U.S. patent application number 16/007082 was filed with the patent office on 2019-07-04 for apparatus and method for controlling lamp of platooning vehicle.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation. Invention is credited to Geun Ok SIN.
Application Number | 20190206262 16/007082 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67058420 |
Filed Date | 2019-07-04 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190206262 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SIN; Geun Ok |
July 4, 2019 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING LAMP OF PLATOONING VEHICLE
Abstract
An apparatus configured for controlling lamps of platooning
vehicles including a leading vehicle and a plurality of following
vehicles, may include a memory configured to store information
related to the following vehicles; and a controller configured to
collectively control lamps of the leading vehicle and following
vehicles in a response to events occurring in the leading vehicle
and following vehicles.
Inventors: |
SIN; Geun Ok;
(Janggye-myeon, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hyundai Motor Company
Kia Motors Corporation |
Seoul
Seoul |
|
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company
Seoul
KR
Kia Motors Corporation
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
67058420 |
Appl. No.: |
16/007082 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D 1/0293 20130101;
B60Q 1/32 20130101; G05D 1/0295 20130101; G08G 1/22 20130101; B60Q
1/346 20130101; G05D 2201/0213 20130101; B60Q 2300/47 20130101;
B60Q 1/1423 20130101; B60Q 5/005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08G 1/00 20060101
G08G001/00; B60Q 1/34 20060101 B60Q001/34 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 2017 |
KR |
10-2017-0183892 |
Claims
1. An apparatus for controlling lamps of platooning vehicles
including a leading vehicle and a plurality of following vehicles,
the apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store information
related to the following vehicles; and a controller configured to
collectively control lamps of the leading vehicle and following
vehicles in a response to events occurring in the leading vehicle
and following vehicles.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the platooning
vehicles includes: a front turn signal lamp, a rear turn signal
lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate the turn signal lamps and side marker lamps of the
leading vehicle and the turn signal lamps and marker side lamps of
each of the following vehicle in a response to a turn signal ON
command generated in the leading vehicle, and controls such that
the lamps flicker synchronously.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller synchronizes a
flicker of a left turn signal lamp with a flicker of a left marker
lamp of the leading vehicle when the turn signal ON command is a
left turn signal ON command and synchronizes a flicker of a right
turn signal lamp with a flicker of a right marker lamp of the
leading vehicle when the turn signal ON command is a right turn
signal ON command.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps
of a rearmost following vehicle in a platooning queue when a new
vehicle participates in the platooning queue at rear of the
platooning queue.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a left turn signal lamp and a left marker lamp of the
rearmost following vehicle when the new vehicle enters from a left
side of the platooning queue, and activates a right turn signal
lamp and a right marker lamp of the rearmost following vehicle when
the new vehicle enters from a right side of the platooning
queue.
7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps
of a vehicle preceding a new vehicle and a turn signal lamp and a
plurality of side marker lamps of a rearmost following vehicle in a
platooning queue when the new vehicle participates in the
platooning queue at a middle of the platooning queue.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a left turn signal lamp and a left marker lamp of the
preceding vehicle and all lamps of the rearmost following vehicle
when the new vehicle enters from a left side of the platooning
queue, and activates a right turn signal lamp and a right marker
lamp of the preceding vehicle and all the lamps of the rearmost
following vehicle when the new vehicle enters from a right side of
the platooning queue.
9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps
of a vehicle of the platooning vehicles adjacent to a following
vehicle platooning in a platooning queue when the following vehicle
leaves the platooning queue.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured
to activate a left turn signal lamp and a left maker lamp of the
adjacent vehicle when the following vehicle leaves the platooning
queue to a left side of the platooning queue, and activates a right
turn signal lamp and a right maker lamp of the adjacent vehicle
when the following vehicle leaves the platooning queue to a right
side of the platooning queue.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured
to set a lamp flickering period of the adjacent vehicle to be
longer than a lamp flickering period of the following vehicle.
12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate all lamps of a vehicle of platooning vehicles adjacent
to an external vehicle which is not normally authenticated when the
external vehicle attempts to enter a platooning queue.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured
to control such that the adjacent vehicle sounds a horn.
14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate all lamps of a vehicle adjacent to a following vehicle
while the following vehicle leaves a platooning queue and activates
all lamps of the following vehicle and a rearmost following vehicle
in the platooning queue while the following enters the platooning
queue when the following vehicle is to change an order in the
platooning queue.
15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured
to activate the turn signal lamp of the leading vehicle and the
turn signal lamp of each following vehicle and controls such that
the side marker lamp of the leading vehicle and the side marker
lamp of each following vehicle flicker alternately when informing
of release of platooning.
16. A method of controlling lamps of platooning vehicles including
a leading vehicle and a plurality of following vehicles, the method
comprising: storing information related to the following vehicles;
and collectively controlling lamps of the leading vehicle and
following vehicles in a response to events occurring in the leading
vehicle and following vehicles.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the lamps of
the leading vehicle and following vehicles includes activating the
turn signal lamps and side marker lamps of the leading vehicle and
the turn signal lamps and marker side lamps of each of the
following vehicle in a response to a turn signal ON command
generated in the leading vehicle, and controlling such that the
lamps flicker synchronously.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the lamps of
the leading vehicle and following vehicles includes activating a
turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a rearmost
following vehicle in a platooning queue when a new vehicle
participates in the platooning queue at rear of the platooning
queue.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the lamps of
the leading vehicle and following vehicles includes activating a
turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle
of the platooning vehicles preceding a new vehicle and a turn
signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a rearmost
following vehicle of the platooning vehicles in a platooning queue
when the new vehicle participates in the platooning queue at a
middle of the platooning queue.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the lamps of
the leading vehicle and following vehicles includes activating a
turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle
of the platooning vehicles adjacent to a following vehicle
platooning in a platooning queue when the following vehicle leaves
the platooning queue.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2017-0183892, filed on Dec. 29, 2017, the entire
contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for
controlling a lamp of a platooning vehicle, and more particularly
to a technology of collectively controlling a lamp of each vehicle
during platooning corresponding to a traveling situation.
Description of Related art
[0003] In general, in the situation where several vehicles travel
to one destination at the same time, when the majority of drivers
do not know the route to the destination and one driver knows the
route, it is desired to travel through a specific route among
various routes to the destination because there is a driver who
knows a shortcut route through a side road, the vehicles moves to a
good place without a specific destination, or the vehicles pass
through an undecided stop such as a resting place, platooning is
performed to prevent the companion vehicles from being separated
from each other.
[0004] The platooning allows several vehicles to travel together
while maintaining a minimum safety distance. When the platooning is
performed, the air resistance of the following vehicles may be
reduced to improve fuel economy, the risk of accidents may be
reduced, the convenience for each driver of the vehicle may be
improved, and the distance between the vehicles may be reduced so
that the number of vehicle using the road is increased by 3 to 5
times.
[0005] In recent years, there has been developed a technique that
enables each vehicle to perform platooning in a state where a
driver rides only a leading vehicle and any drivers are not ride
vehicles following the leading vehicle.
[0006] According to a conventional technique for controlling a lamp
of a platooning vehicle, the turn signal of a following vehicle is
controlled in a response to the turn signal generated from a
leading vehicle. In addition, the type of the lamps is limited and
the lamps are controlled only in consideration of an event of the
leading vehicle, but the lamps are not collectively controlled in
accordance with various events (such as platoon deviation, platoon
participation, order change, and the like) occurring in following
vehicles.
[0007] The information disclosed in this Background of the
Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the
general background of the invention and may not be taken as an
acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information
forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the
art.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to
providing an apparatus configured for controlling a lamp of a
platooning vehicle which is configured for allowing drivers of
surrounding vehicles to effectively recognize all events that may
occur during platooning by collectively controlling lamps of
leading and following vehicles corresponding to various events
occurring in the following vehicle during platooning, and a method
thereof.
[0009] The technical objects of the present invention are not
limited to the above-mentioned one, and the other unmentioned
technical objects and advantages will become apparent from the
following description. Also, it may be easily understood that the
objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by
the units and combinations thereof recited in the claims.
[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
there is provided an apparatus configured for controlling lamps of
platooning vehicles including a leading vehicle and a plurality of
following vehicles, which may include a memory configured to store
information related to the following vehicles; and a controller
configured to collectively control lamps of the leading vehicle and
following vehicles in a response to events occurring in the leading
vehicle and following vehicles. In the instant case, each of the
platooning vehicles may include a front turn signal lamp, a rear
turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps.
[0011] The controller may activate the turn signal lamps and side
marker lamps of the leading vehicle and the turn signal lamps and
marker side lamps of each of the following vehicle in a response to
a turn signal ON command generated in the leading vehicle, and may
control such that the lamps flicker synchronously. In the instant
case, the controller may synchronize a flicker of a left turn
signal lamp with a flicker of a left marker lamp of the leading
vehicle when the turn signal ON command is a left turn signal ON
command and may synchronize a flicker of a right turn signal lamp
with a flicker of a right marker lamp of the leading vehicle when
the turn signal ON command is a right turn signal ON command.
[0012] Furthermore, the controller may activate a turn signal lamp
and a plurality of side marker lamps of a rearmost following
vehicle in a platooning queue when a new vehicle participates in
the platooning queue at rear of the platooning queue. In the
instant case, the controller may activate a left turn signal lamp
and a left marker lamp of the rearmost following vehicle when the
new vehicle enters from a left side of the platooning queue, and
may activate a right turn signal lamp and a right marker lamp of
the rearmost following vehicle when the new vehicle enters from a
right side of the platooning queue.
[0013] Furthermore, the controller may activate a turn signal lamp
and a plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle preceding a new
vehicle and a turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps
of a rearmost following vehicle in a platooning queue when the new
vehicle participates in the platooning queue at a middle of the
platooning queue. In the instant case, the controller may activate
a left turn signal lamp and a left marker lamp of the preceding
vehicle and all lamps of the rearmost following vehicle when the
new vehicle enters from a left side of the platooning queue, and
may activate a right turn signal lamp and a right marker lamp of
the preceding vehicle and all the lamps of the rearmost following
vehicle when the new vehicle enters from a right side of the
platooning queue.
[0014] The controller may activate a turn signal lamp and a
plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle adjacent to a following
vehicle platooning in a platooning queue when the following vehicle
leaves the platooning queue. In the instant case, the controller
may activate a left turn signal lamp and a left maker lamp of the
adjacent vehicle when the following vehicle leaves the platooning
queue to a left side of the platooning queue, and may activate a
right turn signal lamp and a right maker lamp of the adjacent
vehicle when the following vehicle leaves the platooning queue to a
right side of the platooning queue. Furthermore, the controller may
set a lamp flickering period of the adjacent vehicle to be longer
than a lamp flickering period of the following vehicle.
[0015] Furthermore, the controller may activate all lamps of a
vehicle adjacent to an external vehicle which is not normally
authenticated when the external vehicle attempts to enter a
platooning queue. In the instant case, the controller may be
configured to control such that the adjacent vehicle sounds a
horn.
[0016] Furthermore, the controller may activate all lamps of a
vehicle adjacent to a following vehicle while the following vehicle
leaves a platooning queue and activates all lamps of the following
vehicle and a rearmost following vehicle in a platooning queue
while the following enters the platooning queue when the following
vehicle is to change an order in a platooning queue.
[0017] Furthermore, the controller may activate the turn signal
lamp of the leading vehicle and the turn signal lamp of each
following vehicle and may control such that the side marker lamp of
the leading vehicle and the side marker lamp of each following
vehicle flicker alternately when informing of release of
platooning.
[0018] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a method of a method of controlling lamps of
platooning vehicles including a leading vehicle and a plurality of
following vehicles, which may include storing information related
to the following vehicles; and collectively controlling lamps of
the leading vehicle and following vehicles in a response to events
occurring in the leading vehicle and following vehicles.
[0019] In the instant case, the controlling of the lamps of the
leading vehicle and following vehicles may include activating the
turn signal lamps and side marker lamps of the leading vehicle and
the turn signal lamps and marker side lamps of each of the
following vehicle in a response to a turn signal ON command
generated in the leading vehicle, and controlling such that the
lamps flicker synchronously.
[0020] Furthermore, the controlling of the lamps of the leading
vehicle and following vehicles may include activating a turn signal
lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a rearmost following
vehicle in a platooning queue when a new vehicle participates in
the platooning queue at rear of the platooning queue.
[0021] Furthermore, the controlling of the lamps of the leading
vehicle and following vehicles may include activating a turn signal
lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle preceding a
new vehicle and a turn signal lamp and a plurality of side marker
lamps of a rearmost following vehicle in a platooning queue when
the new vehicle participates in the platooning queue at a middle of
the platooning queue.
[0022] Furthermore, the controlling of the lamps of the leading
vehicle and following vehicles may include activating a turn signal
lamp and a plurality of side marker lamps of a vehicle adjacent to
a following vehicle platooning in a platooning queue when the
following vehicle leaves the platooning queue.
[0023] The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have
other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are
set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are
incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which
together serve to explain certain principles of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating each platooning vehicle to
which an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
applied;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for
controlling platooning, which is used for an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a platoon control
device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an apparatus configured for
controlling a lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a scheme of controlling a
lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a scheme of controlling a
lamp of a platooning vehicle according to another exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11 are diagrams
illustrating a scheme of controlling a lamp corresponding to
various events by a lamp control device of a platooning vehicle
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a scheme of collectively
controlling a lamp when platooning is released by a lamp control
device of a platooning vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling
a lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0033] FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system
for executing a method of controlling a lamp of a platooning
vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0034] It may be understood that the appended drawings are not
necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified
representation of various features illustrative of the basic
principles of the invention. The specific design features of the
present invention as included herein, including, for example,
specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be
determined in part by the particularly intended application and use
environment.
[0035] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or
equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several
figures of the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] Reference will now be made more specifically to various
embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While
the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary
embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that
the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s)
to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the invention(s)
is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, but also various alternatives, modifications,
equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
[0037] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present
invention will be described more specifically with reference to the
accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification, it is noted
that the same or like reference numerals denote the same or like
components even though they are provided in different drawings.
Furthermore, in the following description of the present invention,
a detailed description of known functions and configurations
incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject
matter of the present invention rather unclear.
[0038] Furthermore, terms, such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or
the like may be used herein when describing components of the
present invention. The terms are provided only to distinguish the
elements from other elements, and the essences, sequences, orders,
and numbers of the elements are not limited by the terms.
Furthermore, unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein,
including technical or scientific terms, have the same meanings as
those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the
present invention pertains. The terms defined in the generally used
dictionaries should be construed as having the meanings that
coincide with the meanings of the contexts of the related
technologies, and should not be construed as ideal or excessively
formal meanings unless clearly defined in the specification of the
present invention.
[0039] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating each platooning vehicle to
which an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied,
where trucks are illustrated as one example, but the exemplary
embodiment is not limited thereto.
[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of vehicles is in a
platooning state where the vehicles travel in a platoon while
maintaining a constant interval. In the instant case, a vehicle
travelling at the head is referred to as a leading vehicle LV, and
a vehicle following the leading vehicle is referred to as a
following vehicle FV. Furthermore, each following vehicle is
denoted as FV1, FV2 and FV3 according to the order (position) in
the platooning queue.
[0041] Since each vehicle has the same structure, the structure of
the leading vehicle LV will be referred to as a representative.
[0042] The leading vehicle LV includes a left front turn signal
lamp 11, left first to third marker lamps 12 to 14, and a left rear
turn signal lamp 15. In the instant case, the left front turn
signal lamp 11 may be implemented with a left lamp module including
a left head lamp.
[0043] Furthermore, the leading vehicle LV includes a right front
turn signal lamp 21, right first to third marker lamps 22 to 24,
and a right rear turn signal lamp 25. In the instant case, the
right front turn signal lamp 21 may be implemented with a right
lamp module including a right head lamp.
[0044] Furthermore, the leading vehicle LV and the following
vehicle FV may include a platoon control system. As an example, the
configuration of the platoon control system is illustrated in FIG.
2.
[0045] The platoon control system may include a Global Positioning
System (GPS) receiver 110, a sensor 120, a communication device
130, a driver switch 140, a platoon control device 200, a lamp
driver 310, an engine device 320, a brake 330, and a display 340.
The platoon control system may transmit/receive weather forecast
information and platoon information to/from a control center
400.
[0046] The GPS receiver 110 receives GPS information and provides
the GPS information to the platoon control device 200 so that the
platoon control device 200 may get a position of a host
vehicle.
[0047] The sensor 120 may detect a road condition in front of the
vehicle and a weather condition and includes a camera 121 and a
radar 122. Since there is a high possibility that an error is
disposed in image data of the camera 21 when it is raining or
snowing, the camera 121 may be turned off and the sensor 120 may
determine the road condition and the weather condition by use of
only data of the radar 122 under control of the platoon control
device 200. Furthermore, the sensor 120 obtains information related
to a relative distance between vehicles, a relative speed, a lane
and the like, and provides the same to the platoon control device
200.
[0048] The communication device 130 may perform vehicle-to-vehicle
(V2V) communication and may transmit/receive platooning
information, weather forecast information to/from the control
center 400.
[0049] The driver switch 140 is a module for inputting a platoon
request and acceptance when a driver is requested to consent to
platooning such as a platooning level, a platooning order, and the
like from the leading vehicle or the control center 400, the driver
turns on/off the driver switch 140 to provide his opinion. When the
driver switch 140 is turned on, it may be determined that the
platooning is accepted.
[0050] Furthermore, information related to a load box, a map and a
traffic situation may be input to the platoon control device
200.
[0051] When the lamp driver 310 receives a lamp driving command for
platoon control from the platoon control device 200, the lamp
driver 310 drives the vehicle lamps. That is, the lamp driver 310
may drive a lamp corresponding to a turn signal, a stop signal, a
platoon mode signal, or the like.
[0052] When the engine device 320 receives an acceleration command
from the platoon control device 200, the engine device 320 performs
acceleration of the vehicle.
[0053] When the brake 330 receives a deceleration command from the
platoon control device 200, the brake 330 performs deceleration of
the vehicle.
[0054] The display 340 may display platoon status information such
as platoon creation information, lead vehicle information, headway
distance information, and the like, and may include a cluster, a
head-up display, a navigation terminal, audio visual navigation
(AVN) system, and the like. Although a configuration of displaying
the platoon status information on the display 340 configured
separately from the platoon control device 200 is illustrated in
FIG. 2, the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto and a
display may be provided in the platoon control device 200 such that
the platoon status information is displayed thereon.
[0055] The display 340 may include at least one of a liquid crystal
display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT
LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode
(OLED), an active matrix OLED (AMOLED), a flexible display, a bent
display, and a three-dimensional (3D) display. Some of the displays
may be implemented as a transparent display which is transparent or
optically transparent to see an outside.
[0056] The platoon control device 200 may determine the weather
environment state based on the weather forecast information
received from the control center or the weather information
detected by the sensor, and may determine the platooning level
based on the weather environment state to control the
platooning.
[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the platoon control device 200 may
include a communication device 210, a storage 220, a controller
230, a platooning route generator 240, a weather environment
determiner 250, a platooning order controller 260, a platooning
level controller 270, a road level determiner 280, and a platooning
controller 290.
[0058] The communication device 210 performs CAN-communication with
devices in a vehicle.
[0059] The storage 220 stores information transmitted/received
through communication between vehicles and information generated in
the platooning control device 200. The storage 220 may include at
least one type of a storage medium among memories of a flash memory
type, a hard disk type, a solid state disk type, a silicon disk
drive type, a multimedia card micro type and a card-type (e.g., SD
or XD memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), a static random
access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically
erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable
read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an
optical disk.
[0060] The controller 230 controls the overall operation of each
component of the platoon control device 200.
[0061] The platooning route generator 240 generates a platooning
route including a platoon starting point, a joining point, and a
destination when configuring the platooning.
[0062] The weather environment determiner 250 determines a weather
environment on a platooning route. That is, the weather environment
determiner 250 may receive weather forecast information from the
control center 400 or obtain weather information by use of a
measurement result of the sensor 120 of the vehicle to determine
the weather environment state and the road state (road surface
state) accordingly. For example, when it is determined based on the
weather forecast information that it will rain or snow on the
platooning route for the platooning time period, the weather
environment determiner 250 may determine that the weather
environment is bad.
[0063] The platooning order controller 260 determines a platooning
order based on the weather environment state. That is, when the
weather environment is in a normal condition, the platooning order
controller 260 may determine the platooning order by complexly
accounting for at least one of a load weight, a platooning route,
fuel efficiency, and braking power. For example, a vehicle with
weak braking power, poor fuel efficiency and a heavy load may be
selected as the leading vehicle, and a vehicle with strong braking
power, good fuel efficiency and a low load may be placed in the
rear because the vehicle may rapidly response to emergency
braking.
[0064] Meanwhile, when the weather environment is bad due to snow
and rain, the platooning order controller 260 may determine the
platooning order based on the braking power. That is, when the
weather environment is in a bad condition, the platooning order
controller 260 selects the vehicle having the weakest braking power
as the leading vehicle, and selects the vehicle having the next
weak braking power as the first following vehicle immediately
following the leading vehicle. The order of the remaining following
vehicles thereafter is determined in order of weak braking power.
In other words, since the braking distance may be longer when the
road surface is wet due to snow, rain, or the like, when the
vehicle having a weak braking power is positioned at the rear, the
braking may not be performed on time so that the vehicle may
collide with a preceding vehicle. Thus, when the weather
environment is in a bad condition, the vehicle having good braking
power is placed at the rearmost position.
[0065] The platooning level controller 270 determines a platooning
level. In the instant case, the platooning level may be determined
by use of various schemes accounting for general various conditions
such as the number of platooning vehicles, a cargo weight of a
platooning vehicle, a platooning route distance, road construction
and the like. For example, the platooning level may be classified
into a first level (Lv.1) at which the platooning is not performed,
a second level (Lv.2) at which only the longitudinal distance
between vehicle is controlled during platooning, and a third level
(Lv.3) at which the longitudinal and transversal distances between
vehicles and the steering are controlled. That is, the platooning
level controller 270 may determine the platooning level as the
first level in a situation where it is impossible to perform
platooning (in case where the weather deterioration is very
serious), the second level in a situation where, although it is
possible to perform the platooning, it may be dangerous to perform
a traversal control so that it is possible to perform the
longitudinal control in platoon following control, or the third
level in a situation where the weather environment is good so that
it is possible to perform all controls related to the
platooning.
[0066] The platooning level controller 270 may determine the
platooning level based on a road level determined by the road level
determiner 280. For example, when the road level is the first
level, the longitudinal distance between vehicles is controlled to
be 10 m. When the road level is the second level, the longitudinal
distance between vehicles is controlled to be 15 m. When the road
level is the third level, the longitudinal distance between
vehicles is controlled to be 20 m. This means that as the road
level is increased, the road condition becomes worse due to poor
weather conditions. When the road level is the third level, since
the road condition is very bad (wet road surface), the distance
between vehicles is controlled to be 20 m which is the longest.
[0067] The road level determiner 280 determines the lane state and
the road level based on the weather information and the road
information measured by the sensor 120. In the instant case, the
road level determiner 280 may recognize the lane state from the
image data of the camera. The road level determiner 280 may
determine the road level by use of at least one of snow and rain
detecting results of the vehicle sensor (sensor device), a slip
rate of an electronic stability control (ESC), and the lane state
of the road. Furthermore, the road level determiner 280 may
determine the lane state of the road on the platooning route when
the platooning level is the third level.
[0068] The platooning controller 290 controls the platooning level
determined by the platooning level controller 270. In the instant
case, the platooning control means the control of the speed of the
vehicle, the longitudinal distance between vehicles, the
transversal distance between vehicles, and the like. When the
platooning level is the first level, the platooning controller 290
does not perform the platooning. When the platooning level is the
second level, the platooning controller 290 performs the
longitudinal control. When the platooning level is the third level,
the platooning controller 290 performs the longitudinal and
transversal controls and the steering control.
[0069] Furthermore, the platooning controller 290 controls the
longitudinal and transversal distances between vehicles based on
the lane state and road level determining results of the road level
determiner 280 as well as the platooning level. That is, the
platooning controller 290 performs independent control (LFA)
control for maintaining the travelling in the lane independently of
the behavior of the leading vehicle when the lane state is good
(above the first reference value). When the lane state is bad (less
than the first reference value), the platooning controller 290
controls the lead vehicle (LV) following control that allows the
following vehicle to follow the leading vehicle. In the instant
case, the following vehicle may follow the route, speed, and the
like of the leading vehicle through the radar 122 which is less
affected by the LV following lane and the weather environment.
[0070] When the road level is good (more than the second reference
value), the platooning controller 290 determines the longitudinal
distance between vehicles as the first distance value (e.g., 10 m).
When the road level is bad (less than the second reference value),
the platooning controller 290 determines the longitudinal distance
between vehicles as the second distance value (e.g., 20 m) which is
greater than the first distance value. Thus, when the road level is
poor, the platooning controller 290 may increase the longitudinal
distance between vehicles to secure safety in emergency braking.
The platooning controller 290 may turn off the camera on the front
or side of the vehicle when the platooning level is the second
level at which only the longitudinal control is performed or when
the road level is bad (less than the second reference value). In
other words, when the platooning level is the second level and the
road level is bad, since the camera 122 may misrecognize a front
object and may be negatively influenced, the platooning controller
290 turns off the camera 122 to save the battery power.
[0071] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an apparatus configured for
controlling a lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0072] As illustrated in FIG. 4, an apparatus configured for
controlling a lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a memory
41, a network connector 42, a communication device 43, and a
controller 44. According to the manner of implementing an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, elements may be combined with
each other to be formed as a single device, and some elements may
be omitted depending on the manner of implement an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
[0073] Describing each element, the memory 41 stores information
related to the platooning vehicles (such as identification
information related to each vehicle, platooning order information,
position information related to each vehicle, authentication
information, and the like). Furthermore, the memory 41 may include
various programs used for collectively controlling lamps of
platooning vehicles.
[0074] The memory 41 may include at least one type of a storage
medium among memories of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a
solid state disk (SSD) type, a silicon disk drive (SDD) type, a
multimedia card micro type and a card-type (e.g., SD or XD memory,
etc.), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory
(SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only
memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical
disk.
[0075] Next, the network connector 42, which is a module for
connecting to a vehicle network, provides a network connection
interface. In the instant case, the vehicle network may include a
controller area network (CAN), a local interconnect network (LIN),
FlexRay, a media oriented systems transport (MOST), and the
like.
[0076] Next, the communication device 43 is a module for providing
an interface for communication with a following vehicle. Various
communication schemes such as a vehicle-to-vehicle communication
scheme and the like may be applied to the communication device
43.
[0077] The controller 44 may perform overall control so that each
component may perform the function normally. The controller 44 may
be implemented by hardware or software and combination thereof, but
the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited
thereto. The controller 44 may be implemented with a
microprocessor, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited
thereto. The controller 44 may be applied to a body control module
(BCM).
[0078] The controller 44 connects to the vehicle network through
the network connector 42 and collects various lamp control
information. In the instant case, the lamp control information may
include a turn signal on/off command, a head lamp on/off command, a
head lamp high-beam command, a head lamp low-beam command, a fog
lamp on/off command, a brake lamp on/off command, and the like.
[0079] The controller 44 may collectively control the lamps of the
host vehicle (leading vehicle) and the following vehicles based on
the collected lamp control information.
[0080] As one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when
the collected lamp control information is a left turn signal on
command, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the controller 44 activates the
left positioning lamps (the left front turn signal lamp 11, the
left first marker lamp 12, the left second marker lamp 13, the left
third marker lamp 14, and the left rear turn signal lamp 15). In
the instant case, each of the activated lamps 11 to 15 basically
performs a flickering operation.
[0081] The control device 44 can synchronize the flickering cycle
of each lamp to enhance the platooning recognition effect of the
surrounding vehicle drivers. That is, each lamp may be controlled
such that all the lamps 11 to 15 are turned on and off at the same
time. Furthermore, the controller 44 may sequentially turn on the
lamps 11 to 15 and turn off the lamps in the reverse sequence. For
example, it may be implemented that the lamps are turned on in
order of 11->12->13->14->15 and turned off in order of
15->14->13->12->11.
[0082] In more detail, the lamps of the leading vehicle LV, the
lamps of FV1, the lamps of FV2, and the lamps of FV3 may be
sequentially turned on or off in the reverse order. In the instant
case, although only three vehicles are mentioned for understanding,
the number of the following vehicles has no effect on the
embodiment.
[0083] As another example, as illustrated FIG. 6, when the
collected lamp control information is the head lamp high-beam
command, preferably, only the head lamps of the host vehicle
(leading vehicle) are controlled to be in a high beam and the head
lamps of the following vehicles FV1, FV2 and FV3 are not
controlled.
[0084] Meanwhile, the controller 44 may collectively control the
lamps of the leading vehicle LV and the lamps of the following
vehicles FV1, FV2 and FV3 corresponding to various events occurring
in the following vehicles during the platooning. That is, the
controller 44 may perform ramp control in a response to the
requests from each of the following vehicles FV1, FV2, and FV3
through the communication device 43.
[0085] Hereinafter, a scheme of collectively controlling the lamps
of the leading vehicle LV and the following vehicles FV1 to FV3
corresponding to various events by the controller 44 will be
described more specifically with reference to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG.
9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11.
[0086] 1) Case Where New Vehicle Participates in Platooning at Rear
of Vehicle Queue
[0087] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the controller 44 activates one
side lamp of the following vehicle FV2 located at the rearmost end
portion among the platooning vehicles (the vehicles in the dotted
line). In the instant case, since the new vehicle FV3 is entering
from the left side of the platooning queue, the left lamp of the
following vehicle FV2 is activated. That is, the controller 44
transmits the activation signal of the left lamp to the following
vehicle FV2 through the communication device 43. In the instant
case, the activation signal may include synchronization
information.
[0088] 2) Case Where New Vehicle Participates in Platooning at
Middle of Platooning Queue
[0089] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the controller 44 activates one
side lamp of the leading vehicle LV when the new vehicle FV3
participates in the platooning behind the leading vehicle LV. In
the instant case, since the new vehicle FV3 enters from the left
side of the platooning queue, the controller 44 activates the left
side lamps of the leading vehicle LV (the left front turn signal
lamp 11, the left first marker lamp 12, the left second marker lamp
13, the left third marker lamp 14, and the left rear turn signal
lamp 15). When the new vehicle FV3 enters from the right side of
the platooning queue, the controller 44 activates the right side
lamps of the leading vehicle LV (the right front turn signal lamp
21, the right first marker lamp 22, the right second marker lamp
23, the right third marker lamp 24, and the right rear turn signal
lamp 25).
[0090] Furthermore, the controller 44 activates all the lamps (left
and right lamps) of the following vehicle FV2 placed at the
rearmost end portion of the platooning queue. As mentioned above,
all the lamps perform the flickering operation. In the instant
case, the flickering operations may be synchronized with each
other.
[0091] 3) Case Where Following Vehicle Leaves Platooning Queue
During Platooning.
[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the following vehicle FV2
leaves the platooning queue, the controller 44 activates one-side
lamps of the following vehicles FV1 and FV3 positioned before and
after the following vehicle FV2. In the instant case, since the
following FV2 leaves the platooning queue to the left side of the
platooning queue, the left lamps of the following vehicles FV1 and
FV3 are activated. The controller 44 may control such that the
flickering of the lamps of the following vehicles FV1 and FV3 are
synchronized with each other. The controller 44 may control such
that the flickering period of the lamps of the following vehicles
FV1 and FV3 is faster or slower than that of the lamp of the
following vehicle FV2.
[0093] Furthermore, when the following vehicle FV2 leaves the
platooning queue to the right side of the platooning queue, the
controller 44 activates the right lamps of the following vehicles
FV1 and FV3.
[0094] 4) Case Where External Vehicle Attempts to Enter Platooning
Queue
[0095] As illustrated in FIG. 10, when an external vehicle which is
not normally authenticated attempts to enter the platooning queue,
that is, the external vehicle attempts to enter between the leading
vehicle LV and the following vehicle FV1, the controller 44
activates all the lamps 11 to 15 and 21 to 25 of the leading
vehicle LV and all the lamps of the following vehicle FV1, such
that the driver of the external vehicle recognizes that the
external vehicle is entering the platooning queue. In the instant
case, the controller 44 may further control such that the leading
vehicle and following vehicles LV and FV1 sound horns.
[0096] 5) Case Where Following Vehicle FV2 is to Change Order in
Platooning Queue
[0097] As illustrated in FIG. 11, when the following vehicle FV2 is
to change its position with the following vehicle FV1, that is, the
following vehicle FV2 moves to the right lane of the platooning
queue and enters into a space generated by decreasing the speed of
the following vehicle FV1, the controller 44 activates all the
lamps of the following vehicles FV1 and FV3 while the following
vehicle FV2 leaves the platooning queue. Thereafter, the controller
44 inactivates all the lamps of the following vehicle FV1 and
activates all the lamps of FV2 and FV3 while the following vehicle
FV2 enters the platooning queue. The integrated control of lamps
may ensure the stability in performing various events that occur in
platooning.
[0098] Meanwhile, as illustrated FIG. 12, to inform of the
releasing of the platooning queue, the controller 44 may activate
the left and right front/rear turn signal lamps of the leading
vehicle and following vehicles LV and FV1 to FV3 and may control
such that the side marker lamps of the leading vehicle and
following vehicles LV and FV1 to FV3 flicker alternately. For
example, when the left/right first marker lamps and the left/right
third marker lamps are turned on, the left/right second marker
lamps may be turned off. Furthermore, the following vehicles FV1
and FV3 may be controlled in a manner opposite to that of the
leading vehicle LV and the following vehicle FV2 may be controlled
in the same manner as the leading vehicle LV.
[0099] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling
a lamp of a platooning vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention, and shows a process of controlling lamps
of platooning vehicles including a leading vehicle and a plurality
of following vehicles.
[0100] First, in operation 1301, the memory 41 stores the
information related to the following vehicle.
[0101] As such, in operation 1302, the controller 44 collectively
controls the lamps of the leading vehicle and following vehicles
corresponding to events occurring in the leading vehicle and
following vehicles.
[0102] FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system
for executing a method of controlling a lamp of a platooning
vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0103] Referring to FIG. 14, a method of controlling a lamp of a
platooning vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention may be implemented with a computing system. The
computing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1100
connected through a bus 1200, a memory 1300, a user interface input
device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a storage 1600,
and a network interface 1700.
[0104] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or
a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the
memory 1300 and/or the storage 1600. The memory 1300 and the
storage 1600 may include various volatile or nonvolatile storage
media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read only memory
(ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).
[0105] Accordingly, the processes of the method or algorithm
described in relation to the exemplary embodiments of the present
invention may be implemented directly by hardware executed by the
processor 1100, a software module, or a combination thereof. The
software module may reside in a storage medium (that is, the memory
1300 and/or the storage 1600), such as a RAM memory, a flash
memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a
register, a hard disk, a detachable disk, or a CD-ROM. The
exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor 1100, and the
processor 1100 may read information from the storage medium and may
write information in the storage medium. In another method, the
storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The
processor and the storage medium may reside in an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user
terminal. In another method, the processor and the storage medium
may reside in the user terminal as an individual component.
[0106] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, drivers of surrounding vehicles may effectively
recognize all events that occur during platooning by collectively
controlling lamps of leading and following vehicles corresponding
to various events occurring in the following vehicle during
platooning.
[0107] Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the lamps of the leading vehicle and following
vehicles are collectively controlled corresponding to various
events occurring in the following vehicle during platooning, so
that the lamps may be controlled for all cases occurring during
platooning (a case where the following vehicle normally leaves the
platooning, a case where a new following vehicle participates in
the platooning, a case where the positions of the following
vehicles are changed with each other, etc.).
[0108] Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the lamps of the leading vehicle and following
vehicles may be collectively controlled corresponding to various
events occurring in the following vehicles during platooning so
that the utilization of the lamps is improved.
[0109] The above description is a simple exemplification of the
technical spirit of the present invention, and the present
invention may be variously corrected and modified by those skilled
in the art to which the present invention pertains without
departing from the essential features of the present invention.
[0110] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments
of the present invention have been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. They are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments
were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the
invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled
in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, as well as various alternatives and
modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the
invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their
equivalents.
* * * * *