Vehicle Control Device Actuator Failure Compensation Range
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems fail to ensure safe autonomous driving when actuator failures occur, as they cannot handle situations where the vehicle cannot travel safely.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control device with a periphery-information detection unit and a travel-state detection unit that computes a compensation range for a higher-level action plan, allowing for safe travel even with decreased actuator performance, using redundant configurations for the actuators, and limits the action plan to maintain safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous driving control is implemented with standard actuator configurations, then normal driving operations can be performed, but safety cannot be ensured when actuator failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-computes compensation ranges for the higher-level action plan before failures occur. This preliminary preparation allows the vehicle to immediately adjust its driving behavior when actuator failures are detected, ensuring safety without requiring complex real-time calculations during emergency situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes compensation ranges that act as a safety buffer, allowing the vehicle to continue operating safely even when actuators fail. This cushioning approach creates a margin of safety by pre-defining acceptable performance degradation levels and corresponding action plan adjustments.
2Reliability
If the vehicle stops autonomous driving when actuator failures occur, then safety is maintained by avoiding unsafe operations, but the vehicle cannot continue traveling
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the higher-level action plan based on the computed compensation range and current failure conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the vehicle to continue autonomous driving with modified parameters rather than stopping, maintaining both safety and travel continuity through real-time plan modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of the higher-level action plan within the computed compensation range to accommodate actuator failures. By adjusting action plan parameters rather than stopping operations, the vehicle maintains safe autonomous driving capability while continuing travel.
3Reliability
If the higher-level action plan is strictly limited to compensate for actuator failures, then safety is ensured, but the ability to reach the destination efficiently is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial compensation by limiting the higher-level action plan only to the extent necessary to ensure safety within the computed compensation range. This partial action approach maintains safety while minimizing the impact on travel efficiency, allowing the vehicle to reach the destination with acceptable time loss.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a vehicle control device including: a periphery-information detection unit (40 to 47) that detects information on the periphery of a vehicle; a travel-state detection unit (51 to 54) that detects the travel state of the vehicle; a travel controller (60) that controls autonomous travel of the vehicle based on the information on the periphery detected by the periphery-information detection unit (40 to 47), the travel state detected by the travel-state detection unit (51 to 54), a higher-level action plan for reaching a destination set in advance, and a lower-level action plan for controlling at least one of a vehicle-speed target value and a steering target value to accomplish the higher-level action plan; actuator units (80, 82) each including a redundant configuration and used for the autonomous travel of the vehicle; a higher-level action-plan compensation-range computation unit (65) that computes a compensation range for the higher-level action plan that allows travel in a state where performance of one of the actuator units has decreased; and a higher-level action-plan limiting unit (66) that limits the higher-level action plan by using the compensation range computed by the higher-level action-plan compensation-range computation unit (65).