US 10,108,202 B1 · Peloton

Abstract

A vehicle configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises at least the vehicle at least one additional vehicle, is configured to determine a position of the vehicle in the peloton which reduces differences in relative driving ranges among the vehicles included in the peloton. The vehicles can dynamically adjust peloton positions while navigating to reduce driving range differences among the vehicles. The vehicle can include a power management system which enables the vehicle to be electrically coupled to a battery included in another vehicle in the peloton, so that driving range differences between the vehicles can be reduced via load sharing via the electrical connection. The vehicle can include a power connector arm which extends a power connector to couple with an interface of another vehicle.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a vehicle (“ego-vehicle”) configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises the ego-vehicle and at least one additional vehicle, wherein the ego-vehicle comprises:
a vehicle navigation system which is configured to:
based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, determine a particular configuration of the peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle;
and
generate a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

2 more elements

A method, comprising:

performing, by at least one computer system installed in a vehicle (“ego-vehicle”) configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises the ego-vehicle and at least one additional vehicle:
based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, determining a particular configuration of the peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle;
and
generating a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

1 more element

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of a vehicle (“ego-vehicle”) and at least one additional vehicle, determine a particular configuration of a peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, wherein:
the ego-vehicle is configured to be autonomously navigated in the peloton along a roadway;
and
the peloton comprises the vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle;
and
generate a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Peloton

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Peloton

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Abstract

Claims20