Patent ID: 11927956
Assignee: WAYMO LLC
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  B  H | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A lead vehicle comprising:
a driving system including a steering subsystem, an acceleration subsystem and a deceleration subsystem to control driving of the lead vehicle;
a perception system including one or more sensors configured to detect objects in an environment external to the lead vehicle;
a communication system configured to provide wireless connectivity with one or more remote devices; and
a control system including one or more processors, the control system operatively coupled to the driving system, the communication system and the perception system, the control system being configured to:
receive a communication indicating a destination to which another vehicle is driving;
determine whether the lead vehicle is able to drive to the destination; and
when the lead vehicle is able to drive to the destination:
control the driving system to position the lead vehicle in front of the other vehicle;
upon the driving system being controlled to position the lead vehicle in front of the other vehicle to initiate a leading operation, send a command for the other vehicle to enter a leader search state for a predetermined period of time to identify and follow the lead vehicle; and
perform the leading operation by controlling the driving system to proceed toward the destination along a route.