Fleet-Based Vehicle Powertrain Control for High-Consumption Route Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle coaching methods rely on driver willingness to improve performance, which limits their effectiveness, especially when drivers are reluctant to change their habits.
Innovation Solution
A method that analyzes consumption data from a fleet of vehicles to identify high-consumption sections of a trajectory and provides instructions to the vehicle's control unit to restrict powertrain consumption, using an external server to compare driver performance and adjust settings such as maximum speed and gear ratios to reduce fuel consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If driver coaching methods are used to improve vehicle performance, then driver awareness and voluntary improvement are enhanced, but effectiveness is limited when drivers are reluctant to change habits
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically analyzes consumption data, identifies high-consumption sections, and implements powertrain restrictions without requiring driver action. The vehicle self-regulates its performance based on collected data, eliminating dependency on driver willingness to change habits
Solution Approach 2:
The system collects consumption data from multiple vehicles, analyzes it centrally, and uses the results to automatically adjust powertrain parameters. This closed-loop feedback mechanism continuously optimizes performance based on real-world data without requiring driver intervention
2Loss of energy
If powertrain consumption is restricted on entire trajectory, then fuel consumption is reduced, but vehicle performance is unnecessarily limited on sections where consumption is already low
Solution Approach 1:
The trajectory is divided into multiple sections based on consumption characteristics. The system identifies specific high-consumption sections and applies restrictions only to those segments, leaving low-consumption sections unaffected. This segmented approach optimizes fuel efficiency without unnecessarily limiting overall vehicle performance
Solution Approach 2:
Different powertrain restriction levels are applied to different sections of the trajectory based on local consumption characteristics. High-consumption sections receive stricter restrictions while low-consumption sections maintain normal performance, creating a localized optimization strategy
3Loss of information
If consumption data from entire fleet is centralized for analysis, then comprehensive insights are obtained, but data transmission and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Consumption data is continuously collected and stored in a centralized database as vehicles operate. The analysis system is ready to process this pre-collected data immediately when queries are made, eliminating the need for time-consuming data gathering at the moment of analysis
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized server acts as an intermediary between multiple vehicles and the analysis system. The server maintains a database of consumption data from all vehicles and provides processed insights to individual vehicles, reducing direct communication overhead and processing time
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method (100) for operating a main vehicle along a trajectory, the vehicle belonging to a fleet of vehicles, the main vehicle comprising a powertrain controlled by a control unit. To diminish the consumption of the vehicle, the method (100) comprises: - analyzing (106), by an external server, consumption data of each vehicles of the fleet of vehicles having previously travelled on said trajectory; - based on the analyzed consumption data, identifying (108), by the external server, an improvable-consumption section of the trajectory; and - providing (116) to the control unit from the external server with instructions to restrict consumption of the powertrain on the improvable-consumption section. The invention further relates to a corresponding vehicle and system