Articulated Vehicle Steering Control for Accurate Path Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional articulated vehicles face issues with delayed steering control intervention and reduced accuracy in following the target route due to the reference point being behind the center of the front frame axle, leading to meandering during autonomous driving.
Innovation Solution
An articulated vehicle with a self-position sensor and controller that sets the reference point on a line perpendicular to the axle of the frame on the travel direction side, calculating the steering control amount based on the detected position and target trajectory to improve following accuracy and suppress meandering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the reference point is set behind the center of the front frame axle, then the autonomous driving control system can operate, but steering control intervention is delayed and meandering occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the position parameter of the reference point from behind the axle center to the axle center itself. This parameter change eliminates the delay in steering control intervention while maintaining autonomous driving control functionality, thereby resolving the contradiction between control reliability and route following accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If the reference point is set at the center of the front frame axle, then steering control response is immediate, but the vehicle body cannot maintain parallel orientation to the target route within permissible deviation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the reference point for steering control (at the axle center) from the requirement for vehicle body orientation. By setting the reference point at the axle center, the system achieves immediate steering response while allowing the vehicle body to follow the target route through the articulated mechanism, resolving the contradiction between steering accuracy and body orientation.
3Ease of operation
If the reference point is positioned to maintain vehicle body parallel to target route, then orientation is stable, but following accuracy to the target route decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the reference point position parameter to the axle center, which enables both immediate steering response and accurate route following. This parameter change allows the vehicle body to naturally maintain stable orientation through the articulated vehicle's mechanical properties while achieving high following accuracy, resolving the contradiction between orientation stability and route following precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An articulated vehicle comprising a control device for controlling the operation of the articulated vehicle, which includes a front frame and a rear frame pivotally connected to allow rotation in the left and right directions. The control device sets a reference point for the articulated vehicle on a line that runs vertically to the axle and in the front-rear direction through the center of the left and right sides of the axle of the wheel of the frame on the side of the direction of travel, either on the axle or on the side of the direction of travel further than the axle. It also calculates the position of the reference point at the work site, and based on the predetermined target trajectory as the travel trajectory of the articulated vehicle and the position of the reference point at the work site, it calculates the steering control amount, which is the amount of bending of the front frame relative to the rear frame. This allows for improved tracking accuracy to the target path while suppressing meandering.