Modular Autonomous Driving Hardware for Multi-Level Sensor Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The hardware architecture design of autonomous driving cars is complicated and costly due to the need for separate development for different levels of autonomy, requiring re-evaluation and redesign, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device for autonomous vehicles with modular network switching circuits, motherboard circuits, and power supply circuits that can be expanded or reduced based on the vehicle's autonomous driving level, incorporating components like CPUs, GPUs, and network interface controllers to perform autonomous driving operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate hardware architecture design is used for different autonomous driving levels, then the system can meet the specific performance requirements of each level, but the device complexity and development cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal hardware architecture where a single control system can adapt to multiple autonomous driving levels (L3-L5) through software configuration and dynamic resource allocation. The same physical hardware platform supports different autonomy levels by adjusting the number of active sensors and processing resources, eliminating the need for separate hardware designs for each level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic resource allocation where sensors and processing resources can be activated or deactivated based on the required autonomous driving level. This allows the hardware to dynamically adapt its configuration - for example, activating additional sensors only when higher autonomy levels are required - thereby reducing complexity while maintaining the ability to meet performance requirements across different levels.
2Reliability
If separate hardware architecture design is used for different autonomous driving levels, then the system can be optimized for each level, but the development time and labor cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by designing a universal hardware platform that is pre-configured to support multiple autonomous driving levels. Rather than designing separate systems for each level, the hardware is built once with the capability to accommodate L3-L5 requirements, and subsequent optimization is achieved through software configuration and resource allocation rather than hardware redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The universal hardware architecture serves multiple functions across different autonomous driving levels, allowing the same physical system to be optimized for various levels through configuration rather than redesign. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate development cycles for each level, significantly reducing development time and labor costs while maintaining system optimization.
3Measurement precision
If more sensors are added for higher autonomous driving levels, then the sensing capability and processing performance improve, but the hardware cost and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically activates or deactivates sensors based on the required autonomous driving level. For lower levels (L3), fewer sensors are active, reducing complexity. For higher levels (L5), additional sensors are activated to provide the necessary sensing capability. This dynamic configuration allows the system to achieve high measurement precision when needed without permanently increasing hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the sensor system rather than the physical hardware configuration. By adjusting which sensors are active and how they are processed, the system achieves different sensing capabilities for different autonomous driving levels without adding permanent hardware complexity. The same physical sensors can operate in different modes or configurations to meet varying performance requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device, applied on a smart car with a plurality of sensors, includes at least one network switching circuit, at least one motherboard circuit, and a power supply circuit. The network switching circuit is coupled to the sensors of the smart car to receive sensing data from the sensors and to output the sensing data. The motherboard circuit includes a network interface controller and at least one CPU. The network interface controller is coupled to network switching circuit to receive the sensing data from the network switching circuit. The CPU is coupled to the network interface controller to perform autonomous driving for the smart car according to the sensing data. The number of network switching circuits and motherboard circuits depends on the autonomous driving level of the smart car.