Patent ID: 8059012

Claim:
A method of delivering data messages in a inter-vehicle ad hoc network, the inter-vehicle ad hoc network utilizing a multi-hop routing protocol for distributing a data message to various vehicles traveling along the road, the method comprising the steps of: determining a first cluster consisting of a group of vehicles proximate to one another traversing along a road in a first direction; selecting at least one of the vehicles within the first cluster as a trailer vehicle, the trailer vehicle being a vehicle in a back of the first cluster; detecting an event in a travel path of the first cluster by one of the vehicles in the first cluster; reporting the event to a plurality of other vehicles in the cluster by the vehicle detecting the event; detecting at least one vehicle in a second cluster moving in an opposite direction to the first cluster; broadcasting the data message from at least one determined trailer vehicle to the second cluster; receiving the data message in the second cluster; and determining which vehicles in the second cluster are lead vehicles for re-broadcasting the received data message.