Wheel-end control methods, devices and vehicles

Abstract

This application discloses a wheel-end control method, device, and vehicle, belonging to the field of vehicle control technology. The method includes: upon detecting a communication anomaly between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, performing consensus decision processing on the initial control data of each wheel-end controller and the initial control data of adjacent controllers to obtain target control data for the wheel-end controllers; wherein, adjacent controllers are wheel-end controllers adjacent to the wheel-end controllers; and performing control processing by each wheel-end controller based on the target control data. This application enables each wheel-end controller to achieve vehicle wheel-end control by fully considering the coupling influence of its own state and the states of other wheel-end controllers on its own control, promoting coordinated control behavior among the wheel-end controllers, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle control technology, and in particular to a wheel-end control method, device and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicle wheel-end control is a drive-by-wire chassis technology that uses electronic controllers and actuators distributed around the wheels to achieve independent closed-loop regulation of wheel drive and braking. In related technologies, when communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller malfunctions, the wheel-end controllers cannot receive control commands from the central controller. In this case, each wheel-end controller determines the corresponding control data based on its own attribute data and controls the wheel-end actuators accordingly, thus achieving vehicle wheel-end control. However, in this approach, each wheel-end controller makes independent decisions based on its own state, resulting in isolated and uncoordinated control behaviors and consequently low vehicle wheel-end control accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this application is to propose a wheel-end control method, device, and vehicle, which aims to effectively improve the wheel-end control accuracy of vehicles.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, one aspect of this application proposes a wheel-end control method, the method comprising: In the event of a communication anomaly detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, consensus decision-making is performed on the initial control data of each wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controllers to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller that is adjacent to the wheel-end controller. Each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on the target control data of the wheel-end controller.

[0005] In some embodiments, the method further includes: When normal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, the control commands sent by the central controller are obtained through each wheel-end controller, and control processing is performed according to the control commands.

[0006] In some embodiments, the central controller communicates with each of the wheel-end controllers via multiple communication loops, wherein each communication loop is a communication link originating from and ending at the central controller and sequentially linking to each of the wheel-end controllers; the control processing according to the control command includes: Each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on control commands transmitted by the main communication ring; wherein, the main communication ring is the highest priority communication ring among multiple communication rings.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method further includes: If a communication anomaly is detected in the main communication ring, the main communication ring is reconstructed to obtain the reconstructed main communication ring. If a communication anomaly is detected in the reconstructed main communication ring, a new main communication ring is selected from among the multiple communication rings other than the original main communication ring; otherwise, the reconstructed main communication ring is used as the new main communication ring.

[0008] In some embodiments, the central controller communicates with each of the wheel-end controllers via multiple communication rings, wherein the communication rings are communication links that start from the central controller and end at each of the wheel-end controllers sequentially; the method further includes: If no control command is detected from the central controller in any of the communication loops, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is abnormal; otherwise, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is normal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method further includes: If any of the wheel-end controllers is detected to be faulty, a takeover controller is determined from the other wheel-end controllers besides the faulty controller; wherein the faulty controller is the faulty wheel-end controller. The target control data of the fault controller is determined through the takeover controller; The takeover controller performs control processing on the faulty wheel-end controller based on the target control data of the fault controller.

[0010] In some embodiments, each wheel-end controller is configured with multiple power supply rings, and each wheel-end controller obtains power through a main power supply ring. The power supply ring is a power supply link that starts and ends at the vehicle power supply and sequentially connects to each wheel-end controller. The method further includes: If a power supply abnormality is detected in the main power supply ring, the main power supply ring is switched in direction to obtain the main power supply ring after the direction is switched. If the main power supply ring after the direction switch has a power supply abnormality, a new power supply ring is selected from the multiple power supply rings other than the main power supply ring that do not have a power supply abnormality; otherwise, the main power supply ring after the direction switch is determined as the new main power supply ring.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further includes: If all power supply rings other than the main power supply ring experience power supply anomalies, the local backup power supply system is activated through each wheel-end controller.

[0012] To achieve the above objectives, another aspect of this application provides a wheel-end control device, the device comprising: The first processing module is used to, when an abnormal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, perform consensus decision processing on the initial control data of the wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controller through each wheel-end controller to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller adjacent to the wheel-end controller. The second processing module is used to perform control processing through each wheel-end controller based on the target control data of the wheel-end controller.

[0013] To achieve the above objectives, another aspect of this application provides a vehicle, the vehicle comprising: At least one processor; At least one memory for storing at least one program; When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the wheel-end control method described above.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this application, a wheel-end control method, apparatus, and vehicle are provided. When a communication anomaly is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, consensus decision-making processing is performed by each wheel-end controller on its initial control data and the initial control data of adjacent controllers to obtain target control data for the wheel-end controllers. The adjacent controllers are those adjacent to the wheel-end controllers. Each wheel-end controller then performs control processing based on the target control data. According to the technical solution of this application, each wheel-end controller can achieve vehicle wheel-end control by fully considering the coupling influence of its own state and the states of other wheel-end controllers on its own control, thereby promoting coordinated control behavior among the wheel-end controllers and effectively improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0015] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the application. The objectives and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the implementation environment of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 2This is a flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 3 This is another flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 4 This is another flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 5 This is another flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 6 This is another flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 7 This is another flowchart of a wheel-end control method provided in this application; Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a wheel end control device provided in this application; Figure 9 This is an example image of a vehicle provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit it. In the following description, when referring to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with those of this application; they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the embodiments of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0018] It is understood that the terms “first,” “second,” etc., used in this application may be used herein to describe various concepts, but unless otherwise stated, these concepts are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one concept from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the words “if,” “when,” or “in response to a determination” as used herein may be interpreted as “when…” or “when…” or “in response to a determination.”

[0019] As used in this application, the terms "at least one", "multiple", "each", "any", etc., "at least one" includes one, two or more, "multiple" includes two or more, "each" refers to each of the corresponding multiples, and "any" refers to any one of the multiples.

[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit this application.

[0021] Vehicle wheel-end control is a drive-by-wire chassis technology that uses electronic controllers and actuators (such as hub motors, electromechanical brake calipers, and wheel speed sensors) distributed around the wheels to achieve independent closed-loop regulation of the driving and braking of the wheels. Its core function is to quickly and accurately distribute the torque of each wheel according to the overall vehicle motion state and the driver's braking or driving intentions, thereby improving the vehicle's handling stability, safety, and intelligence level.

[0022] During the vehicle wheel-end control process, the central controller collects vehicle sensor signals in real time from sources such as wheel speed sensors, pedal displacement sensors, and inertial measurement units. Based on this, it generates control commands for each wheel-end controller and sends them to each wheel-end controller. This enables the wheel-end controller to generate control data according to the control commands and to control the wheel-end actuators accordingly. The wheel-end actuators then generate corresponding driving or braking forces, thereby achieving wheel braking or driving control.

[0023] In related technologies, when communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is abnormal, the wheel-end controllers cannot receive control commands from the central controller. In this case, each wheel-end controller determines the corresponding control data based on its own attribute data and controls the wheel-end actuators accordingly, thereby achieving vehicle wheel-end control. However, in this approach, each wheel-end controller makes independent decisions based solely on its own state, without considering the coupling effect of the states of other wheel-end controllers on its own control. This results in isolated and uncoordinated control behaviors of each wheel-end controller, leading to low accuracy in vehicle wheel-end control.

[0024] To address this, embodiments of this application provide a wheel-end control method, apparatus, and vehicle. The aim is to enable each wheel-end controller to perform consensus decision processing on its own control data and the control data of its adjacent wheel-end controllers when communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is abnormal, thereby obtaining final control data and performing control processing accordingly. This allows each wheel-end controller to achieve vehicle wheel-end control by fully considering the coupling effect of its own state and the states of other wheel-end controllers on its own control, promoting coordinated control behavior among the wheel-end controllers and effectively improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0025] The specific implementation methods of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] First, the implementation environment of the embodiments of this application is introduced. (Refer to...) Figure 1In this embodiment, the vehicle is equipped with a central controller and wheel-end controllers for each wheel. The central controller communicates with each wheel-end controller through multiple independent communication loops, thereby avoiding control interruptions caused by the failure of a single communication loop and ensuring normal wheel-end control. It is worth noting that the communication loop is a communication link that starts from the central controller and ends at each wheel-end controller sequentially. Taking a four-wheeled vehicle as an example, the communication direction of the communication loop can be: central controller → left front wheel wheel-end controller WECU_FL → right front wheel wheel-end controller WECU_FR → left rear wheel wheel-end controller WECU_RL → right rear wheel wheel-end controller WECU_RR → central controller, but is not limited to this.

[0027] The vehicle is equipped with multiple independent power supply loops to provide power to the wheel-end controllers, thus avoiding power outages caused by the failure of a single power supply loop and ensuring the normal operation of wheel-end control. It is worth noting that each power supply loop adopts a ring topology, with the power supply link starting and ending at the vehicle's power supply and sequentially connecting to each wheel-end controller. Taking a four-wheeled vehicle as an example, the power supply direction of the power supply loops can be: vehicle power supply → left front wheel controller WECU_FL → right front wheel controller WECU_FR → left rear wheel controller WECU_RL → right rear wheel controller WECU_RR → vehicle power supply, but it is not limited to this.

[0028] Each wheel-end controller is connected by an independent direct hard-wired signal line, which does not require the participation of a central controller and is used to transmit heartbeat signals, braking force information, and emergency negotiations.

[0029] Optionally, the wheel-end controller for each wheel may integrate the following components: 1) Multiple power interface groups, each corresponding to a power supply ring. Each power interface group may include, but is not limited to, a left power input interface and a right power input interface. The left power input interface is used to supply power to the wheel end controller based on the power supply direction from left to right, while the right power input interface is used to supply power to the wheel end controller based on the power supply direction from right to left.

[0030] 2) An automatic power transfer switch is used to switch the power supply direction, which may include, but is not limited to, a power supply direction from left to right and a power supply direction from right to left. This switch may consist of multiple back-to-back metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), but is not limited to this.

[0031] 3) The local backup power supply system may include, but is not limited to, local supercapacitors and backup batteries, with a capacity sufficient to meet the emergency braking behavior for a preset duration (e.g., 30 seconds).

[0032] 4) Multiple communication transceivers, each corresponding to a communication ring. Each communication transceiver is used to receive control commands sent by the central controller and to feed back corresponding data to the central controller.

[0033] 5) Decision Micro-Controller Unit (MCU), used to perform corresponding wheel-end control processing.

[0034] 6) Direct-connect hard-wire signal line interface, used to connect to adjacent wheel end controllers.

[0035] The implementation steps of a wheel-end control method provided in this application embodiment will then be described in detail below, in conjunction with the above description of the implementation environment.

[0036] This application provides a wheel-end control method that can be applied to a terminal, a server, or software running on either a terminal or a server. The terminal can be a tablet, laptop, desktop computer, etc., but is not limited to these. The server can be a standalone physical server, a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server providing basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communication, middleware services, domain name services, security services, content delivery networks (CDNs), and big data and artificial intelligence platforms. Furthermore, the server can be a node server in a blockchain network, but is not limited to these. Blockchain is a new application model of computer technologies such as distributed data storage, peer-to-peer transmission, consensus mechanisms, and encryption algorithms.

[0037] Reference Figure 2 The wheel-end control method provided in this application may include, but is not limited to, the following steps S101-S102: S101, when an abnormal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, consensus decision processing is performed on the initial control data of the wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controllers through each wheel-end controller to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller adjacent to the wheel-end controller.

[0038] S102, each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on the target control data from the wheel-end controller.

[0039] In this embodiment, during wheel-end control, the communication status between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is monitored in real time. If an abnormality is detected in the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, the central controller is determined to have failed, and each wheel-end controller switches to a local cooperative control mode. Any wheel-end controller is defined as a target controller. In the local cooperative control mode, the target controller first obtains its own initial control data and the initial control data of its adjacent wheel-end controllers, and makes a consensus decision based on this to determine the final target control data used for control. Then, the target controller uses the target control data for control processing, thereby realizing vehicle wheel-end control processing.

[0040] For example, in some embodiments, the target controller determines its initial control data by: first, acquiring the vehicle's overall data (hard-wired input), its own wheel-end attribute data, and the wheel-end attribute data (hard-wired input) of adjacent controllers. The types of the overall vehicle data and wheel-end attribute data can be flexibly set according to actual conditions. For example, the overall vehicle data may include, but is not limited to, vehicle speed, brake pedal displacement, accelerator pedal displacement, etc., and the wheel-end attribute data may include, but is not limited to, speed, steering angle, etc. Then, machine learning methods are used to process the above data, or a lookup table is performed on a preset first mapping table based on the above data to obtain initial control data, such as braking force or driving force. The machine learning method can learn the mapping relationship between data such as overall vehicle data, the wheel-end attribute data of the wheel-end controller itself, and the wheel-end attribute data of adjacent controllers, and the initial control data. Its type can be flexibly set according to actual conditions; for example, it may be support vector machine, logistic regression, etc., but is not limited to these. In addition, the first mapping table may include multiple preset composite samples (including whole vehicle data, wheel-end attribute data of the wheel-end controller itself, and wheel-end attribute data of adjacent controllers) and the initial control data corresponding to each preset composite sample.

[0041] For example, in some embodiments, continuing with the above examples, in addition to machine learning methods and lookup table methods, the target controller can also use a genetic algorithm to determine its own initial control data. That is, firstly, the vehicle's overall data, its own wheel-end attribute data, and the wheel-end attribute data of adjacent controllers are acquired. Then, the above data is encoded to generate an initial population as the parent population. Next, crossover, mutation, and selection operations are performed on the parent population to obtain the offspring population. If the maximum number of iterations has not been reached, the offspring population is determined as the parent population, and the process returns to the steps of performing crossover, mutation, and selection operations on the parent population. Otherwise, the offspring population is decoded to obtain the initial control data, such as braking force or driving force. It should be understood that the implementation process of the genetic algorithm is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0042] The fitness function of the genetic algorithm satisfies the following formula (1): , (1); In equation (1), This represents the control data of the target controller; This refers to the control data obtained by combining vehicle data with machine learning methods or table lookup methods; it is the expected value. Represents the set of neighboring controllers of the target controller; Represents the first in the set of adjacent controllers One adjacent controller; This represents the stability penalty value of the target controller; This indicates the preset control limit threshold. This indicates the preset penalty coefficient; , and All of these represent preset weight values.

[0043] It is worth noting that in the fitness function shown in equation (1): the first part represents the tracking error, which reflects the tracking ability of the target controller's control data to the expected value (i.e., the control data obtained by combining vehicle data with machine learning methods or lookup tables); the second part is the neighbor consistency error, which reflects the difference between the target controller's control data and the control data of neighboring controllers; the third part is the stability constraint, which is used to prevent optimization from generating control data that exceeds physical limits or leads to instability. When the target controller's control data exceeds the preset control limit threshold, the penalty intensity is adaptively adjusted according to the degree of exceeding the limit, wherein the greater the degree of exceeding the limit, the greater the penalty intensity. This fitness function can drive each wheel-end controller to actively maintain consistency with its neighbors while meeting its own needs, ultimately achieving global collaboration and improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0044] For example, in some embodiments, continuing with the above examples, the target controller determines its initial control data by the following operations: First, it acquires the vehicle's overall data (hard-wired input), its own wheel-end attribute data, and the wheel-end attribute data (hard-wired input) of adjacent controllers. Then, it processes the above data using machine learning methods to obtain first initial control data. Based on the above data, it performs a lookup operation on a preset first mapping table to obtain second initial control data. Finally, it uses the aforementioned genetic algorithm to optimize the above data to obtain third initial control data. Finally, it performs a weighted summation of the first, second, and third initial control data to obtain the final initial control data. Here, by using a multi-hybrid processing mechanism combining machine learning, lookup table methods, and genetic algorithms, the multi-source data from the vehicle and wheel ends are processed in parallel and weighted to obtain the final initial control data. This fully leverages the advantages of each method, thereby improving the accuracy of the initial control data.

[0045] For example, in some embodiments, any wheel-end controller is defined as the target controller. The target controller performs multi-round consensus decision-making through a distributed average consensus protocol: in each round of consensus decision-making, it aggregates its own initial control data in the previous round of decision-making and the initial control data of the neighboring controllers in the previous round of decision-making to obtain its own aggregated state in the current round of decision-making, as shown in the following formula (2): (2); In equation (2), Indicates the target controller in the first... Aggregation state in round-robin decision-making; Indicates the target controller in the first... Initial control data in round-robin decision-making; Indicates the first in the set of adjacent controllers The neighboring controllers in the first Initial control data in round-robin decision-making; and All of these are preset weighting coefficients, reflecting the degree of trust in each piece of information, and the sum of all weighting coefficients is 1.

[0046] Then, the aggregate state of itself in this round of decision-making is updated to obtain the initial control data of itself in this round of decision-making, as shown in the following formula (3): (3); In equation (3), Indicates the target controller in the first... Initial control data in round-robin decision-making; This represents the initial control data of the target controller before consensus decision-making; This represents the preset trust level.

[0047] It is worth noting that a dynamic balance between cooperative braking and proportional constraints can be achieved through the trust coefficient. A smaller trust coefficient focuses on global consensus cooperative braking, while a larger trust coefficient focuses on preset proportional braking, such as a 4:6 ratio between the front and rear wheels, but not limited to this. Ultimately, the target control data of each wheel-end controller is distributed proportionally, and numerical cooperative convergence is achieved, thereby effectively improving the vehicle wheel-end control accuracy.

[0048] After multiple iterations, the initial control data in the final round of decision-making is determined as the target control data.

[0049] It should be understood that the initial control data of adjacent controllers in each round of decision-making is also updated in the above manner.

[0050] Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, when communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is abnormal, each wheel-end controller performs consensus decision processing on its own control data and the control data of its adjacent wheel-end controllers to obtain the final control data, and performs control processing accordingly. In this way, each wheel-end controller can realize vehicle wheel-end control by fully considering the coupling effect of its own state and the state of other wheel-end controllers on its own control, and promote the coordinated control behavior of each wheel-end controller, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0051] In some implementations, refer to Figure 3 The above method may further include the following step S103: S103: When normal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, the control commands sent by the central controller are obtained through each wheel-end controller, and control processing is performed according to the control commands.

[0052] In this embodiment, during wheel-end control, the communication status between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is monitored in real time. If normal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, the central controller is deemed valid, and each wheel-end controller switches to normal control mode. Any wheel-end controller is defined as the target controller. In normal control mode, the target controller receives control commands sent by the central controller and performs control processing accordingly, thereby achieving vehicle wheel-end control. This process is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] For example, in some examples, since the central controller interacts with each wheel-end controller through multiple communication rings, the target controller can average the control commands it obtains through each communication ring and determine the result of the average as the final control command. In addition to the averaging method, the distributed averaging consensus protocol in the aforementioned embodiments can also be used to make consensus decisions on the control commands of each communication ring, thereby obtaining the final control command, but it is not limited to this.

[0054] In some implementations, the control processing based on control commands described above may include: Each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on the control commands transmitted by the main communication ring; among which, the main communication ring is the highest priority communication ring among multiple communication rings.

[0055] In this embodiment, the central controller interacts with each wheel-end controller via multiple communication rings. Each wheel-end controller simultaneously monitors the status of all communication rings and defaults to processing data transmitted through the main communication ring as the standard, with data transmitted through other communication rings serving as hot backups. The main communication ring is the highest priority among the multiple communication rings and can be pre-defined according to actual conditions.

[0056] In some implementations, refer to Figure 4 The above method may further include the following steps S201-S202: S201, If ​​a communication anomaly is detected in the main communication ring, the main communication ring is reconstructed to obtain the reconstructed main communication ring; S202, if a communication anomaly is detected in the reconstructed main communication ring, a new main communication ring is selected from among the multiple communication rings other than the main communication ring; otherwise, the reconstructed main communication ring is used as the new main communication ring.

[0057] In this embodiment, the central controller detects whether the communication between any two wheel-end controllers in the main communication ring is abnormal, such as whether there is a physical interruption due to interface failure. If so, it is determined that there is a communication abnormality in the main communication ring; otherwise, it is determined that there is no communication abnormality in the main communication ring. When a communication abnormality is detected in the main communication ring, the central controller first rearranges the connection relationship of each wheel-end controller in the main communication ring to obtain a reconstructed main communication ring.

[0058] Taking a four-wheeled vehicle as an example, the main communication loop is: central controller → left front wheel controller WECU_FL → right front wheel controller WECU_FR → left rear wheel controller WECU_RL → right rear wheel controller WECU_RR → central controller. If a communication anomaly is detected between the left front wheel controller WECU_FL and the right front wheel controller WECU_FR, a reconstruction process is performed. The reconstructed main communication loop is: central controller → right rear wheel controller WECU_RR → right front wheel controller WECU_FR → left rear wheel controller WECU_RL → left front wheel controller WECU_FL → central controller.

[0059] Next, the central controller checks again whether the communication between any two wheel-end controllers in the reconstructed main communication loop is abnormal. If so, it determines that the main communication loop cannot be recovered through reconstruction, and a new main communication loop is selected from among the multiple communication loops other than the main communication loop. Otherwise, it determines that the main communication loop can be recovered through reconstruction, and the reconstructed main communication loop is used as the new main communication loop. Specifically, if multiple communication loops other than the main communication loop have communication abnormalities, a fault signal is output to indicate a wheel-end communication failure. In this way, the communication availability of the wheel-end control process can be improved, ensuring the normal operation of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0060] In some implementations, refer to Figure 5 The above method may further include the following step S301: S301 If no control command is detected from the central controller in any of the communication loops, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel end controller is abnormal; otherwise, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel end controller is normal.

[0061] In this embodiment, the central controller interacts with each wheel-end controller via multiple communication rings, and each wheel-end controller simultaneously monitors the status of all communication rings. If all wheel-end controllers detect the absence of control commands sent by the central controller on all communication rings (e.g., no heartbeat for more than 200ms), the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is deemed abnormal, and the central controller fails. Otherwise, the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is deemed normal, and the central controller is effective. This improves the accuracy of communication anomaly detection.

[0062] In some implementations, refer to Figure 6 The above method may also include the following steps S401-S403: S401, if a fault is detected in any wheel-end controller, determine the takeover controller from the other wheel-end controllers besides the faulty controller; wherein, the faulty controller is the faulty wheel-end controller; S402, by taking over the controller, determine the target control data of the faulty controller; S403, by taking over the controller, performs control processing on the faulty wheel-end controller based on the target control data of the faulty controller.

[0063] In this embodiment, during wheel-end control, each wheel-end controller sends a heartbeat signal to its adjacent controller (i.e., the left and right adjacent wheel-end controllers) via a direct hardwire connection. The frequency of the heartbeat signal can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, for example, 100Hz, but is not limited to this. Any wheel-end controller is defined as the target controller. If the target controller detects a fault in its adjacent controller, for example, if the adjacent controller has no heartbeat response for 50ms consecutively, the target controller determines that the adjacent controller is faulty and marks it as such; otherwise, the target controller determines that the adjacent controller is valid.

[0064] For any fault controller, we have: The central controller selects a takeover controller from among the other wheel-end controllers (excluding the faulty controller) through operations such as election, and instructs the takeover controller to take over the wheel-end control behavior of the faulty controller. Alternatively, adjacent controllers of the faulty controller can quickly negotiate (single exchange, <5ms) via a direct hardwire connection to determine the takeover controller. Optionally, the wheel-end controller of the wheel with the smallest current load on the same axle as the faulty controller is preferentially selected as the takeover controller. If both wheel-end controllers on the same axle fail, the wheel-end controller of the wheel with the smallest current load diagonally opposite the faulty controller is selected as the takeover controller. Alternatively, the takeover controller notifies other wheel-end controllers of its takeover of the faulty controller via a direct hardwire connection to avoid double compensation. Further optionally, a hardwired trigger on the instrument panel warning light indicates a partial failure of the braking system requiring inspection.

[0065] The central controller calculates the control commands from the faulty controller and sends them to the takeover controller. When the takeover controller and the faulty controller are coaxial, the control commands may only include the control force (driving force or braking force). When the takeover controller and the faulty controller are off-axis, the control commands must include not only the control force (driving force or braking force) but also the steering angle. This is because compensation must consider not only the driving force or braking force but also vehicle stability: compensation by a coaxial takeover controller often does not cause vehicle deviation, but compensation by an off-axis takeover controller often does. In this case, the steering angle value needs to be determined simultaneously with the control force to compensate for the steering angle.

[0066] While completing its own wheel-end control tasks, the takeover controller determines the target control data of the fault controller according to the control instructions issued by the central controller. Based on this, it outputs torque and steering angle to the wheel-end actuator connected to the fault controller, thereby compensating for the target control force and steering angle of the wheel where the faulty wheel-end controller is located.

[0067] Therefore, this embodiment determines a takeover controller from the other wheel-end controllers when any faulty controller is detected, and the takeover controller takes over the wheel-end control behavior of the faulty controller, thus ensuring the normal operation of vehicle wheel-end control and effectively improving the accuracy of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0068] In some implementations, refer to Figure 7 The aforementioned wheel-end controllers obtain power through the main power supply ring; the above method may also include the following steps S501-S502: S501, when a power supply abnormality is detected in the main power supply ring, the main power supply ring is switched in direction to obtain the main power supply ring after the direction is switched; S502, if there is a power supply abnormality in the main power supply ring after the direction switch, a new power supply ring is selected from multiple power supply rings other than the main power supply ring that do not have a power supply abnormality; otherwise, the main power supply ring after the direction switch is determined as the new main power supply ring.

[0069] In this embodiment, during wheel-end control, each wheel-end controller obtains power through the main power supply ring and monitors the voltage of its left and right power input interfaces via an internal analog-to-digital converter (ADC) or hardware comparator. If the voltage of the input interface corresponding to the power supply direction is lower than a preset voltage threshold (e.g., 9V), it is determined that there is a power supply abnormality in the main power supply ring; otherwise, it is determined that there is no power supply abnormality. Specifically, if the power supply direction is from left to right, i.e., power is drawn from the left power input interface, then the input interface corresponding to the power supply direction is the left power input interface; if the power supply direction is from right to left, i.e., power is drawn from the right power input interface, then the input interface corresponding to the power supply direction is the right power input interface. Furthermore, the main power supply ring can be flexibly configured according to actual conditions, such as selecting the power supply ring with the highest priority as the main power supply ring, but it is not limited to this.

[0070] If a power supply anomaly is detected in the main power supply ring, the power supply direction of the main power supply ring is first switched. If the power supply direction is from left to right, it is switched to from right to left; if the power supply direction is from right to left, it is switched to from left to right, thus obtaining the main power supply ring after the direction switch. Optionally, the power supply direction switching can be achieved through an internal power switching switch. Next, the main power supply ring after the direction switch is checked again for a power supply anomaly, using the same detection method as before. If the main power supply ring after the direction switch still has a power supply anomaly, it is determined that the main power supply ring cannot be restored. At this time, a new power supply ring is selected from multiple power supply rings other than the main power supply ring that do not have a power supply anomaly. Otherwise, it is determined that the main power supply ring can be restored, and the main power supply ring after the direction switch is determined as the new main power supply ring. In this way, the availability of power during wheel-end control can be improved, thereby ensuring the normal operation of vehicle wheel-end control.

[0071] In some implementations, refer to Figure 7 The above method may further include the following step S503: S503 If all power supply rings except the main power supply ring are experiencing power supply abnormalities, the local backup power supply system will be activated through the controllers at each wheel end.

[0072] In this embodiment, if all power supply rings except the main power supply ring experience power supply anomalies, it indicates that there are currently no usable power supply rings. To ensure the power foundation for vehicle wheel-end control, each wheel-end controller activates its local backup power supply system, using its internally configured local supercapacitor or backup battery for emergency braking. This ensures normal operation of vehicle wheel-end control and improves vehicle safety.

[0073] In addition, refer to Figure 8 This application also provides a wheel end control device, the device comprising: The first processing module 601 is used to, when an abnormal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, perform consensus decision processing on the initial control data of the wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controller through each wheel-end controller to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller adjacent to the wheel-end controller. The second processing module 602 is used to perform control processing through each wheel end controller based on the target control data of the wheel end controller.

[0074] The content of the above method embodiments is applicable to the device embodiments. The specific functions implemented by the device embodiments are the same as those of the above method embodiments, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved by the above method embodiments.

[0075] Finally, refer to Figure 9This application also provides a vehicle, which includes: At least one processor 701; At least one memory 702 is used to store at least one program; When at least one program is executed by at least one processor 701, the at least one processor 701 implements the above-described wheel-end control method.

[0076] The aforementioned vehicles can be private cars, such as sedans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs), or pickup trucks, or commercial vehicles, such as vans, buses, small trucks, or large trailers, or gasoline vehicles or new energy vehicles such as hybrid or pure electric vehicles.

[0077] The aforementioned memory 702, as a non-transitory network system, can be used to store non-transitory software programs and non-transitory computer-executable programs. Furthermore, memory 702 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state storage device. In some embodiments, memory 702 may optionally include memory 702 remotely located relative to processor 701, and these remote memories 702 can be connected to processor 701 via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0078] The aforementioned memory 702 can be implemented as a read-only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 702 can store the operating system and other application programs. When the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this specification are implemented through software or firmware, the relevant program code is stored in the memory 702 and is called and executed by the processor 701.

[0079] The processor 701 described above can be implemented using a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits, and is used to execute relevant programs to implement the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0080] In some embodiments, the vehicle may further include: Input / output interfaces are used to implement information input and output; The communication interface is used to enable communication and interaction between this device and other devices. Communication can be achieved through wired means (such as USB, Ethernet cable, etc.) or wireless means (such as mobile network, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc.). The bus transmits information between various components of the device (such as processor 701, memory 702, input / output interface, and communication interface); The processor 701, memory 702, input / output interface, and communication interface can communicate with each other within the device via a bus.

[0081] The content of the above method embodiments is applicable to this vehicle embodiment. The specific functions implemented in this vehicle embodiment are the same as those in the above method embodiments, and the beneficial effects achieved are also the same as those achieved in the above method embodiments.

[0082] The embodiments described in this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of technology and the emergence of new application scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions shown in the figures do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application, and may include more or fewer steps than shown, or combine certain steps, or different steps.

[0084] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above, as well as the functional modules / units in the systems and devices, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof.

[0086] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0087] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0088] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of the units described above is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0089] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0090] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0091] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes multiple instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing programs, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0092] The preferred embodiments of the present application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but this does not limit the scope of the claims of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and substance of the embodiments of the present application shall be within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A wheel-end control method, characterized in that, The method includes: In the event of a communication anomaly detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, consensus decision-making is performed on the initial control data of each wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controllers to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller that is adjacent to the wheel-end controller. Each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on the target control data of the wheel-end controller.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When normal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, the control commands sent by the central controller are obtained through each wheel-end controller, and control processing is performed according to the control commands.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The central controller communicates with each of the wheel-end controllers via multiple communication loops, wherein each communication loop is a communication link originating from and ending at the central controller and sequentially linking to each of the wheel-end controllers; the control processing according to the control commands includes: Each wheel-end controller performs control processing based on control commands transmitted by the main communication ring; wherein, the main communication ring is the highest priority communication ring among multiple communication rings.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If a communication anomaly is detected in the main communication ring, the main communication ring is reconstructed to obtain the reconstructed main communication ring. If a communication anomaly is detected in the reconstructed main communication ring, a new main communication ring is selected from among the multiple communication rings other than the original main communication ring; otherwise, the reconstructed main communication ring is used as the new main communication ring.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central controller communicates with each of the wheel-end controllers via multiple communication rings, wherein each communication ring is a communication link originating from and ending at the central controller and sequentially linking to each of the wheel-end controllers; the method further includes: If no control command is detected from the central controller in any of the communication loops, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is abnormal; otherwise, it is determined that the communication between the central controller and each wheel-end controller is normal.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: If any of the wheel-end controllers is detected to be faulty, a takeover controller is determined from the other wheel-end controllers besides the faulty controller; wherein the faulty controller is the faulty wheel-end controller. The target control data of the fault controller is determined through the takeover controller; The takeover controller performs control processing on the faulty wheel-end controller based on the target control data of the fault controller.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each wheel-end controller is configured with multiple power supply rings, and each wheel-end controller obtains power through a main power supply ring. The power supply ring is a power supply link that starts and ends at the vehicle power supply and sequentially connects to each wheel-end controller. The method further includes: If a power supply abnormality is detected in the main power supply ring, the main power supply ring is switched in direction to obtain the main power supply ring after the direction is switched. If the main power supply ring after the direction switch has a power supply abnormality, a new power supply ring is selected from the multiple power supply rings other than the main power supply ring that do not have a power supply abnormality; otherwise, the main power supply ring after the direction switch is determined as the new main power supply ring.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: If all power supply rings other than the main power supply ring experience power supply anomalies, the local backup power supply system is activated through each wheel-end controller.

9. A wheel-end control device, characterized in that, The device includes: The first processing module is used to, when an abnormal communication is detected between the central controller and each wheel-end controller, perform consensus decision processing on the initial control data of the wheel-end controller and the initial control data of the adjacent controller through each wheel-end controller to obtain the target control data of the wheel-end controller; wherein, the adjacent controller is the wheel-end controller adjacent to the wheel-end controller. The second processing module is used to perform control processing through each wheel-end controller based on the target control data of the wheel-end controller.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; At least one memory for storing at least one program; When the at least one program is executed by the at least one processor, the at least one processor implements the wheel-end control method as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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