Vehicle Assistance Sensor Switching for Redundant Safety Checks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing driver assistance systems incur high costs due to the need for redundant sensor sets to ensure safety redundancy, which is typically achieved through separate paths using additional sensors, leading to increased costs for installation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A method that dynamically switches sensor signals between a main path for environmental modeling and a safety path for plausibility checking, using a single set of sensors for both paths, with a mode manager determining when redundancy is necessary based on the activated functions and vehicle state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant sensor sets are used to ensure safety redundancy through separate paths, then system safety and reliability are improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the safety path and main path sensor processing into a single integrated system. A single sensor set is used for both environmental modeling (main path) and plausibility checking (safety path), eliminating the need for separate redundant sensor sets while maintaining safety redundancy through software-based parallel processing
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed with multi-functionality where the same sensors serve dual purposes: creating environmental models for trajectory planning and simultaneously performing plausibility checks for safety verification. This universal usage of sensors reduces system complexity while ensuring safety redundancy
2Reliability
If redundant sensor sets are used to ensure safety redundancy through separate paths, then system safety and reliability are improved, but acquisition and installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines safety and main path functions into a single sensor system, eliminating the need to acquire and install separate redundant sensor sets. This reduces acquisition and installation costs while maintaining safety redundancy through software-based processing of sensor data from the single sensor set
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of physically copying sensor hardware for redundancy, the patent creates virtual copies through software-based parallel processing. The same sensor data is processed through both main path and safety path algorithms, providing redundancy without the cost of additional physical sensors
3Reliability
If redundant sensor sets are used to ensure safety redundancy through separate paths, then system safety and reliability are improved, but maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges safety and main path sensor processing into a single system, reducing maintenance costs by eliminating the need to maintain separate redundant sensor sets. The unified system requires maintenance of only one sensor set while still providing safety redundancy through software-based plausibility checking
4Device complexity
If a single sensor set is used for both main path and safety path, then system cost and complexity are reduced, but the ability to perform independent plausibility checks is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor processing into distinct main path and safety path computational streams. Even though a single sensor set is used, the processing is divided into separate functional modules: environmental modeling for trajectory planning and independent plausibility checking, ensuring that safety verification remains independent from main path operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary plausibility check module that independently verifies the environmental model and trajectory planning results. This mediator component uses the same sensor data but processes it through separate algorithms to validate the main path outputs, ensuring independent verification capability
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for operating an assistance system for a vehicle (1), comprising a controller (2) for controlling the assistance system, multiple sensors for detecting the surroundings, a first sensor set which comprises at least one sensor of the sensors for detecting the surroundings, and a second sensor set which comprises at least one sensor of the sensors for detecting the surroundings, wherein the sensor signals of the first sensor set are used to generate a surroundings model, and drive functions of the assistance system are carried out using the surroundings model. A sensor signal path switch is provided which switches the sensor signals of the second sensor set either via a main path for processing signals for the surroundings model or via a safety path for processing signals in order to check the plausibility of the planned trajectory.