On-Board Fault Isolation for Autonomous Vehicle Out-of-Service Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack effective local mechanisms to detect and respond to faults, relying on remote monitoring systems that can be delayed by communication latencies, which may compromise safety and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An on-board computer system in autonomous vehicles that monitors parameters such as fuel level, engine conditions, and user inputs to determine faults and take actions like stopping or diverting to a maintenance location, reducing reliance on remote systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous vehicles rely on remote monitoring systems to detect and address faults, then centralized control and oversight are improved, but communication latencies and response time are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the fault detection and response system into two segments: on-board computing devices that perform local real-time monitoring and determination of faults, and remote tracking systems that provide centralized oversight. This segmentation allows the on-board system to respond immediately to faults without waiting for remote communication, while the remote system maintains overall fleet management. The on-board computing device determines fault existence based on vehicle parameters and independently decides whether to take the vehicle out-of-service, eliminating communication latency from the critical response path.
2Loss of time
If autonomous vehicles use on-board computing devices to detect and respond to faults locally, then response time and safety are improved, but device complexity and computational burden are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The on-board computing device is designed to autonomously monitor vehicle parameters, determine the existence of faults, and independently decide whether to take the vehicle out-of-service without requiring constant remote intervention. The system serves itself by maintaining a status indicating vehicle availability, automatically comparing parameters to thresholds, and executing fault response actions. This self-service capability reduces the need for complex communication protocols and remote system complexity while enabling rapid local response to faults.
3Measurement precision
If autonomous vehicles continuously monitor multiple parameters to detect faults, then fault detection precision is improved, but energy consumption and computational resources are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors multiple vehicle parameters continuously but only performs full fault determination and comparison operations when parameter values approach or exceed predetermined thresholds. The on-board computing device selectively processes data based on the need for immediate fault detection, rather than continuously analyzing all parameters at full computational intensity. This partial action approach maintains high detection precision for critical fault conditions while reducing overall computational energy consumption during normal operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, methods, and vehicles for taking a vehicle out-of-service are provided. In one example embodiment, a method includes obtaining, by one or more computing devices on-board an autonomous vehicle, data indicative of one or more parameters associated with the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle is configured to provide a vehicle service to one or more users of the vehicle service. The method includes determining, by the computing devices, an existence of a fault associated with the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the one or more parameters associated with the autonomous vehicle. The method includes determining, by the computing devices, one or more actions to be performed by the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the existence of the fault. The method includes performing, by the computing devices, one or more of the actions to take the autonomous vehicle out-of-service based at least in part on the fault.