Two-Leg Vehicle Tether Damping for Jack-Knife Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle platooning tethers are prone to jack-knifing due to sudden acceleration or loss of traction, leading to dangerous situations and potential accidents.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle tether with dynamic, compliant legs equipped with mechanical dampers and sensors, allowing for six degrees of freedom of motion and controlled damping to stabilize the relative orientation of vehicles, preventing jack-knifing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid tether is used to maintain stable connection between vehicles, then connection strength is improved, but jack-knifing risk increases due to inability to absorb sudden movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Dynamics principle by replacing the rigid tether with two dynamic legs that can extend and contract. Each leg contains a telescopic mechanism with a piston and cylinder assembly, allowing the leg length to vary dynamically. This enables the tether to adapt to sudden acceleration or braking events by absorbing movements through leg extension/contraction, thereby preventing jack-knifing while maintaining connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements Parameter changes by modifying the physical state of the tether from rigid to compliant through the use of dampers. The dampers change the damping parameter to provide controlled resistance to leg movement, allowing the system to transition between rigid-like stability and flexible shock absorption depending on operational conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between connection strength and jack-knifing prevention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a compliant single leg is used to allow movement freedom, then path following capability is improved, but stability deteriorates due to excessive movement freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Segmentation principle by dividing the single compliant leg into two separate dynamic legs. This segmentation provides multiple degrees of freedom while maintaining stability, as each leg can independently adjust its length and angle. The two-leg configuration allows the follower vehicle to trace the leader's path more accurately while the distributed compliance prevents excessive movement that would compromise stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the Dynamics principle with two dynamic legs that can independently extend and contract, providing adaptive movement freedom. The legs incorporate dampers that dynamically adjust resistance to movement, allowing the system to maintain stability during normal operation while enabling sufficient path following capability. The angular joints at the connectors allow dynamic reconfiguration to accommodate path variations without losing orientation stability.
3Reliability
If mechanical dampers are added to control leg movement, then jack-knifing prevention is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs the Pneumatics and hydraulics principle by using a piston and cylinder assembly within each dynamic leg to provide mechanical damping. The hydraulic or pneumatic damper controls the rate of leg extension and contraction through fluid resistance, effectively preventing jack-knifing by dissipating kinetic energy from sudden movements. This approach provides robust jack-knifing prevention through passive mechanical means without requiring complex electronic control systems.
4Measurement precision
If six degrees of freedom are provided for vehicle movement, then path following precision is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the Dynamics principle by providing six degrees of freedom through two dynamic legs with telescopic mechanisms and angular joints. Each leg can change length independently, and the joints at the connectors allow rotation in multiple directions. This dynamic configuration enables precise path following by allowing the follower vehicle to adjust its position and orientation in three-dimensional space while maintaining stable connection to the leader vehicle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tether maintains stability and reduces the probability of jack-knifing while enabling precise path following, even in tight spaces, by providing controlled freedom of movement and damping.
Implementation Method 1
equipped with mechanical dampers to preclude sudden extensions or contractions of the legs
Implementation Method 2
The joints between the legs and the front-end and rear-end connectors, between the front-end connector and the lead vehicle, and between the rear-end connectors and the follow vehicle may collectively provide six degrees of freedom of motion
Data Source
AI summary
Physically tethered platooning with exact path following and decreased risk of jack-knifing can be achieved using a compliant vehicle tether including two damped dynamic legs each including a prismatic joint. The tether may have a generally triangular configuration, with legs extending between a single front-end connector configured to attach to a lead vehicle and two respective rear-end connectors configured to attach to the follow vehicle at two mount points by suitable joints. The prismatic joints may be implemented, in accordance with various embodiments, by double-acting hydraulic cylinders or rack-and-pinion systems, equipped with electrically controlled flow control valves for active damping.