Redundant Microchip Architecture for Automatic Parking Brake Availability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles lack a redundant parking mechanism, making it impossible to safely park the vehicle in case of a failure in the ESP control device or automatic parking brake system, as they do not have a gear lock or detent mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A redundant system using two microchips, each capable of actuating the automatic parking brake, is implemented to ensure the system's availability and safety, allowing the vehicle to be safely parked even in the event of a failure, by distributing intelligence across various circuit components and using user-specific integrated circuits or logic gate arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single microchip is used to control the automatic parking brake, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because single electrical faults can cause system failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a redundant control system by duplicating the microchip functionality. A first microchip and a second microchip are both capable of independently actuating the end stage of the automatic parking brake. This copying approach ensures that if one microchip fails, the other can take over, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity by accepting increased complexity as a necessary trade-off for high availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates failure detection and switching mechanisms that prepare for potential microchip failures in advance. The control device monitors the operational status of both microchips and can switch to the backup microchip before a complete system failure occurs. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures continuous availability of the parking brake functionality while managing the complexity through structured redundancy management.
2Ease of operation
If the operating element interface is integrated into the microchip, then the ease of operation is improved through autonomous failure identification, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the operating element interface directly into the microchip structure. This integration allows the microchip to autonomously receive operating signals, detect failures, and actuate the parking brake without requiring external control device intervention. The merging of these functions into a single integrated unit improves ease of operation through autonomous failure identification and response, while the complexity is managed through the standardized integrated circuit design.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for an automatic parking brake includes a first microchip and a second microchip. The first microchip and the second microchip are configured to actuate an end stage of the automatic parking brake. The first microchip and the second microchip are configured in a redundant manner with respect to one another in relation to actuating the end stage.