Method for arranging platoon vehicles based on historical wireless performance of vehicles

Abstract

A method for arranging vehicles in a platoon based on historical wireless performance of the vehicles. The method includes a requesting vehicle requesting permission from a lead vehicle in a platoon to join the platoon. The lead vehicle determines whether a score of an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) instance state of health (SOH) is greater than a preset minimum threshold, and if so, determines whether a total score of the ADAS state of health contains more than one difference. If the total score of the ADAS state of health does not contain any differences, the lead vehicle analyzes the wireless performance history data of the requesting vehicle and determines a wireless performance history score for the requesting vehicle. The requesting vehicle is arranged into the platoon based on the wireless performance history score of the requesting vehicle relative to the wireless performance scores of the platoon vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for arranging platoon vehicles, and in particular to a method for arranging platoon vehicles based on vehicle wireless performance scores. Background Art

[0002] Vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) connect and exchange information with other vehicles equipped with the system to enable coordinated movement between such vehicles. An example of such coordinated movement is a platoon of vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems. Vehicle platooning involves a lead vehicle and one or more following vehicles traveling closely behind. Usually in a single-file queue in the same direction, a distance of about 10 to 40 feet is maintained between adjacent vehicles. Vehicle platooning improves the aerodynamic efficiency and performance of moving vehicles, thereby increasing the capacity of the road and providing a more stable traffic flow.

[0003] When an ADAS-equipped vehicle is to join a platoon, the onboard controller can be connected to a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system as part of the ADAS, which receives and transmits data via dedicated short-range communications (DSC). The lead vehicle can communicate with the other vehicles in the platoon via the V2V communication system. Likewise, each vehicle in the platoon can communicate with the other vehicles in the platoon via the V2V communication system. The lead vehicle controls speed and direction, and all following vehicles respond to the lead vehicle's movements and / or commands by precisely matching the lead vehicle's steering, braking, and acceleration operations in the same direction of travel. The lead vehicle can be operated by a human, with partial assistance from the ADAS, or fully controlled by the ADAS. When following the lead vehicle, the following vehicles in the platoon can operate in a partially autonomous mode or a fully autonomous mode.

[0004] When vehicles are platooned, usually the participating vehicles leave the platoon and other vehicles join the platoon. Other vehicles joining the platoon are called new vehicles. The participating vehicles include the leading vehicle, the last following vehicle and other following vehicles between them. When a participating vehicle exits the platoon, the parking space vacated by the exiting vehicle is immediately filled by the following vehicle behind the exiting vehicle to keep the platoon vehicles in a tight queue. When a new vehicle joins the platoon, it is generally added to the end of the platoon vehicle column and becomes the last vehicle in the platoon.

[0005] Therefore, although existing methods of controlling and arranging vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems to join a platoon have achieved their intended purpose, a more efficient method of controlling and arranging platoon vehicles is still a need. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to several aspects, a method for arranging a requesting vehicle to enter a platoon is provided. The method includes: receiving a requesting vehicle to join a platoon; requesting and receiving advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) history data from the requesting vehicle; analyzing the ADAS history data to determine a plurality of last ADAS instance health state (SHO) scores; determining whether a plurality of last ADAS instance health state scores are above a minimum threshold of the ADAS instance health state; and when at least one of the plurality of last ADAS instance health state scores is not above the minimum threshold of the ADAS instance health state, refusing the requesting vehicle to enter the platoon.

[0007] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: analyzing advanced driver assistance system historical data to determine a historical total score of the advanced driver assistance system health status; when the health status scores of multiple last advanced driver assistance system instances are higher than a minimum threshold of the health status of the advanced driver assistance system instances, determining whether the historical total score of the advanced driver assistance system health status includes a discrepancy; and when the historical total score of the advanced driver assistance system health status includes a discrepancy, arranging the requesting vehicle to the end position of the formation.

[0008] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the historical total score of the advanced driver assistance system health status does not include a difference, requesting and receiving wireless performance history data of the requesting vehicle, and analyzing the wireless performance data to determine the total wireless performance score (WP) of the requesting vehicle; determining whether the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than a minimum wireless performance threshold; when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than the minimum wireless performance threshold, determining whether the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or less than the wireless performance score of a potential lead vehicle (PLV); and when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or less than the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle (PLV), arranging the requesting vehicle to a position behind the potential lead vehicle.

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes placing the requesting vehicle in front of the potential lead vehicle and designating the requesting vehicle as a new potential lead vehicle when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is greater than the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle.

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is less than a minimum wireless performance threshold, determining whether the total wireless performance score is less than all wireless performance scores of multiple following vehicles; and when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is less than all wireless performance scores of multiple following vehicles, arranging the requesting vehicle to be located at the end position of the formation.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is greater than all wireless performance scores of multiple following vehicles, arranging the requesting vehicle and the following vehicles in order of wireless performance scores from high to low, with vehicles with higher wireless performance scores facing the front of the formation.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, when the requesting vehicle and one of the following vehicles have the same wireless performance score, the one of the requesting vehicle and the following vehicle having a higher ADAS health status history total score is arranged first and the other is arranged second.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, analyzing the wireless performance data to determine the overall wireless performance score includes: determining a weighted standard wireless performance score for each of a plurality of wireless standards; and calculating the overall wireless performance score by adding the weighted standard wireless performance scores.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the weighted standard wireless performance score is calculated as follows:

[0015] Weighted standard wireless performance score = (NI / TI)*Wt

[0016] in,

[0017] NI = number of instances greater than the standard threshold;

[0018] TI = total number of instances previously engaged in platoon engagement; and

[0019] Wt = weight assigned to a criterion, where the larger the value, the greater the importance of the criterion.

[0020] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a lead vehicle implements the above method.

[0021] According to several aspects, a method for arranging vehicles in a platoon is provided. Each of a plurality of participating vehicles includes an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) state of health (SOH) score and a wireless performance (WP) score. The method includes: a requesting vehicle requests to join a platoon including a plurality of participating vehicles; determining the score of the ADAS state of health of the requesting vehicle; determining whether the score of the ADAS state of health of the requesting vehicle reaches a minimum threshold of the ADAS; when the score of the ADAS state of health of the requesting vehicle reaches the minimum threshold of the ADAS, determining the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle; and allocating a parking space in the platoon for the requesting vehicle based on comparing (i) the score of the ADAS state of health of the requesting vehicle and the score of the ADAS state of health of the participating vehicles and (ii) the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle and at least one of the wireless performance scores of the participating vehicles.

[0022] In another aspect of the present disclosure, determining whether the score of the advanced driving assistance system health status of the requesting vehicle reaches a preset threshold includes: determining whether the multiple last advanced driving assistance system instance health status scores of the requesting vehicle reach a preset minimum threshold of the advanced driving assistance system instance health status; and when the multiple last advanced driving assistance system instance health status scores do not reach the preset minimum threshold of the advanced driving assistance system instance health status, rejecting the requesting vehicle.

[0023] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the multiple last advanced driving assistance system instance health status scores of the requesting vehicle reach a preset minimum threshold of the advanced driving assistance system instance health status, determining whether the historical total score of the advanced driving assistance system health status of the requesting vehicle includes a difference; and when the historical total score of the advanced driving assistance system health status of the requesting vehicle includes a difference, arranging the requesting vehicle to be located at the end position of the formation.

[0024] In another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the plurality of participating vehicles include a lead vehicle and a potential lead vehicle (PLV) immediately behind the lead vehicle. The method further includes: when the historical total score of the advanced driver assistance system health status of the requesting vehicle does not include a difference, determining whether the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than a preset wireless performance threshold; when the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than the preset wireless performance threshold, determining whether the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or less than the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle; and when the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is not equal to or less than the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle, arranging the requesting vehicle as a new potential lead vehicle at a position behind the lead vehicle.

[0025] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is not equal to or greater than a preset wireless performance threshold, determining whether the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is less than all wireless performance scores of the participating vehicles; and when the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle is less than all wireless performance scores of the participating vehicles, arranging the requesting vehicle at the end position.

[0026] According to several aspects, a method for arranging platoon vehicles based on vehicle historical wireless performance is provided. The method includes: a requesting vehicle requests permission from a platoon vehicle to join the platoon; the platoon vehicle requests and receives a preset number of advanced driver assistance system instance health status scores from the requesting vehicle; the platoon vehicle determines whether the preset number of advanced driver assistance system instance health status scores are higher than a preset advanced driver assistance system instance health status minimum threshold; and when the preset number of advanced driver assistance system instance health status scores are not higher than the preset advanced driver assistance system instance health status minimum threshold, the platoon vehicle refuses the requesting vehicle to join.

[0027] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: the platoon vehicle requests and receives an advanced driver assistance system health status history total score from a requesting vehicle; the platoon vehicle determines whether the advanced driver assistance system health status history total score contains more than one difference; and when the advanced driver assistance system health status history total score contains more than one difference, the platoon vehicle assigns the requesting vehicle to the end position of the platoon.

[0028] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: the platoon vehicle requests and receives the wireless performance history data of the requesting vehicle; the platoon vehicle determines the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle from the wireless performance history data; compares and ranks the total wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle with the total wireless performance score of each of the platoon vehicles; and based on the ranking of the total wireless performance scores of the requesting vehicle, the platoon vehicle allocates a parking space to the requesting vehicle.

[0029] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the platoon vehicle is a lead vehicle.

[0030] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the preset number of last advanced driver assistance system instance health status scores refers to the last 5 advanced driver assistance system instance health status scores.

[0031] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram of a vehicle platoon and a new vehicle requesting to join the platoon according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0034] Figure 2 is a functional diagram of a vehicle equipped with an advanced driver assisted system (ADAS) and a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0035] Figure 3 is a block flow diagram of a method for arranging platoon vehicles based on historical wireless performance of the vehicles according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0036] Figure 4A is a block flow diagram of a method for arranging platoon vehicles based on historical wireless performance of the vehicles according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0037] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Continuation of the block flow diagram;

[0038] Figure 5 is a wireless matrix used to determine the historical wireless performance of the vehicle; and

[0039] Figure 6 is an exemplary confirmation of the historical wireless performance of the participating vehicles in the formation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or use. The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same numerical symbols in several drawings represent the same components. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be enlarged or minimized to show the details of particular features. The specific structural and functional details disclosed are not intended to be construed as limiting, but rather as an exemplary basis for teaching those skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.

[0041] Vehicle platooning involves a lead vehicle and one or more closely following vehicles, traveling in a single-file formation in the same direction. Vehicle platooning improves aerodynamic efficiency and performance, thereby increasing road capacity and providing a more stable traffic flow. Vehicles that join the platoon are called platooning vehicles or participating vehicles, and include the lead vehicle, the last following vehicle, and any following vehicles in between.

[0042] During the formation process, the total number of participating vehicles may change. Participating vehicles may leave the formation, and other vehicles may request to join the formation. Vehicles requesting to join the formation are called new vehicles (new is relative to the vehicles that have already participated in the formation) or requesting vehicles. A method for arranging vehicles in a formation based on the wireless performance scores of participating vehicles and requesting vehicles is disclosed below.

[0043] Whenever a requesting vehicle requests to join a platoon, the requesting vehicle's advanced driver assistance system history score and wireless performance history score are used to determine whether the requesting vehicle is eligible to join the platoon. If the requesting vehicle is determined to be eligible, the lead vehicle assigns a parking space to the requesting vehicle in the platoon. Instructions are sent to participating following vehicles to provide an opening in the designated parking space, and the instructions are then communicated to the requesting vehicle to enter the designated parking space and join the platoon.

[0044] Figure 1 An exemplary platoon 100 is shown of vehicles traveling in a single file in a forward direction 102 within a travel lane 104 defined between two lane markings 106a, 106b. The platoon 100 includes a lead vehicle 108 and a plurality of following vehicles. The following vehicles include a potential lead vehicle 110 immediately following the lead vehicle 108, an intermediate vehicle 112 following the potential lead vehicle 110, and a trailing vehicle 114 following the intermediate vehicle 112. Although only one intermediate following vehicle is shown, it should be appreciated that there may be more than one intermediate vehicle 112 between the potential lead vehicle 110 and the trailing vehicle 114. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary platoon 100 may include only the lead vehicle 108 and the potential lead vehicle 110, in which case the potential lead vehicle 110 is also a trailing vehicle 114. During the platooning process, a following vehicle may choose to leave the platoon, and a new vehicle 116 may request to join the platoon 100.

[0045] A new vehicle 116, also referred to as a requesting vehicle 116, is shown traveling in the same direction in lane 118 between lane markings 106b and 106c adjacent to the platoon 100. The requesting vehicle 116 is shown communicating with the lead vehicle 108 via wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication 120a to request to join the platoon 100. The platoon vehicles may communicate with each other via wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication 120b. The platoon vehicles and the requesting vehicle 116 may include any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as a car, train, sport utility vehicle, crossover, van, minivan, taxi, bus, motorcycle, etc.

[0046] Each platoon vehicle and the requesting vehicle 116 are configured with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) that is configured to operate the vehicle in a partially autonomous mode or a fully autonomous mode. The terms "driver" and "operator" are used to describe a person who directs the direction of a vehicle, whether or not they are involved in actively controlling one or more vehicle functions or directing autonomous vehicle operations. An advanced driver assistance system configured in a partially autonomous mode or a fully autonomous mode may also be referred to as an autonomous driving system (ADS). For the purposes of this disclosure, advanced driver assistance system and autonomous driving system may be used interchangeably.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the lead vehicle 108 communicates wirelessly with the following vehicles via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system that utilizes short-range communications to transmit and receive vehicle commands, instructions, and data. The lead vehicle 108 controls the speed and direction of the platoon 100. The following vehicles respond to the movements and control of the lead vehicle 108 by precisely matching the steering, braking, and acceleration maneuvers of the lead vehicle 108 in the same direction of travel. The lead vehicle 108 may be operated by a human, partially assisted by an advanced driver assistance system, or fully controlled by an advanced driver assistance system. When following the lead vehicle 108, the following vehicles in the platoon 100 may operate in a partially autonomous mode or a fully autonomous mode.

[0048] Figure 2 Also shown is a vehicle 200 equipped with an advanced driver assistance system with a wireless communication system according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The advanced driver assistance system can provide a level of driving automation from a partially autonomous mode to a fully autonomous mode. Driving automation can include a range of dynamic driving and vehicle operations, including a certain level of automatic control or intervention associated with simultaneous automatic control of multiple vehicle functions (such as steering, acceleration and braking), and the driver can have full control of the vehicle. Driving automation can also include simultaneous automatic control of all vehicle driving functions, including steering, acceleration and braking, wherein the driver can relinquish control of the vehicle for a period of time during the journey.

[0049] The advanced driver assistance system includes a computing device 202, also referred to as a controller 202, which is configured to communicate with various systems of the vehicle and other similarly equipped vehicles. The computing device may include one or more processors 204, non-transitory memory 206, and other components typically present in a controller. The non-transitory memory 206 stores information accessible by one or more processors 204, including instructions and data that can be executed or otherwise used by the processor 204. The memory 206 can be any type capable of storing information accessible by the processor 204, including computing device readable media, or other media that stores data that can be read by electronic devices, such as hard drives, memory cards, read-only memories, random access memories, digital video disks or other optical disks, and other writable and read-only memories. Although only one computing device 202 is shown, the vehicle 200 can have multiple computing devices 202. Each computing device 202 can contain one or more processors 204, memory 206, and other components typically present in a computing device 202. Each computing device 202 can control one or more systems, and a system can be controlled by multiple computing devices 202. For purposes of this disclosure, one or more computing devices 202 will be collectively referred to as computing device 202 or controller 202 .

[0050] The computing device 202 can communicate with various systems of the vehicle, such as a deceleration system 208, an acceleration system 210, a steering system 212, a signal system 214, a navigation system 216, a positioning system 218, a detection system 220, and other systems, to control the movement, speed, etc. of the vehicle 200 according to the instructions of the memory 206 executed by the processor 204. Although these systems are shown as being external to the computing device 202, in practice, they may also be incorporated into the computing device 202 as a partial or full autonomous driving computing system for controlling the vehicle 200.

[0051] The detection system 220 may include one or more optical sensors (not shown), such as a laser device with a 360 degree or narrower field of view and one or more camera devices. The detection system 220 may also include one or more distance sensors (not shown), such as radar and sonar devices. Each of these radar, camera, and laser devices may be associated with a processing component that processes data from these devices as part of the detection system 220 and provides sensor data to the computing device 202.

[0052] Communications between one or more computing devices, vehicle systems, and sensors may be accomplished using direct wired point-to-point links, networked communication bus links, wireless links, or other suitable communication links 222. Communications include exchanging data signals in an appropriate form, including, for example, electrical signals via a conductive medium, electromagnetic signals via air, optical signals via optical waveguides, etc. The data signals may include discrete, analog, or digitized analog signals representing inputs from sensors, actuator commands, and communications between controllers.

[0053] For example, computing device 202 may interact with deceleration system 208 and acceleration system 210 to control vehicle speed. Similarly, computing device 202 may use steering system 212 to control the direction of the vehicle. Steering system 212 may include components that control the angle of the wheels to turn vehicle 200. Signaling system 214 may be used by computing device 202 to signal the vehicle's intent to other drivers or vehicles, such as by activating turn signals or brake lights when necessary.

[0054] The vehicle 200 may include a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver 224 or a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) transceiver 224 whose circuitry is configured to communicate using Wi-Fi and / or dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) protocols with other vehicles equipped with similar communication systems and roadside devices equipped with vehicle-to-everything communications to receive information such as lane closures, construction-related lane deviations, road debris, and stalled vehicles.

[0055] Figure 3 A block flow diagram of a method for arranging a vehicle formation based on the historical wireless performance of the vehicles (referred to herein as "method 300") is shown. The method 300 may be stored in and executed by the computing devices 202 of the formation vehicles, preferably the lead vehicle 108 and the requesting vehicle 116. The method begins in block 302 when the requesting vehicle 116 initiates communication with the lead vehicle 108 of a group of formation vehicles to request permission to join the formation. Moving to block 304, the lead vehicle 108 analyzes the past scores of the state of health (SOH) of the five advanced driver assistance system instances of the requesting vehicle 116 to determine whether the requesting vehicle 116 meets a preset minimum threshold for joining the formation. The past scores of the five advanced driver assistance system states of health are based on five past activations of the advanced driver assistance systems of the requesting vehicle, preferably during a formation event. U.S. Patent Publication No. US20190066406A1 filed by GM Global Technology Operations LLC, which is incorporated herein in its entirety, teaches a method for monitoring the health status of multiple components and systems in a vehicle equipped with an advanced driver assistance system and providing a health status score.

[0056] Moving to block 306, if the score of the last five ADAS instances of the requesting vehicle 116 does not meet the minimum threshold level for joining the platoon, the method moves to block 308, where the lead vehicle 108 denies the requesting vehicle 116 from joining the platoon, and the method 300 ends. Returning to block 306, if the score of the last five ADAS instances of the requesting vehicle 116 meets or exceeds the minimum threshold level for joining the platoon, the method proceeds to block 310.

[0057] Moving to box 310, the lead vehicle 108 then analyzes the historical scores of the advanced driver assistance system health status of the requesting vehicle 116 to determine if there are any discrepancies. Moving to box 311, the lead vehicle 108 then requests the wireless performance history data from the requesting vehicle 116 and analyzes the wireless history data using the wireless performance history score matrix to calculate the wireless performance total score.

[0058] Moving to block 312, the lead vehicle 108 designates a parking space within the platoon for the requesting vehicle 116 to join the platoon based on the requesting vehicle 116's ADAS health history score and the calculated wireless performance (WP) history score. The lead vehicle 108 then communicates with the following vehicle to vacate the parking space and instructs the requesting vehicle 116 to maneuver into the vacated parking space. The method 300 then ends.

[0059] Figure 4 and Figure 5 4 , starting at block 402 , a requesting vehicle 116 approaches a group of platooning vehicles and sends a request to the lead vehicle 108 to join the platoon 100 . Moving to block 404 , when the ADAS is activated, the lead vehicle 108 responds to the requesting vehicle 116 by requesting the ADAS data for each of the last five instances (preferably when the requesting vehicle has participated in the platoon) and the ADAS history total data for the requesting vehicle 116 . The requesting vehicle 116 sends the above information to the lead vehicle 108 . The last five instances refer to the last five instances that the ADAS was activated, preferably when the ADAS was in the platoon. The ADAS history total data refers to the ADAS data over the life of the vehicle.

[0060] Moving to box 406, the lead vehicle 108 processes the ADAS historical data of the requesting vehicle 116 and assigns the ADAS health status historical total score to the requesting vehicle 116. The lead vehicle 108 then analyzes the data of the last five ADAS instances and assigns an ADAS instance health status score to each of the last five ADAS instances. Alternatively, the scores of the last five ADAS instance health statuses and the ADAS health status historical total score may be calculated by the requesting vehicle 116 and provided to the lead vehicle 108. The ADAS health status historical total score and the ADAS health status scores of the last five ADAS instances may be represented in a format of color codes such as green, yellow, and red. Green indicates that the ADAS is operating within specifications, yellow indicates that the ADAS may have deviations, and red indicates that the ADAS may have faults. Alternatively, the ADAS score may be a numerical value, where a higher numerical value indicates that the ADAS is operating within specifications and a lower value indicates that the ADAS may have deviations or faults.

[0061] Moving to block 408, the lead vehicle 108 determines whether the scores of the last five ADAS instance health states are all above the minimum instance threshold level. If more than one of the scores of the last five ADAS instance health states is below the threshold level, the method 300 moves to block 410, where the lead vehicle 108 denies the request of the requesting vehicle 116 to join the platoon 100, and the method 300 ends. If the scores of the last five ADAS instance health states are all equal to or above the threshold level, the method moves to block 412.

[0062] In box 412, the lead vehicle 108 analyzes the historical total score of the ADAS health status to determine if there are any discrepancies, such as being below a predetermined ADAS threshold for a period of time. If a discrepancy is detected, the method moves to box 414, where the lead vehicle 108 assigns the yellow flag status to the requesting vehicle 116. The method moves from box 414 to box 416, where the lead vehicle 108 assigns the requesting vehicle 116 to the platoon end position and monitors the dynamic score of the ADAS health status (i.e., the score of the instant or real-time ADAS health status) of the requesting vehicle 116, and the method moves to box 420, where the lead vehicle 108 assigns the yellow flag status to the requesting vehicle 116. Figure 5 Returning to block 412, if no discrepancy is detected in the historical total score of the ADAS health status, the method moves to block 418, where the lead vehicle 108 assigns the green flag status to the requesting vehicle 116, and the method moves to block 420, where Figure 4B Continue.

[0063] Move to Figure 4B At block 420 of FIG. 1 , the lead vehicle 108 requests wireless performance history data and other vehicle information useful in calculating a wireless performance (WP) score for the requesting vehicle 116. The requesting vehicle 116 sends the above information to the lead vehicle 108 as directed.

[0064] Moving to block 422, the lead vehicle 108 sends the requesting vehicle's wireless performance history data and vehicle information to the participating vehicles in the platoon 100. Moving to block 424, the lead vehicle 108 runs the requesting vehicle's wireless performance history data and vehicle information through a wireless performance scoring matrix to determine an overall wireless performance score for the requesting vehicle 116, the wireless performance scoring matrix being disclosed in detail below and described in Figure 5 The wireless performance total score may be a numerical value, wherein a higher numerical value indicates that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system operates within the specification, and a lower numerical value indicates that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system may have a fault.

[0065] Moving to block 426, the lead vehicle 108 determines whether the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 is greater than or equal to a preset minimum wireless performance threshold. If the wireless performance score is greater than or equal to the preset minimum wireless performance threshold, the method moves to block 428. In block 428, the lead vehicle 108 compares the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 to the wireless performance scores of all following vehicles.

[0066] Moving from box 428 to box 430, the lead vehicle 108 compares the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 to the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle (PLV) 110, which is the second vehicle in the formation 100 immediately following the lead vehicle 108. If the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 is equal to or less than the wireless performance score of the potential lead vehicle 110, the method moves to box 432, where the lead vehicle 108 assigns a parking space, also referred to as a "following vehicle sequence number," to the requesting vehicle 116 that is in line behind the potential lead vehicle 110. The parking space assigned to the requesting vehicle 116 is based on the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 relative to the wireless performance scores of the following vehicles behind the potential lead vehicle 110. The parking spaces are assigned in order of the wireless performance scores, with higher wireless performance scores (green) toward the front and lower wireless performance scores (yellow) toward the rear of the formation. For vehicles with the same wireless performance score, the vehicle with a higher total ADAS health score or a higher score for the last five ADAS health instances is placed at the front of the formation.

[0067] Moving to block 434, the lead vehicle 108 sends a join command to the requesting vehicle 116 and the participating vehicles. Moving from block 434 to block 450, the participating vehicles make room at the designated parking space and the requesting vehicle 116 is dispatched to the designated parking space.

[0068] Returning to block 430, if the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 is not less than or equal to (i.e., greater than) the score of the potential lead vehicle 110, the method moves to block 436. In block 436, the lead vehicle 108 allocates a parking space between the potential lead vehicle 110 and the lead vehicle 108, and designates the requesting vehicle 116 as the new potential lead vehicle, thereby replacing the participating potential lead vehicle 110 with the new potential lead vehicle. The lead vehicle 108 sends a join instruction to the requesting vehicle 116 and the participating vehicles.

[0069] Moving from block 436 to block 450 , the participating vehicles make room at the designated parking space and the requesting vehicle 116 maneuvers into the designated parking space behind the lead vehicle 108 and in front of the previous potential lead vehicle 110 .

[0070] Returning to block 426, if the wireless performance score is not greater than or equal to (i.e., less than) the preset minimum wireless performance threshold, the method moves to block 438. In block 438, the lead vehicle 108 compares the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 to the wireless performance scores of all participating following platoon vehicles.

[0071] Moving from box 438 to box 440, the lead vehicle 108 compares the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 with the wireless performance scores of the following vehicles to determine whether the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 is less than all the following vehicles. If the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 is less than the wireless performance scores of all the following vehicles, the method moves to box 442, where the lead vehicle 108 allocates a parking space behind the last vehicle in the formation 100 for the requesting vehicle 116.

[0072] Moving from block 442 to block 450 , the requesting vehicle 116 enters the designated parking space as the last vehicle.

[0073] Returning to block 440, if the wireless performance score of the lead vehicle 108 is not less than the wireless performance scores of all the following vehicles, the method moves to block 444, where the lead vehicle 108 sends a "joining vehicle sequence number" to the following vehicle and requests the joining vehicle 116 to send dynamic wireless indicators after joining the formation. The vehicle queue number or designated parking space is determined based on the wireless performance score ranking of the following vehicles.

[0074] Moving from block 444 to block 450 , the participating vehicles make room in the designated parking space and the requesting vehicle 116 is dispatched into the designated parking space.

[0075] Figure 5 An example of a wireless performance score matrix 500 is shown for use by the lead vehicle 108 to evaluate and provide a wireless performance score for the requesting vehicle 116. The wireless performance score matrix 500 includes 4 columns, where column A shows an example of vehicle information or criteria for the wireless system being evaluated. In this particular example, the criteria include: Number of platoon participations, platoon participation duration, Received Signal Strength Indication* (RSSI*), Packet Delivery Ratio*, Signal-to-Noise Ratio*, Bit Error Rate*, and Latency*. Criteria denoted by an asterisk (*) are weighted, where a higher weight value indicates a higher importance for the criterion.

[0076] Column B shows the number of instances or participations when the vehicle 116 was requested to participate in the platoon or the advanced driver assistance system was activated. Column C shows the number of instances when the health status of the criteria in column A has exceeded the threshold minimum value shown in column C based on the 3GPP current radio access technology.

[0077] The lead vehicle 108 receives the vehicle information of the requesting vehicle 116 and calculates a total wireless performance score for the requesting vehicle 108 using the wireless performance scoring matrix 500. The lead vehicle 108 already has the wireless performance scores of the following vehicles in the formation because each following vehicle was also a requesting vehicle before joining the formation. The lead vehicle compares the wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 with the wireless performance scores of the following vehicles to arrange the requesting vehicle in the formation 100. In this particular example, a higher wireless performance score indicates that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system is operating more consistently within specifications.

[0078] For example, the following formula is used to calculate the wireless performance score for each criterion (column A):

[0079] Standard wireless performance score = (NI / TI)*Wt

[0080] in,

[0081] NI = number of instances greater than the threshold (column C);

[0082] TI = Total number of instances (see column B); and

[0083] Wt = weight assigned to the criterion (see Figure 6 Column F in the .

[0084] The vehicle wireless performance score of the requesting vehicle 116 , also referred to as the total wireless performance score, is the sum of the standard wireless performance scores.

[0085] Figure 6 An example of a ranking of the wireless performance score of a requesting vehicle compared to the wireless performance scores of participating vehicles in a formation is shown.

[0086] Column E lists the Figure 5 Column F shows the weight assigned to each criterion in column E. Column G shows the calculated standard wireless performance score for requesting vehicle 116. Column HK shows the calculated standard wireless performance scores for participating vehicles 1 through N in the formation. The vehicle wireless performance score (the sum of the standard wireless performance scores) is shown in row L for each vehicle. In this particular example, a higher vehicle wireless performance score indicates a better health of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system.

[0087] based on Figure 6 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a requesting vehicle having a vehicle wireless performance score of 13.15 will be allocated to a parking space between vehicle 1 and vehicle 2 , whose vehicle wireless performance scores are 15.25 and 13.1, respectively.

[0088] Although exemplary embodiments for systems and methods are shown, those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure may also conceive of alternative systems and methods to achieve functions and results having similar advantages to the present disclosure. Some components and method steps may be combined or split into more than one alternative component or method step. Finally, these embodiments are intended only to illustrate the present system and should not be construed as limiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Therefore, although the present system has been described in detail with reference to specific exemplary embodiments of the present system, it should also be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art may design a variety of modifications and alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of protection of the present system and method as defined by the following claims.

[0089] The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature, and variations that do not depart from the general meaning of the present disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Such variations should not be regarded as departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for arranging a request vehicle to enter a formation, comprising: receiving a request from a requesting vehicle to join a formation; Requesting and receiving advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) historical data from the requesting vehicle; Analyzing the ADAS historical data to determine a plurality of last ADAS instance state of health SHO scores, specifically comprising: monitoring SHO of a plurality of components of the requesting vehicle to provide corresponding ADAS instance SHO scores, the plurality of components being configured to implement vehicle functions during the journey; determining whether the plurality of last ADAS instance SHO scores are above a minimum ADAS instance SHO threshold; and When at least one of the plurality of last ADAS instance SHO scores is not above the minimum ADAS instance SHO threshold, then denying the requesting vehicle entry into the formation.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Analyzing the ADAS historical data to determine a total ADAS SHO historical score; When the plurality of last ADAS instance SHO scores are above the minimum ADAS instance SHO threshold, determining whether the ADAS SHO historical total score includes a difference; and When the historical total score of the ADAS SHO includes a difference, the request vehicle is arranged at an end position of the formation.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: When the ADAS SHO history total score does not include the difference, requesting and receiving wireless performance WP history data of the requesting vehicle, and analyzing the WP history data to determine the WP total score of the requesting vehicle; determining whether the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than a minimum WP threshold; When the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or greater than a minimum WP threshold, determining whether the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is equal to or less than a WP score of a potential lead vehicle PLV; as well as When the total WP score of the request vehicle is equal to or less than the WP score of the potential PLV, the request vehicle is arranged to a position behind the potential PLV.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: When the total WP score of the request vehicle is greater than the WP score of the potential PLV, the request vehicle is arranged to a position ahead of the potential PLV, and the request vehicle is designated as a new potential PLV.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: When the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is less than the minimum WP threshold, determining whether the total WP score is less than all WP scores of a plurality of following vehicles; as well as When the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is less than all WP scores of the plurality of following vehicles, the requesting vehicle is arranged to an end position of the formation.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: When the total WP score of the requesting vehicle is greater than all WP scores of the plurality of following vehicles, the requesting vehicle and the following vehicles are arranged in descending order of WP scores, with vehicles with higher WP scores facing the front of the formation.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: When the requesting vehicle and one of the following vehicles have the same WP score, one of the requesting vehicle and the following vehicle having a higher ADAS SHO history total score is arranged in front, and the other is arranged behind.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Analysis of WP data to determine the overall WP score includes: determining a weighted standard WP score for each of a plurality of wireless standards; and The WP total score is calculated by adding the weighted standard WP scores.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The weighted standard WP score is calculated as follows: Weighted standard WP score = (NI / TI)*Wt in, NI = number of instances greater than the standard threshold; TI = total number of instances that have previously joined the formation; and Wt = weight assigned to a criterion, where the larger the value, the greater the importance of the criterion.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The PLVs of the formation execute the method as claimed in claim 1.

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