Method of controlling inter-vehicle gap(s) in a platoon

• US 10,388,168 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Original Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation (AB Volvo)
• Inventors: Deragarden, Hans, Cider, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Isaac G
• Application Number:
  US15/553,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20180137763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 701 96, 701 93
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/10 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/125 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A method of controlling inter-vehicle gap(s) in a platoon that includes a lead vehicle and one or more following vehicles includes the steps of: obtaining an indicator of a potential collision threat identified by an autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, wherein the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle includes pre-defined control phases, and wherein the indicator at least partly determines a current control phase of the autonomous emergency braking system; and sending the obtained indicator to the one or more following vehicles.

Claims

1. A method of controlling inter-vehicle gap(s) in a platoon comprising a lead vehicle and one or more following vehicles, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

determining, by an autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, an indication of a potential collision threat, wherein the indication of the potential collision threat comprises a time to collision and defines a current control phase of a plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, wherein the plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle comprises a first alert phase, a second warning phase, and a third full brake phase;

sending, by the lead vehicle, the determined indication of the potential collision threat to the one or more following vehicles;

receiving, in the one or more following vehicles, the indication of the potential collision threat; and

automatically adjusting the inter-vehicle gap(s) based on the received indication of the potential collision threat.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the inter-vehicle gap(s) based on the received indication of the potential collision threat comprises a last vehicle of the platoon increasing its gap to a preceding vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein , when the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle is not in the full brake phase, the inter-vehicle gap(s) is(are) automatically adjusted based on the received indication of the potential collision threat is initiated .

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending the indication of the potential collision threat is performed using vehicle-to-vehicle communication means.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of the potential collision threat is performed using vehicle-to-vehicle communication means.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a deceleration capacity for the lead vehicle based on an estimation of friction between tires of the lead vehicle and a road surface.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a deceleration capacity for the lead vehicle based on an estimation of friction between tires of the lead vehicle and a road surface , wherein automatically adjusting the utter-vehicle gap(s) based on the received indication of the potential collision threat is further based on the deceleration capacity.

8. A control unit for controlling inter-vehicle gap(s) in a platoon comprising a lead vehicle and one or more following vehicles, the control unit being configured to perform a method of controlling, the inter-vehicle gap(s) comprising:

determining, by an autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, an indication of a potential collision threat, wherein the indication of the potential collision threat comprises a time to collision and defines a current control phase of a plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, wherein the plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle comprises a first alert phase, a second warning phase, and a third full brake phase;

sending, by the lead vehicle, the determined indication of the potential collision threat to the one or more following vehicles;

receiving, in the one or more following vehicles, the indication of the potential collision threat; and

automatically adjusting the inter-vehicle gap(s) based on the received indication of the potential collision threat.

9. A vehicle in a platoon comprising a lead vehicle and one or more following vehicles configured to perform a method of controlling inter-vehicle gap(s) in the platoon, the method comprising:

determining, by an autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, an indication of a potential collision threat, wherein the indication of the potential collision threat comprises a time to collision and defines a current control phase of a plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle, wherein the plurality of pre-defined control phases of the autonomous emergency braking system of the lead vehicle comprises a first alert phase, a second warning phase, and a third full brake phase;

sending, by the lead vehicle, the determined indication of the potential collision threat to the one or more following vehicles;

receiving, in the one or more following vehicles, the indication of the potential collision threat; and

automatically adjusting the inter-vehicle gap(s) based on the received indication of the potential collision threat.