Method for carrying out distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of a vehicle convoy and transportation vehicle module for use in the method and transportation vehicle

• US 10,684,352 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: El Assaad, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Tun, Nay
• Application Number:
  US16/212,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20190195982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/03 Cooperating elements; Interaction or communication between different cooperating elements or between cooperating elements and receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0293 Convoy travelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A method of high-density platooning for transporting goods or persons wherein a group of transportation vehicles drives close behind each other as a convoy, wherein the distances between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are controlled automatically to reduce the energy consumption. An efficient distance measurement method carries out distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy. A method of UWB ranging, corresponding to Ultra-Wide Band ranging, is used for distance measurement. The coordination of the time sequence of the individual distance measurements between each two transportation vehicles of the convoy is provided so a planned time is assigned to each individual distance measurement to be carried out starting from the coordination event.

Claims

1. A transportation vehicle module for use with a method for carrying out distance measurements between transportation vehicles of a convoy, the transportation vehicle module comprising:

a mobile radio communications module for transmission and reception of messages via a mobile telecommunications system; and

a distance control module, wherein the distance control module and the mobile radio communications module cooperate to formulate and send a distance measurement coordination message to other transportation vehicles of the convoy by the mobile radio network communications module,

wherein the distances between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are controlled automatically based on the distance measurement coordination message,

wherein an ultra-wide band (UWB) ranging method is used by the distance control module for distance measurement, and

wherein coordination of a time sequence of individual distance measurements between each two transportation vehicles of the convoy is performed such that a planned starting time is assigned to each individual distance measurement at which that individual distance measurement is to be performed starting from a coordination event and performed such that the planned starting times are in succession to one another based on a position of each transportation vehicle of the convoy.

2. The transportation vehicle module of claim 1, wherein the distance control module sends each planned starting time point for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy to the mobile radio communications module and the mobile radio communications module incorporates the planned starting times for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy in the distance measurement coordination message.

3. The transportation vehicle module of claim 2, wherein the mobile radio communications module utilizes a reference time for synchronization of the clocks in the individual transportation vehicles of the convoy to determine in the distance measurement coordination message.

4. The transportation vehicle module of claim 3, wherein the mobile radio communications module incorporates the current time of day of the clock of a module corresponding to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) into formulation of the distance measurement coordination message as a reference time.

5. A transportation vehicle comprising a transportation vehicle module for use with a method for carrying out distance measurements between transportation vehicles of a convoy, the transportation vehicle module comprising:

a mobile radio communications module for transmission and reception of messages via a mobile telecommunications system; and

a distance control module, wherein the distance control module and the mobile radio communications module cooperate to formulate and send a distance measurement coordination message to other transportation vehicles of the convoy by the mobile radio network communications module,

wherein the distances between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are controlled automatically based on the distance measurement coordination message,

wherein an ultra-wide band (UWB) ranging method corresponding to ultra-wide band ranging is used by the distance control module for distance measurement,

wherein coordination of a time sequence of individual distance measurements between each two transportation vehicles of the convoy is performed such that a planned starting time is assigned to each individual distance measurement at which that individual distance measurement is to be performed starting from a coordination event and performed such that the planned starting times are in succession to one another based on a position of each transportation vehicle of the convoy, and

wherein the transportation vehicle module is installed in the transportation vehicle.

6. The transportation vehicle of claim 5, wherein the distance control module sends each planned starting time point for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy to the mobile radio communications module and the mobile radio communications module incorporates the planned starting times for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy in the distance measurement coordination message.

7. The transportation vehicle of claim 6, wherein the mobile radio communications module utilizes a reference time for synchronization of the clocks in the individual transportation vehicles of the convoy to determine in the distance measurement coordination message.

8. The transportation vehicle of claim 7, wherein the mobile radio communications module incorporates the current time of day of the clock of a module corresponding to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) into formulation of the distance measurement coordination message as a reference time.

9. A method for carrying out distance measurements between transportation vehicles of a convoy in which the distances between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are controlled automatically, wherein an ultra-wide band (UWB) ranging method is used for distance measurement, wherein coordination of a time sequence of individual distance measurements between each two transportation vehicles of the convoy is carried out so a planned time is assigned to each individual distance measurement at which that individual distance measurement is to be carried out starting from a coordination event and performed such that the planned starting times are in succession to one another based on a position of each transportation vehicle of the convoy.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the coordination event corresponds to the transmission of a distance measurement coordination message from a control station or a transportation vehicle of the convoy.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transportation vehicles of the convoy are equipped for vehicle-to-vehicle communications (V2V communications), and the distance measurement coordination message is transmitted to the other transportation vehicles of the convoy by V2V communications.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the coordination of the individual distance measurements is carried out by a lead transportation vehicle of the convoy, in which the lead transportation vehicle sends the distance measurement coordination message to the other transportation vehicles of the convoy.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the distance measurement coordination message to the other transportation vehicles of the convoy is sent to the other transportation vehicles of the convoy by broadcast or multicast.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the distance measurement coordination message is sent to the other transportation vehicles of the convoy by the LTE sidelink channel SL Broadcast Control Channel (SBCCH), corresponding to the long term evolution standard family, or by communications in a WLAN p network arranged for direct transportation vehicle communications, corresponding to a wireless LAN.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the planned starting time points for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are incorporated in the distance measurement coordination message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a reference time for synchronization of the clocks in the individual transportation vehicles of the convoy is incorporated in the distance measurement coordination message.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the planned starting times for the individual distance measurements between the transportation vehicles of the convoy are coordinated so the individual distance measurements are carried out in succession, wherein the individual distance measurements are carried out starting from the rear end of the convoy to the front or starting from the front end of the convoy toward the rear.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the method of UWB ranging for distance measurement is single-sided two-way ranging SS-TWR or double-sided two-way ranging DS-TWR.