Vehicle Relay Messaging for Autonomous Data Coverage Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles may not receive critical information such as traffic data or safety hazard information if they are outside the service area of a cellular connection provider or do not subscribe to the provider's service, leading to potential safety hazards on the road.
Innovation Solution
A system where a first autonomous vehicle receives information from a base station and relays it to other vehicles within its direct communication range, using LTE multicast and PC5 interfaces, allowing vehicles outside the provider's service area to access necessary data without a cellular subscription.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous vehicles use cellular connection services to receive information, then they can access traffic data and safety hazard information, but vehicles outside service areas or without subscriptions cannot receive this critical information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces relay vehicles as intermediary nodes that receive information from base stations and forward it to other vehicles via direct communications interfaces. This mediator approach allows information to reach vehicles outside traditional cellular service areas, resolving the contradiction between reliable information delivery and service coverage range.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the information delivery function into multiple hops: base station to relay vehicle, then relay vehicle to target vehicles. This segmentation enables the system to extend coverage beyond the base station's direct service area while maintaining information reliability through the relay mechanism.
2Reliability
If base stations transmit information directly to all autonomous vehicles, then all vehicles can receive information reliably, but network resources are consumed inefficiently for vehicles outside service areas
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attempting to transmit information to all possible vehicles, the system takes partial action by transmitting only to relay vehicles within service areas. The relay vehicles then propagate the information further, reducing network resource consumption while maintaining delivery reliability for the broader vehicle population.
Solution Approach 2:
Relay vehicles serve as intermediaries that receive information from base stations and forward it to other vehicles. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for base stations to directly transmit to all vehicles, significantly reducing network resource consumption while maintaining reliable delivery.
3Adaptability or versatility
If autonomous vehicles outside service areas use direct communications interfaces to receive information, then data availability expands beyond service areas, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
Relay vehicles receive and forward copies of information from base stations to other vehicles. This copying mechanism allows vehicles outside service areas to access information without requiring complex direct communication protocols between base stations and distant vehicles, thus expanding coverage while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay vehicle intermediary simplifies the communication architecture by handling protocol translation and information forwarding, reducing the complexity burden on end vehicles while enabling expanded service coverage through direct communications interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A device receives a first message indicating that a base station transmitted content relating to vehicle operation to a telemetry device associated with a first vehicle. The device processes the content to affect driving behavior of the first vehicle. The device generates a second message that includes a link to the content. The device sends the second message to a remote device, associated with a second vehicle. The device, by sending the second message to the remote device, causes the remote device to download the content via the link and send the second message to a neighbor device, associated with a third vehicle, which causes the neighbor device to download the content via the link. By downloading the content, the remote device and the neighbor device process the content to affect driving behavior of the second vehicle and the third vehicle.