Remote Driverless Vehicle Testing for Fatigue-Free Durability Runs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle testing methods, particularly durability tests, are labor-intensive and time-consuming, leading to physical and mental fatigue for drivers.
Innovation Solution
A driverless testing system that utilizes ground station controllers to communicate with actuators and instrumentation sensors to autonomously navigate vehicles along predefined routes, adjusting operation based on detected parameter compromises.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a driver manually operates the vehicle for durability testing, then the testing can be performed with human judgment and adaptability, but the driver experiences physical and mental fatigue over weeks or months of testing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the driver from the testing system by implementing autonomous vehicle control through actuators that operate steering, acceleration, and braking systems without human intervention. The ground station controllers remotely monitor and control the vehicle, eliminating the need for a physical driver while maintaining testing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle is equipped with autonomous capabilities to perform testing independently. The vehicle can navigate predefined routes, monitor its own operating parameters through instrumentation sensors, and execute test patterns without requiring continuous human operation, thereby serving itself during the testing process.
2Measurement precision
If durability testing is extended to achieve comprehensive validation, then testing accuracy and reliability improve, but the testing time increases to weeks or months
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous testing system enables continuous operation without breaks for driver rest or rotation. The vehicle can operate around the clock on predefined routes, maintaining continuous data collection and testing accumulation, which accelerates the validation process while preserving comprehensive testing coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-defines multiple test patterns and routes before testing begins. These predefined sequences are carefully designed to cover all necessary durability scenarios, allowing the vehicle to systematically execute comprehensive testing protocols without requiring real-time human decision-making, thus improving efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If manual driving is used for test track evaluation, then human judgment can assess vehicle performance, but the process becomes labor intensive and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements comprehensive feedback loops where instrumentation sensors continuously monitor vehicle operating parameters such as speed, position, and system performance. This data is transmitted to ground station controllers that automatically analyze results and provide feedback on test completion, replacing manual assessment with automated data-driven evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual driving and human assessment with an automated control system using actuators, sensors, and ground station controllers. This substitution eliminates labor-intensive operations while maintaining the ability to evaluate vehicle performance through automated data collection and analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
A driverless testing system for a vehicle driven along a predefined route situated in a location remote from a ground station control station includes one or more ground station controllers located at the ground station control station that are in wireless communication with a plurality of actuators, one or more field sensors, and a plurality of vehicle instrumentation sensors by a network. The one or more ground station controllers execute instructions to instruct the plurality of actuators drive the vehicle along the predefined route based on a vehicle test pattern and monitor the plurality of vehicle instrumentation sensors for a plurality of operating parameters of the vehicle. In response to detecting one or more of the operating parameters of the vehicle are compromised, the one or more ground station controllers select an alternative state of operation of the vehicle.