Detection of extra-platoon vehicle intermediate or adjacent to platoon member vehicles

A method of detecting at least one non-platoon vehicle intermediate platooning vehicles comprising a platooning vehicle pair including an associated leading vehicle and an associated following vehicle cooperatively travelling as a platoon, the method comprising:

• providing a platoon control unit configured to be disposed in the associated following vehicle of the platooning vehicle pair, the platoon control unit comprising a processor, a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor, logic stored in the non-transient memory and executable by the processor to determine the at least one non-platoon vehicle intermediate the platooning vehicle pair, a forward distance sensor, a rearward distance sensor, a receiver, and a transmitter;
• using the forward distance sensor on the associated following vehicle and operatively coupled with the platoon control unit:
• sensing a forward distance between the associated following vehicle of the platooning vehicle pair and an associated sensed forward vehicle located ahead of the associated following vehicle;
• and
• generating forward distance data representative of the sensed forward distance between the associated following vehicle and the associated sensed forward vehicle located ahead of the associated following vehicle;
• using the receiver operatively coupled with the platoon control unit:
• receiving a rearward gap distance signal from the associated leading vehicle of the platooning vehicle pair;
• and
• converting the rearward gap distance signal into rearward gap data representative of a rearward gap distance as determined by the associated leading vehicle between the associated leading vehicle and an associated sensed rearward vehicle located behind the associated leading vehicle;
• executing the logic of the platoon control unit by the processor to determine a magnitude of a difference between the forward distance data and the rearward gap data;
• and
• executing the logic of the platoon control unit by the processor to selectively determine the associated sensed forward vehicle located ahead of the associated following vehicle and the associated sensed rearward vehicle located behind the associated leading vehicle as being the at least one non-platoon vehicle intermediate the platooning vehicle pair based on the determined magnitude of the difference between the forward distance data and the rearward gap data.