In-vehicle control of wireless connection density

An in-vehicle system within a vehicle, the in-vehicle system comprising:

• a device interface via which the in-vehicle system communicates with a plurality of seatback devices located at a plurality of in-vehicle locations throughout the vehicle to:
• (i) detect a connection request by a passenger device with a seatback device, and (ii) cause a wireless connection between the passenger device and the seatback device to be permitted or denied;
• a token server that stores connections tokens that describe existing wireless connections and indicate in-vehicle locations of respective seatback devices of the existing wireless connections, wherein each connection token indicates a passenger demographic category associated with a respective existing wireless connection;
• and
• a connection management module that references the token server to selectively determine whether to permit or to deny the wireless connection between the passenger device and the seatback device based on a number of particular connection tokens that indicate a same passenger demographic category as a first passenger demographic category associated with the connection request and that indicate particular in-vehicle locations within a density zone that includes an in-vehicle location of the seatback device.

A connection management system comprising at least one processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the connection management system:

• detect a connection request from a first passenger device requesting wireless connection with a first seatback device at a first in-vehicle location within a vehicle, wherein the connection request is associated with a first passenger demographic category;
• define a first density zone that includes one or more other in-vehicle locations surrounding the first in-vehicle location according to zone configuration data that indicates a zone size for the first density zone, wherein the zone configuration data further indicates one or more maximum capacities of wireless connections allowed for the first density zone, each maximum capacity corresponding to wireless connections for a particular passenger demographic category;
• determine, via a token server that stores connection tokens that each describe an existing wireless connection, a number of particular connection tokens that (i) describe existing wireless connections at the one or more other in-vehicle locations within the first density zone and (ii) indicate a passenger demographic category associated with the existing wireless connection that is the same as the first passenger demographic category associated with the connection request;
• and
• transmit, to the first seatback device, one of a first instruction to disconnect the wireless connection or a second instruction that permits the wireless connection, wherein the first instruction is transmitted based on the number of particular connection tokens being less than a particular maximum capacity corresponding to the first passenger demographic category and the second instruction is transmitted based on the number of particular connection tokens being at least the particular maximum capacity.