Platoon Vehicle Arrangement Control for Wind Resistance Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles engaged in platooning on highways face inefficiencies in fuel consumption due to inadequate adjustment of vehicle arrangements based on wind direction and road types, which affects their overall performance and fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A control server system that communicates with autonomous vehicles to predict wind direction and road conditions, generating control instructions to optimize the arrangement of vehicles within a platoon, thereby minimizing the impact of wind resistance and improving fuel efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the arrangement of vehicles in a platoon is fixed, then the control system is simple and stable, but fuel efficiency deteriorates due to inability to adapt to wind direction changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of vehicle platoon arrangement based on real-time wind direction detection. The control server receives wind direction information and dynamically reconfigures the platoon formation to optimize fuel efficiency, transforming the static arrangement into an adaptive dynamic system that responds to environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring wind direction through sensors and using this information to adjust platoon arrangement. The control server processes wind direction data and generates control instructions that are fed back to vehicles, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes fuel efficiency based on real-time environmental conditions.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the vehicle arrangement is frequently adjusted to optimize fuel efficiency, then energy consumption improves, but system stability and reliability worsen due to continuous changes
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by predicting future wind direction based on current wind direction and road type information. The control server generates control instructions in advance that prevent excessive or unnecessary arrangement changes, thereby maintaining platoon stability while still optimizing fuel efficiency through proactive rather than reactive adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by using wind direction prediction to determine optimal platoon arrangements before actual wind conditions change. The control server calculates predicted wind directions and prepares control instructions ahead of time, allowing smooth transitions that maintain stability while achieving fuel efficiency optimization.
3Use of energy by moving object
If wind direction prediction is implemented to optimize platoon arrangement, then fuel efficiency improves, but the complexity of data processing and control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control server as an intermediary between wind direction sensors and vehicle control systems. The server consolidates data processing tasks, receiving wind direction information from sensors, processing the data along with road type information, generating control instructions, and transmitting them to vehicles. This centralized intermediary approach simplifies the overall system architecture while enabling sophisticated wind-based optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a method of controlling platooning according to a wind direction and a control server for implementing the same. The disclosed control server includes a communication unit configured to communicate with two or more autonomous vehicles which travel in a platoon, a memory configured to store one or more instructions, and a processor configured to execute the instructions. The communication unit receives a power loss value from a leading vehicle among the two or more vehicles and receives information about a direction of wind around the two or more vehicles from at least one vehicle among the two or more vehicles or an external server.