Method and apparatus for platooning of vehicles
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorsJennifer Kay Light-Holets, Daniel E. Kershner, Morgan M. Andreae, Jeffrey A. Matthews, Kristopher Ray Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Platooning vehicles can result in operational cost savings. Disclosed is a method of apportioning costs that are incurred/saved as a result of platooning vehicles, as well as assigning penalties for unfair platoon participation. For example, platooning history of a vehicle can be tracked, and if that vehicle acts too often as a trailing vehicle in a series of platoons then a penalty might be assigned to that vehicle. Also disclosed is a technique for operating a platoon in the presence of external factors such as municipal regulations, merging traffic, emergency vehicles, etc.
Claims19
An apparatus comprising:
- a vehicle participating in a vehicle platoon, the vehicle including a vehicle controller configured to:
- record platooning data of the vehicle while the vehicle participates in a vehicle platoon;
- evaluate a history of the recorded platooning data of the vehicle as a result of its participation in a plurality of the vehicle platoons, wherein the history of the recorded platooning data includes a placement of the vehicle in the plurality of platoons;
- determine an action to be assessed to the vehicle as a result of its history of placement in the plurality of vehicle platoons;
- and
- operate the vehicle to position the vehicle as a lead vehicle for a split portion of the platoon in response to the action assessed to the vehicle.
An apparatus comprising:
- a vehicle participating in a vehicle platoon, the vehicle including a vehicle controller configured to:
- regulate a position of the vehicle in the vehicle platoon;
- receive an information signal from a non-platooning vehicle that is not joining the vehicle platoon including information corresponding to a need to provide separation in the vehicle platoon between the vehicle and a neighboring vehicle;
- determine a speed of the vehicle in response to the information signal to increase a distance between the vehicle and the neighboring vehicle to permit passage of the vehicle platoon by the non-platooning vehicle;
- operate the vehicle at the speed to increase the distance of the vehicle from the neighboring vehicle in the platoon;
- and
- resume a spacing between the vehicle and the neighboring vehicle in the platoon after the passage of the non-platooning vehicle between the vehicle and the neighboring vehicle.
An apparatus comprising:
- a vehicle participating in a vehicle platoon, the vehicle including a vehicle controller configured to:
- regulate a position of the vehicle in the vehicle platoon in a first mode of operation;
- evaluate an information signal from a non-occupant source external to the vehicle indicating a prohibition of the vehicle platoon based on a location of the platoon that requires de-platooning of the vehicle from the vehicle platoon until the location is passed by the vehicle platoon;
- de-activate the first mode of operation of the vehicle based upon the information signal to de-platoon the vehicle from the vehicle platoon;
- and
- de-platoon the vehicle from the vehicle platoon in response to the first mode being de-activated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.