Control device and method for generating control signals for technical devices

• US 7,991,491 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Original Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fã¼R Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.V.
• Inventors: Schomerus, Jan, Kelsch, Johann, Flemisch, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOPEZ ALVAREZ, OLVIN
• Application Number:
  US11/559,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 700/11, 700/83, 700/70, 701/11, 701/60, 701/68, 701/52, 701/23, 701/41
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 7/02 electric

Abstract

A control device for controlling a controlled system, such as steering, braking or accelerating when driving a car, as well other operations for other vehicles or systems, includes an automatic control system that generates automatically generated control signals, a haptic control command input device generates manual control command inputs, and an arbitration unit which resolves disputes between the automatically generated signals and the manual control command inputs. The haptic control generates control signals that depend on both the automatically generated control signals and the manual control command inputs, and adjustments are made continuously therebetween using rule based feed back control signals. Arbitration is performed in the dead spaced of the controlled system or the haptic control command input device.

Claims

1. Control device (1) comprising:

an automatic control command system (2) for the automatic generation of control signals (S_A),

a haptic control command input device (3) which has at least one actuator (5) for operating the control command input device (3) in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and at least one sensor (6) for detecting manual control command inputs (S_M) by manual operation of the control command input device (3),

an arbitration unit (4) for generating controlled system control signals (S_R) which are conducted to a controlled system (7) following the arbitration unit (4), in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and the manual control command inputs (S_M),

characterized in that

the arbitration unit (4) is set up, in order, in the case of mutually contradictory or overriding manual control command inputs (S_M) and automatically generated control signals (S_A), and within an arbitration phase selected in dependence on a dead space of the haptic control command input device (3) or the controlled system (7), to continuously adjust the manual control command inputs (S_M) and the automatically generated control signals (S_A) to one another, by rule-based generation of one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) and feeding back the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) to at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3).

2. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the arbitration unit (4) is connected to said at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3) for activating the at least one actuator (5) in dependence on the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂).

3. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the arbitration unit (4) is connected to the automatic control command system (2) for feeding back at least one of the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) to the automatically generated control signal (S_A) and said at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3) is activated in dependence on the automatically generated control signal (S_A).

4. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the haptic control command input device (3) has a first group of actuators (5a) which are activated in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) of the automatic control system, and a second group of actuators (5b) which are activated in dependence on at least one of the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) of the arbitration unit (4).

5. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (1) is set up for a variable adjustment of the dead space of the controlled system (7).

6. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the arbitration unit (4) is set up for evaluating the safety and urgency of intended actions in each case predetermined by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and manual control command inputs (S_M) and for prioritizing whichever (S_A, S_M) produces a safer or more urgent control action.

7. Control device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that for prioritization, the automatically generated control signals (S_A) are amplified when control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) are preassessed as safer or more urgent than the control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M), and the automatically generated control signals (S_A) are reduced when control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M) are preassessed as safer or more urgent than the control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control command inputs (S_A).

8. Control device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, for prioritization, the automatically generated control signals (S_A) are reduced when control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and the control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M) are preassessed as safe and urgent.

9. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (1) has a discrete change-over switch connected to the arbitration unit (4) or a continuous switching element for prioritizing the manual control command input (S_M).

10. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (1) has at least one signal unit, coupled to the arbitration unit (4), for at least one of optical, acoustic and haptic output of a communication signal dependent on a correction of the automatically generated control signals (S_A).

11. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (1) has at least one input unit, coupled to the arbitration unit (4), for at least one of optical, acoustic and haptic input of communication signals or states for correcting the controlled-system control signals (S_R).

12. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device (1) is set up for detecting discrete command inputs for manual control command inputs (S_M) and generating additional control signals.

13. Control device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the arbitration unit (4) is set up for not forwarding the additional control signals to the controlled system (7) following the arbitration unit (4).

14. Control device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the control device (1) has a plurality of state machines or pattern recognizers, wherein said state machines or pattern recognizers being activatable in dependence on detected signal patterns from manual control command inputs (S_M) and coupled to one another for mutual activation for outputting defined control signals.

15. Control device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the automatic control command system (2) is set up for generating neutral control signals not acting on the controlled system (7) and the arbitration unit (4) is set up for detecting the response by manual control command inputs (S_M) to the neutral control signals and generating control signals (S_R) for the subsequent controlled system (7) in dependence on the detected response.

16. Method for generating control signals for technical devices which have at least one controlled system and a control device (1) comprising:

an automatic control command system (2) for the automatic generation of control signals (S_A),

a haptic control command input device (3) which has at least one actuator (5) for operating the control command input device (3) in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and at least one sensor (6) for detecting manual control command inputs (S_M) by manual operation of the control command input device (3),

an arbitration unit (4) for generating control signals (S_R) which are conducted to a controlled system (7) following the arbitration unit (4), in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and the manual control command inputs (S_M),

characterized in that

the arbitration unit (4) is set up in order, in the case of mutually contradictory or overriding manual control command inputs (S_M) and automatically generated control signals (S_A), to continuously adjust to one another, within an arbitration phase selected in dependence on a dead space of the haptic control command input device (3) or the controlled system (7), the manual control command inputs (S_M) and the automatically generated control signals (S_A), by rule-based generation of one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) and feeding back the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) to at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3), characterized by the following steps;

automatic generation of control signals (S_A) and actuatory operation of a control command input device (3) in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A),

detection of manual control command inputs (S_M) via the control command input device (3) as response to the actuatory operation of the control command input device (3) by the automatically generated control signals (S_A),

generation of controlled-system control signals (S_R) for the controlled system (7) by the arbitration unit (4) comprising, in the case of mutually contradictory or overriding manual control command inputs (S_M) and automatically generated control signals (S_A),

continuous adjustment of the manual control command inputs (S_M) and of the automatically generated control signals (S_A) to one another by rule-based generation of the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂), and

feedback of the one or more correction signals correction signal (S₁, S₂) to at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3) within an arbitration phase selected in dependence on a dead space of the haptic control command input device (3) or the controlled system (7).

17. Method according to claim 16, characterized by feeding back the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) to the haptic control command input device (3) for activating the at least one actuator (5).

18. Method according to claim 16, characterized by feeding back the one or more correction signals (S₁, S₂) to the automatic control command system (2) for correcting the automatically generated control signal (S_A) and activating the at least one actuator (5) of the haptic control command input device (3) in dependence on the automatically generated control signal (S_A).

19. Method according to claim 16, characterized by activating a first group of actuators (5a) in dependence on the automatically generated control signals (S_A) of the automatic control system (2) and activating a second group of actuators (5b) in dependence on the correction signals (S₁, S₂) of the arbitration unit (4).

20. Method according to claim 16, characterized by variable adjustment of the dead space of the controlled system (7).

21. Method according to claim 16, characterized by evaluation of safety and urgency of intended actions in each case predetermined by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and manual control command inputs (S_M) and prioritization of whichever (S_A, S_M) produces a safer and more urgent control action.

22. Method according to claim 16, characterized by amplification of the automatically generated control signals (S_A) for prioritization when the control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) are preassessed as safer or more urgent than the control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M), and reducing the effect of the automatically generated control signals (S_A) when the control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M) are preassessed as safer or more urgent than the control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control signals (S_M).

23. Method according to claim 16, characterized by reducing the automatically generated control signals (S_A) for prioritization, when both the control actions to be effected by the automatically generated control signals (S_A) and the control actions to be effected by the manual control command inputs (S_M) are preassessed as safe or urgent.

24. Method according to claim 16, characterized by discrete switch-over or continuous transition for prioritization of the manual control command input (S_M) or automatically generated control signals (S_A) after the arbitration phase has been completed, and generation of the controlled-system control signals (S_R) in dependence on weighted manual control command inputs (S_M) and weighted automatically generated control signals (S_A).

25. Method according to claim 16, characterized by the recognition of discrete command inputs from manual control command inputs (S_M) and generation of additional control signals which are not forwarded to the controlled system (7) following the arbitration unit (4).

26. Method according to claim 16, characterized by the detection of discrete control signals by recognizing individual signal patterns from the manual control command inputs (S_M) and activation of state machines or pattern recognizers in dependence on signal patterns which are in each case predetermined.

27. Method according to claim 16, characterized by the generation of neutral control signals not acting on the controlled system (7) and detection of the response by manual control command inputs (S_M) to the automatically generated neutral control signals and generation of controlled-system control signals (S_R) for the controlled system (7) following the arbitration unit (4) in dependence on the detected response.