Various applications for use of mass estimations of a vehicle, including to control operation of the vehicle, sharing the mass estimation with other vehicles and/or a Network Operations Center (NOC), organizing vehicles operating in a platoon and/or partially controlling the operation of one or more vehicles operating in a platoon based on the relative mass estimations between the platooning vehicles. When vehicles are operating in a platoon, the relative mass between a lead and a following vehicle may be used to scale torque and/or brake commands generated by the lead vehicle and sent to the following vehicle.

Controllers, control architectures, systems and methods are described for controlling a host vehicle's participation in a platoon. Described vehicle platooning control systems may include a platoon controller and a vehicle interface controller. The platoon controller is configured to determine torque and braking requests for at least partially automatically controlling the host vehicle to platoon with a platoon partner. The vehicle interface controller manages communications between the platoon controller and one or more host vehicle control units. The vehicle interface controller may also include a safety monitor including one or more safety monitoring algorithms In some embodiments, the vehicle interface controller is at least ASIL-C compliant, whereas the platoon controller and an optional gateway processor may be QM rated under ISO 26262. The platoon controller may be configured as a listener capable of receiving but not transmitting messages on the host vehicle's control related communication bus(es).

Controllers, control architectures, systems and methods are described for controlling a host vehicle's participation in a platoon. In some embodiments, a vehicle control system includes a vehicle controller configured to determine vehicle control commands for at least partially automatically controlling the host vehicle based at least in part on sensor information. The vehicle control commands are arranged to be directly or indirectly utilized by one or more host vehicle control units resident on the host vehicle. The vehicle control system also includes one or more safety monitoring algorithms that, during at least partially automated driving, verify that selected vehicle control commands received from the vehicle controller meet selected safety criteria. At least some of the safety algorithms utilize sensor data in the verification of the commands received from the vehicle controller. The sensor data used by the safety algorithms may come from the host vehicle and/or a second vehicle.

Controllers, control architectures, systems and methods are described for controlling a host vehicle's participation in a platoon. Described vehicle platooning control systems may include a platoon controller and a gateway processor. The platoon controller is configured to determine torque and braking requests for at least partially automatically controlling the host vehicle to platoon with a platoon partner. The gateway processor coordinates communications between a host vehicle and the platoon partner and optionally a network operations center. A dedicated communications link may optionally directly connect the platoon controller to the gateway processor, with no other devices being coupled to the dedicated communications link. In some embodiments, the gateway processor is not coupled to any of the host vehicle's control related communication bus(es). In some embodiments, the gateway processor includes a message logger and the platoon controller does not have any logging capabilities.

The present disclosure provides an advanced driver assistance system that includes a trailer detecting unit detecting whether a trailer is connected with a vehicle, and a trailer mass estimation unit estimating a mass of the trailer when the trailer detecting unit detects that the trailer is connected with the vehicle. The trailer mass estimation unit outputs a trailer mass signal. The advanced driver assistance system further includes a following distance determination unit determining a parameter of a following distance from another vehicle driving ahead of the vehicle to have the vehicle automated to follow the other vehicle at the following distance based on the parameter of the following distance. Moreover, the advanced driver assistance system includes a following distance adjustment unit adjusting the parameter of the following distance, which is determined by the following distance determination unit, based on the trailer mass signal.

A vehicle operable to pull a trailer comprising a payload is provided, that includes a plurality of sensors configured to capture sensor data related to the vehicle, the trailer, or both, and a controller configured to (i) receive the sensor data from the plurality of sensors, (ii) determine, based on the sensor data, one or more parameters associated with the trailer, the payload, or both, (iii) update, based on an analysis of the one or more parameters, a confidence level associated with an operation of the vehicle with the trailer and the payload, and (iv) based on the confidence level, responsively execute an autonomous control strategy comprising one or more adjustments to the operation of the vehicle.

A vehicle control system includes a camera configured to capture image data depicting a field of view proximate the vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle control system further includes a plurality of light sources in connection with the vehicle and a controller. The controller is configured to activate a plurality of lights in an alternating pattern and capture light reflected from at least one object with the camera at a time and corresponding to the alternating pattern of the plurality of lights. In response to variations in the light impinging upon the at least one object from the alternating pattern, the controller is configured to identify a distance of the object.

A computer system, for assisting in coupling and uncoupling a semi-trailer to a tractor vehicle, includes processing circuitry configured to use information provided by at least one sensor to automatically check whether a plurality of elements of the semi-trailer and the tractor vehicle are in a first safe position, in a second safe position or in a third position. The computer system unlocks a tractor vehicle parking brake if all the elements are in the first safe position or if all the elements are in the second safe position and locks the tractor vehicle parking brake if at least one of the elements is in a different position than the others or in the third position.

A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to, in response to a vehicle towing a trailer being in reverse, determine a relative orientation of the trailer to the vehicle; while the vehicle is in reverse, in response to the relative orientation exceeding a threshold, brake the vehicle; and then, upon receiving an operator input, permit the vehicle to travel in reverse with the relative orientation exceeding the threshold.

A trailer angle identification system includes an imaging device configured to capture an image. A controller is configured to receive steering angle data corresponding to a steering angle of a vehicle, receive vehicle speed data corresponding to a vehicle speed, and estimate an angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle by processing the image, the steering angle data, and the vehicle speed data in at least one neural network.