Control Method on PowerSupply for SW Control of Level 4 Autonomous Driving

Abstract

A method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle comprising a component and a power supply device that supplies power to the component, wherein the autonomous vehicle includes a computing device that performs a function for power control, and the component is at least one of a lidar, a radar, a GPS module, a CAN board, an image recording device, and a processor device that performs an autonomous driving function, and by the computing device, the method may include: (A) a step of inputting and storing the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement of the component; (B) a step of monitoring the current and voltage supplied to the component; (C) a step of calculating the power supplied to the component; (D) a step of comparing the calculated power with the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement; and (E) a step of controlling the power supply device when the calculated power is less than the minimum power requirement or greater than the maximum power requirement.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The disclosed content relates to a control method for a plurality of power supply units for SW control of components constituting sensors and systems of Level 4 autonomous driving. Background Technology

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated in this specification, the contents described in this section are not prior art for the claims of this application, and are not to be recognized as prior art simply because they are included in this section.

[0003] Autonomous vehicles are currently in the spotlight, and extensive research is underway to support them. Since Level 4 autonomous driving requires power supply to various sensors, processors, communication modules, and drive systems, it consumes significantly more power than conventional vehicles; therefore, power management is critical. Autonomous driving systems operate multiple sensors simultaneously, such as LiDAR, radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors, to collect and analyze data in real time.

[0004] Failures in various sensors, processors, and communication modules of Level 4 autonomous vehicles can lead to accidents. Furthermore, these components are expensive, resulting in high maintenance costs when they fail.

[0005] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1820137 discloses a power control device for an autonomous vehicle. The conventional power control device for an autonomous vehicle includes: a driving detection unit that detects whether the vehicle is in an autonomous driving state; a occupancy detection unit that detects whether each seat in the vehicle is occupied; and a control unit that enters an unmanned mode and supplies power from a battery to a load unit that operates during the unmanned mode when the detection result of the driving detection unit indicates that the vehicle is in an autonomous driving state and the detection result of the occupancy detection unit indicates that all seats are in an unmanned state. The purpose of the conventional power control device for an autonomous vehicle is to control quiescent current by intermittently controlling power according to the load's requirements during unmanned autonomous driving.

[0006] However, conventional power control devices for autonomous vehicles have a problem in that they cannot prevent failures of multiple sensors, such as LiDAR, radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors, as well as processors. Prior art literature

[0007] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1820137 (2018.01.12) The problem to be solved

[0008] The disclosed content aims to provide a method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle that can prevent failure of the component by monitoring the normal range of the component, including LiDAR, radar, camera, ultrasonic sensor, and computing device, and by detecting an overload of the component and cutting off the power, in order to solve the aforementioned problem. means of solving the problem

[0009] A method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle comprising a component and a power supply device that supplies power to the component, wherein the autonomous vehicle includes a computing device that performs a function for power control, and the component is at least one of a lidar, a radar, a GPS module, a CAN board, an image recording device, and a processor device that performs an autonomous driving function, and by the computing device, the method may include: (A) a step of inputting and storing the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement of the component; (B) a step of monitoring the current and voltage supplied to the component; (C) a step of calculating the power supplied to the component; (D) a step of comparing the calculated power with the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement; and (E) a step of controlling the power supply device when the calculated power is less than the minimum power requirement or greater than the maximum power requirement.

[0010] As one embodiment, (E) the step of controlling the power supply unit may be characterized by cutting off the power supplied to the component by controlling a relay installed in the middle of the power line supplied from the power supply unit to the component to switch from an on state to an off state.

[0011] As one embodiment, a method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: (F) a step of inputting and storing a critical power consumption and a threshold time of the component; (G) a step of calculating a critical time, which is a time interval in which the calculated power is continuously greater than the critical power consumption; (H) a step of comparing the calculated critical time with the threshold time; and (I) a step of controlling the power supply unit when the calculated critical time is greater than the threshold time.

[0012] As an example, the dangerous power consumption may be characterized as being 80% of the maximum power consumption. Effects of the invention

[0013] A method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can prevent failure of the component by monitoring the normal range of a component including LiDAR, radar, camera, ultrasonic sensor, and computing device, and by detecting an overload of the component and cutting off the power.

[0014] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description of the invention or the claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0015] FIG. 1 is an example of a power wiring diagram of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for a control method for the power of an autonomous vehicle. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a control method for the power supply of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the power supply of an autonomous vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components regardless of drawing symbols are assigned the same reference number, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably solely for the ease of drafting the specification and do not inherently possess distinct meanings or roles. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of related prior art could obscure the essence of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, such detailed description will be omitted. Additionally, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification; the technical concept disclosed in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings, and it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the invention.

[0017] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0018] In this application, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0020] Hereinafter, a method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is an example of a power wiring diagram of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for a control method for the power of an autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may include a battery (10), a computing device (20), a power supply device (30), a lidar (40), a radar (50), a GPS module (60), a CAN board (70) (Control Area Network Board), an image recording device (80), and a processor device (90). In FIG. 1, solid lines represent power supply wiring, and dotted lines represent signal transmission. Power supply wiring shows the arrangement of power lines, and signal transmission shows the arrangement of wired communication lines.

[0022] The battery (10) is a device that stores electrical energy through regenerative braking or charging while driving an autonomous vehicle. The battery (10) may be a single battery cell or a combination of multiple battery cells.

[0023] The computing device (20) may be a computer or processor board comprising one or more CPUs (Central Process Units) and one or more memory devices. Each step of the method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to the present disclosure, which will be described later, may be stored in a software manner in the memory device of the computing device (20) and executed by the CPU. The computing device (20) may receive power from the power supply unit (30), which will be described later.

[0024] The power supply unit (30) receives power from the battery (10) and functions to supply power to the components of the autonomous vehicle. The power supply unit (30) can convert the voltage from the battery (10) to the voltage required by each component and distribute power to each component. The power supply unit (30) may be one, but may also be multiple. That is, while one power supply unit (30) can supply power to all components, multiple power supply units (30) can supply power to each component or several components.

[0025] Lidar (40), radar (50), and GPS module (60) are types of sensors for detecting objects around an autonomous vehicle or detecting the location of the autonomous vehicle. Lidar (40) can obtain point cloud data by emitting laser light and detecting reflected light returning from surrounding objects. Radar (50) can measure the distance from the autonomous vehicle to surrounding objects by emitting high-frequency electromagnetic waves and detecting reflected waves returning from surrounding objects. The GPS module (60) has the function of calculating the location of the autonomous vehicle by receiving signals from GPS satellites. Lidar (40), radar (50), and GPS module (60) can receive power from a power supply unit (30).

[0026] The CAN board (70) may be a control network board for controlling an autonomous vehicle. The CAN board (70) may be a type of PCB board including at least one microprocessor and at least one memory. The CAN board (70) can receive a signal from a processor device (90) to be described later and control the driving device, steering wheel, brake, etc. of the autonomous vehicle. The CAN board (70) may receive power from a power supply unit (30).

[0027] The image recording device (80) may be a disk device capable of storing a camera and data. The image recording device (80) may receive and store images of objects surrounding the autonomous vehicle captured by the camera. Of course, the image recording device (80) may receive and store point cloud data acquired from the lidar (40) from the lidar (40). The image recording device (80) may receive power from the power supply unit (30).

[0028] The processor device (90) may be a computer, a processor board, or a combination thereof, comprising at least one CPU, at least one GPU (Graphic Process Unit), and at least one memory device. The processor device (90) can control the drive unit, steering wheel, brake, etc. of an autonomous vehicle by receiving data from a lidar (40), a radar (50), and a GPS module (60), analyzing the data in an artificial intelligence module to calculate an optimal path, or by identifying surrounding objects and transmitting a signal to a CAN board (70) to respond thereto. The processor device (90) may receive power from a power supply unit (30).

[0029] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, a method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, by a computing device (20), (A) inputting and storing the minimum power requirement and maximum power requirement of a component; (B) monitoring the current and voltage supplied to the component; (C) calculating the power supplied to the component; (D) comparing the calculated power with the minimum power requirement and maximum power requirement; and (E) controlling the power supply unit (30) when the calculated power is less than the minimum power requirement or greater than the maximum power requirement.

[0031] (A) In step (A), the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the component are input by the user and stored in the memory device of the computing device (20). The minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the component may vary depending on the component. For example, the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the lidar (40) may be 30W and 150W, respectively, the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the radar (50) may be 5W and 20W, respectively, and the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the GPS module (60) may be 3W and 13W, respectively. For example, the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the processor device (90) may be 40W and 350W, respectively.

[0032] (B) In step, the current and voltage supplied to the component are detected by a V / I sensor installed on the power line of the power supply unit (30) that supplies power to the component, and the computing device (20) can receive the current and voltage supplied to the component from the V / I sensor.

[0033] (C) In step, the computing device (20) can calculate the power supplied to the corresponding component based on the current and voltage supplied to the corresponding component received from the V / I sensor. The power supplied to the corresponding component can be calculated by multiplying the current and voltage supplied to the corresponding component received from the V / I sensor.

[0034] (D) In ​​step, the computing device (20) can compare the calculated power supplied to the component with the minimum power consumption and maximum power consumption of the component stored in the memory device.

[0035] (E) In step (E), the computing device (20) can control the power supply (30) that supplies power to the component when the calculated power is less than the minimum power requirement of the component or greater than the maximum power requirement.

[0036] (E) Controlling the power supply unit (30) of step (E) specifically means cutting off the power supplied to the component by controlling the relay installed in the middle of the power line connecting the power supply unit (30) that supplies power to the component to the component to switch from the on state to the off state.

[0037] If the calculated power is less than the minimum required power of the component, it may mean that an abnormality has occurred in the component. If the calculated power is greater than the maximum required power of the component, it may mean that too much power is supplied to the component, which could damage the electronic components of the component. Accordingly, the power control method for an autonomous vehicle of the present disclosure can detect an abnormality in a component and take measures regarding it, and can also prevent failures caused by damage to the component.

[0038] As an example, with reference to FIG. 3, a method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include: (F) a step of inputting and storing a critical power consumption and a critical time of a component by a computing device (20); (G) a step of calculating a critical time which is a time interval in which the calculated power is continuously greater than the critical power consumption; (H) a step of comparing the calculated critical time with the critical time; and (I) a step of controlling a power supply unit (30) when the calculated critical time is greater than the critical time.

[0039] (F) In step (F), the dangerous power consumption and critical time of the component are entered by the user and stored in the memory device of the computing device (20). The dangerous power consumption and critical time of the component may vary depending on the component.

[0040] Hazardous power consumption refers to the amount of power at which electronic components of a component may be damaged due to heat generation if high power is maintained for a certain period of time. This can be calculated through monitoring the power usage of the component. Generally, the hazardous power consumption of a component may be 80% of the component's maximum power consumption.

[0041] The critical time may refer to the time during which the electronic components of a component may be damaged if the power supplied to the component is continuously maintained at a state greater than the critical power requirement. The critical time can be calculated by analyzing the previous failure history of the corresponding component. That is, the critical time can be calculated by analyzing the power usage and maintenance time prior to the failure of the corresponding component. As mentioned above, the critical time may vary depending on the component. For example, the critical time of the lidar (40) may be 20 seconds, the critical time of the radar (50) may be 120 seconds, and the critical time of the GPS module (60) may be 180 seconds. For example, the critical time of the processor device (90) may be 60 seconds.

[0042] (G) In step (G), the computing device (20) can calculate a time interval, i.e., a dangerous time, in which the power calculated in step (C) is continuously greater than the dangerous power required of the component.

[0043] (H) In step (H), the computing device (20) can compare the calculated risk time with the threshold time of the corresponding component stored in the memory device.

[0044] (I) In step (I), the computing device (20) can control a power supply (30) that supplies power to the component when the calculated risk time is greater than the threshold time of the component.

[0045] (I) Controlling the power supply unit (30) of step (I) specifically means cutting off the power supplied to the component by controlling a relay installed in the middle of the power line supplied from the power supply unit (30) that supplies power to the component to the computing device (20) to switch from the on state to the off state. This prevents failure of the component caused by the supply of power greater than the dangerous required power being maintained for a certain period of time.

[0047] The disclosed content is merely illustrative and can be modified and implemented in various ways by a person skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the claim in the patent claims; therefore, the scope of protection of the disclosed content is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Explanation of the symbols

[0048] 10: Battery 20: Computing device 30: Power supply 40: LiDAR 50: Radar 60: GPS module 70: CAN board 80: Video recording device 90: Processor unit

Claims

Claim 1 A method for controlling power for an autonomous vehicle comprising a component and a power supply unit that supplies power to the component, wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises a computing unit that performs a function for power control, and the component is at least one of a lidar, a radar, a GPS module, a CAN board, an image recording unit, and a processor unit that performs an autonomous driving function, and wherein the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement of the component are input and stored by the computing unit; a step of monitoring the current and voltage supplied to the component; a step of calculating the power supplied to the component; a step of comparing the calculated power with the minimum power requirement and the maximum power requirement; and a step of controlling the power supply unit when the calculated power is less than the minimum power requirement or greater than the maximum power requirement. Claim 2 A method for controlling power of an autonomous vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the power supply unit is characterized by cutting off the power supplied to the component by controlling a relay installed in the middle of a power line supplied from the power supply unit to the component to switch from an on state to an off state. Claim 3 A method for controlling the power of an autonomous vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of inputting and storing a critical power requirement and a threshold time of the component; a step of calculating a critical time, which is a time interval in which the calculated power is continuously greater than the critical power requirement; a step of comparing the calculated critical time with the threshold time; and a step of controlling the power supply when the calculated critical time is greater than the threshold time. Claim 4 A method for controlling the power supply of an autonomous vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the dangerous power consumption is 80% of the maximum power consumption. Claim 5 A method for controlling power of an autonomous vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the step of controlling the power supply unit is characterized by cutting off the power supplied to the component by controlling a relay installed in the middle of a power line supplied from the power supply unit to the component to switch from an on state to an off state.

Images