# US 11,442,469 B2 · Coordinated control of vehicle cohorts > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,469 B2 - Document ID: US11442469B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/160,489 - Filed: 2021-01-28 - Published: 2021-05-20 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-31 - Assignees: Cummins Inc. - Applicants: Cummins Inc. - Inventors: Pinak Jayant Tulpule - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442469B2 ## CPC - G05D 1/0291: {Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127)} - G05B 13/042: {in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance} - G05D 1/0011: {associated with a remote control arrangement} - G05D 1/0217: {in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria} - G05D 1/0293: {Convoy travelling} - G08G 1/22: {Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles} - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract Exemplary embodiments include unique apparatuses, methods and systems providing coordinated control of vehicle cohorts. Certain embodiments perform an optimization of a vehicle cohort model and a plurality of vehicle models to determine vehicle cohort operating parameters and individual vehicle operating parameters in order to minimize total vehicle cohort power or a total vehicle cohort energy over a route of travel. Such embodiments further determine vehicle operating commands executable by vehicles of the cohort to implement the vehicle cohort operating parameters and individual vehicle operating parameters. Such vehicle operating commands may be transmitted to, received by and, executed by vehicles of the vehicle cohort. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving with a vehicle cohort controller vehicle cohort information comprising at least one of internal vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, external static vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles, and external dynamic vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles; performing an optimization with the vehicle cohort controller, the optimization optimizing at least one of total cohort power and total cohort energy over a horizon for operating the vehicle cohort, the optimization being computed by the vehicle cohort controller as a function of a plurality of vehicle quantities each corresponding to a respective vehicle of the cohort over the horizon, the plurality of vehicle quantities being computed as a function of vehicle cohort information corresponding to the respective vehicle, the optimization providing optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; determining with the vehicle cohort controller a plurality of operating commands structured to control operation of respective vehicles of the cohort to provide the optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; receiving with the plurality of vehicles in the cohort the plurality of operating commands; and controlling operation of one or more respective vehicles of the cohort in accordance with one or more of the plurality of operating commands corresponding to the one or more respective vehicles. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the optimization utilizes a vehicle cohort model including a plurality of vehicle models. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the optimization is configured to optimize one of total vehicle cohort energy and total vehicle cohort power over a route of travel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the optimization utilizes look-ahead information to predict future operating and environmental conditions for the cohort and for the plurality of vehicles and performs a net optimization over a horizon of the look-ahead information. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a sequential optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are first determined and optimal vehicle operating parameters which provide or are consistent with the optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are second determined. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a parallel optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimal vehicle operating parameters are determined in parallel. ### Claim 7 An apparatus comprising: an electronic control system including a vehicle cohort controller configured to execute instructions stored on at least one non-transitory memory medium to perform the acts of: receiving vehicle cohort information comprising at least one of internal vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, external static vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles, and external dynamic vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles; performing an optimization, the optimization optimizing at least one of total cohort power and total cohort energy over a horizon for operating the vehicle cohort, the optimization being computed by the vehicle cohort controller as a function of a plurality of vehicle quantities each corresponding to a respective vehicle of the cohort over the horizon, the plurality of vehicle quantities being computed as a function of vehicle cohort information corresponding to the respective vehicle, the optimization providing optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; determining a plurality of operating commands structured to control operation of respective vehicles of the cohort to provide the optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; transmitting the plurality of operating commands to a plurality of vehicles in the cohort, the plurality of operating commands being configured to and effective to control operation of one or more respective vehicles of the cohort in accordance with one or more of the plurality of operating commands corresponding to the one or more respective vehicles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the optimization utilizes a vehicle cohort model including a plurality of vehicle models. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the optimization is configured to optimize one of total vehicle cohort energy and total vehicle cohort power over a route of travel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the optimization utilizes look-ahead information to predict future operating and environmental conditions for the cohort and for the plurality of vehicles and performs a net optimization over a horizon of the look-ahead information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a sequential optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are first determined and optimal vehicle operating parameters which provide or are consistent with the optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are second determined. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a parallel optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimal vehicle operating parameters are determined in parallel. ### Claim 13 A system comprising: a vehicle cohort controller including an off-vehicle component configured to receive vehicle cohort information comprising at least one of internal vehicle information for a plurality of vehicles, external static vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles, and external dynamic vehicle information for the plurality of vehicles; perform an optimization, the optimization optimizing at least one of total cohort power and total cohort energy over a horizon for operating the vehicle cohort, the optimization being computed by the vehicle cohort controller as a function of a plurality of vehicle quantities each corresponding to a respective vehicle of the cohort over the horizon, the plurality of vehicle quantities being computed as a function of vehicle cohort information corresponding to the respective vehicle, the optimization providing optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; determine a plurality of operating commands structured to control operation of respective vehicles of the cohort to provide the optimized vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimized individual vehicle operating parameters; receiving with the plurality of vehicles in the cohort the plurality of operating commands; and transmit the plurality of operating commands to a plurality of vehicles in the cohort, the plurality of operating commands being configured to and effective to control operation of one or more respective vehicles of the cohort in accordance with one or more of the plurality of operating commands corresponding to the one or more respective vehicles. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the optimization utilizes a vehicle cohort model including a plurality of vehicle models. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the optimization is configured to optimize one of total vehicle cohort energy and total vehicle cohort power over a route of travel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the optimization utilizes look-ahead information to predict future operating and environmental conditions for the cohort and for the plurality of vehicles and performs a net optimization over a horizon of the look-ahead information. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a sequential optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are first determined and optimal vehicle operating parameters which provide or are consistent with the optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters are second determined. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the act of optimizing comprises a parallel optimization in which optimal vehicle cohort operating parameters and optimal vehicle operating parameters are determined in parallel.