Data transmission circuit, data transmission device and unmanned driving system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a data transmission circuit, a data transmission device and an unmanned driving system, and relates to the technical field of unmanned driving, the data transmission circuit comprises a sensor module, an on-chip integration module, a first data exchange module and a second data exchange module; the sensor module is in communication connection with the on-chip integration module through the first data exchange module, and the sensor module is also in communication connection with the on-chip integration module through the second data exchange module. The utility model aims to improve the network bandwidth capability of the unmanned driving system so as to meet the requirement of high-efficiency data transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of unmanned driving, and in particular to a data transmission circuit, a data transmission device and an unmanned driving system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of driverless technology, higher requirements are placed on the efficient transmission and processing of sensor data. LiDAR and cameras are the two most commonly used sensors in driverless systems, used to achieve high-precision environmental perception and visual information acquisition, respectively. However, in existing driverless systems, LiDAR is generally connected to the gigabit network switch chip of the driverless domain controller via Ethernet, and its maximum bandwidth is limited to 1Gbps. For systems that are mainly based on vision and supplemented by LiDAR, this bandwidth is usually sufficient. However, in systems that are mainly based on LiDAR and supplemented by vision, there are a large number of LiDARs, plus other devices connected to the network, which makes the 1Gbps network bandwidth pressure increase dramatically, making it difficult to meet data transmission needs.

[0003] Therefore, how to improve the network bandwidth capacity of unmanned driving systems to meet the needs of efficient data transmission is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Utility Model Content

[0004] The main purpose of the utility model is to propose a data transmission circuit, a data transmission device and an unmanned driving system, aiming to improve the network bandwidth capacity of the unmanned driving system to meet the demand for efficient data transmission.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the utility model proposes a data transmission circuit, which includes: a sensor module, an on-chip integrated module, a first data exchange module and a second data exchange module;

[0006] The sensor module is communicatively connected to the on-chip integrated module via the first data exchange module, and the sensor module is also communicatively connected to the on-chip integrated module via the second data exchange module.

[0007] In one embodiment, the sensor module includes a sensor unit, a first Ethernet socket, and a second Ethernet socket;

[0008] The sensor unit is communicatively connected to the first Ethernet socket and the second Ethernet socket respectively. The first Ethernet socket is communicatively connected to the first data exchange module, and the second Ethernet socket is communicatively connected to the second data exchange module.

[0009] In one embodiment, the on-chip integrated module includes a master SOC chip and a slave SOC chip;

[0010] The first Ethernet physical layer interface of the master SOC chip and the first Ethernet physical layer interface of the slave SOC chip are respectively connected to the first data exchange module for communication;

[0011] The second Ethernet physical layer interface of the master SOC chip and the second Ethernet physical layer interface of the slave SOC chip are respectively communicatively connected with the second data exchange module.

[0012] In one embodiment, the data transmission circuit further includes: a network control module;

[0013] The second data exchange module is respectively connected to the master SOC chip and the slave SOC chip through the network control module.

[0014] In one embodiment, the network control module includes a first control unit and a second control unit;

[0015] The medium-related interface of the second data exchange module is communicatively connected to the bus interface of the master SOC chip through the first control unit, and the medium-related interface of the second data exchange module is communicatively connected to the bus interface of the slave SOC chip through the second control unit.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first control unit and the second control unit are both Ethernet controllers of the same type and model;

[0017] The master SOC chip and the slave SOC chip are integrated circuit chips of the same type and model;

[0018] The first data exchange module and the second data exchange module are both Ethernet switch chips of the same type and model.

[0019] In one embodiment, the data transmission circuit further includes: a functional safety module;

[0020] The functional safety module is communicatively connected to the first data exchange module.

[0021] In one embodiment, the sensor module includes at least a plurality of laser radars;

[0022] Each of the laser radars is respectively communicatively connected to the first data exchange module and the second data exchange module.

[0023] In addition, the utility model also provides a data transmission device, which at least includes any one of the data transmission circuits described above.

[0024] In addition, the utility model also proposes an unmanned driving system, wherein the data transmission device at least includes the above-mentioned data transmission device.

[0025] The data transmission circuit provided by the utility model significantly improves the network bandwidth capacity by introducing a dual data exchange module (i.e., a first data exchange module and a second data exchange module). Specifically, the sensor module in the data transmission circuit is connected to the on-chip integrated module through two independent data exchange modules, which can allow the sensor data sent by the sensor module to be connected in sequence by the sensor, the first data exchange module and the on-chip integrated module, and to be transmitted in parallel on two independent communication channels formed by the sensor, the second data exchange module and the on-chip integrated module connected in sequence, which greatly improves the data transmission efficiency, effectively avoids the network bandwidth bottleneck problem caused by a single communication channel in the prior art, significantly improves the network bandwidth capacity of the unmanned driving system applied to the data transmission circuit, and meets the needs of efficient data transmission of the unmanned driving system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a data transmission circuit provided by the utility model;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a sensor module according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an on-chip integrated module involved in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 4 It is another structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a data transmission circuit provided by the utility model;

[0031] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the data transmission circuit involved in the embodiment of the utility model.

[0032] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0033] 10. Sensor module; 20. On-chip integrated module; 30-1. First data exchange module; 30-2. Second data exchange module; 101. Sensor unit; 102-1. First Ethernet socket; 102-2. Second Ethernet socket; 21-1. Master SOC chip; 21-2. Slave SOC chip; RGMII-0. First Ethernet physical layer interface; RGMII-1. Second Ethernet physical layer interface; 40. Network control module; 41-1. First control unit; 41-2. Second control unit; MDI. Medium dependent interface; PCI-E. Bus interface; 50. Functional safety module.

[0034] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the utility model will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0036] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0037] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the utility model, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the utility model.

[0038] In unmanned driving systems, LiDAR and cameras are the two most commonly used sensors. LiDAR is generally connected to the Gigabit network switch chip of the unmanned driving domain controller through Ethernet. The network switch chip is connected to the SOC through the RGMII interface, and its maximum bandwidth is limited to 1Gbps. For unmanned driving systems that are mainly based on vision and supplemented by LiDAR, the number of LiDARs is generally small, and 1Gbps bandwidth is sufficient; however, in unmanned driving systems that are mainly based on LiDAR and supplemented by vision, the number of LiDARs required is at least 5 or even more, plus there are other devices connected to the network, and the 1Gbps network bandwidth pressure increases dramatically and may not be able to meet the demand.

[0039] In summary, in order to solve the above technical defects to improve the network bandwidth capacity of the unmanned driving system and meet the needs of efficient data transmission, the utility model proposes a data transmission circuit, a data transmission device and an unmanned driving system. In addition, the communication connection mode set in this application can be a one-way communication connection or a two-way communication connection, which can be customized according to application requirements, and this application does not impose any restrictions here.

[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of an embodiment of a data transmission circuit provided by the utility model. The data transmission circuit comprises: a sensor module 10, an on-chip integrated module 20, a first data exchange module 30-1 and a second data exchange module 30-2;

[0041] The sensor module 10 is connected to the on-chip integrated module 20 through the first data exchange module 30 - 1 , and the sensor module 10 is also connected to the on-chip integrated module 20 through the second data exchange module 30 - 2 .

[0042] In this embodiment, the utility model provides an efficient data transmission circuit, which significantly enhances the network bandwidth capacity of data transmission by introducing dual data exchange modules, namely, the first data exchange module 30-1 and the second data exchange module 30-2. Specifically, the sensor module 10 can be connected to two independent data exchange modules at the same time, and the sensor data sent by the sensor module 10 is transmitted to the on-chip integrated module 20 through the two data exchange modules, thereby realizing the parallel transmission of sensor data, that is, the sensor data can be transmitted along two independently constructed communication channels at the same time: one communication channel is composed of the sensor module 10, the first data exchange module 30-1 and the on-chip integrated module 20 connected in sequence, and the other communication channel is composed of the sensor module 10, the second data exchange module 30-2 and the on-chip integrated module 20 connected in sequence. This method of parallel transmission through two independent communication channels greatly improves the data transmission efficiency, effectively avoids the network bandwidth bottleneck problem that may occur in the traditional single communication channel when the data transmission volume increases, and significantly improves the network bandwidth capacity of the data transmission circuit, thereby meeting the urgent needs of the unmanned driving system applied to the data transmission circuit for real-time and efficient data transmission.

[0043] Further, in some feasible embodiments, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a sensor module 10 according to an embodiment of the present utility model. The sensor module 10 comprises a sensor unit 101, a first Ethernet socket 102-1 and a second Ethernet socket 102-2;

[0044] The sensor unit 101 is communicatively connected to the first Ethernet socket 102-1 and the second Ethernet socket 102-2 respectively. The first Ethernet socket 102-1 is communicatively connected to the first data exchange module 30-1, and the second Ethernet socket 102-2 is communicatively connected to the second data exchange module 30-2.

[0045] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 101 is respectively connected to the first Ethernet socket 102-1 and the second Ethernet socket 102-2 for communication, which significantly improves the flexibility and efficiency of data transmission. Specifically, the first Ethernet socket 102-1 is connected to the first data exchange module 30-1 for communication, and the second Ethernet socket 102-2 is connected to the second data exchange module 30-2 for communication, which ensures that the sensor data sent by the sensor unit 101 can be transmitted in parallel through two independent communication channels, which not only avoids the network bandwidth bottleneck that may be caused by a single channel, but also significantly improves the speed and reliability of data transmission.

[0046] Further, in some other feasible embodiments, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 3Schematic diagram of an on-chip integrated module 20 according to an embodiment of the present utility model. The on-chip integrated module 20 includes a master SOC chip 21 - 1 and a slave SOC chip 21 - 2;

[0047] The first Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-0 of the master SOC chip 21-1 and the first Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-0 of the slave SOC chip 21-2 are respectively connected to the first data exchange module 30-1 for communication;

[0048] The second Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-1 of the master SOC chip 21 - 1 and the second Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-1 of the slave SOC chip 21 - 2 are respectively connected to the second data exchange module 30 - 2 for communication.

[0049] In this embodiment, the on-chip integrated module 20 adopts the layout of the main SOC (System on a Chip) chip and the slave SOC chip 21-2, and is respectively connected to the dual data exchange modules (i.e., the first data exchange module 30-1 and the second data exchange module 30-2). Among them, the main SOC chip 21-1 and the slave SOC chip 21-2 are equipped with two Ethernet physical layer interfaces (i.e., the first Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-0 and the second Ethernet physical layer interface RGMII-1), which are respectively connected to the first data exchange module 30-1 and the second data exchange module 30-2 for communication, which significantly improves the concurrent processing capability and bandwidth utilization of data transmission. Through the connection of two independent Ethernet physical layer interfaces with the data exchange module, the main SOC chip 21-1 and the slave SOC chip 21-2 can process the data stream from the sensor in parallel, which greatly improves the data throughput and transmission efficiency. This not only enhances the robustness of the data transmission circuit, but also meets the stringent requirements of unmanned driving systems for high-bandwidth, low-latency data transmission, and provides a more stable and efficient data transmission solution for the system.

[0050] It should be noted that the main SOC chip 21-1 set up in the present application is used to perform the main computing tasks in the unmanned driving system, including but not limited to environmental perception, sensor data fusion, decision making and path planning; the slave SOC chip 21-2 can assist the main SOC chip 21-1 in performing some specific computing tasks, such as data preprocessing of specific sensors or the execution of specific algorithms, to balance the load of the main SOC. In some applications where functional safety requirements are critical, the slave SOC chip 21-2 can also be used as a redundant system to ensure that it can take over control when the main SOC chip 21-1 fails, thereby ensuring the safety of vehicles using the unmanned driving system.

[0051] Further, in some feasible embodiments, referring to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is another structural diagram of an embodiment of the data transmission circuit provided by the utility model. The data transmission circuit further includes: a network control module 40;

[0052] The second data exchange module 30 - 2 is respectively connected to the master SOC chip 21 - 1 and the slave SOC chip 21 - 2 through the network control module 40 .

[0053] Further, in some other feasible embodiments, referring to Figure 4 , the network control module 40 includes a first control unit 41 - 1 and a second control unit 41 - 2;

[0054] The medium-related interface MDI of the second data exchange module 30-2 is communicatively connected to the bus interface PCI-E of the master SOC chip 21-1 through the first control unit 41-1, and the medium-related interface MDI of the second data exchange module 30-2 is communicatively connected to the bus interface PCI-E of the slave SOC chip 21-2 through the second control unit 41-2.

[0055] In this embodiment, when the master SOC chip 21-1 and the slave SOC chip 21-2 are each provided with only one set of Ethernet physical layer interfaces, the network control module 40 provided in this application can also be respectively connected to the master SOC chip 21-1, the slave SOC chip 21-2 and the second data exchange module 30-2 for communication. Specifically, the master SOC chip 21-1 and the slave SOC chip 21-2 are respectively connected to the corresponding control unit for communication through their respective bus interfaces PCI-E, and the first control unit 41-1 and the second control unit 41-2 are both connected to the medium-related interface MDI of the second data exchange module 30-2 for communication.

[0056] It should be noted that the control unit corresponding to the master SOC chip 21 - 1 is the first control unit 41 - 1 , and the control unit corresponding to the slave SOC chip 21 - 2 is the second control unit 41 - 2 .

[0057] Further, in some other feasible embodiments, the first control unit 41-1 and the second control unit 41-2 are both Ethernet controllers of the same type and model;

[0058] The master SOC chip 21-1 and the slave SOC chip 21-2 are integrated circuit chips of the same type and model;

[0059] The first data exchange module 30 - 1 and the second data exchange module 30 - 2 are both Ethernet switch chips of the same type and model.

[0060] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 5, Figure 5 The first data exchange module 30-1 and the second data exchange module 30-2 can be understood as a Gigabit vehicle Ethernet switching chip, wherein: Figure 5 The Gigabit in-vehicle Ethernet switch chip 0 shown represents the first data exchange module 30 - 1 . Figure 5 The Gigabit vehicle Ethernet switch chip 1 shown represents the second data exchange module 30-2. In addition, the first control unit 41-1 and the second control unit 41-2 are both of the type model and can be understood as a Gigabit vehicle Ethernet controller, wherein, Figure 5 The Gigabit in-vehicle Ethernet controller 0 shown represents the first control unit 41 - 1 . Figure 5 The Gigabit In-Vehicle Ethernet controller 1 shown represents the second control unit 41 - 2 .

[0061] Further, in some feasible embodiments, referring to Figure 5 , the data transmission circuit further includes: a functional safety module 50;

[0062] The functional safety module 50 is in communication connection with the first data exchange module 30 - 1 .

[0063] In this embodiment, the functional safety module 50 can be understood as an ASIL_D (Automotive Safety Integrity Level D) functional safety MCU (Microcontroller Unit). The functional safety module 50 is used to perform control tasks directly related to vehicle safety, such as braking, acceleration, steering, etc., while monitoring system status, fault detection and processing, redundancy and backup. It generally needs to comply with international functional safety standards such as ISO26262 to meet the functional safety requirements of ASIL-D.

[0064] Further, in some other feasible embodiments, referring to Figures 1 to 5 , the sensor module 10 includes at least a plurality of laser radars;

[0065] Each of the laser radars is respectively communicatively connected to the first data exchange module 30 - 1 and the second data exchange module 30 - 2 .

[0066] In this embodiment, multiple laser radars or other network devices (such as cameras) in the sensor module 10 communicate data with the main SOC chip 21-1 or the slave SOC chip 21-2 through the first data exchange module 30-1, or / and multiple laser radars or other network devices (such as cameras) in the sensor module 10 communicate data with the main SOC chip 21-1 or the slave SOC chip 21-2 through the second data exchange module 30-2.

[0067] It should be noted that, in the master SOC chip 21 - 1 and the slave SOC chip 21 - 2 , the SOC network addresses need to be specially set so that the networks connecting the two data exchange modules are formed into two networks with different network segments. For example: the network address of the main SOC chip 21-1 connected to the first data exchange module 30-1 is set to IP: 192.168.1.10, and the network address of the slave SOC chip 21-2 is set to IP: 192.168.1.11; the network address of the main SOC chip 21-1 connected to the second data exchange module 30-2 is set to IP: 192.168.2.10, and the network address of the slave SOC chip 21-2 is set to IP: 192.168.2.11; at the same time, the laser radar or other equipment connected to the first data exchange module 30-1 needs to be set to the address 192.168.1.x; and the laser radar or other equipment connected to the second data exchange module 30-2 needs to be set to the address 192.168.2.x.

[0068] In summary, the data transmission circuit provided in the utility model significantly improves the network bandwidth capacity by introducing dual data exchange modules (i.e., the first data exchange module 30-1 and the second data exchange module 30-2). Specifically, the sensor module 10 in the data transmission circuit is connected to the on-chip integrated module 20 through two independent data exchange modules, which can allow the sensor data sent by the sensor module 10 to be connected in sequence by the sensor, the first data exchange module 30-1 and the on-chip integrated module 20, and to be transmitted in parallel on two independent communication channels formed by the sensor, the second data exchange module 30-2 and the on-chip integrated module 20 connected in sequence, which greatly improves the data transmission efficiency, effectively avoids the network bandwidth bottleneck problem caused by the single communication channel in the prior art, significantly improves the network bandwidth capacity of the unmanned driving system applied to the data transmission circuit, and meets the needs of efficient data transmission of the unmanned driving system.

[0069] The utility model also proposes a data transmission device, which at least includes the above-mentioned data transmission circuit. The specific structure of the data transmission circuit refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the data transmission device adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0070] The utility model also proposes an unmanned driving system, which at least includes the above-mentioned data transmission equipment. The specific structure of the data transmission equipment refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the unmanned driving system adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0071] The above description is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect application in other related unmanned driving technology fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A data transmission circuit, characterized in that: The data transmission circuit includes: a sensor module, an on-chip integration module, a first data exchange module and a second data exchange module; The sensor module is communicatively connected to the on-chip integrated module via the first data exchange module, and the sensor module is also communicatively connected to the on-chip integrated module via the second data exchange module.

2. The data transmission circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor module includes a sensor unit, a first Ethernet socket and a second Ethernet socket; The sensor unit is communicatively connected to the first Ethernet socket and the second Ethernet socket respectively. The first Ethernet socket is communicatively connected to the first data exchange module, and the second Ethernet socket is communicatively connected to the second data exchange module.

3. The data transmission circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The on-chip integrated module includes a master SOC chip and a slave SOC chip; The first Ethernet physical layer interface of the master SOC chip and the first Ethernet physical layer interface of the slave SOC chip are respectively connected to the first data exchange module for communication; The second Ethernet physical layer interface of the master SOC chip and the second Ethernet physical layer interface of the slave SOC chip are respectively communicatively connected with the second data exchange module.

4. The data transmission circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that: The data transmission circuit further includes: a network control module; The second data exchange module is respectively connected to the master SOC chip and the slave SOC chip through the network control module.

5. The data transmission circuit according to claim 4, characterized in that: The network control module includes a first control unit and a second control unit; The medium-related interface of the second data exchange module is communicatively connected to the bus interface of the master SOC chip through the first control unit, and the medium-related interface of the second data exchange module is communicatively connected to the bus interface of the slave SOC chip through the second control unit.

6. The data transmission circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first control unit and the second control unit are both Ethernet controllers of the same type and model; The master SOC chip and the slave SOC chip are integrated circuit chips of the same type and model; The first data exchange module and the second data exchange module are both Ethernet switch chips of the same type and model.

7. The data transmission circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The data transmission circuit further includes: a functional safety module; The functional safety module is communicatively connected to the first data exchange module.

8. The data transmission circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor module includes at least a plurality of laser radars; Each of the laser radars is respectively communicatively connected to the first data exchange module and the second data exchange module.

9. A data transmission device, characterized in that: The data transmission device comprises at least the data transmission circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An unmanned driving system, characterized in that: The data transmission device at least includes the data transmission device according to claim 9.

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