Systems and methods for selecting a communication channel

Abstract

A method and system of transmitting data. The method comprises receiving data, in a memory of the server computing device, from an asset tracker device; determining, in a processor of the server computing device, one or more weighting factors representing a respective priority associated with one or more of a latency, a cost, a power utilization and a throughput associated with transmission of the data for each of a plurality of communication channels; and selecting, from the plurality of communication channels, a communication channel for transmission of the data based at least in part on the one or more weighting factors and a transmission schedule for the data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, performed in a server computing device, of transmitting data, the method comprising:
 receiving data, in a memory of the server computing device, from an asset tracker device;   determining, in a processor of the server computing device, one or more weighting factors representing a respective priority associated with one or more of a latency, a cost, a power utilization and a throughput associated with transmission of the data for each of a plurality of communication channels; and   selecting, from the plurality of communication channels, a communication channel for transmission of the data based at least in part on the one or more weighting factors and a transmission schedule for the data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 switching on the selected communication channel; and 
 transmitting the data, in accordance with the selected communication channel, to at least one of: the asset tracker, an intermediary computing device associated with the asset tracker, and a communication satellite. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein switching on the selected communication channel comprises transitioning a software-defined radio (SDR) associated with the selected communication channel from a first configuration into a second configuration. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising, prior to transmitting the data, performing an in-phase and quadrature phase (IQ) modulation operation based at least in part upon IQ modulation digital to analog converters. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the data transmission schedule is based at least in part on one or more of latency and data throughput information of each of the plurality of communication channels. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the weighting factor associated with the latency is based at least in part upon a transmission distance associated with a location along an expected path of the asset tracker and an expected time of delivery of the data transmission. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the weighting factor associated with the power utilization is based at least in part upon power consumption of respective ones of the plurality of communication channels, the power consumption being derived based on one or more of:
 a measurement, a computation, and a simulation. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the power utilization of at least one of the plurality of communication channels comprises power required to transition a software-defined radio (SDR) from a first configuration into a second configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 prior to transmitting the data, queuing the data; and 
 transmitting the data upon toggling from the selected channel to a higher-cost communication channel when a queue length results in a predetermined unacceptable latency cost associated with the queuing. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the selected communication channel enables transmission of the data between the asset tracker and the server computing device via at least one of:
 a cellular communication provider, a satellite communication provider and a wireless communication provider. 
 
     
     
         11 . A server computing device comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory including instructions, the instructions when executed in the processor causing operations comprising:
 receiving data, in a memory of the server computing device, from an asset tracker device; 
 determining, in a processor of the server computing device, one or more weighting factors representing a respective priority associated with one or more of a latency, a cost, a power utilization and a throughput associated with transmission of the data for each of a plurality of communication channels; and 
 selecting, from the plurality of communication channels, a communication channel for transmission of the data based at least in part on the one or more weighting factors and a transmission schedule for the data. 
   
     
     
         12 . The server computing device of  claim 11  further comprising instructions executable to cause:
 switching on the selected communication channel; and 
 transmitting the data, in accordance with the selected communication channel, to at least one of: the asset tracker, an intermediary computing device associated with the asset tracker, and a communication satellite. 
 
     
     
         13 . The server computing device of  claim 12  wherein switching on the selected communication channel comprises transitioning a software-defined radio (SDR) associated with the selected communication channel from a first configuration into a second configuration. 
     
     
         14 . The server computing device of  claim 13  further comprising instructions executable to cause: prior to transmitting the data, performing an in-phase and quadrature phase (IQ) modulation operation based at least in part on IQ modulation digital to analog converters. 
     
     
         15 . The server computing device of  claim 11  wherein the data transmission schedule is based at least in part on one or more of latency and data throughput information of each of the plurality of communication channels. 
     
     
         16 . The server computing device of  claim 11  wherein the weighting factor associated with the latency is based at least in part upon a transmission distance associated with a location along an expected path of the asset tracker and an expected time of delivery of the data transmission. 
     
     
         17 . The server computing device of  claim 11  wherein the weighting factor associated with the power utilization is based at least in part upon power consumption of respective ones of the plurality of communication channels, the power consumption being derived based on one or more of: a measurement, a computation, and a simulation. 
     
     
         18 . The server computing device of  claim 17  wherein the power utilization of at least one of the plurality of communication channels comprises power required to transition a software-defined radio (SDR) from a first configuration into a second configuration. 
     
     
         19 . The server computing device of  claim 11  further comprising instructions executable to cause:
 prior to transmitting the data, queuing the data; and 
 transmitting the data upon toggling from the selected channel to a higher-cost communication channel when a queue length results in a predetermined unacceptable latency cost associated with the queuing. 
 
     
     
         20 . The server computing device of  claim 11  wherein the selected communication channel enables transmission of the data between the asset tracker and the server computing device via at least one of: a cellular communication provider, a satellite communication provider and a wireless communication provider.