Platooning Follow Control Using Slope-Based Acceleration Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional platooning control systems experience unnecessary acceleration and deceleration due to inadequate responsiveness when leading vehicles traverse uphill or downhill, leading to reduced fuel efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A platooning control apparatus that utilizes vehicle-to-vehicle communication to obtain slope information of the leading vehicle and the own vehicle, determining whether to inhibit acceleration or deceleration control based on the slope and inter-vehicle distance, thereby enhancing responsiveness and fuel efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the own vehicle performs follow control by decelerating when the leading vehicle decelerates, then the inter-vehicle distance can be maintained, but unnecessary deceleration occurs when the leading vehicle travels uphill, reducing fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit obtains slope information in advance and determines whether to inhibit follow control before the own vehicle reaches the uphill section. By predicting the leading vehicle's deceleration due to uphill based on slope information, the system prevents unnecessary early deceleration of the own vehicle, maintaining fuel efficiency while still preparing to maintain inter-vehicle distance when needed.
2Reliability
If the own vehicle performs follow control by accelerating when the leading vehicle accelerates, then the inter-vehicle distance can be maintained, but unnecessary acceleration occurs when the leading vehicle travels downhill, reducing fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit obtains slope information in advance and determines whether to inhibit follow control before the own vehicle reaches the downhill section. By predicting the leading vehicle's acceleration due to downhill based on slope information, the system prevents unnecessary early acceleration of the own vehicle, maintaining fuel efficiency while still preparing to maintain inter-vehicle distance when needed.
3Speed
If the follow control unit continuously adjusts acceleration/deceleration based on leading vehicle behavior, then responsiveness to leading vehicle changes is improved, but fuel efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary acceleration/deceleration on slopes
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses slope information to predict upcoming changes in the leading vehicle's behavior before they occur. By determining in advance whether to inhibit follow control based on slope conditions, the system maintains high responsiveness to actual leading vehicle changes while avoiding unnecessary acceleration/deceleration on slopes, thus improving fuel efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Slope information acts as an intermediary factor that mediates between the leading vehicle's behavior and the own vehicle's follow control. The determination unit uses this intermediate information to intelligently decide when to inhibit follow control, allowing the system to maintain responsiveness to genuine traffic conditions while filtering out unnecessary reactions to slope-induced leading vehicle behavior changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A platooning control apparatus that realizes platooning of a plurality of vehicles by causing an own vehicle to follow other vehicle. The platooning control apparatus includes a follow control unit that controls acceleration/deceleration of the own vehicle by using forward information of the own vehicle and other vehicle information obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a first acquisition unit that obtains first slope information indicating a gradient of a road surface on which a leading vehicle of the platooning is traveling, a determination unit that determines based on the first slope information whether or not to inhibit acceleration/deceleration control to be performed by the follow control unit when the leading vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, and a suppression control unit that inhibits the acceleration/deceleration control to be performed by the follow control unit when the acceleration/deceleration control is determined to be inhibited.