Apparatus and method for grouping vehicles for cooperative driving

• US 9,551,993 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Kolhouse, Steven J., Lana, Carlos A., Sujan, Vivek A., Vajapeyazula, Phani, Wills, J. Stephen, Yonushonis, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/930,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29.3, 701/25, 701/96, 701/117, 701/301, 180/167, 244/49, 244/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus includes a logistics manager that includes a processor. The logistics manager is communicably coupled to at least one of a first wireless communication module onboard a first vehicle and a second wireless communication module onboard a second vehicle. The logistics manager is configured to: receive, via the first wireless communication module, first data regarding the first vehicle, where the first data is provided by a first sensor module onboard the first vehicle; receive, via the second wireless communication module, second data regarding the second vehicle, where the second data is provided by a second sensor module onboard the second vehicle; and provide navigational commands to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on a cost and benefit analysis in response to at least one the first data and the second data.

Claims

1. A method for cooperative sharing of an aerodynamic load between a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

analyzing, by a processing device, at least one of proximity data, current direction data, size data, type data, power data, weight data, destination data, and preference policies to identify the first vehicle as a host vehicle to be drafted by the second vehicle via a slipstream generated by the host vehicle; and

at least one of (i) controlling the second vehicle into a tandem position with the first vehicle to effect a drafting of the first vehicle by the second vehicle, wherein the second vehicle is positioned within the slipstream generated by the host vehicle, and (ii) providing navigational commands to an operator of the second vehicle to facilitate instructing the operator of the second vehicle to enter into a tandem position with the first vehicle to effect a drafting of the first vehicle by the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the processing device, system inputs to identify the host vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the second vehicle comprises:

generating cruise control commands; and

transmitting the cruise control commands to the second vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying proximate cooperative vehicles.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying proximate cooperative vehicles comprises recognizing a nearby vehicle from a database via a device equipped with GPS or other position sensing technology.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying proximate vehicles is performed on a server.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying proximate vehicles is performed on one of the devices equipped with GPS.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a cost and benefit of potential drafting relationships between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the cost and benefit comprises considering at least one of a route time gain, a risk tolerance, and a host vehicle driver impairment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating guest host relationships to the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

11. A system for effecting a cooperative sharing of an aerodynamic load between a first vehicle and a second vehicle comprising:

a sensor module onboard the first vehicle for providing data regarding at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

a first communication module onboard the first vehicle; and

a logistics manager communicably coupled, via a second communication module, to the first communication module, wherein the logistics manager is structured to provide navigational commands to the first vehicle based on a cost and benefit analysis in response to the data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the navigational commands provided to the first vehicle facilitate at least one of (i) instructing an operator of the first vehicle to enter into a tandem position with the second vehicle to effect a drafting of the second vehicle by the first vehicle, and (ii) controlling the first vehicle into a tandem position with the second vehicle to effect a drafting of the second vehicle by the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle is positioned within a slipstream generated by the second vehicle.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a second sensor module onboard the second vehicle for providing second data regarding at least one of the second vehicle and the first vehicle; and

a third communication module onboard the second vehicle;

wherein the logistics manager is communicably coupled, via the second communication module, to at least one of the first communication module and the second communication module, and wherein the logistics manager is structured to provide navigational commands to at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on a cost and benefit analysis in response to at least one of the first data and the second data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the first data and the second data include at least one of proximity data, current direction data, size data, type data, power data, weight data, destination data, and preference policies, wherein the logistics manager is structured to consider the at least one of the proximity data, the current direction data, the size data, the type data, the power data, the weight data, the destination data, and the preference policies of the at least one of the first data and the second data to perform the cost and benefit analysis.