Connection robustness and route assistance for autonomous vehicles (AVS)

Abstract

A system for connection robustness and route assistance for an autonomous vehicle (AV). An AV assist system sends assistant data to the AV. A modem unit of the AV includes a connection arbitrator configured to detect access networks available for communication with the AV assist system. When at least one access network is detected, a preferred access network is selected for communication. When an access network is not detected, an ad hoc network connection is established and used to send an alarm message to the AV assist system. When the AV assist system communicates with the modem unit via the selected access network, the assistant data comprises AV route data indicative of an optimum route computed by the AV assist system. When the AV assist system receives the alarm message from the modem unit, the assistant data comprises information of an alternate access network that the modem unit can use.

Description

Connection Robustness and Route Assistance for Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for Connection Robustness and Route Assistance for Autonomous Vehicles (AVs).Background

[0002] Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are self-driving driverless vehicles which do not require assistance from a human operator for performing any maneuvers. There has been significant progress made in vehicle autonomy in recent times. AVs are operating experimentally in different cities. But the AV technology is far from perfect and the experience the AV operators have so far, points to the fact that for safe and secure operation of AVs, the vehicles should have robust and reliable network connectivity to their backend systems. This would ensure that if the vehicles face any issue during its operation that it is not able to handle, the backend vehicle assist team can support it remotely.

[0003] Autonomous vehicles are equipped with several different sensors, such as RADAR, LiDAR, GPS, odometers, cameras, ultrasonic / sonar sensors to gather critical information from the surrounding. The collected information is processed using complex algorithms, to understand the position and surrounding environment of the vehicles and to instruct the actuators to control the vehicles and their trajectory. For an AV to function properly on roads, it not only has to gather the information from its surroundings and process them, but also it must be able to share / exchange some critical information with its backend system and the ecosystem. Hence the term connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) where an autonomous vehicle is also connected to the network infrastructure. According to the Institute of Automotive Engineers (ITE), a key component to realize a CAV is enabling vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. V2X allows to form a network of vehicles and everything around them that are capable of communicating, allowing them to either communicate with each other or using each other to communicate with remote servers providing various critical services. On doing so a CAV should be able to communicate with passengers andpedestrians - in fact through their communication devices, such as phones, they carry - other vehicles, dedicated wireless infrastructure along a road, known as roadside unit (RSU). Here passengers refer to human travelling on the CAV under consideration.

[0004] Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) spectrum in 5.9 GHz band is an unlicensed band, 75 MHz from 5.850 - 5.925 GHz, that was allocated in 1999 for vehicles to communication with each other or with infrastructure. However, recently FCC decided to reduce the allocated spectrum to 35 MHz from 5.895 - 5.925 GHz. The decision to reduce the spectrum band can be considered as an indication of moving Connected Vehicle to everything (CV2X) communication from DSRC to alternative technologies. Cellular communication technologies, specifically 5G and beyond, offering low latency and high bandwidth / data rate at low cost are the front runner to replace DSRC for CV2X communication. Moreover, recent trends from auto manufactures also indicate adoption of cellular-based vehicle-to-everything communication networks. Auto manufacturers have already started introduction 5G enabled vehicles since 2020 with more than 70 vehicle manufacturers expected to introducing such vehicles by 2023 in their product line.

[0005] In 2014, The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International published a classification system of six different levels based on the amount of driver intervention and attentiveness required. In 2016, SAE updated this classification to J3016_201609. This is sometimes referred to as L0 to L5. These levels have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation.• Level 0 (No Automation): Most vehicles on the road today are Level 0: manually controlled. The human provides the "dynamic driving task" although there may be systems in place to help the driver.• Level 1 (Driver Assistance): This is the lowest level of automation. The vehicle features a single automated system for driver assistance, such as steering or accelerating (such as, for example, cruise control).• Level 2 (Partial Automation): The vehicle takes control of steering, braking and accelerating. However, a human must sit in the driver’s seat and be ready to take control of the car at any time.• Level 3 (Conditional Automation): The driver can safely turn their attention away from the driving tasks. The vehicles have “environmental detection”capabilities, and they will handle situations themselves. The driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the system is unable to execute the task.• Level 4 (High Automation): The key difference between Level 3 and Level 4 automation is that Level 4 vehicles can intervene if things go wrong or there is a system failure. In this sense, these cars do not require human interaction in most circumstances. However, a human still has the option to manually override.• Level 5 (Full Automation): Level 5 vehicles do not require human attention — the “dynamic driving task” is eliminated. Level 5 cars won’t even have steering wheels or acceleration / braking pedals. No human intervention is required at all. An example would be a robotic taxi.

[0006] At present, most vehicles fall between Level 0 and Level 2. However, some vehicle manufacturers are now introducing Level 3 vehicles in Europe and the US, which can control certain driving tasks in specific locations and conditions, even as the driver must remain prepared to assume control if the conditions alter. Many of these Level 2 and Level 3 vehicles come equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that rely on onboard sensors such as cameras, LiDARs and RADARs, which are important steppingstones on the path to full automation.

[0007] A growing number of companies are also investigating Level 4 and Level 5 vehicles. Such vehicles have no need for human intervention as long as they stay within a certain area, known as the Operational Design Domain (ODD) of the autonomous driving system of the vehicle.

[0008] To deploy Level 4 and 5 vehicles at scale, connectivity will be crucial. One reason for this is that many authorities now mandate that autonomous vehicles operating on public roads are always connected to an external supervisor. An autonomous vehicle unable to handle a situation with sufficient confidence could request human intervention to receive guidance for its next course of action. In some jurisdictions the remote supervisor might be liable while the action is executed and therefore needs to closely monitor it through video streams and other means.

[0009] Current Level 4 autonomous vehicles are not yet permitted to drive at high speeds, as they are designed for the worst-case situations of their sensor range. Advanced connectivity could address the current limitations by connecting both offboard and onboard sensors so they can complement each other in difficult situations. 5G and future 6G networks will have a crucial role to play as autonomous driving becomes more widely accepted.

[0010] CV2X based communication networks are expected to provide safer, faster, more efficient, and convenient travel for vehicles, specifically autonomous vehicles, and human sharing the road networks. Thus, enabling collective and cooperative sensing, providing better navigation, and determining optimum routes, providing fast and reliable connection among each other and to the internet and various internet / cloud-based services, etc. CV2X is expected to assist the sensors in AVs to accurately detect, recognize, anticipate, and respond to the situation around them, resulting in a safer transportation. Furthermore, it helps to reduce road accidents and vehicle congestion and enables several on-board infotainment applications. As the sensors and self-driving system are far from perfect to perceive their surroundings with the required confidence level, a CAV needs a reliable network service and connection to the backend service. Ensuring such reliable connectivity is an open issue and there has been significant ongoing effort in industry and academia to resolve this problem.

[0011] A modern AV platform is equipped with a plethora of sensors e.g., RADAR, LiDAR, cameras, sonar, gyro, GPS, etc. But even with all these sensors, state-of-the- art perception technologies - the self-driving capability for a vehicle is a hard problem to solve. Though the self-driving system (SDS) can perform a lot of vehicle maneuver operations, it still cannot support all the situations that a vehicle has to tackle in day-to- day life. For this reason, it is imperative that each AV must have a reliable network connection. Example functions that can benefit from highly reliable network connectivity include:• Drive assistance from a backend office - self driving software is far from perfect. AVs need support when they cannot perceive their surrounding with the required confidence level.• Communicating to the customer service. For example, a customer might be in distress, customer needs help with the vehicle HMI• Remote monitoring of the vehicle cabin• Customer infotainment purposes e.g., streaming, gaming, etc.• Regulatory bindings• Real time road status info. Any issues (such as accidents, construction, etc.) along the route is typically unknown to the AV.

[0012] As is known in the art, Improved reliability cell coverage can be achieved by (1) improving cell planning to the roads and highways, (2) increasing radio deployment density to minimize coverage gaps, and (3) adding a sophisticated UE antenna to improve uplink and downlink sensitivity. Solutions (1) and (2) require capital investment by the operator and therefore it must meet business return-on-investment requirements. Solution (3) is a challenge to equip an advanced antenna in each vehicle while keeping the UE cost down.

[0013] In a non-homogeneous network which contains urban, suburb and rural deployments; it is a challenge to guarantee reliable communication. The communication network is fragmented with many technologies including UWB, BLE, WiFi, and Cellular just to name a few.

[0014] Systems and methods enabling cost effective robust network connectivity for an AV remain highly desirable.

[0015] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a system for connection robustness and route assistance for an autonomous vehicle (AV). The system comprises: an AV assist system configured to send assistant data to the AV; and a modem unit associated with the AV. The modem unit includes a connection arbitrator configured to: detect first access networks available for communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system. When at least one first access network is detected, the connection arbitrator is configured to select a preferred one of the detected first access networks, and communicate with the AV assist system using the selected first access network. When the AV assist system communicates with the modem unit via the selected access network, the assistant data comprises AV route data indicative of an optimum route computed by the AV assist system;

[0016] In some embodiments, the connection arbitrator is further configured to, when at least one first access network is not detected, establish an ad hoc network connection and send an alarm message to the AV assist system using the ad hoc network connection. When the AV assist system receives the alarm message from the modem unit, the assistant data comprises information of an alternate access network that the modem unit can use.

[0017] In some embodiments, the AV assist system comprises: a backend system configured to handle non-time-critical processes; and an edge analytics system configured to handle time-critical processes.

[0018] In some embodiments the non-time critical processes comprise any one or more of: subscriber login; infotainment services; and map data updates.

[0019] In some embodiments the time critical processes comprise any one or more of: optimum route computation; and alarm processing.

[0020] In some embodiments the optimum route computed by the AV assist system is based at least in part on coverage of first access networks along the computed optimum route.

[0021] In some embodiments the first access networks comprise one or more relatively low cost access networks having sufficient performance to support communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system

[0022] In some embodiments the alternate access networks comprise relatively higher cost access networks having sufficient performance to enable transmission of at least the alarm message by the modem unit.

[0023] The alternate access networks may comprise any one or more of: a satellite-based network; a drone-based access network; and an ad hoc network. In some embodiments the ad hoc network comprises any one or more of: a sidelink to a user equipment accessible by the modem unit; a sidelink to the respective modem unit of another AV; and a sidelink to a road side unit (RSU).

[0024] In some embodiments the modem unit is responsive to an alarm message received from the respective modem unit of another AV via the ad hoc network, to forward the received alarm message to the AV Assist system.

[0025] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is responsive to the alarm message to select an alternate access network, and initiate a connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network.

[0026] In some embodiments, the selected alternate access network is a dronebased network, and wherein initiating the connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network comprises directing a drone access point of the drone-based network to an estimated location region of the AV.

[0027] In some embodiments, the estimated location region of the AV comprises either one of a last known location of the AV and a dead-reckoning location calculated based on the last known location, speed and route of the AV.

[0028] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is further configured to receive data relevant to the AV and send AV route data to the AV.

[0029] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is further configured to send the route update information to a Map Provider. The data relevant to the AV may comprise at least one of:• AV telemetry data transmitted by the modem unit;• network status data indicative of a status of a communications network associated with each first access network and each alternate access network along the computed optimum route of the AV;• real-time road data indicative of at least network resources available to autonomous vehicles traversing each one of a plurality of roads or road segments;• planned route data of the AV.

[0030] In some embodiments, the AV telemetry data indicates: a position, direction and speed of the AV; current access network and network connectivity status.

[0031] In some embodiments, the network status data indicates, for each first access network and each alternate access network, a respective capacity and latency.

[0032] In some embodiments, the real-time road data comprises, for each road or road segment, data indicative of any one or more of: first access networks accessible to AVs; and alternate access network accessible to AVs.

[0033] In some embodiments, the planned route data of the AV comprises userinput data identifying at least a destination.

[0034] In some embodiments, the AV route data sent by the AV assist system to the AV comprises data identifying the optimum route computed by the AV assist system, the optimum route being computed at least in part based on the real-time road data to provide reliable communication between the modem unit and the AV assist server along the identified optimum route.

[0035] Embodiments of a base station, communication system, and a method in a communication system are also disclosed.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain principles of the disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a representative network in which embodiments of the present invention may be deployed;

[0038] FIGs. 2A and 2B are block diagrams schematically illustrating examples of a computing device usable in embodiments of the present invention;

[0039] FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an architecture of a representative network element virtualization usable in embodiments of the present invention;

[0040] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system 400 for connection robustness and route assistance for AVs in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

[0041] FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a representative modem usable in embodiments of the system of FIG. 4;

[0042] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating representative operations of the AV Assist System 404 of the system of FIG. 4;

[0043] FIG. 7 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method for establishing a connection between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404 via the RAN(s) 102 and core network(s) 114 in the system of FIG. 4;

[0044] FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrated a method for establishing a connection between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404 via an ad-hoc network 408 in the system of FIG. 4;

[0045] FIG. 9 is a signal flow diagram illustrated a method for preparing route update information at the AV backend system 412, and propagating the updated information throughout the system of FIG. 4;

[0046] FIGs. 10A and 10B show a flow diagram illustrating an overall operation of the system according to at least some embodiments; and

[0047] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an example process for updating AV route information.Detailed Description

[0048] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0049] At least some of the following abbreviations and terms may be used in this disclosure.• 2D Two Dimensional• 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project• 5G Fifth Generation• AAS Antenna Array System• AoA Angle of Arrival• AoD Angle of Departure• ASIC Application Specific Integrated CircuitBF BeamformingBLER Block Error RateBW BeamwidthCPU Central Processing UnitCSI Channel State Information dB DecibelDCI Downlink Control InformationDFT Discrete Fourier TransformDSP Digital Signal Processor eNB Enhanced or Evolved Node BFIR Finite Impulse ResponseFPGA Field Programmable Gate Array gNB New Radio Base StationICC Information Carrying CapacityHR Infinite Impulse ResponseLTE Long Term EvolutionMIMO Multiple Input Multiple OutputMME Mobility Management EntityMMSE Minimum Mean Square ErrorMTC Machine Type CommunicationNR New RadioOTT Over-the-TopPBCH Physical Broadcast ChannelPDCCH Physical Downlink Control ChannelPDSCH Physical Downlink Shared ChannelP-GW Packet Data Network GatewayRAM Random Access MemoryROM Read Only MemoryRRC Radio Resource ControlRRH Remote Radio HeadSCEF Service Capability Exposure FunctionSINR Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio• TBS Transmission Block Size• UE User Equipment• ULA Uniform Linear Array• URA Uniform Rectangular Array

[0050] Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” is either a radio access node or a wireless device.

[0051] Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node”, “radio network node” or “radio access network node” is any node in a radio access network of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and / or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node.

[0052] Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like.

[0053] Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” is any type of device that has access to (i.e. , is served by) a cellular communications network by wirelessly transmitting (and / or receiving) signals to (and / or from) a radio access node or a WiFi or a BLE, or a UWB, or a V2V, or a satellite network. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a User Equipment device (UE) in a 3GPP network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device.

[0054] Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network / system.

[0055] Cell: As used herein, a “cell” is a combination of radio resources (such as, for example, antenna port allocation, time and frequency) that a wireless device mayuse to exchange radio signals with a radio access node, which may be referred to as a host node or a serving node of the cell. However, it is important to note that beams may be used instead of cells, particularly with respect to 5G NR. As such, it should be appreciated that the techniques described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.

[0056] Note that references in this disclosure to various technical standards (such as 3GPP TS 38.211 V15.1.0 (2018-03) and 3GPP TS 38.214 V15.1.0 (2018-03), for example) should be understood to refer to the specific version(s) of such standard(s) that is(were) current at the time the present application was filed, and may also refer to applicable counterparts and successors of such versions.

[0057] The description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system.

[0058] Figure 1 illustrates one example of a cellular communications network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the embodiments described herein, the cellular communications network 100 is a Public Land Mobility Network (PLMN) conforming to one or more of the LTE, 3G, 4G and 5G NR standards, or their successors. In the illustrated example, the cellular communications network 100 includes a (Radio) Access Network ((R)AN) 102 comprising base stations 104-1 and 104-2 controlling radio communications with wireless devices 106-1 , 106-2, 106-3, 106-4,106-5 within corresponding macro cells 108-1 and 108-2. Each macro cell 108 may be defined by any suitable combination of geography, frequency, and Radio Access Technology (RAT) .

[0059] Base stations 104 can be any type of network access device capable of establishing radio connection(s) with one or more wireless devices 106 within a respective coverage area of the base station 104 or low power node 112, and further configured to forward subscriber traffic between the core network 114 and the one or more wireless devices 106. An important feature of a base station 104 is that it is configured with both a radio interface configured to send and receive radio signals to and from a wireless device 106, and a network interface configured to exchangeelectronic and / or optical signals with the core network 114. Examples of base stations 104 and low power nodes 112 include: Evolved Node B (eNB) systems (known, for example, in the 3GPP standards): WiFi access points (known, for example from IEEE 802.11 standards) or the like. In some contexts, a base station 104 may be referred to as an access point (AP) regardless of the Radio Access Technology (RAT) that it supports.

[0060] The illustrated (R)AN 102 also includes small cells 110-1 through 110-4, within which radio communication can be controlled by corresponding low power nodes 112-1 through 112-4. As with the macro cells 108, each small cell may be defined by any suitable combination of geography, frequency, and Radio Access Technology (RAT) . As with the base stations 104, a low power node 112 can be any type of network access device capable of establishing radio connection(s) with one or more wireless devices 106 within a respective coverage area of the low power node 112, and further configured to forward subscriber traffic between the core network 114 and the one or more wireless devices 106. An important feature of a low power node 112 is that it is configured with both a radio interface configured to send and receive radio signals to and from a wireless device 106, and a network interface configured to exchange electronic and / or optical signals with the core network 114. In some embodiments, a low power node 112 may be connected to the core network 114 by a direct connection, such as an optical cable. In other embodiments, a low power node 112 may be connected to the core network 114 by an indirect connection, such as via a radio or optical fiber link to a base station 104. Examples of low power nodes 112 include: Remote Radio Heads (RRHs) connected to a base station or a network router (not shown): WiFi access points or the like. In some contexts, a low power node 112 may be referred to as an access point (AP) regardless of the specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) that it supports.

[0061] Notably, while not illustrated, a particular small cell 110 may alternatively be controlled by a base station 104, for example using a beam-forming technique. In such cases, the particular small cell 110 will not be associated with a respective low power node 112 per se. Rather, the particular small cell 110 will be associated with a respective set of parameters implemented in the base station 104. In this disclosure, the term “cell” is used to refer to a defined combination of parameters (such asgeography, frequency, Radio Access Technology (RAT), identifiers and the like) that can be used by a wireless device 106 to access communication services of the network 100. The term “cell” does not imply any particular parameter values, or any particular physical configuration of devices needed to enable a wireless device 106 to access those communication services.

[0062] Wireless devices 106 can be any type of device capable of sending and receiving radio signals to and from a base station 104 and / or low power node 112. Examples of wireless device 106 include cellular phones, Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), mobile computers, Internet of Things (loT) devices, autonomous vehicle controllers, and the like. In some contexts, a wireless device 106 may be referred to as a User Equipment (UE) or a mobile device.

[0063] In some embodiments, the macro cells 108-1 and 108-2 may overlap each other, and may also overlap one or more small cells 110. For example, a particular macro cell 108-1 may be one macro cell 108 among a plurality of macro cells covering a common geographical region and having a common RAT but using respective different frequencies and / or AP identifiers. In such cases, a wireless device 106 located within a region covered by two or more overlapping cells 108, 112 may send and receive radio signals to and from each of the corresponding base stations 104 and / or low power nodes 112.

[0064] In the illustrated example, the (R)AN 102 is connected to a Core Network (CN) 114, which may also be referred to as Evolved Core Network (ECN) or Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The CN 114 includes (or, equivalently, is connected to) one or more servers 116 configured to provide networking services such as, for example, Network Functions (NFs) described in 3GPP TS 23.501 V15.2.0 (2018-06) “System Architecture for the 5G System” and its successors. The CN 114 also includes one or more gateway (GW) nodes 118 configured to connect the CN 114 to a packet data network (DN) 120 such as, for example, the internet. A gateway node 118 may be referred to as a packet gateway (PGW) and / or a serving gateway (SGW). The DN 120 may provide communications services to support end-to-end communications between wireless devices 106 and one or more application servers (ASs) 122 configured to exchange data packet flows with the wireless devices 106 via the CN 114 and (R)AN102. In some contexts, an application server (AS) 122 may also be referred to as a host server.

[0065] In some contexts, an end-to-end signal path between an AS 122 and one or more wireless devices 106 may be referred to as an Over-The-Top (OTT) connection. Similarly, a communication service that employs signal transmission between an AS 122 and one or more wireless devices 106 may be referred to as an OTT service.

[0066] It should be appreciated that the separation between the ON 114 and the DN 120 can be purely logical, in order to simplify understanding of their respective roles. In particular, the ON 114 is primarily focused on providing wireless device access services and supporting wireless device mobility. On the other hand, the DN 120 is primarily focused on providing end-to-end communications, particularly across network domains. However, it will be appreciated that both the ON 114 and the DN 120 can be implemented on common physical network infrastructure, if desired.

[0067] FIGs. 2A and 2B are block diagrams schematically illustrating a communications system 200 including a computing device 202 usable in embodiments of the present invention. In various embodiments, any or all of the base stations 104 or 112, wireless devices 106, core network servers 116 or gateways 118 and data network servers 122 may be implemented using systems and principles in accordance with the computing device 202. It may also be appreciated that any or all of the elements of the network 100 may be virtualized using techniques known in the art or developed in the future, in which case the functions of any or all the base stations 104 or 112, core network servers 116 or gateways 118, and / or any or all network functions may be implemented by suitable software executing within a computing device 202 or within a data center (non shown) composed of multiple computing devices 202.

[0068] In the example of FIG. 2A, the communications system 200 generally includes computing device 202 connected to one or more networks 210 and one or more radio units 212. The computing device 202 includes processing circuitry such as one or more processors 204, a memory 206, one or more network interfaces 208. The processors 204 may be provided as any suitable combination of Central Processing Units (CPUs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or the like. Similarly, the memory 206 may be provided as anysuitable combination of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM) and mass storage technologies such as magnetic or optical disc storage or the like. The network interfaces 208 enable signaling between the computing device 200 and the networks 210, such as the Core Network 114, the data network 120, or a private domain network such as a data center (not shown).

[0069] Each radio unit 212 typically includes at least one transmitter (Tx) 214 and at least one receiver (Rx) 216 coupled to one or more antennas 218. In the example of FIG. 2A, the radio unit(s) 212 is(are) shown as being external to the computing device 202 and connected to the computing device 202 via a suitable physical connection (such as a copper cable or an optical cable). In the example of FIG. 2B, the radio unit(s) 212 is(are) shown as being connected to computing device 202 via a network 210 and a network interface 208. In still other embodiments, the radio unit(s) 212 and optionally also the antenna(s) 218 may be integrated together with the computing device 202.

[0070] The one or more processors 204 operate to provide functions of the computing device 202. Typically, these function(s) are implemented as software applications (APPs) 220 or modules that are stored in the memory 206, for example, and executed by the one or more processors 204. In some embodiments, one or more software applications or modules 220 may execute within a secure run-time environment (RTE) 222 maintained by an operating system (not shown) of the computing device 202.

[0071] It may be appreciated that specific embodiments may exclude one or more of the elements illustrated in FIGs. 2A and 2B. For example, a computing device 202 configured to implement a wireless device 106 may incorporate processing circuitry including one or more processors 204, a memory 206, and one or more radio units 212, but may exclude a network interface 208. Conversely, a computing device 202 configured to implement a server 116 or 122 may include processing circuitry including one or more processors 204, a memory 206, and one or more network interfaces 208, but may exclude radio units 212. A computing device 202 configured to implement a base station 104 or 112, on the other hand, will normally include processing circuitry including one or more processors 204, a memory 206, and both radio units 212 and network interfaces 208.

[0072] FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example architecture for network element virtualization usable in embodiments of the present invention. It is contemplated that the network elements may be physically implemented using one or more computers, data storage devices and routers (any or all of which may be constructed in accordance with the system 200 described above with reference to FIG. 2) interconnected together and executing suitable software to perform its intended functions. Those of ordinary skill will recognize that there are many suitable combinations of hardware and software that may be used for this purpose, which are either known in the art or may be developed in the future. For this reason, a figure showing physical hardware components and connections is not included herein.

[0073] As maybe seen in FIG. 3, the illustrated architecture 300 generally comprises hosting infrastructure 302, a virtualization layer 304 and an Application Platform Services layer 306. The hosting infrastructure 302 comprises physical hardware resources provided by the infrastructure on which the architecture 300 is being implemented. These physical hardware resources may include any or all of the processors 204, memory 206, network interfaces 208 and radio units 212 described above with reference to FIG. 2, and may also include traffic forwarding and routing hardware 308. The virtualization layer 304 presents an abstraction of the hardware resources 302 to the Application Platform Services layer 306. The specific details of this abstraction will depend on the requirements of the applications 220 being hosted by the Application Platform Services layer 306. Thus, for example, an APP 220 that provides traffic forwarding functions (for example as part of a User Plane Function (UPF))may be presented with an abstraction of the hardware resources 306 (e.g. processor(s) 204, memory 206 and traffic forwarding hardware 308) that simplifies the implementation of traffic forwarding policies. Similarly, an application that provides data storage functions (for example implementing a Unified Data Management (UDM); and / or a Unified Data Repository (UDR)) may be presented with an abstraction of the hardware resources 306 (e.g. processor(s) 204 and memory 206) that facilitates the storage and retrieval of data (for example using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - LDAP).

[0074] The application platform 306 provides the capabilities for hosting applications. In some embodiments, the application platform 306 supports a flexibleand efficient multi-tenancy run-time and hosting environment for applications 220 by providing Infrastructure as a Service (laaS) facilities. In operation, the application platform 306 may provide a security and resource “sandbox” for each application 220 being hosted by the platform 306. Each “sandbox” may be implemented as a Virtual Machine (VM) image 310 that may include an appropriate operating system and controlled access to (virtualized) hardware resources 302. Alternatively, each “sandbox” may be implemented as a container 311 that may include appropriate virtual memory and controlled access to host operating system and (virtualized) hardware resources 302. The application platform 306 may also provide a set of middleware application services and infrastructure services to the applications 220 hosted on the application platform 306, as will be described in greater detail below.

[0075] Applications 220 from vendors, service providers, and third-parties may be deployed and executed within a respective Virtual Machine 310. For example, PCF 220 may be implemented by means of one or more applications 220 hosted on the application platform 306 as described above. Communication between applications 220 and services of the application platform 306 may conveniently be designed according to the principles of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) known in the art.

[0076] Communication services 312 may allow applications 220 to communicate with the application platform 306 (through pre-defined Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for example) and with each other (for example through a servicespecific API).

[0077] A Service registry 314 may provide visibility of the services available on the computing device 200. In addition, the service registry 314 may present service availability (e.g. status of the service) together with the related interfaces and versions. This may be used by applications 220 to discover and locate the end-points for the services they require, and to publish their own service end-point for other applications to use.

[0078] Network Information Services (NIS) 316 may provide applications 220 with low-level network information pertaining to a network service instance or one or more PDU sessions, for example. For example, the information provided by NIS 316 may be used by an application 220 to calculate and present relevant data (such as: cell-ID,location of the subscriber, cell load and throughput guidance) to session, access and policy control functions. For example, in 5GC there are SMF, AMF 0, any or all of which may themselves be implemented by applications 220 executing in respective VMs 310 or containers 311 .

[0079] A Traffic Off-Load Function (TOF) service 318 may prioritize traffic, and route selected, policy-based, data streams to and from applications 220.

[0080] Systems and methods are disclosed herein that provide connection robustness and route assistance for an autonomous vehicle (AV). The system comprises: an AV assist system configured to send assistant data to the AV; and a modem unit associated with the AV. The modem unit includes a connection arbitrator configured to: detect first access networks available for communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system; when at least one first access network is detected, select a preferred one of the detected first access networks, and communicate with the AV assist system using the selected first access network; and when at least one first access network is not detected, establish an ad hoc network connection and send an alarm message to the AV assist system using the ad hoc network connection. When the AV assist system communicates with the modem unit via the selected access network, the assistant data comprises AV route data indicative of an optimum route computed by the AV assist system. When the AV assist system receives the alarm message from the modem unit, the assistant data comprises information of an alternate access network that the modem unit can use.

[0081] In some embodiments, the AV assist system comprises: a cloud based backend system configured to handle non-time-critical processes; and an edge intelligence system configured to handle time-critical processes. The non-time critical processes may comprise any one or more of: subscriber login; infotainment services; and map data updates. The time critical processes may comprise any one or more of: optimum route computation; and alarm processing.

[0082] In some embodiments, the optimum route computed by the AV assist system is based at least in part on coverage of first access networks along the computed optimum route.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first access networks comprise one or more relatively low cost access networks having sufficient performance to support communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system. The alternate access networks may comprise relatively higher cost access networks having sufficient performance to enable transmission of at least the alarm message by the modem unit. The alternate access networks may comprise any one or more of: a satellite-based network; a drone-based access network; and an ad hoc networks. The ad hoc network may comprise any one or more of: a sidelink to a user equipment accessible by the modem unit; a sidelink to the respective modem unit of another AV; and a sidelink to a road side unit (RSU).

[0084] In some embodiments, the modem unit is responsive to an alarm message received from the respective modem unit of another AV via the ad hoc network, to forward the received alarm message to the AV Assist system.

[0085] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is responsive to the alarm message to select one alternate access network, and initiate a connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network.

[0086] In some embodiments, the selected alternate access network is a dronebased network, and wherein initiating the connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network comprises directing a drone access point of the drone-based network to an estimated location region of the AV.

[0087] In some embodiments, the estimated location region of the AV comprises either one of a last known location of the AV and a dead-reckoning location calculated based on the last known location, speed and route of the AV.

[0088] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is further configured to receive data relevant to the AV and send AV route data to the AV.

[0089] In some embodiments, the AV assist system sends the route update information to a service provider, e.g. a Map Provider, in an agreed format, so that, the Map Provider can update its real time high-definition (HD) map.

[0090] In some embodiments, the data relevant to the AV comprises at least one of:• AV telemetry data transmitted by the modem unit;• network status data indicative of a status of a communications network associated with each first access network and each alternate access network along the computed optimum route of the AV;• real-time road data indicative of at least network resources available to autonomous vehicles traversing each one of a plurality of roads or road segments;• planned route data of the AV.

[0091] In some embodiments, the AV telemetry data indicates: a position, direction and speed of the AV; current access network and network connectivity status.

[0092] In some embodiments, the network status data indicates, for each first access network and each alternate access network, a respective capacity and latency.

[0093] In some embodiments, the real-time road data comprises, for each road or road segment, data indicative of any one or more of: first access networks accessible to AVs; and alternate access network accessible to AVs.

[0094] In some embodiments, the planned route data of the AV comprises userinput data identifying at least a destination.

[0095] In some embodiments, the AV route data sent by the AV assist system to the AV comprises data identifying the optimum route computed by the AV assist system, the optimum route being computed at least in part based on the real-time road data to provide reliable communication between the modem unit and the AV assist server along the identified optimum route.

[0096] In some embodiments, the AV assist system is further configured to send the real-time road data to a map provider service, and receive updated map data from the map provider service.

[0097] In this disclosure, a system and method for reliable and redundant network connectivity for an AV is provided. This ensures that an AV always has network connectivity using different network connectivity mechanisms. The AV connectivity is made reliable by leveraging:Multiple network carrier connections;• Redundant proxy via Road-Side Unit (RSU) that is not part of the operators’ network;• Using connectivity services from other vehicles, mobile devices (e.g., phones from customers, pedestrians, etc.) by creating ad hoc hotspot;• Use ad hoc aerial networks - deploy drone(s) to assist an AV with network connection problem

[0098] A further aspect of the disclosure provides an edge intelligence system that provides real-time route assistance to vehicles. The system consists of:• An AV-assist system at the edge of the network that has access to AV telemetry data (position, network connectivity status, surrounding environment info, etc.), global net status info, real-time road and weather info, AV route data• The system analyzes all these data using ML algorithms and sends a routing update to the AV that will help it to reach its destination safely in a shorter time• The routing update proposes routes along paths with highly reliable network coverage and reduced delays• The system can also deploy drones to assist an AV that has limited or no network connectivity

[0099] Another added value that the system can provide is to send map updates to map providers who can use this information to update their real-time HD maps.

[0100] The systems and method described in this disclosure provides• Methods for providing redundant network connectivity for the AV to the backend using ad hoc networks composed of - BLE, WiFi networks, terrestrial cellular networks and aerial networks. In situations where the AV is not able to create any ad hoc network, it will use non-terrestrial networks (NTN) such as a satellite connection to connect to the AV backend; and• An AV assistance system that may include an edge intelligence service and an AV backend system.

[0101] In general terms, the edge intelligence service handles time-critical functions to assist the AV. For example, the edge intelligence service may use machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze telemetry data of the AV (e.g., position, network connectivity status, surrounding environment info, etc.), AV route data, global network status info along the route, real-time road and weather info, etc., and sends route updates to the AV with best network connectivity and with minimum hazards along the calculated route.

[0102] Conversely, AV backend system may handle non-time critical functions. For example, the AV backend system may send map update information to one or more map providers so that they can update their maps with real time road information.

[0103] The system described in the present disclosure may provide one or more of the following benefits:• Allows the AV to maintain its connectivity even when the networks that it’s subscribed to fail.• Enables an AV in a coverage hole or without any network connection to establish network connectivity using an ad hoc network such as the user equipment of a passenger or a nearby pedestrian, road-side unit, drone or satellite. Using this ad hoc network the AV can inform the backend customer service about its status and help can dispatched accordingly.

[0104] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system 400 for connection robustness and route assistance for AVs in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The illustrated system 400 contains four main sub-systems, namely: an AV 402, an AV Assist System 404; one or more RANs 102; a Cloud platform 406; and one or more Ad hoc networks 408. The one or more RANs 102 will normally provide the best communications performance in terms of comparatively higher data throughput and relatively lower cost. As such, these RANs 102 may be referred to as primary or preferred networks, and will provide the preferred choice for network connectivity. In contrast, one or more ad hoc networks 408 will commonly provide lower data throughput and relatively higher cost than the RANs 102, but may offer superior local coverage. Accordingly, the ad hoc networks 408 may be referred to as secondary or “alternative” networks.

[0105] The AV 402 includes the self-driving system (SDS) 430 which implements the automated control of the vehicle, and a modem unit 410 that supports communications between the AV (e.g. the SDS) and the AV Assist System 404. The modem unit 410, which may also be referred to as a telematic control unit (TCU), is responsible for connecting the vehicle to different networks.

[0106] FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a representative modem usable in embodiments of the system of FIG. 4. The illustrated modem unit 410 includes a Connection Arbitrator 500 and a set of transceivers 502A-F for Satellite communication, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultra-wideband (UWB), WiFi, Vehicle-to- Vehicle (V2V) and NR / LTE. More, or fewer transceivers 502 may be implemented in the modem unit 410, as desired. Preferably, the NR / LTE transceiver 502F is provided with multiple Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) 504 thereby enabling the modem unit 410 to connect to any of a corresponding plurality of different RANs 102. In the example of FIG. 5, all of the transceivers 502 are encompassed within a single modem unit 410. However, it will be appreciated that the modem 410 can be constructed of multiple electronic control modules (ECMs), any or all of which may be implemented as a computing device 202 as described above.

[0107] The Connection Arbitrator 500 operates to control the transceivers 502 to detect available networks to which the modem unit 410 can connect, and to establish communication with the AV Assist system 404 via a preferred one of the detected available networks. This operation will be described in greater detail below.

[0108] Referring back to FIG. 4, the AV Assist System 404 provides network-based support for the AV 402. In broad terms, the AV Assist System 404 operates to receive data relevant to the AV, and send AV route data to the AV. The data relevant to the AV may include at least one of: AV telemetry data; network status data; real-time road data; and planned route data of the AV.

[0109] The AV telemetry data is transmitted to the AV Assist System 404 by the modem unit 410. Typically, the AV telemetry data will include data indicative of a position, direction and speed of the AV 402 in a manner known in the art. In accordance with the present description, the AV telemetry data also includes an identifier indicating a current RAN 102 to which the modem unit 410 is connected, andan indicator of the network connectivity status such as, for example, a performance indicator of the identified current RAN 102 to which the modem unit 410 is connected. This performance indicator may take any convenient form such as, for example, an indicator of a channel data transmission bandwidth, a measured block error rate, a measured signal to noise and interference ratio (SI NR), or a channel latency.

[0110] The network status data received by the AV assist system 404 indicates a status of a communications network associated with each primary access network and each alternate access network within a region in which the AV 402 is operating. This data may, for example, include an indication of congestion of a particular network, and may be used to assist the connection arbitrator 500 to select a preferred one of its detected available networks.

[0111] The real-time road data is indicative of at least network resources (such as RANs 102 and ad hoc networks 408, for example) available to autonomous vehicles traversing each one of a plurality of roads or road segments.

[0112] The planned route data of the AV 402 comprises user-input selections of departure and destination points, and possibly also an indication of user preferences regarding routs to follow.

[0113] Based at least in part on the AV telemetry data received from the modem unit 410, the AV Assist System 404 can provide various support functions, such as, for example, subscriber login; infotainment services; and map data updates.

[0114] The network status data, real-time road data and planned route data can be used to compute and update an optimum route for the AV 402, as will be described in greater detail below.

[0115] In the illustrated embodiment, the AV Assist System 404 includes an AV backend system 412 and an edge analytics system 414. In general terms, the AV Assist System 404 may be implemented in any one or more of a RAN 102, the core network 114 or the cloud system 406.

[0116] The AV backend system 412 provides support functions that may be referred to as being non-time-critical, in that a round-trip delay of up to several seconds (for example between transmission of AV telemetry data by the modem 410and receipt of a corresponding assistance data from the AV assist system 404) is unlikely to negatively impact safe operation of the AV 402. Example non-time-critical support functions include, for example, subscriber login, infotainment services, and map data updates. The AV backend system 412 may, for example, be implemented as one or more apps 220 executing in a computing device 202 or in a virtualized architecture 300 instantiated in the cloud system 406.

[0117] The edge analytics system 414 provides support functions that may be referred to as being time-critical, in that a round-trip delay of more than a few hundred milliseconds will likely negatively impact safe operation of the AV 402. Example time- critical support functions include, for example, updated optimum route computation and alarm processing. The edge analytics system 414 may, for example, be implemented as one or more apps 220 executing in a computing device 202 that is co-located with a base station 104. This solution places the edge analytics as close as possible to the modem unit 410 and thereby minimizes transmission delays. Alternatively, the edge analytics system 414 may, for example, be instantiated within the core network 114, which may have an advantage in simplifying AV handover procedures between neighboring cells 108 of the RAN 102. A similar benefit may be obtained by instantiating the edge analytics system 414 in he cloud system 406, but this may result in greater separation between the modem unit 410 and the edge analytics system 414 and consequent undesirable round trip delays.

[0118] In some embodiments, the optimum route computed by the AV assist system is based at least in part on coverage of first access networks along the computed optimum route.

[0119] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating representative operations of the AV Assist System 404 in greater detail. As described above, the illustrated AV Assist System 404 includes an AV Backend 412 for handling non-time critical support functions, and an Edge Analytics System 414 for handling time critical support functions. The AV Backend 412 may be instantiated in the cloud system 406, while Edge Analytics System 414 may be instantiated in a RAN 102 or the core network 114. The assist system 404 has receives AV telemetry data 600 transmitted by the modem unit 410, network status info pertaining to RAN 102 covering the region in which the AV 402 is located, real-time road and weather info, and AV route data describing adesired route of the AV 402, such as a destination and a route desired by a user of the AV 402. The AV Assist System 404 analyzes all these data (for example using ML algorithms) and sends AV Assist data 602 to the Modem unit 410.

[0120] When the modem unit 410 is connected to the AV Assist system 404 via a primary access network, the AV Assist data may comprise updated route information defining an optimum route computed by the AV Assist system 404. Preferably, the computed optimum route takes into account the performance of primary access networks so that the modem unit 410 is provided with highly reliable network coverage as it moves towards its destination.

[0121] Conversely, when the modem unit 410 is connected to the AV Assist system 404 via an alternate (e.g. an Ad Hoc) network, the AV telemetry data 600 transmitted by the modem unit 410 may consist of an alarm message, and the AV Assist data may comprise information of alternate networks that the modem unit 410 can use. The AV Assist System 404 may also send AV location data 604 to a drone control system 606, which may be instantiated in the cloud system 406. In response to the AV location data 604, the drone control system 606 may deploy one or more drones to provide ad hoc connectivity to the AV 402. The AV location data 606 may include an estimated location of the AV 402, which may include a last known location of the AV 402 and / or a dead-reckoning location calculated based on the last known location of the AV 402 in combination with the last known speed and direction of the AV 402.

[0122] The cloud system 406 is used to provide non-time-critical support functions to the AV 402. Example non-time-critical support functions include:• The AV operator backend 412 which enables an AV operator to monitor, communicate, and manage its AV fleet.• The Drone Control System 606, which provides a central command system to manage and deploy drones to assist AVs that lack wireless connectivity.• A Map provider 608, which provides a the backend platform for map providers to receive and aggregate real-time map update data 610 the AV assist systems 404 supporting multiple AVs 402. Based at least in parton the aggregated map update data 610, the Map provider 608 can send real-time map updates to each AV 402 and / or their respective AV assist systems 404.• Geographical Network Coverage 612, which aggregates information indicating the network coverage provided by various operators along each road or road segment in a region in which the AV 402 is operating. This information enables the AV assist system 404 to determine the network coverage available along the current route of the AV and all the potential routes that the AV can take for the current ride.• Network Traffic Information 614, which accumulates data regarding traffic load in network nodes covering each road or road segment along the route of the AV (and all the potential routes that the AV can take for the current ride). The load may be calculated per operator that the AV 402 (or its user) is subscribed to, and used to help select a preferred access network for the modem unit 410 to connect to the AV assist system 404.• Road Traffic Information 616, which accumulates the real-time road traffic information on each road or road segment along the current route and all the potential routes that the AV can take for the current ride. His information can be used by the edge analytics system 414 to compute an optimum route that avoids delays due to road congestion.• Satellite Transceiver 618, which enables the Cloud system 406 to connect with the AV modem unit 410 via a Satellite (130).• Weather Information 620, which provides live weather information for the region in which the AV 402 is operating. This information can be used by the edge analytics system 404 to predict future road conditions along the current route of the AV 402, and compute an updated optimum route taking the predicted road conditions into account.

[0123] It should be understood that the foregoing list of non-time-critical functions is by way of example only. Additional and / or different non-time-critical functions may be implemented in the cloud system 406, as desired, without departing from the intended scope of the claims.

[0124] Referring back to FIG. 4, Ad Hoc networks 408 can be used as an alternate access network via which the modem unit 410 can connect to the AV assist system 404. It is expected that these alternate access networks will have higher cost and / or lower performance than the primary access networks, which are represented by the RANs 102. However, they have an advantage that they may offer at least limited connectivity in RAN coverage “holes” where the modem unit 410 is unable to establish a connection with a RAN 102.

[0125] Example Ad Hoc networks 408 include:• Road-side unit (RSU) Network 416: An access network comprising roadside transceiver units distributed along roadway. It allows the core network 114 to communicate with the AV modem unit 410 via, for example, WLAN signaling and after a successful authentication and authorization can provide network connectivity to the vehicle. This is via V2I (Vehicle-to-lnfrastructure) communication.• Drones 418: Drones equipped with a transceiver unit can be deployed by the Drone Control System and provide a radio link that the modem unit 410 can use to connect to the AV assist system 404.• Other vehicles 420: The AV modem unit 410 can establish a V2V (Vehicle-to-vehicle) communication channel with a nearby vehicle and request a relay service to enable at least limited connectivity with the AV assist system 404.• Customer / pedestrian mobile devices 422: The AV modem unit 410 can communicate with any nearby mobile devices such as a passenger or a pedestrian device to request a relay service to enable at least limited connectivity with the AV assist system 404.• Satellite Network 424: When equipped with a suitable satellite transceiver 502A, the AV modem unit 410 can establish a communication channel to enable at least limited connectivity with the AV assist system 404, for example when other terrestrial communication links are not available.

[0126] FIG. 7 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method for establishing a connection between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404via the RAN(s) 102 and core network(s) 114. The illustrated method describes how a vehicle uses the Connection Arbitrator 500 to continuously checks the connectivity to the networks that it is subscribed to. It is to be noted that only one of the networks is ‘active’ at a certain instance of time and all other are used as backup connections. It is the responsibility of the Connection Arbitrator 500 to select the most suitable connection as described below. Example steps that the Connection Arbitrator 500 follows to select a primary access network at a given instance of time include:

[0127] Step 1 (700): The connection arbitrator 500 receives a network connection request, for example from the SDS 430.

[0128] Step 2 (702): The connection arbitrator 500 sends a connection check request to the SIM-1.

[0129] Step 3 (704): Responsive to the connection check request, the modem 410 controls the LTE / NR transceiver 502F to check connectivity through RAN 102 to the core network 114 for operator 1 , who is associated with SIM-1 . The core network 114 for operator 1 may also check for connectivity to the AV backend system 412.

[0130] Step 4 (706): The connection arbitrator 500 receives connection feedback from the operator 1 .

[0131] Steps 2-4 are repeated for each operator core network associated with the SIMs 504. Thus, for example, for the N-th SIM 504 (SIM-N):

[0132] Step 5 (708): The connection arbitrator 500 sends a connection check request to the SIM-N.

[0133] Step 6 (710): Responsive to the connection check request, the modem 410 controls the LTE / NR transceiver 502F to check connectivity through RANs 102 to the core network 114 for operator N, who is associated with SIM-N. The core network 114 for operator N may also check for connectivity to the AV backend system 412.

[0134] Step 7 (712): The connection arbitrator 500 receives connection feedback from the operator N.

[0135] Step 8 (714): The connection arbitrator 500 processes the respective connection feedback received from each operator network and selects the best network for connecting to the AV backend 412 (or, more generally, to the AV assistsystem 404). For example, the selection of the best network may be based on a cost function that takes into account the QoS and charging rate for each operator. The connection arbitrator may use a utility function to select an operator. The cost function may have the form:Where Cop-xis the cost function for operator “x” ; “w1” ... “w4” are weighting factors; “delay” is a measured round-trip delay; “throughput” is a measured data rate between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404; “charging rate” is a cost of the service offered by the operator “x” and “net_cov_coeff” indicates the probability of having an acceptable network coverage along the current planned route of the AV 402.

[0136] Using this cost function, the connection arbitrator 500 may select the preferred network for connecting to the AV assist system 404 as the network having the lowest cost Cop-x.

[0137] The network coverage coefficient “net_cov_coeff’ can be inferred from analyzing the geographical network coverage data 612, along with historical network coverage and outage data for an operator, for example using a time-series machine learning model.

[0138] The weighting factors “w1” ... “w4” may be manually set or there may be a feedback loop from the AV backend system 412 to update the weights.

[0139] Preferably, the selection of the preferred network also considers the coverage overlap. For example, in a Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) set-up, one RAN 102 provides access to the respective core networks 114 of multiple operators. Each operator runs its own core network 114, but the RAN 102, including carrier signals, is the same for all of the operators. In such a case, the benefit of switching operator via a different SIM to achieve a better cellular coverage may not be realized.

[0140] Step 9 (716): Once the preferred network has been selected, the connection arbitrator 500 sends a connection establish request to the SIM 504associated with the selected network. In the illustrated example, the selected network is associated with SIM-N.

[0141] Step 10 (718): Responsive to the connection establish request, the modem 410 controls the LTE / NR transceiver 502F to send a corresponding connection establish request to the appropriate core network 114 using SIM-N.

[0142] Step 11 (720): The operator’s core network 114 processes the connection establish request from the modem unit 410 to authenticate the SIM-N and authorize communication between the modem unit 410 and the AV backend system 412 via the operator’s core network 114.

[0143] Step 12 (722): Upon successful completion of the authentication and authorization process, the operator’s core network 114 returns a connection establishment response message to the modem unit 410.

[0144] Step 13 (724): The modem unit 410 returns a connection establishment response message to the connection arbitrator 500.

[0145] Step 14 (726): The connection arbitrator 500 returns a connection establishment response message, for example to the SDS 430.

[0146] In some embodiments, the connection arbitrator 500 continuously (e.g. repeatedly at predetermined intervals) checks the performance of the available networks (steps 2-7) and selects a new preferred network (step 8). By this means the connection arbitrator can maintain the best possible connection to the AV backend system 412 as the vehicle 402 progresses toward its destination.

[0147] FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method for establishing a connection between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404 via an ad-hoc network 408. An ad hoc network provides an alternate network connection when no primary access networks (e.g. RAN 102) are available. In most cases, an alternate network connection is expected to have relatively low performance, and thus will not support all of the AV support services that can be supported by the primary access networks. In fact, some alternate network connections may only support transmission of an alarm message by the modem unit 401 to notify the AV backend system that a usable network connection has been lost. On the other hand,some alternate network connections (such as satellite network 424, for example) may provide a relatively high performance connection between the modem unit 410 and the AV assist system 404, but will generally be more expensive than a primary access network. Example steps that the Connection Arbitrator 500 follows to select alternate access network include:

[0148] Step 1 , 800: The connection arbitrator 500 sends connection check requests and receives corresponding responses from the primary access networks as described above with reference to FIG. 7 at 702-707.

[0149] Step 2, 802: The connection arbitrator 500 processes the respective connection feedback received from each operator network and detect that none of the RANs 102 are available for connecting to the AV backend 412 (or, more generally, to the AV assist system 404).

[0150] In response to the detected primary access network failure, the connection arbitrator 500 will attempt to establish a secondary access network connection to the AV backend system 412. In general, this requires the connection arbitrator 500 to send ad hoc connection setup request messages to one or more nearby devices (e.g., a smart devices 420 of a passenger of the AV 402 or nearby pedestrians, a Roadside unit 416 or a nearby vehicle 420) to request the neighbor device to set up the ad hoc network connection and relay messages between the modem unit 410 and the AV backend system 412. For example, the connection arbitrator 500 may select each nearby device based on any suitable criteria and / or in an order that is preconfigured by the AV operator. For example, there may be financial or other incentives for the devices that participate in the ad hoc network. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, this process of setting up an ad hoc connection is represented by a process of setting up an ad hoc connection to a roadside unit 416.

[0151] Step 3, 804: The connection arbitrator 500 selects a nearby device, in this example a roadside device 416.

[0152] Step 4, 806: The connection arbitrator 500 sends an ad hoc connection setup request to the selected RSU 416 via the WiFi transceiver 502D. Alternatively, a different transceiver (such as the NR / LTE transceiver, 502F) may be used, in whichcase the ad hoc connection would be set up using NR and / or LTE based sidelink techniques.

[0153] Step 5, 808: If the RSU 416 is willing to participate in the ad hoc connection, the RSU 416 sends a corresponding ad hoc connection setup request to its RSU core network 114.

[0154] Step 6, 810: The RSU core network 114 processes the ad hoc connection setup request from the RSU 416 to authenticate the modem unit 410 and authorize communication between the modem unit 410 and the AV backend system 412 via the RSU core network 114.

[0155] Step 7 (812): Upon successful completion of the authentication and authorization process, the RSU core network 114 returns a connection establishment response message to the modem unit 410 via the RSU 416..

[0156] Following receipt of the connection establishment response message from the RSU 416, the modem 410 (or SDS 430) can begin communicating with the AV backend system 412 (or more generally the AV assist system 404) using the established Ad Hoc network connection with the RSU 416. As noted above, some Ad Hoc network connections offer relatively low network performance. In such a case, the SDS 430 may use the modem unit 410 to send an alarm message to the AV Assist System 404 to indicate that its connection to a primary access network has been lost.

[0157] In response to the alarm message, the AV backend system 412 may take various steps to attempt to restore connectivity with the modem unit 410. For example, the AV backend system 412 may identify a higher performing network that may be reachable by the modem unit 410. The AV backend system 412 can then send information about the identified higher performing network to the connection arbitrator 500, which can then attempt to establish a connection to the identified access network. For example, the AV backend system 412 may determine that a satellite network 424 may provide better performance than the current ad hoc network (e.g. via the RSU 416 as described above), and send information regarding the satellite network 424 to the connection arbitrator 500. Upon receipt of the information from the AV backend system 412, the connection arbitrator 500 can then use its satellite transceiver 502A to establish a connection to the AV backend system 412 via the satellite network 424.

[0158] In another example, the AV backend system 412 may interact with the drone control system 606 to deploy a drone 418 to the vicinity of the AV 402 , and send corresponding information about the deployed drone to the connection arbitrator 500. The drone 418 can be directed to the vicinity of the AV 402 based, for example, on an estimated location of the AV 402, which in turn may be based on the most recently received telemetry information received from the AV 402. For example, the estimated location of the AV 402 may simply correspond to the location reported by the AV in the most recently received telemetry information. Alternatively, the estimated location may be calculated based on the location, speed and direction, in combination, reported by the AV in the most recently received telemetry information. Based on the information about the deployed drone sent to the connection arbitrator 500 by the AV backend system 412, the connection arbitrator 500 can attempt to establish a connection to the AV backend system 412 via the drone 418.

[0159] In further example, the AV backend system 412 may interact with a customer service team to determine an appropriate response. For example, the customer service team may decide to dispatch a human technician to the location of the AV 402 to take control of the AV 402 and take it to a safe location for servicing.

[0160] FIG. 9 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method for preparing route update information at the AV backend system 412, and propagating the updated information throughout the system. Example steps that the AV backend system 412 follows to prepare route update information include:

[0161] Step 1 (900) : The SDS 430 provides the AV position and route information to the AV backend system 414.

[0162] Step 2 (902) :The AV backend system 414 sends the position and route information receipt confirmation to the AV 402.

[0163] Step 3 (904) : By analyzing the network coverage information, network traffic load status, road traffic status along the route, the weather information and other information, the AV backend system 414 checks if a better route is available for the AV 402.

[0164] Step 4 (906) : The AV backend system 414 sends the route update to the AV 402.

[0165] Step 5 (908) :The AV 402 accepts or rejects the route update which might also be influenced by the customer on-board. For example, the AV might notify the customer of the updated route and the customer either decides to accept or reject the route update. The AV sends the accept / reject notification to the AV backend system 414.

[0166] Step 6 (910) : Based on feedback from the AV 402, the AV backend system 414 updates the vehicle position and route (if there was any change).

[0167] Step 7 (912) : The AV backend system 414 sends a position and route update to the AV-assist Drone Control Platform 606.

[0168] Step 8 (914) : The AV-assist Drone Control Platform 606 updates its drone deployment (if needed) along the route of the AV.

[0169] Step 9 (916) : The AV backend system 414 sends the AV position and route update to the AV cloud backend 412.

[0170] Step 10 (918) : The AV Cloud Backend 412 sends map update information to the Map Provider 608.

[0171] FIGs. 10A and 10B show a flow diagram illustrating an overall operation of the system according to at least some embodiments. In the illustrated flow diagram, there are two interacting flow diagrams: one for the Autonomous Vehicle (FIG. 10A) and the other for the Cloud Autonomous vehicle Backend (FIG. 10B).

[0172] Referring to FIG. 10A, the Autonomous Vehicle flow starts (at 1000) when the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) receives the ride instructions to pick up its passengers. The AV executes on the instruction received (at 1002) by starting in L3 mode. Once the AV acquires its first connection (at 1004), the AV transits to L5 mode (at 1006) and begins to travel its route (at 1008). During this time, the AV continuously monitors its network connection. If there is no connectivity lost (1010), the AV continues (1012) to travel its route.

[0173] If network connectivity is lost (1010) the AV attempts to determine a backup network (1014) and how to acquire it. If connectivity with the backup network is established, the AV may switch to the backup network (at 1016), and continue travelling its route using the new network connection.

[0174] On the other hand, if the AV (at 1014) determines there is no backup network, the AV searches (at 1018) for a Road Side Unit (RSU) in its vicinity. If the AV finds a reachable RSU (at 1020), it connects to the RSU network in (at 1026) and sends a distress signal to inform the AV backend of its network failure and continues in L5 automatic driving mode.

[0175] If the AV determines (at 1020) there is no reachable RSU, it searches (at 1022) for any other reachable AVs willing to share its connection. If a network connection is sharable by a neighbor AV, the AV connects (at 1026) to the network via the neighbor AV and sends a distress signal to inform the AV backend. However, if an AV connection cannot be established, the AV attempts (at 1024) to use the passenger’s cellular device or a pedestrian’s device to establish a network connection. If it is successful, the AV connects (at 1026) to the network via the passenger’s cellular device or a pedestrian’s device and sends a distress signal to inform the AV backend, and continues in L5 automatic driving mode.

[0176] If none of the terrestrial connections are available, the AV may search (at 1028) for a satellite connection to the network. If such a connection is found, the vehicle will attempt (at 1030) to establish a connection via the satellite. If it is successful, the AV connects (at 1026) to the network via the passenger’s cellular device or a pedestrian’s device and sends a distress signal to inform the AV backend, and continues in L5 automatic driving mode. However, if a satellite is not available or if a connection cannot be established via the satellite, the Automatic Vehicle alerts the driver (at 1032) and switches to Conditional Automation L3 mode.

[0177] The distress signal sent by the AV (at1026) is handled by the AV backend 412 as will be described below.

[0178] After the AV sends a distress signal, the connectivity to the network may not be available (or may be unreliable) and it is consequently unsafe to continue in L5 mode. Therefore, the AV alerts the driver and switches back to L3 mode (at 1002), while it attempts to acquire (at 2004) cellular network connectivity to resume L5 mode (at 1006).

[0179] FIG. 10B illustrates an example flow diagram implemented in the Autonomous Vehicle backend 412. The flow starts (1050) upon system in service.The backend 412 monitors (at 1052) for a distress signal from the AV and continues in that state. If it receives a distress signal, the backend 412 determines (at 1054) whether or not dispatching a drone for the emergency is warranted. If no drone can be deployed, an alert is issued (at 1056). If a drone can be deployed, the backend 412 informs (at 1058) the Drone Control System 606 to deploy a drone to assist the AV.

[0180] The Drone Control System 606 commands (at 1060) the drone to travel to the location of AV. As described above, the dispatched drone provides a network repeater that the AV may use (at 1062) to connect back to the network and enables the AV to resume acquisition of the network (at 1004, FIG. 10A).

[0181] The drone continues to monitor whether the AV has acquired to a static network and its temporary service is no longer required (at 1064). If it is the case, the drone determines it is mission accomplished and it heads back to the base (at 1066)

[0182] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing an example process for updating AV route information.

[0183] In the example of FIG. 11 , the left-side flow diagram is implemented in the Autonomous vehicle 402, the middle flow is implemented in the AV-assist system 404, and the right-side flow is implemented in the cloud AV backend 412.

[0184] The flow starts (at 1100) when the AV 402 receives the ride instructions to pick up its passengers. Meanwhile the AV-assist system 404 starts (at 1102) and Cloud AV backend 412 starts (at 1104)

[0185] The AV-assist System Flow: While the AV travels enroute, the AV-assist system 404 monitors (at 1106) for updated information related to network connection status, road traffic status, weather etc and uses the updated information to compute (at 1108) an alternate route for the AV. If the computed alternate route is better than the AV’s current route (1110), the AV-assist system 412 sends (at 1112) a route update to the AV 402.

[0186] The AV Flow: While the AV travels enroute (1120), the AV monitors (at 1122) to receive route updates from the AV-assist system 412. Following receipt of a route update, the AV decides (at 1124) whether or not it should accept the updated route. If the AV decides to accept the route update, the AV sends (at 1126) anacceptance message to the AV-assist system 404, which updates (at 1128) the current route in its state machine and sends a corresponding update message to the AV backend 412.

[0187] The AV backend Flow: The AV backend 412 monitors (at 1140) for AV route update messages from the AV assist system. If a route update is received (at 1142), the AV backend updates (at 1144) the Drone control system 606. In addition, if the route update satisfies a trigger condition indicating a need to send a map update to the map provider 608, then the AV backend send the applicable map update (at 1148). Once this is completed, the AV backend continues (at 1140) to monitor for the next route update.

[0188] While processes in the figures may show a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that such order is representative, and that alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.

[0189] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

Claims1. A system for connection robustness and route assistance for an autonomous vehicle (AV), the system comprising: an AV assist system configured to send assistant data to the AV; and a modem unit associated with the AV, the modem unit including a connection arbitrator configured to: detect first access networks available for communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system; when at least one first access network is detected, select a preferred one of the detected first access networks, and communicate with the AV assist system using the selected first access network; when the AV assist system communicates with the modem unit via the selected access network, the assistant data comprises AV route data indicative of an optimum route computed by the AV assist system;2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the connection arbitrator is further configured to, when at least one first access network is not detected, establish an ad hoc network connection and send an alarm message to the AV assist system using the ad hoc network connection;3. The system of claim 2, wherein when the AV assist system receives the alarm message from the modem unit, the assistant data comprises information of an alternate access network that the modem unit can use.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the AV assist system comprises: a backend system configured to handle non-time-critical processes; and an edge analytics system configured to handle time-critical processes.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the non-time critical processes comprise any one or more of: subscriber login; infotainment services; and map data updates.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the time critical processes comprise any one or more of: optimum route computation; and alarm processing.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optimum route computed by the AV assist system is based at least in part on coverage of first access networks along the computed optimum route.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first access networks comprise one or more relatively low cost access networks having sufficient performance to support communication between the modem unit and the AV assist system9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the alternate access networks comprise relatively higher cost access networks having sufficient performance to enable transmission of at least the alarm message by the modem unit.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the alternate access networks comprise any one or more of: a satellite-based network; a drone-based access network; and an ad hoc networks.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the ad hoc network comprises any one or more of: a sidelink to a user equipment accessible by the modem unit; a sidelink to the respective modem unit of another AV; and a sidelink to a road side unit (RSU).

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the modem unit is responsive to an alarm message received from the respective modem unit of another AV via the ad hoc network, to forward the received alarm message to the AV Assist system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the AV assist system is responsive to the alarm message to select an alternate access network, and initiate a connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the selected alternate access network is a drone-based network, and wherein initiating the connection to the modem unit using the selected alternate access network comprises directing a drone access point of the drone-based network to an estimated location region of the AV.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the estimated location region of the AV comprises either one of a last known location of the AV and a dead-reckoning location calculated based on the last known location, speed and route of the AV.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the AV assist system is further configured to receive data relevant to the AV and send AV route data to the AV.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the AV assist system is further configured to send the route update information to a Map Provider.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the data relevant to the AV comprises at least one of:AV telemetry data transmitted by the modem unit; network status data indicative of a status of a communications network associated with each first access network and each alternate access network along the computed optimum route of the AV; real-time road data indicative of at least network resources available to autonomous vehicles traversing each one of a plurality of roads or road segments; planned route data of the AV.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the AV telemetry data indicates: a position, direction and speed of the AV; current access network and network connectivity status.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the network status data indicates, for each first access network and each alternate access network, a respective capacity and latency.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the real-time road data comprises, for each road or road segment, data indicative of any one or more of: first access networks accessible to AVs; and alternate access network accessible to AVs.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the planned route data of the AV comprises user-input data identifying at least a destination.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the AV route data sent by the AV assist system to the AV comprises data identifying the optimum route computed by the AV assist system, the optimum route being computed at least in part based on the real-time road data to provide reliable communication between the modem unit and the AV assist server along the identified optimum route.

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