Vehicle to vehicle communications device and methods for recreational vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10154377-B2
Application number	US-201615262113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A mobile communication device and method of using, the device including a processor, a communications module for a MESH network; a GPS module to determine a global position; and at least one output. The processor receives at least one instance of location data authored by at least one system of one or more other vehicles. Each instance of location data received via the MESH network describing a location of said other vehicle that authored the data. The processor comparing received location data to position data obtained from the GPS module; determining, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device and the one or more other vehicles; and generating a signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output that is responsive to the determined level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile communication device supported by a vehicle, the mobile communication device including:
a processor;
a communications module, the processor having instructions thereon to utilize the communications module to participate in a MESH network;
a GPS module operable to determine a global position of the GPS module; and
at least one of an audio output and a display output, the processor having instructions that when carried out by the processor cause the processor to:
receive at least one instance of location data authored by a system of at least another vehicle, the received at least one instance of location data describing a location of the at least another vehicle that authored the data, the at least one instance of location data being received via the MESH network;
generate an area of influence based in part on position data obtained from the GPS module, the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle;
compare the received at least one instance of location data to position data obtained from the GPS module, including comparing the received at least one instance of location data to the area of influence;
determine, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle, wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction based on the comparing comprises determining the level of the likelihood of interaction based on the comparing of the received at least one instance of location data to the area of influence; and
generate a signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output that is responsive to the determined level.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the received at least one instance of location data also includes trajectory data associated with the at least another vehicle;
the instructions further cause the processor to use the received trajectory data to determine an expected near-term location of the at least another vehicle; and
determining the level of the likelihood of interaction further comprises considering the expected near-term location of the at least another vehicle.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle comprises the area of influence defining a group of locations in which the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle has greater than a threshold likelihood of being located within a defined period of time.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the area of influence is a cone of influence.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the mobile communication device is mounted on the vehicle.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the communications module is operable to broadcast the received at least one instance of location data.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein generating the signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output includes generating a signal indicating a direction that the at least another vehicle is located relative to the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and indicating the level of the likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit position data obtained from the GPS module and trajectory information via the communications module.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the level of the likelihood of interaction is high when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle is within the area of influence;
the level of the likelihood of interaction is moderate when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle (i) is outside the area of influence and (ii) has a high possibility of entering the area of influence in a short period of time; and
the level of the likelihood of interaction is low when the received at least one instance of location data from the at least another vehicle indicates that the at least another vehicle (i) is outside the area of influence and (ii) does not have a high possibility of entering the area of influence in the short period of time.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein generating the signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output includes generating a signal indicating the level of the likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle as being high, moderate, or low.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein:
generating the signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output comprises generating the signal to the display output; and
the signal indicating the level of the likelihood of interaction visually indicates said level as being high, moderate, or low using different respective display colors.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein high is indicated with red, moderate is indicated with yellow, and low is indicated with green.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein generating the signal to the at least one of the audio output and display output further includes generating a signal indicating a direction that the at least another vehicle is located relative to the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine that the received at least one instance of location indicate that each of the at least another vehicle is far away from and without the potential to enter the area of influence in a near term, and responsively reduce a frequency with which one or both of position data obtained from the GPS module and the received at least one instance of location data is broadcast via the communication module.

15. A method of operating a MESH communications network, the method including:
providing a mobile communications device supported by a vehicle, the mobile communications device having a processor, a communications module operable to communicate via a MESH network, a GPS module operable to determine a global position of the GPS module, and at least one of an audio output and a display output;
receiving at least one instance of location data authored by a system of at least another vehicle, the received at least one instance of location data describing a location of the at least another vehicle that authored the data, the at least one instance of location data being received via the MESH network;
generating an area of influence based in part on position data obtained from the GPS module, the area of influence defining a group of expected near-term locations of the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle;
comparing the received at least one instance of location data to position data obtained from the GPS module, including comparing the received at least one instance of location data to the area of influence;
determining, based on the comparing, a level that is descriptive of a likelihood of interaction between the mobile communication device supported by the vehicle and the at least another vehicle, wherein determining the level of the likelihood of interaction based on the comparing comprises determining the level of the likelihood of interaction based on the comparing of the received at least o

Assignees

• Polaris Inc

Inventors

• Post Benjamin L
• Krosschell Brian D
• Betcher Benjamin J

Classifications

• H04W4/06

  Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• G08G1/22

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title