DE102017203359A1 - Radio communication module - Google Patents

Abstract

From 2108, all new vehicles should support the eCall service. This service triggers an emergency call in the event of an accident, which sends a minimal data record directly to an emergency call center, but at the same time establishes a voice connection in the event that an occupant of the accident car can still speak. At present this function is realized as part of a radio communication module (31) via which also telephone calls and other services are handled. However, these radio communication modules have a hardware and software equipment similar to a cellphone or smartphone and are therefore expensive. The proposal concerns the realization of the eCall service with a radio communication module in the form of a 3GPP LTE Narrowband Internet of Things device according to the specification as of Release 13.

Description

The invention relates to a radio communication module, in particular for use in a motor vehicle.

In the future, more and more motor vehicles will be equipped with radio communication modules that are able to communicate via WLAN or via the mobile network. For the scenario of vehicles equipped with radio communication modules that communicate directly with each other on public roads, be it for cooperative driving, the equipment with radio communication module is also required.

A radio communication module is often referred to in the field of automotive engineering as on-board unit OBU, Online Connectivity Unit OCU, or as a radio modem. These terms are considered synonyms here.

The task of the radio communication module in the area of mobile radio is to guarantee a secure and stable connection between the vehicle and the back end of the mobile radio network. Currently, the following mobile technologies are used, GSM, 3GPP based UMTS, HSPA, and LTE.

Accordingly, today radio communication modules, especially if they are to fulfill the function as a car phone, so developed that they allow communication in multiple mobile systems.

It is therefore a separate radio modem with one or more mobile antennas which improves the mobile reception and also allows a more stable and faster Internet connection. This includes providing the vehicle with an interface for reading a SIM card. This is often positioned in the glove compartment of the vehicle.

As with smartphones, depending on the location, the quality of the radio connection / Internet connection and thus the transmission speed also varies with the radio communication modules installed in the vehicle. Mobile coverage differs considerably depending on the region and mobile service provider. In addition, in underground garages or tunnels sometimes no or only an inferior connection is possible.

In mobile, reliability of data transmission means completeness (all sent user data arrive at the receiver) and correctness (the transmitted user data and the user data recovered from the received data match). For this purpose, different methods are used in mobile technologies, e.g. Frequency diversity, spatial diversity, sensible choice of modulation type and modulation parameters and the channel code to be used as well as the code rate, etc.!

The hardware and software equipment is similar to that of a modern smartphone, apart from the display. Accordingly high is the cost of such a radio communication module.

Therefore, z.Z. Such high-quality radio communication modules mainly used in the premium segment of vehicle categories.

Such high-quality radio communication modules also realize the functionality of the eCall service.

Via this service, an emergency call (emergency call eCall) is triggered in an accident to the Euronotrufnummer 112, which sends a minimum data set directly to an emergency call center (PSAP - Public Safety Answering Point), but at the same time establishes a voice connection in the event that an inmate of the accident car can still speak. This eCall emergency call is automatically canceled and, in addition, it should also be manually triggered. At a button in the car even witnesses of a serious accident could trigger the emergency call.

The minimum data set includes the time of the accident, the exact coordinates of the accident location, the direction of travel (important on motorways and in tunnels), the vehicle ID, the service provider ID and an eCall qualifier indicating whether the emergency call is triggered automatically or manually has been. Optionally, the transmission of data from on-board safety systems is possible, such as the severity of the accident event and the number of occupants, whether the seat belts were put on, whether the vehicle has overturned, etc.

According to the will of the European Parliament, the nationwide introduction of the eCall service is required from 31.03.2018. The eCall infrastructure must be ready by 1 October 2017. The new service should be available to all citizens free of charge.

As described, the eCall service will be implemented in addition to the traditional telephony and Internet services via the installation of a mobile communication module for use in the mobile network of the generations 2G / 3G / 4G. Not all vehicles are equipped with such a mobile communication module.

There is therefore a need for a cost-effective alternative solution to realize the eCall service in the vehicle. This is the object of the invention.

This object is achieved by a radio communication module according to claim 1.

The dependent claims contain advantageous developments and improvements of the invention according to the following description of these measures.

The solution is instead of a high-quality radio communication module with the full-fledged telephony, and Internet services to realize the eCall service using an LTE Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB loT) device. The requirements that such a device must meet are specified in the LTE standard in Release 13. This specification is known by the abbreviations 3GPP Rel. 13 NB loT.

With this specification, the hardware and software requirements are lower. The NB loT devices i.d.R. a better availability / connection to the communication infrastructure than the normal telephony and data services (through the use of a robust modulation method and / or by the pro-active repetition of the data).

When a full-fledged OCU or radio modem radio communication module is used as the hardware platform for the eCall service, hardware costs and the cost of certain features for which royalties are paid will play a crucial role.

But also in terms of service availability, the solution with the help of a 3GPP Rel. 13 NB loT device is an advantage. Namely, if the mobile coverage in an area is not sufficient to be able to offer telephony and data services, it is also not possible to use the eCall service. A 3GPP Rel. NB loT radio communication module can also work if these classic services can no longer be offered. Greater availability than the 2G / 3G / 4G cellular technologies can be realized by implementing the low-energy profile of the 3GPP Rel. 13 NB loT specification. Then the device will come off without an external power source. It uses a built-in long-term battery as a power source that can deliver energy for several years.

Even in terms of data security, the realization with the 3GPP Rel. NB loT radio communication module is not significantly worse. Because even with the previously known methods, only the vehicle identity is changed when vehicle data is passed on. But with modern fingerprinting and BigData methods, it is still possible to recover the individual vehicle identities from the data, which has thus been anonymised, and thus cancel the anonymous data collection.

In a variant of the embodiment of the invention, the proposed 3GPP Rel. NB loT radio communication module is implemented as a vehicle-integrated hardware module. Alternatively, it can also be implemented as a retrofit module or as an independent device for AfterMarket, which can be connected via WLAN / Bluetooth / NFC / etc. communicates with the smart phone of the driver over which the emergency call is placed (similar to the function of the DASH button from Amazon). In the event that the sending of the emergency call on the smartphone should not be possible, it is provided in a further embodiment that the NB loT radio communication module then sends the emergency call itself.

Here it is advantageous if the module is designed so that it can be connected to the on-board diagnostic interface. It would be advantageous if the OBD interface were easily accessible in the passenger compartment, e.g. also designed as a plug connection in the glove box.

Alternatively, the module could be designed as a kind of key chain which provides the necessary data via WLAN / Bluetooth / NFC / etc. of the infotainment system would pick up.

The use of 3GPP NB loT hardware is not limited to the realization of the eCall service. This can also be used to realize an ERA GLONASS service. This is the counterpart of the eCall service, which was introduced in Russia.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS.

• 1 das Prinzip der Fahrzeugkommunikation über ein Mobilfunkkommunikationssystem;
• 2 ein Blockschaltbild eines Narrowband loT Funkkommunikationsmoduls zum Einsatz in einem Kraftfahrzeug; und
• 3 ein Anwendungsbeispiel für ein Funkkommunikationsmodul das mit einem Mobiltelefon eines Fahrzeuginsassen kommuniziert über das ein eCall-Notruf abgesetzt wird.

Show it:

• 1 the principle of vehicle communication via a mobile communication system;
• 2 a block diagram of a Narrowband loT radio communication module for use in a motor vehicle; and
• 3 an example of an application for a radio communication module that communicates with a mobile phone of a vehicle occupant via which an eCall emergency call is issued.

The present description illustrates the principles of the disclosure of the invention. It will thus be understood that those skilled in the art will be able to avail themselves of various arrangements Although not explicitly described here, but embody the principles of the disclosure of the invention and should also be protected in scope.

1 shows the principle of vehicle communication via mobile radio. The vehicles are with reference number 30 Mistake. They are each with a radio communication module 31 equipped, which serves as a transmitting and receiving unit for mobile communication. All messages from the vehicles (uplink) and to the vehicles (downlink) are either via a base station 20 which operates a mobile radio cell or in the case of direct vehicle communication (Sidelink) exchanged directly between the vehicles. If the vehicles are located within this mobile radio cell, they are registered or logged in to the base station. If they leave the mobile radio cell, they are handed over to the neighboring cell (hand over) and accordingly to the base station 20 deregistered or booked out. The base station 20 also provides access to the Internet 10 available, so the vehicles 30 or all other mobile radio subscribers in the mobile radio cell are supplied with Internet data.

From 2018, the eCall service will be supported by all newly registered vehicles. The vehicles require an eCall connection. In today's vehicles this is usually realized as a special telephony service. So this is an additional feature which is implemented in the radio communication module. The radio communication module 31 but is hardware and software moderately equipped like a mobile phone, you can see from the display of the phone. The antennas are not in the radio communication module 31 integrated, but are attached to the vehicle in a favorable position, typically on the roof or on the windows.

These techniques are standardized and reference is made to the corresponding specifications of 2G / 3G / 4G mobile standards. As a modern example of a mobile radio standard, reference is made to the 3GPP initiative and the LTE standard (Long Term Evolution). Many of the associated ETSI specifications are currently available. in version 13. As an example: ETSI TS 136 213 V13.0.0 (2016-05); Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures (3GPP TS 36.213 version 13.0.0 Release 13).

From the 3GPP Release 13 it is possible to realize so-called Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB loT) devices that are content with a very limited data rate, according to specifications at least 20 kbps. The protocol is designed to achieve a long range and low power consumption of the terminals at a low cost of ownership. The NB-loT specification of 3GPP Release 13 was finalized in June 2016.

The advantage of NB loT hardware is that only a small part of the LTE communication technology needs to be implemented, and not everything that a full-fledged user equipment UE normally needs to support, e.g. Broadband services to offer.

For physical connection between terminal and base station LTE channels are used, which are realized with the LTE mobile radio frequencies. The scheduler in the base station 20 reserves transmission bandwidths with a bandwidth of 180 kHz of the frequency spectrum for the NB loT service. The data transport between base station and network server takes place as usual via IP connections.

A good description of the LTE specification Rel. 13 for NB loT devices can be found in the Whitepaper "NarrowBand Internet of Things" by J. Schlienz and D. Raddino of Rhode & Schwarz numbered NarrowBand_loT - 1MA266_0e. With respect to the disclosure of the invention, reference is expressly made to this description.

Considering the required data rate of the eCall service (at least 20 kbps is required for a 2G / GSM voice call), one sees that the 20 kbps data rate, which the NB loT service minimizes, is quite sufficient.

The hardware requirements are significantly reduced for this NB loT service. In summary, the following requirements apply: (only 180 kHz receive bandwidth, half-duplex transmit mode, only one antenna required).

The number of devices connected to the so-called Internet of Things (loT) is likely to increase significantly in the coming years. To better meet the needs of such Machine Type Communications (MTC), the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has introduced new cellular technologies. These new standards have been developed to enable the energy-efficient operation of communication devices while reducing costs and extending their reach. To meet the extremely demanding low-power needs of loT applications, the 3GPP specifications target devices with ten years of battery life.

To enable rapid deployment, the new standards build on existing LTE and GSM technologies. On the LTE side Two new device categories have been standardized: LTE Cat-M1 and LTE Cat-NB1, also called Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-loT). Both new LTE categories reduce the communication bandwidth from 20 MHz (LTE Cat-1) to 1.4 MHz for Cat-M1 and to 200 kHz for Cat-NB1.

• • Radiofrequenz (HF) analoge Verarbeitung,
• • Digitale Basisbandverarbeitung (DBB).

The physical layer (PHY) of a cellular radio modem can typically be divided into two subsections:

• • radio frequency (HF) analog processing,
• • Digital baseband processing (DBB).

The RF processing is usually done in a dedicated radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), while the DBB processing can be performed in a CPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific IC (ASIC) or a combination thereof.

In the following, the uplink baseband processing is considered. The uplink baseband processing can be divided into channel coding and modulation, see 2 the components 110 and 120 , In the case of NB-loT uplink transmissions, channel coding involves 110 Creation and addition of the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) check code in block 111 , the turbo or convolutional coding 112 and the rate adjustment 113 , At the entrance of the channel coding 110 stand transport blocks.

Two different schemes are possible for baseband modulation: single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) or single-tone transmission. Both schemes are based on the separation of the available spectrum into orthogonal subcarriers, each of which is then used to transmit a data stream. In the case of the SC-FDMA transmission technique, multiple subcarriers are concurrently used by the same user, while for single-tone transmissions, each user uses only one subcarrier at a time. Two different subcarrier spacings are possible: 15 kHz and 3.75 kHz. The first mode corresponds to the same as for the other LTE variants and leads to a total of 12 subcarriers, while the second mode leads to a total of 48 subcarriers. For single-tone transmission, both subcarrier spacings can be used, while for SC-FDMA transmissions, only the 15 kHz subcarrier spacing can be used.

• • Narrowband Physical Uplink Shared Channel (NPUSCH),
• • Narrowband Random Access Channel (NPRACH).

The NB-loT uplink consists of two physical channels:

• Narrowband Physical Uplink Shared Channel (NPUSCH),
• Narrowband Random Access Channel (NPRACH).

For the NPUSCH channel both SC-FDMA and single-tone transmissions can be used, while for the NPRACH channel only single-tone transmissions are possible. An overview of the entire NPUSCH processing chain for SC-FDMA signals is given in 2 shown. For modulation, the codewords pass sequentially through the blocks for scrambling the data 121 , for BPSK or QPSK modulation 122 , after serial / parallel conversion to Fast Fourier transformation 123 , to the carrier assignment 124 , to the Inverse Fast Fourier Transformation 125 and after parallel / serial conversion to insert the Cyclic Prefix 126 , At the exit are the IQ Components for the symbol used to modulate the subcarriers.

The implementation can use a combination of hardware and software.

In a variant of the embodiment of the invention, the proposed 3GPP Rel.13 NB loT radio communication module is implemented as an in-vehicle hardware module.

An alternative is that it is implemented as a retrofit module. Then the module is designed so that it can be subsequently plugged into a slot or bolted to the body and connected with cables. This can preferably take place in a workshop.

3 shows a further embodiment in which the radio communication module 31 is designed as a stand-alone device for the AfterMarket, via WLAN / Bluetooth / NFC or another wireless transmission system with the Smart Phone 32 the driver communicates via the emergency call is placed. WLAN means "Wireless Local Area Network" and NFC means "Near-Field Communication". All three systems mentioned are standardized.

In doing so, the module becomes 31 designed to work with the on-board diagnostic interface 33 can be connected. The OBD interface 33 is now easily accessible in the passenger compartment. If the connector is mounted in the glove box of the vehicle, this unit can be easily plugged in there.

The data for the eCall service, such as vehicle ID, service provider ID and eCall qualifier, are retrieved from the infotainment system, for example using Bluetooth low energy transmission. The other data on the accident and vehicle condition are via the OBD interface 33 picked up.

Alternatively, the NB loT device itself can initiate an emergency call when connected to a smart phone 32 not possible. This works because as previously described the technically possible data rate is already provided by the NB loT device and the data can be fetched from a vehicle interface as previously described.

It should be understood that the proposed method and apparatus may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof. Special purpose processors may include Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC), and / or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Preferably, the proposed method and apparatus is implemented as a combination of hardware and software. The software is preferably installed as an application program on a program storage device. Typically, it is a machine based computer platform that includes hardware such as one or more central processing units (CPU), random access memory (RAM), and one or more input / output (I / O) interface (s). The computer platform also typically installs an operating system. The various processes and functions described herein may be part of the application program, or part that is executed via the operating system.

The disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. There is room for various adjustments and modifications that would be considered by those skilled in the art, as well as to the disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

Internet

20

base station

30

motor vehicle

31

Radio communication module

32

mobile device

33

On-board diagnostic interface

100

block diagram

110

Block channel coding

111

Block CRC check code

112

Block turbo code

113

Block rate adjustment

120

Block modulation

121

Block scrambling

122

Block QPSK modulation

123

Block FFT

124

Block Carrier assignment

125

Block IFFT

126

Block CP

TB

transport block

IQ

IQ components

Claims (8)

Radio communication module, wherein the radio communication module (31) has a transmitting and receiving unit (100) designed for transmitting the data of an automatic emergency call system, characterized in that the radio communication module (31) as a narrowband Internet of Things device according to a 3rd generation specification Partnership Project 3GPP is designed for the mobile radio system Long Term Evolution LTE as of Release 13. Radio communication module after Claim 1 , wherein the radio communication module (31) is designed for use in a motor vehicle (30) and the automatic emergency call system in particular the eCall service according to Emergency Call or the ERA-GLONASS service according to extrennowo rewiring pri awarijach - Globalny nawigatsionny sputnikovy sistema. Radio communication module after Claim 2 , wherein the radio communication module (31) is designed as a retrofit module, which can be retrofitted in the motor vehicle (30), can be. Radio communication module after Claim 3 wherein the retrofit module can be plugged into a slot in the motor vehicle (30). Radio communication module after Claim 4 wherein the radio communication module (31) is designed as an additional device which has an interface which can be connected to the on-board diagnostic interface (33) of the motor vehicle (30), wherein the transmitting and receiving unit (100) is formed is that it exchanges data with the mobile device (32) of an occupant over a radio link over which the emergency call is issued. Radio communication module after Claim 5 wherein the transmitting and receiving unit (100) is further adapted to transmit the emergency call itself via LTE if no connection to the mobile device (32) of the occupant can be made. Radio communication module after Claim 5 or 6 , wherein radio communication module (31) Data retrieval means, which retrieve the information about the state of the vehicle or the occurrence of the accident via the on-board diagnostic interface (33). Radio communication module according to one of Claims 5 to 7 wherein the data retrieval means retrieve further data, in particular the vehicle identification, the service provider identification and the eCall qualifier via wireless communication, in particular Bluetooth, WLAN or NFC from the vehicle infotainment system.

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