Driver Assistance Sensor-Failure Degradation for Parking Functions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) are disabled if one sensor becomes inoperative, even if other sensors provide situational awareness, leading to reduced functionality and usability in scenarios like parking assistance.

Innovation Solution

A control system that enables driver assistance by determining which sensors are inoperative and restricts functionality accordingly, allowing parking space detection to remain operational while restricting automated parking, thereby alerting the driver to perform manual parking when necessary, and staging degradation based on sensor modality and direction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the driver assistance system is completely disabled when one sensor is inoperative, then system safety is maintained, but system usability and functionality are significantly reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem safetyVSAvoidsystem usability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The driver assistance system is segmented into multiple independent functional modules (parking space detection, automated parking, obstacle detection, etc.). When a sensor fails, only the specific function dependent on that sensor is restricted, while other functions continue to operate normally. This allows the system to maintain partial functionality and usability even when one sensor is inoperative.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts its functionality based on the operational status of sensors. Rather than having a fixed disabled/enabled state, the system continuously monitors sensor health and adapts its operational mode accordingly - transitioning from full automated parking capability to restricted manual parking assistance only when needed, thereby optimizing both safety and usability in real-time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If automated parking function is restricted when sensors are inoperative, then safety is ensured, but the driver assistance system becomes less useful

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidsystem usefulness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of completely disabling the parking assistance system when sensors are inoperative, the system provides partial functionality by maintaining parking space detection capabilities. This partial action allows the system to remain useful by detecting and indicating parking spaces to the driver, even though full automated parking control is restricted for safety reasons.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the system disables all functions when one sensor fails, then fault tolerance is maintained, but the operational capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault toleranceVSAvoidoperational capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system architecture is segmented into independent functional areas with distinct sensor dependencies. This segmentation allows the system to isolate sensor failures to specific functions rather than propagating the failure system-wide, thereby maintaining fault tolerance while preserving operational capacity in unaffected areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes its operational parameters dynamically based on sensor status. When a sensor fails, the system modifies which functions are available rather than maintaining a fixed operational mode, allowing it to adapt its capacity to match the current sensor availability while maintaining safety through parameter-based control restrictions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4244109B1Driver assistance with inoperative sensors
Publication Date: 2024.09.04 JAGUAR LAND ROVER LTD
  • EP4244109B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4244109B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP4244109B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~4

AI summary

A control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising one or more controllers, wherein the control system is configured to: enable (402) a driver assistance system in dependence on information from a plurality of sensors (USS, VSS); determine (404) that one or more of the plurality of sensors is inoperative while another one or more of the plurality of sensors is operative; and restrict (406) functionality of the enabled driver assistance system in dependence on the inoperative one or more sensors.