Vehicle Platoon ECU Coordination for Precise Gap and Gear Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems, particularly for public roads, lack the precision required for accurate acceleration, braking, and steering, especially at high speeds, making them unsuitable for precise vehicle platooning.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes vehicle-to-vehicle communication to transmit data between lead and rear vehicles, including engine, brake, and transmission ECUs, to maintain a desired gap and relative speed, using a platoon ECU to augment and synchronize operations, allowing for precise control of torque, braking, and gear shifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If drive-by-wire systems are used for vehicle control, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision and control precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vehicle control system into multiple independent ECUs (engine ECU, brake ECU, transmission ECU, platoon ECU) that can be manufactured and calibrated separately with high precision, then integrated through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This allows each component to achieve manufacturing precision while maintaining ease of operation through modular architecture.
2Device complexity
If simple throttle and brake control is used, then device complexity is reduced, but control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by having the platoon ECU coordinate multiple control functions (throttle, brake, transmission) across multiple ECUs simultaneously. This universal control approach maintains relative simplicity while achieving high precision through the multi-functional platoon ECU that manages acceleration, braking, and gear shifting in coordination.
3Ease of operation
If remote vehicle control is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the lead vehicle's ECU data is continuously transmitted to the rear vehicle's platoon ECU, which then adjusts control commands based on real-time conditions. This closed-loop feedback system maintains reliability by allowing continuous monitoring and adjustment, while preserving remote control capability through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication link.
4Manufacturing precision
If precise platooning control is achieved through multiple ECUs and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The platoon ECU serves as an intermediary that receives data from the lead vehicle's ECUs and translates it into coordinated control commands for the rear vehicle's ECUs. This intermediary approach manages complexity by centralizing the communication and coordination logic in the platoon ECU, while allowing individual ECUs to maintain their standard, simpler architectures.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for coordinating and controlling vehicles, for example heavy trucks, to follow closely behind each other, or linking to form a platoon. In one aspect, on-board controllers in each vehicle interact with vehicular sensors to monitor and control, for example, gear ratios on vehicles. A front vehicle can shift a gear which, via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication link, can cause a rear vehicle to shift gears. To maintain a gap, vehicles may shift gears at various relative positions based on a grade of a road.