Controller architecture for monitoring health of an autonomous vehicle

• US 10,424,127 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Jiang, Shengbing, Du, Xinyu, Holland, Steven W., Sankavaram, Chaitanya, Sarwar, Azeem, Duan, Shiming
• Primary Examiner(s): Oh, Harry Y
• Application Number:
  US15/688,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20190066399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

A controller architecture for monitoring an autonomic vehicle control system includes a first controller, a second controller, a telematics controller, a third controller, a plurality of subsystem controllers, a first and a second communication bus, and a first and a second communication link. The telematics controller in communication with the first controller. The second controller includes a second processor and a second memory device. Each subsystem controller is configured to effect operation of one of a subsystem, wherein each of the subsystem controllers includes a vehicle health monitor (VHM) agent. The third controller includes a third processor and a third memory device. A first instruction set includes a prognostic classification routine based upon inputs from the VHM agents of the plurality of subsystem controllers. The telematics controller is disposed to communicate an output from the prognostic classification routine to an off-board controller.

Claims

1. A controller architecture for monitoring an autonomic vehicle control system, comprising:

a first controller including a first processor and a first memory device, the first memory device including a first executable instruction set;

a telematics controller in communication with the first controller;

a second controller including a second processor and a second memory device, the second memory device including a second executable instruction set, wherein the second executable instruction set is redundant to the first executable instruction set;

a plurality of subsystem controllers, each subsystem controller configured to effect operation of a subsystem of the autonomic vehicle control system, wherein each of the subsystem controllers includes a vehicle health monitor (VHM) agent;

a third controller including a third processor and a third memory device, the third memory device including a third executable instruction set disposed to effect fault mitigation;

a first communication bus disposed to effect communication between the first controller, the second controller and a first subset of the subsystem controllers;

a second communication bus disposed to effect communication between the first controller, the second controller and a second subset of the subsystem controllers;

a first communication link disposed to effect communication between the first controller and the third controller; and

a second communication link disposed to effect communication between the second controller and the third controller;

wherein the first executable instruction set associated with the first controller includes a prognostic classification routine based upon inputs from the VHM agents of the plurality of subsystem controllers; and

wherein the telematics controller is disposed to communicate an output from the prognostic classification routine to an off-board controller.

2. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the prognostic classification software is executed to determine a prognostic associated with one of the subsystems.

3. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the second controller includes a fourth executable instruction set configured to monitor a state of health (SOH) of the first controller.

4. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the off-board controller includes a remote server that includes a processing device, a communication device, and a memory device that may be implemented in a cloud computing environment.

5. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein each of the VHM agents is configured to perform component and sub-system monitoring, feature extraction, data filtering and data recording for the respective subsystem controller.

6. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the subsystem controllers include a drivetrain controller, a vehicle controller, a spatial monitoring controller, an HMI controller and an operator controller.

7. The controller architecture of claim 6:

wherein the drivetrain controller is operably connected to a drivetrain;

wherein the vehicle controller is operably connected to a steering system, a braking system and a chassis system;

wherein the spatial monitoring controller is operably connected to a vehicle spatial monitoring system;

wherein the HMI controller is operably connected to an HMI system; and

wherein the operator controller is operably connected to operator control devices.

8. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the third memory device of the third controller includes a third executable instruction set disposed to effect fault mitigation associated with one of the subsystems.

9. The controller architecture of claim 1, wherein the first controller further comprises

a fourth processor and a fourth memory device;

wherein the first processor is disposed to communicate with the first communication bus to effect communication with the second controller and the first subset of the subsystem controllers;

wherein the first processor is disposed to communicate with the second communication bus to effect communication with the second controller and the second subset of the subsystem controllers.

10. The controller architecture of claim 9, wherein the fourth processor of the first controller is disposed to communicate with the telematics controller.

11. The controller architecture of claim 9, wherein the fourth processor of the first controller is disposed to communicate with an HMI controller is operably connected to an HMI system disposed on-vehicle.

12. A controller architecture for monitoring an autonomic vehicle control system, comprising:

a first controller including a first executable instruction set;

a telematics controller in communication with the first controller;

a second controller including a second executable instruction set, wherein the second executable instruction set is redundant to the first executable instruction set;

a plurality of subsystem controllers, each subsystem controller configured to effect operation of a subsystem of the autonomic vehicle control system, wherein each of the subsystem controllers includes a vehicle health monitor (VHM) agent;

a third controller including a third executable instruction set disposed to effect fault mitigation;

a plurality of communication buses disposed to effect communication between the first controller, the second controller and a first subset of the subsystem controllers and a second subset of the subsystem controllers;

wherein the first executable instruction set associated with the first controller includes a prognostic classification routine based upon inputs from the VHM agents of the plurality of subsystem controllers; and

wherein the telematics controller is disposed to communicate an output from the prognostic classification routine to an off-board controller.

13. The controller architecture of claim 12, wherein the prognostic classification software is executed to determine a prognostic associated with one of the subsystems.

14. The controller architecture of claim 12, wherein the second controller includes a fourth executable instruction set configured to monitor a state of health (SOH) of the first controller.

15. The controller architecture of claim 12, wherein the off-board controller includes a remote server that includes a processing device, a communication device, and a memory device that may be implemented in a cloud computing environment.

16. The controller architecture of claim 12, wherein each of the VHM agents is configured to perform component and sub-system monitoring, feature extraction, data filtering and data recording for the respective subsystem controller.

17. The controller architecture of claim 12, wherein the subsystem controllers include a drivetrain controller, a vehicle controller, a spatial monitoring controller, an HMI controller and an operator controller.

18. The controller architecture of claim 17:

wherein the drivetrain controller is operably connected to a drivetrain;

wherein the vehicle controller is operably connected to a steering system, a braking system and a chassis system;

wherein the spatial monitoring controller is operably connected to a vehicle spatial monitoring system;

wherein the HMI controller is operably connected to an HMI system; and

wherein the operator controller is operably connected to operator control devices.