U.S. patent application number 16/103378 was filed with the patent office on 2020-02-20 for health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles.
The applicant listed for this patent is NXP B.V.. Invention is credited to Gerardo Henricus Otto Daalderop, Johannes Martinus Bernardus Petrus Van Doorn, Han Raaijmakers, Andrei Sergeevich Terechko.
Application Number | 20200059425 16/103378 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67587417 |
Filed Date | 2020-02-20 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200059425 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Terechko; Andrei Sergeevich ;
et al. |
February 20, 2020 |
HEALTH MONITORING OF WIRELESS CONNECTIONS AMONG VEHICLES
Abstract
Certain aspects of the disclosure are directed to methods and
apparatuses for health monitoring of wireless connections among
vehicles. An example method can include receiving as input to
processing circuitry configured and arranged to monitor a health
status of wireless communications links between a plurality of
vehicles in a vehicle platoon, object information including
coordinates of stationary and moving objects, and determining,
using the received object information, a relative location of a
vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon. The
method further includes determining, based on the received object
information and the relative location of the vehicle, physical
parameters for line-of-sight wireless communications between the
vehicle and other vehicles in the vehicle platoon. The health
status of the wireless communications links can be determined
between the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon using the
physical parameters for the line-of-sight wireless
communications.
Inventors: |
Terechko; Andrei Sergeevich;
(Eindhoven, NL) ; Doorn; Johannes Martinus Bernardus
Petrus Van; (Berghem, NL) ; Daalderop; Gerardo
Henricus Otto; (Best, NL) ; Raaijmakers; Han;
(Eindhoven, NL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NXP B.V. |
Eindhoven |
|
NL |
|
|
Family ID: |
67587417 |
Appl. No.: |
16/103378 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D 1/0295 20130101;
H04L 43/0835 20130101; H04B 7/0632 20130101; H04W 4/026 20130101;
H04B 7/0691 20130101; G05D 1/0088 20130101; H04B 7/0874 20130101;
H04W 4/023 20130101; H04W 4/027 20130101; H04W 24/10 20130101; G08G
1/22 20130101; H04W 4/46 20180201 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26; H04W 4/46 20060101 H04W004/46; H04W 4/02 20060101
H04W004/02; G08G 1/00 20060101 G08G001/00; G05D 1/02 20060101
G05D001/02; G05D 1/00 20060101 G05D001/00; H04W 24/10 20060101
H04W024/10 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving as input to processing circuitry
configured and arranged to monitor a health status of wireless
communications links between a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle
platoon, object information including coordinates of stationary and
moving objects; determining, using the received object information,
a relative location of a vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in
the vehicle platoon; determining, based on the received object
information and the relative location of the vehicle, physical
parameters for line-of-sight wireless communications between the
vehicle and other vehicles in the vehicle platoon; and determining
the health status of the wireless communications links between the
plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon using the physical
parameters for the line-of-sight wireless communications.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a relative location
of a vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon
includes determining a relative position, orientation, and physical
dimensions of the vehicle.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of vehicles
in the vehicle platoon includes a plurality of antennas configured
and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the other vehicles in
the vehicle platoon using a vehicle-to-vehicle communications
protocol, the method including: identifying less than all of the
antennas as primary antennas; and generating an error signal in
response to a determination that communications packets were not
received from at least one of the primary antennas within a
threshold period of time.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of vehicles
in the vehicle platoon includes a plurality of antennas configured
and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the other vehicles in
the vehicle platoon using a vehicle-to-vehicle communications
protocol, the method including: identifying less than all of the
antennas as primary antennas and a remainder of the antennas as
secondary antennas; and determining the health status of the
wireless communications links between the plurality of vehicles
based on a percentage of packets received from the primary antennas
and the secondary antennas.
5. The method of claim 1, the method including: determining a
packet drop rate corresponding to a percentage of data packets not
received over the wireless communications links during a sampling
time; and determining the health status of the communications links
based on the packet drop rate during the sampling time.
6. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of antennas disposed on an
external surface of a first vehicle, wherein each respective
antenna is coupled to communications circuitry configured and
arranged to facilitate communication with other vehicles in a
vehicle platoon using a vehicle-to-vehicle communications protocol;
and processing circuitry configured and arranged to monitor a
health status of wireless communications links between the first
vehicle and at least one other vehicle in the vehicle platoon, by:
receiving from at least one antenna disposed on an external surface
of a second vehicle in the vehicle platoon, object information
including coordinates of stationary and moving objects within a
threshold distance of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;
determining, using the received object information, a position and
orientation of the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle;
identifying at least one of the plurality of antennas of the second
vehicle as a primary antenna, based on the position and orientation
of the second vehicle; and determining the health status of the
wireless communications links between the first vehicle and the
second vehicle based on packets received from the primary antenna
of the second vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the first
vehicle.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of
antennas is coupled to a different respective tuner and baseband
processor.
8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is
configured and arranged to send to the second vehicle, a message
indicating the wireless communications links between the first
vehicle and the second vehicle are unhealthy, in response to a
determination that more than a threshold number of packets were not
received from the primary antenna of the second vehicle by the
plurality of antennas of the first vehicle.
9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is
configured and arranged to monitor the health status of wireless
communications links between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle, by: analyzing at a predetermined time frequency, a packet
drop rate for data packets transmitted from the primary antenna of
the second vehicle to the plurality of antennas of the first
vehicle; and determining that the wireless communications links
between the first vehicle and the second vehicle are unhealthy in
response to the packet drop rate exceeding a predefined
threshold.
10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is
configured and arranged to send to the second vehicle, a message
communicating a change in the vehicle platoon in response to a
determination that the wireless communications links between the
first vehicle and the second vehicle are unhealthy.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the change in the vehicle
platoon includes an increase in a following distance between the
first vehicle and the second vehicle.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the change in the vehicle
platoon includes instructions for both the first vehicle and the
second vehicle to disengage from the vehicle platoon.
13. A system comprising: a plurality of antennas disposed on an
external surface of a vehicle in a vehicle platoon, wherein each
respective antenna is coupled to communications circuitry
configured and arranged to facilitate communication with other
vehicles in the vehicle platoon using a vehicle-to-vehicle
communications protocol; and processing circuitry configured and
arranged to monitor a health status of wireless communications
links between the vehicle and a remainder of the vehicles in the
vehicle platoon, by: receiving from the remainder of vehicles in
the vehicle platoon, object information including coordinates of
stationary and moving objects within a threshold distance of the
vehicle platoon; determining, using the received object
information, a position and orientation of the vehicle relative to
the remainder of vehicles; identifying at least one of the
plurality of antennas of the vehicle as a primary antenna and at
least one of the plurality of antennas of the vehicle as a
secondary antenna, based on the position and orientation of the
vehicle; and determining the health status of the wireless
communications links between the vehicle and the remainder of
vehicles in the vehicle platoon based on packets received from the
primary or secondary antenna of the vehicle.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the vehicles in the
vehicle platoon includes a plurality of antennas configured and
arranged to wirelessly communicate with the other vehicles in the
vehicle platoon using the vehicle-to-vehicle communications
protocol, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured
and arranged to: communicate to the plurality of vehicles in the
vehicle platoon, instructions to perform additional health status
checks of the wireless communications links in response to a
determination that communications packets were not received from
the primary antenna within a threshold period of time.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of
vehicles in the vehicle platoon includes a plurality of antennas
configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the other
vehicles in the vehicle platoon using the vehicle-to-vehicle
communications protocol, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to: communicate to the plurality of
vehicles in the vehicle platoon, instructions to modify
configuration of the vehicle platoon in response to a determination
that communications packets were not received from the primary
antenna within a threshold period of time.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to: construct a model of the
stationary and moving objects within the threshold distance of the
vehicle platoon, using the object information received from the
remainder of the vehicles in the vehicle platoon; and wherein the
position and orientation of the vehicle is determined using the
constructed model.
17. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to: construct a model of the
stationary and moving objects within the threshold distance of the
vehicle platoon, using topological maps and sensor data received
from the remainder of the vehicles in the vehicle platoon; and
wherein the position and orientation of the vehicle is determined
using the constructed model.
18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to: construct a model of the
stationary and moving objects within the threshold distance of the
vehicle platoon, using sensor data received from the remainder of
the vehicles in the vehicle platoon; and wherein the position and
orientation of the vehicle is determined using the constructed
model.
19. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to: determine for each of the
remainder of vehicles in the vehicle platoon, a position, an
orientation, and a dimension of the respective vehicle; and
determine, using the object information, which of the wireless
communications links between the vehicles in the vehicle platoon
may be obstructed based on the determined position, orientation,
and dimension of each respective vehicle in the vehicle
platoon.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to determine if the wireless
communications links between a first vehicle in the vehicle platoon
and a second vehicle in the vehicle platoon may be obstructed by
determining if a stationary or moving object obstructs a
line-of-sight between the antennas of the first vehicle and the
antennas of the second vehicle.
Description
OVERVIEW
[0001] Aspects of various embodiments are directed to health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles. In recent years,
there have been proposed automatic vehicle following control
systems for controlling a plurality of following vehicles (e.g., a
platoon) to automatically follow one another. Vehicle platooning
often refers to the linking of two or more vehicles in a convoy,
using connectivity technology and automated driving support systems
which allow the vehicles to travel together, actively coordinated
in formation. These vehicles can automatically maintain a close
distance between each other when they are connected for certain
parts of a journey, for instance on motorways. The vehicle at the
front of the platoon acts as the leader, with the vehicles behind
reacting and adapting to changes in movement of the front
vehicles--requiring little to no action from drivers of the
following vehicles. Vehicle platooning allows for at least some of
the vehicles in the platoon to be at least partly autonomous. Some
advantages of platooning include increased fuel and traffic
efficiency, safety and driver comfort.
[0002] Vehicular communication systems enable vehicles to
wirelessly communicate with each other to exchange traffic
information and/or generate safety warnings depending on the
traffic information. Improvements in vehicular communication
systems have been developed due to advances in vehicle to vehicle
(V2V) communication technology and with advances in infrastructures
that support such V2V communication technology. Communication
enabled vehicles and infrastructure can form a cooperative system
where the users exchange information and cooperate to improve
characteristics such as safety, fuel economy, traffic efficiency
and comfort. However, the effectiveness and reliability of
vehicular communication systems is limited by the ability of
vehicles to wirelessly communicate with one another. A failure in
the wireless communication between vehicles in a platoon may
prevent important information from being received, and thereby
jeopardizing the reliability of the vehicle platoon. While some
wireless communication systems constantly perform health checks,
these health checks do not account for the mutual position of the
vehicles in a platoon, and may miss a failure in a channel due to
assumptions made about the health of the communications links
between the vehicles.
[0003] These and other matters have presented challenges to health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles.
[0004] Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure are directed
to issues such as those addressed above and/or to other issues
which may become apparent.
SUMMARY
[0005] Various example embodiments are directed to health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles. In connection
with other example embodiments, aspects of the disclosure are
directed to a monitoring system which accounts for information on
vehicles' mutual position and orientation when assessing the
connectivity between the vehicles.
[0006] In a particular more-specific example embodiment, a method
of health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles
involves using physical parameters for line-of-sight wireless
communications between the vehicles in the vehicle platoon to
determine the health status of the wireless communications links
between the vehicles. More specifically, the method includes
receiving as input to processing circuitry configured and arranged
to monitor a health status of wireless communications links between
a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle platoon, object information
including coordinates of stationary and moving objects. Using the
received object information, a relative location of a vehicle among
the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon is determined.
Based on the received object information and the relative location
of the vehicle, physical parameters for line-of-sight wireless
communications between the vehicle and other vehicles in the
vehicle platoon are determined. The health status of the wireless
communications links between the plurality of vehicles in the
vehicle platoon is then determined using the physical parameters
for the line-of-sight wireless communications.
[0007] In another specific example embodiment, an apparatus for
health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles includes
determining the health status of the wireless communications links
between vehicles based on packets received from a primary antenna.
A plurality of antennas are disposed on an external surface of a
first vehicle, where each respective antenna is coupled to
communications circuitry configured and arranged to facilitate
communication with other vehicles in a vehicle platoon using a
vehicle-to-vehicle communications protocol. Processing circuitry is
configured and arranged to monitor a health status of wireless
communication links between the first vehicle and at least one
other vehicle in the vehicle platoon. Particularly, the processing
circuitry is configured and arranged to receive from at least one
antenna disposed on an external surface of a second vehicle in the
vehicle platoon, object information including coordinates of
stationary and moving objects within a threshold distance of the
first vehicle and the second vehicle. A position and orientation of
the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle is determined,
using the received object information, and at least one of the
plurality of antennas of the second vehicle is identified as a
primary antenna, based on the position and orientation of the
second vehicle. The processing circuitry is configured and arranged
to determine the health status of the wireless communications links
between the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on packets
received from the primary antenna of the second vehicle by the
plurality of antennas of the first vehicle.
[0008] The above discussion/summary is not intended to describe
each embodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.
The figures and detailed description that follow also exemplify
various embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0009] Various example embodiments may be more completely
understood in consideration of the following detailed description
in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an environment for health monitoring of
wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance with the present
disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates an apparatus for health monitoring of
wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance with the present
disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an example coordinate system for
calculation of obstructions as complex polygons, in accordance with
the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a method for health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance
with the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates an additional block diagram of a method
for health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in
accordance with the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an environment for health monitoring of
wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance with the present
disclosure; and
[0016] FIG. 7 further illustrates an environment for health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance
with the present disclosure.
[0017] While various embodiments discussed herein are amenable to
modifications and alternative forms, aspects thereof have been
shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in
detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not
to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments described. On
the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the
disclosure including aspects defined in the claims. In addition,
the term "example" as used throughout this application is only by
way of illustration, and not limitation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Aspects of the present disclosure are believed to be
applicable to a variety of different types of apparatuses, systems
and methods involving health monitoring of wireless connections
among vehicles. Vehicular communication systems enable vehicles to
wirelessly communicate with each other to exchange traffic
information and/or generate safety warnings depending on the
traffic information. Improvements in vehicular communication
systems have been developed due to advances in vehicle to vehicle
(V2V) communication technology and with advances in infrastructures
that support such V2V communication technology. Communication
enabled vehicles and infrastructure can form a cooperative system
where the users exchange information and cooperate to improve
characteristics such as safety, fuel economy, traffic efficiency
and comfort. However, the effectiveness and complete reliability of
vehicular communication systems is limited by the ability of
vehicles to wirelessly communicate with one another. A failure in
the wireless communication between vehicles in a platoon may
prevent important information from being received, and thereby
jeopardizing the reliability of the vehicle platoon. While some
wireless communication systems constantly perform health checks,
these health checks do not account for the mutual position of the
vehicles in a platoon, and may miss a failure in a channel due to
assumptions made about the health of the communications links
between the vehicles. Vehicular communication systems enable
vehicles to wirelessly communicate with each other to exchange
traffic information and/or generate safety warnings depending on
the traffic information.
[0019] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed
to a method of health monitoring of wireless connections among
vehicles involves using physical parameters for line-of-sight
wireless communications between the vehicles in the vehicle platoon
to determine the health status of the wireless communications links
between the vehicles. The method includes receiving as input to
processing circuitry configured and arranged to monitor a health
status of wireless communications links between a plurality of
vehicles in a vehicle platoon, object information including
coordinates of stationary and moving objects. Using the received
object information, a relative location of a vehicle among the
plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon may be determined.
Moreover, based on the received object information and the relative
location of the vehicle, physical parameters for line-of-sight
wireless communications between the vehicle and other vehicles in
the vehicle platoon may be determined. From the physical parameters
for the line-of-sight wireless communications, the health status of
the wireless communications links between the plurality of vehicles
in the vehicle platoon may be determined.
[0020] In various embodiments, determining a relative location of a
vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon
includes determining a relative position, orientation, and physical
dimensions of the vehicle. Moreover, each of the plurality of
vehicles in the vehicle platoon may include a plurality of antennas
configured and arranged to wirelessly communicate with the other
vehicles in the vehicle platoon using a vehicle-to-vehicle
communications protocol. In such embodiments, less than all of the
antennas may be identified as primary antennas, and an error signal
may be generated in response to a determination that communications
packets were not received from at least one of the primary antennas
within a threshold period of time. The primary antennas refer to or
include antennas that, given the size and orientation of the
vehicles, should be capable of receiving and/or transmitting
signals to another vehicle in the platoon. As less than all of the
antennas may be identified as primary antennas, a remainder of the
antennas may be identified as secondary antennas. The secondary
antennas refer to or include antennas which may be obstructed,
given the size and orientation of the vehicles, and therefore may
not be capable of receiving and/or transmitting signals to another
vehicle in the platoon. Accordingly, the method includes
determining the health status of the wireless communications links
between the plurality of vehicles based on a percentage of packets
received from the primary antennas and the secondary antennas. In
further embodiments, the method includes determining a packet drop
rate corresponding to a percentage of data packets not received
over the wireless communications links during a sampling time, and
determining the health status of the communications links based on
the packet drop rate during the sampling time.
[0021] In another specific example embodiment, an apparatus for
health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles includes
determining the health status of the wireless communications links
between vehicles based on packets received from a primary antenna.
Particularly, such apparatus can include a plurality of antennas
disposed on an external surface of a first vehicle, wherein each
respective antenna is coupled to communications circuitry
configured and arranged to facilitate communication with other
vehicles in a vehicle platoon using a V2V communications protocol.
The apparatus can further include processing circuitry configured
and arranged to monitor a health status of wireless communications
links between the first vehicle and at least one other vehicle in
the vehicle platoon. The processing circuitry can monitor a health
status of wireless communications links by receiving from at least
one antenna disposed on an external surface of a second vehicle in
the vehicle platoon, object information including coordinates of
stationary and moving objects within a threshold distance of the
first vehicle and the second vehicle. Using the received object
information, the processing circuitry can determine a position and
orientation of the second vehicle relative to the first vehicle.
Moreover, the processing circuitry can monitor a health status of
wireless communications links by identifying at least one of the
plurality of antennas of the second vehicle as a primary antenna,
based on the position and orientation of the second vehicle, and
determining the health status of the wireless communications links
between the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on packets
received from the primary antenna of the second vehicle by the
plurality of antennas of the first vehicle.
[0022] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry is configured
and arranged to send messages to the vehicles in the platoon
regarding the health status of the communications links. For
instance, the processing circuitry can be configured and arranged
to send to the second vehicle, a message indicating the wireless
communications links between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle are unhealthy, in response to a determination that more
than a threshold number of packets were not received from a primary
antenna (e.g., that packets were not received from the primary
antenna of the second vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the
first vehicle). Additionally and/or alternatively, the processing
circuitry may be configured and arranged to monitor the health
status of wireless communications links between the first vehicle
and the second vehicle, by analyzing at a predetermined time
frequency, a packet drop rate for data packets transmitted from the
primary antenna of the second vehicle to the plurality of antennas
of the first vehicle. The health status of the communications links
may be determined based on this packet drop rate. For instance, the
processing circuitry can be configured and arranged to determine
that the wireless communications links between the first vehicle
and the second vehicle are unhealthy in response to the packet drop
rate exceeding a predefined threshold.
[0023] In various example embodiments, the processing circuitry is
configured and arranged to send to the second vehicle, a message
communicating a change in the vehicle platoon in response to a
determination that the wireless communications links between the
first vehicle and the second vehicle are unhealthy. For instance,
the change in the vehicle platoon may include an increase in a
following distance between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle. Additionally and/or alternatively, the change in the
vehicle platoon may include instructions for both the first vehicle
and the second vehicle to disengage from the vehicle platoon.
[0024] In another specific example embodiment, a plurality of
antennas can be disposed on an external surface of each vehicle in
a vehicle platoon. Each respective antenna can be coupled to
communications circuitry configured and arranged to facilitate
communication with other vehicles in the vehicle platoon using a
V2V communications protocol. Moreover, each respective vehicle can
include processing circuitry configured and arranged to monitor a
health status of wireless communications links between the vehicle
and a remainder of the vehicles in the vehicle platoon, by
receiving from the remainder of vehicles in the vehicle platoon,
object information including coordinates of stationary and moving
objects within a threshold distance of the vehicle platoon.
Moreover, the processing circuitry of each respective vehicle can
determine, using the received object information, a position and
orientation of the vehicle relative to the remainder of vehicles,
and identify at least one of the plurality of antennas of the
vehicle as a primary antenna and at least one of the plurality of
antennas of the vehicle as a secondary antenna, based on the
position and orientation of the vehicle. Further, the processing
circuitry of each respective vehicle can determine the health
status of the wireless communications links between the vehicle and
the remainder of vehicles in the vehicle platoon based on packets
received from the primary or secondary antenna of the vehicle.
[0025] In various example embodiments, the processing circuitry is
further configured and arranged to communicate to the plurality of
vehicles in the vehicle platoon, instructions to perform additional
health status checks of the wireless communications links in
response to a determination that communications packets were not
received from the primary antenna within a threshold period of
time. For instance, in response to a determination that the
communications links between at least two vehicles in the platoon
are unhealthy, additional health status checks may be performed. As
such, the processing circuitry may be configured and arranged to
communicate to the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle platoon,
instructions to modify configuration of the vehicle platoon in
response to a determination that communications packets were not
received from the primary antenna within a threshold period of
time.
[0026] As discussed further herein, the processing circuitry can be
configured and arranged to construct a model (a "world model",
e.g., concerning the objects/terrain relevant to the travel and/or
route) which is used to determine the health status of the
communications links between the vehicles. For instance, the model
can include a graphical representation of the stationary and moving
objects within a threshold distance of the vehicle platoon, and may
be constructed using the object information received from the
remainder of the vehicles in the vehicle platoon. In such
embodiments, the position and orientation of the vehicle is
determined using the constructed model. Similarly, the processing
circuitry may construct the model of the stationary and moving
objects within the threshold distance of the vehicle platoon, using
topological maps and sensor data received from the remainder of the
vehicles in the vehicle platoon. Additionally and/or alternatively,
the processing circuitry can be configured and arranged to
construct the model of the stationary and moving objects within the
threshold distance of the vehicle platoon, using sensor data
received from the remainder of the vehicles in the vehicle
platoon.
[0027] In various example embodiments, the processing circuitry can
be configured and arranged to determine for each of the remainder
of vehicles in the vehicle platoon, a position, an orientation, and
a dimension of the respective vehicle, and to determine, using the
object information, which of the wireless communications links
between the vehicles in the vehicle platoon may be obstructed based
on the determined position, orientation, and dimension of each
respective vehicle in the vehicle platoon. In such embodiments, the
processing circuitry is configured and arranged to determine if the
wireless communications links between a first vehicle in the
vehicle platoon and a second vehicle in the vehicle platoon may be
obstructed by determining if a stationary or moving object
obstructs a line-of-sight between the antennas of the first vehicle
and the antennas of the second vehicle.
[0028] While various example embodiments are described herein with
regards to monitoring wireless communications between a plurality
of vehicles, the method, apparatus and system described herein may
be applied to monitor wireless communication within a single
vehicle. For instance, the same method of health monitoring based
on a world model can check operation of wireless nodes within a
same vehicle, which always have static positions relative to each
other. Such nodes can, for example, reside in the same vehicle and
their fixed positions and associated obstacles can be hard-coded in
the world model. Accordingly, if packets are not received between
the wireless nodes of the vehicle, this can be an indication that
an error state is present within the vehicle, and the
communications links within the vehicle are unhealthy. In response
to a determination that such communications links are unhealthy, an
error message or other message may be sent to a user and/or
operator of the vehicle such that appropriate action may be taken,
as discussed herein.
[0029] Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates an
environment for health monitoring of wireless connections among
vehicles, in accordance with the present disclosure. Particularly,
FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle platoon including a first vehicle 102
and a second vehicle 104. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the first
vehicle 102 includes a plurality of antennas 106-1, 106-2, 106-3,
106-4 (collectively referred to herein as antennas 106) disposed on
an outer surface of the vehicle. While the antennas are represented
in FIG. 1 with a simplified circular structure, one of ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate that antennas including various
designs and structural components (with associated communications
fields) may be used without departing from the true spirit and
scope of various aspects of the present disclosure. In the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the first vehicle 102 is
positioned in front of the second vehicle 104, which also has a
plurality of antennas 108-1, 108-2, 108-3, 108-4 (collectively
referred to herein as antennas 108). While the first vehicle 102 is
turning right on the roadway 114 (as illustrated), the signals from
the antennas 106 on the first vehicle 102 may be obstructed and not
received by the antennas 108 on the second vehicle 104. For
example, signals from antenna 106-4 on the top right of the first
vehicle 102 may be received by antenna 108-4 of the second vehicle
104 by direct line-of-sight, and by reflection off of side rail
116-2. In contrast, signals from the antenna 106-1 on the top left
of the first vehicle 102 may be received by antenna 108-1 by
reflection off of side rail 116-1, but the direct line-of-sight
signal from antenna 106-1 to antenna 108-1 may be obstructed by the
trailer from the first vehicle 102. In such an instance, the
central processing unit (CPU) 110 of the first vehicle 102 and the
CPU 112 of the second vehicle 104 may determine which antennas are
primary antennas, and which antennas are secondary antennas. The
primary antennas are antennas that, given the size and orientation
of the vehicles, should be capable of receiving and/or transmitting
signals to another vehicle in the platoon. The secondary antennas
refer to antennas which may be obstructed, given the size and
orientation of the vehicles, and therefore may not be capable of
receiving and/or transmitting signals to another vehicle in the
platoon. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the front right antenna
(106-4) of the first vehicle 102 is a primary antenna, whereas the
front left antenna (106-1) of the first vehicle 102 is a secondary
antenna.
[0030] The CPUs of the first and second vehicles can, together or
independently from one another, determine the health status of the
wireless connections between the vehicles. For instance, in the
example shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 110 of the first vehicle 102 and
the CPU 112 of the second vehicle 104 can, at 109-1, receive as
input to processing circuitry configured and arranged to monitor
the health status of wireless communications links between the
first vehicle 102 and the second vehicle 104, object information
including coordinates of stationary and moving objects including
the first vehicle 102 and the second vehicle 104. Subsequently, the
CPUs can determine, at 109-2 and using the received object
information, a relative location of a vehicle among the plurality
of vehicles in the vehicle platoon. For instance, the CPUs can
determine the relative location of vehicle 102 in relation to
vehicle 104. In response, the CPUs can determine, at 109-3, based
on the received object information and the relative location of the
vehicle, physical parameters for line-of-sight wireless
communications between the vehicle and other vehicles in the
vehicle platoon. In various embodiments, determining a relative
location of a vehicle among the plurality of vehicles in the
vehicle platoon includes determining a relative position,
orientation, and physical dimensions of the vehicle. For instance,
the CPUs can determine that, based on the position, orientation,
and physical dimensions of vehicle 102 relative to vehicle 104,
that the trailer of vehicle 102 may obstruct signals from at least
some of the antennas 106 of vehicle 102.
[0031] In response, the CPUs can, at 109-4, determine the health
status of the wireless communications links between the vehicles
102 and 104, using the physical parameters for the line-of-sight
wireless communications. For instance, the CPUs can determine that
signals are not received from a primary antenna within a threshold
period of time. An error signal may be generated in response to a
determination that communications packets were not received from at
least one of the primary antennas within a threshold period of
time. For instance, each of vehicles 102 and 104 may receive an
error message indicating that packets were not received from at
least one of the primary antennas within a threshold period of
time, and the communications links between vehicles 102 and 104 may
be deemed unhealthy. Various additional and/or alternative
embodiments may be employed to determine the health status of the
communications links. For instance, a packet drop rate may be
determined corresponding to a percentage of data packets not
received over the wireless communications links during a sampling
time, and the health status of the communications links may be
determined based on the packet drop rate during the sampling time.
In various embodiments, the sampling time for a single packet is 20
milliseconds, and a communications link is deemed healthy as long
as no more than two packets were dropped within two consecutive
sampling times (e.g., over a 40 millisecond period of time).
Embodiments are not so limited, however, and different sampling
times and/or packet drop rates may be used. Additionally and/or
alternatively, the health status of the communications links may be
determined based on a percentage of packets that are dropped during
the sampling time. For instance, a communications link may be
deemed healthy as long as at least 90% of the packets transmitted
during the sampling time were received.
[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates an apparatus for health monitoring of
wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance with the present
disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, each vehicle can include a
plurality of antennas 220-1, 220-2 disposed on an external surface
of the vehicle. While FIG. 2 illustrates two antennas on the
vehicle, it is noted that more or fewer antennas may be disposed on
each respective vehicle. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 1,
each vehicle may include four antennas disposed on a front surface
of the vehicle. Each respective antenna is coupled to
communications circuitry 221-1, 221-2, configured and arranged to
facilitate communication with other vehicles in a vehicle platoon
using a vehicle-to-vehicle communications protocol. The
communications circuitry 221-1, and 221-2 can include a tuner
222-1, 222-2, as well as a baseband processor 224-1, 224-2. In such
a manner, each of the respective antennas 220-1, 220-2 can be
coupled to a respective tuner 222-1, 222-2 and baseband processor
224-1, 224-2. Similarly, each of the respective antennas 220-1,
220-2 can be coupled to processing circuitry 226 configured and
arranged to monitor a health status of wireless communications
links between the first vehicle and at least one other vehicle in
the vehicle platoon. For instance, the processing circuitry 226 can
include circuitry configured and arranged to receive from at least
one antenna disposed on an external surface of a second vehicle in
the vehicle platoon, object information including coordinates of
stationary and moving objects within a threshold distance of the
first vehicle and the second vehicle.
[0033] The processing circuitry can also include circuitry
configured and arranged to determine using the received object
information, a position and orientation of the second vehicle
relative to the first vehicle. From this information, the vehicle
can construct a model using modeling circuitry 228-3. In various
embodiments, modeling circuitry 228-3 can receive the object
information, determine the position and orientation of the
vehicles, and construct the model. The modeling circuitry 228-3 may
implement a distributed shared world model, which contains
coordinates of the road, vehicles, and other stationary and moving
objects. The distributed shared world model can be constructed by
modeling circuitry 228-3 based on maps, as well as sensors, such as
cameras, radars, vehicle to anything (V2X) communications, and
lidars, among others. Using the V2V communication, the vehicles can
distribute object information detected by their sensors. In such a
manner, all vehicles can share a distributed world model. If the
shared world model is unavailable, the vehicles can construct a
shared world model using data from the local sensors (e.g., the
sensors on the vehicles themselves) and maps available to the
respective vehicles. Additionally and/or alternatively, if the map
data is unavailable, local sensors' data can be used to compute
relative position and orientation of the neighboring vehicles.
[0034] The processing circuitry 226 can also include health
monitoring circuitry 228-1. Once the vehicle position and
orientation are available, the health monitoring circuitry 228-1
can perform a geometrical intersection calculation can determine if
any part of the vehicle, another vehicle, or a building obstructs
the line-of-sight. FIG. 3 illustrates an example coordinate system
for calculation of obstructions as convex polygons, in accordance
with the present disclosure. The polygon ABCD represents an
obstruction to the direct line of sight communication between two
antennas, represented as a line segment ab. First, the coordinate
system of the model (e.g., generated by modelling circuitry 228-3)
can be translated and rotated to have its origin parallel with
other vehicles in the platoon. The coordinate system can be
translated and rotated to have its origin in point
a(x.sub.a,y.sub.a) and the line segment ab on the y axis. All
points in the new coordinate system are denoted below with ticks.
Using the following matrix operations (as one of many sets of
examples), the coordinates of the polygon's vertices can be
computed in the new coordinate system using the rotation angle
.theta. and the following equations:
.theta. = 90 .degree. - .gamma. = 90 `.degree. - arctan y b - y a x
b - x a [ x ' y ' ] = [ cos .theta. sin .theta. - sin .theta. cos
.theta. ] - [ x a y a ] ##EQU00001## = { A ' , B ' , C ' , D ' }
##EQU00001.2##
[0035] Then compute two sets of polygon vertices and can be
constructed, using the following equations:
={v:v.di-elect cons. and 0.ltoreq.y.sub.v'.ltoreq.y.sub.b'}
={v:v.di-elect cons. and x.sub.v'.ltoreq.0}
={v:v.di-elect cons. and x.sub.v'.gtoreq.0}
[0036] The line-of-sight between two vehicles may be determined to
be obstructed (e.g., line segment ab crosses the polygon ABCD)) if
the cardinalities of the left and right sets are both larger than
0. That is, ||>0 ||>0. This calculation can be enhanced to
involve the Fresnel zone. Objects within the Fresnel zone can
disturb line-of-sight propagation even if they do not block the
geometric line between antennas. Besides the two dimensional
calculations, the line-of-sight check can be performed in three
dimensions to include, for example, the landscape and obstacle
height. This will allow the computation of line-of-sight properties
of wireless links when crossing hills or mountains and properly
estimate link viability over, for example, low-height vehicles.
[0037] Additionally, the health monitoring circuitry 228-1 may
identify at least one of the plurality of antennas of the second
vehicle as a primary antenna, based on the position and orientation
of the second vehicle. The health monitoring circuitry 228-1 is
further configured and arranged to determine the health status of
the wireless communications links between the first vehicle and the
second vehicle based on packets received from the primary antenna
of the second vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the first
vehicle. For instance, the health monitoring circuitry 228-1 may
monitor the health status of wireless communications links between
the first vehicle and the second vehicle, by analyzing at a
predetermined time frequency, a packet drop rate for data packets
transmitted from the primary antenna of the second vehicle to the
plurality of antennas of the first vehicle. The health monitoring
circuitry 228-1 may then determine that the wireless communications
links between the first vehicle and the second vehicle are
unhealthy in response to the packet drop rate exceeding a
predefined threshold.
[0038] Processing circuitry 226 may also include platoon
communications circuitry 228-2. In various embodiments, platoon
communications circuitry 228-2 facilitates communications between
vehicles in the platoon. For instance, the platoon communications
circuitry 228-2 can send to a second vehicle (such as vehicle 104
illustrated in FIG. 1) a message indicating the wireless
communications links between the first vehicle (e.g., 102
illustrated in FIG. 1) and the second vehicle are unhealthy, in
response to a determination that more than a threshold number of
packets were not received from the primary antenna of the second
vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the first vehicle.
Similarly, the platoon communications circuitry 228-2 can send to
the second vehicle, a message communicating a change in the vehicle
platoon in response to a determination that the wireless
communications links between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle are unhealthy. For instance, the platoon communications
circuitry 228-2 can instruct the second vehicle to increase in a
following distance between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle. Additionally and/or alternatively, the platoon
communications circuitry 228-2 can instruct both the first vehicle
and the second vehicle to disengage from the vehicle platoon.
[0039] Processing circuitry 226 may also include driver assistance
system circuitry 228-4. The driver assistance system circuitry
228-4 can facilitate the autonomous and/or semi-autonomous
operation of the vehicle, and can cooperate with the platoon
communications circuitry 228-2 to modify and/or disengage from a
vehicle platoon.
[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a method for health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance
with the present disclosure. The method starts at 330. At 332, the
method includes computing a model around the platoon. The model may
be generated using a shared world model, as discussed with regards
to FIG. 2. At 334, the method includes computing obstructions for
all antennas line-of-sight. For instance, referring to FIG. 1, the
obstructions for antenna 106-1 would be computed, such that the
second vehicle would not expect to receive a signal from it. At
336, the method includes determining if packets were received from
both primary and secondary antennas. In some embodiments,
determining if the packets were received includes determining if
packets were received from the primary antennas over a threshold
period of time. For instance, a packet drop rate for data packets
transmitted from the primary antenna of the second vehicle to the
plurality of antennas of the first vehicle may be analyzed at a
predetermined time frequency, and a determination that the wireless
communications links between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle are unhealthy may be made in response to the packet drop
rate exceeding a predefined threshold. As another illustration, the
processing circuitry is configured and arranged to send to the
second vehicle, a message indicating the wireless communications
links between the first vehicle and the second vehicle are
unhealthy, in response to a determination that more than a
threshold number of packets were not received from the primary
antenna of the second vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the
first vehicle.
[0041] If, at 336, the processing circuitry determines that the
packets were received, the method returns to 332. If, at 336, the
processing circuitry determines that the packets were not received
(e.g., that the communication path is not healthy), then the method
proceeds to 338, where a signal is generated indicating system
failure, or the system performs extra checks.
[0042] At 340, the method includes taking action to modify or
disengage the platoon responsive to a system failure. For instance,
the system may initiate a change in the vehicle platoon includes an
increase in a following distance between the first vehicle and the
second vehicle. Similarly, the change in the vehicle platoon
includes instructions for both the first vehicle and the second
vehicle to disengage from the vehicle platoon.
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates an additional block diagram of a method
for health monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in
accordance with the present disclosure. The method begins at 442.
At 444, the method includes computing a model around the platoon,
as discussed with regards to FIG. 4. In the example illustrated in
FIG. 5, two vehicles are in the platoon. At 446, the method
includes computing instructions for the left and right antennas.
For instance, the CPU of the first vehicle can determine that the
left antenna is obstructed, and the right antenna has line-of-sight
(as is illustrated in FIG. 1). In this example, the right antenna
may be identified as a primary antenna, and the left antenna may be
identified as a secondary antenna. As such, at 448, the method may
include determining if the right packets are received. If packets
were received from the right antenna, the method repeats back to
444. If packets were not received, at 450, the method may include
signaling a failure in the right antenna. In response to the
failure in the right antenna, at 452, the method may include
disengaging the platoon. Other actions may be taken in response to
the failure signal, as discussed herein.
[0044] FIG. 6 illustrates an environment for health monitoring of
wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance with the present
disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6, four vehicles 561-1, 561-2,
561-3, 561-4 may be in the platoon. Each respective vehicle may
have antennas 560-1, 560-2, 560-3, 560-4, 560-5, 560-6, 560-7,
560-8 disposed on an external surface of the vehicle. As discussed
herein, each vehicle may have more or fewer antennas disposed on
the external surface of the vehicle. Additionally and/or
alternatively, each respective antenna may be located in a
different position on the vehicle. For instance, the antennas may
be disposed on a side of the vehicle, on a roof, on a front end,
and/or on a back end of the vehicle. Each vehicle may communicate
with one another, such as by way of a V2V communications protocol.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the vehicles in the platoon
may travel about an obstacle 562. Due to the obstruction caused by
the obstacle 562, the signal from antenna 560-1 of vehicle 561-1
may not be received by antenna 560-8 of vehicle 561-4. Accordingly,
each of the vehicles 561 in the platoon may communicate with one
another, such that it is not expected that signals are received
from antenna 560-8 of vehicle 561-4 since the signal is obstructed
by obstacle 562, as discussed with regards to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG.
4, and FIG. 5.
[0045] FIG. 7 further illustrates an environment for health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles, in accordance
with the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the platoon
may include four vehicles 661-1, 661-2, 661-3, and 661-4 each
communicatively coupled. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7,
signals transmitted from antenna 660-2 of vehicle 660-1 may be
obstructed from being received by antenna 660-8 of vehicle 661-4
due to the curvature in the hill 614. For instance, when the
vehicles of the platoon travel over a hill 614, the signals from a
first vehicle 661-1 may be obstructed from vehicle 661-4.
Accordingly, each of the vehicles 661 in the platoon may
communicate with one another, such that it is not expected that
signals are received from antenna 660-2 of vehicle 661-1 since the
signal is obstructed by hill 614, as discussed with regards to FIG.
1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5.
[0046] Various example embodiments include a processor-readable
tangible non-transitory medium (such as CPUs 110 and 112
illustrated in FIG. 1), storing a computer program for health
monitoring of wireless connections among vehicles. The computer
program includes instructions to monitor a health status of
wireless communications links between the first vehicle and at
least one other vehicle in the vehicle platoon. For instance, the
computer program may include instructions executable by a processor
to receive from at least one antenna disposed on an external
surface of a second vehicle in the vehicle platoon, object
information including coordinates of stationary and moving objects
within a threshold distance of the first vehicle and the second
vehicle. The computer program may further include instructions
executable by the processor to determine, using the received object
information, a position and orientation of the second vehicle
relative to the first vehicle, and to identify at least one of the
plurality of antennas of the second vehicle as a primary antenna,
based on the position and orientation of the second vehicle.
Moreover, the computer program may include instructions executable
by the processor to determine the health status of the wireless
communications links between the first vehicle and the second
vehicle based on packets received from the primary antenna of the
second vehicle by the plurality of antennas of the first vehicle.
As described herein, the computer program may include instructions
executable by the processor to determine the health status of the
wireless communications links between the plurality of vehicles
based on a percentage of packets received from the primary antennas
and the secondary antennas. Additionally and/or alternatively, the
computer program may include instructions executable by the
processor to determine the health status of the communications
links based on the packet drop rate during a sampling time.
[0047] In various example embodiments, the computer program may
include instructions executable by the processor to send messages
to the vehicles in a platoon indicating that the wireless
communications links are unhealthy. Similarly, the computer program
may include instructions executable by the processor to send a
message communicating a change in the vehicle platoon in response
to a determination that the wireless communications links between
the first vehicle and the second vehicle are unhealthy. For
instance, the instructions may cause a message to be sent to the
vehicles in the vehicle platoon, directing the vehicles to increase
the following distance between vehicles, and/or to disengage from
the vehicle platoon entirely. The computer program may include
instructions executable by the processor to implement the method,
apparatus, and system, as described with regards to FIG. 1, FIG. 2,
FIG. 4, and FIG. 5.
[0048] The skilled artisan would recognize that various terminology
as used in the Specification (including claims) connote a plain
meaning in the art unless otherwise indicated. As examples, the
Specification describes and/or illustrates aspects useful for
implementing the claimed disclosure by way of various circuits or
circuitry which may be illustrated as or using terms such as
blocks, device, system, and/or other circuit-type depictions (e.g.,
reference numerals 110, 112, 109-1, 109-2, 109-3, and 109-4 of FIG.
1 and reference numerals 226, 228-1, 228-2, 228-3, 228-4 of FIG. 2
depict a block as described herein). Such circuits or circuitry are
used together with other elements to exemplify how certain
embodiments may be carried out in the form or structures, steps,
functions, operations, activities, etc. For example, in certain of
the above-discussed embodiments, one or more modules are discrete
logic circuits or programmable logic circuits configured and
arranged for implementing these operations/activities, as may be
carried out in the approaches shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5. In
certain embodiments, such a programmable circuit is one or more
computer circuits, including memory circuitry for storing and
accessing a program to be executed as a set (or sets) of
instructions (and/or to be used as configuration data to define how
the programmable circuit is to perform), and an algorithm or
process as described and illustrated with regards to FIGS. 4 and 5
is used by the programmable circuit to perform the related steps,
functions, operations, activities, etc. Depending on the
application, the instructions (and/or configuration data) can be
configured for implementation in logic circuitry, with the
instructions (whether characterized in the form of object code,
firmware or software) stored in and accessible from a memory
(circuit). As another example, where the Specification may make
reference to a "first vehicle," a "second vehicle," etc., the
adjectives "first" and "second" are not used to connote any
description of the structure or to provide any substantive meaning;
rather, such adjectives are merely used for English-language
antecedence to differentiate one such similarly-named structure
from another similarly-named structure.
[0049] Based upon the above discussion and illustrations, those
skilled in the art will readily recognize that various
modifications and changes may be made to the various embodiments
without strictly following the exemplary embodiments and
applications illustrated and described herein. For example, methods
as exemplified in the Figures may involve steps carried out in
various orders, with one or more aspects of the embodiments herein
retained, or may involve fewer or more steps. For instance, one or
more steps illustrated and discussed with regards to FIGS. 1, 4 and
5 may be skipped entirely. Such modifications do not depart from
the true spirit and scope of various aspects of the disclosure,
including aspects set forth in the claims.
* * * * *