Borrowing from nature the idea of the movement of the column when a strong leader in a bird flock flying first and, thereby, facilitates the flight of other birds, the experts Peloton Tech has created a unique technology that allows trucks to create their own "pack" on the roads. Engineers say that in this way the fuel consumption of trucks driven will be much lower, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The essence of development is that the trucks were as close to each other, thereby reducing air resistance. Accordingly, it does not require additional energy to overcome it, which means more economical use of fuel.
The system is automatic, built into the onboard computer of the truck will allow you to control the distance between the follower and lead vehicles, constantly keeping it at 10 meters.
The system has already been tested in Nevada, where two 18-wheel truck proved its effectiveness. In the cockpit of the lead truck was a professional driver who controlled the machine. A movement of the driven truck ran the system in automatic mode. In the result the slave truck spent on the same stretch of road much less fuel than a truck in front.
The creators of the system management explain that her work is similar to the operation of the intelligent cruise control. It includes the whole complex of devices operating in cooperation with each other: GPS, radar, wireless communication etc. All these devices are needed in order to provide a totally accurate and instant playback of all those maneuvers, which are performed by leading robotic truck.
Also wireless connection allows the driver of the lead truck to obtain images from several cameras installed on all machines in the transport chain. It fully guarantees the elimination of "dead zones".
In addition to enhancing road safety, the second main argument of the creators of the system called significant fuel savings. The tests showed that when driving with a speed of 100 km/h in a lead truck saves 4.5% of the fuel, and the slave – 10%. And all this by reducing the aerodynamic drag of a moving train.
This technology can complement the existing system of SARTRE, which allows the truck driver to find the road on the right leading vehicle. Once the lead truck is found, the car automatically embedded in the roadtrain and will continue to follow him in fully automatic mode.
Source: zeleneet.com