Dual Micro-Processing Unit Architecture for Autonomous Vehicle Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current safety microcontroller solutions for autonomous vehicles operate in a binary fashion, either allowing normal operation or shutting down the system upon detecting a malfunction, which is inadequate for advanced autonomous driving scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system with a sensor distribution hub generating two data streams, where a primary micro-processing unit controls the vehicle using one stream and a secondary micro-processing unit, acting as a safety redundancy, takes over if the primary fails, ensuring continuous operation and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single micro-processing unit is used for autonomous vehicle control, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates because the system must shut down upon detecting any malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the micro-processing system into two independent micro-processing units (primary and secondary), each capable of independently controlling the vehicle. This segmentation allows the system to avoid complete shutdown when one unit fails, as the other unit can continue operation, thereby improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameter from binary (normal/shutdown) to multi-state (normal, degraded, fallback) by implementing a dual-unit architecture with defined failover protocols. This allows the system to transition between different operational modes based on the state of each micro-processing unit, improving reliability without requiring complete system shutdown
2Reliability
If a dual micro-processing unit system is implemented for safety redundancy, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the primary and secondary micro-processing units into a unified control architecture where both units share common sensors, actuators, and communication interfaces. This merging approach improves reliability through redundancy while controlling overall system complexity by sharing common components rather than duplicating entire subsystems
Solution Approach 2:
Both micro-processing units are designed with identical capabilities and can perform the same autonomous vehicle control functions. This universality allows either unit to take over completely if the other fails, improving reliability while using a standardized design that reduces overall system complexity through component commonality
3Reliability
If the system shuts down upon malfunction detection, then safety is maintained by preventing erroneous operations, but productivity deteriorates due to loss of continuous operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary failover action where the secondary micro-processing unit is pre-configured and ready to immediately take control upon detecting primary unit failure. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for system shutdown while maintaining safety, as the standby unit can seamlessly continue operation without interruption to vehicle control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a communication and coordination mechanism between the two micro-processing units that acts as an intermediary. This intermediary system monitors the state of both units and manages the failover process, allowing the system to transition from shutdown-based safety to continuous operation with safety monitoring, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an autonomous vehicle safety system can be implemented with a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors being configured to produce an electrical signal that is indicative of an environmental condition about a vehicle; a sensor distribution hub that receives the electrical signals from the plurality of sensors and generates two streams of data based on the electrical signals received from the plurality of sensors; a first micro-processing unit configured to receive a first of the two streams of data generated by the sensor distribution hub, where the first micro-processing unit is further configured to autonomously control the vehicle; and a second micro-processing unit configured to receive a second of the two streams of data generated by the sensor distribution hub, where the second micro-processing unit is also configured to autonomously control the vehicle.