Abstract: Disclosed is a method for remote diagnosis and monitoring of field equipment over an industrial wireless network. A diagnostic unit associated with the field equipment optimizes communication of measured data by a field radio device to a base station. The diagnostic unit is communicatively linked to the field radio device. The measured data is obtained from the field equipment, and a plurality of communication parameters of a communication channel are obtained based on communication from the field radio device. Based on a packet size, a data rate and required application responsiveness, one or more packets comprising the measured data are generated. The generated packets are communicated to the field radio device at selected time intervals based on the packet size, and the application responsiveness, for communication to the base station.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to condition monitoring of wireless networks in industrial plant, wherein a wireless network has two or more wired gateways and a plurality of access nodes connected wirelessly with at least one wired gateway. Here, each access node is associated with at least one field device of the industrial plant. The condition monitoring is performed with an industrial device connected with the two or more wired gateways. The condition monitoring comprises periodically receiving information associated with packet transfer, channel access, and connection links for each node of the plurality of access nodes and each wired gateway. One or more parameters are estimated based on the received information, to determine connectivity status of the field devices in the industrial plant. The connectivity status is rendered on a user interface of an industrial device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for time synchronizing one or more devices in a control network using a first device. The method comprises selecting a first device from information of the topology of the control network. The method further comprises sending a first set of packets to the second device, receiving a first set of delay requests in response to the first set of packets, and sending a first set of delay responses in response to the first set of delay requests. The method further comprises, determining a first set of forward times and first set of backward times. The method further comprises, determining a first minimum forward time and a first minimum backward time. Further the method comprises determining a first correction factor. The method also comprises, applying the first correction factor to a clock provided at the second device and storing the first correction factor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for advising wireless computer networks on inter-network interferences during their life time. The method of the present invention initially observes initial channel utilization profiles along with corresponding time-slots of dynamic network elements and network characteristics of a first network and stores as historical channel utilization profiles. The initial transmission profiles an interfering second network are also recorded. The threshold transmission profiles are then recorded as historical transmission profiles. The aggregator determines interference patterns, by comparing historical channel utilization profiles with runtime threshold transmission profiles and advises and pre-warns appropriate network actions to a network manager of the first network on the interference prone zones. The system of the present invention includes a first network with a common multi-network interference observer, to advise on inter-network interferences.

Abstract: A vehicle-to-vehicle communications system that employs a challenge/response based process to ensure that information received from a vehicle is reliable. The subject vehicle transmits a challenge question to the suspect vehicle to determine whether the suspect vehicle is a reliable source of information. The process increases a number of tokens in a token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is correct, and decreases the number of tokens in the token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is incorrect. The subject vehicle accepts a message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is greater than a predetermined upper threshold, and discards the message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is less than a predetermined lower threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning certificates and reducing the size of the certificate revocation lists in a PKI based architecture for a vehicle wireless communications system that includes separating a country, or other area, into geographic regions and assigning region-specific certificates to the vehicles. Therefore, a vehicle need only process certificates and certificate revocation lists for the particular region that it is traveling in. Vehicles can be assigned multiple certificates corresponding to more than one region in the vehicles vicinity as advance preparation for possible travel or transmission into nearby regions. Further, the expiration time of certificates assigned to vehicles corresponding to a given geographic region can be tailored to be inversely proportional to the distance from a registered home region of the vehicle. A scalable design for a back-end certifying authority with region-based certificates can also be provided.

Abstract: A vehicle-to-vehicle communications system that employs a challenge/response based process to ensure that information received from a vehicle is reliable. The subject vehicle transmits a challenge question to the suspect vehicle to determine whether the suspect vehicle is a reliable source of information. The process increases a number of tokens in a token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is correct, and decreases the number of tokens in the token bucket for the suspect vehicle if the response to the challenge question is incorrect. The subject vehicle accepts a message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is greater than a predetermined upper threshold, and discards the message from the suspect vehicle if the number of tokens in the bucket for the suspect vehicle is less than a predetermined lower threshold.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning certificates and reducing the size of the certificate revocation lists in a PKI based architecture for a vehicle wireless communications system that includes separating a country, or other area, into geographic regions and assigning region-specific certificates to the vehicles. Therefore, a vehicle need only process certificates and certificate revocation lists for the particular region that it is traveling in. Vehicles can be assigned multiple certificates corresponding to more than one region in the vehicles vicinity as advance preparation for possible travel or transmission into nearby regions. Further, the expiration time of certificates assigned to vehicles corresponding to a given geographic region can be tailored to be inversely proportional to the distance from a registered home region of the vehicle. A scalable design for a back-end certifying authority with region-based certificates can also be provided.