Vehicle Network Access Point Selection for Coverage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle network systems face challenges in efficiently managing access points and gateway vehicles, leading to resource insufficiency and reduced communication rates due to the large number of access points, and potential interruptions when parked vehicles take on these roles.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device that decides on access-point and gateway vehicles based on vehicle information such as position and communication range, ensuring coverage and optimal resource allocation, and includes a mechanism for relay vehicles and substituting vehicles to maintain network connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If many vehicles operate as access points to provide wide coverage, then the coverage area is improved, but the number of access points increases causing resource insufficiency and reduced communication rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the network into hierarchical levels: access-point vehicles provide local Wi-Fi coverage, relay vehicles extend the network by relaying communications between access points and gateway vehicles, and gateway vehicles connect to external networks. This segmentation allows coverage expansion without proportionally increasing the number of direct access points to external networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces relay vehicles as intermediary nodes between access-point vehicles and gateway vehicles. These relay vehicles carry communications between different access points and the gateway, enabling extended coverage without requiring every access point to directly connect to external networks, thus reducing resource strain.
2Ease of operation
If vehicles are assigned fixed roles as access points or gateways, then network management is simplified, but communication interruptions occur when assigned vehicles travel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic role assignment where vehicles can change their operational status based on location and availability. When a vehicle leaves the area, the system automatically reassigns roles to other available vehicles, ensuring continuous network operation without manual intervention and maintaining both simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors vehicle locations and network conditions, providing feedback to trigger automatic role reassignment when vehicles depart or become unavailable. This feedback mechanism ensures the network adapts to changing conditions while maintaining stable operation and simplified management.
3Productivity
If parked vehicles are used for access point and gateway functions, then resource utilization is improved, but the vehicles' original functions may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic role assignment where vehicles are assigned access point or gateway functions during specific periods when they are parked and available. When vehicles need to be used for their original purposes, they can be released from these roles, allowing flexible and periodic utilization of vehicle resources without permanent compromise to any single function.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing device includes a processor that, based on vehicle information on each of vehicles parked within a specific area, decides on an access-point vehicle to execute an access point mode for providing an access point in a vehicle network including the vehicles. The vehicle information includes position information and information related to a range of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, with respect to each vehicle. The processor decides on the access-point vehicle in such a manner that the specific area is covered by the range of vehicle-to-vehicle communication by the access-point vehicle. Among the vehicles parked within the specific area, the processor decides on a gateway vehicle to execute a gateway mode for connecting the first vehicle network to a second vehicle network. The processor transmits instructions about the access point mode and the gateway mode to the access-point vehicle and the gateway vehicle, respectively.