Vehicle controller, in-vehicle communication system, and vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle controller, an in-vehicle communication system, and a vehicle. The vehicle controller communicates with an in-vehicle device by means of an optical fiber network. The vehicle controller comprises: a first chip and a second chip, wherein the first chip is used for implementing a first function, and the second chip is used for implementing a second function; and a first photoelectric conversion module, wherein the first chip and the second chip are communicationally connected to an optical fiber network of a vehicle by means of the first photoelectric conversion module.

Description

Vehicle controller, vehicle-mounted communication system and vehicle

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411100984.0, filed on August 9, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of vehicles, and in particular to a vehicle controller, a vehicle-mounted communication system and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the development of electric vehicles and intelligent vehicles, the number of sensors and actuators inside the vehicle is gradually increasing. Correspondingly, the amount of data that the vehicle communication network needs to process increases dramatically, which puts higher requirements on the bandwidth and transmission speed of the communication network. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a vehicle controller, a vehicle-mounted communication system and a vehicle.

[0005] In a first aspect, a vehicle controller is provided, the vehicle controller communicates with a vehicle-mounted device through an optical fiber network, and the vehicle controller comprises: a first chip and a second chip, the first chip is configured to implement a first function, and the second chip is configured to implement a second function; and a first optoelectronic conversion module, the first chip and the second chip are communicatively connected to the optical fiber network through the first optoelectronic conversion module.

[0006] The vehicle controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure replaces the vehicle-mounted Ethernet with an optical fiber network, and the chips in the vehicle controller and the first optoelectronic conversion module can perform data transmission with the vehicle-mounted device through the optical fiber network, thereby avoiding time-consuming and time-lagging Ethernet links. Moreover, the chips with different functions are integrated in one controller, and the intra-core communication between different chips can significantly improve the real-time performance of data transmission. In addition, the optical fiber network also has the advantages of strong anti-interference ability and small signal attenuation.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first function and the second function satisfy at least one of the following: the first function comprises at least one of a control function for a vehicle control domain, a control function for a cockpit domain, or a control function for an intelligent driving domain; or, the second function comprises at least one of a control function for a vehicle control domain, a control function for a cockpit domain, or a control function for an intelligent driving domain.

[0008] Based on this, the vehicle controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can ensure that the space requirement of multiple domain control devices for the overall vehicle layout can be significantly optimized by integrated and modular chip design through chips with different functions, thereby achieving the characteristics of lightweight.

[0009] In addition, the design greatly reduces system complexity and improves the integration of the vehicle electronic system.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first chip has a control function for a vehicle control domain; and the second chip has a control function for a cockpit domain and a control function for an intelligent driving domain.

[0011] The first chip and the second chip can each be a system-level SOC chip, the first chip can be any one of the cockpit-driving integrated module and the vehicle control module, and the second chip can be any one of the cockpit-driving integrated module and the vehicle control module.

[0012] Based on this, the vehicle controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can concentrate GPU computing power and AI computing power by integrating a multi-domain controller into a first chip having vehicle whole-vehicle control functions and a second chip having vehicle cockpit domain and intelligent driving domain control functions.

[0013] In addition, in a traditional vehicle electronic architecture, data transmission is required between an intelligent driving domain controller and a cockpit domain controller through a high-speed SerDes (serializer or deserializer) interface, while the second chip provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can realize efficient data transmission between the intelligent driving domain and the cockpit domain through an internal high-speed bus or a special interface, without the need for an external SerDes deserializer chip, thereby reducing system cost and improving reliability. Moreover, the second chip adopts a highly integrated design, and realizes the functions of the cockpit domain and the intelligent driving domain through multi-core heterogeneous integration, thereby ensuring balanced load of CPU computing.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first chip is coupled to the first photoelectric conversion module through an SPI interface.

[0015] Based on this, the vehicle controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure optimizes the chip interface of the first chip, i.e., removes a large number of General-Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) interfaces, LIN interfaces, CAN interfaces or CANFD interfaces, and retains a small number of SPI interfaces to communicate with the first photoelectric conversion module, thereby realizing cost optimization.

[0016] In some embodiments, the second chip is coupled to the first photoelectric conversion module through a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard PCIe interface.

[0017] Based on this, the vehicle controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure optimizes the chip interface of the second chip, i.e., removes a large number of Mobile Industry Processor Interface-Camera Serial Interface (MIPI-CSI), Mobile Industry Processor Interface-Display Serial Interface (MIPI-DSI), CAN interface or CANFD interface, and retains a small number of PCIe interfaces to communicate with the first photoelectric conversion module, so as to realize cost optimization.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first chip is coupled with the second chip through at least one of an Ethernet interface or an SPI interface.

[0019] The Ethernet interface can be a Media Independent Interface (MII).

[0020] Based on this, in the conventional Ethernet communication, the PHY chip is responsible for converting the data of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer into signals on the physical layer, and converting the signals on the physical layer into the data of the MAC layer. Since both chips are system-level SOC chips, the necessary MAC layer and PHY layer functions have been integrated inside, so that the first chip and the second chip can be configured through at least one of the Ethernet interface or the SPI interface, so that the Ethernet PHY chip is not needed.

[0021] In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted device at least includes a display and a shooting device; the first chip is configured to receive a first electric signal carrying image information sent by the shooting device through the first photoelectric conversion module, and is further configured to send a second electric signal carrying image information to the display through the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0022] Here, the shooting device can be a camera, and the display can be a main driver PAD.

[0023] In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted device at least includes a sensor and an actuator, and the second chip is configured to receive a third electric signal carrying measurement data sent by the sensor through the first photoelectric conversion module, and is further configured to send a fourth electric signal carrying control instructions to the actuator through the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0024] Here, the sensor is a radar.

[0025] Based on this, the display, the shooting device, the sensor and the executor in some embodiments of the present disclosure can access the fiber network in the vicinity of different areas of the vehicle, effectively improve the flexibility and reliability of the vehicle network system by increasing the transmission throughput, reducing the use of wire harness, facilitating the extension configuration and the like, and meet the optional installation demand of the vehicle after-market.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first optical-electric conversion module includes an optical line terminal (OLT).

[0027] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vehicle communication system, including: a fiber network, a vehicle device, a vehicle controller as described in the first aspect and any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, and the vehicle controller is coupled with the vehicle device through the fiber network.

[0028] In some embodiments, the vehicle communication system further includes: a second optical-electric conversion module, the second optical-electric conversion module is connected between the vehicle device and the fiber network, used for converting the optical signal from the fiber network into an electrical signal and outputting to the vehicle device, and converting the electrical signal from the vehicle device into an optical signal and outputting to the fiber network.

[0029] In some embodiments, the second optical-electric conversion module is integrated in the vehicle device.

[0030] In some embodiments, the second optical-electric conversion module includes an optical network unit (ONU).

[0031] The second aspect provides a vehicle, including the vehicle communication system described above.

[0032] The third aspect provides a vehicle control method, including: obtaining a first optical signal carrying perception data of a vehicle periphery; converting the first optical signal into an electrical signal carrying the perception data; determining a target optical signal carrying image data and a control instruction according to the electrical signal carrying the perception data, and outputting the target optical signal.

[0033] The perception data is image information and measurement data of the vehicle periphery.

[0034] The fourth aspect provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores instructions, when the instructions run on a terminal, the terminal executes the vehicle control method described above.

[0035] The fifth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions, when the computer executes the instructions, the computer executes the vehicle control method described above.

[0036] The sixth aspect provides a chip, the chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the processor are coupled, and the processor is used to run a computer program or instructions to realize the vehicle control method described above.

[0037] The chip provided in some embodiments of the present disclosure further comprises a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0039] FIG. 1 is an architecture diagram of a vehicle multi-domain controller according to some embodiments;

[0040] FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a vehicle according to some embodiments;

[0041] FIG. 3 is an architecture diagram of a vehicle communication system according to some embodiments;

[0042] FIG. 4 is an architecture diagram of a vehicle controller according to some embodiments

[0043] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to some embodiments;

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of another vehicle control method according to some embodiments.

[0045] Reference signs: vehicle 200, chassis 210, vehicle body 220, vehicle wheel 230, vehicle communication system 240; optical fiber network 310, vehicle-mounted device 320, vehicle controller 330, second photoelectric conversion module 340; first photoelectric conversion module 410, first chip 420, second chip 430, display 440, camera 450, sensor 460, actuator 470. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The technical solutions of some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in combination with the drawings in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0047] In the description of the disclosure, it needs to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or relative position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, the above orientation description can be flexibly arranged in the actual application process under the condition of meeting the relative position relationship shown in the drawings.

[0048] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or a specific number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0049] In the description of the disclosure, it needs to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "communicating" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected. It can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the meaning of the above terms in the disclosure can be understood according to the situation.

[0050] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the terms "including", "containing" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, article or device. Without more limitation, the element defined by the sentence "including a…" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article or device including the element.

[0051] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" and the like are used to represent as an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" and the like in some embodiments of the disclosure should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplarily" or "for example" and the like is intended to present the relevant concept in an exemplary manner.

[0052] In the description of the disclosure, the example features, structures, materials or characteristics can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0053] With the development of automobile electrification and intelligence, the demand for software-defined intelligent vehicles has gradually increased the variety and quantity of sensors and actuators inside vehicles. Currently, in addition to traditional sensors (such as temperature sensors and pressure sensors) and traditional actuators (such as instruments) on vehicles, there are also cameras related to visual perception, magnetic sensors, light sensors, millimeter wave radars, laser radars, wireless Bluetooth, mobile hotspot WIFI, wireless star flash, and large-size display screens, etc. Correspondingly, due to the increase in the variety and quantity of sensors and actuators, more demands will be put on the data throughput of the vehicle communication network, and therefore greater challenges will be put on the bandwidth and transmission speed of the vehicle communication network.

[0054] In the related art, most vehicles are in the stage of domain centralized or cross-domain fusion electronic and electrical architecture, and existing manufacturers have fused the body electronic domain, power domain, and chassis domain into a vehicle control domain, as shown in FIG. 1. The central gateway is coupled with the multi-domain controllers of the vehicle through the vehicle Ethernet. The multi-domain controller can be an electronic control unit (ECU), referred to as a “domain ECU”.

[0055] Here, the multi-domain controller of the vehicle includes an intelligent driving domain controller, a body electronic domain controller, a chassis domain controller, a power domain controller, and a cockpit domain controller. The data between the domain controllers of the vehicle is transmitted through the vehicle Ethernet, a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus or a CAN With Flexible Data-rate (CANFD) bus, and a Local Interconnect Network (LIN).

[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, the domain ECU of the intelligent driving domain controller can be coupled with a plurality of cameras (CAM) and a plurality of radars (RADAR) through the vehicle Ethernet; the domain ECU of the body electronic domain controller can be coupled with a plurality of domain ECUs through the vehicle Ethernet; the domain ECU of the chassis domain controller can be coupled with a plurality of domain ECUs through the vehicle Ethernet; the power domain controller can be coupled with a plurality of domain ECUs through the vehicle Ethernet; and the cockpit domain controller can be coupled with a plurality of cameras, a display, and a plurality of domain ECUs through the vehicle Ethernet.

[0057] The above-mentioned multi-domain controller architecture diagram has the following problems:

[0058] 1. The central gateway uses automotive Ethernet. Each domain controller needs to be configured with a separate Ethernet switch or a system-on-chip (SOC) or microcontroller unit (MCU) with an Ethernet interface. The circuit design requires an Ethernet port physical layer (PHY) chip to implement the Ethernet physical layer link between controllers. Data transmission via Ethernet introduces latency issues, which in turn reduces the real-time performance of data transmission.

[0059] 2. Domain controllers are typically installed and configured independently based on the vehicle's functional divisions. These domain controllers manage different vehicle functions and exchange data through specific communication protocols (such as CAN or LIN). However, this independent installation and configuration approach can indeed bring some problems, especially in the pursuit of vehicle-wide miniaturization and high integration. The aforementioned independently installed domain controllers may occupy a significant amount of space within the vehicle. Each domain controller requires a certain amount of physical space for installation, and its heat dissipation, electromagnetic shielding, and other requirements must also be considered, which may increase the complexity of vehicle design.

[0060] Secondly, data exchange between domain controllers requires complex communication lines. These lines not only increase the vehicle's weight and cost but may also affect the vehicle's electromagnetic compatibility.

[0061] 3. There is a problem of multiplexing large-bandwidth data transmission between the intelligent driving domain controller and the cockpit domain controller. That is, multiple data streams are transmitted simultaneously on the same transmission medium using specific technologies and protocols to achieve efficient data utilization and full bandwidth utilization. For example, data from the panoramic camera needs to be used for both cockpit domain splicing display and intelligent driving parking perception processing. This typically requires the use of Gigabit Multimedia Serial Links (GMSL) or Flat Panel Display Link (FPD-LINK) deserialization chips to achieve image and video data transmission.

[0062] 4. Intelligent driving domain controllers and cockpit domain controllers generally use SOC-level chips. When using SOC-level chips, there is a possibility that the computing power of the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), and artificial intelligence (AI) may be idle. Furthermore, it is usually difficult for intelligent driving domain controllers and cockpit domain controllers to achieve unified utilization of SOC chips.

[0063] 5. Data transmission between the intelligent driving domain controller and the vehicle camera requires a deserialization chip link. The more cameras are configured, the more deserialization chips are needed for pairing, which increases the number of connectors and the layout space of the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) of the intelligent driving domain controller.

[0064] 6. Data transmission between the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle's cameras and displays requires a deserialization chip link. The more vehicle cameras and displays there are, the more deserialization chips are needed for pairing them, increasing the number of connectors and PCBA layout space required for the cockpit domain controller.

[0065] Against this backdrop, in order to address the problem of reduced real-time data transmission in related technologies, this disclosure provides a vehicle controller, an in-vehicle communication system, and a vehicle. The implementation of some embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a vehicle according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 200 may include a chassis 210, a body 220, and wheels 230. It is understood that the vehicle 200 may be a gasoline-powered vehicle, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a natural gas vehicle, a methanol vehicle, or a solar-powered vehicle, etc.

[0067] In some embodiments, vehicle 200 may be a passenger car such as a sedan, sport utility vehicle (SUV), or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), or a bus, truck, or semi-trailer. This disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0068] It is understood that the above-mentioned components are only examples of some components of vehicle 200 and are not a limitation on the structure of vehicle 200.

[0069] In some embodiments, to provide imaging capabilities for the vehicle, the vehicle 200 may further include an in-vehicle communication system 240. This in-vehicle communication system 240 enables data transmission within the vehicle 200.

[0070] Figure 3 is an architecture diagram of an in-vehicle communication system according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 3, the in-vehicle communication system 240 may include: an optical fiber network 310, an in-vehicle device 320, a vehicle controller 330, and a second photoelectric conversion module 340.

[0071] Here, the vehicle-mounted device 320 is coupled with the fiber network 310, and the second optoelectronic conversion module 340 is connected between the vehicle-mounted device 320 and the fiber network 310, for converting the optical signal from the fiber network 310 into an electrical signal and outputting to the vehicle-mounted device 320, and converting the electrical signal from the vehicle-mounted device 320 into an optical signal and outputting to the fiber network 310.

[0072] In some embodiments, the second optoelectronic conversion module 340 is integrated in the vehicle-mounted device 320.

[0073] In some other embodiments, the second optoelectronic conversion module 340 comprises an Optical Network Unit (ONU).

[0074] FIG. 4 is an architecture diagram of a vehicle controller according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle controller 330 can serve as the computing power center and the strategy control center of the whole vehicle, and communicate with the vehicle-mounted devices through the fiber network 310 to realize the functions of intelligent driving, intelligent cabin, and intelligent vehicle control, etc.

[0075] The vehicle controller 330 can comprise a first optoelectronic conversion module 410, a first chip 420, and a second chip 430. Here, the first chip 420 is configured to implement a first function, and the second chip 430 is configured to implement a second function, and the first chip 420 and the second chip 430 are respectively connected with the fiber network 310 of the vehicle through the first optoelectronic conversion module 410.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first function and the second function satisfy at least one of the following: the first function comprises at least one of a control function for a vehicle control domain, a control function for a cabin domain, or a control function for an intelligent driving domain; or, the second function comprises at least one of a control function for a vehicle control domain, a control function for a cabin domain, or a control function for an intelligent driving domain.

[0077] In this way, the chip of some embodiments of the present disclosure serves as the unique computing control center of the vehicle, significantly optimizes the space requirement of multiple domain control devices for the whole vehicle layout, and achieves the characteristics of light weight. Moreover, the chips with different functions are integrated in one controller, and the intra-core communication is achieved between different chips.

[0078] It should be understood that, by replacing the vehicle-mounted Ethernet with the fiber network 310, some embodiments of the present disclosure can avoid the time delay of Ethernet link, and significantly improve the real-time performance of data transmission.

[0079] In an implementation manner, the first chip 420 can be coupled with the first photoelectric conversion module 410 through a serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface, the second chip 430 can be coupled with the first photoelectric conversion module 410 through a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface, and the first chip 420 and the second chip 430 can be communicatively connected through at least one of an Ethernet interface or an SPI interface.

[0080] It should be understood that the PCIe interface is a high-speed serial point-to-point dual-channel high-bandwidth transmission interface, which is used for data transmission between an expansion card and a computer mainboard. The PCIe interface includes various specifications, such as x1, x4, x8, x16, etc., and different specifications represent different numbers of data channels in the interface.

[0081] It should be noted that with the iteration of the PCIe version, the bandwidth throughput has basically doubled. In different PCIe versions, there are corresponding chip products to meet the technical specifications and performance requirements of the PCIe interface. For example, the third generation of PCIe interface technology (PCI Express Generation 3, PCIe Gen3) has a total bandwidth of about 31.5 Gbit / s for one PCIe3.0x4; the fourth generation of PCIe interface technology (PCI express Generation 4, PCIe Gen4) has a total bandwidth of up to 63 Gbit / s for one PCIe4.0x4; and the fifth generation of PCIe interface technology (PCI express Generation 5, PCIe Gen5) has a total bandwidth of up to 126 Gbit / s for one PCIe5.0x4.

[0082] In addition, the communication rate of the vehicle-mounted gigabit Ethernet 1000BASE-T1 is 1000 Mbit / s, i.e., 1 Gbps, which is much lower in bandwidth compared with the PCIe interface. It can be seen that the high-speed and high-bandwidth PCIe data throughput can meet the data transmission requirements between SOC chips.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first chip 420 and the second chip 430 can also perform data transmission with the first photoelectric conversion module 410 through a transparent transmission technology.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first chip 420 and the second chip 430 can adopt highly integrated core boards, and realize the reuse of the Base board by defining a standardized pin interface. That is, different core boards can be connected to the same Base board, significantly reducing development costs, shortening development cycles, and improving system reliability.

[0085] In addition, due to the adoption of standardized core board definitions, the core boards provided by different SOC chip manufacturers maintain consistency in interfaces and functions, which makes it easier to switch different SOC chips to adapt to different application scenarios and performance requirements. Further increasing the flexibility of the vehicle controller 330 design.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first chip 420 has a control function for the vehicle control domain. For example, receiving the perception data of the vehicle surroundings collected by the vehicle-mounted device, performing vehicle perception fusion, determining the control instruction of the vehicle, and sending the control instruction to the vehicle-mounted device, thereby completing the control of the vehicle.

[0087] In some embodiments, the second chip 430 has a control function for the cabin domain and a control function for the intelligent driving domain. For example, high-level intelligent driving schemes such as L2 and parking integration, high-speed navigation assisted driving (Navigate On Autopilot, NOA), urban NOA, etc., voice control systems for intelligent cabins, human-machine interface (Human Machine Interface, HMI) interaction, panoramic 3D transparent chassis, driver monitoring systems (Driver Monitoring System, DMS) in the cabin, passenger monitoring systems (Occupancy Monitoring System, OMS) in the cabin, etc.

[0088] Here, the L2 and parking integration mentioned in some embodiments of the present disclosure refers to integrating the driving and parking functions in intelligent driving at the L2 level (including L2, L2.5, and L2.9) in one SOC, realizing the seamless connection of high-speed driving assistance and low-speed parking assistance.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, one end of the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 is coupled to the fiber network 310, and the other end of the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 is coupled to the chip.

[0090] Here, the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 can be used to convert the optical signal from the fiber network 310 into an electrical signal output to the chip, and convert the electrical signal from the chip into an optical signal and output to the fiber network 310.

[0091] In some embodiments, the first photoelectric conversion module 410 can include an optical line terminal (OLT).

[0092] In addition, the optical line terminal (OLT) is built-in with a laser transceiver, which is a data output channel or input channel between the vehicle controller 330 and the vehicle-mounted device, and can realize high-speed bidirectional conversion between optical signals and electrical signals.

[0093] In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted device at least includes a display 440 and a shooting device 450; the first chip 420 is configured to receive, through the first photoelectric conversion module 410, a first electrical signal carrying image information sent by the shooting device 450, and send, through the first photoelectric conversion module 410, a second electrical signal carrying image information to the display 440.

[0094] In some embodiments, the shooting device 450 can collect image information of the vehicle periphery, and output, through the optical fiber network 310, a first optical signal carrying the image information to the first photoelectric conversion module 410; the first photoelectric conversion module 410 converts the first optical signal into a first electrical signal carrying the image information, and outputs the first electrical signal to the first chip 420; the first chip 420 can determine a target object in the image information according to the first electrical signal carrying the image information, and output a second electrical signal carrying the target object to the first photoelectric conversion module 410.

[0095] Further, the first photoelectric conversion module 410 can convert the second electrical signal into a second optical signal carrying the target object, and output the second optical signal to the display 440 through the optical fiber network 310. It can be understood that since the second photoelectric conversion module is integrated in the display 440, the display 440 can convert the second optical signal into a second electrical signal carrying the target object, and display the target object.

[0096] Similarly, since the second photoelectric conversion module is integrated in the shooting device 450, the electrical signal of the collected image information of the vehicle periphery can be converted into a first optical signal carrying the image information.

[0097] In some embodiments, the shooting device 450 can include a surround view camera and an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) camera; and the display 440 can be a portable android device (PAD) of a driver.

[0098] It should be noted that the screen of the display 440 can display the type, position, and distance between the target object and the vehicle.

[0099] In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted device comprises at least the sensor 460 and the actuator 470, and the second chip 430 is configured to receive, by the first optoelectronic conversion module 410, the third electrical signal carrying the measurement data sent by the sensor 460, and send, by the first optoelectronic conversion module 410, the fourth electrical signal carrying the control instruction to the actuator 470.

[0100] In some embodiments, the sensor 460 can collect the measurement data of the vehicle surroundings, and output, to the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 through the optical fiber network 310, the third optical signal carrying the measurement data; the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 converts the third optical signal into the third electrical signal carrying the measurement data, and outputs the third electrical signal to the second chip 430; the second chip 430 can determine the control instruction of the vehicle according to the third electrical signal carrying the measurement data, and output, to the first optoelectronic conversion module 410, the fourth electrical signal carrying the control instruction.

[0101] Further, the first optoelectronic conversion module 410 can convert the fourth electrical signal into the fourth optical signal carrying the target object, and output the fourth optical signal to the actuator 470 through the optical fiber network 310. It can be understood that, since the second optoelectronic conversion module is integrated in the actuator 470, the actuator 470 can convert the fourth optical signal into the fourth electrical signal carrying the control instruction, and execute the control instruction on the vehicle.

[0102] Similarly, since the second optoelectronic conversion module is integrated in the sensor 460, the sensor 460 can convert the electrical signal of the measurement data of the vehicle surroundings collected by the sensor 460 into the third optical signal carrying the measurement data.

[0103] In some embodiments, the sensor 460 can comprise a millimeter wave radar and an ultrasonic radar.

[0104] Based on the above technical solutions, the vehicle-mounted controller provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure replaces the vehicle-mounted Ethernet with an optical fiber network, and the chip and the first optoelectronic conversion module in the vehicle controller can perform data transmission with the vehicle-mounted device through the optical fiber network, thereby avoiding time-consuming delay of the Ethernet link, and significantly improving real-time performance of data transmission. In addition, the optical fiber network also has the advantages of strong anti-interference ability and small signal attenuation.

[0105] The vehicle control method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in combination with FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, and with reference to FIG. 5.

[0106] It can be understood that in some embodiments of the present disclosure, various devices or modules in the vehicle controller can perform some or all of the steps in some embodiments of the present disclosure, and these steps or operations are only examples, and some embodiments of the present disclosure can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, various steps can be performed in different orders as presented in some embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is possible that not all operations in some embodiments of the present disclosure are performed.

[0107] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to some embodiments. The subject performing the method can be a vehicle controller, or various devices or modules in the vehicle controller, such as an integrated circuit or a chip, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0108] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, taking the transmission of data from the vehicle-mounted device to the vehicle controller as an example, the vehicle control method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure can include the following steps 501 to 503.

[0109] Step 501, obtaining a first optical signal.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first optical signal is an optical signal carrying perception data of the vehicle surroundings.

[0111] In some embodiments, the vehicle controller can obtain the first optical signal from the vehicle-mounted device. Here, the vehicle-mounted device includes a shooting device, a sensor, a display, and an actuator.

[0112] In some embodiments, the perception data can include image information of the vehicle surroundings shot by the shooting device, and measurement data of the vehicle surroundings detected by the sensor.

[0113] Here, the vehicle surroundings can be a surround area around the vehicle.

[0114] In some embodiments, the image information can be understood as image video data of a panoramic view of the vehicle, i.e. raw image data of the shooting device, and the format of the image information can be YUV format, RGB format, and RAW format; the measurement data can include millimeter wave radar signals, ultrasonic wave radar signals, and inertial measurement unit (IMU) signals, as well as vehicle state information.

[0115] In some embodiments, the shooting device mounted on the vehicle can shoot the surround area around the vehicle to obtain the image information, and a second photoelectric conversion module integrated in the shooting device can obtain the optical signal carrying the image information. Then, the shooting device can output the optical signal carrying the image information to the vehicle controller through an optical fiber network. Correspondingly, the vehicle controller receives the optical signal carrying the image information.

[0116] It can be understood that some embodiments of the present disclosure can also detect the surround view area of the vehicle through the sensor, obtain measurement data, and obtain an optical signal carrying the measurement data through the second photoelectric conversion module integrated in the sensor. Further, the sensor can output the optical signal carrying the measurement data to the vehicle controller through the optical fiber network. Correspondingly, the vehicle controller interfaces the optical signal carrying the measurement data.

[0117] Step 502, converting the first optical signal into an electrical signal carrying the perception data.

[0118] In some embodiments, the first photoelectric conversion module in the vehicle controller can realize bidirectional conversion of the photoelectric signal.

[0119] In some embodiments, since the perception data includes image information and measurement data, the first photoelectric conversion module in the vehicle controller can convert the optical signal carrying the measurement data into an electrical signal carrying the measurement data, and output the electrical signal carrying the measurement data to the first chip in the vehicle controller. In addition, the first photoelectric conversion module can also convert the optical signal carrying the image information into an electrical signal carrying the image information, and output the electrical signal carrying the image information to the second chip in the vehicle controller.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first photoelectric conversion module in the vehicle controller can send the electrical signal carrying the measurement data to the first chip through the SPI interface, and send the electrical signal carrying the image information to the second chip through the PCIe interface. In this way, high-speed transmission of data is realized.

[0121] Step 503, determining a target optical signal carrying image data and control instructions according to the electrical signal carrying the perception data, and outputting the target optical signal.

[0122] In some embodiments, the target optical signal includes an electrical signal carrying image data and an electrical signal carrying control instructions.

[0123] Here, the image data can be data of a target object in the image information, for example, the type, position of the target object, and the distance between the target object and the vehicle.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second chip of the vehicle controller determines an electrical signal carrying image data according to the electrical signal carrying the image information, and outputs the electrical signal carrying the image data to the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0125] In some other embodiments, the second chip of the vehicle controller can also output the electrical signal carrying the image data to the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second chip can process the image information through an internally arranged visual perception system to realize a road surface segmentation function and a target detection and recognition function, so as to recognize the target object in the image information; then, a classification module in the second chip can call a corresponding special perception algorithm model to accurately classify the target object in the image information, and finally a tracking module in the second chip can continuously track the target object to obtain its motion trajectory and state information, so that the second chip determines the electrical signal carrying the image data and sends the electrical signal carrying the image data to the first photoelectric conversion module through the PCIe interface.

[0127] In addition, the second chip can also send the electrical signal carrying the image data to the first chip through at least one of the Ethernet interface or the SPI interface.

[0128] It should be noted that the road surface segmentation function provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure refers to a technology for recognizing a road region in an image and distinguishing the road from the surrounding environment by using an image processing algorithm; the target detection and recognition function refers to the ability of the second chip to recognize vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs and other targets in the image and classify and locate them by applying advanced technologies such as deep learning.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first chip of the vehicle controller can determine the electrical signal carrying the control instruction according to the electrical signal carrying the measurement data and the electrical signal carrying the image data, and output the electrical signal carrying the control instruction to the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first chip can use a visual radar fusion algorithm to fuse the image data and the measurement data (such as radar detection results, acceleration and angular velocity of the vehicle) to obtain a perception result; then, the first chip can use a planning and control algorithm to plan and calculate the path of the vehicle in combination with the motion state of the vehicle, target information, and the fused perception result, and at the same time, the first chip can also formulate a corresponding control instruction according to the real-time state of the vehicle, environmental information and path planning result on the basis of path planning, and output the electrical signal carrying the control instruction to the first photoelectric conversion module.

[0131] Here, the perception result can include target position, target speed, and collision time.

[0132] It should be understood that the first photoelectric conversion module of the vehicle controller can realize bidirectional conversion of light and electricity. That is to say, the first photoelectric conversion module can convert the electrical signal carrying the image data and the electrical signal carrying the control instruction into respective corresponding optical signals after receiving them.

[0133] In some embodiments, the electrical signal carrying the image data further carries identification information of the image data, and the electrical signal carrying the control instruction further carries identification information of the control instruction.

[0134] Here, the identification information can be an identity document (ID) of the corresponding data.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first photoelectric conversion module can send the light signal carrying the image data to the corresponding display according to the ID carried by the image data, and send the light signal carrying the control instruction to the corresponding actuator according to the ID carried by the control instruction, so as to realize control of the whole vehicle and ensure the stability and safety of the vehicle.

[0136] Next, another vehicle control method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in combination with FIG. 6.

[0137] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to some embodiments. Of course, the subject performing the actions in the method can also be a vehicle controller, which is not limited by the present disclosure. It should be noted that the steps in some embodiments of the present disclosure are logical relationships and do not mean strict sequence.

[0138] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle control method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure includes steps 601 to 606.

[0139] Step 601, the vehicle-mounted device sends a first light signal to the vehicle controller. Correspondingly, the vehicle controller receives the first light signal from the vehicle-mounted device.

[0140] Here, the first light signal is a light signal carrying perception data of the vehicle surroundings.

[0141] It should be understood that the vehicle-mounted device can send the first light signal to the vehicle controller through an optical fiber network. The optical fiber network can timely and orderly output the first light signal to the vehicle controller through a distribution mechanism defined by a networking scheme after receiving the first light signal from the vehicle-mounted device.

[0142] For related content, please refer to step 501 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0143] Step 602, the vehicle controller converts the first light signal into an electrical signal carrying the perception data.

[0144] For related content, please refer to step 502 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0145] Step 603, the vehicle controller determines target light signals carrying image data and control instructions according to the electrical signal carrying the perception data.

[0146] For details, please refer to step 503 above.

[0147] In step 604, the vehicle controller outputs the target light signal to the vehicle-mounted device. Accordingly, the vehicle-mounted device receives the target light signal from the vehicle controller.

[0148] It should be understood that the vehicle controller can send the target light signal to the vehicle-mounted device through the optical fiber network.

[0149] For details, please refer to step 503 above.

[0150] In step 605, the vehicle-mounted device displays the image data based on the target light signal.

[0151] In some embodiments, when the vehicle-mounted device is a display, the second photoelectric conversion module integrated in the display can convert the received target light signal into an electrical signal, and then parse the panoramic image video of the vehicle and display it on the screen of the display.

[0152] In step 606, the vehicle-mounted device executes the control instruction based on the target light signal.

[0153] In some embodiments, when the vehicle-mounted device is an actuator, the second photoelectric conversion module integrated in the actuator can convert the received target light signal into an electrical signal, and then perform corresponding operations on the vehicle according to the control instruction.

[0154] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the vehicle control method described above.

[0155] Some embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the vehicle control method described above.

[0156] Here, the computer readable storage medium, for example, can be, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a register, a hard disk, an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above, or any other medium from which a processor can read and write information. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can be a part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In some embodiments, the computer readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0157] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product containing instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the vehicle control method as in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

[0158] Since the computer readable storage medium, the computer program product in some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the above-mentioned method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can also be referred to the above-mentioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0159] In several embodiments provided by the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be adopted, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be omitted or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or components shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0160] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may also be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0161] In addition, each functional unit in various embodiments of the present disclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0162] The above is only an embodiment of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present disclosure, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle controller in communication with an in-vehicle device through a fiber network, the vehicle controller comprising: a first chip for implementing a first function; a second chip for implementing a second function; and a first optoelectronic conversion module through which the first chip and the second chip are communicatively coupled to the fiber network. The first function and the second function satisfy at least one of the following:

2. The vehicle controller of claim 1, wherein, The first function comprises at least one of a control function for a vehicle control domain, a control function for a cabin domain, or a control function for an intelligent driving domain; or The second function comprises at least one of the control function for the vehicle control domain, the control function for the cabin domain, or the control function for the intelligent driving domain. The first chip has the control function for the vehicle control domain; and the second chip has the control function for the cabin domain and the control function for the intelligent driving domain.

3. The vehicle controller of claim 1, wherein, The first chip is coupled to the first optoelectronic conversion module through a serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface.

4. The vehicle controller of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The second chip is coupled to the first optoelectronic conversion module through a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface.

5. The vehicle controller of any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The first chip and the second chip are communicatively coupled through at least one of an Ethernet interface or an SPI interface.

6. The vehicle controller of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The in-vehicle device comprises at least a camera; and the first chip is configured to receive, through the first optoelectronic conversion module, a first electrical signal carrying image information transmitted by the camera.

7. The vehicle controller of claim 3, wherein, The in-vehicle device further comprises at least a display; and the first chip is further configured to transmit, through the first optoelectronic conversion module, a second electrical signal carrying the image information to the display.

8. The vehicle controller of claim 7, wherein, The in-vehicle device comprises at least a sensor; and the second chip is configured to receive, through the first optoelectronic conversion module, a third electrical signal carrying measurement data transmitted by the sensor.

9. The vehicle controller of claim 3, wherein, The in-vehicle device further comprises at least an actuator; and the second chip is further configured to transmit, through the first optoelectronic conversion module, a fourth electrical signal carrying control instructions to the actuator.

10. The vehicle controller of claim 9, wherein, The first optoelectronic conversion module comprises an optical line terminal (OLT).

11. The vehicle controller of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, 12. An in-vehicle communication system comprising: a fiber network; an in-vehicle device; and a vehicle controller according to any one of claims 1 to 11, communicatively coupled to the in-vehicle device through the fiber network.

13. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 12, further comprising: a second optoelectronic conversion module connected between the in-vehicle device and the fiber network, configured to convert an optical signal from the fiber network into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal to the in-vehicle device, and to convert an electrical signal from the in-vehicle device into an optical signal and output the optical signal to the fiber network. The second optoelectronic conversion module is integrated in the in-vehicle device. The second optoelectronic conversion module comprises an optical network unit (ONU).

14. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 13, wherein 16. A vehicle comprising the in-vehicle communication system according to any one of claims 12 to 15.

15. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 13, wherein ​ ​

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