Vehicle platooning systems and methods
US9645579B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 17, 2014 |
| Grant date | May 9, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 17, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04W84/005
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Systems and methods for coordinating and controlling vehicles, for example heavy trucks, to follow closely behind each other, or linking, in a convenient, safe manner and thus to save significant amounts of fuel while increasing safety. In an embodiment, on-board controllers in each vehicle interact with vehicular sensors to monitor and control, for example, relative distance, relative acceleration/deceleration, and speed. Additional safety features in at least some embodiments include providing each driver with one or more visual displays of forward and rearward looking cameras. Long-range communications are provided for coordinating vehicles for linking, and for communicating analytics to fleet managers or others.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.