Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

David M George

Scott Thomas Droste

Mohammad Ishfaq

Andrew J MacDonald

Dipankar Pal

Lawrence Daniel Cepuran

Jonathan L Gerlach

Mohammadreza AminiKashani

James H Schaffner

Timothy J Talty

Hyok Jae Song

Ki Hak Yi

Walter S Wall

Duane S Carper

Rathinavelu Chengalvarayan

Eray Yasan

Curtis L Hay

William E Mazzara, Jr

Kenneth L Peirce

Chaminda Basnayake

James Doherty

Steven Swanson

James J Piwowarski

Jason W Clark

Sitaram Emani

Richard F Heines

Yao Hui Lei

Scott M Pennock

Swapan Das

Monil Joshi

Mark J Timm

Ayman R Daoud

Jin Tang

Reza Amini

Chong In Kim

Waqas Haleem

Saihema Venkataramanan

Presented are intelligent vehicle communications systems for cellular link monitoring and failure detection, methods for making/using such systems, and vehicles equipped with such systems. A method for operating a wireless-enabled vehicle component of a motor vehicle includes a cellular communications device of the vehicle component detecting an uplink (or downlink) network data packet transmitted by (or to) the vehicle. An electronic vehicle controller then establishes an observation period as a function of the time at which the network data packet was transmitted. The opposite downlink (or uplink) of the wireless-enabled vehicle component is monitored to determine if a downlink (or uplink) network data packet is received within the observation period, thereby indicating detection of a cellular link failure. Responsive to a detected cellular link failure, the vehicle controller conducts a supplemental assessment of the opposite link and/or a corrective action to re-establish a data link for the opposite link.

Intelligent vehicle systems and control logic for cellular link monitoring and failure detection

A mobile communication system of a motor vehicle includes a primary antenna. The system further includes a telematics module having a processor and at least one memory including a computer program code. The memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the system to detect a predetermined vehicle event and measure a primary signal quality of the reference signal received at the primary antenna. The memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the system to determine a maximum primary signal quality and compare the maximum primary signal quality with a threshold. The memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the system to determine a defect in the primary antenna and activate a diagnostic trouble code associated with the defect, in response to determining that the primary maximum signal quality is below the threshold.

Method for detecting an antenna defect in a mobile communication system of a motor vehicle

Methods, systems, and vehicles are provided for user-controlled availability of vehicle connectivity in various embodiments. In one exemplary embodiment, a plurality of sensors are configured to generate sensor data pertaining to a motor of a vehicle and pertaining to user inputs for a user of the vehicle; and a telematics system has a processor that is configured to at least facilitate: (i) determining, from the sensor data, whether the motor is turned off; (ii) determining, from the sensor data, whether a user has requested that the telematics unit operate in an energy conservation mode; and (iii) operating the telematics unit, using one or more adjusted values instead of one or more default values for communicating with a remote server, when it is determined that both the motor for the vehicle is turned off and the user has requested that the telematics unit operate in an energy conservation mode.

User-controlled availability of vehicle connectivity

A signal processing apparatus for simultaneously receiving and processing a satellite signal and a WCS signal. The system and method is operative to receive the signals, amplify and bandwidth covering both signals, splitting the amplified signal into a first and second portions, filtering the first portion to reduce the WCS signal, amplifying the first portion to amplify the satellite signal in the first portion, and processing the satellite signal in the first portion. The system and method is further operative to processing the WCS signal in the second portion.

Method and apparatus for adjacent band RF signal reception

A system and method of regulating attachment between a cellular wireless device and a wireless carrier system includes: attaching a vehicle telematics unit to a cellular base station using a long-term evolution (LTE) cellular protocol; detecting that the vehicle telematics unit is able to carry out voice communications but unable to send short message service (SMS) messages using the attached cellular base station; ending cellular communications between the vehicle telematics unit and the selected base station in response; and beginning cellular communications with a different cellular base station that permits circuit-switched SMS messaging.

Modified cellular protocol selection

A method, implemented at a server of an operations control center of a telematics service provider, for transmitting commands to a network access device, is described. The method involves creating one or more command data packets, each comprising a payload and control information, the control information identifying an AT command air interface. The method further involves transmitting, by the server, the command data packets to the network access device via the AT command air interface, wherein the AT command air interface is a first tunnel extending through a network of the vehicular telematics unit. In addition, a method, implemented at a baseband processor of a network access device of a vehicular telematics unit, for receiving commands from a server of an operations control center and a system for transmitting commands between a server of an operations control center and a network access device are also described.

Direct air interface control of telematics unit network access device by operations control center

A mobile vehicle communications system adapted to perform a method of cellular reselection using vehicle telematics unit coupled to a vehicle antenna. The method includes: performing a measurement of a reference signal from a serving cell that is connected to the telematics unit; determining whether to perform a measurement of a target cell based on both a serving cell signal strength value (Srxlev) and a measured serving cell signal quality value (Qqualmeas); and when the measurement of the target cell is performed, then determining whether to reselect to the target cell based on cell selection values of the serving and target cells.

Cell selection and reselection using a vehicle antenna

A system and method for providing an address for a Domain Name System (DNS) server to a consumer device, wherein the consumer device connects to the Internet through a vehicle, includes providing an address for a default DNS server to the consumer device; receiving a request from the consumer device to convert a domain name to an Internet Protocol (IP) address using the default DNS server; forwarding the request to the default DNS server; determining if the request has been resolved by the default DNS server within a time-to-respond limit; and updating the consumer device with a different address for a DNS server retrieved from a list stored in vehicle hardware if the request has not been resolved within the time-to-respond limit.

Enhancing DNS availability

A system and method of registering a voice over LTE (VoLTE) capable vehicle telematics unit with a wireless carrier system includes: detecting at the vehicle telematics unit a wireless signal broadcast by a cell tower; determining from the wireless signal whether the cell tower provides cellular service using a VoLTE cellular protocol; and when it is determined that the cell tower does not provide cellular service using the VoLTE protocol, then preventing the VoLTE-capable vehicle telematics unit from attempting to wirelessly connect with the cell tower using an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) protocol.

Regulating IMS use with non-VoLTE cellular communications systems

A method of establishing a packet data connection includes accessing a Domain Name Server (DNS) to obtain an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a vehicle telematics unit; initiating a mobile-terminated packet data connection with the vehicle telematics unit using the IP address of the vehicle telematics unit; and establishing the mobile-terminated packet data connection when the vehicle telematics unit determines that a hostname representing an IP address of a third party initiating the mobile-terminated packet data connection matches at least one approved hostname recognized by the vehicle telematics unit.

Method of establishing a mobile-terminated packet data connection

A system and method of remotely changing use of a cellular protocol at a vehicle includes: storing, in a network access device (NAD) at the vehicle, identities of one or more cellular bands that provide cellular service according to an up-to-date cellular protocol; wirelessly receiving at the vehicle a computer-readable instruction that deactivates the up-to-date cellular protocol; and in response to the computer-readable instruction, the vehicle: obtains the identities of the cellular bands stored in the NAD; stores the obtained identities in a non-volatile memory device located apart from the NAD; and erases in the NAD the identities of the cellular bands that provide cellular service according to an up-to-date cellular protocol.

Remote telematics unit band control with dynamic memory

A system and method are provided for re-provisioning a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle for wireless services. The re-provisioning process includes: connecting a computing device to an on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle; accessing a subscriber identification card of the telematics unit via the on-board diagnostics interface; requesting subscription information from a subscriber credentials server via a network connection; receiving the subscription information; and reprogramming the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services based on the received subscription information.

Provisioning automotive SIM cards without removal from vehicle

A system and method of controlling a wireless device communicating with a cellular communications system includes: establishing a cellular connection between the wireless device and a first cell tower; detecting, at the wireless device, a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of a signal broadcast by the first cell tower; increasing an RSRP threshold used by the wireless device by adding an offset value to the RSRP threshold; determining whether the detected RSRP measurement of the signal broadcast by the first cell tower falls below the increased RSRP threshold; and initiating a cellular connection with a second cell tower.

Cellular handoff by wireless devices

A method and a system for providing vehicle services to at least one communication device located at a vehicle via a vehicle telematics unit. The method carried out by the system includes the steps of: receiving a request at the vehicle telematics unit for first vehicle services from a first communication device located at a vehicle; associating a first identifier with the first communication device; and providing the first vehicle services to the first communication device, wherein the vehicle services are provided according to at least one services parameter associated with the first identifier.

Providing cellular data to a vehicle over different data channels

A system and method of controlling a VoLTE-capable vehicle telematics unit includes: detecting the location of the vehicle telematics unit; determining that one or more cell towers within a range of the location have begun supporting a modern cellular protocol in addition to one or more other cell towers supporting an earlier cellular protocol; and wirelessly transmitting an over-the-air (OTA) message to the vehicle telematics unit commanding the vehicle telematics unit to detach from an attached cell tower and re-attach to a cell tower using an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) protocol.

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

David M George