Vehicle Mass Estimation for Coordinated Platoon Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle mass estimation technologies are underutilized, primarily limited to onboard Automated Braking Systems, and lack applications in sharing mass information between vehicles or data centers for coordinated operations like platooning.
Innovation Solution
Implementing vehicle mass estimation for controlling vehicle operations, such as throttle, braking, and steering, and using relative mass estimates to organize and coordinate platooning vehicles, with mass data transmitted to a Network Operations Center for remote coordination, and incorporating a reset function to ensure accurate mass calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mass estimation is used only for onboard Automated Braking Systems, then braking control is improved, but the versatility and utility of mass estimation information is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends mass estimation information beyond its traditional single use in Automated Braking Systems to multiple applications including platooning coordination, vehicle routing optimization, and predictive maintenance. By making the mass estimation data universally available across different vehicle systems and communication networks, the same data source serves multiple functions, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability in braking control and versatility of application
2Productivity
If mass estimation data is shared between vehicles and data centers for platooning coordination, then operational efficiency is improved, but system complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary mass estimation and sharing before platooning operations begin. Vehicles perform mass estimation calculations in advance and share this data through communication networks prior to forming platoons. This preliminary action allows the platooning coordination system to pre-optimize vehicle groupings and routing based on known mass data, improving operational efficiency while avoiding the need for complex real-time calculations during platoon formation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces communication networks and data centers as intermediary components that facilitate mass estimation data sharing between vehicles. These intermediaries centralize the complexity of data management, processing, and distribution, allowing individual vehicles to maintain relatively simple onboard systems while benefiting from coordinated platooning operations managed through the intermediary network infrastructure
3Measurement precision
If a reset function is implemented to ensure accurate mass calculations, then measurement precision is improved, but processing time and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic reset functions that trigger mass estimation recalculations at predetermined intervals or under specific conditions such as significant vehicle configuration changes. Rather than continuously resetting calculations, the system performs periodic validation and recalculation only when necessary, thereby maintaining measurement precision while minimizing the time and computational resources devoted to reset operations
Data Source
AI summary
Various applications for use of mass estimations of a vehicle, including to control operation of the vehicle, sharing the mass estimation with other vehicles and/or a Network Operations Center (NOC), organizing vehicles operating in a platoon and/or partially controlling the operation of one or more vehicles operating in a platoon based on the relative mass estimations between the platooning vehicles. When vehicles are operating in a platoon, the relative mass between a lead and a following vehicle may be used to scale torque and/or brake commands generated by the lead vehicle and sent to the following vehicle.