Real-time remote control of vehicles with high redundancy

Abstract

Described are devices, systems and methods for real-time remote control of vehicles with high redundancy. In some embodiments, two copies of at least one control command are received using two different wireless communication protocols, and are compared. The at least one control command is executed when the two copies are in agreement, but is rejected when the two copies differ. In other embodiments, additional wireless communication protocols may exist to provide a redundant mode of communication when one of the two different wireless communication protocols are unavailable. In yet other embodiments, redundant GPS units may be used to determine availability of any of the communication protocols, and relevant control commands may be downloaded in advance to circumvent a lack of coverage.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document relates to vehicle monitoring and control.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicle navigation is a technology for sensing the position and movement of a vehicle and, based on the sensing, autonomously control the vehicle to navigate towards a destination. Autonomous vehicle navigation can have important applications in transportation of people, goods and services.

SUMMARY

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for monitoring and controlling a vehicle, such as a passenger car or a truck, in a robust and reliable manner. This may be achieved by combining vehicle information from multiple resources, either locally on or near the vehicle, or remotely from servers or databases, in a linked communication network.

In one aspect, the disclosed technology can be used to provide a method for vehicular monitoring and control of a vehicle. This method includes receiving at the vehicle a first copy of a control command for an operation of the vehicle over a first communication protocol; receiving at the vehicle a second copy of the control command over a second communication protocol; comparing the received first and second copies of the control command to determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy; executing the control command to execute the operation of the vehicle when the first copy is identical to the second copy; and rejecting the control command to deny execution of the operation of the vehicle when the first copy differs from the second copy.

In another aspect, the disclosed technology can be used to provide a system for vehicular monitoring and control of one or more trucks, wherein each of the one or more trucks includes a first electronic control unit; and a second electronic control unit. The first electronic control unit is configured to receive a first copy of a control command over a first communication protocol. The second electronic control unit is configured to receive a second copy of the control command over a second communication protocol, determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy, execute the control command when the first copy is identical to the second copy, and reject the control command when the first copy differs from the second copy.

In yet another aspect, the disclosed technology can be used to provide a method of controlling a vehicle including a plurality of types of communication protocols. The method includes: checking as to whether first, second, and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle; receiving a first copy of a control command for an operation of the vehicle over the first communication protocol and receiving a second copy of the control command over a second communication protocol if the first and second communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle; receiving the first copy of the control command over the second communication protocol and receiving the second copy of the control command over the third communication protocol if the second and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle while the first communication protocol is not functioning properly; receiving the first copy of the control command over the first communication protocol and receiving the second copy of the control command over the third communication protocol if the first and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle while the second communication protocol is not functioning properly; comparing the received first and second copies of the control command to determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy; executing the control command to execute the operation of the vehicle when the first copy is identical to the second copy; and rejecting the control command to deny execution of the operation of the vehicle when the first copy differs from the second copy.

In yet another aspect, the disclosed technology can be used to provide a system for vehicular monitoring and control of one or more vehicles, wherein each of the one or more vehicles includes: a first electronic control unit including one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) modules configured to access satellites to provide real time location information to the vehicle; a second electronic control unit including a telematics module configured to connect to a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol and a memory configured to store information on a distribution of LTE signals; and a battery module configured to supply power to the first and second electronic control units. The first and second electronic control units communicate with each other using one or more communication protocols. Each of the one or more vehicle is configured to receive commands in advance upon receipt of a GPS signal indicating the vehicle will enter a road with no coverage of the LTE protocol. The memory is configured to store the commands received in advance.

The above and other aspects and features of the disclosed technology are described in greater detail in the drawings, the description and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment for vehicular wireless communication with redundancy.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example of the electric and electronic (EE) architecture of a vehicle designed for autonomous operation.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an example of the system architecture for vehicular wireless communication with redundancy.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show various use case examples of redundant communication in a convoy of trucks.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method of redundant communication for vehicular wireless communication.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for another example method of controlling a vehicle remotely.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a hardware platform that can implement some techniques described in the present document.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for real-time remote control of vehicles with redundant communications based on the disclosed technology.

The remote control of vehicles may use real-time commands that can be downloaded and uploaded via communication links with high redundancy and robustness. It can be technically challenging or difficult for various existing telematics systems to meet these requirements for several reasons, including, e.g., (1) the 3G/4G signals in existing wireless communication networks can be unstable, and the wireless communication coverage for the networks is not consistent. For example, a wireless communication network may not be able to provide continuous signal coverage for long periods of time, especially when traveling through rural and suburban areas, and (2) many existing telematics systems have no redundant architectures, which results in the vehicle not being aware of whether the commands are incorrect or whether the control commands are being hacked.

The disclosed technology in this patent document provides solutions that can be used to address the above and other technical issues in remote control of autonomous operation of vehicles with redundant communications. One system implementation of the disclosed technology, shown in FIG. 1, can include: a telematics module 102 (that supports a variety of wireless communication protocols, such as LTE, Wi-Fi, and DSRC), a monitoring module with built-in security functions 104, and a power supply module 106 including one or more batteries 107 and 108.

One of the advantages of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is the ability to send control commands using different communication protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi and DSRC, or LTE and dedicated short range communication DSRC) and to check and compare the received messages. If one data link (or equivalently, communication protocol) is temporarily broken, the monitoring module can change to another data link. This ensures that multiple and independent copies of the control command will be received, and can be compared by the monitoring module. If the two copies of the control commands agree, the control command is executed, but if they don't match, the control command is rejected. In an example, this redundancy approach mitigates the effect of hacking one of the communication protocols.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example of the Electric and Electronic (EE) architecture of a vehicle that is designed for autonomous operation. In some embodiments, the EE Architecture of the vehicle comprises many components and sub-components, including the Roof electronic control unit (ECU) and the Supervisor ECU, into which embodiments of the disclosed technology may be integrated into. In addition to these two components, there may be a number of other components in the EE Architecture of an autonomous driving vehicle or truck. In an example, the Automation ECU is the central computer of the autonomous driving system, and the Vehicle Control ECU is the vehicle behavior controller.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an example of the system architecture for implementing a method for vehicular wireless communication with redundancy, and is one example of packing the components shown in FIG. 1 into the EE Architecture of FIG. 2. The components, including relevant sub-components and support devices and interfaces, and any salient details are described in the present document.

(1) The Roof ECU may include:

(1.1) the DSRC module, which may comprise two antennas, and can communicate using short-range and medium-range communication protocols;

(1.2) at least two high-accuracy GPS modules, which operate in a manner that is independent of each other and thus may serve as a resilient positioning system with redundancy support; and

(1.3) an Ethernet gateway (wired or wireless), which can connect to other Ethernet equipment and be used to communicate with the Supervisor ECU, which can also be accomplished using the CAN, or Controller Area Network.

(2) The Supervisor ECU may include:

(2.1) the telematic module, which implements LTE and Wi-Fi communication protocols. The telematics module may also be configured to communicate with the background system using a heartbeat signal;

(2.2) the monitoring and security module, which monitors all communication and the status of at least some sensors installed on the vehicle. The monitoring and security module may determine errors based on signals received from the sensors. The errors may be categorized according to their severity and a corresponding action to be taken upon detection of the error. For example, if a critical error is detected, the truck may be stopped due to the emergency. In some embodiments, the monitoring and security module comprises special standalone security chips to verify the data being communicated. The verification may be performed using a variety of techniques, including parity check, hashes, digital certificates, etc. When information may be suspect, the security chip may launch an anti-hacker mechanism. For example, the anti-hacker mechanism may take control and filter out the suspected commands; and

(2.3) a log module, which logs certain activities such as key communication messages and other critical information to a storage, e.g., a 128 GB solid-state drive (SSD). The log module may be configured to erase old data on a sliding time window basis if the 128 GB SSD is becoming full (e.g., above a certain percent of use) and new messages are coming in (based on a FIFO sequence), but allow erasures only with the necessary authorities and credentials.

In some embodiments, the Supervisor ECU may locally store a map of LTE coverage, and may use this map in conjunction with the GPS system in the Roof ECU to circumvent the problems with lack of LTE coverage in rural and suburban areas. For example, the GPS units can be used to determine a current position and a route between the current position and a destination. This strategy may minimize lack of LTE coverage along the route.

When it is determined that a lack of LTE coverage along the route is inevitable, any control commands that are to be used during that period are downloaded prior to entering that geographic area. The GPS modules in the Roof ECU assist in determining locations, etc.

(3) The third component is the backup battery module, which is a whole battery management system. In some embodiments, the battery is a lithium battery with a capacity of 12V/90 Ah, which can supply the whole autonomous system for 2 hours after the shutdown of the main battery, and can supply the Supervisor ECU to work for over 48 hours under low-power mode. In addition, the backup battery module can monitor the current and voltage, and is configured to send a warning signal when a problem is detected. For example, the backup battery module may be pre-programmed with a range of power or current use by various circuits and sensors, and may detect deviations from the pre-programmed ranges. Alternatively, or in addition, the backup battery module may learn typical power usage and may detect deviations based on the learned past history of power utilization.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show examples of various use cases of redundant communications in a convoy of trucks.

FIG. 4A is the case during normal communication, wherein the control commands are sent over at least two different communication protocols. In this example, the LTE protocol is used as the main (or primary) channel for the control commands, and the redundant (or backup, or secondary) channel is the DSRC protocol. During normal operations, when the LTE and DSRC protocols are being used for the control commands, the Wi-Fi protocol does not connect with any other trucks directly. The Wi-Fi protocol may be configured to connect to the mobile phone of the driver if the mobile phone has such a capability. In this mode, the truck W-Fi may operate as a guest node and the driver's cell phone may work as the host point. In some embodiments, no extra data will be sent through this connection except the heartbeat signal which is used to determine whether the redundant connection is functioning as required. However, the driver may use an application on the cell phone to get or download data as requested.

For the download channel, the Supervisor ECU receives the control commands from the LTE and DSRC protocols, and determines whether the received commands are reliable. In contrast, the Remote Control Hall (shown in FIG. 4A) is responsible for this verification for the upload channel. This validation procedure applies as described with a primary LTE protocol and a secondary protocol that may be either the DSRC or Wi-Fi.

FIG. 4B shows a second example case wherein the LTE module of the first truck is broken or there exist suspicious commands. In this case, the DSRC protocol will become the primary protocol for the first truck, and the Supervisor ECU will disconnect the LTE module. If the Wi-Fi protocol on the mobile phone of the drive is functioning properly, it will now serve as the backup (or secondary) communication protocol for the control commands. If the Wi-Fi protocol on the mobile phone of the drive is not functioning properly, the Wi-Fi module will connect to other trucks' Wi-Fi modules as a guest and communicate with them directly.

FIG. 4C shows a third example case wherein all communication modules and protocols are inactive for one or more of the trucks in the convoy. For example, the LTE, DSRC and Wi-Fi modules are disconnected in the first truck. In this case, all the communication modules are forced into high-power mode to detect a potential connection using a weak signal. If it is determined that the disconnection of the communication modules was predicted (e.g. a truck was configured to travel onto a freeway located in an uninhabited desert), control commands are sent in advance of the use and the last valid command is activated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the disconnection was unpredicted, the autonomous system will be forced to a safe mode (e.g. low cruising speed, warning lights on) until a new valid control command is received.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example of a method of redundant communications for vehicular wireless communications. The “Execute Command” block 502 is a process to execute a command when commands from two different communication protocols (or modules) are in agreement. In contrast, when commands from two different protocols are not in agreement, the command is deemed to be rejected and thus will not be executed as shown by the “Reject Command” block 504. In some embodiments, and as shown in decision boxes 510, 512-1, 512-2 and 514-1, 514-2 and 514-3, the LTE communication protocol may be used as the primary communication protocol, with DSRC and Wi-Fi ranked second and third, respectively. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the control command over the DSRC protocol is compared to the one received over the Wi-Fi protocol (block 516) only if the LTE protocol is not operational or unavailable.

FIG. 5 also shows that, when control commands are received over two different (and redundant) protocols, it is determined whether the commands are in agreement (in decision boxes 518-1, 518-2 or 518-3), and then the commands are either executed (block 502) or rejected (block 504). In this example, a single connect command (block 506) may not be executed and may be flagged as an error condition.

However, if a control command is only received using one protocol (e.g., either LTE or DSRC or Wi-Fi, and when two out of the three example protocols are not operating or unavailable), then the system proceeds to establish the single connect as shown by the “Execute Single Connect Command” block 506. And in the case when none of the communication modules (or protocols) are active, there can be no communication channel as shown by the “Execute No Connect Command” block 508.

In an implementation of the disclosed technology, a method of controlling a vehicle includes a plurality of types of communication protocols. The method includes: checking as to whether first, second, and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle; receiving a first copy of a control command for an operation of the vehicle over the first communication protocol and receiving a second copy of the control command over a second communication protocol if the first and second communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle; receiving the first copy of the control command over the second communication protocol and receiving the second copy of the control command over the third communication protocol if the second and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle while the first communication protocol is not functioning properly; receiving the first copy of the control command over the first communication protocol and receiving the second copy of the control command over the third communication protocol if the first and third communication protocols are functioning properly at the vehicle while the second communication protocol is not functioning properly; comparing the received first and second copies of the control command to determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy; executing the control command to execute the operation of the vehicle when the first copy is identical to the second copy; and rejecting the control command to deny execution of the operation of the vehicle when the first copy differs from the second copy.

In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the method further includes, if only one of the first, second, and third communication protocols is functioning properly, receiving the first copy of the control command over the one of the first, second, and third communication protocols and executing the control command. In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the first communication protocol is a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the second communication protocol is a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) protocol, and the third communication protocol is a Wi-Fi protocol. In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the Wi-Fi protocol includes a Wi-Fi protocol on the vehicle or a Wi-Fi protocol on the mobile phone in the vehicle or both the Wi-Fi protocol on the vehicle and the Wi-Fi protocol on the mobile phone in the vehicle. In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the Wi-Fi protocol includes connecting to Wi-Fi modules of other vehicles and communicating with the Wi-Fi modules of other vehicles directly. In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the method further includes receiving a heartbeat signal using a Wi-Fi protocol of the vehicle as a guest node and a mobile phone in the vehicle as a host point to determine whether the Wi-Fi protocol is functioning properly.

Examples of Wireless Communication Modules

In some embodiments and with reference to the DSRC module (1.1), the DSRC antennas may be of different types, or configured differently. For example, each of the antennas may be selected from a set with features that include one-way or two-way, and short-range to medium-range communication capabilities. In another example, the DSRC antennas may be configured to use different DSRC protocols (which may operate at different frequencies and using different bandwidths). For example, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated 75 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band, whereas the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) allocated 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band. Furthermore, DSRC systems in Europe, Japan and U.S. may not be cross-compatible and operate in different frequency bands (e.g. 5.8 GHz, 5.9 GHz or even infrared) and at different baud rates.

In some embodiments and with reference to GPS modules (1.2), the two GPS antennas are configured with independent stable oscillators, which provides excellent holdover performance and signal quality. Furthermore, the two GPA antennas inherently provide robustness against the situation in which one of the two GPS antennas fails.

In other embodiments, two different GPS systems may be accessed by each of the two independent antennas. For example, any two of the following systems provide independent location and positioning: the US GPS system (originally, the Naystar GPS), the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the European Union Galileo positioning system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS, operationally known as NAVIC), and Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).

In some embodiments and with reference to the telematic module (2.1), the “heartbeat signal” that can be periodically broadcast by each truck or vehicle (using any of the communication protocols or modules), may include key information such as speed, acceleration and brake status, which can be detected and interpreted by other vehicles in close proximity.

In some embodiments and with reference to the monitoring and security module (2.2), the monitoring and security module may be configured to counter against hacking attempts. For example, when a route has been established between a starting (or current) location and a destination, if the truck's GPS indicates that the current position is only a few blocks away from the predetermined route, this may be interpreted as a necessary deviation due to a unplanned re-route. On the other hand, if the GPS indicates that the truck is moving in the opposite direction than was predetermined for any significant period of time, the monitoring and security module may take the necessary measures. The truck may be forced to stop, or control commands may be uploaded from the truck to an external monitoring service (e.g. the Remote Control Hall or Cloud).

In some embodiments and with reference to log module (2.3), the log module for logging or keeping records of certain activities may be implemented in various ways, including, e.g., using a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component, or a custom-built module that, in an example, supports a UNIX filesystem, and is specifically designed for operations in vehicular monitoring and control.

In some embodiments and with reference to (1) and (2), the protocols enumerated herein are not to be construed as limiting, and may be modified or augmented to inter-operate with other short-range wireless protocols such as IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, Communication, Air-interface, Long and Medium range (CALM), and other methods of transmission in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) implementations.

In some embodiments and with reference to the Roof ECU (1) and the Supervisor ECU (2), and in the context of FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the Roof ECU and Supervisor ECU in each truck may be configured to communicate with each other to ensure a “convoy” operation with minimal human intervention. Alternatively, any of the aforementioned protocols may be used to establish communication between drivers of the trucks. For example, certain control commands may be received by one or the trucks (from the Remote Control Hall or Cloud), and then transmitted to another truck to serve as a redundant signal, or for verification (either for the first time, or as a backup). Each of the protocols may be used individually, or in combination, to establish peer-to-peer communications.

In some embodiments and in the context of FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the Remote Control Hall or Cloud are the server-side (or control center side) components that enable real-time remote control of vehicles with high redundancy. Commands that provide autonomous control or monitoring requests may be sent to one or more trucks in a convoy using different communication protocols, as described above.

In some embodiments, the server-side Remote Control Hall or Cloud is able to track a convoy of trucks, and provide control commands to coordinate travel across divergent routes. In these cases, the individual trucks are able to monitor their own metrics and received commands, but may not be able to communicate with all of the other trucks, but the Remote Control Hall or Cloud is able to leverage different communication protocols to communicate with each truck in the convoy, irrespective of their specific communication protocol coverages.

In some embodiments, the Remote Control Hall or Cloud may transmit control commands after having received responses to monitoring requests from a single truck or one or more of the trucks in a convoy. For example, if responses from a particular truck are received over different communication protocols and do not agree with each other, a control command for that particular truck to either stop or take precautionary measures may be transmitted using one or more communication protocols.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for an example of a method 600 of controlling a vehicle remotely. The method 600 includes, at step 602, receiving a first copy of a control command over a first communication protocol. As described with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the first communication protocol may be LTE. The control command may also be made secure using digital security techniques such as encryption.

The method 600 includes, at step 604, receiving a second copy of the control command over a second communication protocol. As described with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, the second communication protocol may be DSRC or Wi-Fi (an IEEE local area network protocol). The control command may also be made secure using digital security techniques such as encryption. In some embodiments, the second communication protocol is different from the first communication protocol, which provides high redundancy for communications.

The method 600 includes, at step 606, determining whether the first copy is identical to the second copy. In some embodiments, the control command is over the download channel and the Supervisor ECU may decide whether the two received copies are in agreement. In other embodiments, the control command is over the upload channel and the Remote Control Hall may determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy.

The method 600 includes, at step 608, executing the control command when the first copy is identical to the second copy.

The method 600 includes, at step 610, rejecting the control command when the first copy differs from the second copy.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a hardware platform 700 that can be used to implement some of the techniques described in the present document. For example, the hardware platform 700 may implement the method 600 or may implement the various modules described herein. The hardware platform 700 may include a processor 702 that can execute code to implement a method. The hardware platform 700 may include a memory 704 that may be used to store processor-executable code and/or store data. The hardware platform 700 may further include a communication interface 706. For example, the communication interface 706 may implement one or more of the communication protocols (LTE, Wi-Fi, and so on) described herein.

In some implementations of the disclosed technology, a system for vehicular monitoring and control of one or more vehicles includes: a first electronic control unit including one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) modules configured to access satellites to provide real time location information to the vehicle; a second electronic control unit including a telematics module configured to connect to a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol and a memory configured to store information on a distribution of LTE signals; and a battery module configured to supply power to the first and second electronic control units. The first and second electronic control units communicate with each other using one or more communication protocols. Each of the one or more vehicle is configured to receive commands in advance upon receipt of a GPS signal indicating the vehicle will enter a road with no coverage of the LTE protocol. The memory is configured to store the commands received in advance.

In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the one or more GPS modules are independent from each other. The second electronic control unit further includes a security module configured to control the vehicle in an emergency situation or upon receipt of suspicious information. the one or more communication protocols connecting the first and second electronic control units communicate with each other includes Ethernet or Controller Area Network (CAN) or a combination of Ethernet and CAN. The memory is further configured to store communication messages received by the first and second electronic control units. The battery module includes a main battery and a backup battery, and wherein the backup battery is configured to supply power to the second electronic control unit when the main battery is not available.

In some implementations of the disclosed technology, the first electronic control unit further includes a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) module configured to connect to a short-range communication network, and wherein the telematics module of the second electronic control unit is further configured to connect to a Wi-Fi protocol, and wherein the first and second electronic control units are further configured to: check as to whether the LTE, DSRC, and Wi-Fi protocols are functioning properly at the one or more vehicles; receive a first copy of a control command for an operation of the vehicle over the LTE protocol and receive a second copy of the control command over DSRC protocol if the LTE and DSRC protocols are functioning properly at the one or more vehicles; receive the first copy of the control command over the DSRC protocol and receive the second copy of the control command over the Wi-Fi protocol if the DSRC and Wi-Fi protocols are functioning properly at the one or more vehicles while the LTE protocol is not functioning properly; receive the first copy of the control command over the LTE protocol and receive the second copy of the control command over the Wi-Fi protocol if the LTE and Wi-Fi protocols are functioning properly at the one or more vehicles while the DSRC protocol is not functioning properly; compare the received first and second copies of the control command to determine whether the first copy is identical to the second copy; execute the control command to execute the operation of the vehicle when the first copy is identical to the second copy; and reject the control command to deny execution of the operation of the vehicle when the first copy differs from the second copy.

In some embodiments, various techniques and methods described herein may be embodied into a computer-readable program medium storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method.

Implementations of the subject matter and the functional operations and modules described in this patent document can be implemented in various systems, digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer program products, e.g., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more of them. The term “data processing unit” or “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

It is intended that the specification, together with the drawings, be considered exemplary only, where exemplary means an example. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, the use of “or” is intended to include “and/or”, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

While this patent document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this patent document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described in this patent document should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments.

Only a few implementations and examples are described and other implementations, enhancements and variations can be made based on what is described and illustrated in this patent document.

Claims

1. A method comprising: periodically broadcasting information including a speed of a vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, or a brake status of the vehicle, the information being periodically broadcast to other vehicles within range of the vehicle via a first communication protocol, a second communication protocol, or a third communication protocol;receiving, at the vehicle, a first command via the first communication protocol and a second command via the second communication protocol;determining whether the first command differs from the second command; andin response to determining that the first command differs from the second command, receiving, at the vehicle, a third command via the third communication protocol,determining whether the second command and the third command are identical, andin response to determining that the second command and the third command are identical, executing the third command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the third command comprises causing the vehicle to operate according to the third command.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the second command differs from the third command,rejecting the third command.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the first command and the second command are identical, executing the second command by causing the vehicle to operate according to the second command.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that the third command comprises a stop command, wherein the stop command is received from a monitoring center in response to a determination that the vehicle is moving in a direction opposite to a predetermined destination for a threshold period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is received via a cellular protocol, wherein the second command is received via a dedicated short range communication protocol, wherein the third command is received via a Wi-Fi protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is received via a cellular protocol, wherein the second command is received via a Wi-Fi protocol, wherein the third command is received via a dedicated short range communication protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command is received via a dedicated short range communication, wherein the second command is received via a Wi-Fi protocol, wherein the third command is received via a cellular protocol.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the Wi-Fi protocol comprises a Wi-Fi protocol on the vehicle or a Wi-Fi protocol on a mobile phone located in the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: connecting to Wi-Fi modules of other proximate vehicles; andcommunicating directly with the Wi-Fi modules of the other proximate vehicles via the Wi-Fi protocol.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising: determining whether the Wi-Fi protocol is functioning properly by receiving, via the Wi-Fi protocol, a heartbeat signal from the vehicle as a guest node, andreceiving, via the Wi-Fi protocol, a heartbeat signal from a mobile phone in the vehicle as a host point.

12. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; andat least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: periodically broadcast information including a speed of a vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, or a brake status of the vehicle, the information being periodically broadcast to other vehicles within range of the vehicle via a first communication protocol, a second communication protocol, or a third communication protocol;receive a first command via the first communication protocol and a second command via the second communication protocol;determine whether the first command differs from the second command; andin response to a determination that the first command differs from the second command, receive, at the vehicle, a third command via the third communication protocol,determine whether the second command and the third command are identical, andin response to a determination that the second command and the third command are identical, execute the third command.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: determine, based on a signal received from a global positioning system, a current location of the vehicle;determine, based on the current location and a destination, a route between the current position and the destination;predict, based on the route and a coverage map, whether communications are unreliable along a portion of the route; andin response to the prediction that communications are unreliable along the portion of the route, receive additional commands.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the global positioning system comprises a global navigation satellite system, a Galileo positioning system, a regional navigation satellite system, or a quasi zenith satellite system.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: determine that the vehicle has deviated from a route; andin response to the determination that the vehicle has deviated from the route, take a precautionary measure.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein to take the precautionary measure, the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to cause the vehicle to come to a stop.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: predict, based on a route and a coverage map, that communications are reliable along another portion of the route;determine that the vehicle is located within the other portion of the route;detect that the first, second, and third communication protocols are disconnected; andin response to the detection that the first, second, and third communication protocols are disconnected, cause the vehicle to enter a safe mode.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein to cause the vehicle to enter a safe mode, the at least one memory and computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to cause the vehicle to reduce its cruising speed or turning on a warning light.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause operations comprising: periodically broadcasting information including a speed of a vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, or a brake status of the vehicle, the information being periodically broadcast to other vehicles within range of the vehicle via a first communication protocol, a second communication protocol, or a third communication protocol;receiving, at the vehicle, a first command via the first communication protocol and a second command via the second communication protocol;determining whether the first command differs from the second command; andin response to determining that the first command differs from the second command, receiving, at the vehicle, a third command via the third communication protocol,determining whether the second command and the third command are identical, andin response to determining that the second command and the third command are identical, executing the third command.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising: detecting that the first and second communication protocols are disconnected;in response to detecting that that the first and second communication protocols are disconnected, receiving a fourth command via the third protocol; andexecuting the fourth command by causing the vehicle to operate according to the fourth command.