UAV Communication Cells for Low-Latency V2V Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current V2X communication systems face limitations in operating range and latency, particularly in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, which can lead to delayed reactions to driving conditions and increased risk of accidents due to reliance on short-range wireless communications and wireless carrier networks, which often result in undesirable latency and network congestion.
Innovation Solution
Deployment of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication cells attached to base stations or mobile edge computing (MEC) nodes to provide ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) by processing vehicle movement data locally, reducing the need for core network involvement and enabling direct vehicle guidance instruction dissemination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If wireless carrier networks with core network and multiple base stations are used for V2X communication, then the number of vehicles able to exchange data and access centralized data centers is greatly expanded, but communication latency increases to as long as ten milliseconds or more due to routing through core network and base stations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the data processing function from the centralized core network and relocates it to distributed MEC nodes positioned at the edge of the network closer to vehicles. This allows vehicles to exchange data with expanded coverage while reducing latency by processing data locally at MEC nodes rather than routing through the core network, achieving both large-scale vehicle connectivity and low-latency communication for autonomous driving applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces MEC nodes as intermediary components between vehicles and the core network. These MEC nodes serve as local processing centers that receive vehicle data, perform processing operations, and generate control commands without requiring communication to traverse the entire core network path, thereby reducing latency while maintaining expanded vehicle connectivity through the wireless carrier network infrastructure
2Loss of time
If short-range wireless communication is used for V2V communication, then communication latency is reduced, but the operating range is limited and vehicles cannot obtain sufficient information regarding events outside the immediate vicinity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the operating range of V2V communication by introducing a vertical dimension through UAV-based MEC nodes positioned in the air space above the vehicle network. These aerial MEC nodes provide three-dimensional coverage that transcends the limited horizontal range of ground-based short-range wireless communication, enabling vehicles to receive data from distant events while maintaining low latency through direct wireless links to the elevated processing nodes
3Loss of information
If wireless carrier networks are used for V2X communication, then access to centralized data centers is provided, but network congestion at base stations causes further delay in routing communication data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized data processing function into distributed MEC nodes positioned at multiple locations within the wireless network. Each MEC node handles local data processing independently, reducing the burden on centralized data centers and eliminating network congestion at base stations. This segmentation allows vehicles to access processing capabilities locally while maintaining connectivity to centralized resources when needed, significantly reducing routing delays
Data Source
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AI summary
The use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication cells in conjunction with MEC nodes may provide low-latency processing of vehicle movement data to generate vehicle guidance instructions for vehicles. Vehicle movement data of vehicles are received at a base station of a wireless carrier network from a UAV communication cell that is attached to the base station. The base station sends the vehicle movement data to a mobile edge computing (MEC) node that directly communicates with the base station so that the MEC node generates vehicle guidance instructions. The vehicle guidance instructions are then received by the base station from the MEC node. In turn, the base station sends the vehicle guidance instructions to the UAV communication cell for broadcasting to vehicles.