US 12,346,125 B2
Vehicle platooning systems and methods
Joshua P. Switkes, Mountain View, CA (US); Joseph Christian Gerdes, Los Altos, CA (US); and Eugene Berdichevsky, Oakland, CA (US)
Assigned to Peloton Technology, Inc., Pacific Grove, CA (US)
Filed by Peloton Technology, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/126,975.
Application 14/292,583 is a division of application No. 13/542,622, filed on Jul. 5, 2012, granted, now 8,744,666, issued on Jun. 3, 2014.
Application 14/292,583 is a division of application No. 13/542,627, filed on Jul. 5, 2012, granted, now 9,582,006, issued on Feb. 28, 2017.
Application 18/126,975 is a continuation of application No. 16/427,846, filed on May 31, 2019, granted, now 11,614,752.
Application 16/427,846 is a continuation of application No. 15/589,124, filed on May 8, 2017, granted, now 10,481,614, issued on Nov. 19, 2019.
Application 15/589,124 is a continuation of application No. 14/855,044, filed on Sep. 15, 2015, granted, now 9,645,579, issued on May 9, 2017.
Application 14/855,044 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/292,583, granted, now 9,665,102, issued on May 30, 2017, previously published as PCT/US2014/030770, filed on Mar. 17, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/792,304, filed on Mar. 15, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/505,076, filed on Jul. 6, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2024/0077887 A1, Mar. 7, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); B60W 10/04 (2006.01); B60W 10/20 (2006.01); B60W 30/165 (2020.01); G08G 1/00 (2006.01); H04L 67/12 (2022.01); H04W 84/00 (2009.01)
CPC G05D 1/0293 (2013.01) [B60W 10/04 (2013.01); B60W 10/20 (2013.01); B60W 30/165 (2013.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0217 (2013.01); G05D 1/0295 (2013.01); G08G 1/22 (2013.01); H04L 67/12 (2013.01); B60W 2554/801 (2020.02); B60W 2710/18 (2013.01); B60W 2710/20 (2013.01); B60W 2720/10 (2013.01); H04W 84/005 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computerized vehicular convoying control system, useful in association with a plurality of vehicles to identify one or more opportunities to form a convoy of a lead vehicle and at least one following vehicle, the control system comprising, on the at least one following vehicle:
a first computerized controller, responsive to remotely-transmitted information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and configured to compute a smooth trajectory for the at least one following vehicle as part of the identification of the opportunity to convoy, the information regarding the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle being selected from the group consisting of: vehicle location, vehicle destination, vehicle load, vehicle type, and trailer type;
a first inter-vehicular transceiver configured to enable communications between the first computerized controller and a second computerized controller on the lead vehicle;
a first vehicular separation sensor configured to detect a distance between the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and further configured to detect a relative speed between the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, and to provide such distance and relative speed to the first computerized controller;
the first computerized controller further configured to control acceleration and deceleration of the lead vehicle to maintain the gap between the lead vehicle and the at least one following vehicle, wherein the amount of acceleration and deceleration of the lead vehicle is based on a brake condition calculated based on braking data from one or more brake detection sensors and the first vehicular separation sensor, wherein the brake condition is determined based in part on detected vehicle deceleration of the lead vehicle; and
a first user interface configured to receive an input from the first computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver.