Autonomous Vehicle Memory Handoff for Adverse Event Data Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing autonomous vehicles do not adequately collect data during accidents or adverse events, leading to a lack of necessary information for analysis to determine the cause of such incidents, as data stored in volatile memory may be lost during power failures and is not effectively transferred to non-volatile memory for analysis.
Innovation Solution
A memory device within the autonomous vehicle automatically copies data from volatile memory to non-volatile memory in response to detected events, such as accidents, using sensors and decision-making algorithms to determine the type and extent of data to collect and store, independent of the host controller's control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If data is stored in volatile memory during vehicle operation, then data can be accessed quickly for real-time processing, but data is lost during power failures or accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously monitoring for adverse events (accidents, power failures) and proactively transferring critical data from volatile to non-volatile memory before data loss occurs. The memory device detects adverse events through sensors and automatically initiates data preservation actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary memory device that acts as a bridge between volatile and non-volatile memory. This intermediary device monitors both memory types and automatically transfers data between them based on detected conditions, serving as a mediator that ensures data persistence while maintaining access performance.
2Loss of information
If all sensor data is continuously collected and stored, then complete information is available for analysis, but storage requirements and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the critical subset of data that is necessary for adverse event analysis. Instead of storing all sensor data continuously, the memory device identifies and transfers only relevant data (sensor readings, system states, event timestamps) when adverse events are detected, reducing storage requirements while maintaining analytical completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by collecting and storing only the minimum necessary data required for effective analysis of adverse events. Rather than implementing comprehensive continuous logging of all vehicle systems, the system selectively captures data at critical moments when adverse events occur.
3Reliability
If data is transferred from volatile to non-volatile memory in real-time during adverse events, then data preservation is ensured, but processing time and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains a buffer of recently accessed or critical data in the memory device that is ready for immediate transfer to non-volatile storage when adverse events occur. This preliminary preparation reduces the actual transfer time during events, as data does not need to be retrieved from volatile memory during the critical preservation window.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements rushed data transfer by prioritizing and expedite the transfer of critical data during adverse events. The memory device identifies high-priority data and transfers it immediately without waiting for normal data management cycles, ensuring rapid preservation even if it requires temporary resource allocation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for an autonomous vehicle includes: controlling at least one system of the vehicle by a host system; monitoring, by a memory device, data associated with operation of the vehicle; determining, by the memory device based on the monitoring, first data to collect from the vehicle; collecting, by the memory device independently of the host system, the first data; and storing, by the memory device, the collected first data in a non-volatile memory.