System and method for enabling a vehicular access network in a vehicular environment
A method includes joining a vehicular access network (VAN) comprising cooperative communication between a plurality of on-board units (OBU) in respective vehicles, scanning the VAN to pick up a coverage of at least one infrastructure access point (IAP), which operates on a control channel in a radio access tree (RAT) comprising a plurality of cells, listening to a channel allocation information from the IAP that includes a request for a mobile cell gateway (MCG) at a nominal location in the RAT, and sending a candidacy message to the at least one IAP to become an MCG. Certain embodiments include establishing the VAN in a highway, and in urban areas, aggregating traffic in a cell and transmitting to the IAP via the MCG, and other features.
1. A method, comprising:
scanning a vehicular access network (VAN), which facilitates a communication involving an on-board unit (OBU) of a respective vehicle, for coverage associated with an infrastructure access point (IAP); and
receiving channel allocation information from the IAP, wherein the channel allocation information comprises at least one request for a mobile cell gateway (MCG).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the channel allocation information comprises at least one request for the MCG at a nominal location in the RAT.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IAP operates on a control channel in a radio access tree (RAT) comprising a plurality of cells.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
performing, by the OBU, functions of the IAP; and
establishing the control channel in the RAT if the coverage cannot be identified.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IAP is a roadside unit (RSU) operating on at least one short-range wireless channel.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending a candidacy message to the IAP to become a new mobile cell gateway (MCG).
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OBU is configured to cooperate with another OBU such that the OBUs can self-organize as an ad hoc mobile network, with an ability to communicate with each other.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OBU is configured to facilitate wireless communication as a WiFi hotspot involving other vehicles.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
locating a vehicular mobile router (VMR) in a cell that aggregates end-node traffic from end nodes; and
transmitting the end-node traffic to a particular MCG.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OBU performs functions of a femtocell.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OBU facilitates registering of a hotspot/femtocell to a network via a remote or virtual Subscriber Identity Module (SIM).
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication comprises maximizing a capacity of a RAT by implementing a frequency reuse method.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication comprises:
implementing an iterative power control algorithm to facilitate video streaming.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
retrieving a stored signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR);
calculating an updated SINR for a node;
storing the updated SINR; and
calculating an individual power component for the node.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication comprises:
implementing a utility power control algorithm.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
randomly selecting a node;
updating a power level for the node; and
maximizing a utility function corresponding to the power level for the node.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a network access credential comprising a globally unique phone; and
establishing a network connection with the VAN using the network access credential.
18. Logic encoded in non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:
scanning a vehicular access network (VAN), which facilitates a communication involving an on-board unit (OBU) of a respective vehicle, for coverage associated with an infrastructure access point (IAP); and
receiving channel allocation information from the IAP, wherein the channel allocation information comprises at least one request for a mobile cell gateway (MCG).
19. An on-board unit (OBU) of a respective vehicle, comprising:
a memory element configured to store data;
a network interface; and
a computing processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, wherein the network interface, computing processor, and the memory element cooperate such that the OBU is configured to:
scan a vehicular access network (VAN), which facilitates a communication involving the on-board unit (OBU) of the respective vehicle, for coverage associated with an access point (IAP); and
receive channel allocation information from the IAP, wherein the channel allocation information comprises at least one request for a mobile cell gateway (MCG).
20. The OBU of claim 19 , further comprising:
a vehicle diagnostics element; and
a navigation system, wherein the OBU is configured to interface with the vehicle diagnostics element and the navigation system.