Wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system for installation on a vehicle

Abstract

It is intended to provide a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system arranged to be mounted on a front side position of a vehicle, equipped to provide inter-vehicle communication. The system comprises a wing assembly arranged to be mounted on a front side position of a vehicle. The wing assembly houses one or more digital communication antennas and has a side part housing a first antenna at a first height and / or horizontal position and a second antenna at a second height and / or horizontal position different from the first height and / or first horizontal position and sufficiently far away from other metal and / or electronic components in order to achieve the purpose of optimizing reception and / or transmission quality, e.g. by providing good coverage and diversity, and avoiding mutual interference.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system arranged for installation at the front of a vehicle, the wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system being equipped to provide inter-vehicle communication, particularly for use in platooning of heavy trucks. Background Technology

[0002] Tandem driving (i.e., two or more trucks (e.g., trailer-truck combinations) significantly improves truck fuel efficiency and reduces the driver's workload due to reduced road visibility caused by shorter distances to following vehicles, particularly in terms of high-precision steering and responsible system monitoring. Furthermore, road safety is enhanced by reducing or eliminating human factors and maximizing road utilization through short-distance driving (meaning more truck-trailers per road segment). Last but not least, driver efficiency can be improved, as drivers can perform other tasks during the journey, such as management or rest, while in autonomous driving mode. Tandem driving forms the basis of new, future-oriented automated logistics transportation concepts. The development and optimization of these systems are crucial.

[0003] In existing technologies for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) (of which platooning is a component), the latency of the onboard sensor systems used (such as cameras and radar) is in the range of 200 to 500 ms.

[0004] These delays limit further minimization of following distances; however, the smaller the spacing between following vehicles, the greater the benefits of platooning in terms of fuel economy, road use, and traffic safety. For example, it reduces the risk of other road users overtaking. To compensate for the sensor-related “slow” response of adaptive cruise control (ACC)-based vehicle following control systems, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system is installed. These V2V signals are used to wirelessly (e.g., via WiFi-p) transmit actual vehicle states (e.g., acceleration, deceleration), and can even transmit steering angles from the leading vehicle to the following vehicle. In this way, feedforward information is provided in addition to the basic ACC system in the following vehicle, effectively establishing a fast-response platooning control system that allows for short-distance following of vehicles.

[0005] In PCT / NL 2017 / 050285, for the purpose of enhancing lane detection, a side mirror system is equipped with a forward-facing camera mounted on the side of the truck as an input to the platooning control system. There is a need for a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, particularly for use in short-distance platooning applications of commercial vehicles as described in the aforementioned prior art, which optimizes vehicle-to-vehicle communication by providing an optimally mounted communication antenna for the wireless communication system. The aim is to provide a solution for establishing optimal wireless communication between vehicles in a platoon. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect, an aim is to provide a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system arranged for mounting at the front of a vehicle, the wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system being equipped to provide inter-vehicle communication. The system includes a wing assembly arranged for mounting at the front of the vehicle. The wing assembly houses one or more digital communication antennas and has side portions that house a first antenna at a first height and / or horizontal position and a second antenna at a second height and / or horizontal position different from the first height and / or first horizontal position, in order to achieve the purpose of avoiding mutual interference in transmission or reception by providing good coverage, low interference, and good diversity characteristics of the communication signal. The wing shape is optimized for antenna transmission and is housed in an optimized housing that places the antennas at a sufficient distance from the vehicle and electronic interference sources such as digital cameras; while reducing air resistance and providing sufficient spacing between the one or more transmitting digital communication antennas to optimize reception and transmission quality. Attached Figure Description

[0007] The invention will be further illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

[0008] Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic setup for guiding motor vehicles based on image data when they are driving in a convoy (semi-)autonomous mode, following a lead vehicle.

[0009] Figure 2 A detailed view of the camera system is shown, which is mounted via a hinge mount, allowing it to fold rearward and forward relative to the vehicle body;

[0010] Figure 3A and Figure 3B The base and the hinge mount for suspension are shown separately;

[0011] Figure 4 One embodiment is shown, in which the wing assembly has winglets and a top wing cover;

[0012] Figure 5ALaboratory measurements of WiFi-p transmission performance of a preferred embodiment of the wing assembly are shown.

[0013] Figure 5B One embodiment is shown, illustrating a wing assembly with a communication antenna mounted in the winglet section;

[0014] Figure 6 Another embodiment of a WiFi-p antenna suitable for mounting within a wing assembly is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains when read in the context of this specification and drawings. It should be further understood that terms (e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein. In some cases, detailed descriptions of well-known devices and methods may be omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the systems and methods of the present invention. The terminology used to describe particular embodiments is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include plural forms unless the context explicitly indicates that a plural form is not included. The term “and / or” includes any or all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising” specify the presence of the stated features but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features. All publications, patent applications, patents and other references mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In case of any conflict, this specification (including definitions) shall prevail.

[0016] While exemplary embodiments have been shown for the systems and methods, those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure will envision alternative methods for achieving similar functionality and results. For example, some components may be combined or divided into one or more alternative components. Finally, these embodiments are intended merely to illustrate the systems of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the appended claims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Therefore, although the systems of the invention have been described in particular detail with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can devise many modifications and alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the systems and methods of the invention set forth in the appended claims. Consequently, this specification and the accompanying drawings are to be considered illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.

[0017] exist Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a configuration according to an embodiment of the invention, which relates to improvements over known prior art as described in PCT / NL2017 / 050285. While the presence of a forward-looking camera is not essential for the invention, in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is shown equipped with an improved camera configuration. The vehicle 100 follows a trailer 50 of a lead vehicle 100' in a convoy configuration. The distance between the following vehicle and the leading vehicle can be automatically controlled via so-called Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC), which uses signals from onboard cameras and radar to measure headway distance and receives V2V communication messages transmitted by the lead vehicle containing information about actual deceleration / acceleration, to improve the quality, accuracy, and response time of the CACC system. Furthermore, active steering control (e.g., an electro-actuator connected to the steering shaft to add additional steering torque to the driver's torque) can support the driver's steering actions to keep the vehicle in its actual lane, thereby effectively assisting the driver in visually keeping the vehicle in its lane. These advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) can be referred to as lane keeping assist (LKA). In other fully automated platooning applications, the driver can even take their hands off the steering wheel. These systems can be referred to as lane keeping (LK). In this application, the steering of the following vehicle, and therefore the route or lateral position, is controlled solely by the steering control system, thereby automatically following the route (especially important in the event of a lane change) and remaining within the desired platooning lane in a fully autonomous manner. These lane keeping (assist) methods include identifying the vehicle's current position relative to the lane side 250' via a forward-facing camera 20 mounted in a wing assembly mounted at a first front position of the vehicle, preferably at or near the vehicle's side mirror position. A further forward-facing camera mounted in the wing assembly 20' can be mounted at a second front position of the vehicle, which is opposite to the first front position of the vehicle relative to its length axis. The forward-facing cameras 20, 20' can provide the steering controller with reference lateral distance values ​​relative to the observed first and / or second lane sides. In this setup, the forward-facing cameras 20, 20' define a dual-camera base that is wider than the width of the vehicle, meaning the distance between the first and second detectors is equal to or wider than the width of the vehicle.

[0018] In the depicted embodiment, the forward-looking cameras 20, 20' can be further configured to provide an image of the leading vehicle located in front of the vehicle. The steering controller can thus control the steering system to steer the vehicle based on a reference value derived from the image, which is particularly important for lane changes within the platoon. Therefore, in addition to determining its own lateral position relative to the lane, the same camera can be used to determine the position of the trailer of the leading vehicle in the platoon, which is important for stable feedback control of lateral self-movement in a lane-keeping sense. For longitudinal control, the proposed method has the advantage of providing a stereo camera view with a large span (distance between cameras). Thus, the forward-looking camera mounted in the wing assembly 20 can be configured to image a reference point P at the rear of the trailer of the leading vehicle 100' located at a certain forward distance. This forward distance is typically much smaller than 15m, typically about 5 to 10 meters. In this way, the vehicle spacing or inter-vehicle spacing relative to the leading vehicle can be calculated from the stereo images obtained from the opposing forward-looking cameras mounted in the wing assemblies 20, 20', and advantageously used to improve the quality accuracy of an ACC-based inter-vehicle spacing control system that uses a central intermediate camera and radar to measure the following distance as input. Depending on the technical implementation concept, the intermediate camera and radar can even be omitted and thus completely replaced by the two camera wing assemblies.

[0019] exist Figure 2 The diagram provides a more detailed view of a wing assembly 200 mounted at a forward position 110 on the vehicle. The wing assembly 200 includes a wing 120 and a forward-facing camera 130 mounted within the wing. The wing 120 may preferably be hinged in both the forward travel direction 120f and the rearward travel direction 120r. For example, in the extended operating position, the wing 120 may not extend beyond the specified lateral extension of the side mirror, may even form part of it, or may be a separate assembly aligned with the side mirror. Furthermore, conventional side mirrors may even be replaced by camera wing units when additional rear-view and overhead cameras are integrated into the assembly. These systems, referred to as “electronic mirrors,” are equipped with displays inside the passenger compartment, typically at the A-pillar, to provide the driver with a view of the road surrounding the vehicle and extending rearward from the vehicle. In the event of an accidental impact, such as when the vehicle scrapes against a wall or another vehicle, the hinge mount of the assembly rotates the wing assembly forward or backward to a smaller extension depending on the direction of the impact. In another application, the rotation of the wing can be actively adjusted via a hinge-integrated motor device. In this configuration, the driver does not need to climb out of his vehicle (which is especially important for commercial vehicles where the wing assembly is typically located 3 to 4 meters above the ground) to manually fold the mirror toward the cab for maneuvering in tight spaces and / or close parking near walls or other vehicles.

[0020] Figure 3A The hinge 240 shown has a fixed portion 142 that is secured to the side of the vehicle 110, and a separate overhead camera 132 is disposed within the fixed portion 142. The wing assembly 120 may additionally provide space for accommodating a rear-view camera 131. The hinge's axis of rotation is preferably oriented at an angle to the side of the vehicle 110 (particularly in the vertical direction) so that the wing 120 rotates laterally and upward upon impact. This rotational orientation minimizes damage because a portion of the impact energy is diverted by rotating the mirror away from the impact direction. Figure 3B Compared to the design, Figure 3A The relative advantage of this design is that a larger coverage area (within the same design space) can be obtained between the body and the rotatable wing, allowing for a more secure mounting of the hinge seat. Furthermore, the wing assembly 120 can be designed with a top wing surface 121 and an opposite bottom wing surface 122. The top wing surface has a flatter side surface than the bottom wing surface, thus providing a favorable aerodynamic design to minimize air resistance of the entire wing assembly while still having sufficient design space to accommodate additional components such as cameras within the reinforcement. Additionally, the flatter top side can be conveniently configured as a flattened, removable cover (see...). Figure 4 ).exist Figure 3A In this advantageous design, the flat wing assembly 120 has a bottom wing surface 122 and a protrusion 123 that protrudes from the bottom wing surface 122 to accommodate a forward-looking camera. The flat wing shape minimizes obstruction or hindrance to the travel wind speed (avoiding separation from the wing surface) to provide optimal wind speed for guiding airflow above and below the wing assembly.

[0021] Figure 3B The top hinge design 241 leaves a little more space for flattening the wing shape 122s relative to the side of the vehicle 110. This can be used as a trade-off for the height of the enlarged wing assembly 220, which can also accommodate a downward-facing camera. However, a greater degree of height extension will generally result in more drag. Figure 3A and Figure 3B Both hinges 240 and 241 preferably include openings for the camera and telemetry cables to pass through, thus providing a compact design for the articulated wing assemblies 120 and 220.

[0022] exist Figure 4In another embodiment shown, the wing assembly 120 is a top surface 121 provided as a removable cover. This has the advantage of facilitating maintenance and installation of telemetry devices, for example, when adjusting the camera system for a specific vehicle or when repairs are required. The cover 125 forming the top wing surface can be mounted by clamping the cover. In an embodiment, the cover can slide in a correspondingly shaped recess provided in the lower portion 124 of the wing assembly. Alternatively, a clamping hook 127 can grip a corresponding clamp arranged in the bottom portion. The cover 128 and the recess can be designed such that the cover is clamped with sufficient downforce when in the mounted position to prevent water ingress. An elastic sealing edge (not shown) effectively compressed by this downforce can further prevent water ingress. Preferably, as an alternative to or supplement to the cover 128, the cover 125 is mounted by a non-conductive part (e.g., a plastic screw or clamping hook 127) to prevent interference with one or more digital communication antennas that can be mounted in the wing assembly 120. When using fastening screws, the mounting orientation can be advantageously selected in the horizontal or lateral direction (parallel to the wing cover), for example, selecting a mounting orientation from the inside out at the winglet, and selecting one or more mounting orientations on the hinge side (in the latter case, the screws can be made of steel because there is no interference with the signal transmission performance of the communication antenna). This screw connection system ( Figure 4 The advantage of this (not shown) is that the possibility of water intrusion is further reduced, and the screw point is not directly visible when standing on the ground outside the vehicle. Furthermore, this horizontal screw connection system supports the actuation of the top cover when it clamps the cover, effectively increasing the downward pressure that connects the wing housing (i.e., the body and the cover) together and compresses the resilient seal.

[0023] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5B In the preferred embodiment shown, the wing assembly 120 has an upright side portion 150 that accommodates one or more digital communication antennas 160, 161. Alternatively, the side portion 150 may be designed with a downward-pointing profile or a profile pointing at an angle β relative to the horizontal plane H of the bottom portion of the wing.

[0024] exist Figure 5BIn the illustrated embodiment, the upright side 150 accommodates the first antenna 160 at a first height and the second antenna 162 at a second height different from the first height. This height difference H is important for providing sufficient distance between the antennas to optimize transmit and receive quality, which is achieved by providing good coverage, low interference, and good diversity characteristics for the communication signal at the radio frequency used, for example, approximately 5.9 GHz. The small form factor antenna can be based on a fitted dipole antenna, thus eliminating the need for an external ground plane. Placing the small form factor antenna in a wing (or mirror), while taking care to maintain sufficient distance from the (metallic) cockpit sides and other conductive components, produces a roughly semi-circular radiation pattern, which is advantageous for directly receiving signals from trucks traveling in front and behind or for receiving signals reflected from road guardrails. Furthermore, the winglet shape 150 provides a horizontal distance L that further improves antenna characteristics, for example, this should be sufficient for optimal coupling with the corresponding receivers of the leading and / or following vehicles in a platoon arrangement. The effective combined distance between the two communication antennas (consisting of the vertical height H and the horizontal distance L) is preferably approximately twice the wavelength or greater (i.e., greater than about 10 cm) to provide the aforementioned benefits. Furthermore, for the same reason, the communication antennas are placed away from metal or aluminum structural parts (such as screws, camera housings, hinge support systems, body parts, etc.). Moreover, the forward-looking and rear-looking cameras are placed at approximately the same distance from the communication antennas housed in the winglets. Another advantage of placing the communication antennas in the winglets is that this location determines the widest position outside the vehicle body. Particularly in commercial vehicle applications with truck-trailer combinations, this setup optimizes the communication antenna's direct line of sight from one vehicle in the platoon along the trailer to other vehicles, allowing signals to be transmitted forward and around the trailer of the preceding vehicle, or backward to the following vehicle and around its own trailer. This helps establish a robust, interference-free, high-performance wireless V2V communication system, which is important for facilitating short-distance platooning. Figure 5B An example of good design in curves Figure 5AThe lower right side of the figure shows laboratory measurements of the WiFi-p transmission performance of a preferred embodiment of the wing assembly, which has two antennas in the winglets and three cameras in the side wing reinforcements. The figure illustrates broadcast attenuation (in dB) as defined in the horizontal plane of the wing assembly. The longitudinal axis refers to the vehicle's lateral orientation, and the transverse axis refers to the vehicle's longitudinal orientation. Both antennas show broad, uniformly spread, and stable transmission quality. Only the antenna at port 2 exhibits a localized drop, likely due to the location of the nearest camera. This drop is acceptable, as it only slightly reduces transmission performance in the lateral direction. For platooning V2V communication applications, the lateral direction is crucial for excellent communication transmission quality (in terms of range, stability, reliability, and robustness). For safety reasons, the system is equipped with independent dual measures to provide redundant fail-safe mechanisms for the inter-vehicle communication system.

[0025] This is especially important when the security of an application heavily relies on vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

[0026] Figure 4 and Figure 5B The wing assembly is designed with side portions 150 shaped like winglets, which provide a flat wing geometry, thereby reducing air resistance, and simultaneously providing sufficient vertical and horizontal space for accommodating the antenna. Alternatively, antennas 160, 161 are housed within the body 124 of the wing assembly 120, but this increases the vertical extension of the wing shape. Moreover, the winglet shape can aerodynamically improve airflow velocity above and below the wing assembly because it stabilizes air pressure above and below the wing, thus contributing positively to a stable and uniform laminar airflow along the wing surface and reducing the risk of flow deflection. In another advantageous embodiment, the winglets are angled relative to the length of the vehicle, for example, offset from the vehicle in the rearward direction.

[0027] Figure 6 A front view of another embodiment of a WiFi-p antenna suitable for mounting within a wing assembly is shown. The planar antenna 100 includes a substrate 101 having a first conductor 102, a second conductor 103, an air insert 106, two corresponding solder joints 104 and 105, and a coaxial cable 107 on one side.

[0028] The substrate has a dielectric constant different from that of air, for example, greater than 3, such as a relative dielectric constant of 4. The first conductor 102 is defined with respect to a quarter-wavelength of the communication frequency; the second conductor 103 is defined with respect to a length between a quarter-wavelength and half-wavelength of the communication frequency. The height and width of the air insert 106 are smaller than those of the second conductor. Soldered connections 104 and 105 connect the first conductor (102) and the second conductor (103) to an antenna cable 107, for example, a coaxial cable. Preferably, a first portion of the cable 107 is positioned in a straight line with the first conductor 102.

[0029] The antenna design has no ground plane and requires no connection to the vehicle chassis. This novel construction suppresses unwanted common-mode currents onto the coaxial cable, which first results in a stable input impedance, secondly in a highly efficient omnidirectional radiation pattern, and thirdly in suppresses current leakage to electronic components via the coaxial cable.

Claims

1. A wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system arranged for installation at the front of a vehicle, the wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system being configured to provide inter-vehicle communication, the wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system comprising: - A wing assembly, which is arranged to be mounted on the exterior front side of the vehicle; - Wherein, the wing assembly houses one or more digital communication antennas, and - Wherein, the wing assembly has a side portion located away from the outer front side of the vehicle, the side portion accommodating a first antenna at a first height and / or horizontal position, and accommodating a second antenna at a second height and / or horizontal position different from the first height and / or first horizontal position, in order to optimize transmission and reception quality. The side portion is shaped into small wings.

2. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system of claim 1, further comprising one or more cameras mounted in the wing assembly.

3. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The wing assembly has a top wing surface and an opposite bottom wing surface; wherein the top wing surface has a side surface that is flatter than the bottom wing surface.

4. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The wing assembly includes a hinge mount that hinges the wing assembly in the forward and backward travel directions.

5. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 4, wherein, The hinge base has a base portion that includes an opening for the camera and telemetry cable to pass through.

6. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The one or more digital communication antennas are positioned on the outermost side of the wing assembly, furthest from the vehicle, and at a distance from the camera integrated into the wing assembly.

7. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The digital communication antenna is used in a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system operating at a frequency of 5.9 GHz.

8. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The wing assembly is equipped with a removable cover.

9. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 8, wherein, The cover plate is secured to the wing assembly by a clamp.

10. The wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The wing assembly is integrated as a digital communication antenna into the external rearview mirror or a mirror replacement device.

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