Vehicle control system and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vehicle control system and a vehicle, the vehicle control system comprising a first controller, the first controller comprising a first control unit and a second control unit; the first control unit being connected with the second control unit; the first control unit being configured to receive first sensor data collected by a first sensor group, process the first sensor data to obtain first intermediate data; the first sensor group comprising sensors matched with the first control unit in a current driving scene of the vehicle; the second control unit being configured to receive second sensor data collected by a second sensor group, process the second sensor data to obtain second intermediate data, and transmit the second intermediate data to the first control unit; the second sensor group comprising sensors matched with the second control unit in the current driving scene; the first control unit being further configured to process the first intermediate data and the second intermediate data to obtain a perception result, and control the vehicle to travel according to the perception result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more specifically, to a vehicle control method and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of automotive intelligence, intelligent driving has become an important direction for research and application of automotive intelligent technologies. Driving experience and driving safety are the focus of attention for automakers and users. Intelligent driving technologies include environmental perception and fusion, high-precision positioning, V2X (Vehicle To Everything), and human-machine interaction. This places higher demands on the computing power of intelligent driving systems. Therefore, intelligent driving systems designed with dual-domain controllers or single-domain controllers using dual SoC (System on Chip) solutions have emerged to meet the computing power requirements.

[0003] In the existing technology, each domain controller or control unit is connected to a specific set of sensors. In any case, the data from a specific sensor or set of sensors is processed by the same domain controller or control unit.

[0004] The demand for various sensor data varies depending on the system state and driving scenario. Furthermore, the processing difficulty of various sensor data also varies in different driving scenarios, resulting in different computing power requirements for various sensor data in different driving scenarios.

[0005] However, in the prior art, the sensors connected to each domain controller or control unit are fixed, and in any case, the data from a specific sensor or set of sensors is processed by the same domain controller or control unit. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One objective of this disclosure is to provide a new technical solution for dynamically allocating the computing power of each control unit.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle control system is provided, including a first controller, the first controller including a first control unit and a second control unit; the first control unit is connected to the second control unit, and the vehicle control system is also connected to at least one sensor;

[0008] The first control unit is used to receive first sensor data collected by the first sensor group, process the first sensor data, and obtain first intermediate data; the first sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the first control unit in the current driving scenario of the vehicle.

[0009] The second control unit is used to receive second sensor data collected by the second sensor group, process the second sensor data to obtain second intermediate data, and transmit the second intermediate data to the first control unit; the second sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the second control unit in the current driving scenario;

[0010] The first control unit is also used to process the first intermediate data and the second intermediate data to obtain a perception result, and control the vehicle to drive based on the perception result.

[0011] Optionally, the vehicle control system further includes a second controller, the second controller including a third control unit, the third control unit being connected to the first control unit;

[0012] The third control unit is used to receive third sensor data collected by the third sensor group, process the third sensor data to obtain third intermediate data, and transmit the third intermediate data to the first control unit; the third sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the third control unit in the current driving scenario;

[0013] The first control unit is also used to process the third intermediate data to obtain the perception result.

[0014] Optionally, the second controller further includes a fourth control unit, which is connected to the third control unit and the fourth control unit, and the fourth control unit is also connected to the second control unit;

[0015] The fourth control unit is used to receive fourth sensor data collected by the fourth sensor group, process the fourth sensor data to obtain fourth intermediate data, and transmit the fourth intermediate data to the first control unit; the fourth sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the fourth control unit in the current driving scenario;

[0016] The first control unit is also used to process the fourth intermediate data to obtain the perception result.

[0017] Optionally, any control unit is configured to determine another control unit that matches the target sensor in the current driving scenario if the target sensor it is connected to does not belong to its corresponding sensor group; and to forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the other control unit if the other control unit is not connected to the target sensor.

[0018] Optionally, the vehicle control system is configured to: when the computing power resources provided by any control unit are lower than the computing power requirements of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scenario, at least one sensor in the sensor group corresponding to any control unit is assigned to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit, wherein the computing power resources provided by the target control unit are higher than the computing power requirements of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scenario.

[0019] Optionally, any control unit is configured to: detect its own computing resource utilization rate and send the computing resource utilization rate to other control units; if its own computing resource utilization rate is higher than a first threshold, determine the control unit with a computing resource utilization rate lower than a second threshold as the target control unit, and send the sensor data collected by at least one target sensor in the corresponding sensor group to the target control unit for processing.

[0020] Optionally, the target control unit is configured to reject any computing power usage request sent by any control unit if its current computing power resource utilization rate is higher than or equal to the second threshold.

[0021] The control unit is further configured to: if the computing power usage request is rejected by the target control unit, redetermine the target control unit.

[0022] Optionally, the first controller further includes a first Ethernet switching module, and the second controller further includes a second Ethernet switching module. Each control unit includes a microcontroller and a system chip for processing sensor data. The system chips of the first control unit and the second control unit are connected via a high-speed serial bus. The system chips of the third control unit and the fourth control unit are connected via a high-speed serial bus. The system chips of the first control unit and the third control unit are connected via Ethernet. The system chips of the second control unit and the fourth control unit are connected via Ethernet.

[0023] The system chip and microcontroller of the first control unit, the system chip and microcontroller of the second control unit are all connected to the first Ethernet switching module, the system chip and microcontroller of the third control unit, and the system chip and microcontroller of the fourth control unit are all connected to the second Ethernet switching module; the first Ethernet switching module and the second Ethernet switching module are connected.

[0024] Optionally, the second control unit is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system in the event of a malfunction in the first control unit;

[0025] The third control unit is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system in the event that both the first control unit and the second control unit fail.

[0026] The fourth control unit is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system in the event that the first control unit, the second control unit, and the third control unit all fail.

[0027] Optionally, any control unit is configured to forward the sensor data collected by its corresponding sensor group to the other control unit for processing if it malfunctions while the other control unit in the same controller does not malfunction.

[0028] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a vehicle is also provided, including at least one sensor and a vehicle control system according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0029] Through the embodiments of this disclosure, based on the computing power resources that each control unit can provide and the computing power requirements of sensor data in different driving scenarios, the multiple sensors connected to the vehicle control system 1000 are divided into a first sensor group and a second sensor group. This enables the dynamic allocation of sensor data between the first control unit and the second control unit, thereby enabling the dynamic allocation of computing power. This fully utilizes the computing power resources of each control unit, reducing the computing power requirement of a single control unit under the same processing power requirements, thus achieving the goal of cost savings.

[0030] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a vehicle control system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of a vehicle control system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the controller and the sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0037] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or use.

[0038] Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the specification.

[0039] In all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0040] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0041] Vehicle Control System

[0042] This disclosure provides a vehicle control system. Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle control system 1000 may include a first controller 1100, which may include a first control unit 1110 and a second control unit 1120, which are connected together. The vehicle control system 1000 may also be connected to at least one sensor 2000.

[0044] The first control unit 1110 is used to receive first sensor data collected by the first sensor group, process the first sensor data, and obtain first intermediate data. The first sensor group includes at least one sensor that is matched with the first control unit in the current driving scenario of the vehicle.

[0045] The second control unit 1120 is used to receive second sensor data collected by the second sensor group, process the second sensor data to obtain second intermediate data, and transmit the second intermediate data to the first control unit 1110. The second sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the second control unit in the current driving scenario of the vehicle.

[0046] The first control unit 1110 is also used to process the first intermediate data and the second intermediate data to obtain the perception result, and control the vehicle driving according to the perception result.

[0047] The driving scenario of a vehicle may be composed of one or a combination of different road conditions, different weather conditions, and abnormal states of some sensors. For example, it may include closed site scenarios, highway scenarios, urban road scenarios, sunny daytime scenarios, rainy daytime scenarios, foggy daytime scenarios, snowy daytime scenarios, nighttime scenarios, and scenarios with abnormal states of any sensor.

[0048] The current driving scenario of the vehicle can be determined by the first control unit 1110 based on sensor data within a target statistical period. The target statistical period can be the most recent statistical period preceding the current moment.

[0049] For example, high-precision positioning can determine whether the current road is a highway, urban road, or closed area; cameras can determine whether it is day or night, sunny or rainy / snowy weather; advanced detection methods can determine whether the sensor is malfunctioning; and changes in data collected over a period of time and comparison with data collected by other sensors can determine whether the sensor is under attack.

[0050] The demand for various sensor data varies depending on the system state and driving scenario. In addition, the processing difficulty of various sensor data varies in different driving scenarios, resulting in different computing power requirements for various sensor data in different driving scenarios.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first sensor group and the second sensor group can be dynamically divided in advance based on the computing power resources that the first control unit 1110 and the second control unit 1120 can provide, as well as the computing power requirements of the sensor data collected by each sensor in the current driving scenario of the vehicle, so that the first control unit 1110 can meet the computing power requirements of the first sensor group, and the second control unit 1120 can meet the computing power requirements of the second sensor group. That is, the computing power resources that the first control unit 1110 can provide are greater than the computing power requirements of the first sensor group, and the computing power resources that the second control unit 1120 can provide are greater than the computing power requirements of the second sensor group.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first control unit 1110 may fuse all first and second intermediate data to obtain a perception result of the vehicle's driving environment. Controlling the vehicle's movement based on this perception result can be achieved by planning an autonomous driving path and making vehicle control decisions based on AI capabilities.

[0053] Through the embodiments of this disclosure, based on the computing power resources that each control unit can provide and the computing power requirements of sensor data in different driving scenarios, the multiple sensors connected to the vehicle control system 1000 are divided into a first sensor group and a second sensor group. This enables the dynamic allocation of sensor data between the first control unit and the second control unit, thereby enabling the dynamic allocation of computing power. This fully utilizes the computing power resources of each control unit, reducing the computing power requirement of a single control unit under the same processing power requirements, thus achieving the goal of cost savings.

[0054] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle control system 1000 may further include a second controller 1200, which may include a third control unit 1210, and the third control unit 1210 is connected to the first control unit 1110.

[0055] The third control unit 1210 is used to receive third sensor data collected by the third sensor group, process the third sensor data to obtain third intermediate data, and transmit the third intermediate data to the first control unit 1110. The third sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the third control unit 1210 in the current driving scenario.

[0056] The first control unit 1110 is also used to process the third intermediate data to obtain the perception result. Specifically, the first control unit 1110 can process the first intermediate data, the second intermediate data, and the third intermediate data to obtain the perception result, and control the vehicle's movement based on the perception result.

[0057] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle control system 1000 may further include a fourth control unit 1220. The third control unit 1210 and the fourth control unit 1220 are connected, and the fourth control unit 1220 is connected to the second control unit 1120.

[0058] The fourth control unit 1220 is used to receive the fourth sensor data collected by the fourth sensor group, process the fourth sensor data to obtain fourth intermediate data, and transmit the fourth intermediate data to the first control unit 1110. The fourth sensor group includes at least one sensor that matches the fourth control unit 1220 in the current driving scenario.

[0059] The first control unit 1110 is also used to process the fourth intermediate data to obtain a perception result. Specifically, the first control unit 1110 can process the first intermediate data, the second intermediate data, the third intermediate data, and the fourth intermediate data to obtain a perception result, and control the vehicle's movement based on the perception result.

[0060] In this embodiment, the third sensor group and the fourth sensor group can be dynamically divided in advance based on the computing power resources that the third control unit 1210 and the fourth control unit 1220 can provide, as well as the computing power requirements of the sensor data collected by each sensor in the current driving scenario of the vehicle, so that the third control unit 1210 can meet the computing power requirements of the third sensor group, and the fourth control unit 1220 can meet the computing power requirements of the fourth sensor group. That is, the computing power resources that the third control unit 1210 can provide are greater than the computing power requirements of the third sensor group, and the computing power resources that the fourth control unit 1220 can provide are greater than the computing power requirements of the fourth sensor group.

[0061] In one embodiment of this disclosure, multiple sensors may be connected to the first control unit 1110, the second control unit 1120, the third control unit 1210, and the fourth control unit 1220, respectively. Specifically, a sensor may be connected to one control unit or multiple control units, without limitation. These multiple sensors may include, for example, cameras, ultrasonic radar, millimeter-wave radar, lidar, high-precision positioning, V2X, and other intelligent driving-related sensors and modules.

[0062] V2X (Vehicle to Everything) is a technology for exchanging information between vehicles and the outside world. This external information includes, but is not limited to, environmental information and information about surrounding vehicles. V2X stands for Vehicle to X, where X represents infrastructure, vehicle, pedestrian, etc., and X can also be any possible "person or thing" (Everything). V2X interaction modes include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), and vehicle-to-network (V2N).

[0063] For any given sensor, sensor data can be collected at its own sampling frequency, and the collected sensor data can be transmitted to at least one connected control unit.

[0064] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first control unit may be responsible for sending the current driving scenario to other control units.

[0065] Furthermore, under different system states and driving scenarios, the intelligent driving system has different requirements for various sensors, or the processing difficulty of the sensor data collected by various sensors varies under different driving scenarios, resulting in different computing power requirements for the sensor data collected by various sensors under different driving scenarios. Therefore, sensors can be pre-grouped according to driving scenarios.

[0066] For example, in a closed environment, when a vehicle is parked, the surrounding environment is relatively fixed, the speed is low, and there are few dynamic obstacles. Ultrasonic radar is mainly used to detect static obstacles at close range. The processing requirements for data collected by sensors such as cameras, high-precision positioning, and V2X are not high, so more computing power can be invested in processing ultrasonic radar data.

[0067] For example, in a highway scenario, the road surface environment is relatively fixed, lane lines and traffic signs are very clear and standardized, and the types of dynamic obstacles are limited. In this case, the data collected by the camera consumes less computing power, while the data from sensors such as LiDAR and forward millimeter-wave radar require higher computing power.

[0068] For example, in urban road scenarios, the environment is more complex, lane lines and traffic signs may be incomplete or unclear, and there are various dynamic obstacles. This places high demands on the data processing capabilities of the cameras, allowing for the allocation of more computing power to process the data collected by the cameras.

[0069] For example, in a clear daytime scene with good lighting and high visibility, the computing power required to process various sensor data differs from that in rainy, foggy, snowy, and nighttime scenes.

[0070] For example, if a sensor connected to a control unit is unusable, that computing power becomes available and can be used to process sensor data from other control units. The reason a sensor is unusable may be due to hardware failure, software anomaly, or attack, such as a camera being blocked.

[0071] Based on this, multiple sensors can be grouped according to the current driving scenario to obtain the first sensor group, the second sensor group, the third sensor group, and the fourth sensor group under the current driving scenario.

[0072] Furthermore, each control unit may pre-store a lookup table reflecting the mapping relationship between driving scenarios and sensor groups. The lookup table is consulted based on the current driving scenario to obtain the corresponding sensor group. The sensor group can represent the grouping of all normally functioning sensors in the vehicle control system relative to each control unit. Specifically, it may include a sensor group corresponding to each control unit, and the sensor group corresponding to any control unit may include at least one sensor.

[0073] For any given control unit, the sensors included in the corresponding sensor group can be the same or different in different driving scenarios.

[0074] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the first control unit 1110 may send the sensor group corresponding to each control unit in the current driving mode to other control units.

[0075] Through the embodiments of this disclosure, the first control unit, the second control unit, the third control unit, and the fourth control unit process sensor data collected by different sensors. Moreover, sensor data collected by a specific sensor is processed by different control units in different driving scenarios, which can realize dynamic allocation of computing power, make full use of the computing power resources of each control unit, and reduce the computing power requirement of a single control unit under the same processing power requirements, thereby achieving the purpose of saving costs.

[0076] In one embodiment of this disclosure, if the target sensor connected to any control unit does not belong to its corresponding sensor group, then the control unit can be configured to determine another control unit that matches the target sensor in the current driving scenario. If the other control unit is not connected to the target sensor, the sensor data collected by the target sensor is forwarded to the other control unit for processing.

[0077] Specifically, any control unit can be any one of the first control unit 1110, the second control unit 1120, the third control unit 1210, and the fourth control unit 1220.

[0078] Since the sensor transmits the sensor data it collects to the connected control unit, if the other control unit is not connected to the target sensor, it means that the target sensor cannot directly transmit the sensor data it collects to the other control unit. Therefore, the control unit that receives the sensor data collected by the target sensor may forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the other control unit, so that the other control unit can receive the sensor data collected by the target sensor that matches itself, and then process the sensor data to obtain the corresponding intermediate data.

[0079] Furthermore, since the target sensor does not belong to the sensor group corresponding to the control unit, the control unit may choose not to process the sensor data collected by the target sensor.

[0080] Furthermore, the control unit can also be configured to indicate that, when it is determined that another control unit is connected to the target sensor, the target sensor can directly transmit the sensor data it has collected to the other control unit. Therefore, the control unit that receives the sensor data collected by the target sensor does not need to forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the other control unit.

[0081] In this embodiment, the first control unit 1110, the second control unit 1120, the third control unit 1210, and the fourth control unit 1220 are connected to form a ring network to realize the forwarding of sensor data between the first control unit 1110, the second control unit 1120, the third control unit 1210, and the fourth control unit 1220.

[0082] For example, if the target sensor connected to the first control unit 1110 does not belong to the first sensor group but to the second sensor group, and the target sensor is connected to the second control unit 1120, then the first control unit 1110 may not perform any processing on the sensor data collected by the target sensor.

[0083] For example, if the target sensor connected to the first control unit 1110 does not belong to the first sensor group but to the third sensor group, and the target sensor is not connected to the third control unit 1210, then the first control unit 1110 may forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the third control unit 1210 for processing.

[0084] For example, if the target sensor connected to the first control unit 1110 does not belong to the first sensor group but to the fourth sensor group, and the target sensor is not connected to the fourth control unit 1220, then the first control unit 1110 may forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the third control unit 1210, and then the third control unit 1210 may forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the fourth control unit 1220 for processing.

[0085] Any control unit is configured to forward sensor data collected by sensors in its corresponding sensor group that are not connected to the other control unit for processing, in the event of a failure of itself and a normal failure of the other control unit in the same controller.

[0086] If any control unit malfunctions, it can notify other control units of the result of its malfunction. If the other control units malfunction and receive the sensor data forwarded by the control unit, they can process the sensor data.

[0087] In this embodiment, when any control unit fails, some sensor data can be transmitted to other control units that are functioning normally for processing, maximizing the use of available sensors.

[0088] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the second control unit 1120 is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system when the first control unit 1110 fails; the third control unit 1210 is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system when both the first control unit 1110 and the second control unit 1120 fail; and the fourth control unit 1220 is configured to take over control of the autonomous driving system when all three control units 1110, the second control unit 1120, and the third control unit 1210 fail.

[0089] In this embodiment, the control of the autonomous driving system is taken over, that is, the steps of processing the first intermediate data and the second intermediate data (which may also include the third intermediate data and the fourth intermediate data) to obtain the perception results, and controlling the vehicle to drive based on the perception results are performed.

[0090] Furthermore, each control unit can transmit the intermediate data obtained from processing sensor data to the control unit that has control over the autonomous driving system, so that the control unit that has control over the autonomous driving system can control the vehicle to drive autonomously based on the intermediate data.

[0091] This embodiment enables the switching of control of the autonomous driving system when the control unit with control of the autonomous driving system fails, thereby improving the safety performance of the vehicle's autonomous driving.

[0092] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the vehicle control system can be used to: when the computing power resources that any control unit can provide are lower than the computing power requirements of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scenario, assign at least one sensor in the sensor group corresponding to the control unit to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit, wherein the computing power resources that the target control unit can provide are higher than the computing power requirements of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scenario.

[0093] When any control unit is the first control unit 1110, the corresponding sensor group can be the first sensor group; when any control unit is the second control unit 1120, the corresponding sensor group can be the second sensor group; when any control unit is the third control unit 1210, the corresponding sensor group can be the third sensor group; when any control unit is the fourth control unit 1220, the corresponding sensor group can be the fourth sensor group.

[0094] This allows for the dynamic distribution of sensor data among multiple control units, which in turn enables the dynamic allocation of computing power. This fully utilizes the computing resources of each control unit, reducing the computing power requirement of a single control unit under the same processing power requirements, thus saving costs.

[0095] In one embodiment of this disclosure, any control unit is configured to: assign any one or more of its own corresponding sensor group to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit, and send the sensor data collected by the sensors assigned to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit to the target control unit for processing.

[0096] In another embodiment of this disclosure, any control unit is configured to assign at least one target sensor from its corresponding sensor group that matches the target control unit to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit.

[0097] At least one target sensor is matched with the target control unit, which may be matched with the target control unit in terms of sensor type, orientation, or data function.

[0098] In this embodiment, any control unit can assign at least one target sensor from its own sensor group that matches the target control unit to the sensor group corresponding to the target control unit, thereby reducing the computing power required by the target control unit to process the sensor data forwarded by any control unit.

[0099] In one embodiment of this disclosure, any control unit is configured to: detect its own computing resource utilization rate and send the computing resource utilization rate to other control units; if its own computing resource utilization rate is higher than a first threshold, determine the control unit whose computing resource utilization rate is lower than a second threshold as the target control unit, and send the sensor data collected by at least one sensor in the corresponding sensor group to the target control unit for processing.

[0100] Furthermore, any control unit may send a computing power usage request to the target control unit when its own computing power resource utilization rate is higher than a first threshold.

[0101] The target control unit is configured to, upon receiving a computing power usage request, detect whether its current computing power resource utilization rate is lower than a second threshold; and if its current computing power resource utilization rate is lower than the second threshold, accept the computing power usage request.

[0102] When the target control unit accepts the request to use computing power, any control unit will send the sensor data collected by at least one target sensor in the corresponding sensor group to the target control unit for processing.

[0103] When the target control unit receives a request to use computing power, it processes the sensor data sent by the control unit that issued the request to obtain the corresponding intermediate data.

[0104] The first threshold and the second threshold can be preset according to the application scenario or specific needs, and the first threshold is greater than the second threshold. For example, the first threshold can be 80%, and the second threshold can be 30%.

[0105] If the computing power utilization rate of the control unit is higher than the first threshold, it means that the computing power of the control unit is overloaded and the computing power of other control units is needed to process the sensor data collected by the target sensors matched with it.

[0106] If the computing power utilization rate of a control unit is lower than the second threshold, it indicates that the computing power utilization rate of that control unit is low, but it can process sensor data forwarded by other control units. Specifically, in the current driving scenario, if at least one target sensor matched by a control unit fails, it may result in a low computing power utilization rate for that control unit.

[0107] If there is only one control unit with a computing resource utilization rate below the second threshold, that control unit can be used as the target control unit. If there are at least two control units with a computing resource utilization rate below the second threshold, the control unit with the highest priority can be used as the target control unit. Specifically, the control unit located on the same controller as the target control unit has the highest priority, followed by control units directly connected to the target control unit but located on different controllers, and the control unit not directly connected to the target control unit but located on different controllers has the lowest priority.

[0108] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the target control unit is further configured to reject computing power usage requests if its current computing power resource utilization rate is higher than or equal to a second threshold.

[0109] Any control unit is configured to: re-determine the target control unit if the target control unit rejects the request to use computing power.

[0110] Furthermore, the target control unit can be redefined as another control unit among those control units whose computing power resource utilization rate is lower than the second threshold, whose priority is second only to the control unit that rejected the computing power usage request.

[0111] Furthermore, redefining the target control unit can be achieved by reassessing the computing resource utilization rate of each control unit and identifying the control unit whose latest detected computing resource utilization rate is lower than the second threshold as the target control unit.

[0112] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first controller 1100 also includes a first Ethernet switching module Switch1, the second controller 1200 also includes a second Ethernet switching module Switch2, the first control unit 1110 includes a microcontroller MCU1 and a system-on-a-chip (SOC1), the second control unit 1120 includes a microcontroller MCU2 and a system-on-a-chip (SOC2), the third control unit 1210 includes a microcontroller MCU3 and a system-on-a-chip (SOC3), and the fourth control unit 1220 includes a microcontroller MCU4 and a system-on-a-chip (SOC4).

[0113] Any system-on-a-chip (SoC) can be used to process and fuse data from multiple sensors to perceive environmental information, plan autonomous driving paths based on AI capabilities, and output vehicle control decisions. Any microcontroller unit (MCU) is responsible for vehicle communication, decision-making, and vehicle control; it is responsible for receiving, processing, and forwarding CAN bus messages, as well as processing and forwarding radar data. Any Ethernet switching module is responsible for Ethernet data exchange and forwarding.

[0114] System-on-a-chip (SoC) SOC1 and SOC3 within different controllers can be connected via Ethernet, as can SoC2 and SOC4. Furthermore, SoC1 and SOC3 can transmit sensor data via Ethernet, and SoC2 and SOC4 can transmit sensor data via Ethernet.

[0115] System-on-a-chip (SoC) SOC1 and SOC2 within the same controller can be connected via a high-speed serial bus, as can SoC3 and SOC4. Furthermore, SoC1 and SOC2 can transmit sensor data via a high-speed serial bus, and SoC3 and SOC4 can also transmit sensor data via a high-speed serial bus.

[0116] System-on-a-Chip (SoC) 1, System-on-a-Chip (SoC) 2, Microcontroller Unit (MCU) 1, and Microcontroller Unit (MCU) 2 within the first controller 1100 are all connected to the first Ethernet switching module Switch1. System-on-a-Chip (SoC) 3, System-on-a-Chip (SoC) 4, Microcontroller Unit (MCU) 3, and Microcontroller Unit (MCU) 4 within the second controller 1200 are all connected to the second Ethernet switching module Switch2. Based on this, the microcontroller units MCU1, MCU2, MCU3, and MCU4 communicate with each other via the first Ethernet switching module Switch1 and the second Ethernet switching module Switch2 to transmit the status of the corresponding system chips, indicating whether they are faulty.

[0117] The microcontroller unit (MCU1) and system-on-a-chip (SOC1) in the first control unit 1110 can be connected via a low-speed serial bus. Similarly, the microcontroller unit (MCU2) and system-on-a-chip (SOC2) in the second control unit 1120 can be connected via a low-speed serial bus. The microcontroller unit (MCU3) and system-on-a-chip (SOC3) in the third control unit 1210 can be connected via a low-speed serial bus. The microcontroller unit (MCU4) and system-on-a-chip (SOC4) in the fourth control unit 1220 can also be connected via a low-speed serial bus. Furthermore, sensor data can be transmitted between MCU1 and SOC1, MCU2 and SOC2, MCU3 and SOC3, and MCU4 and SOC4 via a low-speed serial bus.

[0118] Based on this embodiment, the sensor connected to the vehicle control system 1000 can be connected to any control unit. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the multiple sensors connected to the vehicle control system 1000 may include at least one of sensor 2000-1, sensor 2000-2, and sensor 2000-3.

[0119] Sensor 2000-1 can be connected to the microcontroller unit (MCU) of the control unit. Sensor 2000-1 can be, for example, an ultrasonic radar or a millimeter-wave radar. Upon receiving sensor data collected by sensor 2000-1, the MCU of the control unit can transmit the sensor data to the system-on-a-chip (SoC) within the same control unit.

[0120] When the system chip SOC of the control unit malfunctions, the microcontroller MCU can still work normally, and the sensor data collected by the sensor 2000-1 can be forwarded to another normal system chip SOC of the same controller for processing.

[0121] Sensor 2000-2 can be connected to a system-on-a-chip (SOC) of the control unit. Sensor 2000-2 can be, for example, a camera.

[0122] Sensor 2000-3 can be connected to the system-on-a-chip (SoC) of the control unit via an Ethernet switching module. Sensor 2000-3 is equipped with lidar, high-precision positioning, and V2X capabilities. Upon receiving sensor data collected by sensor 2000-3, the Ethernet switching module can transmit the sensor data to the SoC connected to it (either the first Ethernet switching module Switch1 or the second Ethernet switching module Switch2).

[0123] When the system chip (SOC) of the control unit malfunctions, the sensor data collected by sensor 2000-1 can be processed by the Ethernet switching module to another normal system chip (SOC) of the same controller.

[0124] Through this embodiment, when a fault occurs in the SOC or MCU of one of the control units, some sensor data can be transmitted to other control units that are in normal condition for processing, thus maximizing the use of available sensors.

[0125] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a single controller and its connected sensors can achieve Level 2 assisted driving, while two controllers and their connected sensors can enable the entire autonomous driving system to achieve Level 3 or higher autonomous driving. Even when one or two control units within a controller fail, the system can still maintain Level 2 or higher autonomous driving mode.

[0126] In order to achieve a higher level of autonomous driving and improve driving safety, the embodiments of this disclosure use different types of sensors to implement a redundant layout at key locations. The characteristics of different types of sensors can improve the accuracy of system judgment. These redundantly arranged sensors are connected to the control units of different controllers to improve the reliability of the system. Even when some sensors or control units are in abnormal condition, the system can still continue or reduce the level of autonomous driving to continue driving, or exit the autonomous driving mode.

[0127] <Vehicles>

[0128] This disclosure also provides a vehicle that may include at least one sensor and the vehicle control system described in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0129] The various embodiments of the present invention have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or technical improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system characterized by comprising: The vehicle control system comprises a first controller, the first controller comprises a first control unit and a second control unit; the first control unit is connected with the second control unit, and the vehicle control system is further connected with at least one sensor; The first control unit is configured to receive first sensor data collected by a first sensor group, process the first sensor data to obtain first intermediate data, and the first sensor group comprises at least one sensor matched with the first control unit in a current driving scene of the vehicle; The second control unit is configured to receive second sensor data collected by a second sensor group, process the second sensor data to obtain second intermediate data, and transmit the second intermediate data to the first control unit, and the second sensor group comprises at least one sensor matched with the second control unit in the current driving scene; The first control unit is further configured to process the first intermediate data and the second intermediate data to obtain a perception result, and control the vehicle to drive according to the perception result; The vehicle control system is configured to: in a case that the computing power resource provided by any control unit is lower than the computing power demand of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scene, divide at least one sensor in the sensor group corresponding to the any control unit into a sensor group corresponding to a target control unit, wherein the target control unit can provide computing power resource higher than the computing power demand of the corresponding sensor data in the current driving scene.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, characterized by, The vehicle control system further comprises a second controller, the second controller comprises a third control unit, and the third control unit is connected with the first control unit; The third control unit is configured to receive third sensor data collected by a third sensor group, process the third sensor data to obtain third intermediate data, and transmit the third intermediate data to the first control unit, and the third sensor group comprises at least one sensor matched with the third control unit in the current driving scene; The first control unit is further configured to process the third intermediate data to obtain the perception result.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, characterized by, The second controller further comprises a fourth control unit, the third control unit and the fourth control unit are connected, and the fourth control unit is further connected with the second control unit; The fourth control unit is configured to receive fourth sensor data collected by a fourth sensor group, process the fourth sensor data to obtain fourth intermediate data, and transmit the fourth intermediate data to the first control unit, and the fourth sensor group comprises at least one sensor matched with the fourth control unit in the current driving scene; The first control unit is further configured to process the fourth intermediate data to obtain the perception result.

4. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized by, Any control unit is configured to determine another control unit matching the target sensor in the current driving scene in the case that the target sensor connected to the control unit itself does not belong to the sensor group corresponding to the control unit itself, and forward the sensor data collected by the target sensor to the another control unit in the case that the another control unit is not connected to the target sensor.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, characterized by, The any control unit is configured to detect the usage rate of the computing resource of the control unit itself, and send the usage rate of the computing resource to other control units, and determine a control unit with a usage rate of the computing resource lower than a second threshold as a target control unit in the case that the usage rate of the computing resource of the control unit itself is higher than a first threshold, and send the sensor data collected by at least one sensor in the corresponding sensor group to the target control unit for processing.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 5, characterized by The target control unit is configured to reject the computing resource usage request sent by the any control unit in the case that the current usage rate of the computing resource of the target control unit is higher than or equal to the second threshold. The any control unit is further configured to re-determine the target control unit in the case that the computing resource usage request is rejected by the target control unit.

7. The vehicle control system of claim 3, wherein The first controller further comprises a first Ethernet switch module, and the second controller further comprises a second Ethernet switch module, each of the control units comprises a micro control unit and a system chip for processing sensor data, the system chip of the first control unit and the system chip of the second control unit are connected through a high-speed serial bus, the system chip of the third control unit and the system chip of the fourth control unit are connected through a high-speed serial bus, the system chip of the first control unit and the system chip of the third control unit are connected through Ethernet, and the system chip of the second control unit and the system chip of the fourth control unit are connected through Ethernet. The system chip and the micro control unit of the first control unit, the system chip and the micro control unit of the second control unit, the system chip and the micro control unit of the third control unit, and the system chip and the micro control unit of the fourth control unit are connected to the first Ethernet switch module and the second Ethernet switch module, and the first Ethernet switch module and the second Ethernet switch module are connected.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, characterized by The second control unit is configured to take over the control right of the automatic driving system in the case that the first control unit fails; The third control unit is configured to take over the control right of the automatic driving system in the case that the first control unit and the second control unit both fail; The fourth control unit is configured to take over the control right of the automatic driving system in the case that the first control unit, the second control unit and the third control unit all fail.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, characterized by, Any control unit is configured to forward the sensor data collected by the sensor group corresponding to the control unit to another control unit in the same controller for processing in the case that the control unit itself fails and the another control unit does not fail.

10. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle control system is included in a vehicle including at least one sensor.

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