Autonomous driving domain controller, control method and control system

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic driving domain controller, a control method and a control system, comprising a control mainboard, on which a main controller chip, an auxiliary controller chip and an MCU chip are integrated, the main control mainboard is connected to various sensors; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are provided with a laser radar signal communication interface, a millimeter wave radar signal communication interface, an ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, a video signal communication interface, an inertial navigation signal communication interface and a network communication interface; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are mutually redundant chips, the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip simultaneously receive all sensor data, and simultaneously send vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through an SPI bus, the MCU chip gives priority to the control instructions of the main control chip, and at the same time the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are invalid; if the MCU chip determines that the main control chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid, and the MCU chip uses the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicle autonomous driving technology, and specifically to an autonomous driving domain controller, control method and control system. Background Art

[0002] In the field of vehicles, with the rapid development of autonomous driving technology, autonomous driving of vehicles has been realized in more and more scenarios, including park docking, mining areas, airports, ports, logistics, sanitation and other scenarios, which have begun to carry out unmanned operations, bringing great benefits of cost reduction and efficiency improvement to various enterprises. However, there are still some problems with autonomous driving technology. For example, autonomous driving requires huge computing power. At present, most autonomous driving companies still use servers, and servers are not automotive-grade, which are easily affected by the operating environment inside and outside the vehicle. Moreover, it is easy for servers to crash during the actual vehicle operation, affecting the operational safety of autonomous driving. In addition, autonomous driving involves many and complex components, including servers, redundant controllers, IO converters, switches, CAN conversion equipment, power supply equipment, 5G equipment and various sensors. Any problem will affect the operational safety of autonomous driving. There are also problems that under normal circumstances, the sensors of the main and auxiliary redundant systems of many pure unmanned driving systems cannot be reused, and additional sensors need to be added to achieve the purpose of redundant safety, which undoubtedly increases the overall cost of the autonomous driving system.

[0003] Therefore, making autonomous driving components standardized, integrated and reusable will be an issue that needs to be urgently addressed in the future. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the embodiments of the present application provide an autonomous driving domain controller, a control method and a control system, which uses an autonomous driving domain controller equipped with an automotive-grade high-computing power core chip as the core controller of the autonomous driving domain, effectively solving the defect that the server is easily affected by the external environment, increasing the reliability of the autonomous driving core controller, and ensuring the operational safety of autonomous driving.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides an autonomous driving domain controller, the autonomous driving domain controller comprising a control mainboard, on which a main controller chip, an auxiliary controller chip, and an MCU chip are integrated, the main control mainboard is connected to various sensors; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are provided with a laser radar signal communication interface, a millimeter wave radar signal communication interface, an ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, a video signal communication interface, an inertial navigation signal communication interface, and a network communication interface;

[0006] The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are mutually redundant chips. The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip simultaneously receive all sensor data and simultaneously send vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through the SPI bus. The MCU chip preferentially uses the control instructions of the main control chip, and the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are set to be invalid. If the MCU chip determines that the main control chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid, and the MCU chip uses the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip.

[0007] The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to the MCU chip via a GPIO interface and an SPI interface, and the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected via an XFI interface, a PCIE interface and a GPIO interface.

[0008] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are automotive-grade high-computing power chips, which are used to receive and process peripheral sensor signals, and ultimately complete the operation of the autonomous driving algorithm; the video signal communication interface is connected to the deserializer chip and the camera via the C-PHY communication interface; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to at least three of the deserializer chips, each of which supports 4 GMSL interfaces, and each GMSL interface is connected to a camera to complete the reception of up to 12 video signals.

[0009] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the lidar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are connected to the switch chip through the XFI interface, and the switch chip is provided with at least 5 Gigabit Ethernet communication interfaces; the lidar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are respectively implemented through the Gigabit Ethernet communication interface to complete the reception of lidar signals and network communication.

[0010] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the millimeter-wave radar signal communication interface, the ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, and the inertial navigation signal communication interface are realized by connecting the MCU chip. The MCU chip supports access to multiple interfaces and completes the reception of ultrasonic radar signals, millimeter-wave radar signals, and combined inertial navigation device signals.

[0011] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the control mainboard further includes a power management system, and the power management system has two power input interfaces to provide redundant power supply for the power management system;

[0012] The power management system supplies power to the deserializer chip, the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, and the switch chip in the control mainboard;

[0013] The power management system is externally provided with two power output interfaces to provide redundant power supply for the sensor.

[0014] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the XFI interface, PCIE interface and GPIO interface between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are used to support the mutual communication between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, and simultaneously issue autonomous driving control commands, including but not limited to autonomous driving mode control commands, steering control commands, and vehicle speed control commands.

[0015] According to the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when both the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail, the MCU chip sends vehicle control instructions to the vehicle controller according to preset instructions based on the data before the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail.

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a control method of the autonomous driving domain controller based on the above embodiment, comprising:

[0017] The main controller chip issues control instructions;

[0018] The MCU chip monitors whether the main controller chip fails. If the main controller chip does not fail, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the main controller chip.

[0019] If the main controller chip fails, the MCU chip monitors whether the sub-controller chip fails;

[0020] If the sub-controller chip is not invalid, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the sub-controller chip;

[0021] If the sub-controller chip fails, the MCU chip issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command;

[0022] The vehicle controller VCU monitors whether the MCU chip fails. If the MCU chip does not fail, the vehicle controller VCU receives the vehicle control instruction from the MCU chip;

[0023] If the MCU chip fails, the vehicle controller VCU issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command;

[0024] The actuator receives and executes the vehicle control instructions from the vehicle controller VCU.

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a control system based on the autonomous driving domain controller described in the above embodiment, the control system comprising:

[0026] Autonomous driving domain controller, 12 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 1 combined inertial navigation device, 3 laser radars, and 2 5G routers;

[0027] The autonomous driving domain controller is connected to the 12 cameras through the GMSL interface, of which one camera interface is reserved, and is connected to the 12 ultrasonic radars through the DSI3 interface, and is connected to the 5 millimeter-wave radars through the CANFD interface, and is connected to the combined inertial navigation device through the CANFD interface, the serial port and the PPS interface, and is connected to the 3 laser radars and the 2 5G routers through the 1000BASE-T1 interface; the autonomous driving domain controller performs redundant communication with the vehicle controller through the CANFD interface and the 100BASE-T1 interface;

[0028] The two redundant output interfaces of the power management system in the autonomous driving domain controller respectively power various sensors, thereby achieving redundant power supply for various sensors of the control system;

[0029] The vehicle controller is connected to EPS, IPB and EPB through the CANFD interface to control each actuator.

[0030] According to the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the autonomous driving domain controller in the control system has two redundant power input interfaces, one of which is a main power input interface and the other is a redundant power input interface, and the two power input interfaces are independently powered; when the main power input interface fails, it is directly switched to the redundant power input interface;

[0031] The main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, the switch chip and the deserializer chip in the control system all provide power for the power management system; the sensors of the control system are also powered by the two output interfaces of the power management system, one of which is used to power the laser radar and the 5G router, and the other is used to power the ultrasonic radar, the millimeter-wave radar and the combined inertial navigation device.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: an autonomous driving domain controller, control method and control system provided by the embodiment of the present invention uses a domain controller equipped with a high-computing core chip of automotive grade as the core controller of the autonomous driving domain, which effectively solves the defect that the server is easily affected by the external environment, increases the reliability of the autonomous driving core controller, and ensures the operational safety of autonomous driving. The autonomous driving domain controller includes two high-computing core chips as the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, 1 MCU chip, 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch chip, 1 set of power management system chips and other core components, and integrates many original single-function devices into one domain control device, reducing the number and complexity of autonomous driving system equipment, and effectively reducing the risk of problems with autonomous driving components. The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip in the autonomous driving domain system provided by this embodiment are redundant with each other. Once the main controller chip fails, the auxiliary controller chip can connect all sensors and actuator devices to continue to perform autonomous driving operations. Moreover, even if the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail at the same time, the MCU chip will control the vehicle to stop safely according to the historical trajectory planned before the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail. In addition, if extreme scenarios are considered, if the entire domain controller fails, the vehicle controller will also control the vehicle to stop safely. The auxiliary controller chip provided in this embodiment can connect all sensor devices without adding redundant sensors, which can effectively reduce the overall cost of autonomous driving and help promote the mass production of the project. Finally, the autonomous driving domain system provided in this embodiment supports power redundancy, and all components of autonomous driving have redundant power supply to ensure the power supply safety of autonomous driving equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The technical solution and other beneficial effects of the present application will be made apparent by describing in detail the specific implementation methods of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment.

[0035] Figure 2 A flowchart of a control method for an autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment.

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the control system structure of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment.

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of redundant power supply for the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment.

[0038] in Figure 1 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4The dotted lines in the figure represent communication connections, and the solid lines represent electrical connections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0040] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0041] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples to realize the different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the parts and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the various specific processes and material examples provided by the present application, but those of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0042] With the rapid iterative development of high-computing core chips, the computing power of single chips such as Orin, QC8650, and J5 can meet the needs of conventional autonomous driving. Although not as strong as the computing power of servers, domain controllers based on such chips are gradually entering the field of autonomous driving due to their high security, high reliability, and low cost. In order to solve the problem that the servers currently used in autonomous driving vehicles are all non-automotive standards and are easily affected by the operating environment inside and outside the vehicle, and that the server is prone to crashes during actual vehicle operation, affecting the operational safety of autonomous driving. This embodiment provides an autonomous driving domain controller, a control method, and a control system, which integrates the autonomous driving domain controller with the power domain controller, and the autonomous driving domain controller completes the autonomous driving path planning, autonomous driving control, obstacle avoidance control, and battery management functions.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 As shown, the autonomous driving domain controller includes a control mainboard, on which a main controller chip, an auxiliary controller chip, an MCU chip, a switch chip, a power management system and a deserializer chip are integrated, and the main control mainboard is connected to various sensors; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are provided with a laser radar signal communication interface, a millimeter wave radar signal communication interface, an ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, a video signal communication interface, an inertial navigation signal communication interface and a network communication interface; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are redundant chips to each other, and the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip simultaneously receive all sensor data, and simultaneously send vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through the SPI bus, the MCU chip gives priority to the control instructions of the main control chip, and at the same time the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are invalid; if the MCU chip determines that the main control chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid, and the MCU chip uses the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip;

[0044] The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to the MCU chip via a GPIO interface and an SPI interface, and the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected via an XFI interface, a PCIE interface and a GPIO interface.

[0045] The current autonomous driving system involves many and complex components, generally including the main server, redundant controller, IO converter, switch, CAN conversion equipment, power supply equipment, 5G equipment and various sensors, etc. Any problem with any device will affect the normal operation of the autonomous driving system. For example, if there is a problem with the IO conversion box or the connected line, the clock synchronization mechanism of the autonomous driving system will not be able to operate, affecting the operation of the entire autonomous driving system. The autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment integrates all the functions of the main server, redundant controller, IO converter, switch, CAN conversion equipment, power supply equipment, etc. except the sensor into a single automotive-grade autonomous driving domain controller. All chips are reliably connected, the number of system components is greatly reduced, and the complexity of the system hardware connection relationship is greatly reduced, which is more conducive to the management and control of system components by relevant departments and reduces the risk of problems in the entire autonomous driving system.

[0046] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, in the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment, the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are automotive-grade high-computing chips, which are used to receive and process peripheral sensor signals and finally complete the operation of the autonomous driving algorithm; the video signal communication interface is connected to the deserializer chip and the camera through the C-PHY communication interface; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to at least three deserializer chips, each of which supports 4 GMSL interfaces, and each GMSL interface is connected to a camera to complete the reception of up to 12 video signals. Specifically, the autonomous driving domain controller includes at least three deserializer chips, each of which supports 4 GMSL interfaces, and each GMSL interface is connected to a camera, supporting the access requirements of surround, front, side and rear cameras. In this embodiment, three deserializer chips and the deserializer chip supporting 4 GMSL interfaces are used as an example for explanation, wherein the deserializer chip and the number of GMSL interfaces supported by the deserializer chip can be set according to actual needs and the computing power of the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, and no further explanation is given. The autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment includes three deserializer chips, each of which can support four GMSL interfaces, a total of 12 GMSL interfaces, and can connect 12 cameras, which can meet the access requirements of surround view, front view, side view and rear view cameras of conventional autonomous driving solutions.

[0047] The laser radar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are connected to the switch chip through the XFI interface, and the switch chip is provided with at least 5 Gigabit Ethernet communication interfaces; the laser radar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are respectively implemented through the Gigabit Ethernet communication interface to complete the reception of the laser radar signal and network communication. Specifically, the switch chip is internally connected to the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip and the MCU chip respectively, and the switch chip has 5 1000BASE-T1 interfaces outside to support the access requirements of 5 Ethernet devices.

[0048] The millimeter-wave radar signal communication interface, the ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, and the inertial navigation signal communication interface are realized by connecting the MCU chip. The MCU chip supports the access of multiple interfaces and completes the reception of ultrasonic radar signals, millimeter-wave radar signals, and combined inertial navigation device signals. Specifically, the MCU chip supports 12 DSI3 interfaces, 5 CANFD interfaces, 2 serial ports, 1 PPS interface, and 1 100BASE-T1 interface, supports the access requirements of ultrasonic radar, millimeter-wave radar, and combined inertial navigation devices, and communicates with the Ethernet of the vehicle controller through the 100BASE-T1 interface to achieve redundant communication of CANFD and Ethernet.

[0049] The control main board also includes a power management system, which has two power input interfaces to provide redundant power supply for the power management system; the power management system provides power for the deserializer chip, the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, and the switch chip in the control main board; the power management system is provided with two power output interfaces outside to provide redundant power supply for sensors related to the autonomous driving equipment.

[0050] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, the autonomous driving domain controller includes the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, and the XFI interface, PCIE interface and GPIO interface between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are used to support the mutual communication between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, and simultaneously issue autonomous driving control commands, including but not limited to autonomous driving mode control commands, steering control commands, and vehicle speed control commands. The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip receive all sensor data at the same time, and simultaneously issue vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through the SPI bus. The MCU chip gives priority to the control instructions of the main control chip, and at the same time, the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are set to invalid; when the main controller chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid.

[0051] That is, the MCU chip sends instructions to the vehicle controller through the Ethernet interface and the CANFD interface to achieve control of the vehicle. In the process of the MCU chip receiving the vehicle control instructions sent by the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip monitors the status signal of the main controller chip in real time through the GPIO interface and the SPI interface and other related interfaces. Once the main controller chip is in an abnormal state, the MCU chip immediately switches to use the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip to achieve seamless redundant switching control of the vehicle.

[0052] If the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail at the same time, the MCU chip sends the vehicle control instruction to the vehicle controller according to the preset instruction based on the data before the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail. That is, the MCU chip immediately enters the small decision-making mode according to the preset instruction. At this time, the MCU chip uses the path trajectory information, millimeter wave radar data, ultrasonic radar data and inertial navigation positioning data planned before the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail to achieve stable parking of the vehicle.

[0053] Even in extreme scenarios, that is, the entire autonomous driving domain control fails (the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip and the MCU chip all fail), all sensors also fail at the same time. After the vehicle controller monitors the failure state of the MCU chip, it immediately controls the vehicle to stop at a stable deceleration to ensure the operational safety of the vehicle.

[0054] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a control method of an autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 The control method comprises:

[0055] The main controller chip issues control instructions;

[0056] The MCU chip monitors whether the main controller chip fails. If the main controller chip does not fail, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the main controller chip.

[0057] If the main controller chip fails, the MCU chip monitors whether the sub-controller chip fails;

[0058] If the sub-controller chip is not invalid, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the sub-controller chip;

[0059] If the sub-controller chip fails, the MCU chip issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command;

[0060] The vehicle controller VCU monitors whether the MCU chip fails. If the MCU chip does not fail, the vehicle controller VCU receives the vehicle control instruction from the MCU chip;

[0061] If the MCU chip fails, the vehicle controller VCU issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command;

[0062] The actuator receives and executes the vehicle control instructions from the vehicle controller VCU.

[0063] Specifically, the MCU chip executes different control strategies according to the status of the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip. Including, the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip receive all sensor data at the same time, and send the whole vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through the SPI bus at the same time, the MCU chip gives priority to the control instructions of the main control chip, and the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are set to invalid; when the main controller chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid. The MCU chip monitors the status signal of the main controller chip in real time through relevant interfaces such as GPIO interface and SPI interface. Once the main controller chip is in an abnormal state, the MCU chip immediately switches to use the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip to achieve seamless redundant switching control of the whole vehicle. If the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail at the same time, the MCU chip immediately enters the small decision-making mode according to the preset instructions. At this time, the MCU chip uses the path trajectory information, millimeter wave radar data, ultrasonic radar data and inertial positioning data planned before the failure of the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip to achieve stable parking of the whole vehicle.

[0064] The vehicle controller VCU executes different control strategies according to the state of the MCU chip. Including, if the MCU chip is not failed, the vehicle controller VCU receives the vehicle control instructions of the MCU chip and sends corresponding instructions to the actuator for execution. If the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip and the MCU chip all fail, all sensors also fail at the same time. After the vehicle controller monitors the failure state of the MCU chip, it immediately sends control instructions to the actuator to control the vehicle to stop at a stable deceleration to ensure the safety of vehicle operation.

[0065] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the control system structure of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment. Figure 3 As shown, the control system includes:

[0066] An autonomous driving domain controller, 12 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 1 combined inertial navigation device, 3 laser radars and 2 5G routers; wherein the autonomous driving domain controller is connected to the 12 cameras through a GMSL interface, wherein a camera interface is reserved, and is connected to the 12 ultrasonic radars through a DSI3 interface, is connected to the 5 millimeter-wave radars through a CANFD interface, is connected to the combined inertial navigation device through a CANFD interface, a serial port and a PPS interface, and is connected to the 3 laser radars and the 2 5G routers through a 1000BASE-T1 interface; the autonomous driving domain controller performs redundant communication with the vehicle controller through the CANFD interface and the 100BASE-T1 interface; the two redundant output interfaces of the power management system in the autonomous driving domain controller respectively power various sensors to achieve redundant power supply for various sensors of the control system; the vehicle controller is connected to EPS, IPB and EPB through the CANFD interface to control each actuator.

[0067] Specifically, Figure 3 As shown, the autonomous driving domain controller is connected to the whole vehicle through the vehicle controller VCU via Ethernet and CANFD interface to realize the control of the actuator by the entire autonomous driving system. In the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment, the auxiliary controller chip can simultaneously receive all the perception positioning data and vehicle body data, and in the event of failure of the main controller chip, the control instructions of the whole vehicle can be issued through the MCU chip. The camera data can be transmitted to the auxiliary controller chip through the deserializer chip, the laser radar and 5G router data can be transmitted to the auxiliary controller chip through the switch chip, the millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic radar, combined inertial navigation and vehicle body data are transmitted to the auxiliary controller chip through the MCU chip, and the relevant control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are issued to the whole vehicle through the MCU chip to execute all the control instructions of the autonomous driving. In this way, the auxiliary controller chip can fully reuse the sensors of all autonomous driving systems without the need to add additional redundant sensors, which reduces the overall cost of autonomous driving and is more conducive to mass production.

[0068] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of redundant power supply for the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment. Figure 4 As shown, the autonomous driving domain controller in the control system has two redundant power input interfaces, one of which is the main power input interface and the other is the redundant power input interface. The two power input interfaces are powered independently and cannot have any association relationship. When the main power input interface fails, it directly switches to the redundant power input interface to ensure the power safety of the entire system.

[0069] All power output interfaces in the power management system have redundant power protection functions, such as Figure 4 As shown, the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, the switch chip and the deserializer chip in the control system all provide power for the power management system; the sensors of the control system are also powered by the two output interfaces of the power management system, one of which is for the laser radar and the 5G router, and the other is for the ultrasonic radar, the millimeter wave radar and the combined inertial navigation device. In this way, redundant power supply for all devices in the entire autonomous driving system can be guaranteed, and reliable power supply for the entire autonomous driving system can be achieved.

[0070] Specifically, the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment will use a domain controller equipped with a high-computing core chip of automotive grade as the core controller of the autonomous driving domain, which effectively solves the defect that the server is easily affected by the external environment, increases the reliability of the autonomous driving core controller, and ensures the operational safety of autonomous driving. The autonomous driving domain controller integrates many original single-function devices, reduces the number and complexity of autonomous driving system equipment, and effectively reduces the risk of problems with autonomous driving components.

[0071] The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip in the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment are redundant with each other. Once the main controller chip fails, the auxiliary controller chip can take over directly and continue to perform the operation of autonomous driving. Even if the main and auxiliary sub-controller chips fail at the same time, the MCU will control the vehicle to stop safely according to the historical trajectory planned before the failure of the main and auxiliary sub-controller chips. In addition, if extreme scenarios are considered, the entire domain controller fails, and the vehicle controller will also control the vehicle to stop safely. Moreover, the auxiliary controller chip can be connected to all sensor devices, without the need to add additional redundant sensors, which can effectively reduce the overall cost of autonomous driving and help promote the mass production of the project. And the control system of the autonomous driving domain controller provided in this embodiment supports power redundancy function, and all components of autonomous driving have redundant power supply to ensure the power supply safety of the entire autonomous driving equipment.

[0072] In summary, the autonomous driving domain controller, control method and control system provided by the embodiments of the present invention use a domain controller equipped with a high-computing core chip of automotive grade as the core controller of the autonomous driving domain, which effectively solves the defect that the server is easily affected by the external environment, increases the reliability of the autonomous driving core controller, and ensures the operational safety of autonomous driving. The autonomous driving domain controller includes two high-computing core chips as the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, 1 MCU chip, 1 Gigabit Ethernet switch chip, 1 power management system chip and other core components, integrating many original single-function devices into one domain control device, reducing the number and complexity of autonomous driving system equipment, and effectively reducing the risk of problems with autonomous driving components.

[0073] Although the preferred embodiments of the embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they are aware of the basic creative concepts. Therefore, the attached claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Finally, it should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or terminal device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements that are not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or terminal device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including one..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or terminal device including the elements.

[0074] The above is a detailed introduction to the autonomous driving domain controller, control method and control system provided in the embodiments of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the technical solutions and core ideas of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some of the technical features therein with equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving domain controller, characterized in that: The autonomous driving domain controller includes a control mainboard, on which a main controller chip, an auxiliary controller chip, and an MCU chip are integrated, and the control mainboard is connected to various sensors; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are provided with a laser radar signal communication interface, a millimeter wave radar signal communication interface, an ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, a video signal communication interface, an inertial navigation signal communication interface, and a network communication interface; The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are mutually redundant chips. The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip simultaneously receive all sensor data and simultaneously send vehicle control instructions to the MCU chip through the SPI bus. The MCU chip preferentially uses the control instructions of the main controller chip, and the instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are set to be invalid. If the MCU chip determines that the main controller chip fails, the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip are valid, and the MCU chip uses the control instructions of the auxiliary controller chip. The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to the MCU chip via a GPIO interface and an SPI interface, and the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected via an XFI interface, a PCIE interface and a GPIO interface; The main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are automotive-grade high-computing chips, which are used to receive and process peripheral sensor signals and ultimately complete the operation of the autonomous driving algorithm; the video signal communication interface is connected to the deserializer chip and the camera through the C-PHY communication interface; the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are connected to at least three deserializer chips, each of which supports 4 GMSL interfaces, and each GMSL interface is connected to a camera to complete the reception of up to 12 video signals; The laser radar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are connected to the switch chip through the XFI interface, and the switch chip is provided with at least 5 Gigabit Ethernet communication interfaces; the laser radar signal communication interface and the network communication interface are respectively implemented through the Gigabit Ethernet communication interface to complete the reception of the laser radar signal and the network communication; the switch chip is internally connected to the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip and the MCU chip respectively; The millimeter-wave radar signal communication interface, the ultrasonic radar signal communication interface, and the inertial navigation signal communication interface are realized by connecting to the MCU chip. The MCU chip supports access to multiple interfaces and completes the reception of ultrasonic radar signals, millimeter-wave radar signals, and combined inertial navigation device signals.

2. The autonomous driving domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control mainboard also includes a power management system, which has two power input interfaces to provide redundant power supply for the power management system; The power management system supplies power to the deserializer chip, the main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, and the switch chip in the control mainboard; The power management system is externally provided with two power output interfaces to provide redundant power supply for the sensor.

3. The autonomous driving domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The XFI interface, PCIE interface and GPIO interface between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip are used to support mutual communication between the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip, and simultaneously issue automatic driving control commands, which include automatic driving mode control commands, steering control commands, and vehicle speed control commands.

4. The autonomous driving domain controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: When both the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail, the MCU chip sends a vehicle control instruction to the vehicle controller according to the preset instruction based on the data before the main controller chip and the auxiliary controller chip fail.

5. A control method based on the autonomous driving domain controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: include: The main controller chip issues control instructions; The MCU chip monitors whether the main controller chip fails. If the main controller chip does not fail, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the main controller chip. If the main controller chip fails, the MCU chip monitors whether the auxiliary controller chip fails; If the auxiliary controller chip is not invalid, the MCU chip receives the vehicle control instruction from the auxiliary controller chip; If the auxiliary controller chip fails, the MCU chip issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command; The vehicle controller VCU monitors whether the MCU chip fails. If the MCU chip does not fail, the vehicle controller VCU receives the vehicle control instruction from the MCU chip; If the MCU chip fails, the vehicle controller VCU issues a vehicle control command according to a preset command; The actuator receives and executes the vehicle control instructions from the vehicle controller VCU.

6. A control system based on the autonomous driving domain controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The control system comprises: Autonomous driving domain controller, 12 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 1 combined inertial navigation device, 3 laser radars, and 2 5G routers; The autonomous driving domain controller is connected to the 12 cameras through the GMSL interface, of which one camera interface is reserved, and is connected to the 12 ultrasonic radars through the DSI3 interface, and is connected to the 5 millimeter-wave radars through the CANFD interface, and is connected to the combined inertial navigation device through the CANFD interface, the serial port and the PPS interface, and is connected to the 3 laser radars and the 2 5G routers through the 1000BASE-T1 interface; the autonomous driving domain controller performs redundant communication with the vehicle controller through the CANFD interface and the 100BASE-T1 interface; The two redundant output interfaces of the power management system in the autonomous driving domain controller respectively power various sensors, thereby achieving redundant power supply for various sensors of the control system; The vehicle controller is connected to EPS, IPB and EPB through the CANFD interface to control each actuator.

7. The control system of the autonomous driving domain controller according to claim 6, characterized in that: The autonomous driving domain controller in the control system has two redundant power input interfaces, one of which is a main power input interface and the other is a redundant power input interface, and the two power input interfaces are independently powered; when the main power input interface fails, it is directly switched to the redundant power input interface; The main controller chip, the auxiliary controller chip, the MCU chip, the switch chip and the deserializer chip in the control system are all powered by the power management system; the sensors of the control system are also powered by the two output interfaces of the power management system, one of which is used to power the laser radar and the 5G router, and the other is used to power the ultrasonic radar, the millimeter-wave radar and the combined inertial navigation device.

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