Apparatus and method for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning

• US 9,224,300 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lee, Sangwoo, Park, Myungwook, Han, Wooyong
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazzara, Anne
• Application Number:
  US14/452,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20150100192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning are disclosed. The apparatus for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning includes a frame format configuration unit, a synchronization unit, and a contention window assignment unit. The frame format configuration unit configures the format of a frame included in a communication channel applicable to the control of autonomous vehicle platooning. The synchronization unit synchronizes a plurality of vehicles with one another using the frame so that the vehicles can perform the autonomous vehicle platooning. The contention window assignment unit assigns the different contention window values of a slot for management of the frame to the respective synchronized vehicles. The control is performed using the assigned contention window values so that the vehicles can participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning.

Claims

1. A method of controlling autonomous vehicle platooning, comprising:

configuring a format of a frame included in a communication channel applicable to control of autonomous vehicle platooning;

synchronizing a plurality of vehicles with one another using the frame so that the vehicles perform the autonomous vehicle platooning; and

assigning different contention window values of a slot for management of the frame to the respective synchronized vehicles, and performing control using the assigned contention window values so that the vehicles participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning,

wherein a first leading vehicle (LV) notifies other vehicles that the LV is capable of autonomous vehicle platooning in a vehicle platoon;

wherein vehicles (FV) following the LV receive a beacon signal from the LV and participate in the vehicle platoon via a series of procedures, and

wherein non-FV vehicles that desire to participate in the vehicle platoon receive the beacon signal from the LV and participate in the vehicle platoon via the series of procedures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the format of the frame comprises:

a slot for a beacon via which LV sends the beacon signal to the non-FV vehicle that desires to participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning;

a slot for the LV via which the LV sends information about itself;

slots for the FVs via which the FV s send respective pieces of information about themselves; and

a slot for management via which information for managing the vehicle platoon corresponding to the autonomous vehicle platooning is transmitted and received.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein contention window values corresponding to the LV and the FVs and a contention window value corresponding to a non-FV vehicle that does not belong to the platoon and that desires to participate in the vehicle platoon are configured in the slot for management, and

a management frame is transmitted based on differentiated priority.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein the beacon transmitted via the slot for a beacon is used for the LV to notify a non-FV vehicle desiring to participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning that the autonomous vehicle platooning is possible, and the beacon comprises information about the vehicle platoon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the plurality of vehicles with one another comprises:

performing, by the FV, timing synchronization with the LV using a received beacon.

6. An apparatus for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning, comprising:

a frame format configuration unit configured to configure a format of a frame included in a communication channel applicable to control of autonomous vehicle platooning;

a synchronization unit configured to synchronize a plurality of vehicles with one another using the frame so that the vehicles perform the autonomous vehicle platooning; and

a contention window assignment unit configured to assign different contention window values of a slot for management of the frame to the respective synchronized vehicles;

wherein control is performed using the assigned contention window values so that the vehicles participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning,

wherein a first leading vehicle (LV) notifies other vehicles that the LV is capable of autonomous vehicle platooning in a vehicle platoon;

wherein vehicles (FV) following the LV receive a beacon signal from the LV and participate in the vehicle platoon via a series of procedures, and

wherein non-FV vehicles that desire to participate in the vehicle platoon receive the beacon signal from the LV and participate in the vehicle platoon via the series of procedures.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the format of the frame comprises:

a slot for the beacon signal via which the LV sends the beacon signal to the non-FV vehicle that desires to participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning;

a slot for the LV via which the LV sends information about itself;

slots for FVs via which the FVs send respective pieces of information about themselves; and

a slot for management via which information for managing the vehicle platoon corresponding to the autonomous vehicle platooning is transmitted and received.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein contention window values corresponding to the LV and the FVs and a contention window value corresponding to the non-FV vehicle that does not belong to the vehicle platoon and that desires to participate in the vehicle platoon are configured in the slot for management, and a management frame is transmitted based on differentiated priority.

9. The apparatus of claim 7,

wherein the beacon signal transmitted via the slot for the beacon is used for the LV to notify the non-FV vehicle desiring to participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning that the autonomous vehicle platooning is possible, and

the beacon comprises information about the vehicle platoon.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein synchronizing the plurality of vehicles with one another comprises:

performing, by the FV, timing synchronization with the LV using the received beacon.