Vehicle computing device and method thereof, computer storage medium, and vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method executed by a vehicle computing device, the method comprising: determining a fault in an inertial measurement unit installed in a vehicle; establishing communication with a driver's smart terminal; and receiving first relative positioning information from the smart terminal. The present invention also relates to a vehicle computing device, a computer storage medium, and a vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a solution executed by a vehicle computing device, and more particularly, to a vehicle computing device and method thereof, a computer storage medium, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Inertial measurement units (IMUs) can obtain information such as the carrier's attitude, velocity, and displacement. They are widely used in the automotive and robotics fields. They are also used in situations where precise displacement calculations based on attitude are required, such as in inertial navigation equipment on submarines and aircraft.

[0003] The increasing importance of IMUs has necessitated redundant IMUs to mitigate the adverse effects of IMU failure. However, considering production costs and volume, installing redundant IMUs within a vehicle (e.g., a car) inevitably increases costs and the size of the components containing the IMUs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method performed by a vehicle computing device is provided, the method comprising: determining that an inertial measurement unit installed in a vehicle is faulty; establishing communication with a smart terminal; and receiving first relative positioning information from the smart terminal. Specifically, when the vehicle computing device determines that the inertial measurement unit installed in the vehicle is faulty, the vehicle computing device will instead obtain relative positioning information from the smart terminal (i.e., using the inertial measurement unit included in the smart terminal as a "redundant" or "replacement" inertial measurement unit).

[0005] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above method, determining that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle has a fault includes: receiving a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or other units; and determining that the inertial measurement unit has a fault.

[0006] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above method, determining that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty includes: receiving second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit; and determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information.

[0007] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above method, determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information includes: if the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time, determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty.

[0008] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above method, establishing communication with the smart terminal includes: sending a request to establish communication to the smart terminal, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal on the vehicle; and receiving a reply from the smart terminal.

[0009] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above method, receiving the first relative positioning information from the smart terminal includes: receiving three-dimensional linear acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity from the smart terminal.

[0010] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, the above method may further include: performing vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; and providing target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle computing device is provided, comprising: a determining unit for determining that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty; an establishing unit for establishing communication with a smart terminal; and a receiving unit for receiving first relative positioning information from the smart terminal.

[0012] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above vehicle computing device, the determining unit is configured to: receive a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or other units; and determine that a fault exists in the inertial measurement unit.

[0013] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above vehicle computing device, the determination unit is configured to: receive second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit; and determine that the inertial measurement unit has a fault based on the second relative positioning information.

[0014] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above vehicle computing device, the determining unit is configured to determine that the inertial measurement unit has a fault when the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time.

[0015] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above vehicle computing device, the establishing unit is configured to: send a request to establish communication to the smart terminal, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal on the vehicle; and receive a reply from the smart terminal.

[0016] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, in the above vehicle computing device, the receiving unit is configured to receive three-dimensional linear acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity from the smart terminal.

[0017] As an alternative or supplement to the above solution, the above vehicle computing device may further include: an analyzing unit, configured to perform vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; and a sending unit, configured to provide target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0018] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a computer storage medium is provided, wherein the medium includes instructions, and the instructions, when executed, execute the method executed by the vehicle computing device as described above.

[0019] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided, comprising the vehicle computing device as described above.

[0020] In summary, the vehicle computing device solutions of the embodiments of the present invention can use the IMU contained in the smart terminal as an alternative to the vehicle's IMU. For example, if the vehicle's IMU fails, there is no need to pre-install an additional or redundant IMU in the vehicle. Instead, the IMU in the driver's smart terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or wristwatch) can be used, thus expanding the use of the IMU in the smart terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0022] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a method executed by a vehicle computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a vehicle computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the following is a further detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention.

[0025] Although the exemplary embodiments are described as using multiple units to perform exemplary processes, it should be understood that these exemplary processes may also be performed by one or more modules. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only parts relevant to the present invention, not all, are shown in the accompanying drawings. Before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts. Although the flow charts describe the various operations (or steps) as sequential processes, many of the operations therein can be implemented in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the various operations can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operation is completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. The process may correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, etc.

[0026] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or other similar terms used herein includes general motor vehicles, such as passenger cars (including sports utility vehicles, buses, trucks, etc.), various commercial vehicles, etc., and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, etc. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more power sources, such as gasoline-powered and electric vehicles.

[0027] Furthermore, the control logic of the present invention may be embodied as executable program instructions on a computer-readable medium, which may be executed by a processor or the like. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, optical disks, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems connected to a network, such that the computer-readable medium is stored and executed in a distributed manner, for example, via a vehicle telematics service or a controller area network (CAN).

[0028] Hereinafter, schemes performed by a vehicle computing device according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 1000 executed by a vehicle computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the method 1000 includes the following steps:

[0030] In step S110 , it is determined that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty;

[0031] In step S120, communication is established with the smart terminal; and

[0032] In step S130, first relative positioning information is received from the smart terminal.

[0033] In the context of this invention, a "vehicle computing device" refers to any computing unit or device that receives information (e.g., angular velocity and / or acceleration) from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on a vehicle and derives target control parameters based on an arbitration algorithm or through vehicle posture analysis. In one embodiment, if the IMU mounted on the vehicle fails, the vehicle computing device instead receives relative positioning information (e.g., angular velocity and / or acceleration) from the IMU in the driver's smart terminal and subsequently transmits the target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0034] In the context of this invention, an "inertial measurement unit" (IMU) is a device that measures an object's three-axis attitude angle (or angular rate) and acceleration. Generally speaking, an IMU consists of three single-axis accelerometers and three single-axis gyroscopes. The accelerometers detect the object's acceleration signals along three independent axes in the carrier coordinate system, while the gyroscopes detect the carrier's angular velocity signals relative to the navigation coordinate system. Together, these measurements measure the object's angular velocity and acceleration in three-dimensional space and use them to determine the object's attitude.

[0035] In the context of the present invention, "smart terminal" is intended to refer to any terminal on the vehicle that includes the functionality of an inertial measurement unit, including but not limited to mobile phones, personal digital assistants, sports watches, etc. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, the "smart terminal" is the mobile phone of the driver or a passenger.

[0036] "Relative positioning information" refers to the motion trajectory and / or posture of an object relative to a certain starting position from a certain moment, and its meaning is relative to "absolute positioning information." In one or more embodiments, "relative positioning information" includes angular velocity (yaw rate) and acceleration (acceleration rate). In addition, in the context of the present invention, ordinal numbers such as "first" or "second" are added before the term "relative positioning information" to indicate different sources of "relative positioning information" and to distinguish them. For example, in one embodiment, the first relative positioning information is received from a smart terminal, and the second relative positioning information is received from an inertial measurement unit installed on a vehicle.

[0037] Using method 1000, the IMU contained in a smart terminal can be used as a backup for the vehicle's IMU. For example, if the vehicle's IMU fails, there's no need to pre-install an additional or redundant IMU. Instead, the IMU in the driver's or passenger's smart terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or sports watch) can be used, expanding the use of the smart terminal's IMU.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, a fault in an inertial measurement unit installed on a vehicle may be determined by receiving a fault indication message from an external source. Therefore, step S110 may include: receiving a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or another unit (e.g., a third-party device); and determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty.

[0039] In another embodiment of the present invention, a fault in the inertial measurement unit can be determined based on information obtained from communication with the inertial measurement unit (i.e., second relative positioning information). For example, step S110 may include: receiving second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit; and determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information. It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, a fault in the inertial measurement unit may also be determined if the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time period.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, step S120 may include: sending a request to establish communication to the smart terminal, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal on the vehicle; and receiving a reply from the smart terminal. In order to ensure that the relative positioning information measured by the smart terminal can represent information such as the angular velocity and / or acceleration of the vehicle with sufficient accuracy, a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal on the vehicle is included in the request to establish communication sent to the smart terminal. This ensures the accuracy of the information provided by the IMU in the smart terminal. In addition to the confirmation prompt, the manufacturer and / or version model of the IMU in the smart terminal can also be inquired in the request, so that it can be understood whether the measurement accuracy of the IMU in the smart terminal meets the requirements.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the vehicle computing device establishes communication with the smart terminal and receives relative positioning information only when a confirmation reply is received from the smart terminal that the smart terminal has been fixed to the vehicle and the manufacturer and / or version model of the IMU in the smart terminal meets the preset measurement accuracy.

[0042] Different usage scenarios require different IMU accuracy. For example, the IMUs currently used in consumer electronics are typically low-precision, inexpensive IMUs. These are commonly found in mobile phones and sports watches, often used to track step counts. However, due to the relatively high accuracy requirements for IMUs used in vehicle driving (such as autonomous driving), the manufacturer and / or version of the IMU in the smart terminal can be used to determine whether the IMU's accuracy meets the current vehicle driving requirements.

[0043] Despite Figure 1Not shown in the figure, the above method 1000 may further include: performing vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; and providing target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0044] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle computing device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, vehicle computing device 2000 includes a determining unit 210, an establishing unit 220, and a receiving unit 230. Determining unit 210 is configured to determine if an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty. Establishing unit 220 is configured to establish communication with a smart terminal. Receiving unit 230 is configured to receive first relative positioning information from the smart terminal.

[0045] In the context of this invention, a "vehicle computing device" refers to any computing unit or device that receives information (e.g., angular velocity and / or acceleration) from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on a vehicle and derives target control parameters based on an arbitration algorithm or through vehicle posture analysis. In one embodiment, if the IMU mounted on the vehicle fails, the vehicle computing device instead receives relative positioning information (e.g., angular velocity and / or acceleration) from the IMU in the driver's smart terminal and subsequently transmits the target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0046] In the context of this invention, an "inertial measurement unit" (IMU) is a device that measures an object's three-axis attitude angle (or angular rate) and acceleration. Generally speaking, an IMU consists of three single-axis accelerometers and three single-axis gyroscopes. The accelerometers detect the object's acceleration signals along three independent axes in the carrier coordinate system, while the gyroscopes detect the carrier's angular velocity signals relative to the navigation coordinate system. Together, these measurements measure the object's angular velocity and acceleration in three-dimensional space and use them to determine the object's attitude.

[0047] In the context of the present invention, "smart terminal" is intended to refer to any terminal on the vehicle that includes the functionality of an inertial measurement unit, including but not limited to mobile phones, personal digital assistants, sports watches, etc. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, the "smart terminal" is the mobile phone of the driver or a passenger.

[0048] "Relative positioning information" refers to the motion trajectory and / or posture of an object relative to a certain starting position from a certain moment, and its meaning is relative to "absolute positioning information." In one or more embodiments, "relative positioning information" includes angular velocity (yaw rate) and acceleration (acceleration rate). In addition, in the context of the present invention, ordinal numbers such as "first" or "second" are added before the term "relative positioning information" to indicate different sources of "relative positioning information" and to distinguish them. For example, in one embodiment, the first relative positioning information is received from a smart terminal, and the second relative positioning information is received from an inertial measurement unit installed on a vehicle.

[0049] Utilizing the solution of vehicle computing device 2000, the IMU contained in a smart terminal can be used as a backup for the vehicle's IMU. For example, if the vehicle's IMU fails, there's no need to pre-install an additional or redundant IMU. Instead, the IMU in the driver's or passenger's smart terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or sports watch) can be used, thus expanding the usefulness of the IMU in the smart terminal.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 210 may be configured to determine that a fault exists in an inertial measurement unit installed in a vehicle by receiving a fault indication message from an external source. For example, the determination unit 210 may be configured to receive a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or another unit (e.g., a third-party device) and determine that the inertial measurement unit has a fault.

[0051] In another embodiment of the present invention, the determination unit 210 may determine that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on information obtained from communication with the inertial measurement unit (i.e., second relative positioning information). For example, the determination unit 210 is configured to receive the second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit and determine that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information. It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, the determination unit 210 is configured to determine that the inertial measurement unit is faulty if the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time period.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, in the above-mentioned vehicle computing device 2000, the establishment unit 220 is configured to send a request to establish communication to the smart terminal, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal to the vehicle; and receive a reply from the smart terminal. In this way, it can be ensured that the relative positioning information measured by the smart terminal can represent information such as the angular velocity and / or acceleration of the vehicle with sufficient accuracy. In other words, by including a confirmation prompt to fix the smart terminal to the vehicle in the request to establish communication sent by the establishment unit 220 to the smart terminal, the accuracy of the information provided by the IMU in the smart terminal can be ensured. In addition to the confirmation prompt, the establishment unit 220 can also be configured to inquire about the manufacturer and / or version model of the IMU in the smart terminal in the request, so that it can be understood whether the measurement accuracy of the IMU in the smart terminal meets the requirements.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the vehicle computing device 2000 establishes communication with the smart terminal and then receives relative positioning information through the receiving unit 230 only when the establishment unit 220 receives a confirmation response from the smart terminal that the smart terminal has been fixed on the vehicle and the manufacturer and / or version model of the IMU in the smart terminal meets the pre-set measurement accuracy.

[0054] Different usage scenarios may require different IMU accuracy. For example, the IMUs currently used in common consumer electronics are typically low-precision, inexpensive IMUs. These IMUs are commonly found in mobile phones and sports watches, and are often used to track walking steps. However, in vehicle driving (e.g., autonomous driving), the IMU accuracy requirements are relatively high. Therefore, the establishment unit 220 can determine whether the IMU's accuracy meets the current vehicle driving accuracy requirements by checking the manufacturer and / or version of the IMU in the smart terminal.

[0055] although Figure 2 Not shown in the figure, the vehicle computing device 2000 may further include: an analyzing unit, configured to perform vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; and a sending unit, configured to provide target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the methods performed by the vehicle computing device provided in one or more embodiments of the present invention can be implemented via a computer program. For example, when a computer storage medium (e.g., a USB flash drive) storing the computer program is connected to a computer, running the computer program can execute the methods performed by the vehicle computing device in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] In summary, the vehicle computing device solutions of the embodiments of the present invention can use the IMU contained in the smart terminal as an alternative to the vehicle's IMU. For example, if the vehicle's IMU fails, there is no need to pre-install an additional or redundant IMU in the vehicle. Instead, the IMU in the driver's smart terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or sports watch) can be used, thus expanding the use of the IMU in the smart terminal.

[0058] The above examples primarily illustrate aspects of the vehicle computing device of the present invention. Although only some embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in many other forms without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, the examples and embodiments presented are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and the present invention may encompass various modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method executed by a vehicle computing device, characterized in that: The method comprises: The vehicle computing device determines that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty; After determining that the inertial measurement unit is faulty, the vehicle computing device establishes communication with the smart terminal; and The vehicle computing device receives first relative positioning information from the smart terminal, The vehicle computing device establishing communication with the smart terminal includes: The vehicle computing device sends a request to the smart terminal to establish communication, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt for fixing the smart terminal to the vehicle and an inquiry regarding the manufacturer and / or version of the inertial measurement unit in the smart terminal; and The vehicle computing device receives a response from the smart terminal, wherein the vehicle computing device establishes communication with the smart terminal to receive the first relative positioning information only when a confirmation response is received that the smart terminal has been fixed to the vehicle and the manufacturer and / or version model of the inertial measurement unit in the smart terminal meets a preset measurement accuracy.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The vehicle computing device determining that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty includes: The vehicle computing device receives a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or other unit; and The vehicle computing device determines that the inertial measurement unit is faulty.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The vehicle computing device determining that an inertial measurement unit installed on the vehicle is faulty includes: The vehicle computing device receives second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit; and The vehicle computing device determines that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Determining, by the vehicle computing device, that the inertial measurement unit is faulty based on the second relative positioning information includes: If the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time, the vehicle computing device determines that the inertial measurement unit is faulty.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The vehicle computing device receiving the first relative positioning information from the smart terminal includes: The vehicle computing device receives three-dimensional linear acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity from the smart terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 5, further comprising: The vehicle computing device performs vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; as well as The vehicle computing device provides target control parameters to a vehicle motion control unit.

7. A vehicle computing device, characterized in that The device comprises: a determination unit for determining whether an inertial measurement unit installed on a vehicle is faulty; an establishing unit, configured to establish communication with a smart terminal after determining that the inertial measurement unit has a fault; and A receiving unit, configured to receive first relative positioning information from the smart terminal, Wherein, the establishing unit is configured to: Sending a request to establish communication to the smart terminal, wherein the request includes a confirmation prompt for securing the smart terminal to the vehicle and an inquiry regarding the manufacturer and / or version of an inertial measurement unit in the smart terminal; and A response is received from the smart terminal, wherein the establishing unit is configured to establish communication with the smart terminal so that the first relative positioning information is received by the receiving unit only when a confirmation response is received that the smart terminal has been fixed to the vehicle and the manufacturer and / or version model of the inertial measurement unit in the smart terminal meets a preset measurement accuracy.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: The determining unit is configured to: receiving a fault indication message from the inertial measurement unit or other unit; and It was determined that the inertial measurement unit was faulty.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: The determining unit is configured to: receiving second relative positioning information from the inertial measurement unit; and It is determined based on the second relative positioning information that the inertial measurement unit is faulty.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein: The determining unit is configured to determine that a fault exists in the inertial measurement unit when the second relative positioning information is not received within a predetermined time.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: The receiving unit is configured to receive three-dimensional linear acceleration and three-dimensional angular velocity from the smart terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 or 11, further comprising: an analyzing unit, configured to perform vehicle posture analysis based on the first relative positioning information; as well as The sending unit is used to provide target control parameters to the vehicle motion control unit.

13. A computer storage medium, characterized in that The medium includes instructions that, when executed, perform the method performed by the vehicle computing device of any one of claims 1 to 6.

14. A vehicle comprising the vehicle computing device according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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