Dynamic Network Interface Selection for Connected Cars
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Connected cars and user equipment (UE) often have independent network connections, leading to scenarios where either the car's or UE's resources are underutilized due to suboptimal selection of network interfaces for network access, with the car's hardware potentially outperforming the UE's but providing inferior network services, and vice versa.
Innovation Solution
A processor-based mechanism that evaluates conditions to declare one of the cellular links or connections as the primary network interface for both the UE and the connected car, optimizing resource utilization by selecting the best available network connection based on factors like data plan, quality, and service preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the connected car uses its own network connection for network access, then the car's hardware resources are utilized, but the network service quality may be inferior compared to the UE's network connection
Solution Approach 1:
The UE acts as an intermediary device that bridges the connected car and the network. When the car's network connection quality is insufficient, the UE receives data from the network and forwards it to the car via the direct connection between them, thereby improving network service quality while utilizing the car's hardware resources
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects between two network access paths: (1) the car's direct network connection when quality is sufficient, and (2) the UE-mediated network access when quality is insufficient. This dynamic switching optimizes both hardware utilization and network service quality based on real-time conditions
2Reliability
If the UE uses its own network connection for network access, then superior network service quality is achieved, but the connected car's hardware resources are underutilized
Solution Approach 1:
The UE serves as a mediator that enables the connected car to access the network through the UE's superior network connection while still utilizing the car's hardware resources. The car's hardware is used for the direct connection with the UE, and the UE handles the network communication, thus combining hardware utilization with superior network service quality
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the car's hardware resources with the UE's network connection capabilities. By combining the direct car-UE connection with the UE's network access, the system achieves both hardware resource utilization and superior network service quality simultaneously
3Ease of operation
If the connected car's network connection is used for both the car and UE network access, then simplicity in network access management is maintained, but resource optimization is reduced when the UE has superior network connection quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic network access management where the UE automatically evaluates the quality of the car's network connection and switches between two modes: using the car's connection directly when quality is sufficient, or using the UE's own connection when quality is insufficient. This maintains operational simplicity while optimizing resource utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The UE continuously monitors and evaluates the quality of the car's network connection, using this feedback to determine the optimal network access path. This feedback mechanism enables automatic optimization of resource utilization without complicating the network access management for the user
Data Source
AI summary
A connected car and an onboard user equipment (UE) may establish independent cellular connections and may also establish a connection between each other. The UE establishes a first cellular link between the UE and a first network, establishes a connection with a connected car, wherein the connected car has a second cellular link between the connected car and a second network, evaluates one or more conditions and declares one of the first cellular link or the connection with the connected car a primary network interface for the UE based on, at least, the one or more conditions.