Vehicle Lamp Controller Diagnostics With Auxiliary Processor Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance headlamps with redundant systems for safety (1oo2D architecture) incur high costs and slower processing speeds due to the use of high-cost microcontrollers in each redundant system.
Innovation Solution
A lamp controller with a drawing processing unit and an auxiliary processor that performs self-diagnosis on software and hardware processes, allowing for rapid abnormality detection and recovery without restarting the entire system, using a low-cost auxiliary processor for redundant monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a redundant system with two microcontrollers is provided for safety (1oo2D architecture), then system reliability is improved, but cost increases and processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the diagnostic function into two segments: self-diagnosis executed by the drawing processing unit for each software process, and auxiliary diagnosis executed by a dedicated auxiliary processor. This segmentation allows the main microcontroller to focus on control while the auxiliary processor handles redundancy monitoring, reducing overall system complexity and cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an auxiliary processor as an intermediary component that monitors the drawing processing unit. This auxiliary processor acts as a mediator that can detect abnormalities in the main processing unit without requiring a full redundant microcontroller system, thereby reducing system complexity while preserving safety functionality.
2Reliability
If a redundant system with two microcontrollers is provided for safety (1oo2D architecture), then system reliability is improved, but processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments diagnostic responsibilities between the drawing processing unit and auxiliary processor, allowing parallel execution of control functions and diagnostic functions. This enables the main microcontroller to process control signals without waiting for redundant system verification, improving processing speed while maintaining reliability through the auxiliary processor's monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-diagnosis that executes before abnormality detection, allowing the system to identify and handle errors in advance. The auxiliary processor continuously monitors feedback data from the drawing processing unit, enabling rapid detection and recovery without requiring slow redundant system switching, thus improving processing speed while maintaining reliability.
3Measurement precision
If self-diagnosis is executed for each software process, then abnormality detection performance is improved, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the auxiliary processor as an intermediary that consolidates diagnostic functions. Instead of each software process independently performing full diagnostic routines (which would increase processing overhead), the auxiliary processor receives feedback data from multiple processes and performs centralized abnormality detection, maintaining high detection precision while reducing overall processing overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple diagnostic functions into a unified auxiliary processor. Rather than having separate diagnostic mechanisms for each software process (which would increase processing overhead), the system combines all diagnostic activities into the auxiliary processor that monitors feedback data from all processes, achieving precise abnormality detection with reduced computational burden on the main system.
Data Source
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AI summary
A drawing processing unit 310 generates multi-gradation light distribution image data IMG_LD that defines a light distribution. The image processing unit 310 executes multiple software processes sequentially. The drawing processing unit 310 self-diagnoses the presence or absence of an abnormality for each software process. The drawing processing unit 310 transmits first diagnostic data that indicates the self-diagnosis results to the auxiliary processor 350. Furthermore, the drawing processing unit 310 transmits first feedback data based on data generated for each software process to the auxiliary processor 350. The auxiliary processor 350 diagnoses the presence or absence of an abnormality in the multiple software processes executed by the drawing processing unit 310 based on the first feedback data.