Vehicle Sensor Fault Detection Using Roadside Majority Decision

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing systems for automatic driving vehicles require multiple sensors with overlapping detection targets, leading to redundancy and increased costs for abnormality detection.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle control device that determines sensor abnormalities through majority decision using inter-vehicle distance data from both internal and external sensors, without the need for additional sensors, by comparing data from a camera and radar with data from external sources via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If three sensors with overlapping detection targets are installed on the own vehicle for majority decision, then sensor abnormality detection reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensor abnormality detection reliabilityVSAvoidnumber of sensors
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces external sensors installed on roadside infrastructure as intermediary elements to participate in the majority decision process. These external sensors act as mediators that provide additional detection results without being part of the own vehicle's sensor system, enabling abnormality detection while avoiding the complexity of installing three onboard sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single-vehicle sensor system to a multi-dimensional system that includes both onboard and roadside sensors. By adding the spatial dimension of roadside installation, the system achieves three-sensor majority decision capability without increasing the number of sensors on the own vehicle.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If three sensors with overlapping detection targets are installed on the own vehicle for majority decision, then sensor abnormality detection reliability is improved, but cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesensor abnormality detection reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces external sensors installed on roadside infrastructure as intermediary elements to participate in the majority decision process. These external sensors act as mediators that provide additional detection results without being part of the own vehicle's sensor system, enabling abnormality detection while avoiding the complexity of installing three onboard sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The external sensors installed on roadside infrastructure serve multiple functions: they provide detection data for majority decision, enable abnormality detection for multiple passing vehicles, and reduce the burden on individual vehicle sensor systems. This multi-functionality reduces overall system cost.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3587209B1vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.12.18 ASTEMO LTD
  • EP3587209B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3587209B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3587209B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The present invention provides a vehicle control device capable of performing abnormality determination of a sensor by majority decision without increasing the number of sensors in a vehicle. A vehicle control device 18 is for a vehicle 1 including a camera 17 and a radar 24 configured to detect a predetermined detection target; and a communication device 26 configured to communicate with outside. The vehicle control device 18 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the camera 17 and the radar 24 on the basis of: first acquisition means configured to acquire information on the predetermined detection target from each of the camera 17 and the radar 24; second acquisition means configured to acquire information, on the predetermined detection target, detected by a road-to-vehicle communication device 29 external to an own vehicle and received by the communication device 26; information from the camera 17 and the radar 24 acquired by the first acquisition means; and information from the road-to-vehicle communication device 29 external to the own vehicle acquired by the second acquisition means.