Autonomous Vehicle Failure Response With Distributed Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in safely and efficiently handling failures without human intervention, particularly due to limited space and the need for robust redundancy in hardware and software subsystems.
Innovation Solution
A multi-layered redundant architecture with distributed computing and hardware redundancies, including duplicate components and intelligent logic scenarios, enables fail-operational states in autonomous vehicles, allowing them to handle failures optimally and safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multi-layered redundant architecture with duplicate components is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle system is divided into multiple independent subsystems (perception, planning, control, actuation) with duplicate components within each subsystem. This segmentation allows failure detection and response at the subsystem level without compromising the entire system, resolving the contradiction by organizing redundancy in a modular fashion that manages complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to redundancy management by implementing phased failure response strategies (immediate response, delayed response, and no response scenarios). This transforms the static redundancy architecture into a dynamic system that adapts redundancy activation timing based on failure severity, thereby managing complexity through time-based differentiation.
2Reliability
If distributed computing with failure detection logic is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Failure detection logic and response protocols are pre-configured in each distributed computing node before runtime. When failures occur, pre-programmed detection algorithms and response procedures are automatically activated, eliminating the need for complex real-time decision-making logic and reducing computational architecture complexity while maintaining high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Each distributed computing node autonomously detects its own failures and executes appropriate response actions without requiring centralized coordination. This self-service capability simplifies the overall computational architecture by eliminating complex inter-node communication protocols for failure management, while still achieving system-wide reliability through independent failure handling at each node.
3Adaptability or versatility
If intelligent logic scenarios for failure response are implemented, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The failure response system dynamically adapts its behavior based on the severity and type of failure detected. Intelligent logic scenarios enable the system to switch between different response strategies (immediate shutdown, degraded operation, or continued operation with monitoring) according to real-time conditions, achieving high adaptability while managing complexity through dynamic rather than static control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters based on failure scenarios, adjusting thresholds for failure detection, response timing, and safety margins according to the specific failure type. This parameter-based adaptation allows versatile failure response without requiring complex structural changes to the control logic, resolving the contradiction by using parameter flexibility rather than structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for addressing failure in an autonomous agent includes a driving subsystem, a control subsystem, a central computing subsystem, and an autonomous vehicle (AV) sensor subsystem. The system can optionally additionally include a power subsystem, a vehicle chassis subsystem, a communication subsystem, a distributed computing and/or processing subsystem, a supplementary sensor subsystem, and/or any other components. A method for addressing failure can include any or all of: detecting and responding to a failure; and operating the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, the method 200 can include any other processes.