Backup Control Unit for Vehicle Minimum Risk Maneuvers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern heavy-duty vehicles equipped with autonomous drive (AD) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) face challenges in executing minimum risk maneuvers when these systems malfunction, leading to potential safety issues due to loss of signal processing functionality and sensor information, necessitating improved methods for safe vehicle control.

Innovation Solution

A backup control unit is introduced to receive and adjust vehicle control commands, utilizing a vehicle model to map planned commands into desired behavior and account for deviations from measured behavior, ensuring robust execution of minimum risk maneuvers by transmitting adjusted commands to motion support devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the backup control unit uses a simple command transmission without vehicle model feedback, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision of vehicle behavior control deteriorates due to accumulated steering errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebackup control unit complexityVSAvoidvehicle behavior control precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The backup control unit incorporates a vehicle model that predicts desired vehicle behavior based on planned control commands. This model continuously compares predicted behavior with actual vehicle state from sensors, creating a feedback loop that detects deviations caused by steering errors, wind conditions, road banking, and suspension movements. The feedback mechanism enables correction of accumulated errors without requiring complex trajectory tracking functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The vehicle model in the backup control unit creates a simplified copy of the vehicle's dynamic behavior. This virtual model replicates the essential relationship between control commands and vehicle response, allowing the backup unit to predict desired behavior and detect deviations without needing the full complexity of the actual vehicle system or advanced sensor processing capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Manufacturing precision

If the backup control unit implements trajectory tracking functionality, then the manufacturing precision of vehicle behavior control is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle behavior control precisionVSAvoidbackup control unit complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential feedback functionality needed for error correction, separating it from the complex trajectory tracking system. The vehicle model provides a simplified behavioral prediction mechanism that focuses solely on detecting deviations from desired behavior, without implementing the full trajectory planning and tracking algorithms that would significantly increase backup unit complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of time

If the vehicle executes minimum risk maneuver without continuous feedback, then the loss of time in system response is reduced, but the stability of vehicle composition deteriorates due to accumulated steering errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem response timeVSAvoidvehicle state stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle model performs preliminary prediction of desired vehicle behavior based on planned control commands before actual execution. This allows the backup control unit to have a reference state ready for immediate comparison with actual vehicle state, enabling rapid detection of deviations without waiting for complex calculations or additional processing steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4151489A1Vehicle control for improved minimum risk maneuvers
Publication Date: 2023.03.22 VOLVO AUTONOMOUS SOLUTIONS AB
  • EP4151489A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4151489A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4151489A1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

A backup control unit (280) for controlling motion of a heavy-duty vehicle (100) during a minimum risk maneuver, where the backup control unit (280) is arranged to receive data indicative of a planned sequence of vehicle control commands (276) from a main vehicle control unit (270). The backup control unit (280) comprises a first vehicle model (281) configured to map the planned sequence of vehicle control commands (276) into a desired vehicle behavior and is arranged to obtain a measured vehicle behavior from one or more vehicle sensors (290). Also, the back-up control unit (280) is arranged to determine an adjusted sequence of vehicle control commands (285) based on the planned sequence of vehicle control commands (276) and on a deviation between the desired vehicle behavior and the measured vehicle behavior, and to transmit the adjusted sequence of vehicle control commands (285) to a motion support device, MSD, control unit (230) of the vehicle (100).