Peloton

• US 10,108,202 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Aikin, Randol W., Northcott, Malcolm J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/275,160
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/42 Adaptation of control equipment on vehicle for actuation from alternative parts of the vehicle or from alternative vehicles of the same vehicle train B60L15/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises at least the vehicle at least one additional vehicle, is configured to determine a position of the vehicle in the peloton which reduces differences in relative driving ranges among the vehicles included in the peloton. The vehicles can dynamically adjust peloton positions while navigating to reduce driving range differences among the vehicles. The vehicle can include a power management system which enables the vehicle to be electrically coupled to a battery included in another vehicle in the peloton, so that driving range differences between the vehicles can be reduced via load sharing via the electrical connection. The vehicle can include a power connector arm which extends a power connector to couple with an interface of another vehicle.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a vehicle (“

ego-vehicle”

) configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises the ego-vehicle and at least one additional vehicle, wherein the ego-vehicle comprises;

a vehicle navigation system which is configured to;

based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, determine a particular configuration of the peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle; and

generate a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

to determine a particular configuration of the peloton, the vehicle navigation system comprised in the vehicle is configured to determine a peloton position for each of the vehicles in the peloton, such that the vehicle navigation system determines an additional peloton position in which the at least one additional vehicle is navigated; and

the vehicle navigation system is further configured to command the at least one additional vehicle to navigate in the additional peloton position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the ego-vehicle is configured to electrically couple at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle to at least one additional internal battery installed in the at least one additional vehicle while the ego-vehicle is navigating in the peloton at the particular peloton position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector, electrically coupled to the at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle, which is configured to couple with a power connector interface which is installed in the at least one additional vehicle and is electrically coupled to the at least one additional internal battery;

the vehicle navigation system is configured to, in response to the ego-vehicle being navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, couple the power connector to the power connector interface installed in the at least one additional vehicle, such that the respective internal batteries of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle are electrically coupled.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the power connector is coupled to the at least one internal battery via a power cable;

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector arm which is configured to extend the power connector from a retracted position in the ego-vehicle, and across a spacing distance between the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, to couple the power connector to the power connector interface; and

to couple the power connector to the power connector interface installed in the at least one additional vehicle, the vehicle navigation system is configured to extend the power connector arm from the retracted position to an extended position, such that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

to couple the power connector to the power connector interface installed in the at least one additional vehicle, the vehicle navigation system is further configured to;

in response to a determination that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface, navigate the ego-vehicle to cause the power connector to couple with the power connector interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the vehicle comprises one or more sensor devices, installed in the vehicle, which are configured to generate sensor data representations, of at least a portion of an external environment; and

the vehicle navigation system is configured to;

determine that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface, and

navigate the ego-vehicle, based on sensor data representations generated by the one or more sensor devices, to cause the power connector to couple with the power connector interface.

8. A method, comprising:

performing, by at least one computer system installed in a vehicle (“

ego-vehicle”

) configured to be autonomously navigated in a peloton along a roadway, wherein the peloton comprises the ego-vehicle and at least one additional vehicle;

based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, determining a particular configuration of the peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle; and

generating a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the determining the particular configuration of the peloton comprises;

determining an additional peloton position in which the at least one additional vehicle is navigated; and

the method further comprises;

commanding the at least one additional vehicle to navigate in the additional peloton position.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

causing the ego-vehicle to electrically couple at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle to at least one additional internal battery installed in the at least one additional vehicle while the ego-vehicle is navigating in the peloton at the particular peloton position.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector, electrically coupled to the at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle, which is configured to couple with a power connector interface which is installed in the at least one additional vehicle and is electrically coupled to the at least one additional battery; and

the method further comprises;

in response to the ego-vehicle being navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, causing the ego-vehicle to couple the power connector to the power connector interface installed in the at least one additional vehicle, such that the respective internal batteries of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle are electrically coupled.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the power connector is coupled to the at least one battery via a power cable;

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector arm which is configured to extend the power connector from a retracted position in the ego-vehicle, and across a spacing distance between the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, to couple the power connector to the power connector interface; and

the causing the ego-vehicle to couple the power connector to the power connector interface comprises;

causing the ego-vehicle to extend the power connector arm from the retracted position to an extended position, such that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the causing the ego-vehicle to couple the power connector to the power connector interface comprises:

in response to a determination that that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface, navigating the ego-vehicle to cause the power connector to couple with the power connector interface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the vehicle comprises one or more sensor devices, installed in the vehicle, which are configured to generate sensor data representations, of at least a portion of an external environment; and

the method further comprises;

determining that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface; and

navigating the ego-vehicle, based on sensor data representations generated by the one or more sensor devices, to cause the power connector to couple with the power connector interface.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

based on a comparison of driving ranges of each of a vehicle (“

ego-vehicle”

) and at least one additional vehicle, determine a particular configuration of a peloton, which comprises a particular peloton position in which the ego-vehicle is navigated relative to the at least one additional vehicle, which reduces a difference of the relative driving ranges of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, wherein;

the ego-vehicle is configured to be autonomously navigated in the peloton along a roadway; and

the peloton comprises the vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle; and

generate a set of control commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, according to the particular configuration of the peloton.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:

to determine a particular configuration of the peloton, the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors determine an additional peloton position in which the at least one additional vehicle is navigated; and

the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors command the at least one additional vehicle to navigate in the additional peloton position.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors:

cause the ego-vehicle to electrically couple at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle to at least one additional battery installed in the at least one additional vehicle while the ego-vehicle is navigating in the peloton at the particular peloton position.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein:

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector, electrically coupled to the at least one internal battery installed in the ego-vehicle, which is configured to couple with a power connector interface which is installed in the at least one additional vehicle and is electrically coupled to the at least one additional internal battery;

the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors;

in response to the ego-vehicle being navigated in the peloton at the particular peloton position, cause the ego-vehicle to couple the power connector to the power connector interface installed in the at least one additional vehicle, such that the respective internal batteries of the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle are electrically coupled.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein:

the power connector is coupled to the at least one internal battery via a power cable;

the ego-vehicle comprises a power connector arm which is configured to extend the power connector from a retracted position in the ego-vehicle, and across a spacing distance between the ego-vehicle and the at least one additional vehicle, to couple the power connector to the power connector interface; and

to cause the ego-vehicle to couple the power connector to the power connector interface, the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors;

cause the ego-vehicle to extend the power connector arm from the retracted position to an extended position, such that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein:

the ego-vehicle comprises one or more sensor devices, installed in the ego-vehicle, which are configured to generate sensor data representations, of at least a portion of an external environment and

the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors;

determine that the power connector is positioned proximate to the power connector interface; and

navigate the ego-vehicle, based on sensor data representations generated by the one or more sensor devices, to cause the power connector to couple with the power connector interface.