| TOYOTA INFOTECHNOLOGY CENTER U.S.A., INC. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
| 20120093015 | Systems and Methods for Multi-Beam Optic-Wireless Vehicle Communications - The present invention offers systems and methods for effective multiple-hop routing, multicasting and media access control for vehicle group communications that employ directional wireless radio technology. Multi-beam optic-wireless media and streamlined operations provide low-overhead communications among vehicles. Systems and methods are provided to maintain a quasi-stationary group of neighboring vehicles, enable high-throughput on-demand switching among multiple vehicles, enable group coding in the vehicle group to achieve higher throughput, and enable dynamic adjustment of link to maintain desirable vehicle group. The proposed solution builds upon the conception of a MAC-free wireless operation and quasi-stationary vehicular switched network to achieve ultra-low-overhead and high-throughput vehicle communications. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120070804 | Architecture, Method, and Program for Generating Realistic Vehicular Mobility Patterns - A method, simulator and program for simulating vehicular movement based upon user input parameters related to simulation topology and simulation vehicles including, but not limited to linear vehicular density. The simulator generates the simulation topology having a simulation area using the user input parameters, places a plurality of simulation vehicles within the simulation area at an initial placement using at least two input parameters related to simulation vehicle and the generated simulation topology; and determines movement of the plurality of simulation vehicles starting with the initial placement using a plurality of movement models. Each of the plurality of simulation vehicles has mobility characteristics generated using the plurality of movement models. When vehicle moves outside the simulation area, the vehicle re-emerges at a location within the simulation area. The vehicle re-emerges with new movement characteristics. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120039235 | METHODS FOR RELIABLE MULTICASTING IN LOCAL PEER GROUP (LPG) BASED VEHICLE AD HOC NETWORKS - A method for routing a multicast message comprising the steps of receiving a multicast message including at least a message, a source identifier, a sequence number, a time-to-live value and a multicast group destination, determining if the multicast group destination is in a multicast forwarding table, determining if the message has been previously received, adding the multicast message to the multicast forwarding table if it is determined that the multicast message has not been previously received, determining if a node that received the multicast message is a forwarding node; randomly setting a wait time for forwarding the multicast message; and forwarding the multicast message at the expiration of the wait time. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20110227757 | METHODS FOR CONTEXT DRIVEN DISRUPTION TOLERANT VEHICULAR NETWORKING IN DYNAMIC ROADWAY ENVIRONMENTS - A method and apparatus for optimizing communication of data within a disruption tolerant network. The method comprises of receiving a data packet, said data packet including a context and a state related to said context, storing the data packet to a buffer and disseminating the data packet to neighboring vehicles and RSU, and passing said state to an application, said application associated with said application context. In one embodiment, the method functions as a software protocol within a dashboard computer. The apparatus comprises a processor and a memory operable to receive a data packet, said data packet including a context and a state related to said context, store the data packet to a buffer when the context matches an application context, disseminating the data packet to neighboring vehicles and RSU, and pass said state to an application when the context matches an application context, said application associated with said application context. In one embodiment, the apparatus is presented as a dashboard computer within a vehicle. | 09-22-2011 |
| 20110134762 | Adaptation Protocols for Local Peer Group (LPG) Networks in Dynamic Roadway Environments - A method and system for determining a size of a local peer group (LPG) network in a dynamic roadway (mobile) environment is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises measuring a roundtrip time between a first node and a second node, and utilizing the measured roundtrip time to select the size of the local peer group network from a lookup table. In another embodiment, the method comprises determining when the roundtrip time exceeds a time interval of the heartbeat signal, and when the roundtrip time exceeds the time interval of the heartbeat signal adjusting the size of the local peer group network. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110010446 | Program and Method for Adaptively Maintaining a Local Peer Group in a Dynamic Environment - A method for maintaining a local peer group (LPG) for supporting communications among vehicles. The LPG is formed from a plurality of vehicles. Each vehicle is equipped with a wireless communications device. One of the vehicles is selected as a group header node (GH). The method comprises receiving periodically a heartbeat packet from the GH, the heartbeat packet including a maximum hop count, and a heartbeat cycle, forwarding the heartbeat packet until the maximum hop count is reached after waiting for a first random relay delay, which is less than a maximum allowable adjustable value, replying to the heartbeat packet with a membership report packet, forwarding a membership report packet towards the GH, and adding a vehicle that submitted the membership report packet to a LPG membership as a member node of the LPG if the membership report packet is new or updating information for a member node. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110006913 | Program and Method for Adaptive Mobile Ad-Hoc Wireless Communication - A method of controlling a wireless communication device that is installed in a moving vehicle. The method comprises receiving roadway topology information and vehicle traffic pattern information, receiving vehicle and wireless communication device performance information from a plurality of other moving vehicles, determining current position information for the moving vehicle; determining a first set of metrics for a performance of the wireless communication device installed in the moving vehicle, estimating at least one second metric related to the performance of the wireless communication device or an ad-hoc network which includes each wireless communication device and changing an operation or routing parameter for the wireless communication device based upon the estimation. The second metric is based upon at least a sub-set of the first set of metrics, the received information and the determined current position information for the moving vehicle. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20090310608 | Systems and Methods for Multi-Beam Optic-Wireless Vehicle Communications - The present invention offers systems and methods for effective multiple-hop routing, multicasting and media access control for vehicle group communications that employ directional wireless radio technology. Multi-beam optic-wireless media and streamlined operations provide low-overhead communications among vehicles. Systems and methods are provided to maintain a quasi-stationary group of neighboring vehicles, enable high-throughput on-demand switching among multiple vehicles, enable group coding in the vehicle group to achieve higher throughput, and enable dynamic adjustment of link to maintain desirable vehicle group. The proposed solution builds upon the conception of a MAC-free wireless operation and quasi-stationary vehicular switched network to achieve ultra-low-overhead and high-throughput vehicle communications. | 12-17-2009 |