A switch assembly, electronic parking system, and autonomous vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of switch assembly, electronic parking system and automatic driving vehicle.Switch assembly includes mechanical switch circuit, electronic switch circuit and switching circuit;The output end of the mechanical switch circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the switching circuit, the first output end of the switching circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the ECU of vehicle, the second output end of the switching circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the electronic switch circuit, and the output end of the electronic switch circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the ECU.By setting switching circuit and reasonably configuring its connection relationship, the physical isolation and logic selection of mechanical key control path and software control path are realized, so that the vehicle can retain traditional man-machine interaction mode while having advanced automatic driving function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electronic parking technology, and in particular to a switch assembly, an electronic parking system, and an autonomous vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] The vehicle's EPB (Electronic Park Brake) system includes three states: natural, engaged, and released. In the natural state, the vehicle does not trigger any new parking brake or release action; in the engaged state, the vehicle applies the parking brake; and in the released state, the vehicle releases the parking brake. Its core control component is a mechanical button. The button's internal metal contacts switch between the three operating states, thereby transmitting braking or release commands to the vehicle's ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0003] With the development of autonomous driving, the aforementioned mechanical switches are no longer suitable for unmanned application scenarios. Even if mechanical action structures such as robotic arms and electromagnetic locks are added to the equipment to replace manual operation, mechanical parts will wear and loosen in vehicles that are in a vibrating environment for a long time, resulting in poor reliability. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model provides a switch assembly, an electronic parking system, and an autonomous vehicle to solve at least one of the aforementioned technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a switching assembly, including a mechanical switching circuit, an electronic switching circuit, and a switching circuit. The output terminal of the mechanical switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the switching circuit, the first output terminal of the switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of a vehicle's ECU, the second output terminal of the switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the electronic switching circuit, and the output terminal of the electronic switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the ECU.

[0006] The input terminal of the mechanical switch circuit is used to obtain the trigger signal of the mechanical switch, and then outputs the physical switch signal.

[0007] The switching circuit is used to output the first parking control signal to the ECU based on the physical switch signal, or to output a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit.

[0008] An electronic switch circuit is used to output a second parking control signal to the ECU based on a conduction signal. Both the second parking control signal and the first parking control signal are used to change the parking status of the vehicle.

[0009] In some embodiments, the switching assembly further includes a control circuit; a first output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the switching circuit and the enable signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit; a second output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit.

[0010] The first output terminal of the control circuit is used to control the switching circuit to output a conduction signal and to control the electronic switch circuit to enter the enabled state.

[0011] The second output terminal of the control circuit is used to control the electronic switch circuit to output the second parking control signal.

[0012] In some embodiments, the input of the control circuit is connected to the vehicle's autonomous driving system to receive control signals so that the switching circuit blocks the physical switching signal from the mechanical switching circuit and conducts the electronic switching circuit to output a second parking control signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the switching circuit includes a first switching chip and a second switching chip.

[0014] The first signal transmission channel of the first switch chip is used to transmit the first physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit; the first signal transmission channel of the second switch chip is used to receive the second physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit; the first physical switch signals together constitute the first parking control signal.

[0015] The second signal transmission channel of the first and second switch chips is used to output a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit.

[0016] In some embodiments, the electronic switching circuit includes a third switching chip and a fourth switching chip; each switching chip contains two signal transmission channels.

[0017] The first signal transmission channel of the third and fourth switch chips is used to transmit the first analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal.

[0018] The second signal transmission channels of the third and fourth switch chips are used to transmit a second analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal. The first and second analog switch signals together constitute the second parking control signal.

[0019] In some embodiments, the enable input of the switching circuit is connected to the power supply.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first switch chip, the second switch chip, the third switch chip, and the fourth switch chip simulate switch chips.

[0021] In a second aspect, embodiments of this application provide an electronic parking system, including a switch assembly as provided in any embodiment of the first aspect of this application.

[0022] In a third aspect, embodiments of this application provide an autonomous vehicle, including an electronic parking system as provided in any embodiment of the second aspect of this application.

[0023] The switching component provided in this application, through the setting of a switching circuit and the reasonable configuration of its connection relationship, achieves physical isolation and logical selection between the mechanical button control path and the software control path. By using an electronic switching circuit to simulate and generate parking control signals equivalent to those of a mechanical switch, the ECU can simultaneously recognize and process control commands from two different sources without any software modification or adaptation, greatly reducing the complexity and cost of integrating the electronic parking system. The switching circuit can dynamically select the effective control signal source according to the vehicle's driving mode. In manned driving mode, the physical switch signal of the mechanical button is retained to ensure that the driver's operation is direct and effective; in autonomous driving mode, it can switch to software control implemented by the electronic switching circuit, meeting the core requirements of unmanned operation and enabling the vehicle to retain traditional human-machine interaction methods while possessing advanced autonomous driving functions. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the switching assembly in some embodiments; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of controlling the ECU via a mechanical switch circuit in some embodiments; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a mechanical switch circuit controlling an ECU via a switching circuit in some embodiments; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of controlling the ECU via an electronic switch circuit in some embodiments; Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of a switching assembly including control circuitry in some embodiments; Figure 6 The diagram below illustrates the structural principles of the switching circuit and the electronic switch circuit in some embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the technical solutions and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the embodiments and related technical content of this disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and text description. It should be understood that the embodiments described below are only used to explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to limit more possible implementations of this disclosure.

[0026] In the first aspect, such as Figure 1As shown in the illustration, this application discloses a switching assembly, including a mechanical switch circuit 110, an electronic switch circuit 120, and a switching circuit 130. The mechanical switch circuit 110 acquires a trigger signal from a mechanical switch and then outputs a physical switch signal. The switching circuit 130 outputs a first parking control signal to the vehicle's ECU based on the physical switch signal, or outputs a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit 120. The electronic switch circuit 120 outputs a second parking control signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal. Both the first and second parking control signals are used to change the vehicle's parking state.

[0027] The output terminal of the mechanical switch circuit 110 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the switching circuit 130. The first output terminal of the switching circuit 130 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the ECU. The second output terminal of the switching circuit 130 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120. The output terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120 is electrically connected to the input terminal of the ECU.

[0028] In some specific embodiments, the switching circuit 130 can be an electronic circuit with signal routing selection function. Typically, the switching circuit can select one of two or more input / output paths to conduct based on a control signal (such as a selection signal), while blocking other paths. In this application, the switching circuit 130 is specifically connected between the mechanical switching circuit 110 and the ECU, and also connected to the electronic switching circuit 120. Its core function is to determine, based on the vehicle's driving mode (manned driving or autonomous driving), whether to transmit the physical switching signal generated by the mechanical switching circuit 110 to the ECU, or to block the physical switching signal and simultaneously send a conduction signal to the electronic switching circuit 120, thereby transferring parking control to the software-driven electronic switching circuit 120.

[0029] The electronic switch circuit 120 is capable of switching on or off signal paths at extremely high speeds (e.g., nanoseconds) and with extremely high reliability. Essentially, it is an electronically controlled single-pole single-throw or multiplexed switch. In this application, the electronic switch circuit 120 can be controlled by the on signal from the switching circuit 130 combined with other control signals to simulate specific level combinations (i.e., the second parking control signal) generated by the EPB mechanical button in different states (e.g., open state, closed state), and transmit this signal to the ECU.

[0030] For example, the mechanical switch circuit 110 can be an original vehicle EPB button module with multiple contacts, such as... Figure 2As shown, when the mechanical switch circuit 110 is directly electrically connected to the ECU, the level combination for controlling the ECU can be achieved by opening and closing the metal contacts in the mechanical button when someone is driving. Metal contacts 1 and 2 form a linked switch; when one metal contact is on, the other is off (the same applies to metal contacts 3 and 4). When the level combination is SWI1=SWO2, SWI2=SWO1 (in this text, "=" indicates that the signal levels on both sides are the same), the EPB can be in its natural state. Pulling up the button changes the level combination to SWI1=SWI2=SWO1, the EPB is in its pulled-up state, applying the parking brake to the vehicle. Pressing down the button changes the level state to SWI1=SWI2=SWO2, releasing the parking brake on the vehicle. The pull-up and release states of mechanical buttons are instantaneous. After pressing or pulling up a button, the spring of the mechanical button will automatically return, causing the EPB to switch to the natural state, waiting for the next operation of the mechanical button.

[0031] On one hand, this application connects the output of the mechanical switch circuit 110 to the input of the switching circuit 130, and the first outputs (SWI1 and SWI2) of the switching circuit 130 are connected to the ECU (SWI1 and SWI2). When the driver presses the EPB button inside the vehicle, as... Figure 3 As shown, the mechanical switch circuit 110 generates physical switch signals (i.e., BUT_SWI1 and BUT_SWI2). The switching circuit 130 transmits the physical switch signals to the ECU by default. The ECU recognizes the first parking control signal as SWI1=BUT_SWI1=SWO1, SWI2=BUT_SWI2=SWO1 (pull-up state) and executes the parking brake, which is exactly the same as the effect of a direct electrical connection between the mechanical switch circuit 110 and the ECU. Contacts 5 and 6 are analog connection channels implemented by the first output terminal of the switching circuit 130.

[0032] On the other hand, this application electrically connects the second output terminal of the switching circuit 130 to the input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120, and electrically connects the output terminals (SWO1 and SWO2) of the electronic switch circuit 120 to the ECU (SWO1 and SWO2). When the vehicle enters the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving system controls the switching circuit 130 to block the signal path from the mechanical switch circuit 110, and simultaneously outputs a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit 120. After receiving the conduction signal, the electronic switch circuit 120, as follows... Figure 4As shown, the electronic switch circuit 120 generates a second parking control signal at its output terminal according to the software instructions of the autonomous driving system and sends it to the ECU. The ECU recognizes the second parking control signal as SWI1=SWI2=SWO2 (release state) and executes parking release. Contacts 7 and 8 are analog connection channels implemented by the output terminals of the electronic switch circuit 120.

[0033] By setting up a switching circuit and rationally configuring its connections, physical isolation and logical selection of the mechanical button control path and the software control path are achieved. Using an electronic switching circuit to simulate parking control signals equivalent to those of mechanical switches allows the ECU to simultaneously recognize and process control commands from two different sources without any software modification or adaptation, significantly reducing the complexity and cost of integrating the electronic parking system. The switching circuit can dynamically select the effective control signal source based on the vehicle's driving mode. In manned driving mode, the physical switch signal of the mechanical buttons is retained, ensuring direct and effective driver operation; in autonomous driving mode, it switches to software control implemented by the electronic switching circuit, meeting the core requirements of unmanned operation and enabling the vehicle to retain traditional human-machine interaction methods while possessing advanced autonomous driving functions.

[0034] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the switching assembly also includes a control circuit 140. The first output terminal of the control circuit 140 is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the switching circuit 130 and the enable signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120, for controlling the switching circuit 130 to output a conduction signal and controlling the electronic switch circuit 120 to enter an enabled state. The second output terminal of the control circuit 140 is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120, for controlling the electronic switch circuit 120 to output a second parking control signal.

[0035] Specifically, the control circuit 140 is a unit capable of generating and outputting specific logic signals to direct the operation of other circuits. Typically, the core function of the control circuit 140 is to receive input conditions and generate high-level or low-level signals on specific output pins according to a preset program or logic relationship.

[0036] In this application, the input terminal of the control circuit 140 is connected to the vehicle's autonomous driving system to receive control signals from the autonomous driving system and generate two key control commands based on the control signals: one is sent to the selection signal input terminal of the switching circuit 130 to control the switching circuit 130 to select the signal route so that the switching circuit 130 blocks the physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit 110 and turns on the electronic switch circuit 120; the other is sent to the selection signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120 to control the electronic switch circuit 120 to output a second parking control signal.

[0037] In digital circuits, the enable signal is used to control whether a functional module or chip enters a working state. The enable signal is usually a level signal. When it is an active level (such as a high level or a low level, depending on the chip design), the corresponding module or chip is activated and begins to work normally; when it is an inactive level, the module or chip enters a high impedance state, a shutdown state, or a low power mode, and its output is disabled.

[0038] In this application, the control circuit 140 activates the electronic switch circuit 120 by outputting a valid enable signal to the enable signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit 120, enabling it to respond to subsequent selection signals and output a corresponding second parking control signal.

[0039] By introducing an independent control circuit, centralized and coordinated control of the switching circuit and electronic switch circuit is achieved. This automates and refines the entire process from the autonomous driving mode command to the specific parking control signal output, greatly improving the system's reliability and response speed.

[0040] In some embodiments, the switching circuit 130 includes a first switching chip U1 and a second switching chip U2, and the electronic switching circuit 120 includes a third switching chip U3 and a fourth switching chip U4. Each switching chip contains two signal transmission channels.

[0041] The first signal transmission channel of the first switch chip U1 is used to transmit the first physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit 110, and the first signal transmission channel of the second switch chip U2 is used to receive the second physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit 110. The first physical switch signals together constitute the first parking control signal. The second signal transmission channels of the first and second switch chips are used to output a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit 120.

[0042] The first signal transmission channels of the third switch chip U3 and the fourth switch chip U4 are used to transmit a first analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal. The second signal transmission channels of the third switch chip U3 and the fourth switch chip U4 are used to transmit a second analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal. The first analog switch signal and the second analog switch signal together constitute the second parking control signal.

[0043] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, the first switch chip U1, the second switch chip U2, the third switch chip U3, and the fourth switch chip U4 can be analog switch chips. Typically, an analog switch chip (such as the TMUX6219 chip) integrates multiple independently controllable switch units. Each unit constitutes a signal transmission channel and can be turned on or off under the action of a control signal.

[0044] In this application, two analog switch chips are used to construct the switching circuit 130, and the first physical switch signal (BUT_SWI1) and the second physical switch signal (BUT_SWI2) from the mechanical switch circuit 110 are transmitted in parallel through the first signal transmission channels (D to S1 signal transmission channels) of the two switch chips, which together constitute the complete first parking control signal, enabling the switching circuit 130 to synchronously control the on and off of multiple signals and ensuring the integrity of the parking control signal.

[0045] Meanwhile, two analog switch chips are used to construct the electronic switch circuit 120. By utilizing the two signal transmission channels of each chip (the signal transmission channel from D to S1 and the signal transmission channel from D to S2), different input-output mapping relationships can be flexibly configured to accurately simulate the specific level combination of the first analog switch signal (SW01) and the second analog switch signal (SWO2) output by the mechanical key in the natural state, the pulled-up state, and the released state.

[0046] In some embodiments, the enable input of the switching circuit is connected to the power supply.

[0047] Specifically, the enable input terminals of the switching circuit include the enable input terminal EN of the first switch chip U1 and the enable input terminal EN of the second switch chip U2. Connecting them to the power supply can keep the first switch chip U1 and the second switch chip U2 in normal working condition so as to respond to the physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit 110.

[0048] In some embodiments, the switching assembly further includes a protection circuit electrically connected to the switching circuit 130, the electronic switching circuit 120, and the control circuit 140.

[0049] Specifically, a protection circuit is an auxiliary circuit used to protect electronic circuits from electrical overstress (EOS) damage. Typically, a protection circuit can include various components, such as transient voltage suppression diodes, electrostatic discharge protection devices, fuses, resettable fuses, inductors, and capacitors. Their main function is to absorb or dissipate abnormally high energy from external sources, such as voltage spikes, surge currents, and electrostatic pulses, thereby clamping the voltage or current of the subsequent core circuits within a safe range. In this application, the protection circuit is configured to be electrically connected to the switching circuit 130, the electronic switching circuit 120, and the control circuit 140, thereby providing comprehensive protection for these core functional modules regarding power lines and signal lines, ensuring stable and reliable operation in the complex electrical environment of a vehicle.

[0050] By introducing protection circuitry, the robustness and durability of the entire switching assembly in the harsh automotive electronic environment are significantly improved. Vehicle electrical systems are subject to various potential electromagnetic interferences and voltage transients; the protection circuitry effectively absorbs these abnormal energies, preventing damage to the delicate analog switching chips and control circuits, thereby ensuring the long-term stability of system functions.

[0051] Using analog switch chips to build switch components to replace traditional mechanical buttons, the structure is simple and highly reliable. In addition to being used in EPB for autonomous vehicles, it can also be applied to a variety of unmanned devices, including unmanned vehicles, unmanned ships, and robots.

[0052] In the above embodiments, when describing the connection between one circuit and another, or the connection between the output terminal of one circuit and the input terminal of another, it can mean that the two circuits are directly connected or indirectly connected, meaning that there may be other circuits or intermediary components between the two circuits. In any case, there is a signal flow relationship between the two circuits.

[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A switching assembly, characterized in that, include: The system includes a mechanical switch circuit, an electronic switch circuit, and a switching circuit. The output terminal of the mechanical switch circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the switching circuit. The first output terminal of the switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the vehicle's ECU. The second output terminal of the switching circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the electronic switch circuit. The output terminal of the electronic switch circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the ECU. The input terminal of the mechanical switch circuit is used to acquire the trigger signal of the mechanical switch and then output the physical switch signal; The switching circuit is used to output a first parking control signal to the ECU based on the physical switch signal, or to output a conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit. The electronic switch circuit is used to output a second parking control signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal; both the second parking control signal and the first parking control signal are used to change the parking status of the vehicle.

2. The switching assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching assembly further includes a control circuit; the first output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the switching circuit and the enable signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit; the second output terminal of the control circuit is electrically connected to the selection signal input terminal of the electronic switch circuit. The first output terminal of the control circuit is used to control the switching circuit to output the conduction signal and to control the electronic switch circuit to enter the enabled state. The second output terminal of the control circuit is used to control the electronic switch circuit to output the second parking control signal.

3. The switching assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The input terminal of the control circuit is connected to the vehicle's autonomous driving system to receive control signals so that the switching circuit blocks the physical switching signal from the mechanical switching circuit and turns on the electronic switching circuit to output the second parking control signal.

4. The switching assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The enable input terminal of the switching circuit is connected to the power supply.

5. The switching assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching circuit includes a first switching chip and a second switching chip; each switching chip contains two signal transmission channels. The first signal transmission channel of the first switch chip is used to transmit a first physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit; the first signal transmission channel of the second switch chip is used to receive a second physical switch signal from the mechanical switch circuit; the first physical switch signals together constitute the first parking control signal. The second signal transmission channels of the first switch chip and the second switch chip are used to output the conduction signal to the electronic switch circuit.

6. The switching assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The electronic switching circuit includes a third switching chip and a fourth switching chip; The first signal transmission channel of the third switch chip and the fourth switch chip is used to transmit a first analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal; The second signal transmission channels of the third and fourth switch chips are used to transmit a second analog switch signal to the ECU based on the conduction signal; the first analog switch signal and the second analog switch signal together constitute the second parking control signal.

7. The switching assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first switch chip, the second switch chip, the third switch chip, and the fourth switch chip are all analog switch chips.

8. The switching assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The switching assembly also includes a protection circuit electrically connected to the switching circuit, the electronic switching circuit, and the control circuit.

9. An electronic parking system, characterized in that, Includes the switching assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An autonomous vehicle, characterized in that, Including the electronic parking system as described in claim 9.

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