Automated Driving Parameter Adaptation Under System Degradation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in maintaining safe operation due to degradation in hardware or software systems, which can lead to uncertain trajectory planning and maneuvering issues.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that monitor and adjust adaptive parameters, such as planning and control parameters, to mitigate threats caused by system degradation, involving a monitoring module to measure health metrics and a mitigation module to simulate and adjust parameters to ensure safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle operates with standard planning and control parameters, then normal vehicle operation is maintained, but system degradation leads to unsafe maneuvers and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of sensor and actuation system health metrics to detect degradation before it leads to unsafe operations. By continuously measuring degradation levels and adjusting adaptive parameters in advance, the system prevents unsafe maneuvers rather than reacting after failures occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts adaptive planning and control parameters based on real-time degradation measurements. Instead of using fixed parameters, the system modifies parameters such as trajectory planning constraints and control aggressiveness according to the current health state of sensors and actuators, enabling flexible adaptation to varying system conditions.
2Reliability
If adaptive parameters are adjusted to mitigate degradation effects, then vehicle safety is improved, but the complexity of control and planning systems increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes operational parameters of the planning and control modules based on measured degradation levels. When sensor degradation is detected, the system adjusts planning parameters to account for reduced sensing accuracy. When actuation degradation is detected, control parameters are modified to compensate for reduced actuator performance, maintaining safe operation despite parameter variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where degradation measurements continuously inform parameter adjustments. The monitoring module measures health metrics, the assessment module evaluates threat levels, and the adjustment module modifies adaptive parameters accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures parameters remain appropriate for current system conditions while maintaining operational safety.
3Productivity
If the vehicle operates with degraded sensors or actuators, then continued operation is possible, but measurement precision and control accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
When sensor degradation is detected, the system applies partial compensation by adjusting planning parameters to account for reduced measurement precision rather than attempting full compensation. The system modifies trajectory planning to be more conservative in regions where sensing accuracy is compromised, accepting reduced performance in exchange for maintaining safe operation with degraded sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential degradation by having pre-defined adaptive parameter adjustments ready to apply. When degradation is detected, the system quickly switches to compensated operating modes that were designed in advance to handle various degradation scenarios, minimizing the impact on measurement precision and control accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle and a system method of operating the vehicle is disclosed. The system includes a monitoring module and a mitigation module operating on a processor. The monitoring module is configured to measure a degradation in an operation parameter of the vehicle, the vehicle operating in a first state based on a first value of a set of adaptive parameters. The mitigation module is configured to determine a threat to the vehicle due to operating the vehicle in the first state with the degradation in the operation parameter and adjust the set of adaptive parameters from the first value to a second value that mitigates the threat to the vehicle, wherein the processor operates the vehicle in a second state based on the second value.