Method and control circuit for selecting one of at least two available processor circuits for processing at least one data set for an operating function of a motor vehicle, as well as motor vehicle and processing system

Abstract

Method for selecting a processor circuit from at least two available processor circuits for processing at least one data set (17) for an operating function (14) that controls the operation of a motor vehicle (11), wherein a first of the processor circuits (22) is located in the motor vehicle (11) and a second of the processor circuits (12) is located externally and is coupled to the motor vehicle (11) via a radio link, characterized in that a test data set (TD1) is assigned to the operating function (14) and, at a transmission time, the test data set (TD1) and an instruction (38) to process the test data set (TD1) are sent by a control circuit of the motor vehicle (11).is sent to the second processor circuit (12) and at an end time a result of the instruction (38) is determined and a response rate of the second processor circuit (12) resulting from the sending time and the end time is determined and in the event that it is recognized that the response rate is greater than a minimum rate value assigned to the operating function (14), at least one data record (17) is sent to the second processor circuit (12) for processing there, wherein , a) a respective processing procedure intended for processing in the second processor circuit (12) has more processing steps and / or greater processing complexity than in the first processor circuit (22); and / or b) the test data set (TD1) represents a worst-case scenario with regard to the computational effort required for processing; and / or c) the operating function (14) controls the operation of the motor vehicle (11) in response to an environmental scenario, and the processing for this purpose provides for the detection and / or analysis of the environmental scenario based on at least one data set (17), and the control circuit determines in which environment type (50) from several predefined environment types (50) the motor vehicle (11) is currently located and / or which of the environment types (50) the motor vehicle (11) will reach next, and the test data set (TD1) is selected from several predefined test data sets, each of which is assigned to a different environment type (50), according to the determined environment type (50); and / or d) in the event that a change in a comparison result of a comparison between the response speed and the minimum speed value is detected during a further check of the response speed using the test data set (TD1) and / or the at least one data set (17), a computation process (20) running on one of the processor circuits is stopped for the processing of the at least one data set (17), process variable values ​​that define a current process state of the computation process (20) are determined and transferred to the other of the processor circuits, and the computation process (20) is continued on the other processor circuit at the current process state using the process variable values,and thus the calculation process in the other processor circuit is loaded into main memory and the process variables are set to the current variable values, and the processing of at least one data set continues without interruption on the other processor circuit.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a control circuit for selecting a processor circuit for processing at least one data set, as required by an operating function of a motor vehicle during its operation. The selection can be made from at least two available processor circuits, wherein at least one of the processor circuits is located outside the motor vehicle. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle with a control circuit that can make the selection according to the method, and to a processing system comprising the motor vehicle and the at least one processor circuit located outside the vehicle.

[0002] A motor vehicle can have an operating function that controls its operation. For example, an automated driving function, such as a driver assistance system and / or an autonomous driving function, can be implemented or provided as an operating function. When executing the operating function, it may be necessary to process at least one data set, such as a sensor data set like camera images. This processing can, for example, involve computer vision processing of the respective data set, i.e., the recognition or detection of traffic objects that may be depicted in the data set, if, for example, it consists of sensor data from an environmental sensor such as a camera and / or a LiDAR.Such data processing can require the computing resources of a processor circuit, meaning that a sufficiently powerful processor circuit must be available on board the vehicle to process at least one data set. However, operating a powerful processor circuit means that the vehicle must provide sufficient electrical power for its operation, which can affect the driving range, especially in purely electric vehicles.

[0003] In this context, it is known that computational processes can be outsourced from a vehicle, for example to a so-called backend server of the vehicle, i.e., an internet server that can be connected to the vehicle via an internet connection and / or a wireless connection. Another possibility for outsourcing computational processes is so-called edge computing, which involves selecting a spatially nearby server computer to perform computational processes based on the current position of the vehicle, in order to avoid latency that can occur due to the transmission of data sets and the calculation result or the result data over long distances.

[0004] The use of such edge cloud computers in a motor vehicle is described, for example, in DE 10 2018 009 906 A1. It describes how external resources, such as data rate and / or latency, are taken into account when planning computational processes on edge cloud computers. Numerous examples of edge computing applications are also described therein, which can also be implemented or realized in the present invention by means of a processor circuit external to the vehicle.

[0005] From DE 11 2020 002 310 T5 it is known that the likely availability of a connection between a motor vehicle and a stationary processor circuit can be predicted by a quality of service (QoS) forecast. This forecast, based on space-time correlations for a planned journey, predicts where and when sufficient connection quality for edge computing will be available. This requires a large amount of historical measurement data from which the forecast can be extrapolated.

[0006] From US patent 2022 / 0 053 308 A1, it is known to outsource computer vision processing of sensor data from a motor vehicle, wherein, due to a driving movement of the motor vehicle, a change or transfer of a calculation process from one edge computer to another edge computer is provided and this is determined in advance.

[0007] Due to the vehicle's movement along its route, it passes through various edge cloud processor circuits to which computational processes could be offloaded. Furthermore, the computational complexity of datasets also depends on the current driving situation, as sensor or measurement data can be correspondingly complex or relatively simple. This results in a difficult-to-predict combination of available off-vehicle computing power and the computational complexity of the datasets.

[0008] A measurement method for measuring application-level latency in URLLC-enabled 5G networks is known from a publication by Pavel Polacek (POLACEK, Pavel: Testing URLLC-capable 5G networks: Application-level latency - Part 2: Measuring end-to-end latency. December 2, 2020. URL: https: / / www.elektroniknet.de / messentesten / pcmesstechnik / latenzzeit-auf-anwendungsebene.181317 / seite-2.html).

[0009] The invention is based on the objective of outsourcing the processing of at least one data set from the motor vehicle to an external processor circuit for an operating function of a motor vehicle, and ensuring that no impairment of the operation is threatened by a delay or even a failure of the processing result (the result data).

[0010] The problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous further developments of the invention are described by the dependent patent claims, the following description, and the figures.

[0011] As one solution, the invention comprises a method for selecting a processor circuit from at least two available processor circuits for processing at least one data set for an operating function of a motor vehicle that controls the operation of the motor vehicle. The operating function can be, as described, an automated driving function (driver assistance and / or autonomous driving) and / or a recognition function (for example, gesture recognition and / or speech recognition) and / or a calculation of driving maneuvers (for example, within the framework of driver assistance or navigation assistance), to name just a few examples. The data sets processed can be, for example, sensor data sets, in order to recognize, detect, or classify environmental objects described in the data sets.

[0012] The method assumes that a first processor circuit is located or provided within the vehicle, and a second processor circuit is located externally and connected to the vehicle via a wireless link. This wireless link allows the second processor circuit to be used from the vehicle even while it is in motion, as may be intended in the method. The wireless link can be established in a known manner, for example, using Car-to-X communication, a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), or a mobile network connection. The second processor circuit can, in particular, be a backend server or an edge computer, for example, of a road infrastructure component.

[0013] The process selects whether the processing of at least one data set is performed onboard in the first processor circuit or offboard in the second processor circuit. Offboard processing, i.e., in the second processor circuit, can reduce energy consumption in the vehicle and / or allow for greater processing power or computing power if the second processor circuit has more computing power than the first.

[0014] To reliably ensure that the processing of at least one data set does not impair the operational function by using the second processor circuit, i.e., by outsourcing the processing, the invention provides that a test data set is assigned to the operational function. At a specific time, a control circuit of the vehicle, for example, a control unit, sends this test data set and a command to process the test data set to the second processor circuit. The control circuit records and stores the time of transmission. Using the test data, the processing in the second processor circuit is initiated or started experimentally, i.e., the necessary processing steps are triggered. Later, after the transmission time, the result of the command is determined at a specific time.The end time can occur when processing data from the second processor circuit is registered, recognized, or received by the control circuit in the vehicle. The end time can also occur after a timeout if no response, particularly no processing data, is available from the second processor circuit by that time. The control circuit records and stores the end time.

[0015] The transmission and completion times determine the response speed of the processor circuit in relation to the test data. This response speed is calculated, for example, the time taken per test data record. If results data from the processing of the test data record by the second processor circuit are available—that is, if an actual reception time exists as the completion time—the response speed can be calculated from the difference between the transmission and completion times. Since this difference also includes the processing time of the test data record by the second processor circuit, a total round-trip time (RTT) is calculated, representing the overall response time for the calculation of the test data record from the perspective of the control circuit.If no response is received from the second processor circuit, or at least no result data, the response speed is, for example, 0, meaning the second processor circuit is definitely disqualified from processing. If a comparison between the response speed and a minimum speed reveals that the response speed is greater than the minimum speed, then at least one data set—that is, the data actually required for the operating function—is sent to the second processor circuit for processing.In other words, the test data set is a predetermined data set assigned to the operating function, while at least one data set to be processed represents data currently being processed, which, for example, may only be generated after the response speed has been determined, i.e., current sensor data. The test data set is specifically different from each test data set and / or was prepared or generated prior to it. The minimum speed value is assigned to the operating function, or for each operating function for which processing is to be carried out in the second processor circuit, a separate minimum speed value can be specified or used as a basis. A person skilled in the art can assess which minimum speed value is necessary for trouble-free operation or real-time capability of an operating function.For each operating function that is to be supported by this second processor circuit, a separate minimum speed value can therefore be stored.

[0016] The invention offers the advantage that the control circuit uses prepared test data to check the current availability or response time of the currently available or wirelessly accessible second external processor circuit. This effectively simulates the use of the second processor circuit, and the selection is based on this simulation. This allows the decision or selection to be based on the currently available connection conditions and / or the computing power of the second processor circuit, as it is currently available under the current load, thus achieving a particularly reliable and informative selection. The method can, of course, also be used to test several potential external processor circuits in this way to determine whether one of them is suitable.For the sake of clarity, the procedure is described here only for two processor circuits: an onboard processor circuit (first processor circuit) and a second offboard processor circuit (second processor circuit).

[0017] The first and second processor circuits can have the same or comparable computing power. Preferably, the second processor circuit is one whose available processing power is greater than that of the first processor circuit. With comparable processor circuits, the described outsourcing of processing results in energy savings in the vehicle. Another way to gain an advantage from external processing in the second processor circuit is that, according to one aspect of the invention, a respective processing procedure intended for processing, i.e., for example, an algorithm and / or a processing depth of the at least one data set, has more processing steps and / or greater processing complexity in the second processor circuit than in the first processor circuit.In other words, the processing in the second processor circuit is implemented differently, i.e., it uses a different processing procedure than the onboard processing in the first processor circuit. This offers the advantage that not only is the greater computing power of the second processor circuit utilized, as is then preferred, but the processing procedure itself is also different. In particular, it provides more precise, in-depth, higher-resolution, or more bit-accurate processing of at least one data record, and / or it uses a larger number of detectable objects and / or a larger number of recognition classes than the processing procedure of the first processor circuit.

[0018] The test dataset should ideally be representative of at least one dataset. However, it can be difficult to predict the characteristics of this at least one dataset and / or the computational effort it will require during processing. For example, when processing camera images, this can lead to varying, fluctuating, or dataset-dependent computational effort if the camera images contain traffic scenes with different numbers of road users and / or different visibility conditions (sunshine, fog, rain, i.e., different weather conditions) in the different datasets.In order to reliably predict or estimate that the second processor circuit, through its behavior or computing power during the processing of at least one data set, does not impair or impair the operational function to a foreseeable extent, one aspect of the invention provides that the test data set represents a worst-case scenario with respect to the computational effort required for processing. In other words, the test data set is designed such that it causes the greatest computational effort for the respective computational task, function, or processing procedure, or a computational effort above a threshold value, i.e., the number of computational steps is maximized or at least lies in the upper third or the upper 20 percent of the possible number of computational steps.This can be achieved, for example, by analyzing the source code of a computer implementation of the processing procedure, verifying that conditional statements (IF statements) are executed because the test data set is structured accordingly. This allows the test data set to be systematized or specifically prepared by a specialist.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the operating function that controls the operation of the motor vehicle and requires the processing of at least one data set is such an operating function by which the motor vehicle reacts to an environmental scenario by being controlled in response to that scenario. This is the case, for example, with a driver assistance system and / or an autonomous driving function, where the operating function calculates a driving trajectory for the motor vehicle and guides the vehicle through the environment, i.e., through the environmental scenario, according to the calculated driving trajectory. The driving trajectory is calculated in such a way that the motor vehicle is guided without collisions, that is, without collisions with environmental objects and / or road users.According to one aspect of the invention, the processing involves the recognition and / or analysis of the environmental scenario based on at least one data set. This can, for example, be the described computer vision processing of the data set, i.e., the recognition and / or semantic segmentation of at least one object in the environment based on the at least one data set. The control circuit determines which of several predefined environment types the vehicle is currently in and / or which environment type the vehicle will reach next. By first determining the current environment type, it can be established which at least one data set will be provided by a sensor of the vehicle and / or by another data source of the vehicle for currently expected environmental scenarios.When an estimated environment type is reached next, the expected environment scenario can be determined in advance in preparation for anticipated data sets or a specific data set. The environment type thus allows for the determination of the expected environment scenario. Examples of environment types include: highway, city, rural road, residential street, parking lot, to name just a few. The test data set is selected from several predefined test data sets, each assigned to a different environment type. Therefore, each environment type can have its own test data set, representing, for example, the complexity and / or data content of the respective environment type.By determining the current and / or next environment type, the vehicle-external, second processor circuit can be specifically tested for its suitability for the respective environment type using the test data set.

[0020] The invention also includes further developments that result in additional advantages.

[0021] The method can utilize prior art control routines, particularly when it comes to identifying which vehicle-external processor circuits are currently available or reachable. This can be implemented, for example, using prior art protocols for edge computing, especially edge computing for vehicles.

[0022] A further development proposes that if it is detected that the response speed is lower than the minimum speed value, at least one data set is processed using the first processor circuit. This results in onboard processing. The advantage of this is that, for the vehicle's operational function, reliable result data can be provided for both cases (response speed greater than or equal to the minimum speed value, or less than the minimum speed value) by processing the respective data set.

[0023] As previously explained, according to a further development, the test data set is received from or generated by at least one sensor of the vehicle. However, it is not necessary to process the sensor data directly; that is, a data set does not necessarily have to be a sensor data set, but can additionally or alternatively be based on sensor data from at least one sensor of the vehicle. This can be the case, for example, if the data set is based on processed sensor data, such as that resulting from sensor fusion, i.e., from a combination of sensor data from different sensors.

[0024] To test the environment type, the control circuit needs to know where the vehicle is currently located and / or where it is currently traveling.

[0025] A further development of this technology involves receiving position data from a receiver of a position signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System, for example, GPS - Global Positioning System). This position data describes the current geolocation of the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, route data for a planned and / or estimated route can be received from a navigation system. An estimated route can be determined if the vehicle is regularly driven along a consistent route, for example, on weekdays at predetermined intervals, such as when commuting to or from work.If the vehicle is located on a section of this route within the usual or known time interval, it can be estimated that the remaining part of the route will also be traveled in the usual or observed manner. Using the geocoordinates from the GNSS position data and / or the route data, the environment type is then determined with the aid of an environmental map. This environmental map depicts the spatial distribution of possible environment types; that is, it describes which environment type is located at which location. Such an environmental map can be prepared by a person skilled in the art in preparation for carrying out the procedure and made available to a control circuit.In addition to or as an alternative to using position and / or route data, a further development proposes estimating the environment type based on environmental data acquired by at least one environmental sensor, such as image data from at least one surround-view camera of the vehicle. For this purpose, the current and / or the upcoming environment (insofar as it can be detected by the respective sensor) is estimated using a classifier based on the environmental maps. Such a classifier can be used, for example, from another control unit and / or another software module of the vehicle, such as a traffic sign recognition and / or traffic light recognition classifier, as may be provided in a driver assistance system.Thus, the type of environment is determined using measurement techniques, for example, optically via camera and / or LiDAR, and / or based on signals from a Car-to-X infrastructure component (e.g., a traffic light with a transmitter). This advancement offers the particular advantage of being able to react to a changing environment type, for example, when a construction site is set up, a detour is used, and / or the environment type depends on traffic volume (e.g., traffic jams).

[0026] If, for example, the second processor circuit (or the first processor circuit) is selected to process at least one data set, and thus the respective processor circuit begins processing, at least one further check of the response speed can be performed in the meantime. For this purpose, the data sets that are already being processed can be monitored with regard to their response speed, and / or the test data set, which can be inserted or sent between two data sets being processed, can be reused.In the event that a change in the comparison result is detected during such a further check of the response speed using the test data set and / or at least one data set, this means that either the second processor circuit previously had a sufficiently high response speed and now has a response speed that is too low, or conversely, the first processor circuit was selected because the response speed was initially too low and is now recognized as being sufficiently high (in each case with respect to the described minimum speed value).

[0027] In this case, the further processing of at least one data set can then be shifted or transferred to the other processor circuit. According to one aspect of the invention, a computation process running on one of the processor circuits (i.e., on the first or initially selected processor circuit) is paused for the processing of the at least one data set; that is, the corresponding computation process on the processor circuit, through which the processing is implemented, is stopped. For this purpose, for example, a program counter of the computation process can be paused. The term "computation process" here means that corresponding software for performing the processing is executed on the processor circuit. Such processing, loaded into and running in the working memory of the processor circuit, is referred to as a computation process (English: Process).Process variable values, which define the current state of the computation process, are then determined. These process variables are managed by an operating system to control and / or manage the respective computation process. The process variable values ​​are transferred to the other processor circuit (i.e., to the second processor circuit if the first was initially selected, or vice versa, to the first processor circuit if the second was initially selected). On this other processor circuit, the computation process continues from the current process state using the variable values. In other words, the computation process is loaded into the main memory of the other processor circuit, and the process variables are set to their current values.Then, the processing of at least one data set can continue uninterrupted on the other processor circuit.

[0028] For use cases or application situations that may arise during the procedure and are not explicitly described here, it may be provided that, according to the procedure, an error message and / or a request for user feedback is issued and / or a default setting and / or a predetermined initial state is set.

[0029] To enable the method according to the invention to be carried out in a motor vehicle, a control circuit for a motor vehicle is provided as a further solution. Such a control circuit can be implemented by means of a control unit or a network of several control units. The control circuit is configured to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0030] As a further solution, the invention also includes a motor vehicle which has a first processor circuit for processing at least one data set. To enable communication with a second, external processor circuit, the motor vehicle has a communication circuit. Such a communication circuit can be implemented in the manner described above, based on a Car-to-X communication module and / or a WLAN radio module and / or a mobile communication module, to name just a few examples. Furthermore, the motor vehicle is provided to have an embodiment of the described control circuit. Thus, the processing of at least one data set of an operating function of the motor vehicle can be carried out either onboard using the first processor circuit or offboard using a second processor circuit.The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

[0031] The interaction between such a vehicle embodiment and a second, external processor circuit results in a processing system for processing at least one data set, which also represents a solution to the problem. The second processor circuit can be implemented as a backend server of the vehicle, i.e., a server computer connected to and accessible via the internet. A second, external control circuit can also be implemented based on a so-called edge computer, i.e., a computer that is geographically or spatially close to the traffic infrastructure, specifically closer than 500 meters, and particularly closer than 200 meters, to the road infrastructure, and can be controlled by a vehicle via its communication circuit, for example, directly, i.e., bypassing the internet, for processing the at least one data set.

[0032] The control circuit and the respective processor circuit can each include a processor unit. The processor unit can include at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor unit can include program code configured to execute the embodiment of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor unit. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor unit.

[0033] The invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also includes realizations that each exhibit a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, provided that the embodiments have not been described as mutually exclusive.

[0034] The following describes exemplary embodiments of the invention. The single figure illustrates this: Fig. a schematic representation of an embodiment of the processing system according to the invention.

[0035] The exemplary embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In these exemplary embodiments, the described components each represent individual features of the invention, which can be considered independently of one another and each further develops the invention independently. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to include combinations of features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0036] In the figure, identical reference symbols denote functionally equivalent elements.

[0037] The figure shows a processing system 10, which may include a motor vehicle 11 and at least one processor circuit 12, which may be configured as an edge computer (EDG). The processing system 10 may also include multiple motor vehicles 11 and / or multiple processor circuits 12. The processor circuits designated by reference numeral 12 are external processor circuits, which are arranged in a stationary manner, for example as the respective edge computer (EDG) described and / or as a backend server for the respective motor vehicle 11.

[0038] The operation of the motor vehicle 11 can be supported or controlled by a respective operating function 14, 15. Each operating function 14, 15 can be realized or implemented by a respective software application APP1, APP2. Examples of operating functions include: an automated driving function, such as driver assistance (parking assistance and / or lane keeping assistance, overtaking assistance) and / or an autonomous driving function (automated driving at Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5 according to SAE standard J3016).

[0039] The respective operating function 14, 15 can include the processing of at least one data record 17 by the respective software application APP1, APP2, for which a computation process 20, 21 must be operated or started by the respective software application APP1, APP2. Such a computation process is a software application running in the main memory of a processor circuit. In the processing system 10, the vehicle-external processor circuit 12 can be used to offload the computation process, or a processor circuit 22 can be used in the vehicle 11. The processor circuit 22 in the vehicle 11 must be powered by an onboard power source, for example, a traction battery of the vehicle 11. Furthermore, the computing power of the processor circuit 22 can be lower than that of the processor circuit 12.To distinguish between the calculation processes on processor circuit 12 (external to the vehicle) and processor circuit 22 (onboard), a calculation process on the external processor circuit 12 is designated as calculation process 20, and a calculation process on the onboard processor circuit 22 is designated as calculation process 21. In the described sense, the external processor circuit 12 represents a second processor circuit, and the onboard processor circuit 22 represents a first processor circuit.

[0040] To select between the processor circuits 12, 22, a respective test data set TD1, TD2 can be defined for each operating function 14, by means of which it can be checked whether the outsourcing of the processing of the at least one data set 17 to a vehicle-external calculation process 20 on the processor circuit 12 leads to or can be achieved a response time RTT (Round Trip Time), i.e. a processing speed or response speed V, which is large enough, i.e. enables or causes a correspondingly small response time RTT, so that the processing of the at least one data set 17 leaves the operating function 14, 15 unaffected.The data sets 17 can, for example, be sensor data sets or image data sets that are generated or provided successively by means of at least one environmental sensor 30 of the motor vehicle 11, whereby the respective operating function 14, 15 can then, for example, provide object detection or semantic segmentation of images.

[0041] A processing result or result data 31, 32, which can be generated from the respective data sets 17 by the respective operating function 14, 15, can, for example, be transferred to a trajectory planning module of the vehicle 11, i.e., to planning software that can specify a driving trajectory 34 for the vehicle 11 for the automated guidance of the vehicle 11 through an environment 35. Based on the driving trajectory 34, an actuator 36 of the vehicle 11 can then be controlled, for example, by a control unit of the vehicle 11, by means of which lateral guidance (steering) and / or longitudinal guidance (braking and / or acceleration) of the vehicle 11 can be carried out. Such an actuator 36 can, for example, be implemented on the basis of an electric steering system and / or an engine control unit and / or a brake actuator or brake motor.

[0042] To check the suitability or response time V of the processor circuit 12, which is currently reachable via a communication circuit 37 of the vehicle 11, the respective test data TD1, TD2 assigned to the operating functions 14, 15 can be sent to the processor circuit 12 via the communication circuit 37, together with an instruction 38 that specifies the processing by the computation process 20 of the processor circuit 12. A respective processing result 40 can then be transmitted from the processor circuit 12 back to the vehicle 11 via the communication circuit 37 in a manner known per se, where the RTT can then be calculated based on the transmission time of the test data TD1 or TD2 and the reception of the processing data and the processing result 40. This check of the processor circuit 12 can be carried out by means of a control module 41.Executing the control module, for example, control software, on a microprocessor of the motor vehicle 11 results in a control circuit based on the microprocessor, through which the processor circuit 12 is tested. If a response speed V is obtained that is greater than a respective threshold value or a respective minimum speed value TH1, TH2 for the respective operating function 14, 15, it can be assumed that at least one data set 17 will also be processed by the processor circuit 12 with a correspondingly high response speed V. For this purpose, the test data TD1, TD2 may have been designed by a person skilled in the art as worst-case test data.

[0043] Thus, after determining the RTT in step S10, it can be checked whether the RTT is less than a threshold value TH, i.e., whether the response speed V is greater than a minimum speed value TH1, TH2.

[0044] If this is the case (symbolized by a plus sign), then in step S11 the calculation process 20 can be established in the processor circuit 12 or used to transfer at least one data record 17 to the processor circuit 12 via the communication circuit 37 and to generate corresponding processing data or processing results 40 there via the calculation process 20 and to transmit them back to the operating function 14, 15, which requires the processing, via the communication circuit 37.

[0045] If, however, it is noticed or detected in step S10 that the RTT is greater than the threshold TH, i.e., the response speed V is less than the respective minimum speed value TH1, TH2, then in step S12 the onboard computation process 21 can be used to execute or process at least one data set 17. Thus, the processor circuit 22 is used when the response speed V is less than the respective minimum speed value TH1, TH2. Different data sets 17 may be provided for the respective operating functions 14, 15, or they may be the same data sets, whereby the response speed V or the required minimum speed value TH1, TH2 may be the same or different for each operating function 14, 15.

[0046] To determine the test data TD1, TD2 and / or the respective required minimum speed value TH1, TH2, a selection can be made depending on a current driving situation and / or a current environment type 50 and / or a next preceding environment type 51, as has already been described.

[0047] Overall, the examples show how a real-time decision can be provided for an edge computer (edge ​​node) outsourcing of computational processes.

Claims

[1] Method for selecting a processor circuit from at least two available processor circuits for processing at least one data set (17) for an operating function (14) that controls the operation of a motor vehicle (11), wherein a first of the processor circuits (22) is located in the motor vehicle (11) and a second of the processor circuits (12) is located outside the vehicle and is coupled to the motor vehicle (11) via a radio link, characterized by, that a test data set (TD1) is assigned to the operating function (14) and that, at a transmission time, the test data set (TD1) and an instruction (38) to process the test data set (TD1) are sent to the second processor circuit (12) by a control circuit of the motor vehicle (11), and that at an end time, a result of the instruction (38) is determined, and that a response speed of the second processor circuit (12) resulting from the transmission time and the end time is determined, and that, in the event that it is recognized that the response speed is greater than a minimum speed value assigned to the operating function (14), at least one data set (17) is sent to the second processor circuit (12) for processing there, wherein a) a respective processing procedure intended for processing in the second processor circuit (12) has more processing steps and / or greater processing complexity than in the first processor circuit (22); and / or b) the test data set (TD1) represents a worst-case scenario with regard to the computational effort required for processing; and / or c) the operating function (14) controls the operation of the motor vehicle (11) in response to an environmental scenario, and the processing for this purpose provides for the detection and / or analysis of the environmental scenario based on at least one data set (17), and the control circuit determines in which environment type (50) from several predefined environment types (50) the motor vehicle (11) is currently located and / or which of the environment types (50) the motor vehicle (11) will reach next, and the test data set (TD1) is selected from several predefined test data sets, each of which is assigned to a different environment type (50), according to the determined environment type (50); and / or d) in the event that a change in a comparison result of a comparison between the response speed and the minimum speed value is detected during a further check of the response speed using the test data set (TD1) and / or the at least one data set (17), a computation process (20) running on one of the processor circuits is stopped for the processing of the at least one data set (17), process variable values ​​that define a current process state of the computation process (20) are determined and transferred to the other of the processor circuits, and the computation process (20) is continued on the other processor circuit at the current process state using the process variable values,and thus the calculation process in the other processor circuit is loaded into main memory and the process variables are set to the current variable values, and the processing of at least one data set continues without interruption on the other processor circuit. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein in the event that it is detected that the response speed is less than the minimum speed value, at least one data set (17) is processed by means of the first processor circuit (22). [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the data set (17) is received from at least one sensor of the motor vehicle (11) and / or is based on sensor data of the at least one sensor. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein according to step c) the test data set (TD1) is selected from several predetermined test data sets, wherein the environment type (50) is selected by • Position data of a current geoposition of the motor vehicle (11) are received from a receiver of a position signal from a GNSS and / or route data of a planned and / or estimated route from a navigation system and, using an environment map which indicates a location distribution of possible environment types (50), the environment type (50) is determined in the environment map based on the geoposition and / or the route, and / or • the environment type (50) is estimated using a classifier based on sensor data of the current and / or upcoming environment (35). [5] Control circuit for a motor vehicle (11), wherein the control circuit is configured to perform a method according to any of the preceding claims. [6] Motor vehicle (11) comprising a first processor circuit (22) and comprising a communication circuit for communicating with a second processor circuit (12) external to the vehicle and comprising a control circuit according to claim 5. [7] Processing system (10) for processing at least one data set (17), comprising a motor vehicle (11) according to claim 6, comprising a first processor circuit (22), and comprising at least one vehicle-external second processor circuit (12).

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