US 12,462,689 B2
Method for heavy truck platooning order on wet roads using tire tread volumetric void percentage
Jeremy Trowbridge, Greenville, SC (US); Gurkan Erdogan, Greer, SC (US); and Robert Ciprian Radulescu, Greenville, SC (US)
Assigned to Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
Appl. No. 18/249,272
Filed by COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN, Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
PCT Filed Nov. 12, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/060115
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 17, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/103392, PCT Pub. Date May 19, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0394976 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G08G 1/00 (2006.01); B60C 11/03 (2006.01)
CPC G08G 1/22 (2013.01) [B60C 11/033 (2013.01); B60C 2200/06 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for platooning tractor trailers on wet road surfaces, comprising:
providing a first tractor trailer that has a first tractor and a first trailer, wherein the first tractor has a plurality of first tractor tires located on the first tractor that are first tractor steer tires and first tractor drive tires;
providing a second tractor trailer that has a second tractor and a second trailer, wherein the second tractor has a plurality of second tractor tires located on the second tractor that are second tractor steer tires and second tractor drive tires;
providing at least one tire sensor;
measuring the plurality of first tractor tires and measuring the plurality of second tractor tires with the at least one tire sensor;
providing a processor that receives data from the at least one tire sensor;
determining a tread volumetric void percentage of each one of the plurality of first tractor tires via the data provided by the at least one tire sensor and weighting the tread volumetric void percentage of the first tractor steer tire(s) more heavily than the tread volumetric void percentage of the first tractor drive tire(s) to determine a tread volumetric void percentage of the first tractor trailer;
wherein the weighting of the tread volumetric void percentage of first tractor steer tire(s) is at least 80% and the tread volumetric void percentage of first tractor drive tire(s) is no more than 20%;
determining a tread volumetric void percentage of each one of the plurality of second tractor tires via the data provided by the at least one tire sensor and weighting the tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor steer tire(s) more heavily than the tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor drive tire(s) to determine a tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor trailer;
wherein the weighting of the tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor steer tire(s) is at least 80% and the tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor drive tire(s) is no more than 20%;
wherein the processor sends instructions to automatic driving systems of the first tractor trailer and the second tractor trailer to move the first tractor trailer and the second tractor trailer to effect reordering of the first tractor trailer and the second tractor trailer in a platoon for driving on a wet road surface such that the first or second tractor trailer that has a lower tread volumetric void percentage is reordered in front of the first or second tractor trailer that has a higher tread volumetric void percentage if the difference between the tread volumetric void percentage of the first tractor trailer and the tread volumetric void percentage of the second tractor trailer is at least 7%.