Supervisory control of motion coordination

Abstract

A computer system (200) for controlling motion support devices (MSDs, 120) in a vehicle is provided. A motion coordinator (210) is responsible for coordinating the MSDs in accordance with a global force request (v, 212) and a solution (u i , 218) to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the MSDs based on an objective function. A supervisory controller (220) is responsible for modifying the objective function based on information regarding state-of-health (222) and / or tire temperature (224). The motion coordinator operates on a short time scale (handles faster dynamics) and the supervisory controller operates on a longer time scale (handles slower dynamics) of the vehicle, thereby decoupling the overall problem of coordinate the MSDs into separate subproblems. The MSDs are directly or indirectly controlled by the computer system in accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator. A corresponding (heavy) vehicle, method and computer program product are also provided.

Description

Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 1 SUPERVISORY CONTROL OF MOTION COORDINATIONTECHNICALFIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to the field of motion coordination in heavyvehicles. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to introducing supervisory control tosuch motion coordination. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such astrucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although thedisclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is notrestricted to any particular vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] Motion coordination is the task of figuring out how to best control the variousmotion actuators (such as engines, transmission, brakes, etc.) of a heavy vehicle in accordance with one or more operative goals. For example, one such goal may be how to drive the vehicle while consuming as little as energy as possible, in an attempt to save money and / or increase a usable range of the vehicle (or vehicle combination, in case of e.g. a truck towing one or more trailers).

[0003] To for example reduce the spent energy required to propel the vehicle a certaindistance, taking power losses into account can be important. Power losses may for exampleinclude the energy that is spent but not used to propel the vehicle forward, such as caused bythermal losses (i.e. heating) of e.g. the engine, brakes, transmission, and similar.

[0004] However, focusing mainly on power losses as part of the motion coordinationtask / problem may be less than optimal in several aspects. The present disclosure aims atfacilitating the motion coordination of heavy vehicles and to improve upon contemporarysolutions for such motion coordination. SUMMARY

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computersystem for controlling a plurality of motion support devices (MSDs) in a (heavy) vehicle orvehicle combination. The computer system includes processing circuitry that is configured toimplement: a motion coordinator responsible for, in accordance with a global force requestDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 2 for the vehicle or vehicle combination as a whole, providing a solution to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the plurality of MSDs based on an objective function, and a supervisory controller responsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health informationfor one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination and tire temperatureinformation. The motion coordinator operates on a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates on a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems. The processing circuity is further configured to directly or indirectly control theplurality of MSDs in accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator. Thefirst aspect of the disclosure may seek to provide a more holistic view of motion control, wherein also things like component wear and / or tire temperature are taken into account as part of such control. A technical benefit may include that the separation into both a motion coordinator and a supervisory controller operating on different time scales allows for such a more holistic view, as the motion coordinator is not required to frequently solve one big problem taking into account all parameters, but may instead focus on solving a same type of objective problem as is usually done, and where the holistic view is implemented by the supervisory controller updating the objective problem (on a longer time scale than that of the motion coordinator).

[0006] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the supervisory controller may be operable between a plurality of differentcontrol modes wherein the plurality of control modes includes at least a first mode focusingmore on optimization of vehicle efficiency / range, a second mode focusing more onoptimization of vehicle performance / grip, and a third mode focusing more on optimization oflifetime of the one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination. A technicalbenefit may include that it is thus given a possibility for e.g. a driver, transport manager, or similar, to decide on what to focus on most, as it is often not possible to simultaneously optimize all of e.g. performance, efficiency and component wear.

[0007] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the supervisory controller may be configured to modify the objectivefunction to reach a tire temperature goal.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 3

[0008] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may include increasing tire temperature in orderto increase tire grip.

[0009] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may be selected in response to the supervisory controller being operated in the second mode.

[0010] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may include keeping tire temperature withinpredefined limits to increase tire lifetime.

[0011] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may be selected in response to the supervisorycontroller being operated in the third mode.

[0012] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may include keeping tire temperature withinpredefined limits to decrease tire losses.

[0013] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire temperature goal may be selected in response to the supervisorycontroller being operated in the first mode.

[0014] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the objective problem may include minimizing a cost function that takesinto account power losses associated with the MSDs and / or costs for the provided solution tothe optimization problem deviating from a desired solution provided as input to theoptimization problem. The supervisory controller may be configured to, as part of modifyingthe objective function, adjust the cost function. A technical benefit may include that thesupervisory controller may thus influence the operation of the motion coordinator by updating the objective problem.

[0015] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the supervisory controller may be configured to, as part of modifying theobjective function to reach the tire temperature goal, adjust the desired solution provided asinput to the optimization problem to match a desired force distribution between wheel axles and / or wheel units of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 4

[0016] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, adjusting the cost function may include prioritizing a use of service brakingbefore a use of regenerative braking to reduce a battery wear of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

[0017] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, prioritizing the use of service braking may include reducing an assumedloss associated with the use of service braking in the cost function.

[0018] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the cost function may further take into account tire losses of tires of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

[0019] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the tire loss for a tire may depend on at least rolling resistance coefficientfor the tire and a normal load force on the tire, and the rolling resistance may depend on alongitudinal force of the tire, a limit for a grip of the tire , and a tire temperature.

[0020] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the rolling resistance for the tire may be approximated as a polynomial ofan indeterminate including a ratio of the longitudinal force of the tire to the limit for the grip of the tire. A technical benefit may include that the required computational resources needed may thus be reduced.

[0021] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, of thecomputer system, the limit for the grip of the tire may depend on a product of a frictioncoefficient between the tire and ground times a normal load on the tire.

[0022] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a (heavy)vehicle or vehicle combination, including: a plurality of motion support devices (MSDs) andthe computer system of the first aspect (or any example thereof).

[0023] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a methodfor controlling a plurality of motion support devices (MSDs) in a (heavy) vehicle or vehiclecombination. The method may be a computer-implemented method and may be performed bya computer system. The method includes: implementing, using processing circuitry of the computer system, a motion coordinator responsible for, in accordance with a global force request for the vehicle or vehicle combination as a whole, providing a solution to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the plurality of MSDs based on anDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 5objective function; implementing, using the processing circuitry, a supervisory controllerresponsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health information for one or more componentsof the vehicle or vehicle combination and tire temperature information, and directly orindirectly controlling, using the processing circuitry, the plurality of MSDs in accordancewith the solution provided by the motion coordinator, wherein the motion coordinatoroperates at a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates at a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided acomputer program product that includes program code for performing, when executed by aprocessing circuitry of a computer system (such as that of the first aspect), the method of thethird aspect.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium that includes instructions, which when executed by a processingcircuitry of a computer system (such as that of the first aspect), cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of the third aspect. The storage medium may be non-transitory.

[0026] The disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / oraccompanying claims may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in thefollowing description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom tothose skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0027] There are also disclosed herein computer systems, control units, code modules,computer-implemented methods, computer readable media, and computer program products associated with the above discussed technical benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the appendeddrawings.

[0029] FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C schematically illustrate exemplary vehicle combinationsaccording to an example.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 6

[0030] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary computer system according to anexample.

[0031] FIGS. 3A and 3B are plots of a dependence of rolling resistance on longitudinaltire force and a dependence of peak friction coefficient on tire temperature, respectively, according to examples.

[0032] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method according toan example.

[0033] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a diagram of an exemplary computer system forimplementing examples disclosed herein, according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of thedisclosed technology with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 1A schematically illustrates (from a side-view) an exemplary vehiclecombination 100 according to an example. The combination 100 includes a towing vehicle102 and a towed vehicle 104. The towing vehicle 102 may be referred to as e.g. a tractor vehicle, a truck, or similar, and the towed vehicle 104 may be referred to as e.g. a trailer,wagon, or similar. For the purpose of the present disclosure, the exact configuration of thevehicle combination 100 in terms of type and number of vehicle units is not important, andthe present disclosure apply also to e.g. only a single vehicle, such as the vehicle (unit) 102.

[0036] The vehicle combination 100 is equipped with a plurality of wheel axles, of whichonly left-most wheel units 111-1 to 111-5 are visible in FIG.1A. As used herein, a wheel unit may include e.g. a single wheel (and a single tire), or e.g. two or more wheels and / or tires arranged together. In the particular example shown in FIG.1, the wheel units on each side ofthe wheel axle supporting the wheel unit 111-2 are double wheels, while the other wheel unitsare single wheels.

[0037] The vehicle unit 102 further includes a computer system (e.g. control unit) 200that is, as will be described in more detail further below, responsible for controlling (e.g. coordinating) a plurality of motion support devices (MSDs, e.g. motion actuators, such asbrakes; one or more engines such electrical machines, internal combustion engines (ICEs), orany other suitable alternative or combinations therefor / -of; steering actuators, and similar).Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 7Although illustrated in FIG. 1A as being part of the vehicle unit 102, the computer system200 may in other examples be located in e.g. the trailer unit 104, or anywhere else as long asthe computer system 200 is capable of affecting (directly or indirectly) the operation of theplurality of MSDs as described herein.

[0038] FIG. 1B schematically illustrates (from a top-view) the same vehicle combination100, and provides an example of how various MSDs may be configured to provide steering, propulsion and / or braking torques (etc.) for the vehicle combination 100. The vehiclecombination 100 includes transverse pairs of wheel units 110 / 111-1, 110 / 111-2, 110 / 111-3,110 / 111-4 and 110 / 111-5 each equipped with a corresponding number of tires and arranged on different axles of the various units 102 and 104 of the vehicle combination 100. In this example, it is assumed that the front wheel axle of the unit 102 is a steerable wheel axle, that the middle wheel axle of the unit 102 is a driven wheel axle, and that the rear wheel axle of the unit 102 is a tag axle. The front wheel axle of the trailer unit 104 is also “steerable” in the sense that it may pivot around a central point as the vehicle combination 100 turns, but may or may not be provided with any active means for causing such steering (such as one or moresteering servos). It should be noted that this is just one possible example of how the vehiclecombination 100 and its units 102 and 104 may be configured in terms of wheel axles, wheel units, and similar.

[0039] In this particular example, the vehicle combination 100 is further provided with aplurality of brake actuators 121 / 122-1 to 121 / 122-5, responsible for braking the respectivewheel units 110 / 111-1 to 110 / 111-5. Such brakes may for example be service brakes of thevehicle combination 100, or similar. It is also assumed that the vehicle combination 100 isfully electric, and that propulsion is provided by a plurality of electrical machines 123 / 124-1 to 123 / 124-5 configured to provide propulsion torque to the respective wheel units 110 / 111-1 to 110 / 111-5. As the front axle of the vehicle unit 102 is steerable, such electrical machines 123 / 124-1 are optional. Likewise, the trailer unit 104 may include the one or more electrical machines 123 / 124-4 and 123 / 124-5 (in which case the trailer unit 104 may be referred to ase.g. an e-trailer, or similar), or be configured without such electrical machines. Theexemplary configuration of brake actuators and electrical machines is of course only one of many possible such combinations, and the present disclosure apply to any such combination as long as, as will be described in more detail later herein, there is a need to perform control allocation due to there being more MSDs available than a number of requested global forces,Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 8as there may then be multiple different ways of controlling the MSDs to generate the sameforces (and / or moments) for the vehicle combination 100 as a whole.

[0040] As will now be described in more detail with reference also to FIGS. 1C and 2, thepresent disclosure aims at improving such a control allocation of the MSDs, in particular in order to e.g. take a more holistic approach that takes into account, and try to optimize, multiple factors such as tire temperature, tire wear, and overall state of health of components (such as the MSDs) of the vehicle combination 100.

[0041] FIG. 1C schematically illustrates (from a top-view) exemplary forces andmoments of the vehicle combination 100, wherein the vehicle units are drawn as boxes 102 and 104. The vehicle combination 100 has a longitudinal axis / direction L (as illustrated by the dashed line), and a job for the computer system 200 is to control the various MSDs 120 of the vehicle combination 100 (i.e. those of the towing unit 102 and the trailer / towed unit 104) such that overall, global longitudinal (axial) and transverse (lateral) forces,and,of the vehicle combination 100 matches a global force request for such forces / moments. The computer system 200 may also be configured to the various MSDs 120 such that also yaw moments,and,around a respective center-of-gravity COG1 and COG2 of the units102 and 104, respectively, matches requested such yaw moments. It is further assumed thatthe MSDs 120 belonging to the unit 102 are used to generate longitudinal and transverse forces,and,, and that the MSDs 120 belonging to the unit 104 are used to generate longitudinal and transverse forces,and,. If there is only the unit 102, or e.g. more than one trailer, such forces may be redefined accordingly.

[0042] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an exemplary system diagram of a computersystem 200 for controlling a plurality of MSDs in / of a vehicle or vehicle combinationaccording to examples of the present disclosure, such as the MSDs 120 of the vehiclecombination 100. The computer system 200 includes a motion coordinator 210 (or “controlallocator”) that is configured to provide a control signal 218 ( ) to each of the MSDs 120such that their contributions to forces / moments of the vehicle combination 100 as a wholethus generated by the MSDs matches a global force request 212 ( ). The control signalmay be referred to as a “control input” or “true control input”, while the global force request may be referred to as a “virtual control input”, or similar. Here, although using only theword “force”, the global force request may also include e.g. requests for one or more overallmoments, such as yaw moments, of the vehicle combination 100 as a whole. The motionDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 9coordinator 210 may receive the global force request from for example a virtual controlunit (not shown), responsible for converting e.g. an input from a steering wheel and / or gas and / or brake pedal of the vehicle into the global force request . The signal received by the virtual control unit may indicate that the driver wants the vehicle combination 100 to change direction, accelerate, decelerate, turn with a certain radius, etc., and the virtual control unit may figure out what the global force request that the motion coordinator 210 is to follow should be in order to match such a driver request. In other examples, the signal received by the virtual control unit may originate from one or more other systems of the vehicle combination 100, such as e.g. from an emergency braking system, and emergency steering system, automated driver assistance system (ADAS), autonomous driving system (ADS), or from any other system that may provide some indication of how the overall forces / moments of the vehicle combination 100 are to be influenced (e.g. steered, propelled and / or braked).

[0043] The global force request may for example be defined as a vectorwhere is an integer indicating a total number of vehicle units in the vehicle combination100 (in the present example = 2). The global force request is provided to the motioncoordinator 210 whose task it is to solve an optimization problem related to optimal control of the MSDs 120 based on some objective function, in order to provide the control input (solution) to the respective MSD. The solution may for example be provided as one or more forces, from which suitable control signals may be generated (by for example one or more dedicated controllers responsible for end-control of the MSDs 120) in order to generatefor example suitable propulsion and / or braking torques at the respective wheel units. Forexample, knowledge about e.g. a wheel unit radius can be used to convert a desired longitudinal force on a particular wheel unit to a required torque to be applied to theparticular wheel unit, and similar. As an example, the control input for an :th MSD mayinclude a force or torque to be generated by that MSD, a steering angle that should beobtained by that MSD (in case the MSD is e.g. a steering servo), or similar. The motioncoordinator 210 may calculate the individual as part of a single, overall control input =[ , , … , ], where is an integer indicating a total number of MSDs 120.

[0044] As the number of MSDs 120, and therefore also the number of elements in thecontrol input , likely exceeds the number of elements in the global force request , theDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 10 vehicle combination 100 is over-actuated and the problem of controlling such a vehicle combination 100 is underdetermined as there exist multiple possible solutions which all satisfy the requirements stated by the global force request .

[0045] The motion coordinator 210 is configured to perform optimization based on anobjective function, e.g. to find from =arg min{ },i.e. based on an objective function including a cost function , and where the problem is further supposed to meet one or more restrictions in form of e.g. boundary conditions andsimilar. For example, the problem solved by the motion coordinator 210 may be formulatedin terms of power loss minimization, e.g. as =arg min( ( )) (1)s.t. =where ( ) (i.e. the objective function) is a loss function indicative of power losses frome.g. the MSDs 120, tires of the wheel units, and similar; where is a control efficiencymatrix defining how each MSD contributes to the overall forces / moments of the vehicle combination 100, and where and are lower and upper limitations / capabilities,respectively, of the MSDs. The loss function ( ) may for example take into accountlosses from a startability axle (of the vehicle unit 102, losses from a cruising axle ( )of the vehicle unit 102, and / or losses from brakes of the vehicle combination 100 ( ).Losses related to vehicle axles may e.g. correspond to electric machine losses (intoaccount e.g. losses from battery, power transmission cables, inverters, electric machines and e.g. transmission, etc. Such losses may e.g. be extracted using a physical model expressed as a function of e.g. torque and speed, and e.g. be represented using a quadratic regressionmodel such as = + + , where , and are curve fitting coefficients,where = { , }, where is wheel unit torque, and where at least and depend onwheel unit speed and motor torque. The power loss model may also be extracted usingmeasurements and expressed as a look up table, or similar.

[0046] As another example, the problem solved by the motion coordinator 210 may beformulated as a mixed optimization problem, such as a weighted least square optimization problem, asDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 11 =args.t. ,where the expression within the curly brackets is the object function, where is apreferred / desired solution (i.e. a desired resulting control input), and are (positive definite) weighting matrices, is the control efficiency matrix, and and the capabilitiesof the MSDs 120. Here, is a weighting factor such that makes the solution ofequation (2) approach that of a sequential least square problem =arg min ( ) : arg min ( ) .

[0047] As an example, the above problems may be cast onto quadratic programming(QP) form =args.t. =.For the power loss minimization problem, one may assume thatandwhere the second-degree coefficients , and are for the startability axle, cruisingaxle and brakes, respectively, where the first-order coefficients and are for the startability axle and cruising axle, respectively, and wherein is wheel unit rotationalspeed. For the mixed optimization formulation, one may assume that= 2( + ),= 2( + ).

[0048] Such QP problems may be solved using contemporary solvers, such as forexample those based on interior-point (IP) methods, active-set (AS) methods, alternatingdirection method of multipliers (ADMM) methods, and similar. For further information, it isreferred to e.g. S. Janardhanan, On power loss minimization for heavy vehicles with axle-wise and modular electrical propulsion and friction braking, Chalmers Reproservice, Göteborg,Sweden 2023; or e.g. S. Janardhanan et al., Reviewing control allocation using quadraticDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 12programming for motion control and power coordination of battery electric vehicles, 2022IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference (VPPC), Merced, CA, USA, 2022, pp.1-8, doi: 10.1109 / VPPC55846.2022.10003297.

[0049] To improve upon contemporary solutions involving motion coordination (such asperformed by 210), the computer system 200 of the present disclosure further includes asupervisory controller 220 that is responsible for modifying the objective function of the optimization problem faced by the motion coordinator 210. The supervisory controller 220 bases such modifying on information regarding at least one of state-of-health (SOH) information (that may be received as part of a message / signal 222) and tire temperatureinformation (that may be received as part of a message / signal 224). In particular, the motioncoordinator 210 is configured to operate on shorter time scales (such as by updating thecontrol input on a second or sub-second basis, such as several, e.g. tens or even hundred,times per second), while the supervisory controller is configured to operate on longer timescales (such e.g. months, days, hours or minutes). Phrased differently, the motion coordinator210 is responsible for handling faster dynamics of the vehicle combination 100, while the supervisory controller 220 is responsible for handling slower dynamics of the vehicle combination 100. For example, “faster dynamics” includes to e.g. perform motion coordination to meet requested global forces (which may change frequently), while “slower dynamics” includes e.g. updating the control allocation problem (i.e. objective function / problem) as the temperature of the tires changes, as the wear of the tires changes, etc. (which changes less frequently, or even substantially less frequently, than e.g. therequested global forces ). Other ways of distinguishing between faster and slower dynamicsmay include to take into account impulse response of the underlying technical system,wherein shorter impulse response corresponds to faster dynamics and vice versa. Fasterdynamics may be found in association with e.g. pressure, engine status, vehicle movements, etc., while slower dynamics may be found in association with e.g. component wear, component temperature, and similar. In general, the above set of features of the envisagedsolution has the advantage that the overall problem of controlling the MSDs 120 is decoupledinto a plurality of separate subproblems, such that the motion coordinator 210 is not required to solve all of the overall problem at its high updating rate (which may otherwise overload themotion coordinator 210 as its computational resources are finite).Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 13

[0050] The motion coordinator 210 is configured to receive e.g. the desired solution(i.e. a force / moment distribution target) and / or the costs associated with the various MSDs120 (i.e. parameters of the weighting matrix ) as part of a message 228 (wherein as usedherein, a “message” is e.g. a signal or similar suitable for conveying information between functional blocks). The motion coordinator 210 may be further configured to receive e.g. thevarious limitations of the MSDs ( and ) as part of a message 214, and also the variousother models and parameters used in the optimization problem (such as the control efficiency matrix , the various power loss terms of , etc.) as part of a message 216.

[0051] In order to modify the objective function, the supervisory controller 220 mayprovide for example updates of the desired solution and / or updates of the weightingmatrix , e.g. by providing the message 228 to the motion coordinator 210. In otherexamples, the supervisory controller 220 may instead, or in addition, modify the MSD capabilities and / or (by providing, or at least altering / updating) the message 214, and / or provide updates of the other models and parameters (by providing, or at least altering / updating) the message 216.

[0052] In some examples, the supervisory controller 220 is further configured to beoperable between a plurality of different control modes, wherein which control mode tooperate in may be determined based on for example a received message 226. The controlmodes may include e.g. a first control mode focusing more on optimization of vehicle efficiency / range, a second control mode focusing more on optimization of vehicle performance / grip, and a third control mode focusing more on optimization of lifetime of the MSDs and / or one or more other components of the vehicle combination 100. In particular, such other components may include the tires of the wheel units.

[0053] As envisaged herein, an important aspect is the tire temperature of the vehiclecombination 100, i.e. the temperature of the tires provided as part of the wheel units. The tiretemperature is important as it affects e.g. friction coefficients, tire degradation, tire losses (i.e.rolling resistance losses of tires), and similar, and the present disclosure proposes to control tire temperature outside of the motion coordinator 210 as the dynamics of the tire temperature is slower than the dynamics of the vehicle combination 100 handled by the motion coordinator 210, and also because it may be too complex for the motion coordinator 210 to consider also tire temperature in addition to the already rather complex problem of coordinating the various MSDs 120. Instead, the present disclosure proposes to introduce theDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 14 supervisory controller 220 and to use the supervisory controller 220 to handle, on a longer time scale, the slower dynamics of the tire temperature.

[0054] For example, the supervisory controller 220 may be configured to modify theobjective function in order to reach a tire temperature goal, by for example defining a temperature interval in which the tire temperature is supposed to be based on in which control mode the supervisory controller 220 is currently operating in. For example, this can be achieved by updating a desired force distribution (as part of ) between the wheel axles of the vehicle combination 100. The motion coordinator 210 may for example calculate / determine that in order to minimize power losses, a most efficient force distributionincludes an equal distribution of forces between e.g. front and rear wheel axles of the unit102. The supervisory controller 220 may alter this decision by proposing a decrease with e.g. 10% on the rear axle(s), and likewise an increase of 10% on the front axle, in order to reachthe tire temperature goal. Phrased differently, by updating , the supervisory controller220 may force the motion coordinator 210 to take decisions (regarding ) that steers the tire temperature in a certain direction. The motion coordinator 210 may still focus only on the fast dynamics, and the slower dynamics of e.g. tire temperature may be the focus of the supervisory controller 220.

[0055] Examples of tire temperature goals may include to increase the tire temperature inorder to increase overall tire grip (as part of e.g. the second control mode focusing more on performance / grip); to maintain the tire temperature within predefined limits in order to increase tire lifetime (as part of e.g. the third control mode focusing more on component health / lifetime); or e.g. to maintain the tire temperature within predefined limits in order to decrease tire losses (as part of e.g. the first control mode focusing more on efficiency / range).

[0056] As another example of how the supervisory controller 220 may influence theoperation of the motion coordinator 210, the supervisory controller 220 may be configured toalter the costs associated with the MSDs 120 (i.e., by updating the matrix which defines how costly it is for the solution to deviate from the desired solution ) based on some wear criterion. Such a wear criterion may e.g. include to optimize or reduce wear of a battery of the vehicle combination 100, such as a traction battery, and the supervisory controller 220 may force the motion coordinator 210 to prioritize the use of e.g. service brakes over the useof regenerative braking to reduce battery wear, or e.g. prioritize the use of a braking resistoror similar over the use of regenerative braking. This can be achieved by e.g. reducing theDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 15 costs related to the service brakes in (and / or e.g. increasing the costs related to theregenerative braking in ), such that the motion coordinator 210 will be guided towards asolution wherein the service brakes are prioritized over the regenerative braking. A same goalmay also be reached by the supervisory controller 220 instead altering the power lossesassociated with the service brakes and / or regenerative braking in . Another envisagedexample includes a wear criterion that includes to optimize / minimize tire wear. For example, the supervisory controller 220 may be configured to, based on the message 222, obtain information regarding a current tire wear (for example, how much rubber / track that is left onparticular tires of the wheel units), and to prioritize between the use of certain wheelaxles / wheel unit in a way which reduces differences in tire wear between wheel units. Forexample, if determining that one wheel axle has high tire wear, the supervisory controller 220 may adjust the objective function to force the motion coordinator 210 to prioritize using one or more other wheel axles wherein the tire wear is lower, in order to (with time) balance thetire wear between different wheel units. For example, to focus more on efficiency / range, thecosts of reducing efficiency / range (e.g. the costs of increasing power losses) may be increased compared with the costs for e.g. increasing component wear and / or reducing tire grip. To focus more on grip / performance, the costs of reducing tire grip may be increased compared with the costs for e.g. reducing efficiency / range and / or increasing component wear. To focus more on component wear, the costs of increasing component wear may be increased compared with the costs for e.g. reducing efficiency / range and / or reducing tire grip.

[0057] As yet another example of how the supervisory controller 220 may influence themotion coordinator 210 and its operation includes to provide one or more extra (“virtual”)elements in the global force request , such as e.g. by adding thereto force requests for each wheel axle (or wheel unit) of the vehicle combination 100 or similar. Simultaneously, the supervisory controller 220 may extend the control efficiency matrix by adding e.g. one ormore additional rows and / or columns therein in order to map how the MSDs contribute to theforces on such wheel axles, and similar.

[0058] Herein, it is envisaged that the power loss function may for example be defined as= + + ,wherein the coefficients , and multiplying the respective losses may be altered by the supervisory controller 220 in order to change the power loss function.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 16

[0059] Herein, it is envisaged that the cost function (i.e. the power loss functionand / or the matrix ) may be altered to also take into account tire losses of one or more tires of the vehicle combination 100. For example, in the power loss minimization formulation, this may include introducing an additional term in the loss function, e.g. such that =+ + + ,wherewhere is a rolling resistance force for the :th tire of the vehicle combination 100 anddepending on a longitudinal tire force , , a friction coefficient between the tire andground, a normal load force,on the wheel unit / tire, as well as on a tire temperature of the tire. In the above, is iterated over all tires of the vehicle combination, and is a wheel unit velocity for the :th tire which multiplies the rolling resistance force in order to get theassociated tire power loss. For example, the tire (power) loss for a tire may be assumed todepend on at least a rolling resistance coefficient for the tire and a normal load of the tire, and the rolling resistance coefficient may be assumed to depend on a longitudinal force of the tire,a limit for a grip of the tire, and a tire temperature. The limit for the grip of the tire may becalculated from the friction coefficient between the tire and ground and the normal load force on the tire, such as,.

[0060] In some examples, the rolling resistance force may be expressed as = ,, , where , is the rolling resistance coefficient for the :th tire and may be expressed as apolynomial approximation (linear or e.g. quadratic). For example, one may express,asor as two different polynomials depending on the sign of , . More generally, the polynomialcoefficients could be made dependent on the particular :th, i.e. such that , ,, , , , , . In the polynomial, the indeterminate thus includes a ratio of the longitudinalforce of the tire to the limit for the grip of the tire. In the above approximation, some or all ofthe coefficients ,(or , , , and , ) may depend on the tire temperature .

[0061] By including tire (rolling resistance) losses in the overall loss function , thepresent disclosure enables to consider a tradeoff between e.g. rolling resistance losses andDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 17 power losses of electric machines used to propel the vehicle combination 100. For example,in a vehicle combination equipped with two e-axles (that is, axles powered / propelled by oneor more electric machines), using only one e-axle for propulsion or braking could be more efficient in terms of electrical losses, but more inefficient in terms of rolling resistance (as allthe longitudinal tire forces are then on the tires of this single axle instead of being splitbetween the tires of two axles). Likewise, the electrical machine(s) of the other e-axle notused to propel the vehicle could be declutched mechanically or electrically to further minimize losses.

[0062] FIG. 3A schematically illustrates an exemplary plot 300 of a curve 302 indicatinghow the rolling resistance coefficient,may depend on the normalized longitudinal tireforce , = , / ( , ), as exemplified in e.g. the polynomial approximation of , .Here, it should also be noted that it is known that the rolling resistance of a tire depends on tire temperature, and will decrease as tire temperature increases, up to some tire temperaturelimit at which this effect ceases to occur. For more information, it is referred to e.g. Y. Y.Wong, Theory of Ground Vehicles, e.g. Fig. 1.11, John Wiley & Sons, 3:rd edition, 2001.

[0063] FIG. 3B schematically illustrates an exemplary plot 310 of how a curve 312indicating how the grip (i.e. how a peak friction coefficient,indicative of a tire to ground surface friction based on a maximum deceleration of a rolling tire) of a tire maydepend on tire temperature , and it is noted that the peak friction coefficient increases withtire temperature up until a peak value at tire temperature , after which the peak frictioncoefficient then decreases. Tire grip margins (as may be implemented as e.g. force limits in inequality constraints of the motion coordination problem solved by the motion coordinator 210) changes over time depending on the selected control mode of the supervisory controller 220, as the supervisory controller 220 affects the tire temperature , and as the tiretemperature in turn affects the peak friction coefficient , . Tire grip margins could becalculated using the peak friction coefficient , as well as the normal tire load force , .Herein, it is envisaged that tire temperature and driving style are two key factors influencing tire wear. For example, a current tire temperature, or predicted tire temperature in the future,could be used as input to the supervisory controller 220 (via e.g. the message 224). Anincrease in tire temperature (and thus in tire force) could also increase the tire degradation, illustrating a need to keep the tire temperature within a temperature range. Current SOH ofDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 18 vehicle components like tires, service brakes and e.g. batteries may, in accordance with the present disclosure, be selected in order to balance the electric machines and service brakes when braking to achieve improved battery life or service brake life, or e.g. to distribute the tire forces in order to improve tire life.

[0064] Tire temperature may be considered as a function of longitudinal and lateral tireforces (as well as e.g. of longitudinal and lateral speeds), tire rolling resistance, and also of ambient and road temperatures. For further information, it is referred to e.g. A. Sorniotti, Tire thermal model for enhanced vehicle dynamics simulation, SAE paper 2009-01-0441. Prediction of future tire temperature could be based on current tire temperature values and e.g. predictions of one or more factors influencing tire temperature in accordance with e.g. a vehicle and tire model, such as also described by A. Sorniotti in the above-referred to research paper.

[0065] For safe operation of the tires, the supervisory controller 220 may be configured toattempt to limit the tire temperature so that they do not exceed a critical temperature. For example, the supervisory controller 220 may limit the tire temperature by affecting the force distribution of the vehicle. In case such an action is not sufficient, the supervisory controller 220 (or any other part of the computer system 200) may for example issue a warning to a driver of the vehicle combination 100, or e.g. to some other controller of the vehicle combination 100, in order to decrease the vehicle combination operating speed.

[0066] In summary of the above, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide atrade-off between e.g. efficiency / range, performance / grip, and component lifetime. This is achieved by introducing a supervisory controller (such as 220) that has the capability of e.g. modifying the propulsion and brake force distribution targets of the vehicle (such as ), or e.g. power-split targets between regenerative braking and service brakes, and similar, and / or of e.g. modifying the costs associated with the MSDs not being operated in accordance which such distribution targets (e.g. by modifying the weighting matrix ), and / or of e.g.modifying costs of power losses in the loss function , e.g. by changing the coefficientsmultiplying the terms , , and / or and thus modify the cost function andobjective problem of the motion coordinator 210. The supervisory controller 220 may also beresponsible for calculating the force distribution targets and / or costs associated with the MSDs 120 (such as and / or ) based on a selection of a set of different control modes, such as the first mode (efficiency / range), the second mode (performance / grip) and the thirdDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 19mode (component lifetime), or e.g. on some predefined balance between these three controlmodes. The control mode could e.g. be selected by the driver of the vehicle combination 100,by a fleet manager / controller based on information about a transport mission that the vehicle combination 100 is to execute (e.g. based on available charging stations), based on lifetimetargets, predicted weather and road conditions, and similar. On one hand, the supervisorycontroller 220 handles the slow dynamics of the vehicle combination 100 such as degradation(on a timescale of days, months or even years) and range (on a timescale of e.g. hours) whileassuring safe operation by e.g. operating within a tire grip margin. On the other hand, the motion coordinator 210 is responsible for solving the control allocation problem (to e.g.distribute forces or torques between the various actuators / MSDs and hence the tires) whichoccurs on the order of e.g. fractions of a second (e.g. every 10 milliseconds), by minimizing power losses in the MSDs 120 and tires (or e.g. by solving the mixed optimization problem), given the vehicle combination’s current operating conditions such as tire temperature.

[0067] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 400 forcontrolling a plurality of MSDs (such as 120). The method 400 is a computer-implementedmethod and performed by a computer system (such as 200). In an operation S410, usingprocessing circuitry of the computer system, the method 400 includes implementing a motion coordinator as described herein (e.g.210), responsible for providing a solution to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the MSDs based on an objective function, and in accordance with the global force request .

[0068] In an operation S420, using the processing circuitry, the method 400 includesimplementing a supervisory controller (such as 220) responsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of SOH information for one or more components (such as tires and / or MSDs) of the vehiclecombination (or just vehicle) and tire temperature information.

[0069] In an operation S430, using the processing circuitry, the method 400 includesdirectly or indirectly controlling the MSDs in accordance with the solution (i.e. ) provided by the motion coordinator. As described herein, the motion coordinator operates at a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics of the vehicle (combination), and the supervisory controller operates at a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle (combination), such that the overall problem of controlling the MSDs is decoupled intoseparate subproblems. The method 400 is e.g. as performed by the computer system 200.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 20

[0070] Optionally, as described herein, an optional operation S440 of the method 400may include, using the processing circuitry, to e.g. receive an indication of one of a particular plurality of different control modes for the supervisory controller, and to operate the supervisory controller in accordance with the indicated control mode.

[0071] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a diagram of an exemplary computer system 150for implementing examples disclosed herein. The computer system 500 is adapted to executeinstructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any of the functionsor processing described herein. The computer system 500 may be connected (e.g., networked)to other machines in a LAN (Local Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), automotive network communication protocol (e.g., FlexRay), an intranet, an extranet, or theInternet. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 500 may include anycollection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, anyreference in the disclosure and / or claims to a computer system, computing system, computerdevice, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit (ECU), processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

[0072] The computer system 500 may comprise at least one computing device orelectronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing softwareinstructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 500 mayinclude processing circuitry 502 (e.g., processing circuitry including one or more processordevices or control units), a memory 504, and a system bus 506. The computer system 500may include at least one computing device having the processing circuitry 502. The systembus 506 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, thememory 504 and the processing circuitry 502. The processing circuitry 502 may include anynumber of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executingDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 21 computer code stored in memory 504. The processing circuitry 502 may, for example, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 502 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0073] The system bus 506 may be any of several types of bus structures that may furtherinterconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 504 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 504 may include database components, object codecomponents, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting thevarious activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 504 may be communicably connected to the processing circuitry 502 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes describedherein. The memory 504 may include non-volatile memory 508 (e.g., read-only memory(ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memory 510 (e.g., random-access memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 502. A basicinput / output system (BIOS) 512 may be stored in the non-volatile memory 508 and caninclude the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 500.

[0074] The computer system 500 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 514, which may comprise, forexample, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated driveelectronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), HDD (e.g., EIDE orDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 22SATA) for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 514 and other drivesassociated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide non- volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

[0075] Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one ormore modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may bestored in the storage device 514 and / or in the volatile memory 510, which may include anoperating system 516 and / or one or more program modules 518. All or a portion of theexamples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 520 stored on atransitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g.,single medium or multiple media), such as the storage device 514, which includes complexprogramming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) to cause theprocessing circuitry 502 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readableprogram code of the computer program 520 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by theprocessing circuitry 502. In some examples, the storage device 514 may be a computerprogram product (e.g., readable storage medium) storing the computer program 520 thereon, where at least a portion of a computer program 520 may be loadable (e.g., into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by theprocessing circuitry 502. The processing circuitry 502 may serve as a controller or controlsystem for the computer system 500 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

[0076] The computer system 500 may include an input device interface 522 configured toreceive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 500 when executinginstructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devicesmay be connected to the processing circuitry 502 through the input deviceinterface 522 coupled to the system bus 506 but can be connected through other interfaces,such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serialport, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system500 may include an output device interface 524 configured to forward output, such as to adisplay, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube(CRT)). The computer system 500 may include a communications interface 526 suitable forcommunicating with a network as appropriate or desired.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 23

[0077] The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein aredescribed to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardwarecomponents, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of theactions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or withpartial concurrence.

[0078] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspectsonly and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms"a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms"comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0079] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be usedherein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms.These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a firstelement could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal"or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another elementas illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed aboveare intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to theother element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0081] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art toDocket No.: P2023-0628WO01 24which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should beinterpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0082] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspectsdescribed above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure andappended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects forpurposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosurebeing set forth in the following claims.

[0083] The following is an exemplifying list of examples envisaged herein:Example 1: A computer system (200, 500) for controlling a plurality (120) of motion supportdevices, MSDs, in a vehicle or vehicle combination (100), the computer system includingprocessing circuitry (502) configured to implement: a motion coordinator (210) responsiblefor, in accordance with a global force request (212, ) for the vehicle or vehicle combinationas a whole, providing a solution (218, ) to an optimization problem related to optimalcontrol of the plurality of MSDs based on an objective function, and a supervisory controller (220) responsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health information (222) for one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination and tire temperature information (224),wherein the motion coordinator operates on a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics ofthe vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates on a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems, and wherein the processing circuity is further configured to directly or indirectly control the plurality of MSDs in accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator.Example 2: The computer system of example 1, wherein the supervisory controller isoperable between a plurality of different control modes (226), wherein the plurality of controlmodes includes at least a first mode focusing more on optimization of vehicleefficiency / range, a second mode focusing more on optimization of vehicle performance / grip, and a third mode focusing more on optimization of lifetime of the one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 25Example 3: The computer system of example 1 or 2, wherein the supervisory controller isconfigured to modify the objective function to reach a tire temperature goal.Example 4: The computer system of example 3, wherein the tire temperature goal includesincreasing tire temperature in order to increase tire grip.Example 5: The computer system of example 4, wherein the tire temperature goal is selectedin response to the supervisory controller being operated in the second mode.Example 6: The computer system of any one of examples 3 to 5, wherein the tire temperaturegoal includes keeping tire temperature within predefined limits to increase tire lifetime.Example 7: The computer system of example 6, wherein the tire temperature goal is selectedin response to the supervisory controller being operated in the third mode.Example 8: The computer system of any one of examples 3 to 7, wherein the tire temperaturegoal includes keeping tire temperature within predefined limits to decrease tire losses.Example 9: The computer system of example 8, wherein the tire temperature goal is selectedin response to the supervisory controller being operated in the first mode.Example 10: The computer system of any one of the preceding examples, wherein theobjective problem includes minimizing a cost function that takes into account power losses( ) associated with the MSDs and / or costs for the provided solution to the optimizationproblem deviating from a desired solution ( ) provided as input to the optimizationproblem, and wherein the supervisory controller is configured to, as part of modifying theobjective function, adjust the cost function.Example 11: The computer system of example 10 and referring to any one of examples 3 to9, wherein the supervisory controller is configured to, as part of modifying the objectivefunction to reach the tire temperature goal, adjust the desired solution ( ) provided asinput to the optimization problem to match a desired force distribution between wheel axlesand / or wheel units of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Example 12: The computer system of example 10 or 11, wherein adjusting the cost functionincludes prioritizing a use of service braking before a use of regenerative braking to reduce abattery wear of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Example 13: The computer system of example 12, wherein prioritizing the use of servicebraking includes reducing an assumed loss associated with the use of service braking in thecost function.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 26Example 14: The computer system of any one of examples 10 to 13, wherein the costfunction further takes into account tire losses of tires of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Example 15: The computer system of example 14, wherein the tire loss for a tire depends onat least rolling resistance coefficient for the tire and a normal load force on the tire, andwherein the rolling resistance depends on a longitudinal force of the tire, a limit for a grip ofthe tire , and a tire temperature.Example 16: The computer system of example 15, wherein the rolling resistance for the tire isapproximated as a polynomial of an indeterminate including a ratio of the longitudinal force of the tire to the limit for the grip of the tire.Example 17: The computer system of example 14 or 15, wherein the limit for the grip of thetire depends on a product of a friction coefficient between the tire and ground times a normal load on the tire.Example 18: A heavy vehicle or vehicle combination (100) including: a plurality of motionsupport devices, MSDs, (120) and the computer system (200,500) of any one of examples 1to 17. Example 19: A computer-implemented method (400) for controlling a plurality of motion support devices, MSDs, in a vehicle or vehicle combination, the method being performed by a computer system and including: implementing (S410), using processing circuitry of thecomputer system, a motion coordinator responsible for, in accordance with a global forcerequest for the vehicle or vehicle combination as a whole, providing a solution to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the plurality of MSDs based on anobjective function; implementing (S420), using the processing circuitry, a supervisorycontroller responsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health information for one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination and tire temperature information, anddirectly or indirectly controlling (S430), using the processing circuitry, the plurality of MSDsin accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator, wherein the motioncoordinator operates at a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates at a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 27Example 20: A computer program product (514) including program code (520) forperforming, when executed by a processing circuitry of a computer system, the method ofexample 19.Example 21: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (514) including instructions (520), which when executed by a processing circuitry (502) of a computer system(200, 500), cause the processing circuitry to perform the method (400) of example 19.

Claims

Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 28 Claims What is claimed is:

1. A computer system (200, 500) for controlling a plurality (120) of motion supportdevices, MSDs, in a vehicle or vehicle combination (100), the computer system comprisingprocessing circuitry (502) configured to implement: -a motion coordinator (210) responsible for, in accordance with a global force request(212, ) for the vehicle or vehicle combination as a whole, providing a solution (218, ) toan optimization problem related to optimal control of the plurality of MSDs based on an objective function, and -a supervisory controller (220) responsible for modifying the objective function usedby the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health information (222) for one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination and tiretemperature information (224),wherein the motion coordinator operates on a shorter time scale to handle fasterdynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates on alonger time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems, and wherein the processing circuity is further configured to directly or indirectly control the plurality of MSDs in accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the supervisory controller is operablebetween a plurality of different control modes (226), wherein the plurality of control modescomprises at least a first mode focusing more on optimization of vehicle efficiency / range, a second mode focusing more on optimization of vehicle performance / grip, and a third mode focusing more on optimization of lifetime of the one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

3. The computer system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the supervisory controller is configuredto modify the objective function to reach a tire temperature goal.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 294. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the tire temperature goal comprisesincreasing tire temperature in order to increase tire grip.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the tire temperature goal is selected inresponse to the supervisory controller being operated in the second mode.

6. The computer system of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the tire temperature goalcomprises keeping tire temperature within predefined limits to increase tire lifetime.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the tire temperature goal is selected inresponse to the supervisory controller being operated in the third mode.

8. The computer system of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the tire temperature goalcomprises keeping tire temperature within predefined limits to decrease tire losses.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the tire temperature goal is selected inresponse to the supervisory controller being operated in the first mode.

10. The computer system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the objectiveproblem comprises minimizing a cost function that takes into account power losses ( )associated with the MSDs and / or costs for the provided solution to the optimization problemdeviating from a desired solution ( ) provided as input to the optimization problem, andwherein the supervisory controller is configured to, as part of modifying the objective function, adjust said cost function.

11. The computer system of claim 10 and referring to any one of claims 3 to 9, whereinthe supervisory controller is configured to, as part of modifying the objective function toreach the tire temperature goal, adjust the desired solution ( ) provided as input to theoptimization problem to match a desired force distribution between wheel axles and / or wheel units of the vehicle or vehicle combination.Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 3012. The computer system of claim 10 or 11, wherein adjusting the cost function comprisesto prioritize a use of service braking before a use of regenerative braking to reduce a battery wear of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein to prioritize the use of service brakingcomprises to reduce an assumed loss associated with said use of service braking in the costfunction.

14. The computer system of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the cost function furthertakes into account tire losses of tires of the vehicle or vehicle combination.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the tire loss for a tire depends on at leastrolling resistance coefficient for the tire and a normal load force on the tire, and wherein the rolling resistance depends on a longitudinal force of the tire, a limit for a grip of the tire , and a tire temperature.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the rolling resistance for the tire isapproximated as a polynomial of an indeterminate including a ratio of the longitudinal force of the tire to the limit for the grip of the tire.

17. The computer system of claim 14 or 15, wherein the limit for the grip of the tiredepends on a product of a friction coefficient between the tire and ground times a normal loadon the tire.

18. A heavy vehicle or vehicle combination (100) comprising:- a plurality of motion support devices, MSDs, (120) and- the computer system (200,500) of any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A computer-implemented method (400) for controlling a plurality of motion supportdevices, MSDs, in a vehicle or vehicle combination, the method being performed by acomputer system and comprising:Docket No.: P2023-0628WO01 31 -implementing (S410), using processing circuitry of the computer system, a motioncoordinator responsible for, in accordance with a global force request for the vehicle or vehicle combination as a whole, providing a solution to an optimization problem related to optimal control of the plurality of MSDs based on an objective function; -implementing (S420), using said processing circuitry, a supervisory controllerresponsible for modifying the objective function used by the motion coordinator based on information regarding at least one of state-of-health information for one or more components of the vehicle or vehicle combination and tire temperature information, and -directly or indirectly controlling (S430), using said processing circuitry, the pluralityof MSDs in accordance with the solution provided by the motion coordinator, wherein the motion coordinator operates at a shorter time scale to handle faster dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, and the supervisory controller operates at a longer time scale to handle slower dynamics of the vehicle or vehicle combination, thereby decoupling the overall problem of controlling the plurality of MSDs into separate subproblems.

20. A computer program product (514) comprising program code (520) for performing,when executed by a processing circuitry of a computer system, the method of claim 19.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (514) comprising instructions(520), which when executed by a processing circuitry (502) of a computer system (200, 500),cause the processing circuitry to perform the method (400) of claim 19.

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