Determining and using braking capabilities of vehicles for platooning deceleration operations

A system for determining a relative braking capability between an associated following vehicle (20) and one or more vehicles of a set of platooning vehicles comprising an associated leading vehicle (10) and one or more associated following vehicles (30, 40, 50, . . . ) cooperatively travelling as a platoon (P) along an associated roadway, the system comprising:

• a platoon control unit configured to be disposed in the associated following vehicle (20), the platoon control unit comprising:
• a processor;
• a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor;
• and
• logic stored in the non-transient memory and executable by the processor to determine the relative braking capability;
• a communication receiver operatively coupled with the platoon control unit, the communication receiver being operable to:
• receive a deceleration command signal (Decel_Sig) from the associated leading vehicle (10), the deceleration command signal (Decel_Sig) comprising deceleration command data (Decel_Data) selectively usable by the associated following vehicle (20) to effect a deceleration operation of the associated following vehicle (20);
• a vehicle speed sensor operatively coupled with the platoon control unit and configured to be disposed in the associated following vehicle (20), the vehicle speed sensor being operable to:
• sense a relative speed between the associated following vehicle (20) and the associated roadway;
• and
• generate relative speed data (Spd_Data) representative of the sensed relative speed between the associated following vehicle (20) and the associated roadway (1);
• and
• a forward distance sensor (260) operatively coupled with the platoon control unit and configured to be disposed in the associated following vehicle (20), the forward distance sensor (260) being operable to:
• sense a relative position between the associated following vehicle (20) and the associated leading vehicle (10);
• and
• generate relative distance data (Dist_10_20) representative of the sensed relative position between the associated following vehicle (20) and the associated leading vehicle (10),
• wherein the logic of the platoon control unit is executable by the processor to generate first quantitative error rate data (Error_Rate_Data) in accordance with a predetermined combination of the relative speed data (Spd_Data), the relative distance data (Dist_10_20), and the deceleration command data (Decel_Data), the first quantitative error rate data (Error_Rate_Data) being representative of a difference between a commanded gap distance to be maintained between the following and leading vehicles (20, 10) and the relative distance between the following and leading vehicles sensed by the forward distance sensor (260),
• wherein the logic of the platoon control unit is executable by the processor to store the first quantitative error rate data (Error_Rate_Data) in the non-transient memory device.