WO2012105889A1

WO2012105889A1 - Method and management unit pertaining to vehicle trains

Info

Publication number: WO2012105889A1
Application number: PCT/SE2012/050066
Authority: WO
Inventors: Assad Al Alam; Henrik Pettersson; Tony Sandberg; Jan Dellrud
Original assignee: Scania Cv Ab
Priority date: 2011-02-03
Filing date: 2012-01-24
Publication date: 2012-08-09
Also published as: EP2671124A1; BR112013018823A2; EP2671124A4; SE1150075A1; CN103403639A; CN103403639B

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for organising and managing a vehicle train by using a management unit, comprising: A) the management unit receiving vehicle train information which relates to at least two vehicles and comprises, for each of them, starting and destination points for a journey, times for the journey, e.g. departure time and/or arrival time, vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption; B) matching the times of the vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train; C) matching starting and destination points of the vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof an itinerary for the vehicle train. D) calculating for each vehicle an individual value parameter which represents the consequences of taking part in the vehicle train, based on at least the vehicle-specific information and the specified itinerary, which value parameter represents one or more from among fuel saving, time gain or time loss.

Description

Title

Method and management unit pertaining to vehicle trains

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method and a management unit according to the preambles of the independent claims, and relate in particular to initiating and creating a vehicle train.

Background to the invention

The already high traffic volume on Europe's major roads is expected to increase still further. The energy required for carrying freight on these roads is also enormous and growing. A possible contribution to solving these problems it to have trucks travel closer together in so-called vehicle trains ("platoons").

Travelling close together in a vehicle train considerably lowers the air resistance of trucks, reduces their energy requirements and uses the transport system more efficiently. Developments in sensor, computer and communication technology have made it possible to design trucks and infrastructure to support the use of vehicle trains.

The demand for energy-efficient transport comes both from governments and from the transport industry, on the basis of

• environmental aspects, with an aim stated by governments of reducing C0₂ emissions,

• economic aspects, due to increasing fuel costs.

A haulier's two largest expenditure items are driver pay and fuel, each accounting for about 30% of the total cost of a vehicle used for long-distance haulage. This means large economic gains for the haulage industry if transport efficiency can be improved. Transport efficiency means here minimising vehicle fuel consumption on the basis of engine efficiency, vehicle aerodynamics and rolling resistance, and minimising times when vehicles are not used for active carriage of freight, due to queuing, travelling between assignments, and unscheduled visits to workshops.

Vehicle trains have long been discussed as a possible means of achieving more efficient carriage of freight. Vehicle train means here a number of vehicles travelling with close spacing between them and as a unit. It is well known that fuel consumption is greatly reduced by travelling close to a vehicle ahead, because of the decrease in air resistance. Studies have shown that the fuel consumption of the leading vehicle may be reduced by 2-10% and that of the following vehicle by 15-20%, as compared with a lone vehicle. These figures are based on the distance between the trucks being 8-16 metres and on their travelling at 80 km/h. The lower fuel consumption means a corresponding reduction in CO₂ emissions. These well-known facts are currently already being used by drivers, with reduced traffic safety as a result. A fundamental issue concerning vehicle trains is how to reduce the time gap between vehicles from a recommended 3 seconds to between 0.5 and 1 second without affecting traffic safety. The recommended time gap is currently based on

• driver reaction time

• delays in vehicle brake systems

• vehicle stopping distances

Driver reaction time can be eliminated by means of distance sensors and cameras, a type of technology already applied by systems such as ACC (adaptive cruise control) and LKA (lane keeping assistance). There is however a limitation in that distance sensors and cameras need a clear view of the target, making it difficult to detect what is happening more than a couple of vehicles ahead in a queue. A further limitation is that these facilities cannot react proactively, i.e. react to occurrences which have had no marked effect yet on the pace of traffic. One possibility for solving these problems is communication between vehicles. Vehicles ahead in a vehicle train might

• send information about their own state, i.e. weight, speed, power output, location,

• send information about forms of action which affect nearby traffic, e.g. braking,

· act as probe for vehicles behind by passing reports about traffic occurrences rearwards in the vehicle train.

This makes it possible for a vehicle train to operate as a unit, thereby damping fluctuations in the train caused by speed changes and consequently allowing closer spacing and better overall traffic flow.

Wireless communication between vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure is a technology which is beginning to be implemented through work in the field of standardisation. This technology has been applied in international projects to create driver warning functions and in route planning and route optimisation. It has however not been used as an active information source for regulation of vehicles. A significant amount of research is therefore needed for the development of a control strategy for using this technology in vehicle functions.

US 2010/0256852 relates to a method for monitoring a plurality of vehicles which form part of a vehicle train, whereby a lead vehicle communicates with the other vehicles in the train by V2V

communication. This communication relates inter alia to the positions of vehicles in the train and the spacing between them. As the above account of prior art indicates, much of the work relating to vehicle trains is concerned with technical solutions for creating optimally controlled vehicle trains, but various types of trains might be generated by using available technology and a certain amount of manual driving.

An important aspect not covered which the inventors have noted from previous patent applications relates to how to generate vehicle trains and how to manage this.

The object of the present invention is related to generating and managing vehicle trains. Summary of the invention

The above objects are achieved with the invention defined by the independent claims.

Preferred embodiments are defined by the dependent claims.

The present invention indicates a method for implementing a global service, preferably web-based, which makes it possible, inter alia by using current or future locations of vehicles already on the move, times, engine specifications, vehicle weights, frontal cross-sectional areas etc., to create a programme which calculates and reviews various possibilities and advantages involved in creating or joining a vehicle train. The method is applicable in at least two main different ways which are described below in conjunction with illustrative embodiments.

In a first embodiment a vehicle is created and managed in advance, i.e. not in real time. The customer, e.g. a haulier, has facilities for connecting to the network and logging into the service to enable him to indicate starting and destination points and when he wishes the haulage run to begin or end. The service then indicates which other heavy vehicles are intending to undertake the same journey. At the same time it calculates the haulier's potential gain in fuel

consumption and potential loss or gain in travelling time. The haulier may for example find that four heavy vehicles are to travel from Stockholm to Rome, but his assignment is to do a run from

Gothenburg to Munich. The haulier then receives information about the respective times at which the vehicle train is expected to be in Gothenburg and Munich, enabling him to see whether the gains arising from joining train seem sufficient. If he decides to join the train, the other vehicles travelling in it from Stockholm will be informed that another vehicle will join them at Gothenburg. The haulier will be able to look out for the vehicle train from Stockholm and thus join it at the appropriate time.

In another embodiment a vehicle train is created and managed in real time. Each vehicle sends its location, e.g. received via GPS, and then receives from the service the locations of other vehicle trains, which may be displayed on the vehicle's navigator.

Information will also be provided about the number of vehicles in the train, their destinations and potential gains arising if the haulier's vehicle departs from its current itinerary and joins the train, as calculated by a suitable algorithm. For access to all this, the vehicle concerned has of course to send appropriate information to the service. The gains for individual vehicles will differ according to their position in the vehicle train, since they will be subject to different air resistances. The service will therefore also offer a reward system based on suitable compensation. This may involve a points system or direct payments. The invention is applicable to both autonomously and manually controlled vehicle trains. Autonomous means a train in which inter alia each vehicle's sensors are used to automatically maintain its distance from a vehicle in front. This allows closer spacing between vehicles than in a manually controlled train in which drivers actively drive.

This service implemented according to the invention makes it easy to set up vehicle trains. It also makes a difference to the world by increasing transport efficiency and reducing both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. The possibility of putting a joining vehicle into an appropriate position in a vehicle train and of sending appropriate vehicle characteristics to the service means that optimum driving strategies advantageous to the individual vehicle can be achieved. This leads also to possibilities for cooperation between different hauliers, e.g. a haulier with a half-full truck might offer other hauliers the possibility of utilising the spare cargo space. Traffic flows will also be markedly improved in terms of monitoring which roads are congested. This might lead to both physical and virtual green corridors resulting in further advantages to customers. National road administrations will thus save having to build new road networks, and repair costs will decrease. The service makes a global haulage exchange possible. The service might for example be set up in the form of a web portal managed, for example, by a freight forwarder, allowing freight orders to be controlled in an optimum way, or it might alternatively be a freestanding service which individual hauliers would connect to. Brief description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the present invention. Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating examples of system architectures relevant to the description of the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. We start with a general review of how a vehicle train works, inter alia with regard to how communication between vehicles within the train takes place, and also how communication within a superordinate structure might take place. To allow the train to travel safely and efficiently, each truck has to regulate its position with reference to what neighbouring other vehicles in the train are doing. There are three schematic system architectures of successively growing complexity: in the first architecture the trucks only receive information about other vehicles from their own sensors (radar, laser etc.), in the second architecture the trucks also receive information by being able to communicate with one another (vehicle-to-vehicle communication, V2V), and in the third architecture the trucks also receive information by being able to communicate with a fixed infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, V2I).

Figure 3 illustrates the three schematic system architectures I, II and III. Three trucks T1 , T2 and T3 are each equipped with their own sensors for detecting, for example, the distance from a vehicle in front. The vehicles are further provided with communication equipment G1, G2 and G3 for conducting V2V communication 20. There is also a superordinate structure 22 for handling V2I communication 24.

The weight and engine output of a heavy vehicle are of substantial significance for its hill climbing ability and its free acceleration downhill. These characteristics of each individual vehicle in a train will affect the aggregate energy consumption of the whole train. For example, a heavy vehicle travelling downhill behind a lighter vehicle will tend to move closer to the latter and have to be braked. Correct choice of time gap or correct positioning of vehicles in the train before the downhill run begins might avoid this braking and consequently reduce fuel consumption.

Communication between vehicles in a vehicle train can be used to exchange information about their individual weight, power output, destination etc. This in combination with information about the topology and curvature of the road ahead (e.g. from GPS and maps with topological information) makes it possible to manage the individual vehicles in the train efficiently relative to one another.

Management of vehicles in a vehicle train involves

• spacing between two vehicles

• current relative speed between two vehicles

• mutual position of vehicles in the train

· synchronisation of vehicles joining and leaving the train

• optimum speed for the whole train.

Another important issue relating to a vehicle train is how it should interact with other traffic and nearby infrastructure. Communication between the vehicle train and other traffic and the infrastructure provides scope for achieving further efficiency of the train by making it possible

• to optimise the train's speed in response to dynamic changes in the pace of traffic, e.g. traffic lights and speed limits, and to create gaps in the train in order to allow other traffic to cross its path,

• to optimise the train's itinerary with respect to the overall traffic situation,

· to control the train as well as the infrastructure in order to make the vehicle easier to drive.

To sum up, vehicle trains may increase traffic efficiency by

• reducing fuel consumption, due to less air resistance

· increasing the packing density of the road network by having the vehicles travel closer together

• damping of fluctuation of traffic, with consequently better traffic flow. The system architecture depicted in Figure 3 illustrates a distributed form of regulating a vehicle train in which the numerals I, II and III represent different levels of the architecture.

Level I - Distance sensors

The future legal requirement for autonomous emergency brake systems has prompted substantial technical development in distance sensors and advanced image processing. This has been further developed by sensor fusion, with potential for future object

identification within real-time systems. At the same time, research in GPS and map data handling has reached a level of maturity which enhances the precision of measured data and contributes further significant information. More reliable measured data now creates potential for robust regulation and hence an optimum regulating strategy without affecting safety. Level II - V2V

The main focus in level I is on optimum regulating strategies based on existing technology. The only information used at present is about the relative speed and distance of vehicles in front. This imposes limitations on optimality criteria and allows only

decentralised regulation. Level II is concerned with the potential advantages and further information arising from V2V communication. Information from vehicles within a train may be used to achieve a combination of centralised and decentralised regulation. This type of wireless information system comprises inter alia radio

communication, WLAN etc. A relevant technology in this context is the new WLAN standard IEEE 802.11 p, added to IEEE 802.11 to make wireless communication possible within a vehicle environment (WAVE). This protocol specifies further requirements for being able to support intelligent transport system (ITS) applications. This involves data exchange between high-speed vehicles and between infrastructure and vehicles within the licensed 5.9 GHz (5.85 - 5.925 GHz) frequency band.

Level III - V2I

Presentations at the 2008 ITS World Congress included systems which can detect speed limits pertaining to roads. Future systems are therefore likely to be able to provide further information from the infrastructure (V2I). Information from traffic lights, other types of road signs etc. may create further parameters which limit the optimum decision space. Vehicle trains are likely to be able to adaptively regulate their speed in order to avoid expensive control action, e.g. braking, before red traffic lights. It will thus be possible for the traffic flow to be optimised and congestion minimised. In conjunction with information from GPS, map data, distance sensors, camera monitoring and wireless V2V communication, information from the infrastructure will serve as a basis for a high-quality electronic horizon which may then contribute to an optimum cruise control system.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of the invention in the form of a method for organising and managing a vehicle train by using a management unit.

The method comprises:

A) the management unit receiving vehicle train information which relates to at least two vehicles and comprises, for each of them, starting and destination points for a journey,

times for the journey, e.g. departure time and/or arrival time, vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption etc.

This first step may for example involve a haulier logging into a service implemented in the management unit. The haulier supplies information about journeys planned for his company's trucks, comprising inter alia the aforesaid vehicle train information. The information supplied is preferably given a vehicle-specific identity for each truck. The vehicle train information may also be conveyed by email, SMS, etc.

B) matching the times of the vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train. Comparing desired departure times and arrival times supplied to the management unit leads to determining a departure time and an arrival time for the vehicle train which correspond as closely as possible to the desired times. The possibility of a vehicle travelling only a limited part of its journey in the vehicle train is of course catered for.

C) matching starting and destination points of the vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof an itinerary for the vehicle train.

Comparing desired starting and destination points supplied to the management unit leads to determining a starting point and a destination point for the vehicle train which correspond as closely as possible to the desired locations. This may also entail the possibility of alternative routes. This matching is done in conjunction with the matching in step B, since itinerary and time are closely inter-related. Vehicles may travel in the train for part of its whole journey.

D) calculating for each vehicle an individual value parameter which represents the consequences of taking part in the vehicle train, based on at least the vehicle-specific information and the specified itinerary, which value parameter represents one or more from among fuel saving, time gain or time loss.

When the vehicle train's timing and itinerary have been determined, the value parameter is determined by an individual calculation for each vehicle. This provides a measure of the advantages of participating in the vehicle train and serves as part of the basis for deciding whether a vehicle should participate. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises after step D) further steps as follows:

E) issuing proposals which relate to each vehicle with regard to at least the train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time, and the individual value parameter.

This may for example be done by the proposal being sent to the source of the information sent to the management unit, e.g. the vehicle or the haulier, and may be in the form of an email, SMS etc. An alternative is to go in via the web and examine the proposal on the home page of the service.

F) receiving an acceptance signal relating to vehicles which have opted to be part of the vehicle train.

When thus received or examined, the proposal may be accepted or rejected, e.g. by replying to the email or SMS. Alternatively the reply may be conveyed by input on the home page.

G) issuing vehicle train instructions which relate to the respective vehicles which have opted to form part of the train, comprising at least information about its departure time, itinerary and arrival time. In response to replies received, the vehicle train instructions are sent to the respective vehicles or may alternatively be available via the home page. The information comprises not only that indicated above but also about where vehicles not starting from the same point can join the train.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method is conducted in advance before the vehicle train's departure time. According to another embodiment, the method is conducted in real time during the train's journey. This makes it possible for a vehicle to receive information about itineraries and times of ongoing vehicle trains and to receive proposals with regard to where and when to join a train. The vehicles in the train may then also receive information about further vehicles joining.

Information to vehicles which are to form part of the vehicle train may for example be conveyed by V2I communication as described above in relation to Figure 3.

The V2V communication described above is preferably used for communication between vehicles within the train. The information available in system architecture I is for example used at method step A, possibly in the form of vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption.

The invention comprises also a management unit 2 for organising and managing a vehicle train. The management unit comprises a calculation module 4, a communication module 6 and a memory module 8 and will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 1. The management unit may for example be set up with a suitably adapted conventional personal computer.

The communication module 6 is adapted to receiving vehicle train information 10 which relates to at least two vehicles and comprises, for each of them,

starting and destination points for a journey,

times for the journey, e.g. departure time and/or arrival time, vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption, and to conveying to the calculation module 4 the vehicle train information received.

The calculation module 4 is adapted to matching the vehicles' times with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train, and to matching the vehicles' starting and destination points with one another and determining on the basis thereof an itinerary for the vehicle train. Determining the itinerary involves using inter alia map data stored in the memory module. The calculation module is further adapted to calculating for each vehicle an individual value parameter which represents the consequences of taking part in the vehicle train, based on at least the vehicle-specific information and the specified itinerary, which value parameter represents one or more from among fuel saving, time gain or time loss.

According to an embodiment, the communication module is adapted to issuing proposals which relate to each vehicle with regard to at least the train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time and the individual value parameter. The communication module is further adapted to receiving an acceptance signal relating to vehicles which have opted to be part of the train and to Issuing vehicle train instructions 12 which relate to the respective vehicles which have opted to form part of the train, comprising at least information about the train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time. The information may also comprise joining places and times for vehicles not participating in the whole itinerary of the train.

The management unit comprises, according to an embodiment, an input/output module 14 which may for example take the form of a keyboard and a computer screen presenting an interface for input of instructions and display of relevant information. The way the management unit works is of course closely related to the method descri bed above, and everything descri bed in relation to the method is also applicable to the management unit.

The present i nvention is not restricted to the preferred embodiments described above. Sundry alternatives, modif ications and eq uivalents may be used. The above em bodiments are therefore not to be regarded as l imiting the i nvention's protective scope which is defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A method for organising and managing a vehicle train by using a management unit, comprising:

times for the journey, e.g. departure time and/or arrival time, vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption;

B) matching the times of the vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train;

2. A method according to claim 1, which further comprises the following steps after step D):

E) issuing proposals which relate to each vehicle with regard to at least the vehicle train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time and the individual value parameter;

F) receiving an acceptance signal relating to vehicles which have opted to be part of the vehicle train, and

G) issuing vehicle train instructions which relate to the respective vehicles which have opted to form part of the train, comprising at least information about its departure time, itinerary and arrival time.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, which method according to step B) comprises matching the times of vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train which is substantially in line with the times of the respective vehicles.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, which is conducted in advance before the vehicle train's departure time.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, which is conducted in real time during the vehicle train's journey.

6. A management unit (2) for organising and managing a vehicle train, comprising a calculation module (4), a communication module (6) and a memory module (8),

characterised in that

the communication module (6) is adapted to receiving vehicle train information (10) which relates to at least two vehicles and comprises, for each of them,

starting and destination points for a journey,

times for the journey, e.g. departure time and/or arrival time, vehicle-specific information, e.g. engine power, vehicle weight, frontal cross-sectional area, fuel consumption,

and to conveying to the calculation module the vehicle train

information received,

and that the calculation module (4) is adapted to matching the times of vehicles with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train, and to matching the vehicles' starting and destination points with one another and determining on the basis thereof an itinerary for the vehicle train; The calculation module is further adapted to calculating for each vehicle an individual value parameter which represents the consequences of taking part in the vehicle train, based on at least the vehicle-specific information and the specified itinerary, which value parameter represents one or more from among fuel saving, time gain or time loss.

7. The management unit according to claim 6, in which said communication module is adapted to issuing proposals which relate to each vehicle with regard to at least the vehicle train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time and the individual value parameter and is further adapted to receiving an acceptance signal relating to the vehicles which have opted to be part of the vehicle train and to issuing vehicle train instructions (12) which relate to the respective vehicles which have opted to form part of the train, comprising information about at least the vehicle train's departure time, itinerary and arrival time.

8. A management unit according to claim 6 or 7, in which the calculation unit is adapted to matching the vehicles' times with one another and determining on the basis thereof a time for the vehicle train which is substantially in line with the respective vehicles' times.

9. A management unit according to any one of claims 6-8, in which said vehicle train information is arranged to be transmitted via internet.

10. A management unit according to any one of claims 6-8, in which said vehicle train information is arranged to be transmitted via the mobile network.

11. A management unit according to any one of claims 6-9, which comprises an input/output module (14).