Sensor System for Independently Evaluating the Integrity of the Data of the Sensor System

• US 20140336983A1
• Filed: 10/24/2012
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Company HG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Company HG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Steinhardt, Nico, Winner, Hermann
• Granted Patent: US 11,255,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/181
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/00 Apparatus, or methods of use thereof, for testing or treating seed, roots, or the like, prior to sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 1/00 Measuring arrangements giving results other than momentary value of variable, of general application G01D3/00 takes precedence; in tariff metering apparatus G01D4/00; transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable G01D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04

Abstract

A sensor system, having sensor elements for sensing at least to some extent different primary measured variables or use different measurement principles. A signal processing device evaluates the sensor signals from the sensor elements at least to some extent collectively and rates the information quality of the sensor signals. The signal processing device further provides a piece of information about the consistency of at least one datum of a physical variable, wherein this datum of the physical variable is calculated, at least to some extent, on the basis of the sensor signals from sensor elements that sense this physical variable directly or from the sensor signals from which it is possible to calculate this physical variable. The information about the consistency of this datum of this physical variable is calculated at least on the basis of the directly or indirectly redundantly present sensor information.

Claims

1. A sensor system, comprising a plurality of sensor elements that are in a form to sense at least to some extent different primary measured variables or use at least to some extent different measurement principles, a signal processing device, configured to evaluate sensor signals from the sensor elements at least to some extent collectively and rates the information quality of the sensor signals, the signal processing device further in a form to provide a piece of information about the consistency of at least one datum of a physical variable, wherein the datum of the physical variable is calculated at least to some extent, on the basis of the sensor signals from sensor elements that sense the physical variable directly or from the sensor signals from which it is possible to calculate the physical variable, wherein the information about the consistency of the datum of the physical variable is calculated at least on the basis of the directly or indirectly redundantly present sensor information.

2. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising in that the signal processing device further comprises an integrity unit in which the information about the consistency is produced.

3. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising in that the signal processing device has a fusion filter that provides a defined fusion data record in the course of the evaluation of at least the sensor signals or signals derived from the sensor elements, wherein the fusion data record has in each case data for defined physical variables, wherein the fusion data record for at least one physical variable, a datum of the physical variable and a piece of information about the consistency of the datum of the physical variable.

4. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, the signal processing device is in a form configured such that the defined fusion data record additionally has at least one status datum of a sensor element which the sensor element provides itself by means of self-diagnosis, wherein the status datum is taken into account during the calculation of the information about the consistency of at least one datum of a physical variable.

5. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form configured to provide a relative confidence measure as the piece of information, which is dependent on the relative deviation in the data or measured values from at least two sensor information source channels on the basis of which the relevant at least one datum of the physical variable is calculated, as the piece of information about the consistency for at least one datum of a physical variable.

6. The sensor system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form to use a measured value or a piece of measurement information or a value derived from a piece of measurement information and an uncertainty measure for a sensor information source channel, respectively, for the sensor information source channel in order to calculate the relative confidence information.

7. The sensor system as claimed in claim 5 further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form such that for the at least one datum of a physical variable the associated relative confidence information is calculated as the relative confidence measure K_r with

8. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form such that, in addition or as an alternative to a relative confidence measure, the signal processing device provides an absolute confidence measure as absolute confidence information, which is dependent on an uncertainty measure for at least two sensor information source channels on the basis of which the relevant at least one datum of the physical variable is calculated, as the piece of information about the consistency for at least one datum of a physical variable.

9. The sensor system as claimed in claim 8, further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form such that for the at least one datum of a physical variable the associated absolute confidence information is calculated as the absolute confidence measure K_a with

K_a=[Σ

_i=1ⁱ⁼ⁿσ

_i<sup>−

2</sup>]<sup>−

1/2</sup> or K_a=√

{square root over (Σ

_i=1ⁱ⁼ⁿσ

_i²)} and in this case with

wherein n is the number of compared sensor information source channels and σ

_i is the standard deviation of the i-th sensor information source channel.

10. The sensor system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form such that for at least one datum of a physical variable a rating is performed to determine whether or not the consistency is sufficiently great, wherein the rating is performed by calculating whether the relative confidence information or the relative confidence measure exceeds a defined threshold value.

11. The sensor system as claimed in claims 1 further comprising in that a disappearance of a sensor information source channel is taken into account during the calculation of the information about the consistency.

12. The sensor system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising in that the signal processing device is in a form such that, in the event of only a single sensor information source channel being available or only a single sensor information channel providing a datum in a defined time interval in which the data from at least one sensor information source channel are used for calculating the information about the consistency, no relative confidence measure is calculated and that in this case the value 0 or a value close to infinity or a defined value is assumed for the absolute confidence measure or that the absolute confidence measure is not calculated.