Heavy Vehicle Convoy Control Hierarchy for Scalable Unit Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of units in modular heavy-duty vehicle associations exceeds the resource limitations of control devices, leading to overwhelmed processing and communication delays, limiting the size of vehicle groups and transport applications.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle association is divided into main and secondary sub-assemblies, with sub-master and main master units that preprocess and transmit status data, reducing computational load and communication time, enabling reliable operation with a large number of units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of units in the vehicle convoy is increased to handle larger transport loads, then the transport capacity is improved, but the computational load and communication time exceed the resources of control units
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle convoy is divided into multiple sub-assemblies, each with its own sub-master control unit that independently processes status data from units within its sub-assembly. This segmentation distributes the computational load across multiple control units rather than concentrating it in a single master control unit, enabling the system to handle a larger number of units without overwhelming any single controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The control architecture transitions from a single-dimensional hierarchical structure (one master control unit receiving data from all units) to a multi-dimensional structure where multiple sub-master control units process data in parallel at the first level, and a main master control unit aggregates results at the second level. This dimensional expansion of the control hierarchy enables scalable processing capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If the number of units in the vehicle convoy is increased to handle larger transport loads, then the transport capacity is improved, but the information runtime between units increases
Solution Approach 1:
By organizing units into sub-assemblies with local sub-master control units, the system creates multiple parallel communication pathways. Status data from units can be processed locally by sub-master units without needing to traverse the entire convoy network, significantly reducing the information runtime as the convoy size increases.
Solution Approach 2:
Sub-master control units perform preliminary processing of status data from their respective sub-assemblies before transmitting aggregated information to the main master control unit. This preliminary action at the local level reduces the volume and complexity of data that needs to be communicated across the entire system, thereby reducing overall information runtime.
3Device complexity
If a single master control unit is used to manage all functions, then the control structure is simple, but the control unit resources are overwhelmed with a large number of units
Solution Approach 1:
The control structure is segmented into multiple levels: sub-master control units at the first level managing specific sub-assemblies, and a main master control unit at the second level coordinating between sub-assemblies. This segmentation prevents any single control unit from being overwhelmed while maintaining a relatively simple hierarchical control structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Sub-master control units act as intermediaries between individual units within sub-assemblies and the main master control unit. They aggregate and pre-process status data from multiple units, reducing the communication burden on the main master control unit and distributing the processing workload across multiple intermediary controllers.
Data Source
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AI summary
Vehicle convoy, in particular heavy goods vehicle, and a method for operating a vehicle convoy with at least one main sub-convoy (1) and at least one secondary sub-convoy (2), wherein each main sub-convoy (1) and each secondary sub-convoy (2) each comprises at least one convoy group (3), wherein each convoy group (3) each comprises at least two coupled units (4), wherein each secondary sub-convoy (2) comprises a sub-master unit (8), wherein the sub-master unit (8) is configured to receive and pre-process status data (7) of the units (4) of the secondary sub-convoy (2) to which it belongs, wherein each main sub-convoy (1) comprises a main-master unit (6), wherein the main-master unit (6) is configured toto receive state data (7) of the units (4) of its associated main sub-unit (1) and the pre-processed state data (9) of at least one sub-unit (2) and to determine control data (10) and/or pre-control data from the received state data (7) and pre-processed state data (7), wherein the main master unit (6) is configured to transmit the determined control data (10) and/or pre-control data to the units (4) of its associated main sub-unit (1) and to the sub-unit (2).