Systems and methods for reliably providing a control channel for communicating control information with automotive electronic control units

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide reliable and resilient control channels for communicating control information with vehicle onboard systems using a control channel plane supporting migration of a control channel among various networks forming the control channel plane are described. The control channel plane of embodiments includes at least one data delivery network of a data network and at least one out-of-band network of a security network. Embodiments introduce an in-vehicle system into vehicles facilitating secure data communication between a centralized mobility management platform and the vehicles using a data network for data content communication and a security network for security enhancement with respect to the data network. The centralized mobility management platform and IVS may utilize the aforementioned control channel for control signaling with respect to such operations, wherein the control channel is migrated between various networks of the control channel plane to provide a reliable and resilient control channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for reliably maintaining a control channel between a vehicle of a fleet of vehicles and a centralized mobility management platform, the method comprising:
 using a data network comprising a plurality of data delivery networks for data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles;   using a security network comprising one or more out-of-band networks with respect to the plurality of data delivery networks for security token communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles, wherein the security token communication comprises encryption corresponding to the data content communication on the data network; and   migrating a control channel established between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles among networks of the data network and the security network included in a control channel plane, wherein the control channel plane includes at least one data delivery network of the data network and at least one out-of-band network of the security network, wherein migration of the control channel among the networks of the data network and the security network is based upon control channel migration rules applied by logic of the centralized mobility management platform to communication environment information provided by the vehicle and network utilization information available to the centralized mobility management platform to maintain the control channel between the vehicle and the centralized mobility management platform, and wherein migration of the control channel is independent of use of the data network for communicating data content between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle and use of the security network for communicating security token information between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one data delivery network of the data network included in the control channel plane comprises an internet protocol network, and wherein the at least one out-of-band network of the security network included in the control channel plane comprises a wireless network established by a satellite constellation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one data delivery network of the data network included in the control channel plane comprises a network selected from the group consisting of a cellular communication network, an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) data network, a wireless local area network, a Ku band geosynchronous satellite communications network, and a Ka band geosynchronous satellite communications network, and wherein the at least one out-of-band network of the security network included in the control channel plane comprises a L band low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation communication network. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using the control channel to communicate the communication environment information from the vehicle to the centralized mobility management platform.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using the control channel to communicate data delivery network selection information to the vehicle for establishing data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 using the security network to communicate a security token to the vehicle for use by the vehicle in utilizing data content of the data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 scanning the at least one data delivery network of the data network and the at least one out-of-band network of the security network by the vehicle; and   reporting control channel plane network availability information from the vehicle to the centralized mobility management platform for operation by the centralized mobility management platform to establish the control channel.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the scanning and reporting are performed by the vehicle when the vehicle is initialized for an operation session. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 establishing the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein each data delivery network of the data network provide wireless communication service areas with narrower geographic coverage than wireless communication service areas provided by the at least one out-of-band network of the security network, and wherein control channel network selection rules implemented by the centralized mobility management platform establish the at least one out-of-band network of the security network as a fallback network for establishing the control channel. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the establishing the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network is performed when the control channel between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle has not been established and the centralized mobility management platform has control data for the vehicle. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the establishing the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network is performed when the control channel between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle has not been established and the vehicle has not reported control channel plane network availability information to the centralized mobility management platform within a predetermined period of time. 
     
     
         13 . A system for reliably maintaining a control channel between a vehicle of a fleet of vehicles and a centralized mobility management platform, the system comprising:
 at least one processor;   memory in data communication with the processor, wherein the memory includes instructions which when executed by one or more processors of the at least one processor provide logic that causes the one or more processors to:
 use a data network comprising a plurality of data delivery networks for data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles; 
 use a security network comprising one or more out-of-band networks with respect to the plurality of data delivery networks for security token communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles, wherein the security token communication comprises encryption corresponding to the data content communication on the data network; and 
 migrate a control channel established between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle of the fleet of vehicles among networks of the data network and the security network included in a control channel plane, wherein the control channel plane includes at least one data delivery network of the data network and at least one out-of-band network of the security network, wherein migration of the control channel among the networks of the data network and the security network is based upon control channel migration rules applied by logic of the centralized mobility management platform to communication environment information provided by the vehicle and network utilization information available to the centralized mobility management platform to maintain the control channel between the vehicle and the centralized mobility management platform, and wherein migration of the control channel is independent of use of the data network for communicating data content between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle and use of the security network for communicating security token information between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one data delivery network of the data network included in the control channel plane comprises an internet protocol network, and wherein the at least one out-of-band network of the security network included in the control channel plane comprises a wireless network established by a satellite constellation. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one data delivery network of the data network included in the control channel plane comprises a network selected from the group consisting of a cellular communication network, an Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) data network, a wireless local area network, a Ku band geosynchronous satellite communications network, and a Ka band geosynchronous satellite communications network, and wherein the at least one out-of-band network of the security network included in the control channel plane comprises a L band low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation communication network. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the logic further causes the one or more processors to:
 use the control channel to communicate the communication environment information from the vehicle to the centralized mobility management platform.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the logic further causes the one or more processors to:
 use the control channel to communicate data delivery network selection information to the vehicle for establishing data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the logic further causes the one or more processors to:
 use the security network to communicate a security token to the vehicle for use by the vehicle in utilizing data content of the data content communication between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the logic further causes the one or more processors to:
 scan the at least one data delivery network of the data network and the at least one out-of-band network of the security network by the vehicle; and   report control channel plane network availability information from the vehicle to the centralized mobility management platform for operation by the centralized mobility management platform to establish the control channel.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein scanning and reporting are performed by the vehicle when the vehicle is initialized for an operation session. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the logic further causes the one or more processors to:
 establish the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein each data delivery network of the data network provide wireless communication service areas with narrower geographic coverage than wireless communication service areas provided by the at least one out-of-band network of the security network, and wherein control channel network selection rules implemented by the centralized mobility management platform establish the at least one out-of-band network of the security network as a fallback network for establishing the control channel. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein establishing the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network is performed when the control channel between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle has not been established and the centralized mobility management platform has control data for the vehicle. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein establishing the control channel by the centralized mobility management platform using the at least one out-of-band network of the security network is performed when the control channel between the centralized mobility management platform and the vehicle has not been established and the vehicle has not reported control channel plane network availability information to the centralized mobility management platform within a predetermined period of time.