Remote Vehicle Platoon Control Using Location-Synced Commands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods require a human driver to individually operate vehicles to parking spaces in assembly plants or to shipping points, consuming significant human time and resources and being inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A system of vehicles equipped with processors that can receive and execute remote driving commands, allowing a lead vehicle to broadcast commands to other vehicles in a platoon, enabling semi-autonomous driving and efficient movement of multiple vehicles with a single designated driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single human driver operates each vehicle individually to parking spaces or shipping points, then each vehicle can be controlled with full human oversight, but significant human time and resources are consumed and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lead vehicle's driving commands are copied and broadcast to follower vehicles, allowing them to execute the same sequence of commands autonomously. This copying mechanism eliminates the need for separate human drivers for each vehicle, significantly improving productivity while reducing human time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Follower vehicles autonomously execute driving commands by receiving and processing broadcasted control signals from the lead vehicle. The vehicles perform self-service navigation without requiring continuous human intervention, thereby reducing both human time and resource consumption while maintaining operational efficiency.
2Productivity
If multiple vehicles are controlled by a single remote driver through wireless commands, then human resource usage is reduced and efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases with processors, wireless communication, and command broadcasting mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The lead vehicle's processor serves multiple functions: it acts as both an autonomous driving controller and a command broadcasting station. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated broadcasting equipment, thereby improving efficiency while limiting the increase in system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control and communication functions are merged into the existing vehicle processors and wireless communication systems. By combining these functions rather than adding separate systems, the patent achieves multi-vehicle control with minimal additional complexity while maintaining high productivity.
3Productivity
If follower vehicles autonomously execute broadcasted commands based on location correspondence, then human oversight is reduced and operational efficiency increases, but the reliability may be affected by wireless communication errors or location determination inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors location correspondence between lead and follower vehicles to determine when commands should be executed. This feedback mechanism ensures that autonomous execution is synchronized with actual vehicle positions, improving reliability while maintaining operational efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a plurality of vehicles and at least one first processor in a first vehicle and at least one second processor in each other of the plurality of vehicles. The first vehicle wirelessly receives remote driving commands, from a remote computing system, instructing control of the first vehicle and executes the remote driving commands to control the first vehicle in accordance with the remote driving commands. The first vehicle wirelessly broadcasts the remote driving commands, including a location of the first vehicle where a given of the driving commands was executed. The second vehicle wirelessly receives the broadcast remote driving commands, stores the received remote driving commands in sequence, and executes the given of the driving commands when a location of the second vehicle corresponds to the location of the first vehicle where the given of the driving commands was executed.