supporting cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects. For example, cloud infrastructure 820 may correspond to at least a portion of cloud 730 in FIG. 7, as described with respect to FIG. 7. In this regard, cloud portal 740 may be configured to perform at least a portion of the functions or operations performed by cloud infrastructure 820.

[0159]

[0166] 8 illustrates an example sequence of actions (processes) that may be performed in a network of moving objects (e.g., network 800) in accordance with the present disclosure. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 8, vehicle 810 (and other vehicles not shown) and cloud infrastructure 820 may cooperate and operate in accordance with an example process to facilitate cloud-based, data-driven Wi-Fi connection management in a network of moving objects (e.g., network 800).

[0160]

[0167] In step (1), when the sequence first begins, there is no historical data regarding the vehicle's connection experience. In such a case, the vehicle may explore its environment. Vehicles (e.g., vehicle 810 in FIG. 8) can use either a random or heuristic approach (or something in between) that allows the vehicle to explore its environment (exploration phase). For example, the vehicle may choose to connect to the access point(s) with the highest signal strength. However, this may not be desirable because, given that such vehicles are in the same location or in a general location, it may not be sufficiently exploratory, meaning that they are likely to select the same AP. Instead, the vehicle may randomly select one of the access points it can see (i.e., discover) that has a signal strength above a given threshold. While such an approach is highly exploratory, it may result in poor service and a long time for the model to converge. Vehicles may also select an access point based on a probabilistic approach, e.g., with the probability of selecting a given access point proportional to the signal strength, based on a corresponding probability. Such an approach can represent a balanced search.

[0161]

[0168] In step (2) of the example sequence, a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 810 in FIG. 8 ) can record network metadata and context data as vehicle 810 attempts to connect to an access point. The network metadata and context data can include, for example, one or more of the following: a) Access Point (AP) identification and characterization, including the AP's communication technology and whether the AP is a fixed hotspot or another vehicle; b) Whether the connection was successful (vehicle 810 was able to send 1+ bytes to the Internet); c) The number of attempts required to successfully connect; d) The signal strength at which the AP was scanned; e) The transmit power and other link-level configuration used by the radio; f) The ranking of the AP in terms of signal strength compared to the remaining scanned APs; g) The time to connect and be able to send the first byte over the Internet, and a breakdown of this time into components, i.e., association, authentication, authorization, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), ping, etc. h) The time it takes for the first byte to reach the Internet (latency). i) The amount of data the vehicle 810 was able to send per second (e.g., throughput). j) The amount of data the vehicle 810 was able to send during the connection (traffic). k) The time and date of the connection. l) The duration of the connection. m) The location of the vehicle 810 when connected, when connected, and when disconnected. n) A list of scanned APs, their signal strength, their ID (e.g., service set identifier (SSID), basic service set identifier (BSSID), etc.), Wi-Fi channel, other advertised properties (whether the location is unavailable; this list can act as a location signature), etc.

[0162]

[0169] In step (3) of the example sequence, the vehicle 810 may send recorded metadata and / or contextual data regarding each connection experience, whether successful or unsuccessful, to the cloud infrastructure 820.

[0163]

[0170] In step (4) of the example sequence, cloud infrastructure 820 can enhance the information received from the vehicles by including vehicle specific information that may be important to the decision, or by including vehicle specific information such as having different models for different vehicles (e.g., antenna locations may vary from vehicle to vehicle (interior vs. exterior), which may also play a role). Cloud infrastructure 820 can also include other information, such as the cost of the connection based on the ratings of different providers.

[0164]

[0171] In step (5) of the example sequence, as the cloud infrastructure 820 obtains data from different vehicles, it may build a decision model(s) that can be operated to select the best option for the vehicle based on the context. For example, location information (e.g., GPS) about the vehicle may be obtained to establish the context. If such information is not available, a list of visible (e.g., accessible or detected) access points and their signal strengths may also be used as input for the model as a means of identifying the context.

[0165]

[0172] In step (6) of the example sequence, the cloud infrastructure 820 can evaluate the connection experience, identify APs that are not the preferred choice (e.g., have very low success rates), and generate a blacklist of hotspots shared with vehicles. Such a blacklist would likely increase the success rate of connections, leading to improved performance.

[0166]

[0173] In step (7) of the example sequence, one option for creating a decision model is to create a reputation score for each AP. This reputation score is based on the AP's success rate for all vehicles and their contribution to minimizing a cost function (e.g., minimizing communication cost or minimizing latency). This allows for ranking of APs but does not include contextual information. When vehicles have limited memory capacity, the AP ranking is sufficiently useful for selecting between different APs. Additionally, the impact of signal strength on performance can be used to link the ranking to a measure of signal quality.

[0167]

[0174] In step (8) of the example sequence, if the vehicle's hardware resources allow, context may be provided to improve performance at the expense of higher memory requirements. In an alternative example of providing context, if a geographic stamp, such as a global positioning (e.g., GPS / GNSS) tag, is available, reputation may be associated with location (e.g., by discretizing space into small cells, grouping all experiences within a cell, and calculating the reputation of the APs in that cell). In this case, reputations of different access points are determined for each cell. This model can include the top N best-performing APs for each cell. To simplify the model, cells with a small number of experiences / APs and cells with the top APs having low reputations can be discarded. In addition to location, other data, such as the direction of travel of the vehicle 810, can also be used to enrich the context.

[0168]

[0175] Another alternative would be to use a third-party service that allows location inference from a list of observable APs when geostamps are unavailable. Another alternative would be to create contextual signatures based on visible APs. The signatures can be constructed in a way that allows for the calculation of distances between signatures to obtain the contextual reputation of the nearest APs (e.g., to obtain the closest signature from a model). The signature can be based on a list of APs scanned at the current location, sorted alphanumerically (unsorted aggregate representation) or by signal strength (sorted aggregate representation), and limited to the first N APs or finally the top N APs with the strongest signals. Various distances are available that can be applied to create the aggregate representation (e.g., Hamming distance or Jackerness coefficient, among others). Only stationary APs, i.e., APs that always appear in the same neighborhood, are considered for the signature. Using signatures has the drawback of having to maintain many more signatures than would be possible with equivalent locations, but this effect can be minimized by truncating these lists to the top N APs.

[0169]

[0176] In some implementations, the actions described with respect to steps 6, 7, and 8 may not be performed as part of a single sequence. Rather, each of steps 6, 7, and 8 (and therefore their corresponding actions) may represent different alternative decision models that may be constructed and used, and only one (or more) of these steps may be performed as desired. That is, in one example implementation, only step 6 (blacklisting) may be selected and performed.

[0170]

[0177] In step (9) of the example sequence, the cloud infrastructure 820 can periodically build decision models and send them to vehicles. Initially, the higher the learning, the more frequently the model is expected to be sent to vehicles, but as soon as the model begins to stabilize, this frequency can be reduced. Differences between successive models can be calculated to enable understanding of whether it is worth sending a model to all vehicles. In situations where vehicles are widely dispersed geographically, it is best to have a geo-specific model that is more concise and optimizes update frequency. In one example implementation, a GPS-free geo-specific model can be provided based on the APs the vehicle attempts to connect to (APs as a proxy for location), evaluating and / or determining which APs are of interest to the vehicle, or which areas have APs of interest to the vehicle.

[0171]

[0178] When the vehicle receives the model in step (10) of the example sequence, it can begin making more intelligent decisions. Each time a network scan is performed or a connection is lost, the vehicle 810 can use the model to estimate which access point is the best to connect to (including access points from different networks). In this regard, in one example, the model may only be used during the decision phase, i.e., if no APs are available, the model may not be used. The vehicle may continue to learn and adapt as new APs are installed, other APs may go down (or improve), etc. One way to achieve this is to make the probability of an AP proportional to its reputation score, instead of always selecting the best AP according to the model (a greedy approach), and only occasionally select APs not in the model with a baseline score (the search vs. exploit parameter must be adjusted depending on the service goals and desired quality). The vehicle can add details about possible changes to the model based on, for example, user preferences, environmental conditions, etc., and can communicate any information necessary to revise the existing model(s) to the cloud infrastructure 820 based on actual use of the model(s). In one instance, exploration versus exploitation can also be controlled based on the data needs of applications running in the vehicle or in the cloud. That is, if the vehicle is in a period of, for example, high data demands or service levels, the vehicle can explore more, and when data demands or service levels are low, the vehicle can exploit more.

[0172]

[0179] In step (11) of the example sequence, the vehicles can finally attempt to guess whether the information they are collecting is new (i.e., consistent with the model) or new. If at some stage the model is stable, the vehicles may choose to send only new data to minimize the communication costs of building the model.

[0173]

[0180] Accordingly, embodiments according to the present disclosure can address enhanced Wi-Fi connection management. In this regard, in existing solutions, networking systems can connect to access points based on signal strength or user-defined preferences (e.g., home and office networks are preferred over others). In a system implemented according to the solutions according to the present disclosure, the experience of connecting to an AP can be recorded, allowing the system(s) to obtain optimized information about the Wi-Fi APs (e.g., which APs are best, where they are located, when to use them (or not), etc.). This is particularly advantageous in the context of networks of moving objects, including vehicles, which may be constantly moving and therefore may be required to constantly (re)connect to different APs, and also when utilizing large wireless Internet infrastructures (e.g., public Wi-Fi hotspots) where performance and reliability may vary widely.

[0174]

[0181] Another feature of the solution according to the present disclosure is the use of context information to determine the best AP: instead of relying on a ranked list of APs, the system goes a step further by attempting to relate performance to context (e.g., location).

[0175]

[0182] Furthermore, a system implemented based on the solution of the present disclosure can be configured to try to minimize the amount of data that needs to be transmitted by keeping the models simple, updating the models only when there are substantial changes, and reporting data only when the vehicle introduces novelty.

[0176]

[0183] Embodiments according to the present disclosure can be utilized in a variety of use cases, one example of which is a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) mitigation use case, where the best performing AP can be selected and used to contribute to V2I mitigation based on vehicle location.

[0177]

[0184] Some example implementations of the present disclosure may incorporate support for active access points. In this regard, while in many instances the system has no control over the infrastructure (Wi-Fi, cellular, DSRC, C-V2X access points, etc.), this is not always the case. For example, certain access points may be part of the same infrastructure on which the system based on the solutions of the present disclosure is implemented, e.g., permanently connected to the same cloud and running common software. Such access points may be configured to share information about their load and performance with the cloud, allowing the cloud to broadcast selected messages to selected vehicles, e.g., informing them about APs that are overperforming or underperforming compared to models built on the cloud, along with AP-related information.

[0178]

[0185] An example system for supporting cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connectivity in a network of moving objects according to the present disclosure includes a cloud-based network node including at least one communications circuit, at least one storage circuit, and at least one processing circuit. The at least one communications circuit is configured to communicate signals for transmitting and receiving data. The at least one storage circuit is configured to store instructions and data. The at least one processing circuit is configured to receive, at least in part, connectivity relationship data collected or obtained during operation in an area from one or more network nodes in the vehicular communications network based, at least in part, on the instructions and / or data stored in the at least one storage circuit, the one or more network nodes including at least one mobile access point (MAP) deployed in the vehicle, the connectivity relationship data relating to Wi-Fi access points providing coverage in the area of ​​the network of moving objects. The at least one processing circuit is also configured to process the connectivity relationship data based, at least in part, on the instructions and / or data stored in the at least one storage circuit, and to generate or update at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the processing of the connectivity relationship data. The at least one Wi-Fi decision model is configured to optimize Wi-Fi connectivity to one or more Wi-Fi access points by a mobile access point (MAP) deployed in a vehicle associated with a network of moving objects, wherein optimizing the Wi-Fi connectivity includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable in the vehicle associated with the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0179]

[0186] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to evaluate a connection experience associated with the at least one Wi-Fi access point and, based on the evaluation, determine whether the at least one Wi-Fi access point fails to meet predetermined acceptable candidate criteria.

[0180]

[0187] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to generate a list of Wi-Fi failed access point candidates, the list including each Wi-Fi access point determined to have failed to meet predetermined acceptable candidate criteria, and to generate or update at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the list of Wi-Fi failed access point candidates.

[0181]

[0188] In one example embodiment, at least one processing circuit is configured to determine, based on the connection relationship data, information regarding resources or capabilities of one or both of at least one mobile access point (MAP) and a vehicle associated with the at least one mobile access point (MAP), and generate or update at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the information regarding the resources or capabilities.

[0182]

[0189] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to assign a performance score to each Wi-Fi access point that provides coverage in the area, and to generate or update at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the performance scores assigned to the Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within the area of ​​the network of the moving object.

[0183]

[0190] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to determine or obtain additional relevant information beyond the received information, the additional relevant information including vehicle-related information and / or information regarding a service provider associated with the Wi-Fi access point, and to generate or update the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the additional relevant information.

[0184]

[0191] An example system for supporting cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connectivity in a network of moving objects according to the present disclosure includes a vehicle-based network node deployed in a vehicle, the vehicle-based network node including at least one communications circuit, at least one memory circuit, and at least one processing circuit. The at least one communications circuit is configured to communicate signals for transmitting and receiving data. The at least one memory circuit is configured to store instructions and data. The at least one processing circuit is configured, at least in part, based on the instructions and / or data stored in the at least one memory circuit, to obtain connectivity-related data regarding Wi-Fi access points providing coverage within an area of ​​the network of moving objects while operating within the area, communicate the connectivity-related data to a cloud-based network node in the network of moving objects, receive at least one Wi-Fi decision model from the cloud-based network node, and manage Wi-Fi connectivity based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model. The at least one Wi-Fi decision model is configured to optimize Wi-Fi connectivity to one or more Wi-Fi access points by a mobile access point (MAP) deployed in a vehicle associated with the moving object network, and optimizing the Wi-Fi connectivity includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable in the vehicle associated with the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0185]

[0192] In one example embodiment, at least one processing circuit is configured to select a Wi-Fi access point within range of the at least one communication circuit, attempt to connect to the Wi-Fi access point, and generate or adjust connectivity-related data based on information about one or more of the Wi-Fi access point, the connection attempt to the Wi-Fi access point, and any connection to the Wi-Fi access point.

[0186]

[0193] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to obtain information about the vehicle's communication environment when there is no previous data about the connection experience, and generate connection relationship data based on the information about the vehicle's communication environment.

[0187]

[0194] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to log network metadata and / or context data for each Wi-Fi access point and any connection attempts to the Wi-Fi access point when the at least one processing circuit obtains the connection relationship data.

[0188]

[0195] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured to select a best candidate Wi-Fi access point for establishing the Wi-Fi connection when managing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0189]

[0196] In an example embodiment, when managing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, the at least one processing circuit is configured to: identify candidate Wi-Fi access points for establishing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; identify any other candidate Wi-Fi access points within range that are not included in the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; evaluate all identified candidate Wi-Fi access points; and select a Wi-Fi access point for establishing the Wi-Fi connection based on the evaluation.

[0190]

[0197] In one example embodiment, the at least one processing circuit is configured, when the connection relationship data is obtained, to determine whether the obtained information is new and to send only the new information to the cloud-based network node.

[0191]

[0198] According to the present disclosure, an example method for supporting cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connectivity in a mobile object network includes receiving, by a cloud-based network node of the mobile object network, connectivity-related data regarding Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within an area of ​​the mobile object network from one or more network nodes in the mobile object network; processing, by the cloud-based network node, the connectivity-related data; and generating or updating, by the cloud-based network node, at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the processing of the connectivity-related data. The one or more network nodes include a vehicle-based network node deployed in a vehicle, and at least a portion of the connectivity-related data is collected by the vehicle-based network node during operation of the vehicle in the area. The at least one Wi-Fi decision model is configured to optimize Wi-Fi connectivity to the one or more Wi-Fi access points by a mobile access point (MAP) deployed in a vehicle associated with the mobile object network. Optimizing the Wi-Fi connection includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable within the vehicle associated with the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0192]

[0199] In one example embodiment, the method further includes generating a list of Wi-Fi access point candidates, where the generating includes identifying each Wi-Fi access point as meeting or failing to meet predetermined acceptable candidate criteria, and generating or updating at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the list of Wi-Fi failed access point candidates.

[0193]

[0200] In one example embodiment, the method further includes determining information regarding resources or capabilities of one or both of the vehicle-based network nodes deployed in the vehicle based on the connectivity relationship data, and generating or updating at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the information regarding the resources or capabilities.

[0194]

[0201] In one example embodiment, the method further includes assigning a performance score to each Wi-Fi access point that provides coverage in the area, and generating or updating at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the performance scores assigned to the Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within the area of ​​the network of the moving object.

[0195]

[0202] In one example embodiment, the method further includes determining or obtaining, by the cloud-based network node, additional relevant information beyond the received information, wherein the additional relevant information includes vehicle-related information and / or information regarding a service provider associated with the Wi-Fi access point, and generating or updating at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the additional relevant information.

[0196]

[0203] In one example embodiment, the method further includes attempting, by the vehicle-based network node, to connect to a Wi-Fi access point within range of the vehicle-based network node, and generating or adjusting connection relationship data based on information about one or more of the Wi-Fi access point, the connection attempt to the Wi-Fi access point, and any connection with the Wi-Fi access point.

[0197]

[0204] In one example embodiment, the method further includes, when there is no previous data regarding the connection experience, obtaining, by the vehicle-based network node, information regarding the vehicle's communication environment, and generating connection relationship data based on the information regarding the vehicle's communication environment.

[0198]

[0205] In one example embodiment, the method further includes, by the vehicle-based network node, logging network metadata and / or context data for each Wi-Fi access point and any connection attempts to that Wi-Fi access point when obtaining the connection relationship data.

[0199]

[0206] In one example embodiment, the method further includes receiving, by the vehicle-based network node, at least one Wi-Fi decision model from the cloud-based network node, and managing, at the vehicle-based network node, the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0200]

[0207] In one example embodiment, the method further includes selecting a best candidate Wi-Fi access point for establishing the Wi-Fi connection when managing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

[0201]

[0208] In an example embodiment, when managing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, the method further includes the steps of identifying candidate Wi-Fi access points for establishing the Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, identifying any other candidate Wi-Fi access points within range but not included in the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, evaluating all identified candidate Wi-Fi access points, and selecting a Wi-Fi access point for establishing the Wi-Fi connection based on the evaluation.

[0202]

[0209] Other embodiments of the present invention may provide a non-transitory computer readable medium and / or storage medium, and / or a non-transitory machine readable medium and / or storage medium having machine code stored thereon, and / or a computer program having at least one code section executable by a machine and / or computer, thereby causing a machine and / or computer to perform a process as described herein.

[0203]

[0210] Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present invention may be implemented in a centralized fashion in at least one computing system, or in a distributed fashion spread across various interconnected computing systems. Any type of computing system or other device adapted to perform the methods described herein is suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computing system having a program or other code that, when loaded and executed, controls the computing system to perform the methods described herein. Other typical implementations may include application-specific integrated circuits or chips.

[0204]

[0211] Various embodiments of the present invention may also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and, when loaded into a computer system, is capable of executing these methods. A computer program in this context means any expression, in any language, code, or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system capable of processing information to perform a particular function, either directly or after a) conversion into another language, code, or notation, and / or b) reproduction in a different material form.

[0205]

[0212] While the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications can be made and equivalents substituted without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but rather, the invention is intended to include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

[0206]

[0213] In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, examples of networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,192, entitled "Communication Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0207]

[0214] In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for integrating such networks and / or components with other networks and systems, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 221,997, entitled "Integrated Communication Network for A Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0208]

[0215] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for synchronizing such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Synchronizing a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0209]

[0216] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,042, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0210]

[0217] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for monitoring such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,066, entitled "Systems and Methods for Monitoring a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0211]

[0218] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for detecting and / or classifying anomalies in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,077, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Detecting and Classifying Anomalies in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0212]

[0219] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing mobility in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,098, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0213]

[0220] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing connectivity in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,121, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Connectivity a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0214]

[0221] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for collecting sensor data in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,135, entitled "Systems and Methods for Collecting Sensor Data in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0215]

[0222] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for interfacing with such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,145, entitled "Systems and Methods for Interfacing with a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0216]

[0223] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for interfacing with users of such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,150, filed September 22, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Interfacing with a User of a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0217]

[0224] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with data storage and processing systems and methods in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,168, entitled "Systems and Methods for Data Storage and Processing for a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0218]

[0225] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for vehicle traffic management in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,183, entitled "Systems and Methods for Vehicle Traffic Management in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0219]

[0226] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for environmental management in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,186, entitled "Systems and Methods for Environmental Management in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0220]

[0227] Further, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing port or shipping operations in such networks and / or components, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 222,190, entitled "Systems and Methods for Port Management in a Network of Moving Things," filed September 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0221]

[0228] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for enhancing the accuracy of positioning or location information based at least in part on historical data, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 244,828, filed October 22, 2015, entitled "Utilizing Historical Data to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0222]

[0229] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for enhancing position or location accuracy based at least in part on the use of anchors, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 244,930, entitled "Using Anchors to Correct GPS Data in a Network of Moving Things," filed October 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0223]

[0230] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for inter-application communication, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 246,368, entitled "Systems and Methods for Inter-Application Communication in a Network of Moving Things," filed October 26, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0224]

[0231] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for probing, analyzing, and / or validating communications, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 246,372, filed October 26, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Probing and Validating Communication in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0225]

[0232] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, systems and methods for adapting communication rates are provided for the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 250,544, entitled "Adaptive Rate Control for Vehicular Networks," filed November 4, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0226]

[0233] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for reconfiguring and adapting hardware, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 273,878, entitled "Systems and Methods for Reconfiguring and Adapting Hardware in a Network of Moving Things," filed December 31, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0227]

[0234] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks introduced herein and / or components thereof are provided with systems and methods for optimizing the gathering of data, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 253,249, entitled "Systems and Methods for Optimizing Data Gathering in a Network of Moving Things," filed November 10, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0228]

[0235] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for performing delay tolerant networking, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 257,421, filed November 19, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Delay Tolerant Networking in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0229]

[0236] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for improving coverage and throughput of mobile access points, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 265,267, filed December 9, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Coverage and Throughput of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0230]

[0237] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for coordinating channel utilization, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 270,858, entitled "Channel Coordination in a Network of Moving Things," filed December 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0231]

[0238] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for implementing network coded mesh networking in a network of moving things, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 257,854, filed November 20, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Network Coded Mesh Networking in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0232]

[0239] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for improving fixed access point coverage, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 260,749, filed November 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Improving Fixed Access Point Coverage in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0233]

[0240] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing mobility controllers and their network interactions, a non-limiting example of which is set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 273,715, filed December 31, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing Mobility Controllers and Their Network Interactions in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0234]

[0241] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for managing and / or triggering handovers of mobile access points, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 281,432, filed January 21, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Managing and Triggering Handovers of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0235]

[0242] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof described herein may be provided with systems and methods for performing captive portal-related control and management, a non-limiting example of which is set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 268,188, filed December 16, 2015, entitled "Captive Portal-related Control and Management in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0236]

[0243] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for extrapolating high-value data, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 270,678, entitled "Systems and Methods to Extrapolate High-Value Data from a Network of Moving Things," filed December 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0237]

[0244] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for remote software update and distribution, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 272,750, filed December 30, 2015, entitled "Systems and Methods for Remote Software Update and Distribution in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0238]

[0245] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for remote configuration update and distribution, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 278,662, entitled "Systems and Methods for Remote Configuration Update and Distribution in a Network of Moving Things," filed January 14, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0239]

[0246] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof described herein may be provided with systems and methods for adapting the network, e.g., automatically, based on user feedback, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 286,243, filed January 22, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Adapting a Network of Moving Things Based on User Feedback," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0240]

[0247] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for enhancing and / or ensuring data integrity when building or performing data analytics, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 278,764, entitled "Systems and Methods to Guarantee Data Integrity When Building Data Analytics in a Network of Moving Things," filed January 14, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0241]

[0248] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for self-initializing and / or auto-bootstrapping mobile access points, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 286,515, filed January 25, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Self-Initialization and Automated Bootstrapping of Mobile Access Points in a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0242]

[0249] Additionally, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks introduced herein and / or components thereof may be provided with systems and methods for managing power supply and / or utilization, non-limiting examples of which are set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 295,602, entitled "Systems and Methods for Power Management in a Network of Moving Things," filed February 16, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0243]

[0250] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein may be provided with systems and methods for automating and simplifying infrastructure installation and setup, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 299,269, filed February 24, 2016, entitled "Systems and Methods for Automating and Easing the Installation and Setup of the Infrastructure Supporting a Network of Moving Things," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0244]

[0251] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, systems and methods for dynamic management and control of multiple Wi-Fi radios in the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided, non-limiting examples of which are shown in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 829,262, filed March 25, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0245]

[0252] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks and / or components thereof introduced herein are provided with systems and methods for dynamic and automatic connection to Wi-Fi access points using multiple authentication and operational modes, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 891,668, filed June 3, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0246]

[0253] Furthermore, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the networks introduced herein and / or components thereof are provided with systems and methods for utilizing the cloud to intelligently direct traffic to public and private Wi-Fi hotspots, a non-limiting example of which is shown in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 16 / 905,061, filed June 18, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0247]

[0254] In summary, various aspects of the present disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a network of mobile nodes, including, for example, a combination of mobile and stationary nodes. By way of a non-limiting example, various aspects of the present disclosure provide communication network architectures, systems, and methods for supporting a dynamically configurable communication network (e.g., an Internet of Moving Objects) including a complex array of both stationary and mobile communication nodes. While the foregoing has been described with reference to specific aspects and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the particular example(s) disclosed, but rather is intended to include all examples falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A system configured to support cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections in a network of moving objects, comprising: the system comprising a cloud-based network node; The cloud-based network node comprises: at least one communication circuit configured to communicate signals for transmitting and receiving data; at least one memory circuit configured to store instructions and data; at least one processing circuit; Equipped with the at least one processing circuit, based at least in part on instructions and / or data stored in the at least one memory circuit, receiving connectivity-related data from one or more network nodes in the moving object's network regarding Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within an area of ​​the moving object's network, the connectivity-related data being collected or obtained during operation within the area, the one or more network nodes comprising at least one Mobile Access Point (MAP) deployed in a vehicle, the connectivity-related data received from the at least one MAP including, for each Wi-Fi access point, network metadata and context data and any connection attempts to that Wi-Fi access point; process the connection relationship data; The system is configured to generate or update at least one Wi-Fi judgment model based on processing the connection relationship data, wherein the at least one Wi-Fi judgment model is configured to optimize Wi-Fi connections to one or more Wi-Fi access points by mobile access points (MAPs) deployed in vehicles associated with the moving object's network by assigning a reputation score to each Wi-Fi access point based on attempted connections between network nodes in the moving object's network and the Wi-Fi access point.

2. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: Evaluating a connection experience associated with at least one Wi-Fi access point; determining whether the at least one Wi-Fi access point fails to meet predefined acceptable candidate criteria based on the evaluation; The system is configured as follows:

3. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: generating a list of Wi-Fi failed access point candidates consisting of each Wi-Fi access point determined to have failed to meet the predetermined acceptable candidate criteria; and generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the list of Wi-Fi failed access point candidates. The system is configured as follows:

4. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: determining, based on the connectivity relationship data, information regarding resources or capabilities of at least one mobile access point (MAP) and / or a vehicle associated with the at least one mobile access point (MAP); generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the information about the resource or capability; The system is configured as follows:

5. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: assigning a performance score to each Wi-Fi access point that provides coverage in the area; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the performance scores assigned to Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within an area of ​​the network of the moving object; The system is configured as follows:

6. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: determining or obtaining additional relevant information beyond the received information, the additional relevant information including vehicle-related information and / or information regarding a service provider associated with the Wi-Fi access point; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the additional relevant information; The system is configured as follows:

7. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein optimizing the Wi-Fi connection includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable within the vehicle associated with at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

8. 1. A system configured to support cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections in a network of moving objects, comprising: The system comprises a vehicle-based network node deployed in a vehicle, the vehicle-based network node comprising: at least one communication circuit configured to communicate signals for transmitting and receiving data; at least one memory circuit configured to store instructions and data; at least one processing circuit; Equipped with the at least one processing circuit, based at least in part on instructions and / or data stored in the at least one memory circuit, during operation of the mobile object within an area of ​​the network, obtaining connection relationship data regarding Wi-Fi access points providing coverage within the area, said obtaining including obtaining and / or generating network metadata and context data for each Wi-Fi access point and any connection attempts to that Wi-Fi access point; transmitting the connectivity data to a cloud-based network node in the network of the moving object; receiving at least one Wi-Fi judgment model from the cloud-based network node, the at least one Wi-Fi judgment model configured to optimize Wi-Fi connections to the one or more Wi-Fi access points by mobile access points (MAPs) deployed in vehicles associated with the moving object's network by assigning a reputation score to each Wi-Fi access point based on attempted connections between network nodes in the moving object's network and the Wi-Fi access point; A system configured to manage Wi-Fi connections based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

9. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: selecting a Wi-Fi access point within range of the at least one communication circuit; attempting to connect to the Wi-Fi access point, and generating or adjusting the connection relationship data based on information about one or more of the Wi-Fi access point, the attempt to connect to the Wi-Fi access point, and any connections with the Wi-Fi access point; The system is configured as follows:

10. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing circuit, when there is no previous data regarding the connection experience, Obtaining information about the communication environment of the vehicle; generating the connection relationship data based on information about the communication environment of the vehicle; The system is configured as follows:

11. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: When connection relationship data is obtained, the system is configured to record the network metadata and / or the context data for each Wi-Fi access point and any connection attempts to connect to the Wi-Fi access point.

12. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: The system is configured, when managing a Wi-Fi connection, to select a best candidate Wi-Fi access point for establishing a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

13. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein when the at least one processing circuit manages a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, Identifying candidate Wi-Fi access points for establishing a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; Identifying any other candidate Wi-Fi access points that are within range but are not included in the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; Evaluating all identified candidate Wi-Fi access points; selecting a Wi-Fi access point for establishing a Wi-Fi connection based on the evaluation; The system is configured as follows:

14. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing circuit comprises: When the connection relationship data is obtained, it is determined whether the obtained information is new or not, and only the new information is sent to the cloud-based network node. The system is configured as follows:

15. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein optimizing the Wi-Fi connection includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable within the vehicle associated with at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

16. 1. A method for supporting cloud-based, data-driven management of Wi-Fi connections in a network of moving objects, comprising: receiving, by a cloud-based network node of the mobile object network, from one or more network nodes in the mobile object network, connectivity relationship data regarding Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within an area of ​​the mobile object network; the one or more network nodes include a vehicle-based network node deployed in a vehicle; at least a portion of the connectivity relationship data is collected by the vehicle-based network node during operation of the vehicle in the area; At least a portion of the connection relationship data includes, for each Wi-Fi access point, network metadata and context data and any connection attempts to that Wi-Fi access point; Steps and processing, by the cloud-based network node, the connection relationship data; generating or updating, by the cloud-based network node, at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on processing the connection relationship data, wherein the at least one Wi-Fi decision model is configured to optimize Wi-Fi connections to the one or more Wi-Fi access points by mobile access points (MAPs) deployed in vehicles associated with the moving object's network by assigning a reputation score to each Wi-Fi access point based on attempted connections between network nodes in the moving object's network and the Wi-Fi access point.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: generating a list of Wi-Fi access point candidates, the list including identifying each Wi-Fi access point determined to meet or fail to meet predetermined acceptable candidate criteria; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the list of Wi-Fi failure access point candidates; A method comprising:

18. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining information regarding resources or capabilities of one or both of the vehicle-based network nodes deployed in the vehicle based on the connectivity relationship data; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the information regarding resources or capabilities; A method comprising:

19. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: assigning a performance score to each Wi-Fi access point providing coverage in the area; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the performance scores assigned to Wi-Fi access points that provide coverage within an area of ​​the network of the moving object; A method comprising:

20. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining or obtaining, by the cloud based network node, additional relevant information beyond the received information, wherein the additional relevant information includes vehicle-related information and / or information regarding a service provider associated with the Wi-Fi access point; generating or updating the at least one Wi-Fi decision model based on the additional relevant information; A method comprising:

21. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: attempting, by the vehicle-based network node, to connect to a Wi-Fi access point that is within range of the vehicle-based network node; generating or adjusting the connection relationship data based on information about one or more of the Wi-Fi access point, an attempt to connect to the Wi-Fi access point, and any connections with the Wi-Fi access point; A method comprising:

22. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: when there is no previous data regarding the connection experience; obtaining, by the vehicle-based network node, information about a communication environment of the vehicle; generating the connection relationship data based on information about a communication environment of the vehicle; A method comprising:

23. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising recording, by the vehicle-based network node upon obtaining connection relationship data, the network metadata and / or the context data for each Wi-Fi access point and any connection attempts to the Wi-Fi access point.

24. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving, by the vehicle-based network node, the at least one Wi-Fi decision model from the cloud-based network node; managing, at the vehicle-based network node, a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision node; A method comprising:

25. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: when managing a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model, selecting a best candidate Wi-Fi access point for establishing a Wi-Fi connection.

26. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising, when managing a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model: identifying candidate Wi-Fi access points for establishing a Wi-Fi connection based on the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; Identifying any other candidate Wi-Fi access points that are within range but not included in the at least one Wi-Fi decision model; evaluating all identified candidate Wi-Fi access points; selecting a Wi-Fi access point for establishing a Wi-Fi connection based on the evaluation; A method comprising:

27. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein optimizing the Wi-Fi connection includes enabling adaptive selection of a Wi-Fi access point and adaptive selection of at least one interface for connecting to the Wi-Fi access point based on requirements of at least one application executable within the vehicle associated with the at least one Wi-Fi decision model.

Images