Vehicle Driving System ECU Thermal Threshold Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle driving systems face challenges in swiftly switching from automatic driving to manual driving when the temperature of the automatic driving ECU exceeds a certain threshold, leading to potential hardware failures and delayed driver intervention.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle driving system that includes a temperature monitoring section and a control section to prompt the driver to switch to manual driving based on the ECU's temperature, with predefined threshold values and a cooling mechanism consideration to ensure safe handover before automatic driving function cessation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hard IP is shut down when the temperature of the SoC is increased, then hardware failure is avoided, but a part of the automatic driving function stops and switching to manual driving is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The control section initiates the driver prompt operation in advance when the temperature reaches a first threshold value (lower than the shutdown threshold) before the hard IP is actually shut down. This preliminary action provides a time buffer that allows the driver to be prompted and switch to manual driving before the automatic driving function stops, thus avoiding both hardware failure and excessive switching delay
Solution Approach 2:
The system sets up a temperature threshold buffer zone between the first threshold (for driver prompt) and the second threshold (for actual shutdown). This cushioning mechanism ensures that the driver is warned and given time to take over before the critical shutdown occurs, protecting against the harmful effect of sudden function loss while maintaining hardware reliability
2Ease of operation
If the operation for prompting driver switching is started after the automatic driving function stops, then the driver is alerted, but the switching from automatic to manual driving is not swift
Solution Approach 1:
The driver prompt operation is initiated in advance when the temperature reaches the first threshold value, which is lower than the shutdown threshold. This ensures the driver is alerted before the automatic driving function stops, providing sufficient time for the driver to take over control swiftly without sudden disruption
3Reliability
If the temperature threshold for driver prompt is set close to the shutdown temperature, then hardware protection is maximized, but the driver may not have sufficient time to switch to manual driving
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature threshold is segmented into two distinct levels: a first threshold value for initiating driver prompt operations and a second threshold value for actual hard IP shutdown. This segmentation creates a time buffer zone that allows the driver sufficient response time while maintaining hardware protection, resolving the contradiction between early warning and hardware safety
Solution Approach 2:
By setting the first threshold lower than the second threshold, the system performs the driver prompt action preliminarily before the critical shutdown occurs. This time buffer ensures the driver has adequate response time while the hardware remains protected by the higher shutdown threshold
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle driving system that controls switching between automatic driving by a vehicle and manual driving by a driver of the vehicle includes a temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of an automatic driving ECU which controls the automatic driving; and a microcontroller configured to: (i) set a threshold temperature based on an estimated gradient of increase in the temperature of the automatic driving ECU, the estimated gradient of increase being estimated based on a drive state of an equipment installed on the vehicle, and (ii) in a case where the temperature of the automatic driving ECU that is sensed by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or greater than the threshold temperature, perform an operation for prompting the driver to switch to the manual driving during the automatic driving.