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US 10,538,240 B2Granted
Road vehicle convoy control method, and road vehicle convoy
AssigneeCommissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
InventorsValery Cervantes, Jerome Laborde
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A road vehicle convoy control method includes applying, on a hinge, a moment, an amplitude of which varies based on measured oscillations to absorb the measured oscillations. The moment is applied on the hinge by controlling an actuator of the hinge and jointly controlling: an electrical machine of a first wheel from a wheel set that belongs to part of a chassis that pivot in relation to another wheel because of the hinge to increase torque of the first wheel; and, simultaneously, an electrical machine of a second wheel from the same wheel set to keep the torque thereof constant or increase the torque of the second wheel less than the torque of the first wheel to apply the moment on the hinge in combination with the actuator.
Claims15
A method of controlling a road vehicle convoy, including:
- a first road vehicle, situated at a head of a convoy and including a wheel set,
- a plurality of second road vehicles, coupled two by two one behind the other, one of the second vehicles being coupled to the rear of the first vehicle, each second vehicle including:
- a wheel set,
- an articulation allowing movement in rotation of at least part of a chassis of the second vehicle relative to at least part of the chassis of the vehicle preceding it about a rotation axis perpendicular to the rolling plane of the convoy;
- for each articulation, a controllable actuator that mechanically connects the chassis parts that pivot relative to one another about the rotation axis of this articulation, the actuator configured to exert an adjustable moment on this articulation;
- the method comprising, for each articulation:
- a) measuring oscillations of an articulation angle about an articulation angle setpoint;
- b) applying, to the articulation, a moment with an amplitude that varies as a function of the measured oscillations to damp the measured oscillations, the moment being applied to the articulation by controlling the actuator of that articulation;
- each wheel of the wheel set of each vehicle including a controllable electrical machine for driving the wheel in rotation to propel the vehicle, each of the machines of the same wheel set being controllable independently of other machine or machines of that wheel set;
- and
- during the applying b), for each articulation, applying the moment includes, conjointly with control of the actuator of that articulation, control of:
- the electrical machine of a first wheel of one of the wheel sets that belongs to one of the chassis parts that pivot relative to one another due to this articulation, to increase torque of that first wheel, and simultaneously
- the electrical machine of a second wheel of the same wheel set to maintain its torque constant or to increase the torque of this second wheel less than the torque of the first wheel to apply the moment to that articulation, in conjunction with the actuator.
10 more elements
A road vehicle convoy, comprising:
- a first road vehicle, situated at a head of a convoy;
- a plurality of second road vehicles, coupled two by two one behind the other, one of the second vehicles being coupled to the rear of the first vehicle, each second vehicle including an articulation allowing movement in rotation of at least part of the chassis of the second vehicle relative to at least part of the chassis of the vehicle preceding it about a rotation axis perpendicular to the rolling plane of the convoy;
- each of the first and second vehicles including a wheel set;
- for each articulation of the convoy:
- a controllable actuator that mechanically connects between its ends the chassis parts that pivot relative to one another about the rotation axis of this articulation, this actuator being configured to exert an adjustable moment on the articulation,
- a sensor configured to measure oscillations of an angle of this articulation about an articulation angle setpoint, and
- a control device configured to control the actuator of this articulation to exert on this articulation a moment with an amplitude that varies as a function of the measured oscillations to damp the measured oscillations;
- wherein:
- each wheel of each wheel set includes a controllable electrical machine for driving this wheel in rotation to propel the vehicle, each of the machines of the same wheel set being controllable independently of other machine or machines of that wheel set, and
- for each articulation, the control device is further configured to apply the moment, conjointly with control of the actuator of that articulation, to control:
- the electrical machine of a first wheel of one of the wheel sets that belongs to one of the chassis parts that pivot relative to one another due to the articulation, to increase the torque of that first wheel, and simultaneously
- the electrical machine of a second wheel of the same wheel set to maintain its torque constant or to increase the torque of this second wheel less than the torque of the first wheel so as to apply the moment to that articulation, in conjunction with the actuator.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.