Peloton Technology, Inc.

Volkswagen Ag

Audi Ag

Lorenz Laubinger

Joshua P Switkes

Stephen Michael Erlien

Kaushik Raghu

Shad Mitchell Laws

Premkumar Natarajan

Annie Lien

Jamie Camhi

A system and method for mitigating or avoiding risks due to hazards encountered by platooning vehicles. The system and method involve interrogating, with one or more sensors, a space radially extending from a lead vehicle as the lead vehicle travels over the road surface, perceiving the environment within the space, ascertaining a hazard caused by an object in the space, and causing a following vehicle, operating in a platoon with the lead vehicle, to take a preemptive braking action to avoid or mitigate risks resulting from the hazard caused by the object in the space.

System and method for implementing precognition braking and/or avoiding or mitigation risks among platooning vehicles

Systems and methods for causing a vehicle to avoid an adverse action are described. In one aspect, a sensor on first vehicle may determine the existence and location of lane markers or objects, and use that information to cause a second vehicle to avoid exiting its lane or colliding with an object. Data transmitted from a first vehicle to a second vehicle may be used to determine a path for the second vehicle, such that it avoids an adverse action. This data may include information used to determine a pose of the second vehicle, kinematics of the second vehicle, determine dimensions of the second vehicle, and potential adverse actions. This data may be transmitted while the vehicles are platooning.

Systems and methods for managing tractor-trailers

System and method for implementing pre-cognition braking and/or avoiding or mitigation risks among platooning vehicles

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.

Platoon controller state machine

An in-vehicle system for determining whether a vehicle has moved off of a main roadway and into an exit lane. A navigation unit determines that an exit is approaching on a first side of the vehicle, and a camera obtains image data regarding lane markings and exit signs in response to a notification that the exit is approaching. An image processor identifies predetermined patterns among the lane markings, including V-shaped patterns or Y-shaped patterns. The system determines that the vehicle has moved into the exit lane in response to an identification of one of the predetermined patterns on a second side of the vehicle opposite the first side of the vehicle. The system may verify its determination based on recognition of an exit sign on the second side of the vehicle.

Accurate position determination near exit lanes

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for providing a user interface, particularly in a vehicle, in which a structured volume of data is stored which relates to the scope of functions of at least one function. At least two hierarchically related modes of operation are predetermined which each produce and each at least partially display a user menu with controllable graphic objects on the basis of a predetermined subset of the structured volume of data, wherein a hierarchically higher mode of operation is based on a hierarchically higher subset of the structured volume of data.

Method and apparatus for providing a user interface, particularly in a vehicle

A system and method relates to displaying a vehicle surrounding with an adjustable point of view, including at least one sensor device on the vehicle, a processor, and a display. The sensor device is configured to measure distances to objects of the vehicle surrounding. In addition, the processor is configured to generate a three-dimensional environment map based on the measured distances of the sensor device. Further, the display is configured to display the three-dimensional environment map having an adjustable point of view based on a particular driving situation.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Lorenz Laubinger