Self-ordering of fleet vehicles in a platoon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10503176-B2
Application number	US-201615395219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

Highway vehicle platoon management is provided. Driver quality parameters are used together with vehicle physical characteristic and performance information to select an ordering of the vehicles within the platoon. The vehicles within the platoon mutually self-order to select the ordering of the vehicles within the platoon for enhanced safety and efficiency. The driver quality parameters together with the vehicle physical characteristic and performance information is also used to reward best drivers with preferred locations within the platoon. The vehicles within the platoon mutually self-order to reward best drivers with preferred locations within the platoon. An existing vehicle platoon is selectively split into two or more smaller platoons for improving overall safety and efficiency. Two or more smaller vehicle platoons are selectively aggregated into a larger single platoon for improving overall safety and efficiency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of self-ordering a first vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles to operate the first vehicle and one or more other vehicles in a platoon, the method comprising:
within the first vehicle:
monitoring through intra-vehicle communication a first quality parameter of a first driver of the first vehicle;
monitoring, through inter-vehicle communication between the first vehicle and a second vehicle of the one or more other vehicles, a second quality parameter of a second driver of the second vehicle;
determining a best driver from among the first and second drivers in accordance with a comparison between the first quality parameter of the first driver and the second quality parameter of the second driver; and
in accordance with a result of the comparison between first quality parameter of the first driver and the second quality parameter of the second driver:
for a first result of the comparison, determining the first vehicle to be a leading vehicle relative to the second vehicle and generating a LEADER signal for use by the first vehicle to assume a leading position in the platoon relative to the second vehicle, the generating the LEADER signal further comprising:
generating an Overtake_Request signal for use by the second vehicle to concede a leading position in the platoon relative to the first vehicle; and
transmitting the Overtake_Reqest signal to the second vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication, or

for a second result of the comparison, determining the first vehicle to be a following vehicle relative to the second vehicle and generating a FOLLOWER signal for use by the first vehicle to assume or maintain a following position in the platoon relative to the second vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving via the inter-vehicle communication an Overtake_Granted signal; and
responsive to receiving the Overtake_Granted signal by the first vehicle, assuming the leading position by the first vehicle in the platoon relative to the second vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
within the first the first vehicle:
sending, via the inter-vehicle communication to the second vehicle, the monitored first quality parameter of the first driver of the first vehicle.

4. A method of self-ordering a first vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles to operate the first and one or more other vehicles in a platoon, the method comprising:
within the first the first vehicle:
monitoring through intra-vehicle communication a first quality parameter of a first driver of the first vehicle;
monitoring, through inter-vehicle communication between the first vehicle and a second vehicle of the one or more other vehicles, a second quality parameter of a second driver of the second vehicle;
determining a best driver from among the first and second drivers in accordance with a comparison between the first quality parameter of the first driver and the second quality parameter of the second driver;
in accordance with a result of the comparison between first quality parameter of the first driver and the second quality parameter of the second driver:
for a first result of the comparison, determining the first vehicle to be a leading vehicle relative to the second vehicle and generating a LEADER signal for use by the first vehicle to assume a leading position in the platoon relative to the second vehicle, or
for a second result of the comparison, determining the first vehicle to be a following vehicle relative to the second vehicle and generating a FOLLOWER signal for use by the first vehicle to assume or maintain a following position in the platoon relative to the second vehicle;

transmitting the monitored first quality parameter of the first driver of the first vehicle to a third vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication;
receiving an Overtake_Request signal from the third vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication; and
transmitting via the inter-vehicle communication to the third vehicle an Overtake_Granted signal conceding to the third vehicle by the second vehicle a leading position of the second vehicle in the platoon relative to the third vehicle.

5. A method of platoon management by a first vehicle relative to one or more other vehicles travelling together to selectively operate the first and one or more other vehicles in a platoon, the method comprising:
within the first vehicle:
monitoring through intra-vehicle communication a first safety and/or efficiency parameter of the first vehicle;
monitoring, through inter-vehicle communication between the first vehicle and a second vehicle of the one or more other vehicles leading the first vehicle, a second safety and/or efficiency parameter of the second vehicle;
determining as a relative capabilities parameter a magnitude of a difference between the first safety and/or efficiency parameter of the first vehicle and the second safety and/or efficiency parameter of the second vehicle;
comparing the relative capabilities parameter with a predetermined capabilities threshold; and
in accordance with a result of the comparison between the relative capabilities parameter and predetermined capabilities threshold:
for a first result of the comparison, determining the second vehicle leading the first vehicle while travelling together to be a capable platoon leader vehicle relative to the first vehicle and generating a JOIN signal for use by the first vehicle to assume a following role in a platoon relative to the second vehicle, or
for a second result of the comparison, determining the second vehicle leading the first vehicle while travelling together to be an incapable platoon leader vehicle relative to the first vehicle and generating a SPLIT signal for use by the first vehicle to discontinue the following role in the platoon relative to the second vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the generating the JOIN signal for use by the first vehicle to assume the following role in the platoon relative to the second vehicle comprises:
generating a Platooning_Request signal for use by the second vehicle to permit the following role by the first vehicle in the platoon relative to the second vehicle; and
sending via the inter-vehicle communication the Platooning_Reqest signal to the second vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving via the inter-vehicle communication a Platooning_Granted signal; and
responsive to receiving the Platooning_Granted signal by the first vehicle, assuming the following role position by the first vehicle in the platoon relative to the second vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
within the first the first vehicle:
sending, via the inter-vehicle communication to the second vehicle, the monitored first safety and/or efficiency parameter of the first vehicle.

9. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
within the first vehicle:
monitoring, through the inter-vehicle communication between the first vehicle and a plurality of other vehicles travelling with the first vehicle in a platoon, efficiency parameters of each of the plurality of other vehicles travelling with the first vehicle in the platoon;
using the monitored efficiency parameters of each of the plurality of other vehicles travelling with the first vehicle in the platoon, determining an overall efficiency of the platoon comprising the first vehicle and a plurality of other vehicles travelling with the first vehicle in the platoon;
determining an overall split platoon efficiency by determining a first efficiency of a first portion of the platoon comprising the first vehicle and a plurality o

Assignees

• Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems Llc

Inventors

• Lesher Michael
• Miller Jr T Stephen

Classifications

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title

• G08G1/20

  Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/22 Primary

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/0217

  in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria · CPC title

• G05D1/0287

  involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling (traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16) · CPC title