VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM WITH INTERFACE BETWEEN DATA PROCESSING PATHS

Abstract

A control system for a vehicle contains a computing unit having first and second subunits. The first subunit has a first interface for receiving first sensor data, a processor for performing first control functions, and a first connection unit for transmitting the first sensor data to the first processor. The second subunit has a second interface for receiving second sensor data, a second processor for performing second control functions, and a second connection unit for transmitting the second sensor data to the second processor. The first connection unit has a first data exchange block and the second connection unit has a second data exchange block. The first data exchange block transmits the first sensor data to the second data exchange block, and the second data exchange block transmits the first sensor data to the second processor. The second processor performs the second control functions based on the first sensor data.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A control system for a vehicle comprising: a computing unit with a first subunit and a second subunit, wherein the first subunit is configured to receive and process sensor data from at least one first sensor, and perform first control functions of the vehicle on a basis thereof, wherein the first subunit comprises: at least one first interface unit configured to receive the first sensor data; a first processor configured to perform the first control functions; and a first connection unit configured to transmit the first sensor data to the first processor, wherein the second subunit comprises: at least one second interface unit configured to receive the second sensor data; a second processor configured to perform the second control functions; and a second connection unit configured to transmit the second sensor data to the second processor, wherein the first connection unit comprises a first data exchange block and the second connection unit comprises a second data exchange block, wherein the first data exchange block is configured to transmit the first sensor data to the second data exchange block, the second data exchange block is configured to transmit the first sensor data to the second processor, wherein the second processor is configured to perform the second control functions on a basis of the first sensor data, wherein the first connection unit contains a first protocol conversion block configured to: translate the first sensor data, which are encoded in a first sensor transmission protocol, into an intermediate transmission protocol; translate the first sensor data, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol, into a first processor transmission protocol; and forward the first sensor data, which have been translated into the first processor transmission protocol, to the first processor, wherein the first data exchange block is configured to translate the first sensor data, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol, into an exchange protocol to be sent to the second data exchange block.

13. The control system according to claim 12, wherein: the second data exchange block is configured to transmit the second sensor data to the first data exchange block; the first data exchange block is configured to transmit the second sensor data to the first processor; and the first processor is configured to perform the first control functions on a basis of the second sensor data.

14. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the transmission of sensor data between the first data exchange block and the second data exchange block takes place with the exchange protocol, wherein the first data exchange block is configured to translate the first sensor data, which have been received in the first sensor transmission protocol, into the exchange protocol, and wherein the second data exchange block is configured to translate the second sensor data, which have been received in a second sensor transmission protocol, into the exchange protocol.

15. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the transmission of sensor data between the first data exchange block and the second data exchange block takes place using differential signaling, so as to separate the first subunit and second subunit with regard to an electrical potential.

16. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the first subunit is configured to receive the first sensor data from at least two first sensors, and wherein the data exchange between the first data exchange block and the second data exchange block takes place with a time slot method in which first sensor data from each one of the at least two first sensors are transmitted successively in time slots.

17. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the second subunit receives the second sensor data from at least two second sensors, and wherein the data exchange between the first data exchange block and the second data exchange block takes place with a time slot method in which second sensor data from each one of the at least two second sensors are transmitted successively in time slots.

18. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the first connection unit is configured to forward the first sensor data, which are encoded in the first sensor transmission protocol, to the first processor in the first sensor transmission protocol.

19. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the second connection unit is configured to forward the second sensor data, which are encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol, to the second processor in the second sensor transmission protocol.

20. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the second connection unit comprises a second protocol conversion block configured to: translate the second sensor data, which are encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol, into a second processor transmission protocol; and forward the second sensor data, which have been translated into the second processor transmission protocol, to the second processor.

21. The control system according to claim 20, wherein the first data exchange block is configured to translate the first sensor data, which have been translated into the first processor transmission protocol, into the exchange protocol to be sent to the second data exchange block.

22. The control system according to claim 20, wherein the second data exchange block is configured to translate the second sensor data, which have been translated into the second processor transmission protocol, into the exchange protocol to be sent to the first data exchange block.

23. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the second connection unit comprises a second protocol conversion block configured to: translate the second sensor data, which are encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol, into the intermediate transmission protocol; translate the second sensor data, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol, into a second processor transmission protocol; and forward the second sensor data, which have been translated into the second processor transmission protocol, to the second processor, wherein the second data exchange block is configured to translate the second sensor data, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol, into the exchange protocol to be sent to the first data exchange block.

24. The control system according to claim 12, wherein the first connection unit and second connection unit are hardware modules in which the first data exchange block and the second data exchange block comprise hardware.

25. A vehicle comprising the control system according to claim 12.

Description

[0034] Exemplary embodiments of the invention shall be explained in detail below in reference to the drawings.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a control system according one embodiment of the invention.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of control system according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0038] The reference symbols are listed with the elements to which they refer in the list of reference symbols. Identical or similar parts are given the same reference symbols.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle 10, which can be an autonomous or semiautonomous vehicle. The vehicle 10 has a drive 12, which can comprise a motor, steering system, and braking system. The drive 12 is controlled by a control system 14, which receives sensor data 16 from numerous sensors 18, and outputs control commands 20 to the drive 12. The control system 14 comprises one or more computing units 22, which can comprise processors, memories, and other hardware modules with which the control system 14 can process the sensor data and perform its functions.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a computing unit 22 in greater detail. The computing unit has two subunits 24a, 24b, which can be regarded as discrete data processing paths. Each of these subunits 24a, 24b contains interface units 26a, 26b, a connection unit 28a, 28b, and a processor 30a, 30b.

[0041] FIG. 2 also shows numerous sensors 32a, 32b, which are grouped according to their types. These sensors 32a, 32b can comprise radar, lidar and/or camera sensors. The sensors 32a, 32b are divided into two groups 34a, 34b. The first group 34a of first sensors 32a sends first sensor data 36a to the first interface units 26a. The second group 34b of second sensors 32b sends second sensor data 36b to the second interface units 26b. The sensor data 36a, 36b can also be of different types, e.g. radar data, lidar data, image data, etc. The sensor data 36a, 36b can also be transmitted from the sensors 32a, 32b to the interface units 26a, 26b with different transmission standards and/or transmission protocols, e.g. Ethernet, CAN bus, etc. Each of the interface units 26a, 26b in a subunit 24a, 24b can be configured for a transmission standard and/or transmission protocol.

[0042] It should be understood that the components 26a, 26b, 28a, 28b, 30a, 30b can be hardware modules in the computing unit 22.

[0043] As shall be described in greater detail below, the sensor data 36a, 36b are forwarded to the processors 30a, 30b via the connection units 28a, 28b. The sensor data 36a, 36b are indicated by broken lines. Using the connection units 28a, 28b, it is possible for both processors 30a, 30b to receive and process the sensor data 36a, 36b that are sent to the respective subunits 24a, 24b in a normal operation thereof. It is also possible for the processors 30a, 30b to perform their functions when certain sensors 32a, 32b malfunction and/or their connections to the computing unit 22 are interrupted, when only the sensor data 36a, 36b from their subunits 24a, 24b are received and/or when only the sensor data 36a, 36b in another subunit 24a, 24b are received. The subunits 24a, 24b can provide redundant data paths in this manner.

[0044] The processors 30a, 30b can comprise CPUs, GPUs and/or other hardware modules with which machine learning algorithms can be performed, which evaluate and classify the sensor data 36a, 36b, and generate control commands 38a, 38b for the drive therefrom. In general, the first processor 30 performs first control functions 40a, and the second processor 30b performs second control functions 40b.

[0045] In summary, the control system 14 contains a computing unit 22 with a first subunit 24a and a second subunit 24b, wherein the first subunit 24a receives and processes first sensor data 36a from at least one first sensor 32a, and performs first control functions 40a of the vehicle 10 on the basis thereof, and the second subunit 24b receives and processes second sensor data 36b from at least one second sensor 32b, and performs second control functions 40b of the vehicle 10 on the basis thereof. The first subunit 24a has at least one interface unit 26a for receiving the first sensor data 36a, a first processor 30a for performing the first control functions 40a, and a first connection unit 28a for transmitting the first sensor data 36a to the first processor 30a. The second subunit 24b has at least one second interface unit 26b for receiving the second sensor data 36b, a second processor 30b for performing the second control functions 40b, and a second connection unit 28b for transmitting the second sensor data 36b to the second processor 30b.

[0046] Each of the connection units 28a, 28b has a data exchange block 42a, 42b with which the two subunits 24a, 24b can exchange sensor data 36a, 36b. The data exchange blocks 42a, 42b convert the sensor data 36a, 36b, which can be encoded and/or transmitted in different sensor transmission protocols 44a, 44b and/or transmission standards, into an exchange protocol 46. The respective sensor data 36a, 36b are then sent with the exchange protocol 46 to the other data exchange block, and then sent from the other connection unit 28a, 28b to the associated processor, also by means of the exchange protocol 46, for example.

[0047] The transmission of sensor data 36a, 36b between the first data exchange block 42a and second data exchange block 42b takes place by means of an exchange protocol 46. The first sensor data 36a, which are received in a first sensor transmission protocol 44a, are translated the into the exchange protocol 46 by the first data exchange block 42a. The second sensor data 36b, which are received in a second sensor transmission protocol 44b, are also translated the into the exchange protocol 46 by the second data exchange block 42b.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 2, the first sensor data 36a can be encoded and/or transmitted to the first connection unit 28a by means of the first sensor transmission protocols 44a. The first sensor transmission protocols 44a can be of different types. The second sensor data 36b can be encoded and/or transmitted to the second connection unit 28b by means of the second sensor transmission protocols 44b. The second transmission protocols 44b can be of different types. It is also possible for the first sensor transmission protocols 44a and second transmission protocols 44b to be of the same type, and/or different types. The types of transmission protocols can be Ethernet, PCI express, CAB bus, etc. and/or defined with the specific standards.

[0049] In summary, the first data exchange block 42a is configured to transmit the first sensor data 36a to the second data exchange block 42b. The second data exchange block 42b is configured to transmit the first sensor data 36a to the second processor 30b. The second processor 30b is configured to perform the second control functions 40b on the basis of the first sensor data 36a. In the same manner, the second data exchange block 42b s configured to transmit the second sensor data 36b to the first data exchange block 42a, wherein the first data exchange block 42a is configured to transmit the second sensor data 36b to the first processor 30a, and the first processor 30a is configured to perform the first control functions 40a on the basis of the second sensor data 36b.

[0050] Because there is only one interface unit between the two subunits 24a, 24b, this interface unit can also be used to decouple the two from one another. The data transmission between the two data exchange blocks can take place with an AC coupling, or with an AC coupled signal. In particular, the transmission of sensor data 36a, 36b between the first data block 42a and second data block 42b can take place with differential signaling, in order to separate the first subunit 24a from the second subunit 24b with regard to an electrical potential.

[0051] Furthermore, the standardized interface unit can be used to exchange the sensor data 36a, 36b between the subunits 24a, 24b in the same manner. The sensor data 36a, 36b can be exchanged via a single physical channel that has been subdivided into numerous virtual channels. A time slot method can be used for this. In particular, sensor data 36a, 36b from various sensors can be transmitted in different time slots.

[0052] The first subunit 24a can receive first sensor data 36a from at least two first sensors 32a and the data exchange between the first data exchange block 42a and second data exchange block 42b can take place using a time slop method in which the first sensor data 36a from various first sensors 32a are transmitted successively in time slots. In the same manner, the second subunit 24b can receive second sensor data 36b from at least two second sensors 32b and the data exchange between the first data exchange block 42a and second data exchange block 42b can take place using a time slot method in which second sensor data 36b from various second sensors 32b are transmitted successively in time slots.

[0053] As is shown in FIG. 2, the connection units 28a, 28b can be configured such that the sensor data 36a, 36b that have been encoded in the sensor transmission protocols 44a, 44b are transmitted in this form to the processors 30a, 30b. In particular, the first connection unit 28a can forward the first sensor data 36a, which have been encoded in a first sensor transmission protocol 44a, to the first processor 30a in the first sensor transmission protocol 44a. The second connection unit 28b can also forward the second sensor data 36b, which have been encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol 44b, to the second processor 30b in the second sensor transmission protocol 44b. The requires that the corresponding processor 30a, 30b be configured to be able to process all of these sensor transmission protocols 44a, 44b.

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a computing unit 22 that, aside from the differences described below, can have the same design as the computing unit 22 in FIG. 2. The computing unit in FIG. 3 has connection units 28a, 28b that each contain a protocol conversion block 48a, 48b.

[0055] Protocol conversion blocks 48a, 48b first translate the sensor data 36a, 36b optionally into an intermediate transmission protocol 54 and into a processor transmission protocol 50a, 50b. The sensor data 36a, 36b can then be translated into the exchange protocol by the data exchange block 42a, 42 from the intermediate transmission protocol 54, or directly from the processor transmission protocol 50a, 50b. By way of example, the sensor data 36a, 36b can first be recoded into another format with the intermediate transmission protocol 54, from which the sensor data 36a, 36b can be generated in the processor transmission protocol 50a, 50b and the exchange protocol 46 with less computing effort.

[0056] On the whole, the first sensor data 36a, which are encoded in a first sensor transmission protocol 44a, are translated into the first processor transmission protocol 50a by the first protocol conversion block 48a, and forwarded to the first processor 30a. The second sensor data 36b, which are encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol 44b, are translated into the second processor transmission protocol 50b by the second protocol conversion block 48b, and forwarded to the second processor 30b.

[0057] The first sensor data 36a, which have been translated into the first processor transmission protocol 50a, can then be translated into the exchange protocol 46 by the first data exchange block 42a. The second sensor data 36b, which have been translated into the second processor transmission protocol 50b, can then be translated into the exchange protocol 46 by the second data exchange block 42b.

[0058] It is also possible for the first sensor data 36a, which have been translated in the first protocol conversion block 48a into the first sensor transmission protocol 44a, to be translated into an intermediate transmission protocol 54, and the first sensor data 36a, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol 54, can subsequently be translated into the first processor transmission protocol 50a, and forwarded to the first processor 30a. In this case, the first sensor data 36a, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol 54, can then be translated into the exchange protocol 46 by the first data exchange block 42a.

[0059] In the same manner, the second sensor data 36b, which are encoded in a second sensor transmission protocol 44b, can be translated into the intermediate transmission protocol 54 by the second protocol conversion block 48b, with which the second sensor data 36b, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol 54, are subsequently translated into the second processor transmission protocol 50, and then forwarded to the second processor 30b. The second sensor data 36b, which have been translated into the intermediate transmission protocol 54, can then be translated the into the exchange protocol 46 by the second data exchange block 42b.

[0060] In both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the first connection unit 28a and second connection unit 28b can be hardware modules in the form of FPGAs for example. The logic system for the protocol translation described above can be implemented in these hardware modules. In particular, the data exchange blocks 42a, 42b and/or the protocol conversion blocks 48a, 48b can be implemented in the form of hardware.

[0061] The data path from the first processor 30a via the first connection unit 38a to the second connection unit 28b and from there to the second processor 30b can also be used for the data exchange between the processors 30a and 30b. In the same manner, the data transmission can take place in the opposite direction, from the second processor 30b to the first processor 30a. A conversion of the protocols takes place in a manner comparable to the conversion of the protocols for the sensor data.

[0062] It should also be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude any other elements or steps, and “one” or “a” do not exclude a plurality. It should also be noted that features or steps described in reference to any of the exemplary embodiments described above can also be used in combination with other features or steps in other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference symbols in the claims are not to be regarded as limiting.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0063] 10 vehicle

[0064] 12 drive

[0065] 14 control system

[0066] 16 sensor data

[0067] 18 sensor

[0068] 20 control commands

[0069] 22 computing unit

[0070] 24a first subunit

[0071] 24b second subunit

[0072] 26a first interface unit

[0073] 26b second interface unit

[0074] 28a first connection unit

[0075] 28b second connection unit

[0076] 30a first processor

[0077] 30b second processor

[0078] 32a first sensor

[0079] 32b second sensor

[0080] 34a first group

[0081] 34b second group

[0082] 36a first sensor data

[0083] 36b second sensor data

[0084] 38a first control command

[0085] 38b second control command

[0086] 40a first control function

[0087] 40b second control function

[0088] 42a first data exchange block

[0089] 42b second data exchange block

[0090] 44a first sensor transmission protocol

[0091] 44b second sensor transmission protocol

[0092] 46 exchange protocol

[0093] 48a first protocol conversion block

[0094] 48b second protocol conversion block

[0095] 50a first processor transmission protocol

[0096] 50b second processor transmission protocol

[0097] 54 intermediate transmission protocol