Vehicle Group Control via Segmented Communication and Representative Mediators
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle group control method experiences high communication load on the first vehicle, making it impractical for a large number of vehicles due to increased data capacity and communication period demands, leading to potential disarray in vehicle alignment.
Innovation Solution
The method divides vehicles into small groups, where each group controls relative positions using vehicle-to-vehicle communication and selects representative vehicles to manage relationships between groups, separating communication loads and preventing error propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the first vehicle communicates with each of the other following vehicles in a vehicle group, then the inter-vehicle distance control is achieved, but the communication load on the first vehicle increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the vehicle group into multiple small vehicle groups, where each small group has its own first vehicle that communicates only with following vehicles within that small group. This segmentation reduces the communication burden on individual vehicles while maintaining effective distance control within each subgroup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces representative vehicles as intermediaries between small vehicle groups. Each representative vehicle communicates with other representative vehicles to coordinate the relative relationships between small groups, thereby reducing direct communication requirements between all vehicles in the large group.
2Productivity
If the number of vehicles in the vehicle group increases, then the vehicle group traveling efficiency is improved, but the communication smoothness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the large vehicle group into multiple small vehicle groups, the patent enables the system to handle a larger total number of vehicles while maintaining smooth communication within each small group. The segmentation prevents communication bottlenecks that would occur in a single large group.
Solution Approach 2:
Representative vehicles act as mediators between small vehicle groups, enabling coordinated control of the entire large group without requiring direct communication between all vehicles. This intermediary layer maintains communication smoothness even as the total vehicle count increases.
3Measurement precision
If each vehicle rapidly responds to disturbances in the vehicle group, then the inter-vehicle distance error is reduced, but the communication load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vehicle group into small groups where each vehicle only needs to rapidly respond to disturbances within its own small group. This localized rapid response maintains distance precision while reducing the communication load compared to a system where all vehicles must communicate with all other vehicles.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a vehicle group control method that controls the traveling of a vehicle group including a plurality of vehicles. The vehicle group control method includes: a process of controlling vehicles in each of a plurality of small vehicle groups which are divided from the vehicle group and controlling the relative relationship between the vehicles in each small vehicle group using communication between the vehicles in the same small vehicle group; and a small vehicle group control process of controlling the relative relationship between the small vehicle groups using communication between representative vehicles in the small vehicle groups.