Platoon controller state machine

Abstract

Systems, methods, controllers and algorithms for controlling a vehicle to closely follow another vehicle safely using automatic or partially automatic control are described. The described control schemes are well suited for use in vehicle platooning and/or vehicle convoying applications, including truck platooning and convoying controllers. In one aspect, methods of initiating a platoon between a host vehicle and a platoon partner are described. In another aspect, a number of specific checks are described for determining whether a platoon controller is ready to initiate platoon control of the host vehicle. In another aspect, a platoon controller that includes a state machine that determines the state of the platoon controller is described. In another aspect, methods for generating braking alerts to a driver of a vehicle while the vehicle is being at least semi-automatically controlled by a platoon controller are described.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of initiating a platoon between a host vehicle and a platoon partner, the method comprising:
 establishing communications with the platoon partner;   sending a host vehicle ready to platoon message to the platoon partner;   receiving a platoon partner ready to platoon message; and   initiating a platoon between the host vehicle and the platoon partner.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a message that the platoon partner's platoon control system is ready to platoon.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the host vehicle ready to platoon message is sent to the platoon partner after the platoon partner's platoon control system ready message has been received. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the host vehicle ready to platoon message is sent only to the platoon partner. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the host vehicle system ready to platoon message is sent to the platoon partner when the platoon controller on the host vehicle is determined to be ready to platoon. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the platoon partner ready to platoon message is received after sending the host vehicle ready to platoon message. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the platoon partner ready to platoon message indicates that the platoon partner has consented to platooning. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the platoon partner ready to platoon message is only received after sending the host vehicle ready to platoon message. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 informing a driver of the host vehicle that the host vehicle is ready to platoon, wherein the driver is informed that the host vehicle is ready to platoon after the platoon partner ready to platoon message has been received.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 receiving an initiate platoon command from the driver, and wherein initiating the platoon between the host vehicle and the platoon partner occurs in response to receiving the initiate platoon command.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the driver is only informed that the host vehicle is ready to platoon after the platoon partner ready to platoon message has been received. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether a platoon controller on the host vehicle is ready to platoon.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a multiplicity of platooning prerequisite checks must be met before the host vehicle is determined to be ready to platoon. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the platoon partner ready to platoon message indicates that the platoon partner has consented to platooning. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein initiating the platoon between the host vehicle and the platoon partner comprises initiating at least partially automated platoon control of the host vehicle. 
     
     
         16 . A method of initiating a platoon between a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the method comprising:
 establishing communications with the second vehicle;   receiving a message that the second vehicle's platoon control system is ready to platoon;   sending a first vehicle ready to platoon message to the second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle ready to platoon message is only sent to the second vehicle after the second vehicle's platoon control system ready message has been received;   receiving a second vehicle ready to platoon message; and   initiating a platoon between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first vehicle is a host vehicle, wherein the second vehicle is a platoon partner, wherein the message that the second vehicle's platoon control system is ready to platoon is a message that the platoon partner's control system is ready to platoon, wherein the first vehicle ready to platoon message is a host vehicle ready to platoon message, and wherein a second vehicle ready to platoon message is a platoon partner ready to platoon message. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein sending a first vehicle ready to platoon message to the second vehicle is sent by a platooning electronic control unit (PECU), that is remote from a braking electronic control unit (BECU) and an engine electronic control unit (EECU). 
     
     
         19 . A method of initiating a platoon between a host vehicle and a platoon partner, the method comprising:
 establishing communications with the platoon partner;   sending a host vehicle ready to platoon message to the platoon partner;   receiving a platoon partner ready to platoon message, wherein the platoon partner ready to platoon message is received after sending the host vehicle ready to platoon message; and   initiating a platoon between the host vehicle and the platoon partner.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the receiving a platoon partner ready to platoon message is received at a platooning electronic control unit (PECU), that is remote from a braking electronic control unit (BECU) and an engine electronic control unit (EECU).