Method for optimizing inter-vehicle distance and equitably sharing fuel benefits in a vehicle platoon
First Claim
1. A method for optimizing inter-vehicle distance, comprising:
- communicating at least one of a frontal area and a drag coefficient representative of a first and at least one second vehicle to a processor at an information exchange point, as the first vehicle approaches the at least one second vehicle;
selecting, based on the at least one of the frontal area and the drag coefficient, a position in a driving order of the first vehicle with respect to the at least one second vehicle;
transmitting the position in the driving order from the processor to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;
maneuvering the first vehicle into the selected position in the driving order, wherein one of the first and at least one second vehicles moves into a lead position and another of the first and at least one second vehicles moves into a trailing position;
recording a real-time fuel economy of both the vehicle in the trailing position and the vehicle in the lead position in the processor, as the vehicle in the trailing position moves from a maximum following distance to a minimum following distance from the vehicle in the lead position;
selecting, based on at least the recorded real-time fuel economy, an optimal inter-vehicle distance between the vehicles in the lead and trailing positions; and
moving the vehicle in the trailing position to the optimal inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle in the lead position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for optimizing inter-vehicle order and distance includes communicating vehicle characteristics representative of a first and at least one second vehicle as the first vehicle approaches the at least one second vehicle. Based on the vehicle characteristics, a position in a driving order of the first vehicle with respect to the at least one second vehicle is selected and executed. A real-time fuel economy is recorded as the vehicle in the trailing position moves from a maximum following distance to a minimum following distance from the vehicle in the lead position. Based on at least the recorded real-time fuel economy, an optimal inter-vehicle distance between the vehicles in the lead and trailing positions is selected and executed.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for optimizing inter-vehicle distance, comprising:
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communicating at least one of a frontal area and a drag coefficient representative of a first and at least one second vehicle to a processor at an information exchange point, as the first vehicle approaches the at least one second vehicle; selecting, based on the at least one of the frontal area and the drag coefficient, a position in a driving order of the first vehicle with respect to the at least one second vehicle; transmitting the position in the driving order from the processor to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle; maneuvering the first vehicle into the selected position in the driving order, wherein one of the first and at least one second vehicles moves into a lead position and another of the first and at least one second vehicles moves into a trailing position; recording a real-time fuel economy of both the vehicle in the trailing position and the vehicle in the lead position in the processor, as the vehicle in the trailing position moves from a maximum following distance to a minimum following distance from the vehicle in the lead position; selecting, based on at least the recorded real-time fuel economy, an optimal inter-vehicle distance between the vehicles in the lead and trailing positions; and moving the vehicle in the trailing position to the optimal inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle in the lead position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A server comprising:
at least one processor programmed to; establish communication with at least one of a remote wireless communications system and a remote satellite system; receive a vehicle characteristic of a first and at least one second vehicle from the at least one remote wireless communications system and remote satellite system, wherein the vehicle characteristic is at least one of a vehicle frontal area and a vehicle drag coefficient; select, based on the vehicle characteristics, a driving order of the first vehicle with respect to the at least one second vehicle; and in response to the selected driving order, send a control action to the first vehicle, which in turn, moves into the selected driving order with the at least one second vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
Specification