Platooning Control with Dynamic Vehicle Spacing and Load Order

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing platooning control technologies fail to adequately minimize the risk of traffic accidents and associated damage during platooning, particularly in scenarios involving trucks where secondary accidents due to load falls are common.

Innovation Solution

A platooning control technology that dynamically adjusts vehicle spacing based on the state of the vehicle, travel environment, and loading rate, utilizing vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a central server to optimize vehicle arrangement and spacing for safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If vehicles maintain fixed spacing during platooning, then platooning operation is simple and efficient, but safety is compromised when environmental conditions or vehicle states change

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatooning safetyVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic spacing adjustment where the distance between vehicles in a platoon is continuously modified based on real-time detection of environmental conditions (weather, road state) and vehicle states (loading rate, speed). The control system transitions from fixed to variable spacing, allowing the platoon to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining coordinated motion through centralized control signals.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If vehicle spacing is increased to prevent accidents, then safety is improved, but platooning efficiency and productivity decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccident preventionVSAvoidplatooning efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically changes the spacing parameter between vehicles based on detected conditions. When environmental conditions are favorable and vehicle states are stable, spacing is reduced to maintain high platooning efficiency. When risks are detected (adverse weather, high loading rates, speed variations), spacing is automatically increased to prevent accidents, thus optimizing the trade-off between safety and efficiency in real-time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If real-time environmental and vehicle state monitoring is implemented, then platooning safety is enhanced, but system complexity and information processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety monitoringVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a centralized control system that universally processes multiple types of information (environmental data from weather stations, road state information, vehicle state parameters including loading rate and speed) through a single coordination mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows diverse data sources to be integrated and processed uniformly, enabling comprehensive safety monitoring without proportionally increasing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback loops where detected environmental conditions and vehicle states are constantly monitored, compared against safety thresholds, and used to adjust spacing parameters in real-time. This closed-loop control ensures that safety monitoring is systematic and responsive, automatically adapting to changing conditions without requiring complex manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4170621B1Device and method for controlling platooning
Publication Date: 2025.05.14 HYUNDAI MOBIS CO LTD
  • EP4170621B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4170621B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4170621B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Proposed is a device for controlling platooning, the device including a processor that detects a travel environment state for the platooning, detects weights or loading rates of vehicles to be participating in the platooning, determines an arrangement order of a line of the vehicles of the platooning based on the detected travel environment state and the detected weights or loading rates, and sets a vehicle spacing of the platooning based on the arrangement order, and a communication device for transmitting information on the arrangement order and the vehicle spacing.