Control architecture for predictive and optimal vehicle operations in a single vehicle environment

1. A method, comprising:

determining, with a cloud computing platform, a speed trajectory and a neutral coasting command for a first vehicle independently of any platoon formation in response to one or more driving factors input into the cloud computing platform remotely from the first vehicle;

receiving, with a vehicle controller of the first vehicle, the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command from the cloud computing platform;

determining a reference speed for the first vehicle in response to the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command, and one or more vehicle specific factors associated with the first vehicle; and

operating the first vehicle in response to the reference speed, wherein operating the first vehicle includes coasting the first vehicle by disengaging a prime mover of the first vehicle from a transmission of the first vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more driving factors include at least one static driving factor and at least one dynamic driving factor.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one static driving factor includes one or more of a road grade, a speed limit, and a stop location.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one dynamic driving factor includes one or more of a traffic condition, a stop signal condition, a wind condition, and an adjacent vehicle condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more vehicle specific factors include a speed of a preceding vehicle, a road surface condition, and a mass of the first vehicle.

6. A vehicle speed control system, comprising:

a cloud computing control system configured to receive one or more driving factors associated with a first vehicle that are input into the cloud computing control system remotely from the first vehicle, wherein the cloud computing control system is further configured to determine a speed trajectory and a neutral coasting command for the first vehicle independently of any platoon formation based on the one or more driving factors; and

a vehicle controller hosted in the first vehicle in operative communication with the cloud computing control system to receive the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command from the cloud computing control system, the vehicle controller configured to receive vehicle specific factors associated with the first vehicle and determine a reference speed for the first vehicle based on the vehicle specific factors, and based on the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command operate the first vehicle to coast by disengaging a prime mover of the first vehicle from a transmission of the first vehicle.

7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising:

a second vehicle controller hosted in a second vehicle, wherein the second vehicle controller is in operative communication with the cloud computing control system.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the cloud computing control system includes a first cloud computing platform in communication with the vehicle controller in the first vehicle and a second cloud computing platform in communication with a second vehicle controller in a second vehicle, and wherein the first cloud computing platform and the second cloud computing platform are also in communication with one another.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the vehicle controllers of the first and second vehicles are configured to communicate with one another via a vehicle to vehicle communication system.

10. A vehicle control apparatus including a cloud computing control system that determines a speed trajectory and a neutral coasting command for a first vehicle independently of any platoon formation based on one or more driving factors associated with the first vehicle input to the cloud computing control system remotely from the first vehicle, wherein the vehicle control apparatus comprises:

a vehicle controller hosted in the first vehicle in operative communication with the cloud computing control system to receive the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command from the cloud computing control system, the vehicle controller configured to receive vehicle specific factors associated with the first vehicle and determine a reference speed for the first vehicle based on the vehicle specific factors, and based on the speed trajectory and the neutral coasting command determined by the cloud computing control system operate the first vehicle to coast by disengaging a prime mover of the first vehicle from a transmission of the first vehicle.