PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle management systems. In particular, it pertains to methods and systems for longitudinal control of vehicles in a platoon.

BACKGROUND

Grouping vehicles into a platoon in which vehicles travel in close proximity to one another, nose-to-tail, at highway speeds, provides many advantages. For example, some advantages are increased road capacity because vehicles travel more closely together at a steady speed. Consequently, another advantage is improved fuel efficiency for following vehicles because lead vehicle shoulders the same aerodynamic drag as regular driving, all following vehicles are able to draft the vehicle in front, and therefore experience reduced wind resistance. Studies have shown that platooning of vehicles provides significant fuel savings, with up to 10% fuel savings for following vehicles. An additional advantage of platooning is reduction in accident rate because, in theory a vehicle in the platoon is aware of what other vehicles of the platoon doing.

In view of various advantages, platooning or vehicle train strategy as alternatively known in the related art, is increasingly being tried out, particularly with reference to movement of freight trucks. In particular, autonomous vehicles are very amenable to platooning in view of autonomous vehicle management techniques, which allow for vehicle to vehicle as well as vehicle to infrastructure communications leading finally to control signals to different vehicles in the platoon to control them appropriately by, for instance, maintaining a platoon configuration that can effectively utilize road the platoon is travelling upon without causing traffic bottlenecks.

As can be appreciated, reducing air drag requires a following vehicle (FV) to be as close as possible to leading vehicle (LV). This, however, negatively impacts safety aspects that require a safe distance to be maintained between the vehicles. Since behavior of a following vehicle may not depend only on the leading vehicle but also on external factors such as a pedestrian suddenly darting on the road, an optimal balance between the two aspects of reducing air drag and safety is a challenge.

Autonomous Cruise Control (ACC), also called adaptive cruise control, radar cruise control, traffic-aware cruise control or dynamic radar cruise control, is an optional cruise control system for road vehicles that automatically adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. Such a control is based on sensor information from on-board sensors. ACC technology improves safety and convenience as well as help increase capacity of roads by maintaining optimal separation between vehicles and reducing driving errors. Such systems may deploy wireless exchange of information amongst vehicles.

Systems such as ACC aim to maintain a fixed safe distance between two vehicles. However, such rigidity may make for less than ideal fuel economy as the maintained safe distance between two vehicles may not aerodynamically be the best, and may not be suitable for practical on road operation that have a plurality of variables that are not anticipated, such as traffic/infrastructure disturbances. Specifically, Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication is an important requirement for smooth and safe movement of vehicles in a platoon. United States Patent Application number US2010/0256836 discloses a method for controlling platoon formations by determining desired inter-vehicle spacing in real-time with a view to increase fuel savings. A platoon leader vehicle calculates real-time relative platoon position vectors and speeds for each follower vehicle in the group ensuring the best possible fuel savings and desirable operation. While doing so, it takes into consideration current V2V wireless communication quality (e.g., channel congestion, packet error rate); current vehicle positioning and sensor data accuracy; vehicle size and shape parameters; current and predicted vehicle speeds; dynamic capability of individual vehicles in the platoon; current road geometry; road surface; weather conditions; and current driving mode.

However, there is scope for further improvements in method for controlling platoon formations by providing a simple and easy to implement method.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

A general object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for longitudinal control for vehicles in a platoon that is easy and simple to implement.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system having an adaptive architecture for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that considers safety while trying to minimize aerodynamic drag.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that takes into consideration various factors such as communication status, status of autonomous cruise control and pairing status. Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that takes into consideration vehicle speed.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for longitudinal control of vehicles in a platoon. In particular, it relates to a method and system that achieves reduced aerodynamic drag and enhanced safety.

In another aspect, present disclosure provides a method that includes the steps of receiving, at a computing device, any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a Leading Vehicle (LV) and a Following Vehicle (FV). For example, the environmental conditions include at least Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions include at least deceleration status of the LV. Also, the present disclosure provides determining, at the computing device, a zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions, wherein the zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate; and communicating, from the computing device, to the FV the determined zone.

In another aspect, the environmental conditions can further include any or a combination of status of Autonomous Cruise Control (ACC), and detection of a cut-in (or intervening) vehicle between the LV and the FV.

In yet another aspect, the input conditions can further include any or a combination of acceleration status of the LV, driving behavior attributes of the driver of the LV, and autonomous/manual driving status of the LV. In an aspect, after the step of communicating, the FV can be brought to the determined zone by adjusting the speed of the FV and thereby the distance between the LV and the FV.

In another aspect, the step of communicating can further include intimating speed at which the FV should operate, or rate at which the FV should decelerate.

In yet another aspect, the determined zone can be the same zone in which the FV is currently present.

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a deceleration rate of the LV to also determine deceleration attributes of the FV in the same zone or to a lower speed/greater distance zone.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for zone based longitudinal control of a vehicle, wherein the system includes a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to enable zone based longitudinal control of a vehicle; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines. For example, the one or more routines can include: an input and environmental conditions receive module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can receive any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a LV and a FV. The environmental conditions can include at least V2V communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions can include at least deceleration status of the LV. The proposed system further includes a zone determination module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can determine zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions. The zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate. The proposed system also includes a zone communication module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can communicate to the FV the determined zone. In another aspect, the environmental conditions can be further selected from any or a combination of status of ACC, and detection of a cut-in vehicle between the LV and the FV.

In yet another aspect, the input conditions can be further selected from any or a combination of acceleration status of the LV, driving behavior attributes of the driver of the LV, and autonomous/manual driving status of the LV.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 1A and 1B illustrate an overall architecture view of the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional modules of the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram showing different longitudinal control zones and velocity based zones in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A tabulates environmental events and corresponding impacts on variable following distance (zones) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B tabulates deceleration rate based on zone and deceleration request type in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for method for longitudinal control of vehicles in a platoon in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for longitudinal control of vehicles in a platoon. In particular, it relates to a method that achieves reduced aerodynamic drag and enhanced safety. Specifically, the present disclosure provides a zone based longitudinal control system for vehicles running in a platoon, wherein each zone defines a distance range between a Leading Vehicle (LV) and a Following Vehicle (FV) along with a speed range that the FV needs to follow, and such zones being implemented depending on various conditions.

In an aspect, two vehicles can be paired with Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communication, and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) activated for both vehicles. It is envisaged that under normal/default driving conditions, the FV will default to a Zone that minimizes its distance from LV and thereby minimize aerodynamic resistance on the FV for maximizing fuel efficiency. Depending on different conditions, the FV can be moved to different zones. As can be readily appreciated, the distance range or zone depends on driving conditions such as acceleration, deceleration etc., over which the vehicles may have some control (such conditions being termed as input conditions). The distance range or zone also depends on environment conditions such as a vehicle cutting in between the LV and the FV, loss of V2V communication and the like, over which the vehicles may have no control.

In an aspect, the present disclosure aims to achieve a ‘safe and pertinent’ distance between a FV and its LV, such distance being one that enables effective autonomous vehicle management as required for low aerodynamic drag, as well as for enhanced safety.

As can be readily understood by one skilled in the art, low aerodynamic drag requires low trailing distance while increased safety requires high trailing distance. The present disclosure depicts a system that aims to achieve an optimal trade-off that is based at least in part on dynamic driving conditions and environmental conditions.

In another aspect, the concept of zone based longitudinal control requires a following vehicle in a pair to be allowed to follow a lead vehicle at a pre-defined distance (say 15 meters, for instance) only when all necessary input conditions and environment conditions are met. The basic conditions for zone based longitudinal control can include: ACC enabled in both vehicles, V2V communication initiated in both vehicles; and pairing initiated in both vehicles. If specific input and environmental conditions are not met but pairing is possible, FV can be commanded to follow at a greater following distance. The following distances can be configured as different zones, wherein the distances that define each zone can be varied according to speed of the vehicles.

In an aspect, present disclosure provides a method that includes the steps of receiving, at a computing device, any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a LV and a FV. For example, the environmental conditions include at least V2V communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions include at least deceleration status of the LV. Also, the present disclosure provides determining, at the computing device, zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions, wherein the zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate; and communicating, from the computing device, to the FV the determined zone.

In another aspect, the environmental conditions further include any or a combination of status of ACC, and detection of a cut-in (or intervening) vehicle between the LV and the FV.

In yet another aspect, the input conditions can further include any or a combination of acceleration status of the LV, driving behavior attributes of the driver of the LV, and autonomous/manual driving status of the LV.

In an aspect, after the step of communicating, the FV can be brought to the determined zone by adjusting the speed of the FV and thereby the distance between the LV and the FV.

In another aspect, the step of communicating can further include intimating speed at which the FV should operate, or rate at which the FV should decelerate.

In yet another aspect, the determined zone can be the same zone in which the FV is currently present.

In an aspect, deceleration rate of the LV can determine deceleration attributes of the FV in the same zone or to a lower speed/greater distance zone.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for zone based longitudinal control of a vehicle, wherein the system includes a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to enable zone based longitudinal control of a vehicle; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines. For example, the one or more routines can include: an input and environmental conditions receive module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can receive any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a LV and a FV. The environmental conditions can include at least V2V communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions can include at least deceleration status of the LV. The proposed system further includes a zone determination module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can determine zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions. The zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate. The proposed system also includes a zone communication module, which when executed by the one or more processors, can communicate to the FV the determined zone.

In another aspect, the environmental conditions can be further selected from any or a combination of status of ACC, and detection of a cut-in vehicle between the LV and the FV.

In yet another aspect, the input conditions can be further selected from any or a combination of acceleration status of the LV, driving behavior attributes of the driver of the LV, and autonomous/manual driving status of the LV.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall architecture view of the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The proposed system 100 can be in operative communication with at least two vehicles for the purpose of platooning them. Of these vehicles, one can be a Leading Vehicle (LV) 102, and the other can be a Following Vehicle (FV) 104. Utilizing one or more known techniques such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), the system 100 receives relevant data from the vehicles as well as issue relevant commands to them. Such commands can carry information that can be acted on by drivers /control systems of the vehicles to enable the vehicles to maintain and keep a platoon formation. In an exemplary embodiment, the commands can carry control signals for engine controllers of the respective vehicles, to enable autonomous driving and automatic platooning of the vehicles as per pre determined configurations.

It is to be appreciated that while the present disclosure describes various embodiments using examples of two vehicles, concepts and techniques of the present disclosure can be applied for platooning wherein more than two vehicles are deployed.

It should also be appreciated that the system of the present disclosure (or any part thereof) can be configured in one or both of the LV and the FV. Therefore, any implementation of the proposed system/technique that can help evaluate and assign a particular zone to the FV is well within the scope of the present invention.

In an aspect, the proposed system can configure trailing /intervening distance between LV 102 and FV 104 in terms of pre-configured‘zones’, such zones being implemented depending on various conditions. The conditions can include actions being taken by drivers or autonomous driving systems of the vehicles, such actions being termed as input conditions or input events. The factors can also include events and situations not under control of the drivers/ autonomous driving systems such as, for instance, a vehicle cutting in between LV 102 and FV 104, and such factors can be termed as environmental conditions or environmental events.

In an exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG 1A, the proposed system 100 can configure LV 102 and FV 104 as a platoon with FV 104 following LV 102 with an intervening distance that can lie in Zone 3 (refer FIG.2) to minimize their intervening distance and thereby minimize aerodynamic resistance on the FV 104. For the purpose, the system 100 can exchange data including control signals with LV 102 as well as FV 104. Such a zone can be maintained using autonomous driving systems such as adaptive cruise control. In another aspect, during an implementation, an environmental event such as event 106, can occur as illustrated in FIG. 1B. Information regarding occurrence of event 106 can be received by the proposed system 100 from FV 104, for instance. Such event information can as well be received from the LV 102, or a combination of the two vehicles. Based on the event 106, the proposed system can send a command 108 to the FV 104, wherein engine controller in FV 104 can execute the command 108 to position FV 104 in such a manner that intervening distance between the FV 104 and the LV 102 is adjusted to a pre determined zone. It can be appreciated that such positioning of FV104 can be done by appropriately controlling, not only the FV 104, but any or both of the FV 104 and the LV 102.

In an exemplary embodiment, a cut-in can be detected by appropriate sensors configured in any or a combination of LV 102 and FV 104. In such a condition, the proposed system can issue appropriate commands to any or a both LV 102 and FV 104 in order to form an intervening distance that can lie in Zone 0 (refer to FIG.2). It is to be appreciated that zones not only indicate the distance to be maintained between the FV and the LV, but also the speed at which the FV is to be driven.

Thus, the disclosed system, depending on various conditions/events, such as input events or environmental events or any combination of these, can position any or a combination of either LV or FV in such a manner that‘safe and pertinent’ intervening distance between them is achieved.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional modules of the proposed system 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown the system 100 can have an input and environmental conditions receive module 202, a zone determination module 204, and a zone communication module 206. In an aspect, these modules can be configured in appropriate computing systems such as personal computers, mobile devices, cloud and the like. The modules can be spread across different systems/devices or can be configured at one location itself. In an exemplary embodiment, the system can be configured in the cloud and can exchange data with a leading vehicle and a following vehicle that are being platooned by means of various sensors, autonomous driving systems and the like configured in the vehicles. In a similar manner, the proposed system can send signals to the vehicles. Based on such signals, controls of the vehicles can take appropriate actions. In alternate exemplary embodiments, the vehicles can be configured with engine controllers and the proposed system can send out appropriate signals for the engine controllers to enable them to take appropriate action.

Input and Environmental Conditions Receive Module 202

In an aspect, input and environmental condition receive module 202 can receive any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a LV and a FV, the environmental conditions including at least V2V communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions including at least deceleration status of the LV.

In another aspect, the environmental conditions can further include any or a combination of status of ACC, and detection of a cut-in vehicle between the LV and the FV. In yet another aspect, the input conditions can also include any or a combination of acceleration status of the LV, driving behavior attributes of the driver of the LV, autonomous/manual driving status of the LV.

In an aspect, input and environmental condition receive module 202 can determine various events/conditions occurring in any of the vehicles over which the vehicle drivers/their autonomous driving systems have no or limited control, such events being termed as environmental conditions/events. In an exemplary embodiment, a camera configured in a vehicle can give information, for instance, of a vehicle ’cutting-in’ between a leading vehicle and its corresponding following vehicle. Such a vehicle may not be part of the platoon, or may not be following its configured track for various reasons (for instance, it may have in turn been forced to change its track to avoid collision with another vehicle that has broken down). In alternate exemplary embodiments, such environmental events can include any or a combination of V2V communication loss for a predetermined period or a predetermined number of messages, ACC non-functional in any vehicle, manual driving of a vehicle, cut- in between vehicles etc.

In another aspect, input and environmental condition receive module 202 can send information and data regarding various determined events to zone determination module 204 for further action based on such data.

In an aspect, input and environmental condition receive module 202 can determine various events/conditions occurring in any of the vehicles, or any other event over which the vehicle drivers/their autonomous driving systems have control, such events being termed as input events/ conditions.

In an exemplary embodiment, an input event can be, for instance, leading vehicle applying brake causing the leading vehicle to decelerate rapidly. The rate of deceleration may be unknown. In another exemplary embodiment, the deceleration may be caused by an adaptive cruise control system in which case the rate of deceleration may be known.

In another exemplary embodiment, an input event can be comfort range deceleration triggered by the adaptive cruise control system in the LV. Such comfort range deceleration can be, for instance less than 3 meters/s2.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, an input event can be safety range deceleration of an automated emergency brake (AEB) by the driver assistance system of the LV to prevent an imminent collision with a vehicle in front. Such safety range deceleration can be, for instance more than 3 meters/s2. The driver assistance system in the LV can take this decision and, in such an event, a signal/flag that AEB has been triggered in the LV can be sent using V2V communication to the LV. Such a signal can cause a braking cascade not only in the FV but also vehicles behind the FV, whether they are in a visual line of sight with any vehicle in the train or not.

Zone Determination Module 204

In an aspect, zone determination module 204 can determine zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions, wherein the zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate.

As can be appreciated, the zone determined by zone determination module 204 can also be the one in which the FV is currently present. Further, the zone determined can depend on the deceleration rate of the LV. The deceleration rate of LV can as well determine deceleration attributes of the FV and such attributes can be implemented using coordinated braking.

In an aspect, zone determination module 204 can as well determine current operating zone of the vehicles and send information regarding current as well as determined zone to zone communication module 206.

Zone Communication Module 206

In an aspect, zone communication module 206 can communicate the zone determined by zone determination module 204 to the FV. The communication to the FV can include speed at which the FV should operate or the rate at which the FV should decelerate so as to reach to the zone determined. The communication can include an appropriate variable braking command for the FV.

In an exemplary embodiment, the FV can include an engine controller/ coordinated braking module that can, on receipt of such communication, adjust speed of the FV and/or distance between the FV and the LV to bring the FV to the determined zone. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication can include appropriate commands to the FV based on present zone of the vehicles and occurrence of an environment event/ condition, as illustrated in FIG. 4A.

In another exemplary embodiment, coordinated braking can be deployed between FV and LV based on input event/condition and present zone of the FV, as illustrated in FIG. 4B

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram showing different longitudinal control zones and velocity based zones in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. V2V communication between a LV and a FV can initiate pairing between the two vehicles. Both the vehicles can be equipped with ACC that can be activated. This can enable the following vehicle to remain in a pre determined ‘default zone’ illustrated as Zone 3 under normal platooning conditions.

In another aspect, under various other scenarios as elaborated herein, the proposed system can enable the following vehicle to shift to other zones such as Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2. The proposed system can enable longer trailing/following distances between the two vehicles by using coordinated braking so that the trailing distance falls into one of the zones pre-configured for the new scenario. The system can use various inputs for its operation.

In an aspect, zones can be configured on basis of expected range of vehicle speed. For instance, the default Zone 3 can prescribe a distance range of 30-15 meters with vehicle speed of 80 Km/hour which can be lowered to 20-15 meters at vehicle speed of under 40 Km/hour. As can be appreciated, the intent in platooning is to minimize aerodynamic drag for increased fuel efficiency, and an excellent V2V communication is essential for efficient platooning. Both these aspects can be well served in Zone 3. Further, as speeds go down and the vehicles need lesser distance to stop, the intervening/trailing distance can be brought down still further as is illustrated by a Zone 3 length of 20-15 meter at speeds under 40 Km/hour. Hence, Zone 3 serves the basic premise of‘safe and pertinent’ distance well.

In another aspect, length of various zones can be fixed or made variable based on various factors. For instance, during fog events, each zone can be of higher length while during clear weather the length can be reduced. It can be readily understood that if a FV is in Zone 3, it is nearest to LV and so experiences minimum aerodynamic drag with strong V2V communication. However, such a close distance between the two vehicles may not be safest. On the other hand, if an FV is in Zone 0 it will experience more aerodynamic drag. Besides, as the FV shifts away from the LV, V2V communication and hence platooning of the vehicle will become more and more difficult and unreliable. However, as the distance between the two vehicles is increased, it leads to more safety. As can be readily understood, while four zones are proposed in the exemplary embodiment, any number of zones each with its speed and distance parameters can be configured depending on requirements.

In exemplary embodiments, as illustrated in FIG.3, Zone 3 can be a trailing distance of 30-15 meters when speed of the vehicles is 80 Km/hour, down to 20-15 meters when the speed is under 40 km/hour. Likewise, Zone 2 can be a trailing distance of 45-30 meters when speed of the vehicles is 80 Km/hour, down to 25-20 meters when the speed is under 40 km/hour. Zone 1 can be a trailing distance of 60-45 meters when speed of the vehicles is 80 Km/hour, down to 30-25 meters when speed of the vehicles is under 40 Km/hour and Zone 0 can be normal ACC enabled when trailing distance is 60 meters when speed of the vehicles is 80 Km/hour and above, down to 30 meters when the speed is under 40 Km/hour. However, it is to be appreciated that above values are purely exemplary and the proposed system can be configured to implement zones as per any suitable pre-determined values for speeds and corresponding trailing distances. In another aspect, the proposed system can enable zone based longitudinal control to make the vehicles in a platoon behave in a certain manner, provided certain other parameters and conditions are met. For instance, when ACC is enabled and V2V is initiated in both vehicles, and pairing between the two vehicles is initiated, the proposed system can enable the FV to follow the LV at a distance of 15 meters. As can be seen, the proposed system enables such trailing distance contingent on meeting certain conditions. While some of these conditions can be internal such as braking of vehicles, other conditions can be external being environmental factors such as loss of V2V communication over which vehicles may have no control.

In another aspect, if specific input and environmental conditions are not met but pairing is still possible, the FV can be commanded to follow the LV at a greater following/trailing distance.

FIG. 4A tabulates environmental events and corresponding impacts on variable following distance (zones) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the table, the disclosed system can be configured to provide different commands to FV depending on external event and zone in which the FV is presently positioned. For example, referring to cell 31, in case FV is in default Zone 3, and there is a loss in V2V communication lasting 1 second to 3 minutes in such a manner that during this timeout period at least 10 messages have been sent by either the LV or the FV (and not received by the corresponding vehicle due to loss in V2V communication), the proposed system can issue a command to position the FV to Zone 0, i.e. maintain maximum trailing distance. Further within the Zone 0, trailing distance can be determined based on vehicle speeds.

In another example implementation illustrated by cell 14, if FV is operating in Zone 1 and a cut-in vehicle is detected between the FV and LV, the proposed system issues a command to shift the FV to Zone 0 so as to maintain safety, using an ACC response. Likewise, as illustrated in cell 32, if the vehicles are operating in Zone 3 and there is a V2V communication loss that lasts more than 3 minutes, system issues a command to shift FV to Zone 0. In an aspect, the system can also decouple/unpair the vehicles so that actions of the LV have no impact on the FV.

In an aspect, the proposed system can also enable coordinated braking between LV and the FV based on determination of input events. FIG. 4B tabulates deceleration rate based on zone and deceleration request type in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In an exemplary implementation, referring to cell 11 of FIG. 4B, in case the two vehicles are in Zone 1 and LV applies brakes but final deceleration rate of the LV is not yet known, the disclosed system can enable the FV to match the LV deceleration rate. On the other hand, as illustrated in cell 31, in case the vehicles are in Zone 3 (that is, closer to each other), the system can communicate a command to the FV to shift to Zone 2 using additive braking, such additive braking providing deceleration that is 1 m/sec.2 more than the LV deceleration. Further, when the brake pedal actuation in LV generates a deceleration of more than 2m/sec.2, the system can initiate an optical/acoustical warning cascade in following vehicles while applying deceleration.

In another aspect, as illustrated in row 2, a deceleration request between 0 to 3 m/sec.2 can be commanded by an adaptive cruise control system of the LV. This request looks different on a Controller Area Network (CAN) than a lead vehicle manual braking event and so can be identified appropriately. The system can use this event determination to match LV VRDU commanded deceleration rate in the FV as illustrated, for instance, at cell 22.

In yet another aspect, as illustrated in row 3, LV can experience a safety range deceleration (greater than 3m/sec.2 deceleration) using, for instance automated emergency braking (AEB). These events look different on CAN from ACC events or manual braking requests and have different specified responses to manual braking and ACC decelerations. AEB events can include an optical/acoustic warning, a haptic braking and then emergency level braking when triggered. The coordinated braking scheme in FIG. 4B shows that this original cascade will be triggered in the following vehicle/vehicles over V2V in Zones 1 and 2 and has a modified, more aggressive, response in Zone 3 (as illustrated in cell 33), including, for instance, light haptic braking, additive haptic braking and emergency braking, depending on actions being taken by the LV.

In an aspect, the goal of above configuration is retention of the ISO 26262 safety concept used by the the driver assistance system for AEB. An AEB event is sought to be triggered in the FV when one is triggered in the LV. However, the FV’s sensor fusion algorithm cannot determine the same scenario as it can‘see’ only the FV directly in front of it. Further, the braking cascade is different for the FV when it is at close following distances to add additional braking to increase the distance between the two vehicles. Schema as elaborated in FIG.4B enables the proposed system to take care of such aspects.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for method for longitudinal control of vehicles in a platoon in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The method can include, at step 502, receiving, at a computing device, any or a combination of input and environmental conditions pertaining to a LV and a FV, the environmental conditions including at least V2V communication status between the LV and FV, and the input conditions comprising at least deceleration status of the LV. At step 504 of the method can be determining, at the computing device, zone to which the FV should be positioned based on processing of the any or a combination of the input and environmental conditions, wherein the zone can be selected from a plurality of zones that are defined based on distance range to be maintained between the LV and the FV, and speed range at which the FV should operate; and step 506 of the disclosed method can be communicating, from the computing device, to the FV the determined zone. While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a system for longitudinal control for vehicles in a platoon that is easy and simple to implement.

The present disclosure provides a system having an adaptive architecture for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon.

The present disclosure provides a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that considers safety while trying to minimize aerodynamic drag.

The present disclosure provides a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that takes into consideration various factors such as communication status, status of autonomous cruise control and pairing status.

The present disclosure provides a system for longitudinal control and coordinated braking for vehicles in a platoon that takes into consideration vehicle speed.