Distributed Vehicle Control Network for Fault-Tolerant Wheel Topology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty mining dump trucks experience traction issues under adverse weather conditions due to uneven torque distribution among wheels, leading to potential loss of control, equipment damage, and safety risks, with existing add-on sensor packs not fully optimizing performance due to latency and suboptimal geometry.
Innovation Solution
A cyber-physical system with a fault-tolerant wheel topology network, featuring distributed sensors, actuators, and embedded computational units, including a central computing unit with triple redundancy, to enhance robustness and maintain operation even if one unit fails, with redundancy arrangements strategically placed at axles to maximize availability and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If add-on sensor packs are installed to improve autonomous operation, then sensing capability is enhanced, but system latency increases and geometry becomes suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the autonomous vehicle into modular functional units (sensing units, computing units, actuation units) distributed throughout the vehicle structure. Each unit performs specific functions locally, reducing communication latency and improving geometric optimization compared to centralized add-on sensor packs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a centralized, externally-mounted sensor architecture to a distributed, integrated architecture where sensing, computing, and actuation units are embedded throughout the vehicle's structural framework, utilizing three-dimensional spatial distribution to minimize latency and optimize geometry.
2Device complexity
If centralized control architecture is used to simplify system design, then design complexity is reduced, but fault tolerance and system robustness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The control architecture is segmented into multiple independent computing units distributed throughout the vehicle, each capable of autonomous decision-making. This distributed architecture provides fault tolerance through redundancy while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the architectural parameter from centralized to distributed, transforming the control paradigm while maintaining design simplicity through standardized communication protocols and modular interface definitions.
3Reliability
If redundant computing units are added to improve fault tolerance, then system reliability increases, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each computing unit in the distributed network is designed to perform multiple functions (sensing, processing, actuation control) and can assume any role in the network. This universality allows redundancy without proportionally increasing complexity, as redundant units integrate seamlessly into the existing modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A cyber-physical system for a vehicle capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous moving, wherein the cyber-physical system comprises a network with a plurality of units distributed therein, wherein the plurality of units includes sensors, actuators and vertices (e.g. embedded systems), wherein the plurality of units are distributed in the network in a fault tolerant wheel topology.