Motorcade route feedback and control system

Abstract

The invention provides a fleet route feedback and control system. A fleet of multiple vehicles is executed by a self-aware vehicle. A self-aware vehicle receives capability information in a fleet message via a wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle indicating a capability of the vehicle to cross an obstacle along a route. A performance level indicative of a relative capability of the vehicle for each type of obstacle is determined based on the capability information. One or more ranking strategies are utilized to define a vehicle ranking for crossing the obstacle along the route, the vehicle ranking based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the obstacle. And the motorcade crosses the obstacle according to the vehicle sequence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a vehicle route feedback and control system for a fleet of vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication refers to wireless data transmission between motor vehicles. V2V communication can be used for various purposes, including allowing vehicles to send messages to each other, the messages including status information regarding vehicle operation. This information can include, for example, speed, location, direction of travel, braking, and stability data. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one or more illustrative examples, a self-aware vehicle of a fleet of multiple vehicles includes a wireless transceiver, sensors, and one or more controllers. The one or more controllers are configured to: receive, via the wireless transceiver, in a fleet message, ability information indicating the vehicle's ability to cross an obstacle along a route; determine, based on the ability information, a performance grade indicating the vehicle's relative ability for each type of obstacle; define, using one or more ranking strategies, a vehicle ranking for crossing an obstacle along the route, the vehicle ranking being based on the performance grades of the vehicle and the obstacle; and cause the fleet to cross the obstacle according to the vehicle ranking.

[0004] In one or more illustrative examples, a method for a fleet of multiple vehicles by a self-aware vehicle is provided. The self-aware vehicle receives, via the wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle, in a fleet message, ability information indicating the vehicle's ability to cross an obstacle along a route. A performance grade indicating the vehicle's relative ability for each type of obstacle is determined based on the ability information. One or more ranking strategies are used to define a vehicle ranking for crossing an obstacle along the route, the vehicle ranking being based on the performance grades of the vehicle and the obstacle. The fleet crosses the obstacle according to the vehicle ranking.

[0005] In one or more illustrative examples, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by one or more controllers of a self-aware vehicle in a fleet of vehicles, cause the self-aware vehicle to perform operations including: receiving, via a wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle, in a fleet message, ability information indicating the ability of a vehicle to cross a first obstacle along a route; determining, based on the ability information, a performance level indicating a relative ability of the vehicle for each type of obstacle; using one or more ranking strategies to define a first vehicle ranking for crossing the first obstacle along the route, the first vehicle ranking being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the first obstacle; the fleet crossing the first obstacle according to the first vehicle ranking; using the one or more ranking strategies to define a second vehicle ranking for crossing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle ranking being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type than the first obstacle and the second vehicle ranking is different from the first vehicle ranking; and the fleet crossing the second obstacle according to the second vehicle ranking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 FIG. shows an example vehicle route feedback and control system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0007] Figure 2 FIG. shows an example data flow for determining a vehicle ranking of vehicles in a fleet;

[0008] Figure 3 FIG. shows an example data flow for sending a recommendation from a lead vehicle to a following vehicle according to a vehicle ranking;

[0009] Figure 4 FIG. shows an example process for operations of a vehicle route feedback and control system; and

[0010] Figure 5 FIG. shows an example of a computing device used in a vehicle route feedback and control system of a vehicle fleet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] As needed, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the invention that may be embodied in various forms and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Accordingly, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0012] A route can refer to the manner or road by which a vehicle travels from an original location to a destination location. A convoy can refer to a group or set of travelers that travel together along the same route. It may be desirable for a convoy of vehicles to traverse the same route. In such a case, it may not be clear how to order the vehicles in the convoy or what settings to apply to each vehicle. In the case where the route is along an off-road path, sensed data captured by a lead vehicle regarding the traverse may be particularly useful to following vehicles.

[0013] A vehicle route feedback and control system can utilize vehicle telemetry and relative performance specifications of multiple vehicles to determine the vehicle order in which vehicles in a convoy navigate along a route. The system can also provide recommendations or modifications to following vehicles based on the actual performance of a lead vehicle and / or other vehicles ahead of the following vehicles along the route to enhance their travel along the route.

[0014] Figure 1 An example vehicle route feedback and control system 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. As shown, vehicle 102 includes a plurality of vehicle controllers 104 and sensors 106 that communicate via one or more vehicle buses 108. Vehicle 102 also includes a telematics control unit (TCU) 110 that utilizes a wireless transceiver 112. TCU 110 can include a processor 114 and a storage device 116. Vehicle 102 can traverse route 118 in conjunction with other vehicles 102 of convoy 120. When executed by TCU 110, notification application 124 can be configured to send convoy messages 126 to other vehicles 102 of convoy 120 and receive convoy messages 126 from other vehicles 102 of convoy 120. Notification application 124 can maintain a convoy vehicle list 128 of identifiers of other vehicles 102 that traverse route 118 of convoy 120 along with vehicle 102. It should be noted that system 100 is merely an example, and other arrangements or combinations of elements may be used.

[0015] Vehicle 102 can include various types of automobiles, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sport utility vehicles (SUVs), trucks, recreational vehicles, boats, airplanes, or other mobile machines for transporting people or cargo. Such vehicles 102 can be human-driven or autonomous. In many cases, vehicle 102 can be powered by an internal combustion engine. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a battery electric vehicle powered by one or more electric motors. As another possibility, vehicle 102 may be a hybrid electric vehicle powered by both an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors, such as a series hybrid electric vehicle, a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, or a parallel / series hybrid electric vehicle.

[0016] Vehicle 102 may be a vehicle with driver assistance features driven by a driver. In other examples, the vehicle may be a semi-autonomous vehicle (AV). These AVs or driver assistance features may be supported via received vehicle-to-everything (V2X) data. The level of automation may vary between different levels of driver assistance technology and fully automated driverless vehicles. Since the type and configuration of vehicle 102 can vary, the capabilities of vehicle 102 can vary correspondingly. As some other possibilities, vehicle 102 can have different capabilities in terms of passenger capacity, towing capacity and volume, and storage volume. For ownership, inventory, and other purposes, vehicle 102 may be associated with a unique identifier (such as a vehicle identification number (VIN)) defined, for example, by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 3779 and ISO 4030. It should be noted that while motor vehicle 102 is being used as an example of a traffic participant, other types of traffic participants equipped with V2X technology, such as bicycles, mopeds, and pedestrians, may alternatively or additionally be used.

[0017] Vehicle 102 may include a plurality of controllers 104 configured to perform and manage various vehicle 102 functions powered by a vehicle battery and / or a powertrain. As shown, example vehicle controllers 104 are represented as discrete controllers 104 (i.e., controllers 104A through 104G). However, vehicle controllers 104 may share physical hardware, firmware, and / or software such that functionality from multiple controllers 104 may be integrally formed into a single controller 104, and functionality of various such controllers 104 may be distributed across multiple controllers 104.

[0018] As some non-limiting examples of the vehicle controller 104: The powertrain controller 104A can be configured to provide control over engine operating components (e.g., idle control components, fuel delivery components, emissions control components, etc.), and to monitor the status of such engine operating components (e.g., the status of the engine code); The body controller 104B can be configured to manage various power control functions, such as exterior lighting, interior lighting, keyless entry, remote start, and access point status verification (e.g., the closed status of the hood, doors, and / or trunk of the vehicle 102); The radio transceiver controller 104C can be configured to communicate with a key fob, a mobile device, or other local vehicle 102 devices; The autonomous controller 104D can be configured to provide commands to control the powertrain, steering, or other aspects of the vehicle 102; The climate control management controller 104E can be configured to provide control over heating and cooling system components (e.g., compressor clutch, drum fan, temperature sensor, etc.); The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) controller 104F can be configured to provide vehicle position information; and The human-machine interface (HMI) controller 104G can be configured to receive user input via various buttons or other controls, and to provide vehicle status information to the driver, such as fuel level information, engine operating temperature information, and the current position of the vehicle 102.

[0019] The controller 104 of the vehicle 102 can utilize various sensors 106 to receive information about the surrounding environment of the vehicle 102. In an example, these sensors 106 can include one or more of a camera (e.g., an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) camera), an ultrasonic sensor, a radar system, and / or a lidar system.

[0020] The vehicle bus 108 can include various communication methods available between the vehicle controllers 104 and between the TCU 110 and the vehicle controllers 104. As some non-limiting examples, the vehicle bus 108 can include one or more of a controller area network (CAN) for vehicles, an Ethernet network, and a media-oriented system transport (MOST) network. Although a single vehicle bus 108 is shown, it should be noted that in many examples, there are multiple vehicle buses 108, where a subset of the controllers 104 is connected to each vehicle bus 108.

[0021] The TCU 110 may include network hardware configured to facilitate communication between vehicle controllers 104 and with other devices of the system 100. For example, the TCU 110 may include or otherwise access a wireless transceiver 112 configured to facilitate communication with other vehicles 102 or with infrastructure. The TCU 110 may accordingly be configured to communicate via various protocols, such as communicating with a communication network via a network protocol (such as Uu). Additionally, the TCU 110 may be configured to communicate via a broadcast peer-to-peer protocol (such as PC5) to facilitate cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication with devices such as other vehicles 102. It should be noted that these protocols are merely examples, and different wireless, peer-to-peer, and / or cellular technologies may be used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. As some other examples, Bluetooth and / or Wi-Fi communication may be performed between vehicles 102.

[0022] The TCU 110 may also include various types of computing devices that support the execution of the functions of the TCU 110 described herein. In an example, the TCU 110 may include one or more processors 114 configured to execute computer instructions, and a storage device 116 medium on which computer-executable instructions and / or data may be maintained. A computer-readable storage medium (also referred to as a processor-readable medium or storage device 116) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor). Generally, the processor 114 receives instructions and / or data, for example, from the storage device 116 to memory, and uses the data to execute the instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. The computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted according to computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and / or technologies, which alone or in combination include, but are not limited to: JAVA, C, C++, C#, FORTRAN, PASCAL, VISUAL BASIC, PYTHON, JAVASCRIPT, PERL, etc.

[0023] A route 118 may refer to the manner or road that a vehicle 102 takes from an original location to a destination location. A convoy 120 may refer to a group or set of travelers traveling together along the same route 118.

[0024] The TCU 110 may be configured to transmit convoy messages 126 for receipt by other vehicles 102 of the convoy 120. This information may include information indicating the capabilities of the vehicles 102, such as the model year, make, model, trim, aftermarket parts, and specifications (such as maximum water depth, maximum suspension travel, etc.) of each vehicle 102. This information may be provided so that each vehicle 102 knows the relative limits of one another.

[0025] The platoon message 126 can also include information about the operation of the vehicle 102. When the vehicle 102 crosses the route 118 of the platoon 120, this information can include data related to vehicle telemetry. The TCU 110 can be configured to facilitate the collection of data from the sensors 106 of the vehicle 102, and / or other vehicle information from the vehicle controllers 104 connected to one or more vehicle buses 108.

[0026] In an example, the platoon message 126 can include information indicating a size threshold of the terrain that the vehicle 102 is crossing. The size threshold can be measured, for example, using the radar, lidar, and / or camera sensors 106 of the vehicle 102. This information can be included in the platoon message 126 for subsequent receipt by other vehicles 102, for example, to provide requirements for taking a specific path and / or to notify the receiving vehicle 102 to limit its path based on the size of the receiving vehicle 102.

[0027] As some other examples, the platoon message 126 can include information such as wheel slip, yaw rate, yaw rate error, lateral speed change, horizontal speed change, vertical speed change, the presence of a jerk movement in the travel of the vehicle 102, etc.

[0028] In another example, the platoon message 126 can include an estimated surface μ (Mu). This can be determined, for example, based on the measured wheel torque and the torque applied by the powertrain controller 104A. In yet another example, the platoon message 126 can include audio data picked up via a microphone sensor 106. This information can be used to determine sounds consistent with contact between the underbody or chassis of the vehicle 102 and the terrain, the presence of water flow, etc. In yet another example, the platoon message 126 can include information indicating whether one or more wheels of the vehicle 102 have left the ground during travel.

[0029] In yet another example, the platoon message 126 can include water level and / or wading depth information. For example, when the vehicle 102 crosses water, B-pillar sensors 106 (such as cameras, radar, lidar, etc.) combined with image recognition techniques of known objects (such as other vehicles 102 in the water) can be used to estimate the water depth.

[0030] The TCU 110 can also be configured to receive the platoon message 126 from other vehicles 102 in the platoon 120. This information can be used to compile trajectory characteristics and help establish speed thresholds and / or recommendations regarding the desired maximum vehicle 102 performance and the current vehicle 102 performance. In an example, the received size threshold can be used, for example, to provide requirements for adopting a specific path and can limit a specific path or passage based on the size or maneuverability of the vehicle 102.

[0031] The management of the sending and receiving of connected vehicle data can be handled by the notification application 124. The notification application 124 can also cause the TCU 110 to maintain a fleet vehicle list 128. The fleet vehicle list 128 can include identification information of other vehicles 102 that have traversed the route 118 together with the vehicle 102. In an example, the fleet vehicle list 128 can include, for example, the VIN, media access control (MAC) address, and / or other identifiers of vehicles 102 in the fleet 120 that have traversed the route 118 together with the self-aware vehicle 102.

[0032] Although not shown, in some examples, traffic participants may additionally be involved in communication via one or more roadside units (RSUs). An RSU can be a device having processing and networking capabilities and can be designed to be placed near a road for communicating with the vehicle 102. In an example, the RSU can include hardware configured to communicate via a broadcast peer-to-peer protocol (such as PC5) to facilitate C-V2X communication with the vehicle 102. The RSU can accordingly be capable of communicating with multiple vehicles 102 along a specific road or in a specific area. The RSU can also have wired or wireless backhaul capabilities to allow communication with other elements of the traffic control system, for example, via the Uu interface, such as via Ethernet or a cellular connection to the cellular network infrastructure.

[0033] Figure 2 An example data flow 200 for determining the vehicle sequencing 202 of vehicles 102 in the fleet 120 is shown. It should be noted that the data flow 200 is provided in the context of the self-aware vehicle 102 in the fleet 120, where other vehicles 102 can be referred to as remote vehicles 102. In some cases, the operations of the data flow 200 can be performed by the management vehicle 102 of the fleet 120, and the results are, for example, transmitted to other vehicles 102 via the fleet message 126. In other examples, the operations of the data flow 200 can be performed by multiple or all vehicles 102, and / or by road infrastructure or cloud servers capable of accessing the relevant information.

[0034] The vehicle sequencing 202 can specify the order in which the vehicles 102 on the fleet vehicle list 128 will proceed along the route 118. The vehicle sequencing 202 can be determined based on the capability information 204 of the vehicle 102, obstacles 206 along the route 118, the performance level 208 of the vehicle 102, and one or more sequencing strategies 210.

[0035] As shown, the notification application 124 of the TCU 110 can receive platoon messages 126 from other vehicles 102. In an example, the vehicles 102 can use V2V communication and / or user input to transmit various capabilities information 204 about themselves to each other. The capabilities information 204 can define aspects of the ability of the vehicles 102 to cross obstacles 206 along a route 118. The capabilities information 204 can include information such as the model year, make, model, trim, aftermarket parts, etc. of each vehicle 102. The capabilities information 204 can also include data such as their relative specifications (e.g., maximum water depth, maximum suspension travel, etc.), such that each vehicle 102 knows the relative limits of each other.

[0036] In some examples, as an alternative or supplement to the capabilities of the vehicle 102 itself, the capabilities information 204 can additionally include the capabilities of the driver. For example, if the vehicle 102 is being driven by a less experienced driver, specifications below the limits of the vehicle 102 can be set to allow the less experienced driver to cross the route 118 within the capabilities of the driver and within the scope of the capabilities information 204 of the vehicle 102.

[0037] The notification application 124 can also access the route 118 that the platoon 120 is to cross. In an example, the route 118 can refer to the manner or road that the vehicle 102 takes from an original location to a destination location. In some examples, the route 118 can be defined as an off-road road along various trails. In other examples, the route 118 can be defined by the platoon 120, such as via a suggested path proposed by one of the vehicles 102 in the platoon 120 and provided to another vehicle 102 on the platoon vehicle list 128 via the platoon message 126.

[0038] One or more obstacles 206 can be located along the route 118. The obstacle 206 can refer to a geofenced area along the route 118 that may require specific vehicle 102 settings or actions to cross. Examples of the obstacle 206 can include water, rocks, narrowing of the path, dirt, sand, mud, etc. along the route 118. Thus, each obstacle 206 can be represented by data including the type of the obstacle 206 and the geofence indicating the location of the obstacle 206.

[0039] In some examples, route 118 can include information that defines obstacles 206 along route 118. In other examples, pre-compiled data can be used to identify obstacles 206. This can include, for example, accessing topographical map data to determine the location of obstacles 206. In another example, data from sensors 106 of vehicles 102 that have previously traversed route 118 can be used to identify obstacles 206. This can also include data from other sources such as drones, aerial surveys, or sensor 106 data. In other examples, obstacles 206 can be identified via user input. In other examples, obstacles 206 can be identified in transit as vehicles 102 of convoy 120 traverse route 118.

[0040] Using obstacle 206 and capability information 204 along route 118, vehicle 102 can determine a performance rating 208 of vehicle 102. The performance rating 208 can indicate the relative capability of vehicle 102 for each type of obstacle 206. This determination of performance rating 208 can be based on capability information 204 included in received convoy messages 126.

[0041] In an example, the manager vehicle 102 can define a performance rating 208 for each vehicle 102 on convoy vehicle list 128 for traversing each of various types of obstacles 206. The performance rating 208 of the capabilities of each vehicle 102 can be determined via user input, expert input, or a machine learning algorithm that rates capabilities based on the specifications of vehicle 102 (e.g., type of suspension, maximum suspension travel, presence of a hood scoop, etc.) or based on the history and / or previous evaluations of similar routes 118. For example, for a water obstacle 206, a vehicle 102 with a hood scoop can receive a relatively higher score than a vehicle 102 without such a hood scoop. For any obstacle 206 defined along route 118, these performance ratings 208 can be defined for wading through water, climbing, jumping, traversing a dirt surface, traversing sand, traversing a muddy surface, etc.

[0042] Using performance rating 208, the manager vehicle 102 can utilize one or more sorting strategies 210 to define a vehicle sorting 202. This vehicle sorting 202 can be based on the relative performance rating 208 of vehicle 102 and the determined obstacles 206. Different sorting strategies 210 can be used based on the expected obstacles 206 along the travel path.

[0043] For a general off-road route 118 with the fewest obstacles 206 (e.g., fewest wading and / or rock climbing), the least capable vehicle 102 can be assigned as the lead vehicle 102. This least capable first sorting strategy 210 can be used because the remaining vehicles 102 in the convoy 120 should be at least as capable as the lead vehicle 102 and there is no specific information that needs to be scouted by the more capable vehicles 102 in the convoy 120. Additionally, in the least capable first sorting strategy 210, if the lead vehicle 102 encounters a problem, the more capable vehicles 102 can be used to assist the lead vehicle 102.

[0044] In other cases, it is a better sorting strategy 210 to send the most capable vehicle 102 first. This allows for the assessment of the obstacles 206 along the route 118 so that the most fully equipped vehicle 102 can be sent as a scout vehicle. Thus, if obstacles 206 are indicated, the most capable first sorting strategy 210 can be utilized.

[0045] For example, if wading is involved, the most capable first sorting strategy 210 for wading can be employed. Using this sorting strategy 210, vehicles 102 equipped with snorkels can be used to cross the waterway opening first. Here, sensors 106 such as cameras, radar, lidar, etc. can be used to determine the water depth and / or decide whether other vehicles 102 not equipped with snorkels can cross the waterway opening. This allows the most capable vehicles 102 in the convoy 120 for handling water to inform the remaining vehicles 102 whether they can cross the route 118. If vehicles 102 equipped with snorkels are not available, the wading capabilities, ride heights, and / or the heights of components such as air intakes can be compared across the vehicles 102 in the convoy 120 to order the most capable vehicle 102 to drive first.

[0046] In another example where obstacles 206 are indicated, if vertical inputs are involved (which may be the case for obstacles 206 along the route 118), vehicles 102 with more suspension travel or more complex damping capabilities can be used as the lead vehicle 102. Thus, in this scenario, the best suspension travel first sorting strategy 210 can be adopted. Since less suspension articulation may result in lower speeds, vehicles 102 with a lower suspension performance rating 208 can be warned before crossing the section of the route 118 with vertical obstacles 206, and / or a reduced speed threshold can be recommended for such vehicles 102 via the convoy message 126.

[0047] In another example, if it is determined that the obstacle 206 along the route 118 is narrowing, the performance level 208 can be used to select the smallest vehicle 102 as the lead vehicle 102. In such a case, the larger vehicle 102 can be stopped while the smaller vehicle 102 proceeds. Thus, the sensors 106 of the smaller vehicle 102 can be used to determine the maximum clearance to inform the larger vehicle 102 whether it can cross the trail before the larger vehicle 102 attempts to cross the obstacle 206.

[0048] Figure 3 An example data stream 300 is shown for sending the recommendation 302 from the lead vehicle 102 to the following vehicle 102 according to the vehicle ranking 202. The recommendation 302 can include recommended settings, maneuvers, operations, commands, etc. defined to enhance the following vehicle 102 in crossing the obstacle 206. For example, the recommendation 302 can indicate controlling the speed, heading, or other recommended parameters of the following vehicle 102 for a geofenced area along the route 118. In an example, the recommendation 302 can be displayed to the HMI of the vehicle 102. In another example, the recommendation 302 can include one or more settings that can be automatically applied to the vehicle 102 when the vehicle 102 enters the geofenced area of the obstacle 206.

[0049] The recommendation 302 can be calculated based on the runtime characteristics 304 of the vehicles 102 in the platoon 120. The runtime characteristics 304 can include various types of information collected from the sensor data 306 captured by the sensors 106 of the vehicle 102. This can include the runtime characteristics 304 of the self-aware vehicle 102 providing the recommendation 302. The recommendation 302 can also consider the recommendation 302 received from the vehicle 102 (or vehicles 102) in front of the self-aware vehicle 102 in the vehicle ranking 202. In some cases, the recommendation 302 can also include operator input 308, such as steering, speed changes, and / or voice audio provided by the operator of the self-aware vehicle 102.

[0050] As some examples, the runtime characteristic 304 can include a size threshold of the terrain that the vehicle 102 is crossing. These sizes can be measured, for example, using the radar, lidar, and / or camera sensors 106 of the vehicle 102. As some other examples, the runtime characteristic 304 can include values related to wheel slip, yaw rate, yaw rate error, lateral change in speed, horizontal change in speed, vertical change in speed, the presence of a jerk movement during the travel of the vehicle 102, etc., which can be collected from the vehicle controller 104. In another example, the runtime characteristic 304 can include an estimated surface μ that can be determined, for example, via the powertrain controller 104A. In yet another example, the runtime characteristic 304 can include audio data from the microphone sensor 106, and the audio data can be captured and / or analyzed to determine the audible characteristics of the route 118. As yet some other examples, the runtime characteristic 304 can include information indicating whether one or more wheels of the vehicle 102 have left the ground during travel, water level and / or wading depth information, and the size of the narrowing can also be captured as the determined assignment along the route 118 to which it is assigned.

[0051] The runtime characteristic 304 can also be related to the GNSS position determined by the GNSS controller 104F of the sending vehicle 102 to assign the runtime characteristic 304 to a specific position of the vehicle 102 along the route 118. This can allow the runtime characteristic 304 to be associated with the position of the obstacle 206 along the route 118.

[0052] The runtime characteristic 304 can be collected and sent in the platoon message 126 broadcast from the vehicle 102. Thus, when the corresponding vehicle 102 crosses the route 118, one or more vehicles 102 can broadcast the runtime characteristic 304.

[0053] The recommendation 302 can include a recommendation for the following one or more for the following vehicle 102: decelerating, accelerating, utilizing autonomous driving for a part of the route 118, increasing the following distance, or adopting a different alternative path to ensure that each vehicle 102 can stay within its capabilities and complete the route 118.

[0054] In an example, if the lead vehicle 102 experiences wheel slip above a maximum threshold based on the runtime characteristics 304, the lead vehicle 102 may send a recommendation 302 for the next vehicle 102 to use a smaller wheel torque when the navigation speed changes (e.g., proportional to the weight of the following vehicle 102). In another example, if the lead vehicle 102 has an adaptive suspension (e.g., adjustable shock absorbers) or a tire system (to decrease and / or increase tire pressure), the recommendation 302 may include modifying these systems to help the vehicle 102 navigate the route with enhanced capabilities. In yet another example, the lead vehicle 102 may send a recommendation 302 indicating a maximum speed based on the suspension travel of the vehicle 102. In yet another example, the lead vehicle 102 may send a recommendation 302 for wheel speed control and / or maximum torque control. The recommendation 302 may include a slip control threshold that may be set to manage light-footed off-road environment control or reduce variations in approaching an obstacle 206 with too much rotational wheel-end inertia.

[0055] For autonomous or semi-autonomous operation, the recommendation 302 may include parameters for notifying the operation of the autonomous or semi-autonomous system of the following vehicle 102. For example, in one example, the lead vehicle 102 may be driven and may provide speed, direction, or other information to notify the autonomous or semi-autonomous following vehicle 102. This information may be, for example, a record of the manual input received by the lead vehicle 102. For example, the lead vehicle 102 may provide a recommendation 302 to the trail control feature of the following vehicle 102 to set or limit the vehicle 102 speed for the obstacle 206. Additionally, the recommendation 302 may include steering and / or direction control instructions to further guide the following vehicle 102.

[0056] In addition, modifications to the recommendation 302 may be performed based on the relative driver ability such that a less experienced driver may use a specification below the limit of the vehicle 102 to allow the driver to cross the route 118 within the driver's ability and within the vehicle 102's ability information 204.

[0057] It should be noted that the recommendation 302 may be iterative and, given the runtime characteristics 304, subsequent recommendations 302 may be improved based on the recommendation 302 from the upstream vehicle 102 along the platoon 120.

[0058] For example, improvements to the upstream recommendation 302 may include adjustments to the route 118 itself, e.g., to maneuver around the obstacle 206 if a better path is detected by the runtime characteristics 304. Or, if a more capable lead vehicle 102 identifies a path that another vehicle 102 in the platoon 120 may not be able to use based on the ability information 204, an alternative path may also be recommended in such a case.

[0059] In another example, the improvement can include a decrease or increase in speed. For example, if the suspension travel recorded by vehicle 102 results in a high rate of speed change at the end of the suspension travel, it may be necessary to decrease the speed. Or, if crossing sand or mud or another surface that requires inertia management results in a very low speed of vehicle 102 at high wheel speeds, increasing the speed of vehicle 102 before such a situation occurs can be recommended.

[0060] In yet another example, the improvement can include chassis control. For example, if a sound or speed change associated with ground contact is observed, an increased ride height can be specified in recommendation 302. If so, vehicle 102 can consider increasing the ride height of vehicle 102 (if available), for example, by adjusting the air suspension settings.

[0061] In yet another example, the improvement can include increased shock damping. In some examples, vehicle 102 can be equipped with electronically controlled position-sensitive shock absorbers. If a high rate of speed change is seen at the end of the wheel travel of vehicle 102, then when vehicle 102 crosses a geofence area where vibrations are detected, shock absorber control can be included in recommendation 302 to reduce the change in wheel-end speed.

[0062] In yet another example, the improvement can include jump mode control. For example, if vehicle 102 is guided to implement a jump mode and a jump is detected, then if the following vehicle 102 lacks the ability to jump, the following vehicle 102 can be directed to a restricted speed. Or, the following vehicle 102 can be notified that a jump situation may occur. As another possibility, when the following vehicle 102 enters a geofence area specified by recommendation 302 of the coordinates of the jump, the recommended settings of the following vehicle 102 can be pre-emptively adjusted by recommendation 302 to provide a favorable chassis setting for the anticipated jump.

[0063] In another example, the improvement can include stability control settings. For example, if vehicle 102 identifies a stop event in operating characteristic 304 during operation, vehicle 102 can include pre-charging of the stop system in recommendation 302 to shorten the response time where a rapid speed reduction response may be desired. In another example, the stability control thresholds can be optimized, such as opening the yaw error threshold to allow additional rotation to increase the fun factor, and tightening the stability control threshold on a narrow trail where sliding may result in contact with the trail edge or with other objects.

[0064] In an additional aspect, the recommendation 302 can include audio from the lead vehicle 102 played in the following vehicle 102. The audio can be recorded by the lead vehicle 102 guiding the driver to explain how to proceed and can then be provided along the platoon 120 for less experienced drivers to hear. Additionally, the audio can be geofenced to the obstacle 206 in question based on the GNSS position of the vehicle 102 such that when the following vehicle 102 approaches the obstacle 206, the audio can be provided in the HMI of the following vehicle 102. The lead time for playing back the audio can be configurable such that the driver can receive the message before encountering the obstacle 206 or when crossing the obstacle 206. In some examples, the lead time can be adjusted based on the speed of the vehicle 102 such that a low-speed obstacle 206 can be explained during crossing compared to a high-speed obstacle 206 that can be explained before the vehicle 102 interacts with the obstacle 206.

[0065] Figure 4 An example process 400 for the operation of the vehicle route feedback and control system 100 is shown. In the example, the process 400 can be jointly executed by multiple vehicles 102 managing the platoon 120.

[0066] At operation 402, one or more vehicles 102 receive the capability information 204 of other vehicles 102. The capability information 204 can include information about the ability of the vehicle 102 and / or the driver of the vehicle 102 to cross various types of obstacles 206. The capability information 204 can be sent from the vehicle 102 in the platoon message 126 and received by other vehicles 102 using the wireless transceiver 112.

[0067] At operation 404, one or more vehicles 102 establish the platoon 120 based on the capability information 204. In the example, the vehicles 102 that transmit and receive the platoon message 126 can add each other's identifiers to the platoon vehicle list 128 maintained by each vehicle 102. In another example, one of the vehicles 102 can be established as the manager of the platoon 120 and can compile the platoon vehicle list 128 based on the platoon messages 126 received by the manager vehicle 102.

[0068] At operation 406, one or more vehicles 102 identify the route 118 of the journey of the platoon 120. In the example, the route 118 can refer to the manner or road taken by the vehicle 102 from the original position to the destination position. In some examples, the route 118 can be defined as an off-road road along various trails. In other examples, the route 118 can be defined by the platoon 120, such as via a recommended path suggested by one of the vehicles 102 in the platoon 120 and provided to another vehicle 102 on the platoon vehicle list 128 via the platoon message 126.

[0069] At operation 408, one or more vehicles 102 identify an obstacle 206 along route 118. In some examples, route 118 may include information defining obstacle 206 along route 118. In other examples, pre-compiled data may be used to identify obstacle 206. This may include, for example, accessing topographical map data to determine the location of obstacle 206. In another example, data from sensors 106 of vehicles 102 that have previously traversed route 118 may be used to identify obstacle 206. This may also include data from other sources such as drones, aerial surveys, or sensor 106 data. In other examples, obstacle 206 may be identified via user input. In other examples, obstacle 206 may be identified in transit as vehicles 102 of convoy 120 traverse route 118.

[0070] At operation 410, one or more vehicles 102 define a performance rating 208 for each vehicle 102. In an example, the performance rating 208 of the capabilities of each vehicle 102 may be determined via user input, expert input, or a machine learning algorithm that rates capabilities based on the specifications of vehicle 102 (e.g., type of suspension, maximum suspension travel, presence of a hood scoop, etc.) or based on the history and / or prior evaluation of similar routes 118. Other aspects of the determination of performance rating 208 are discussed herein with respect to Figure 2 discussed.

[0071] At operation 412, one or more vehicles 102 sort the vehicles 102 of convoy 120. Based on the obstacle 206 identified at operation 410 and the performance rating 208 of vehicle 102 defined at operation 406, vehicle 102 may determine a vehicle sorting 202 of the vehicles 102 of convoy 120. This vehicle sorting 202 may be based on the relative performance rating 208 of vehicle 102 and the determined obstacle 206. Different sorting strategies 210 may be used based on the expected obstacles 206 along the travel path. Other aspects of the determination of vehicle sorting 202 are discussed herein with respect to Figure 2 discussed.

[0072] At operation 414, when vehicle 102 traverses route 118, one or more vehicles 102 broadcast runtime characteristics 304. The runtime characteristics 304 may be associated with the GNSS position determined by GNSS controller 104F to assign the runtime characteristics 304 to the location of vehicle 102 along route 118. These runtime characteristics 304 may be collected and sent in a convoy message 126 broadcast from vehicle 102. Other aspects of the broadcast of runtime characteristics 304 are discussed herein with respect to Figure 3 discussed.

[0073] At operation 416, one or more vehicles 102 send and receive recommendations 302 based on runtime characteristics 304. As described herein, the platoon vehicle list 128 can define the ordering of vehicles 102 as determined at operation 412. In an example, each vehicle 102 can be responsible for receiving recommendations 302 from vehicles 102 that are ordered ahead of it, and for sending recommendations 302 to vehicles 102 that are ordered behind it. Thus, this can enable each vehicle 102 to traverse route 118 to provide improvements to the instructions provided by the lead vehicle 102 when needed. Other aspects of the sending and receiving of recommendations 302 are discussed herein with respect to Figure 3 the sending and receiving of recommendations 302.

[0074] At operation 418, one or more vehicles 102 traverse obstacle 206 based on the received recommendations 302. In an example, one or more vehicles 102 use controller 104 to adjust vehicle settings and / or perform vehicle operations based on the recommendations 302. In an example, the recommendations 302 can advise a following vehicle 102 to do one or more of the following: decelerate, accelerate, utilize autonomous driving for a portion of route 118, increase following distance, or adopt a different alternative path to ensure that each vehicle 102 can stay within its capabilities and complete route 118. For example, a more capable vehicle 102 that identifies a path that may not be available to another vehicle 102 in platoon 120 based on the capability information 204 can recommend an alternative path. Thus, the following vehicle 102 can receive useful information on how to traverse the obstacle 206 of route 118 based on the information captured by the lead vehicle 102. After operation 418, process 400 ends.

[0075] Variations of process 400 are possible. For example, the order of vehicles 102 can change during route 118 to allow certain vehicles 102 to be in the lead position in specific areas that are more consistent with their strengths and / or capabilities. For example, reordering can be performed before each obstacle 206, e.g., in order of best to worst ability to traverse the obstacle 206, such that the vehicle 102 that is most suitable for the next obstacle 206 is reordered to cross the obstacle 206 first.

[0076] In a particular example, the first obstacle 206 can be a water obstacle 206. The first sorting strategy 210 can be used to perform a first sorting of the vehicles 102, for example, in the order from the vehicle 102 with the strongest ability to cross water to the vehicle 102 with the weakest ability to cross water. The performance level 208 for creating the vehicle sorting 202 can be defined by the runtime characteristics 304 as described above. After crossing the first obstacle 206, the vehicle 102 may then encounter a second obstacle 206. The second obstacle 206 can be a mud obstacle 206. The first sorting strategy 210 can be used to perform a second sorting of the vehicles 102 similarly, for example, in the order from the vehicle 102 with the strongest ability to cross mud to the vehicle 102 with the weakest ability to cross mud. This can allow the vehicle 102 that is most suitable for each obstacle 206 to cross the obstacle 206 first.

[0077] In another particular example, the first obstacle 206 can be a rock obstacle 206. The first sorting strategy 210 can be used to perform a first sorting of the vehicles 102, for example, in the order from the vehicle 102 with the strongest ability to cross rocks to the vehicle 102 with the weakest ability to cross rocks. This can allow the vehicle 102 that is most suitable for the rock obstacle 206 to identify any details that may be useful for the following vehicles 102 with more limited suspension travel or other more limited abilities specified by the ability information 204. After crossing the first obstacle 206, the vehicle 102 may then encounter a second obstacle 206. The second obstacle 206 can be a mud obstacle 206. The second sorting strategy 210 can be used to perform a second sorting of the vehicles 102, for example, in the order from the vehicle 102 with the weakest ability to cross mud to the vehicle 102 with the strongest ability to cross mud. The first sorting strategy 210 with the weakest ability can be used because the remaining vehicles 102 in the convoy 120 should be at least as capable as the leading vehicle 102, and for a particular mud obstacle 206, there may be no specific information that requires scouting by the more capable vehicles 102 in the convoy 120.

[0078] In some examples, a transition between a first vehicle sorting 202 and a second vehicle sorting 202 can be performed in response to the last vehicle in the vehicle convoy 120 having crossed the first obstacle 206 and / or before the first vehicle 102 has crossed the second obstacle 206. In another example, the transition between vehicle sortings 202 can be performed at a predefined location, such as a clearing or other location along the route 118 that is defined as having space to allow reordering of the vehicles 102. In some examples, an indication to perform the reordering can be presented to the HMI of the vehicle 102. This can allow the respective vehicle 102 to receive operator input to perform the reordering. Alternatively, in autonomous or semi-autonomous examples, the reordering can be performed autonomously or semi-autonomously with or without notification via the HMI.

[0079] It should be noted that in some instances, there may not be a location between the first obstacle 206 and the second obstacle 206 that allows for reordering. In such a case, a sorting strategy 210 suitable for crossing multiple obstacles 206 can be used to perform the sorting of the vehicle convoy 120. For example, if it is determined that the second obstacle 206 rather than the first obstacle 206 needs to be scouted, the vehicle 102 can be placed in the vehicle sorting 202 for the second obstacle 206 before crossing the first obstacle 206 and the second obstacle 206. Or, if it is determined that a first capability (e.g., suspension travel) is desired for the first obstacle 206 and a second capability (e.g., water depth) is desired for the second obstacle 206, the best-to-worst vehicle sorting 202 using a combination of the two capabilities can be used. This can be calculated by determining a performance rating 208 as a combination of the capabilities specified by the capability information 204. In such a combined sorting, the capabilities used for the combined sorting can be weighted. In a simple example, this can be equal weighting of the capability desired to cross the first obstacle 206 and the capability desired to cross the second obstacle 206. Or, to calculate the performance rating 208, the capabilities can be weighted according to relative importance. The relative importance can be received via the HMI, can be defined in user settings, can be the importance defined by the type of obstacle 206, etc.

[0080] It should also be noted that in some cases, a single obstacle 206 may require multiple capabilities. For example, the obstacle 206 can include both narrowing and water. In such a case, the vehicle sorting 202 can be similarly calculated as a combination of capabilities.

[0081] As another variant, an alternative route 118 may be indicated. For example, there may be points along route 118 where a reverse or less challenging bypass is available. These can be noted so that vehicles 102 of the vehicle fleet 120 can be notified when they have reached a non-return point where vehicle 102 may need to complete crossing an obstacle 206 and cannot return backward.

[0082] As a further variant, process 400 can be used for additional purposes of determining whether trail erosion along route 118 is excessive or increasing. If so, a recommendation 302 can be made to reduce trail erosion. For example, sensor 106 can be used to capture sensor data 306 indicative of the terrain state, including obstacle 206 and other areas of route 118 without obstacle 206. The front camera sensor 106 of vehicle 102 can be used to record a view of the terrain before vehicle 102 crosses. The rear camera sensor 106 of vehicle 102 can be used to record a view of the terrain after vehicle 102 crosses. This data can be captured by multiple vehicles 102 of the vehicle fleet 120 and can be indexed in time according to the vehicle sorting 202 of the vehicle fleet 120. Using an image sequence, an overall analysis of terrain changes (e.g., based on telemetry information captured by the vehicle fleet 120), vehicle 102 can determine whether the terrain changes are consistent with responsible use of the trail. Or, if trail erosion is excessive, an alternative route 118 can be recommended to be consistent with responsible light use.

[0083] In another example, GNSS position relative to wheel speed can be utilized to determine whether excessive trail erosion is being caused. The relative wheel speed of vehicle 102 can be compared with the distance traveled over time such that where the relative wheel speed is shown to increase relative to the GNSS speed, vehicle 102 can provide a recommendation 302 that excessive trail erosion may be occurring due to wheel slip. If so, an alternative route 118 can be recommended to be consistent with responsible light use.

[0084] Figure 5 An example 500 of a computing device 502 used in the route feedback and control system 100 of a vehicle fleet 120 is shown. Refer Figure 5 and refer Figures 1 to 4 , vehicles 102, controller 104, and TCU 110 can be examples of such computing devices 502. As shown, the computing device 502 includes a processor 504 operatively connected to a storage device 506, a network device 508, an output device 510, and an input device 512. It should be noted that this is only an example, and computing devices 502 with more, fewer, or different components can be used.

[0085] Processor 504 may include one or more integrated circuits that implement the functionality of a central processing unit (CPU) and / or a graphics processing unit (GPU). In some examples, processor 504 is a system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates the functions of a CPU and a GPU. The SoC may optionally include other components (such as, for example, storage device 506 and network device 508) into a single integrated device. In other examples, the CPU and GPU are connected to each other via a peripheral connection device (such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Express) or another suitable peripheral data connection. In one example, the CPU is a commercially available central processing device that implements an instruction set, such as one of the x86, ARM, Power, or Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) instruction set families.

[0086] Regardless of the details, during operation, processor 504 executes stored program instructions retrieved from storage device 506, such as those that notify application 124. The stored program instructions accordingly include software that controls the operation of processor 504 to perform the operations described herein. Storage device 506 may include both non-volatile memory devices and volatile memory devices. Non-volatile memory includes solid-state memory, such as NAND flash memory, magnetic storage media, and optical storage media, or any other suitable data storage device that retains data when the system is deactivated or loses power. Volatile memory includes static and dynamic random access memory (RAM), which stores program instructions and data during the operation of control system 100. Examples of data stored to storage device 506 may include route 118, fleet vehicle list 128, vehicle ranking 202, capability information 204, information about obstacles 206, performance rating 208, ranking strategy 210, recommendation 302, runtime characteristics 304, sensor data 306, and operator input 308.

[0087] The GPU may include hardware and software for displaying at least two-dimensional (2D) and optionally three-dimensional (3D) graphics to output device 510. Output device 510 may include a graphical or visual display device, such as an electronic display screen, a projector, a printer, or any other suitable device that reproduces a graphical display. As another example, output device 510 may include an audio device, such as a speaker or headphones. As yet another example, output device 510 may include a tactile device, such as a mechanically raiseable device, which in one example may be configured to display Braille or another physical output that can be touched to provide information to a user.

[0088] The input device 512 may include any one of a variety of devices that enable the computing device 502 to receive control inputs from a user. Examples of suitable input devices for receiving human-machine interface inputs may include a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch screen, a voice input device, a graphics tablet, and the like.

[0089] The network devices 508 may each include any one of a variety of devices that enable the vehicle 102 to send and / or receive data from external devices via a network. Examples of suitable network devices 508 include an Ethernet interface, a Wi-Fi transceiver, a cellular transceiver, or a Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceiver or other network adapters or peripheral interconnect devices that receive data from another computer or an external data storage device, and the other network adapters or peripheral interconnect devices may be used to receive large data sets in an efficient manner.

[0090] The processes, methods, or algorithms disclosed herein may be capable of being delivered to and / or implemented by a processing device, a controller, or a computer, which may include any existing programmable electronic control unit or a dedicated electronic control unit. Similarly, the processes, methods, or algorithms may be stored as data and instructions executable by a controller or a computer in many forms, including but not limited to information persistently stored on a non-writable storage medium such as a read-only memory (ROM) device and information alterably stored on a writable storage medium such as a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, a compact disc (CD), a RAM device, and other magnetic and optical media. The processes, methods, or algorithms may also be implemented as software-executable objects. Alternatively, the processes, methods, or algorithms may be embodied in whole or in part using suitable hardware components or a combination of hardware, software, and firmware components, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), state machines, controllers, or other hardware components or devices.

[0091] While the foregoing describes exemplary embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in the specification are descriptive words rather than limiting words, and it is to be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously mentioned, the features of the various embodiments may be combined to form additional embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or shown. Although the various embodiments may have been described as providing advantages or being preferred to other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve the desired overall system attributes, depending on the particular application and implementation. These attributes may include, but are not limited to, strength, durability, life cycle, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. For this reason, to the extent that any embodiment is described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and may be desirable for a particular application.

[0092] Regarding the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes etc. have been described as occurring in accordance with a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced with the described steps performed in an order different from that described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the description of the processes herein is provided for purposes of illustrating certain embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0093] Accordingly, it should be understood that the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent upon reading the foregoing description. The scope should not be determined with reference to the foregoing description, but rather should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the entire scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is contemplated and expected that the technologies discussed herein will be developed in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In summary, it should be understood that this application is capable of modification and variation.

[0094] All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable construction and their ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of the technology described herein, unless an explicit contrary indication is given herein. Specifically, unless the claims recite an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "a", "the", "said", etc. should be construed to recite one or more of the indicated elements.

[0095] A summary of the disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It should be understood that the summary will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Additionally, in the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that for the purpose of streamlining the present disclosure, various features are grouped together in various embodiments. This method of the present disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected by the appended claims, the inventive subject matter lies in less than all of the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

[0096] While the above describes exemplary embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are descriptive words rather than limiting words, and it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of the various embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

[0097] According to the present invention, there is provided a self-aware vehicle for a fleet of a plurality of vehicles, having: a wireless transceiver; sensors; and one or more controllers configured to: receive, via the wireless transceiver, in a fleet message, ability information indicating the vehicle's ability to cross an obstacle along a route; determine, based on the ability information, a performance level indicating the vehicle's relative ability for each type of obstacle; define, using one or more ranking strategies, a vehicle ranking for crossing the obstacle along the route, the vehicle ranking being based on the performance levels of the vehicle and the obstacle; and cause the fleet to cross the obstacle according to the vehicle ranking.

[0098] According to an embodiment, the one or more controllers are further configured to: define, using the one or more ranking strategies, a second vehicle ranking for crossing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle ranking being based on the performance levels of the vehicle and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type from the obstacle and the second vehicle ranking is different from the vehicle ranking; and cause the fleet to cross the second obstacle according to the second vehicle ranking.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the one or more controllers are further configured to: identify a position between the obstacle and the second obstacle at which to reorder the vehicles; and reorder the vehicles from the vehicle ranking to the second vehicle ranking at the identified position.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the one or more sorting strategies include a first sorting strategy of the worst ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in ascending order of ability to dispatch the least equipped vehicle first in the case where the least equipped vehicle needs assistance, so as to reserve the more equipped vehicles.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the one or more sorting strategies include a first sorting strategy of the strongest ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in descending order of the ability to cross obstacle types to dispatch the most equipped vehicle first.

[0102] According to an embodiment, the one or more controllers are further configured to: receive a first recommendation from a leading vehicle among the vehicles that are earlier than the self-aware vehicle in the sorting via the wireless transceiver; receive the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle from the sensor; create a second recommendation for the following vehicles of the vehicle fleet that are behind the self-aware vehicle in the sorting based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristics; and send the second recommendation to the following vehicles via the wireless transceiver.

[0103] According to an embodiment, the second recommendation includes the voice audio provided by the operator of the self-aware vehicle that has crossed the obstacle and is provided to the operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle crossing the obstacle.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the first recommendation includes settings for one or more of vehicle speed, shock absorption settings, jump mode settings, stability control settings, and / or wheel torque limit settings, and the second recommendation includes an improvement to the settings based on the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the settings from the second recommendation are automatically applied to the following vehicles without operator input.

[0106] According to the present invention, a method for a self-aware vehicle to execute a vehicle fleet of multiple vehicles includes: receiving, via the wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle, ability information indicating the ability of the vehicles to cross an obstacle along a route in a fleet message; determining a performance level indicating the relative ability of the vehicles for each type of obstacle based on the ability information; defining a vehicle sorting for crossing the obstacle along the route using one or more sorting strategies, the vehicle sorting being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the obstacle; and crossing the obstacle by the vehicle fleet according to the vehicle sorting.

[0107] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: using the one or more sorting strategies to define a second vehicle sorting for crossing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle sorting being based on the performance levels of the vehicle and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type from the obstacle and the second vehicle sorting is different from the vehicle sorting; and the vehicle fleet crossing the second obstacle according to the second vehicle sorting.

[0108] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: identifying a position between the obstacle and the second obstacle at which the vehicle is re-sorted; and re-sorting the vehicle from the vehicle sorting to the second vehicle sorting at the identified position.

[0109] In one aspect of the present invention, the one or more sorting strategies include a first sorting strategy of the worst ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in ascending order of ability to dispatch the least equipped vehicle first in case the least equipped vehicle needs assistance to reserve the more equipped vehicles.

[0110] In one aspect of the present invention, the one or more sorting strategies include a first sorting strategy of the strongest ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in descending order of the ability to cross the type of obstacle to dispatch the most equipped vehicle first.

[0111] In one aspect of the present invention, the method includes: receiving a first recommendation from a leading vehicle in the sorting that is earlier than the self-aware vehicle among the vehicles using the wireless transceiver; receiving the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle; creating a second recommendation for the following vehicles of the vehicle fleet that are behind the self-aware vehicle in the sorting based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristics; and sending the second recommendation to the following vehicles using the wireless transceiver.

[0112] In one aspect of the present invention, the second recommendation includes voice audio provided by the operator of the self-aware vehicle that has crossed the obstacle and is provided to the operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle crossing the obstacle.

[0113] In one aspect of the present invention, the first recommendation includes settings for one or more of vehicle speed, shock absorption settings, jump mode settings, stability control settings, and / or wheel torque limit settings, and the second recommendation includes an improvement to the settings based on the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle.

[0114] In one aspect of the present invention, the settings from the second recommendation are automatically applied to the following vehicle without operator input.

[0115] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having instructions that, when executed by one or more controllers of a self-aware vehicle in a fleet of vehicles, cause the self-aware vehicle to perform operations including: receiving, via a wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle, in a fleet message, ability information indicating the ability of the vehicle to cross a first obstacle along a route; determining, based on the ability information, a performance level indicating the relative ability of the vehicle for each type of obstacle; using one or more sorting strategies to define a first vehicle sorting for crossing the first obstacle along the route, the first vehicle sorting being based on the performance levels of the vehicle and the first obstacle; the fleet crossing the first obstacle according to the first vehicle sorting; using the one or more sorting strategies to define a second vehicle sorting for crossing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle sorting being based on the performance levels of the vehicle and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type from the first obstacle and the second vehicle sorting is different from the first vehicle sorting; and the fleet crossing the second obstacle according to the second vehicle sorting.

[0116] According to an embodiment, the one or more sorting strategies include: a first sorting strategy with the worst ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in ascending order of ability to first dispatch the least-equipped vehicle to reserve the more-equipped vehicles in the case where the least-equipped vehicle needs assistance; and a first sorting strategy with the strongest ability, wherein the vehicles are sorted in descending order of ability to cross the type of obstacle to first dispatch the most-equipped vehicle.

[0117] According to an embodiment, the present invention is further characterized by further including instructions that, when executed by the one or more controllers, cause the self-aware vehicle to perform operations including: receiving, using the wireless transceiver, a first recommendation from a leading vehicle in the sorting that is earlier than the self-aware vehicle among the vehicles; receiving, from sensors of the self-aware vehicle, the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle; creating, based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristics, a second recommendation for a following vehicle of the fleet that is behind the self-aware vehicle in the sorting; and sending, using the wireless transceiver, the second recommendation to the following vehicle, wherein the first recommendation includes settings for one or more of vehicle speed, shock absorption settings, jump mode settings, stability control settings, and / or wheel torque limit settings, and the second recommendation includes an improvement to the settings according to the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle.

[0118] According to an embodiment, the second recommendation includes voice audio provided by an operator of the self-aware vehicle that has crossed the first obstacle and is provided to an operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle crossing the first obstacle.

Claims

1. A self-aware vehicle for a convoy of multiple vehicles, comprising: Wireless transceiver; sensor; as well as One or more controllers, the one or more controllers being configured to: receiving, via the wireless transceiver, capability information in a convoy message indicating the capability of the vehicle to traverse obstacles along a route, determining a performance rating indicative of a relative capability of the vehicle with respect to each type of obstacle based on the capability information, defining a vehicle sequencing along the route over the obstacle using one or more sequencing strategies, the vehicle sequencing being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the obstacle, and The convoy crosses the obstacle according to the order of the vehicles.

2. The self-aware vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to: defining, using the one or more sequencing strategies, a second vehicle sequencing for traversing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle sequencing being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type than the first obstacle and the second vehicle sequencing is different from the first vehicle sequencing, and The second obstacle is crossed by the convoy according to the second vehicle sequence.

3. The self-aware vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sorting strategies include a least capable first sorting strategy, wherein the vehicles are sorted in ascending order of capability to dispatch the least equipped vehicles first to preserve more equipped vehicles in the event that the least equipped vehicles require assistance.

4. The self-aware vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sorting strategies include a most capable first sorting strategy, wherein the vehicles are sorted in descending order of ability to traverse the obstacle type so that the most equipped vehicles are dispatched first.

5. The self-aware vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to: receiving, using the wireless transceiver, a first recommendation from a leading vehicle of the vehicles that is earlier in the sequence than the self-aware vehicle, receiving runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle from the sensor, creating a second recommendation for a following vehicle of the convoy behind the self-aware vehicle in the sequence based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristic, and The second recommendation is transmitted to the following vehicle using the wireless transceiver.

6. The self-aware vehicle of claim 5, wherein the second recommendation comprises spoken audio provided by an operator of the self-aware vehicle traversing the obstacle, provided to the operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle traversing the obstacle.

7. The self-aware vehicle of claim 5, wherein at least one of the following: the first recommendation comprises settings for one or more of a vehicle speed, a damping setting, a jump mode setting, a stability control setting, and / or a wheel torque limit setting, and the second recommendation comprises a modification of the settings based on the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle; and The settings from the second recommendation are automatically applied to the following vehicle without operator input.

8. A method for performing platooning of a plurality of vehicles by a self-aware vehicle, comprising: receiving, via a wireless transceiver of the self-aware vehicle, capability information in a convoy message indicating the capability of the vehicle to traverse obstacles along a route; determining a performance rating indicative of a relative capability of the vehicle with respect to each type of obstacle based on the capability information; defining a vehicle sequencing along the route over the obstacle using one or more sequencing strategies, the vehicle sequencing being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the obstacle; as well as The convoy crosses the obstacle according to the order of the vehicles.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: defining, using the one or more sequencing strategies, a second vehicle sequencing for traversing a second obstacle along the route, the second vehicle sequencing being based on the performance levels of the vehicles and the second obstacle, wherein the second obstacle is a different type than the first obstacle and the second vehicle sequencing is different than the first vehicle sequencing; as well as The second obstacle is crossed by the convoy according to the second vehicle sequence.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sorting strategies include a least capable first sorting strategy, wherein the vehicles are sorted in ascending order of capability to dispatch the least equipped vehicles first to preserve more equipped vehicles in the event that the least equipped vehicles require assistance.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more sorting strategies include a most capable first sorting strategy, wherein the vehicles are sorted in descending order of ability to traverse the obstacle type so that the most equipped vehicles are dispatched first.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving, using the wireless transceiver, a first recommendation from a leading vehicle among the vehicles that is earlier in the sequence than the self-aware vehicle; receiving runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle from sensors of the self-aware vehicle; creating a second recommendation for a following vehicle of the convoy behind the self-aware vehicle in the sequencing based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristic; as well as The second recommendation is transmitted to the following vehicle using the wireless transceiver.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the following: the second recommendation comprising spoken audio provided by an operator of the self-aware vehicle traversing the obstacle, provided to the operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle traversing the obstacle; and The first recommendation includes settings for one or more of vehicle speed, shock absorption settings, jump mode settings, stability control settings and / or wheel torque limit settings, and the second recommendation includes improvements to the settings based on the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving, using the wireless transceiver, a first recommendation from a leading vehicle among the vehicles that is earlier in the sequence than the self-aware vehicle; receiving runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle from sensors of the self-aware vehicle; creating a second recommendation for a following vehicle of the convoy behind the self-aware vehicle in the sequencing based on the first recommendation and the runtime characteristic; as well as The second recommendation is transmitted to the following vehicle using the wireless transceiver.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein one or more of the following: the second recommendation comprising spoken audio provided by an operator of the self-aware vehicle that traversed the obstacle, provided to an operator of the following vehicle in response to the following vehicle traversing the obstacle; the first recommendation comprises settings for one or more of a vehicle speed, a damping setting, a jump mode setting, a stability control setting, and / or a wheel torque limit setting, and the second recommendation comprises a modification of the settings based on the runtime characteristics of the self-aware vehicle received from the sensors of the self-aware vehicle; and The settings from the second recommendation are automatically applied to the following vehicle without operator input.

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