Vehicle Antenna RSS Diagnostic Controller for Blockage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle communication systems, such as DSRC and C-V2X, struggle to diagnose radio failures, partial signal blockages, or antenna damage beyond simple electrical measurements, which are crucial for maintaining high message reception rates and ensuring safety-of-life applications.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic system that uses receive signal strength (RSS) measurements from remote units to detect obstacles or damage to the antenna, involving a diagnostic controller that determines a ratio of low RSS samples to total samples, triggers a diagnostic output when the ratio exceeds a threshold, and includes features like message filtering, data determination, and sorting to pinpoint issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If simple electrical measurements are used to detect antenna failures, then the detection method is simple and cost-effective, but it cannot diagnose radio failures, partial signal blockages, or partial antenna damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional electrical measurement systems with a wireless signal-based diagnostic system. Instead of using electrical tests to detect antenna failures, the system uses receive signal strength (RSS) measurements from wireless messages transmitted by remote units to diagnose antenna performance, radio failures, and signal blockages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces remote units (other vehicles) as intermediaries to perform the diagnostic measurements. These remote units transmit wireless messages that serve as test signals, allowing the subject vehicle to assess its antenna and radio performance without requiring complex test equipment.
2Measurement precision
If RSS measurements from multiple remote units are collected and analyzed, then comprehensive antenna performance characterization is achieved, but the processing complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the diagnostic data processing into distinct functional units: a remote message receiving unit for collecting messages, a data determination unit for extracting RSS values and calculating ratios, and a failure determination unit for comparing results against thresholds. This modular approach manages complexity while maintaining comprehensive analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses excessive sampling by collecting RSS measurements from multiple remote units over time, then applies a threshold-based filtering approach. By gathering more data than strictly necessary and using simple ratio comparisons, the system achieves high measurement precision without proportionally increasing processing complexity.
3Reliability
If the system triggers diagnostic outputs based on RSS ratio thresholds, then timely detection of antenna issues is achieved, but false alarms may occur due to varying transmission conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes predetermined RSS ratio thresholds in advance based on expected normal operating conditions. By pre-defining these thresholds during system design rather than determining them in real-time, the system can quickly compare measured ratios against known good ranges, reducing false alarms while maintaining timely detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A communications system for a vehicle includes an antenna mounted on a vehicle and configured to communicate with a plurality of remote units. A diagnostic controller is configured to detect obstacles or damage to the antenna. The diagnostic controller is configured to receive remote messages, measure a receive signal strength of the remote messages, and determine a ratio of low receive signal strength sample messages to total sample messages. The diagnostics controller is further configured to trigger a diagnostic output to the vehicle when the ratio is greater than a predetermined threshold.