Vehicle Platoon Shared Control Using a Shared World Model
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current autonomous vehicle systems lack effective collaboration between human drivers and autonomy logic when vehicles travel in formation, limiting their ability to make complex decisions and adapt to dynamic environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a shared world model that allows vehicles to share information, including sensor data, human inputs, and processed information, enabling collaborative decision-making between human drivers and autonomy logic, allowing for actions like lane changes, speed adjustments, and role swapping within vehicle platoons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vehicles travel autonomously in formation without human intervention, then productivity and energy efficiency are improved, but adaptability to dynamic environments and complex decision-making capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A communication system serves as an intermediary between human drivers and autonomous vehicle systems, enabling information exchange and collaborative decision-making. The system transmits driver intentions, environmental perceptions, and control decisions between vehicles and human operators, allowing autonomous vehicles to benefit from human adaptability while maintaining automated operation efficiency.
2Loss of time
If full autonomous control is implemented in platoon vehicles, then loss of time and energy are reduced, but reliability in handling complex situations deteriorates due to limitations of current autonomy logic
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where autonomous vehicles share sensor data, environmental perceptions, and decision rationing with human drivers through the communication system. This feedback mechanism allows human drivers to monitor and intervene when necessary, improving reliability in complex situations while maintaining efficient automated operation during normal conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If human drivers control all aspects of platoon operation, then adaptability and complex decision-making are improved, but productivity and energy efficiency deteriorate due to increased cognitive load and human limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial automation where autonomous control handles routine platoon operations (speed matching, spacing maintenance, lane keeping) while human drivers focus on higher-level decision-making and exception handling. This partial action approach maintains productivity benefits of automation while preserving human adaptability for complex situations, reducing overall cognitive load compared to full manual control.
4Device complexity
If autonomous vehicles operate independently without shared information, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information and collaborative decision-making capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges information from multiple sources including sensor data from autonomous vehicles, environmental perceptions, and human driver inputs into a unified communication framework. This combining approach enables comprehensive information sharing across the platoon without requiring each vehicle to process and transmit all individual data streams separately, managing complexity while maximizing information availability for collaborative decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for controlling two or more vehicles travelling in formation. Selected vehicles may be fully or partially autonomously controlled; at least one vehicle is partially controlled by a human driver. Information is collected at each vehicle and from the drivers and it is shared with other vehicles and drivers to create a shared world model. Aspects of the shared world model may be presented to the human driver, who may then respond with a control input. Autonomy systems and the drivers on the vehicles then collaborate to make a collective decision to act or not to act and execute any such action in a coordinated manner.