VEHICLE PLATOON SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20170309187A1
• Filed: 04/22/2016
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hsin-Nan Lin
• Original Assignee: Hsin-Nan Lin
• Inventors: LIN, Hsin-Nan
• Application Number:
  US15/136,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20170309187A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle platoon system comprises a trajectory module, an operation module and a control module. The trajectory module obtains and records a first data from a driving condition of the leading vehicle to establish a movement trajectory. The operation module obtains a second data and receives the first data to enable the following vehicle to move along or on the movement trajectory and carry out the driving condition of the leading vehicle. The control module measures an interval distance between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle to adjust a speed of at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle so as to maintain the interval distance within a predetermined range. A vehicle platooning method is also provided.

Claims

1. A vehicle platoon system, comprising:

a trajectory module disposed at a leading vehicle for obtaining and recording a plurality of first position data and a driving data from a driving condition of the leading vehicle to establish a movement trajectory according to the first position data, wherein the first position data and the driving data constitute a first data;

an operation module disposed at a following vehicle for obtaining a second data and receiving the first data, the operation module driving the following vehicle with the second data to enable the following vehicle to move along or on the movement trajectory, the operation module operating the following vehicle according to the first data to enable the following vehicle to carry out the driving condition of the leading vehicle on the movement trajectory, wherein the second data is associated with a direction of and a distance between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle; and

a control module disposed at at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle, the control module measuring an interval distance between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle and adjusting a speed of at least one of the leading vehicle and the following vehicle so as to maintain the interval distance within a predetermined range.

2. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, wherein the trajectory module comprises a first processing unit, a first direction unit, a first distance measurement unit and a first recording unit, the first processing unit being connected with the first direction unit, the first distance measurement unit and the first recording unit, the first direction unit obtaining a first direction data, the first distance measurement unit obtaining a first distance data, the first recording unit obtaining the driving data, the first processing unit forming the first position data from the first direction data and the first distance data.

3. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, wherein the operation module comprises a second processing unit, a second direction unit and a second distance measurement unit, the second processing unit being connected with the second direction unit and the second distance measurement unit, the second direction unit obtaining a second direction data, the second distance measurement unit obtaining a second distance data, the second processing unit processing the second direction data, the second distance data and the first data to enable the following vehicle to move along or on the movement trajectory and carry out the driving condition of the leading vehicle on the movement trajectory.

4. The vehicle platoon system of claim 3, wherein the second processing unit selects a trajectory reference point from a plurality of reference points of the movement trajectory and calculating a distance between the following vehicle and the trajectory reference point so as to obtain the second distance data and the second direction data.

5. The vehicle platoon system of claim 4, wherein a distance between the following vehicle and the reference points other than the trajectory reference point is not less than a distance between the following vehicle and the trajectory reference point.

6. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, wherein the operation module further adjusts a driving condition of the following vehicle within an adjustment range based on the first data.

7. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a third processing unit, a third distance measurement unit and a third speed control unit, the third processing unit being connected with the third distance measurement unit and the third speed control unit, the third distance measurement unit measuring the interval distance, and the third processing unit driving the third speed control unit to control the speed of the following vehicle.

8. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, wherein the operation module captures an image of the leading vehicle, the operation module or the trajectory module analyzes the image to form an image data, and the operation module or the trajectory module compares the image data with a reference data to form the second data.

9. The vehicle platoon system of claim 1, further comprising a connection module configured between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle for establishing a transmission path therebetween for transmission of data, power or both.

10. A vehicle platooning method, comprising:

(a) according to a driving condition of a leading vehicle, obtaining a plurality of first position data and a driving data of the leading vehicle to form a first data, and establishing a movement trajectory according to the first position data;

(b) obtaining a second data which is associated with a relative position of the leading vehicle and a following vehicle;

(c) processing the first data and the second data to drive the following vehicle to move along or on the movement trajectory;

(d) the following vehicle carrying out the driving condition of the leading vehicle on the movement trajectory according to the first data; and

(e) determining an interval distance between the leading vehicle and the following vehicle so as to adjust a speed of the following vehicle based on the first data so as to maintain the interval distance within a predetermined range.

11. The vehicle platooning method of claim 10, further comprising, in step (d), adjusting a driving condition of the following vehicle within an adjustment range based on the first data.