Patent attributes
A method for controlling a plurality of vehicles to operate the plurality of vehicles in a platoon includes, within a leader vehicle selected from the plurality of vehicles: monitoring through a vehicle-to-vehicle communication a respective actual position of each of the plurality of vehicles that is not the leader vehicle based upon data from a respective global positioning device within each of the plurality of vehicles that is not the leader vehicle, determining distances to operate the plurality of vehicles in the platoon based upon the respective actual positions of each of the plurality of vehicles, and selecting a respective commanded vehicle position including a respective global positioning coordinate for each of the plurality of vehicles based upon the determined distances. Each respective commanded vehicle position is transmitted to the respective one of the plurality vehicles that is not the leader vehicle, and each respective one of the plurality of vehicles that is not the leader vehicle is operated based upon the respective commanded vehicle position.
