Vehicle Device Control System With Specification Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

An electric vehicle automatic operation management system fails when the communication unit of the electric vehicle does not conform to the system specifications, leading to control failures in vehicle-mounted device control systems where information from one device is used to control another.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle-mounted device control system that performs cooperative control using information from a first device, with alternative control mechanisms activated if the primary device does not respond, preventing control failures by querying the device's specifications and notifying the operator of non-conformity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the system requires all vehicle-mounted devices to conform to system specifications, then cooperative control reliability is improved, but device adaptability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooperative control reliabilityVSAvoiddevice adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit performs preliminary identification of the communication unit's specifications before executing cooperative control. By querying device information in advance and storing it for later reference, the system determines whether the device conforms to specifications beforehand, preventing control failures during actual operation while still allowing non-conforming devices to be connected.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit acts as an intermediary between the communication unit and the cooperative control system. It mediates by identifying device specifications, comparing them against required standards, and deciding whether to permit or block cooperative control based on this assessment, thus protecting the system from incompatible devices while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the system performs identification checks on communication units, then control failure prevention is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol failure preventionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The identification function is extracted as a separate, dedicated process within the control unit. Rather than embedding complex verification logic throughout the entire cooperative control system, the patent isolates the identification and determination logic into a specific module that handles device verification independently, simplifying the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit stores copied information about the communication unit's specifications in memory for later reference. Instead of repeatedly querying the device or performing complex real-time analysis, the system creates a stored copy of device information that can be quickly retrieved and compared against requirements, reducing computational complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Stability of the object's composition

If the system blocks cooperative control for non-conforming devices, then system stability is improved, but productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem stabilityVSAvoidcooperative control productivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the identified device characteristics. Rather than using a static block-all approach, the control unit flexibly permits cooperative control when devices conform to specifications and blocks it only when necessary, optimizing the balance between stability and productivity based on actual device capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2168819B1Vehicle-mounted device control system
Publication Date: 2023.03.15 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP2168819B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2168819B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2168819B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle-mounted device control system (1) includes a first vehicle-mounted device (10), a second vehicle-mounted device (20), and a control unit (100) connected to the first vehicle-mounted device (10) and the second vehicle-mounted device (20). The control unit (100) includes signal transmission means (104) that transmits a predetermined signal to the first vehicle-mounted device (10), cooperative control means (108) that performs cooperative control in which the second vehicle-mounted device (20) is controlled using information used by the first vehicle-mounted device (10) when the first vehicle-mounted device (10) responds to the predetermined signal, and alternative control means (112) that performs alternative control in which the second vehicle-mounted device (20) is controlled without using information, used by the first vehicle-mounted device (10), when the first vehicle-mounted device (10) does not respond to the predetermined signal.