SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A FOLLOWER VEHICLE IN A VEHICLE PLATOON

• US 20170329348A1
• Filed: 05/13/2016
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Macau University of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Macau University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Li, Zhiwu, Karoui, Oussama, Koubaa, Anis, Khalgui, Mohamed, Guerfala, Emna, Tovard, Eduardo, Wu, Naiqi
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A method for operating a follower vehicle in a vehicle platoon includes determining, during operation, whether the follower vehicle is operating in a normal state or an abnormal state based on an operation condition of a component of the follower vehicle, or a communication between the follower vehicle and a preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon. The method further includes selecting a first control mode if the follower vehicle is in the normal state and a second control mode if the follower vehicle is in the abnormal state so as to control movement of the follower vehicle using the selected control mode. In the first control mode, the follower vehicle uses communication data received from the preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon to control its movement. In the second control mode, the follower vehicle uses data obtained by one or more of its sensors to control its movement.

Claims

1. A method for operating a follower vehicle in a vehicle platoon, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining, during operation, whether the follower vehicle is operating in a normal state or an abnormal state based on;

an operation condition of a component of the follower vehicle, or

a communication between the follower vehicle and a preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon; and

(b) selecting a first control mode if the follower vehicle is in the normal state and a second control mode if the follower vehicle is in the abnormal state so as to control movement of the follower vehicle using the selected control mode;

wherein in the first control mode, the follower vehicle uses communication data received from the preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon to control its movement; and

in the second control mode, the follower vehicle uses data obtained by one or more of its sensors to control its movement.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving, at the follower vehicle, a signal indicative of the operation condition of the component or a communication signal transmitted from the preceding vehicle prior to step (a).

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the follower vehicle is determined to be operating in the abnormal state in step (a) when the component of the follower vehicle is determined to have abnormal operating condition;

or the communication between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle is determined to have lost or have a quality below a threshold.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein, in step (a), the determination of whether the follower vehicle is operating in a normal state or an abnormal state is based on both the operation condition of the component of the follower vehicle and the communication between the follower vehicle and a preceding vehicle.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising, after step (b), the step of:

determining, at the follower vehicle, a distance between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle and a deviation of the preceding vehicle with respect to the follower vehicle.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein in the first control mode, the distance is determined based on differential GPS using the following information:

a local coordinate of the follower vehicle;

a local orientation of the follower vehicle; and

a GPS coordinate and a GPS orientation of the preceding vehicle that are received from the preceding vehicle.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6, wherein in the first control mode, the deviation is determined using the information for differential GPS and orientation information obtained using a compass at the follower vehicle.

8. The method in accordance with claim 5, wherein in the second control mode, the distance and the deviation are determined using the one or more sensors of the follower vehicle.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors are arranged to transmit and receive electromagnetic or acoustic signals for distance and deviation determination.

10. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

controlling a velocity of the follower vehicle so as to maintain a reference distance between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and

controlling turning of wheels of the follower vehicle so as to enable the follower vehicle to follow the deviation of the preceding vehicle;

thereby allowing the follower vehicle to substantially follow a trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the control of the velocity is based on

12. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the control of the deviation is based on

θ

_i(t)=PID_Steer(θ

_L)

where the PID_steer function is defined by

13. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the control of the velocity further comprises the step of:

adjusting K_p, K_i, K_d so as to control the velocity of the follower vehicle.

14. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the control of the deviation further comprises the step of:

adjusting K_pl, K_il, K_dl so as to control the deviation of the follower vehicle.

15. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the adjustment of K_p, K_i, K_d is dependent on a travel velocity of the follower vehicle.

16. The method in accordance with claim 14, wherein the adjustment of K_pl, K_il, K_dl is dependent on a travel velocity of the follower vehicle.

17. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

momentarily switching from the first control mode to the second control mode when the follower vehicle is in the normal state.

18. The method in accordance with claim 5, further comprising the step of:

operating the follower vehicle in a third mode at a predetermined time interval during operation of the follower vehicle, wherein in the third mode, the follower vehicle;

determines the distance between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the deviation of the preceding vehicle with respect to the follower vehicle using the one or more sensors of the follower vehicles as well as based on data communicated from the preceding vehicle;

compares a distance and deviation measure determined based on data obtained from the one or more sensors of the follower vehicles with a distance and deviation measure determined based on data communicated from the preceding vehicle; and

switches to the second control mode if the comparison result has an difference larger than a predetermined value.

20. The system in accordance with claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further arranged to determine a distance between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle and a deviation of the preceding vehicle with respect to the follower vehicle;

the system further comprises;

a controller arranged to

control a velocity of the follower vehicle so as to maintain a reference distance between the follower vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and

control turning of wheels of the follower vehicle so as to enable the follower vehicle to follow the deviation of the preceding vehicle;

thereby allowing the follower vehicle to substantially follow a trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

19. A system for operating a follower vehicle in a vehicle platoon, comprising:

a communication module arranged to receive a signal indicative of the operation condition of a component or a communication signal transmitted from the preceding vehicle; and

one or more processors arranged to determine, during operation, whether the follower vehicle is operating in a normal state or an abnormal state based on the received signal indicative of the operation condition of a component of the follower vehicle, or a communication between the follower vehicle and a preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon; and

select a first control mode if the follower vehicle is in the normal state and a second control mode if the follower vehicle is in the abnormal state so as to control movement of the follower vehicle using the selected control mode;

wherein in the first control mode, the follower vehicle uses communication data received from the preceding vehicle in the vehicle platoon to control its movement; and

in the second control mode, the follower vehicle uses data obtained by one or more of its sensors to control its movement.