Hybrid Electric Vehicle Platooning Control Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicle platooning, hybrid electric vehicles face inefficiencies due to differences in engine configurations and resistance components among vehicles, leading to uneven acceleration and deceleration, which can result in unnecessary engine operation or braking to maintain safe distances, and may cause collisions if not managed properly.
Innovation Solution
A platooning control method that uses wireless communication to acquire acceleration and deceleration information of vehicles in a platoon, determining a traveling order and timing for a pulse-and-glide traveling mode to synchronize acceleration and deceleration phases, preventing unnecessary engine operation or braking by coordinating the start of the glide phase based on the preceding vehicle's timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hybrid electric vehicles operate independently without coordination during platooning, then each vehicle can maintain its own optimal operating mode, but uneven acceleration and deceleration occur due to differences in engine configurations and resistance components, leading to unnecessary engine operation or braking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control of multiple vehicles in a platoon by coordinating their acceleration and deceleration phases. The leading vehicle's acceleration and deceleration information is shared with following vehicles through wireless communication, enabling synchronized pulse-and-glide operations across the entire platoon. This combination of individual vehicle control with collective coordination resolves the contradiction by allowing vehicles to maintain operational flexibility while achieving energy efficiency through synchronized gliding phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the operation mode of each vehicle based on real-time acceleration and deceleration information from the leading vehicle. Following vehicles switch between pulse and glide phases dynamically according to the leading vehicle's state, rather than operating in fixed independent modes. This dynamic adaptation enables the platoon to maintain energy efficiency while responding to changing driving conditions.
2Reliability
If vehicles in a platoon maintain larger safe distances to prevent collisions, then collision risk is reduced, but fuel efficiency and energy consumption are worsened due to increased spacing and reduced aerodynamic benefits
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary coordination by having the leading vehicle determine acceleration and deceleration phases in advance, then communicates this information to following vehicles. Following vehicles prepare for synchronized phase transitions based on this advance information, allowing them to maintain smaller safe distances while still preventing collisions through coordinated motion. This preliminary action enables reduced spacing without compromising safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The platoon system uses feedback from the leading vehicle's acceleration and deceleration information to adjust following vehicles' operations. This continuous feedback loop allows vehicles to maintain smaller safe distances while ensuring collision prevention through synchronized response to the leading vehicle's actions. The feedback mechanism enables tighter platoon formation with improved fuel efficiency while maintaining reliability.
3Power
If the engine clutch is frequently engaged and disengaged to optimize individual vehicle performance, then optimal output and torque are achieved, but mechanical wear and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the clutch operation decisions across multiple vehicles in the platoon. By coordinating acceleration and deceleration phases at the platoon level, the system reduces the frequency of individual clutch engagement and disengagement events. Following vehicles can maintain synchronized operations with the leading vehicle, reducing the overall complexity of clutch management while still achieving optimal power output when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid electric vehicle is capable of maximizing energy efficiency during platooning, and a platooning control method is carried out on the hybrid electric vehicle. The method includes acquiring acceleration information and deceleration information of each of a plurality of vehicles traveling in a platoon form for platooning so as to realize a pulse-and-gliding traveling mode, determining a traveling order of the vehicles during the platooning based on the acceleration information, and determining a time at which to start a glide phase of a following vehicle in the determined traveling order based on a time at which a glide phase of a preceding vehicle starts using the acceleration information and the deceleration information.