Dual Controller Sudden Unintended Acceleration Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles experience sudden unintended acceleration due to driver misoperation or vehicle defects, lacking effective control mechanisms to prevent such incidents, especially since they do not have transmissions to manage power sources effectively.
Innovation Solution
A device and method involving sensors, a first controller to calculate motor torque commands and expected vehicle acceleration, and a second controller to compare these values with presets, determining controller failures and initiating battery management system actions or hydraulic braking to prevent unintended acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single controller is used to control motor torque in electric vehicles, then the control structure is simple, but the reliability is reduced due to inability to detect controller failures causing sudden unintended acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is divided into two separate controllers: a first controller that calculates motor torque command values based on driver input, and a second controller that monitors the first controller by comparing expected acceleration with actual acceleration. This segmentation allows independent failure detection while maintaining functional separation, resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The second controller acts as an intermediary monitoring layer that does not directly control motor torque but supervises the first controller's output by comparing it with sensor-derived actual acceleration. This intermediary structure enables failure detection without requiring complete system redesign, balancing reliability enhancement with acceptable complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If controller failure detection mechanisms are added to electric vehicles, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and controllers
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing sensor data (acceleration sensors already present in electric vehicles for other functions) to enable the second controller to monitor and detect first controller failures. This self-service approach allows failure detection capability to be built using already-available system resources, minimizing additional hardware complexity while improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The second controller continuously compares the motor torque command value from the first controller with the actual vehicle acceleration measured by sensors, creating a feedback loop that detects discrepancies indicating controller failure. This feedback mechanism provides automated safety monitoring without requiring complex manual intervention systems.
3Reliability
If the motor torque command value is directly executed without verification, then the response speed is fast, but the safety is reduced due to undetected controller failures
Solution Approach 1:
The second controller performs preliminary verification of the first controller's torque command by comparing it with expected acceleration before the command is fully executed. This preliminary check happens in parallel with normal control operations, allowing rapid detection of failures without significant delay in the control response cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring and comparison operation between the second controller and sensor data continues continuously during vehicle operation, ensuring that failure detection is always active without interrupting the normal torque execution flow. This continuous monitoring maintains safety readiness while preserving fast response characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for controlling sudden unintended acceleration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor for detecting a current acceleration of a vehicle, a first controller that calculates a motor torque command value for driving a motor, calculates an expected acceleration of the vehicle based on the motor torque command value, and compares the expected acceleration with the current acceleration, and a second controller that compares the motor torque command value with a preset value. Therefore, the device may determine a cause of the sudden unintended acceleration and block the sudden unintended acceleration based on the determination result to improve safety of a driver.