US 10,481,614 B2Granted

Vehicle platooning systems and methods

AssigneePeloton Technology, Inc.

InventorsJoshua P. Switkes, Joseph Christian Gerdes, Eugene Berdichevsky

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Abstract

Systems and methods for coordinating and controlling vehicles, for example heavy trucks, to follow closely behind each other, or linking, in a convenient, safe manner and thus to save significant amounts of fuel while increasing safety. In an embodiment, on-board controllers in each vehicle interact with vehicular sensors to monitor and control, for example, relative distance, relative acceleration/deceleration, and speed. Additional safety features in at least some embodiments include providing each driver with one or more visual displays of forward and rearward looking cameras. Long-range communications are provided for coordinating vehicles for linking, and for communicating analytics to fleet managers or others.

Claims38

Dependent claims

A computerized vehicular convoying control system, useful in association with a plurality of vehicles to identify one or more opportunities to form a convoy of a lead vehicle and at least one following vehicle, the control system comprising, on the at least one following vehicle:

a first computerized controller, responsive to remotely-transmitted information, from a source remote from the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and configured to compute a smooth trajectory for the at least one following vehicle as part of the identification of the opportunity to convoy, the information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle being selected from the group consisting of:
vehicle location, vehicle destination, vehicle load, vehicle type, and trailer type;
a first inter-vehicular transceiver configured to enable communications between the first computerized controller and a second computerized controller on the lead vehicle;
a first vehicular separation sensor configured to detect a distance between the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and further configured to detect a relative speed between the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and to provide such distance and relative speed to the first computerized controller;
and
a first user interface configured to receive an input from the first computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver;
the system further comprising, on the lead vehicle:
a second computerized controller that is responsive to remotely-transmitted information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and configured to compute a smooth trajectory for the lead vehicle as part of the identification of the opportunity to convoy, the information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle being selected from the group consisting of:
vehicle location, vehicle destination, vehicle load, vehicle type, and trailer type;
a second long-range vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between the source, comprising a central server, and the second computerized controller;
a second user interface configured to receive an input from the second computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver;
a second inter-vehicular transceiver configured to enable communications between the second computerized controller and the first computerized controller;
and
a forward-facing camera configured to substantially capture a substantially frontal image as viewed from the lead vehicle and to provide such frontal image to the second computerized controller, wherein the substantially frontal image is provided to the first computerized controller via the first and second inter-vehicular transceivers.

11 more elements

A computerized vehicular convoying control system, useful in association with a lead vehicle and at least one follower vehicle to implement a convoy, the control system comprising, on the at least one follower vehicle:

a first computerized controller, responsive to remotely-transmitted information, from a source remote from the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and configured to monitor and control acceleration and deceleration of the at least one follower vehicle, thereby maintaining a safe vehicular spacing between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle while moving, the information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle being selected from the group consisting of:
vehicle location, vehicle destination, vehicle load, vehicle type, and trailer type;
a first user interface configured to receive an input from the lead computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver;
a first inter-vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between the first computerized controller and a second computerized controller on the lead vehicle;
a vehicular separation sensor configured to detect a distance between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and further configured to detect a relative speed between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and to provide such distance and relative speed to the first computerized controller;
wherein
the second computerized controller is responsive to remotely-transmitted information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and configured to monitor acceleration and deceleration of the at least one follower vehicle, thereby maintaining a safe vehicular spacing between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle while moving, the information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle being selected from the group consisting of:
vehicle location, vehicle destination, vehicle load, vehicle type, and trailer type;
the system further comprising, on the lead vehicle:
a second user interface configured to receive an input from the second computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver;
and
a second inter-vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between the second computerized controller and the first computerized controller;
the system further comprising a forward-facing camera configured to substantially capture a substantially frontal image as viewed from the lead vehicle and to provide such frontal image to the second computerized controller;
wherein the substantially frontal image is provided to the first computerized controller via the first and second inter-vehicular transceivers.

11 more elements

A computerized vehicular convoying control system, useful in association with a lead vehicle and at least one follower vehicle, the control system comprising:

at least one computerized controller configured to monitor and control acceleration and deceleration of one of a lead vehicle and at least one follower vehicle;
a user interface configured to receive an input from the at least one computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver;
a long-range vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between a central server, remote from the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and the at least one computerized controller;
communications between the long-range vehicular transceiver and the at least one computerized controller including information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle,
an inter-vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between the computerized controller and at least one of the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle;
a vehicular separation sensor configured to detect a distance between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and further configured to detect a relative speed between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and to provide such distance and relative speed to the at least one computerized controller;
and
a forward-facing camera configured to substantially capture a substantially frontal image as viewed from the lead vehicle and to provide the substantially frontal image to the at least one computerized controller, and to the at least one follower vehicle via the inter-vehicular transceiver.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/589,124Filed 8 May 2017 · continuation
Priority: 6 Jul 2011
Published: US 2017/0308097 A126 Oct 2017
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification25 codes

G05D 1/0293
Fleet control: convoy travelling
B60W 10/04
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of propulsion units
B60W 10/20
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of steering systems
B60W 30/165
Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle: automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle,…

Family

Application61/505,076Us provisional application · filed 6 Jul 2011
Application13/542,622Parent of this division · filed 5 Jul 2012
Application13/542,627Parent of this division · filed 5 Jul 2012
Application61/792,304Us provisional application · filed 15 Mar 2013
PCT/US2014/030770Parent of this continuation · filed 17 Mar 2014
Application14/292,583Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 May 2014
US 2017/0308097 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Oct 2017
Application14/855,044Parent of this continuation
US 9,645,579 B2Parent of this continuation
US 9,665,102 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application14/855,044Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 8,744,666 B2Parent of this division
Application14/292,583Parent of this division
US 9,582,006 B2Parent of this division
US 2013/0041576 A1Published application
US 2013/0066511 A1Published application
US 2014/0303870 A1Published application
US 2016/0054735 A1Published application
US 10,481,614 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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