Patent ID: 8744666

Claim:
A computerized vehicular convoying control system, useful in association with a lead vehicle, at least one follower vehicle and a central server, the control system comprising: at least one computerized controller configured to monitor and control acceleration and deceleration of one of a lead vehicle and at least one follower vehicle, thereby maintaining a safe vehicular spacing between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle while moving; a user interface configured to receive an input from the at least one computerized controller and to provide vehicular data to a driver; an inter-vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between the computerized controller associated with at least the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle; a long-range vehicular transceiver configured to communicate between a central server and the computerized controller of at least one of the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle; a vehicular separation sensor configured to detect a distance between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and further configured to detect a relative speed between the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle, and to provide such distance and relative speed to the at least one computerized controller; a braking actuation sensor configured to measure brake actuation and to provide such brake actuation measurements to the computerized controller; a supplemental braking actuator responsive to inputs from the computerized controller to vary braking of one of the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle; an acceleration actuation sensor for measuring acceleration actuation and providing such measured acceleration to the computerized controller; a supplemental acceleration actuator responsive to the computerized controller to vary acceleration of one of the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle; and a forward-facing camera configured to substantially capture a substantially frontal image as viewed from one of the lead vehicle and the at least one follower vehicle and to provide such frontal image to the computerized controller.