Vehicle Control Device for Autonomous Driving Communication Disconnection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous driving vehicles may experience disruptions in travel due to unreliable communication with servers, leading to a lack of instructions for navigation and operation.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control device that includes a communication unit, a determination unit to assess communication status, and a travel instruction unit to proactively transmit instructions to the vehicle before disconnection occurs, ensuring continuous operation by matching conditions associated with travel control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the autonomous driving vehicle relies on real-time communication with the server for travel instructions, then the travel control accuracy is improved, but the system reliability deteriorates when communication is disconnected

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetravel control accuracyVSAvoidsystem reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The server transmits travel instructions to the autonomous driving vehicle in advance, before the vehicle enters a communication disconnection area. The vehicle stores these instructions locally and executes them when communication is unavailable, ensuring continuous operation without compromising travel control accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares for potential communication failures by pre-transmitting and storing travel instructions before disconnection occurs. This cushioning mechanism ensures that the vehicle has backup instructions ready, maintaining system reliability during communication disruptions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If the vehicle transmits communication status information frequently to the server, then the communication reliability is improved, but the loss of time increases due to repeated communication overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidcommunication time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous communication, the system uses periodic status checks and event-triggered transmissions. The vehicle transmits communication status information at specific intervals or when status changes occur, reducing unnecessary communication overhead while maintaining adequate monitoring of communication reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS11543833B2Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system

Publication Date: 2023.01.03 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A vehicle control device includes a communication unit configured to be communicable with an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously travels, a determination unit configured to determine whether there is a possibility that communication between the autonomous driving vehicle and the vehicle control device is disconnected, based on information indicating a communication status between the autonomous driving vehicle and the vehicle control device, and a travel instruction unit configured to transmit, when there is the possibility that the communication between the autonomous driving vehicle and the vehicle control device is disconnected, a travel instruction to the autonomous driving vehicle via the communication unit before the communication between the autonomous driving vehicle and the vehicle control device is disconnected. The travel instruction matches conditions associated with travel control of the autonomous driving vehicle.