Autonomous Driving ECU Switching for Low-Power Remote Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous driving systems require high-performance ECUs due to separate ECUs for autonomous driving and remote control, leading to increased power consumption and costs, and fail-safe issues when one ECU fails.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a first ECU for autonomous driving and a second ECU for remote control, where the second ECU remains in a power-saving state, and a third ECU for arbitration control information, to reduce power consumption and enable seamless transitions between modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate ECUs are mounted for autonomous driving and remote control, then system reliability and fail-safe are improved, but power consumption and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the ECU's operational state changeable - the ECU can dynamically switch between activated state and power-saving state based on the current driving mode (autonomous driving or remote control), optimizing power consumption while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the control functions by separating autonomous driving control and remote control operations into different operational modes managed by the ECU, allowing selective activation of control functions to reduce power consumption
2Reliability
If separate ECUs are mounted for autonomous driving and remote control, then fail-safe is improved, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single ECU that can perform multiple functions - both autonomous driving control and remote control operations - eliminating the need for separate dedicated ECUs for each function, thereby reducing costs while maintaining fail-safe through proper state management
Solution Approach 2:
The ECU dynamically adapts its operational state based on the active control mode, switching between activated and power-saving states to optimize both cost-effectiveness and reliability without requiring multiple dedicated hardware units
3Ease of manufacture
If one ECU is used for both autonomous driving and remote control, then costs are reduced, but power consumption increases due to high-performance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by making the ECU's power state dynamic - it activates only the necessary control functions based on the current operating mode (autonomous driving or remote control), allowing a single ECU to meet high-performance requirements while minimizing power consumption through selective activation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the ECU by switching between activated and power-saving states, adjusting the ECU's operational characteristics to match the current control mode requirements, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining necessary performance
4Ease of manufacture
If one ECU is used for both autonomous driving and remote control, then costs are reduced, but switching time between modes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the ECU maintain an activated state with standby capability for the alternative control mode, so that switching between autonomous driving and remote control can occur rapidly without full reinitialization, reducing switching time while using a single ECU
Data Source
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AI summary
An autonomous driving device (21) to be mounted on a vehicle (20) includes a first ECU (211) configured to autonomously drive the vehicle (20), and a second ECU (212) configured to operate the vehicle (20) under remote control from an outside. The first ECU (211) is configured to keep an activated state while the second ECU (212) is operating the vehicle (20). The second ECU (212) is configured to keep a power saving state while the first ECU (211) is autonomously driving the vehicle (20).