Platooning control apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11200808-B2
Application number	US-201816139675-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2018
Priority date	Sep 27, 2017
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A platooning control apparatus may include: a navigation unit configured to guide an ego vehicle to a destination set by a driver; a driving module configured to drive the ego vehicle; and a control unit configured to primarily select platooning groups based on the destination set in the navigation unit, analyze platooning information of the primarily selected platooning groups, finally decide any one of the primarily selected platooning groups, and then control the driving module to join the finally decided platooning group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A platooning control apparatus comprising:
a navigation unit configured to guide an ego vehicle to a destination set by a driver;
a driving module configured to drive the ego vehicle; and
a control unit configured to primarily select a plurality of platooning groups based on the destination set in the navigation unit, analyze platooning information of the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups, the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups being led by different leader vehicles, respectively, decide a platooning group among the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups based on accumulated platooning distances of the different leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups, each of the accumulated platooning distances being a total platooning distance that each of the different leader vehicles is driven so far, and then control the driving module to drive the ego vehicle to join the decided platooning group, wherein:
the control unit is configured to decide a joining point where the ego vehicle will join the decided platooning group, according to a location of the ego vehicle and a platooning trajectory of the decided platooning group, and
when a plurality of joining points are found, the control unit is configured to decide the joining point according to a distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, traffic condition information of the joining point, an accident risk of the joining point, and a cost to the joining point,
wherein the control unit is configured to output vehicle information and the accumulated platooning distances of the leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups through a user interface unit, and to decide the decided platooning group according to a driver's selection, and
wherein the control unit is configured to apply weights to the distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, the traffic condition information of the joining point, the accident risk of the joining point and the cost to the joining point, in order to decide the joining point.

2. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primarily selected platooning groups comprise a platooning group having a same destination as the destination set in the navigation unit.

3. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the primarily selected platooning groups comprise a platooning group of which the destination is closest to the destination set in the navigation unit.

4. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to decide the decided platooning group according to one or more of vehicle information and the accumulated platooning distances of the leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups.

5. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the ego vehicle is not an autonomous vehicle, the control unit is configured to control a user interface unit to select any one of a manual joining method and an automatic joining method.

6. The platooning control apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
when the manual joining method is selected, the driving module is configured to be driven to join in the decided platooning group according to the driver's selection, and the control unit is configured to turn on a driving support function comprising a smart cruise control function, a lane keeping assistance function, or an auto cruise control function,
when the automatic joining method is selected, the control unit is configured to control the driving module to turn on the driving support function, and drive a semi-autonomous function to join a tail of the decided platooning group.

7. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to output one or more of the distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, the traffic condition information of the joining point, the accident risk of the joining point and the cost to the joining point through a user interface unit, and decides the joining point according to a driver's selection.

8. The platooning control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the ego vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, the control unit is configured to control the ego vehicle to autonomously follow a leader vehicle within the decided platooning group.

9. A platooning control method comprising:
primarily selecting, by a control unit, a plurality of platooning groups based on a destination set in a navigation unit;
analyzing, by the control unit, platooning information of the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups, the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups being led by different leader vehicles, respectively, and deciding a platooning group among the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups based on accumulated platooning distances of the different leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups, each of the accumulated platooning distances being a total platooning distance that each of the different leader vehicles is driven so far; and
controlling, by the control unit, a driving module to drive an ego vehicle, such that the ego vehicle joins the decided platooning group, wherein:
in the controlling of the driving module to drive the ego vehicle,
the control unit is configured to decide a joining point to join the platooning group, according to a location of the ego vehicle and a platooning trajectory of the platooning group, and
when a plurality of joining points are found, the control unit is configured to decide the joining point according to a distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, traffic condition information of the joining point, an accident risk of the joining point and a cost to the joining point,
wherein in the deciding of the platooning group of the primarily selected platooning groups, the control unit is configured to output one or more of vehicle information and the accumulated platooning distances of the leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups through a user interface unit, and to decide the platooning group according to a driver's selection, and
wherein the control unit is configured to apply weights to the distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, the traffic condition information of the joining point, the accident risk of the joining point and the cost to the joining point, in order to decide the joining point.

10. The platooning control method of claim 9 , wherein the primarily selected platooning groups comprise a platooning group having a same destination as the destination set in the navigation unit.

11. The platooning control method of claim 9 , wherein the primarily selected platooning groups comprise a platooning group of which the destination is closest to the destination set in the navigation unit.

12. The platooning control method of claim 9 , wherein in the deciding of the platooning group of the primarily selected platooning groups,
the control unit is configured to decide the platooning group according to the one or more of vehicle information and the accumulated platooning distances of the leader vehicles within the plurality of primarily selected platooning groups.

13. The platooning control method of claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to output one or more of the distance to each of the joining points from the location of the ego vehicle, the traffic condition information of the joining point, the accident risk of the joining poin

Assignees

• Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mok Dong Hoon

Classifications

• B60W30/165 Primary

  Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar" · CPC title

• G05D1/692 Primary

  involving a plurality of disparate vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/6985

  using a lead vehicle, e.g. primary-secondary arrangements · CPC title

• G05D2111/30

  Radio signals · CPC title

• G08G1/22 Primary

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