Vehicle Control System Abnormality Mode Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Drivers face challenges in understanding and safely operating a vehicle when an onboard control device malfunctions, as existing systems fail to provide clear guidance on necessary adjustments to prevent dangerous driving states and maintain minimum performance.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control system with an abnormality detection unit, driving mode storage, and execution unit that selects and executes pre-defined safe driving modes, such as throttle opening limiting, inter-vehicle distance increase, vehicle speed limit, and sideslip prevention control OFF, to ensure safety and maintain necessary driving performance during control unit failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the control device maintains basic driving function while disabling additional functions during abnormality, then the vehicle can continue to operate, but the driver cannot understand what specific operations should be done for safe driving

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevehicle operability during abnormalityVSAvoiddriver guidance information

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The control device acts as an intermediary between the abnormality detection and the driver, translating complex system states into simple, actionable guidance messages that tell the driver exactly what operations to perform for safe driving

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides continuous feedback to the driver through specific operation guidance messages, allowing the driver to understand the current safe driving requirements and adjust their operations accordingly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of manufacture

If the control device only provides warning light notification during abnormality, then the driver is alerted to the problem, but the driver cannot appropriately and immediately understand what operation should be done

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoiddriver operation understanding

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-prepares and provides specific operation guidance messages in advance that tell the driver exactly what operations to perform, eliminating the need for the driver to figure out appropriate actions during the abnormality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the vehicle maintains minimum necessary driving performance during abnormality, then safety is improved, but the system complexity increases to manage multiple driving modes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety during abnormalityVSAvoidcontrol system structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system is segmented into distinct driving modes (first driving mode for normal operation, second driving mode for abnormality), with clear transition criteria and control logic for each mode, making the complexity manageable through structured division

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9145142B2Vehicle control system

Publication Date: 2015.09.29 SUBARU CORP

AI summary

There is provided a vehicle control system configured to select one of driving modes which are associated with abnormalities of control units and are previously defined in a mapping table, and to output an execution command via CAN bus to a corresponding control unit that achieves the selected driving mode. In the above process, the driving modes stored in a driving mode change instruction unit each provide a driving state which enables a vehicle to perform safety driving reliably, while maintaining a minimum necessary driving performance even when an abnormality occurs in the relevant control units.