Independent Safety Controller for Unintended Vehicle Acceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing approaches to preventing unintended vehicle acceleration face challenges related to certification requirements, complexity, expense, reliability, and safety standards, particularly in addressing error conditions and cyber-attacks on vehicle systems.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle electronic control system incorporating integrated circuit-based controllers and three-axis accelerometers to detect and interrupt unintended acceleration by selectively interrupting communication or power to prime mover systems, such as fuel injectors or electric motors, through independent safety controllers and switches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing approaches are used to prevent unintended vehicle acceleration, then certification requirements and safety standards may be met, but the system complexity and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the control architecture into a primary controller for normal operation and a separate safety controller for unintended acceleration detection. This segmentation allows each controller to be optimized for its specific function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability through specialized dedicated functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety controller acts as an intermediary between the primary controller and the prime mover system. It monitors control outputs and accelerator inputs, and can interrupt unintended acceleration commands before they reach the prime mover, providing a layered safety mechanism without requiring complete system redesign.
2Reliability
If existing approaches are used to prevent unintended vehicle acceleration, then some safety measures are provided, but failsafe operation and robustness are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The safety controller performs preliminary detection of unintended acceleration conditions by comparing accelerator input with control output before the harmful acceleration occurs. By identifying discrepancies in advance and interrupting suspicious commands, the system prevents harmful effects rather than merely reacting to them.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the relationship between accelerator input and control output, creating a feedback loop that detects inconsistencies indicating unintended acceleration. This real-time feedback mechanism enables the safety controller to identify and counteract error conditions and potential cyber-attacks by comparing expected versus actual system behavior.
3Reliability
If existing approaches are used to prevent unintended vehicle acceleration, then basic detection is possible, but the expense and complexity of implementation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The safety controller leverages existing sensor data (accelerator input and control output) that are already present in the vehicle system, making it multi-functional by using available data for both normal control operations and unintended acceleration detection. This approach avoids requiring additional expensive sensors or hardware modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing control outputs and sensor inputs to detect unintended acceleration, making the detection mechanism self-sufficient without requiring external monitoring systems. The safety controller processes information already flowing through the system, reducing implementation costs while maintaining detection capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively prevents unintended vehicle acceleration by providing robust and reliable detection and mitigation, enhancing safety and compliance with certification standards.
Implementation Method 1
a three-axis accelerometer to provide acceleration outputs indicative of acceleration of the accelerometer relative to three axes
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for avoiding unintended acceleration is provided and includes a first integrated circuit-based electronic controller configured to receive acceleration and brake requests and provide a control output via a datalink dedicated to controlling a prime mover system of the vehicle, a three-axis accelerometer configured to provide acceleration outputs indicative of acceleration of the accelerometer relative to three dimensions, and a second integrated circuit-based electronic controller operative independently of the first integrated circuit-based controller configured to receive the acceleration and braking requests, receive the acceleration outputs of the three-axis accelerometer, and operatively coupled with the datalink. The second integrated circuit-based electronic controller is configured to determine an unintended acceleration event in response to the acceleration and braking requests, and the acceleration outputs of the three-axis accelerometer.