# US 11,443,635 B2 · Method for transforming between a long vehicle combination and a platoon on the move > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,443,635 B2 - Document ID: US11443635B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/485,259 - Filed: 2017-03-06 - Published: 2019-12-19 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-06 - Assignees: Volvo Truck Corporation - Applicants: Volvo Truck Corporation - Inventors: Jesper Blomstrand; Leo Laine - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443635B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/22: {Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles} - B60D 1/155: comprising telescopic or foldable parts - B60D 1/44: horizontally - B60D 1/46: vertically - B60D 1/481: {adapted for being mounted to the front and back of trailers, carts, trolleys or the like to form a train} - B60D 1/62: involving supply lines, electric circuits or the like - B62D 53/00: Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains (traction couplings other than fifth wheel coupling B60D {; tracked vehicles comprising at least two articulated parts B62D55/0655}) - B62D 53/0864: {Dollies for fifth wheel coupling} - G05D 1/0011: {associated with a remote control arrangement} - G05D 1/0293: {Convoy travelling} - B60D 1/36: for facilitating connection, e.g. hitch catchers - B60Y 2200/1422: Multi-axle trucks - B60Y 2200/148: Semi-trailers, articulated vehicles - 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}) - B60D: VEHICLE CONNECTIONS - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ## Abstract The invention relates to a method for transforming between a long vehicle combination (10) and a platoon (12) on the move. The present invention also relates to vehicles (14a-b; 14b-c) for such a method. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for transforming between a long vehicle combination and a platoon on the move, wherein the long vehicle combination comprises a plurality of vehicles mechanically coupled together one after the other, which method comprises the steps of: detecting that the long vehicle combination is approaching a first road section ahead, which first road section stipulates decoupling the vehicles of the long vehicle combination to form the platoon; automatically decoupling the vehicles from each other while the vehicles are in motion to form the platoon before reaching the first road section; the platoon driving through the first road section; detecting a second road section which stipulates coupling together the vehicles of the platoon to form the long vehicle combination; a vehicle in the platoon immediately ahead of a following vehicle of said the platoon sending information to the following vehicle via wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication, which information indicates the position and speed of a rear automatic coupling device of the vehicle immediately ahead; based at least on the position and speed indicated in the sent information, autonomously driving the following vehicle so that the rear automatic coupling device of the vehicle immediately ahead of the following vehicle gets within an operational range of a front coupling element of the following vehicle; while in motion and when the rear automatic coupling device is within the operational range, the following vehicle automatically adjusting a front coupling device including said front coupling element so that the position of the front coupling element matches the position of the rear automatic coupling device as indicated in the sent information; and automatically coupling together the following vehicle and the vehicle immediately ahead while the vehicles are in motion to form at least a part of the long vehicle combination. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting the front coupling device with an actuator in the following vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising adjusting the front coupling device laterally with the actuator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising vertically adjusting the front coupling device with the actuator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the length of the front coupling device of each following vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of: shortening the length of the front coupling device while driving as the long vehicle combination. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: each following vehicle estimating the position of its front coupling element based on the heading of the following vehicle, the position of a part of the following vehicle as determined by a navigation system of the following vehicle, a vehicle model representing the following vehicle, a first angle representing a lateral adjustment of the front coupling device, a second angle representing any vertical adjustment of the front coupling device, the length of the front coupling device, and a height related to the front coupling device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising each vehicle immediately ahead: estimating the position of its rear automatic coupling device based on the heading of the vehicle immediately ahead, the position of a part of the vehicle immediately ahead as determined by a navigation system of the vehicle immediately ahead, a vehicle model representing the vehicle immediately ahead, the height of the rear automatic coupling device, and in case the vehicle immediately ahead is an articulated vehicle, at least one articulation angle of the vehicle immediately ahead as detected by at least one articulation angle detection means on the vehicle immediately ahead. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a speed of each vehicle immediately ahead with at least two independent means. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: a leading vehicle of the platoon sending an acceleration or deceleration request to the following vehicles of the platoon via wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the information sent from the vehicle immediately ahead to the following vehicle includes the heading of the rear automatic coupling device of the vehicle immediately ahead. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first road section is at least one of a bridge, a roundabout, and a turn. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of planning an inter-vehicle distance between subsequent vehicles based on the first road section ahead, wherein the platoon is driven through the first road section with the planned inter-vehicle distance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the automatic decoupling and the automatic coupling is performed while driving at a safety speed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic coupling is performed while driving on a straight road. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic coupling starts with the vehicle immediately behind the leading vehicle of the platoon coupling to the leading vehicle of the platoon. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic decoupling starts with the last vehicle of the long vehicle combination decoupling from the vehicle immediately ahead. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein each vehicle after the leading vehicle of the long vehicle combination or platoon is an autonomous vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one vehicle after the leading vehicle of the long vehicle combination or platoon is an autonomous dolly and semi-trailer combination. ### Claim 20 A vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle comprises: a rear automatic coupling device; a control unit adapted to estimate the position of the rear automatic coupling device while the vehicle is in motion; and communication means adapted to wirelessly send information indicating the estimated position and the speed of the rear automatic coupling device to a following vehicle. ### Claim 21 A vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle comprises: a front coupling device including a front coupling element; a control unit adapted to estimate the position of the front coupling element while the vehicle is in motion; communication means adapted to wirelessly receive information from a vehicle immediately ahead, which information indicates the position and speed of a rear automatic coupling device of the vehicle immediately ahead; autonomous driving means adapted to drive the vehicle based at least on the position and speed in the received information so that the rear automatic coupling device of the vehicle immediately ahead gets within an operational range of the front coupling element; and means adapted to automatically adjust the front coupling device, while in motion and when the rear automatic coupling device is within the operational range, so that the position of the front coupling element matches the position of the rear automatic coupling device as indicated in the received information.