Shielded Brake-Control Unit for Autonomous Vehicle Safety Stop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in safely stopping due to electromagnetic compatibility problems that render control systems inoperative, leading to insufficient information for autonomous driving.
Innovation Solution
A safety stoppage device is implemented in the brake system of autonomous vehicles, featuring a signaling processing system that predicts drivable spaces and calculates safe trajectories, a shielded brake-control unit that stores and executes these trajectories using differential braking, and a conductive enclosure to protect against electromagnetic interference, ensuring the vehicle can safely stop even when control networks are incapacitated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the autonomous vehicle relies on control networks and sensors for autonomous driving, then the autonomous drive mode is enabled, but electromagnetic compatibility problems may render the control systems inoperative
Solution Approach 1:
The brake control unit pre-calculates and stores multiple safe trajectories to potential stop locations before a fault occurs. When electromagnetic compatibility problems render the control systems inoperative, the brake control unit can immediately execute one of these pre-calculated trajectories without requiring real-time computation or communication with incapacitated control networks, thus ensuring reliable autonomous stopping capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake control unit acts as an intermediary system that operates independently from the main control networks. It receives vehicle state data and autonomously determines safe stopping trajectories, serving as a mediator between the incapacitated control systems and the wheel brakes, ensuring continuous operational reliability during electromagnetic interference events.
2Reliability
If the brake control unit is shielded against electromagnetic compatibility problems, then operational reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The critical trajectory calculation and storage functions are extracted from the main control networks and placed in the dedicated brake control unit. This extraction isolates the essential safety function from electromagnetic interference affecting other systems, achieving reliability improvement through functional separation rather than extensive physical shielding.
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
The solution enables autonomous vehicles to safely halt by determining and following the safest trajectory to a stop, minimizing the risk of accidents, even when control systems are compromised by electromagnetic compatibility issues, ensuring operational reliability of the brake-control unit.
Implementation Method 1
the brake-control unit further is shielded against electromagnetic compatibility problems
Data Source
AI summary
A safety stoppage device and method for safety stoppage of an autonomous vehicle including control networks and sensors for monitoring the autonomous vehicle surroundings and motion includes a brake-control unit for a brake system including wheel brakes of the autonomous vehicle, and a signaling processing system for processing sensor signals enabling an autonomous drive mode thereof. Where a drivable space exists is predicted based on data from the sensors and sensor fusion, and a safe trajectory to a stop within the drivable space is calculated and sent to the brake-control unit and stored therein. The brake-control unit is shielded against electromagnetic compatibility problems and configured to monitor if the control networks are operational and, if determined incapacitated, control the autonomous vehicle to follow the most recently calculated safe trajectory to a stop within the drivable space using differential braking of the wheel brakes thereof in order to effectuate steering.