Platoon Vehicle Parking Control Using Lead Vehicle Sensor Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Following vehicles with limited or no external sensors face challenges in safely parking in target parking frames during platoon travel, as they cannot detect the surrounding environment effectively.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle control system utilizes the external sensor data from the leading vehicle to determine if a parking frame is within its detection range and adjusts the travel order or position of following vehicles to ensure safe parking, even if they lack external sensors, by using inter-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication to acquire the necessary environmental information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If external sensors are not mounted on the following vehicle or their functions are limited, then the device complexity and cost are reduced, but the ability to detect surrounding environment and park safely is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The leading vehicle acts as an intermediary by using its external sensors to detect parking frames and transmit this information to following vehicles through inter-vehicle communication. This mediator approach allows following vehicles with limited sensors to access environmental information they would otherwise lack, resolving the contradiction between reduced sensor complexity and maintained parking safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The external sensors on the leading vehicle serve multiple functions: detecting the surrounding environment for autonomous navigation and additionally detecting parking frames for assisting following vehicles' parking operations. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain comprehensive environmental awareness without requiring each vehicle to have complete sensor suites.
2Reliability
If the following vehicle uses the leading vehicle's external sensor detection range for parking, then parking safety is improved, but the need for inter-vehicle communication and coordination increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
Inter-vehicle communication acts as the intermediary mechanism that transmits parking frame information from the leading vehicle to following vehicles. This communication intermediary enables information sharing without requiring direct sensor installation on each vehicle, balancing the trade-off between enhanced parking safety and communication system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where the leading vehicle's sensor detections are communicated to following vehicles, which then use this information for parking decisions. This feedback mechanism ensures that following vehicles have access to accurate environmental information while maintaining coordinated platoon operation, justifying the communication infrastructure through improved safety outcomes.
3Extent of automation
If the following vehicle determines parking frames independently, then autonomy is improved, but safety cannot be ensured without sufficient external sensor coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The leading vehicle performs preliminary detection of parking frames in advance and communicates this information to following vehicles before they need to execute parking maneuvers. This preliminary action allows following vehicles to plan their parking independently with accurate information, achieving both automation and reliability without requiring each vehicle to have full sensor coverage.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a vehicle control system that controls a platoon travel in which a plurality of vehicles travel in a platoon, the plurality of vehicles include a leading vehicle that is an autonomous driving vehicle and a following vehicle that follows immediately after the leading vehicle or follows the leading vehicle via one or more vehicles, and the following vehicle is permitted to park in a parking frame that exists in a range of detection performed by an external sensor mounted on the leading vehicle and configured to detect a surrounding environment of the leading vehicle.