US 12,439,231 B2
Intelligent vehicles and control logic for enhanced vehicle-to-everything wireless mesh communications
Adam L. Wright, Livonia, MI (US); and Scott T. Droste, West Bloomfield, MI (US)
Assigned to GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed by GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/187,194.
Prior Publication US 2024/0323660 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. H04W 4/40 (2018.01); H04L 45/122 (2022.01); H04W 84/18 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 4/40 (2018.02) [H04L 45/122 (2013.01); H04W 84/18 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling operation of a host vehicle with a vehicle controller and a wireless communications (comm) device, the method comprising:
receiving, via the vehicle controller, a vehicle disabled signal indicating the host vehicle is incapacitated due to an incapacitating vehicle event;
detecting, via the vehicle controller responsive to receiving the vehicle disabled signal, an insufficient connectivity state indicating the wireless comm device is unable to wirelessly connect to a cellular or satellite communications system;
broadcasting, over a wireless mesh network (WMN) via the vehicle controller responsive to detecting the insufficient connectivity state, a distress message containing vehicle data specific to the host vehicle and incident data specific to the incapacitating vehicle event;
determining, via a resident controller of a recipient vehicle using the vehicle data, if a prior distress message for the incapacitating vehicle event was previously received;
determining, via the resident controller of the recipient vehicle using the incident data, if the distress message exceeds a preset multi-hop restriction;
transmitting, via the resident controller responsive to the prior distress message being previously received and/or the distress message exceeding the preset multi-hop restriction, a disable command signal to a resident subsystem of the recipient vehicle disabling retransmission of the distress message to another recipient node over the WMN;
detecting, via the resident controller responsive to the prior distress message not being previously received and the distress message not exceeding the preset multi-hop restriction, a sufficient connectivity status indicating the recipient vehicle is able to contact a back-office (BO) vehicle services system or a first responder entity; and
transmitting, via the resident controller responsive to detecting the sufficient connectivity status: (1) the distress message to the BO vehicle services system or the first responder entity; (2) a return message to the host vehicle indicating the distress message was sent to the BO vehicle services system or the first responder entity; and/or (3) a hop interrupt message to one or more additional nodes over the WMN indicating the distress message was sent to the BO vehicle services system or the first responder entity.