# US 11,910,456 B2 · Interworking system and operation in V2X applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,456 B2 - Document ID: US11910456B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/075,022 - Filed: 2022-12-05 - Published: 2023-04-06 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-11 - Assignees: Malikie Innovations Limited - Applicants: Malikie Innovations Limited - Inventors: Nicholas James Russell; Gordon Peter Young; Stephen McCann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910456B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - G08G 1/22: {Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles} - 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 - H04L 67/51: Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - H04W 12/55: involving three or more devices, e.g. group pairing - H04W 36/322: {by location data} - H04W 76/15: Setup of multiple wireless link connections - H04W 84/005: {Moving wireless networks} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - 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}) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A communication system and method for supporting a plurality of vehicle-to-everything radio access technologies (V2X RATs) is provided. The communication system configured to support multiple V2X RATs transmits, using a first V2X RAT, an indication of its availability to support an interworking function between the plurality of V2X RATs. The communication system receives an instruction to provide the interworking function between different V2X RATs. The interworking function may be incorporated in a vehicle that is joined to a platoon configured to use a first V2X RAT, and provide the interworking function between the first and a second V2X RAT. The interworking function may be used to add further vehicles to the platoon that communicate using only the second V2X RAT. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for managing a platoon of vehicles, the method comprising: communicating with at least one vehicle in the platoon using a first vehicle-to-everything radio access technology (V2X RAT); determining that a first further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the first further vehicle being configured to communicate using a second V2X RAT; determining that a second further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the second further vehicle being configured to provide an interworking function for providing simultaneous access to a plurality of V2X RATs comprising the first V2X RAT and the second V2X RAT; adding the first further vehicle and the second further vehicle to the platoon; subsequently receiving from the second further vehicle that it intends to cease providing the interworking function; and transmitting a message to remove the first further vehicle from the platoon prior to the second further vehicle's cessation of the interworking function. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein adding the first further vehicle and the second further vehicle to the platoon comprises: adding the second further vehicle to the platoon prior to adding the first further vehicle; transmitting, via the second further vehicle, a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon; and receiving, via the second further vehicle, an acknowledgement from the first further vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the first further vehicle is a member of a different platoon, and wherein adding the first further vehicle to the platoon comprises transmitting a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon to a platoon management entity for the different platoon. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising, prior to transmitting the request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon, receiving, from the second further vehicle, an indication of the availability of the first further vehicle to join the platoon, the first further vehicle in communication with the second further vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the second further vehicle is available comprises receiving, from the second further vehicle via the first V2X RAT, an indication that the second further vehicle is available to support the interworking function. ### Claim 6 A computing system comprising at least one microprocessor for managing a platoon of vehicles, wherein the at least one microprocessor is configured to cause the computing system to: communicate with at least one vehicle in the platoon using a first vehicle-to-everything radio access technology (V2X RAT); determine that a first further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the first further vehicle being configured to communicate using a second V2X RAT; determine that a second further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the second further vehicle being configured to provide an interworking function for providing simultaneous access to a plurality of V2X RATs comprising the first V2X RAT and the second V2X RAT; add the first further vehicle and the second further vehicle to the platoon; subsequently receiving from the second further vehicle that it intends to cease providing the interworking function; and transmit a message to remove the first further vehicle from the platoon prior to the second working vehicle's cessation of the interworking function. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The computing system of claim 6, wherein adding the first further vehicle and the second further vehicle to the platoon comprises: adding the second further vehicle to the platoon prior to adding the first further vehicle; transmit, via the second further vehicle, a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon; and receive, via the second further vehicle, an acknowledgement from the first further vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The computing system of claim 6, wherein the first further vehicle is a member of a different platoon, and wherein the at least one microprocessor is configured to cause the computing system to transmit a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon to a platoon management entity for the different platoon when adding the first further vehicle to the platoon. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The computing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one microprocessor is configured to cause the computing system to detect the cessation of the interworking function in response to receiving, from the second further vehicle, a notification from the second further vehicle that the second further vehicle will leave the platoon or cease providing the interworking function and the message to remove the first further vehicle from the platoon. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The computing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one microprocessor is configured to cause the computing system to detect the cessation of the interworking function by determining that the interworking function will cease. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing code which, when executed by at least one microprocessor of a computing system, causes the computing system to implement: communicating with at least one vehicle in the platoon using a first vehicle-to-everything radio access technology (V2X RAT); determining that a first further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the first further vehicle being configured to communicate using a second V2X RAT; determining that a second further vehicle is available for inclusion in the platoon, the second further vehicle being configured to provide an interworking function for providing simultaneous access to a plurality of V2X RATs comprising the first V2X RAT and the second V2X RAT; adding the first further vehicle and the second further vehicle to the platoon; subsequently receiving from the second further vehicle that it intends to cease providing the interworking function; and transmitting a message to remove the first further vehicle from the platoon prior to cessation of the second further vehicle's interworking function. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further caused to implement, in adding the first further and second further vehicle to the platoon: adding the second further vehicle to the platoon prior to adding the first further vehicle; transmit, via the second further vehicle, a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon; and receive, via the second further vehicle, an acknowledgement from the first further vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first further vehicle is a member of a different platoon, and wherein adding the first further vehicle to the platoon comprises transmitting a request for the first further vehicle to join the platoon to a platoon management entity for the different platoon. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer system is caused to detect the cessation of the interworking function in response to receiving, from the second further vehicle, a notification from the second further vehicle that the second further vehicle will leave the platoon or cease providing the interworking function. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer system is caused to detect the cessation of the interworking function by determining that the interworking function will cease.