Brake System Virtual Host Architecture for Redundant Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing brake systems face challenges in seamlessly integrating third-party parking brake components, requiring complex solutions for actuation and communication, particularly in ensuring safe and efficient operation across different control devices and hardware environments.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a virtual host architecture among multiple control devices, including an ESP control device, power module, and reserve control device, allows for distributed task management and optimized resource utilization, ensuring independent software operation for the parking brake across various control devices, reducing power losses and providing a fallback system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single control device is used to operate the parking brake, then the control structure is simple, but the system lacks redundancy and reliability when integrating third-party components
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is segmented into a virtual host and multiple control units. The virtual host manages the parking brake control software independently, while multiple control units can execute the same control logic. This segmentation enables redundancy without requiring a completely separate control system, thus improving reliability while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual host architecture enables multiple control units to perform the same parking brake control functions. The control software is designed to be universally executable on different control units, allowing any control unit to take over parking brake operations if another fails, thereby enhancing system reliability through functional redundancy.
2Reliability
If multiple control devices are implemented for redundancy, then system reliability improves, but the device complexity and resource management become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual host acts as an intermediary between the parking brake control software and multiple control units. It manages the distribution and coordination of control commands, ensuring that only one control unit actively operates the parking brake at a time while others remain standby. This intermediary role simplifies the coordination complexity by centralizing management logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures multiple control units with the same parking brake control software during system initialization. This preliminary preparation ensures that if the active control unit fails, a standby unit can immediately take over without requiring complex real-time configuration or coordination, thus reducing operational complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If third-party parking brake components are integrated, then component availability increases, but the actuation and communication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual host architecture provides a universal interface layer that can accommodate different third-party parking brake components. The control software is designed to communicate through standardized protocols, allowing various third-party components to be integrated without requiring custom actuation logic for each supplier, thus reducing communication complexity while maintaining adaptability.
4Productivity
If control functions are distributed across multiple devices, then resource utilization is optimized, but the system architecture becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The control functions are segmented between the virtual host and multiple control units. The virtual host handles high-level control logic and software management, while control units handle execution and communication with actuators. This segmentation optimizes resource utilization by distributing computational tasks appropriately while maintaining a manageable architecture through clear functional separation.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a brake system of a motor vehicle having at least one parking brake which can be activated, having a plurality of means for operating the parking brake and having at least one control device which has at least one of the means, characterized in that at least one further control device has at least another of the means.