# US 10,320,912 B2 · Communication method for a plurality of vehicles, vehicle and server > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,320,912 B2 - Document ID: US10320912B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/717,600 - Filed: 2017-09-27 - Published: 2018-11-01 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2017-04-27 - Assignees: Beijing Mobike Technology Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Beijing Mobike Technology Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Depi Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320912B2 ## CPC - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - G08G 1/0104: {Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions} - G08G 1/0112: {from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]} - H04B 1/3822: specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence) - H04L 67/34: {involving the movement of software or configuration parameters (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416)} - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04W 4/44: for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H] - H04W 4/46: for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V] - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - H04W 4/90: Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS] - G06F 8/65: Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G08G 1/20: {Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles} - H04W 84/005: {Moving wireless networks} - H04W 84/20: Leader-follower arrangements - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present invention discloses A communication method for a plurality of vehicles, a vehicle and a server are disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: selecting a first vehicle from the plurality of vehicles as a master device that communicates with a server, wherein the first vehicle communicates with other vehicles among the plurality of vehicles in a first communication mode, and the master device communicates with the server in a second communication mode; and using the first vehicle as a node by which at least one of the other vehicles communicates with the server. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the problem of inability of reporting in case of a fault when any of the other vehicles directly communicates with the server is avoided. The server only needs to distribute update software to the first vehicle, rather than each vehicle one by one, and then the update software is forwarded by the first vehicle to each vehicle, thereby reducing the number of operations of the server and occupying less resources of the server. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A communication method for a plurality of nodes each associated with a vehicle, said method comprising the following steps: selecting a first node from the plurality of nodes as a master device that communicates with a server, wherein the first node communicates with other nodes among the plurality of nodes in a first communication mode, and wherein the master device communicates with the server in a second communication mode; and using the first node for at least one of the other nodes to communicate with the server, wherein: the first node is selected according to the communication states in which the plurality of nodes communicates with the server, the communication state between the first node and the server is optimal among the plurality of nodes, and after the step of selecting the first node as the master device: acquiring information on a distance between the first node and any of the other nodes; when the distance between the first node and any of the other nodes is smaller than a preset distance, maintaining the first node as the master device that communicates with the server, and when the communication state of the selected first node and the server is optimal but the distance between the first node and at least one of the other nodes is greater than the preset distance, reselecting a node other than the first node from the plurality of nodes as the master device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein after the step of selecting the first node, the method further comprises the following steps: acquiring information on a battery level of the first node; when the battery level of the first node is greater than a preset battery level, maintaining the first node as the master node, and when the communication state between the first node and the server is optimal but the battery level of the first node is less than the preset battery level, reselecting a node other than the first node from the plurality of nodes as the master device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of using the first node for the at least one of the other vehicles to communicate with the server comprises: receiving first data, by the first node, from a second node among the plurality of nodes in the first communication mode; and forwarding the first data, by the first node, to the server in the second communication mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein a direct communication between the second node and the server has a fault. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the first data includes an identifier and a fault type of the second node. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of using the first node for the at least one of the other vehicles to communicate with the server comprises: receiving second data, by the first node, from the server in the second communication mode; and forwarding the second data, by the first node, to at least one of the other nodes in the first communication mode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein the second data includes update software. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first communication mode includes at least one of a Bluetooth communication or a Near Field Communication. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the second communication mode includes at least one of a mobile communication, a WiFi communication or a remote Bluetooth communication. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A server, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used for storing instructions, the instructions being used for controlling the processor to operate to execute the method according to claim 1. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A vehicle with a node associated with the vehicle, the vehicle comprising: memory and a processor, the memory storing instructions, the instructions being configured for controlling the processor to execute the method according to claim 1; a first communication unit; and a second communication unit, wherein: the first communication unit receives first data from a second node in the first communication mode, and the second communication unit forwards the first data to a server in the second communication mode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein direct communication between the second node and the server has a fault. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the first data includes an identifier and a fault type of the second node. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The vehicle according claim 11, wherein: the second communication unit is configured for receiving second data from the server in the second communication mode; and the first communication unit is configured for forwarding the second data to at least one of the other nodes in the first communication mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the second data includes update software. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the first communication mode includes at least one of a Bluetooth communication or a Near Field Communication. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the second communication mode includes at least one of a mobile communication, a WiFi communication or a remote Bluetooth communication.