DECENTRALIZED MINIMUM RISK CONDITION VEHICLE CONTROL

• US 20190118827A1
• Filed: 10/24/2017
• Published: 04/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Khalifeh, Ahmad, Tang, Beni, Hamilton, Kathryn, Tatipamula, Sagar Avaneendra, Nuesch, Sandro Patrick, Hegde, Rashmi
• Granted Patent: US 10,611,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/029 Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements

Abstract

A vehicle computer includes a memory and a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include receiving a first minimum risk condition (MRC) event recommendation from a first platform controller and a second MRC event recommendation from a second platform controller, selecting one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as a selected MRC event, controlling an autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer comprising:

a memory; and

a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory, the instructions including;

receiving a first minimum risk condition (MRC) event recommendation from a first platform controller and a second MRC event recommendation from a second platform controller;

selecting one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as a selected MRC event; and

controlling an autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event.

2. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the first and second MRC event recommendations as a result of the first and second platform controllers, respectively, each detecting a vehicle system failure, wherein the vehicle system failure detected by the first platform controller is different from the vehicle system failure detected by the second platform controller.

3. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to generate a third MRC event recommendation and wherein selecting the selected MRC event includes selecting from among the first, second, and third MRC event recommendations.

4. The vehicle computer of claim 3, wherein the processor is programmed to generate the third MRC event recommendation as a result of the processor detecting a failure associated with a virtual driver system.

5. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to control the autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event by outputting motion control signals to at least one of the first platform controller, the second platform controller, and a third platform controller.

6. The vehicle computer of claim 5, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the motion control signals from an autonomous vehicle controller and output the motion control signals to at least one of the first platform controller, the second platform controller, and the third platform controller.

7. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to select one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as the selected MRC event based on a severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation and a severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation, wherein the severities of the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation are different.

8. The vehicle computer of claim 7, wherein the processor is programmed to select the first MRC event recommendation as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation and wherein the processor is programmed to select the second MRC event recommendation as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation.

9. The vehicle computer of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to select a fourth MRC event recommendation based on an aggregate severity of the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation, wherein the fourth MRC event recommendation is different from the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation.

10. A vehicle system comprising:

a first platform controller programmed to output a first MRC event recommendation;

a second platform controller programmed to output a second MRC event recommendation; and

a minimum risk condition (MRC) controller programmed to receive the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation, select one of the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation as a selected MRC event, and control an autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to receive the first and second MRC event recommendations as a result of the first and second platform controllers, respectively, each detecting a system failure, wherein the system failure detected by the first platform controller is different from the system failure detected by the second platform controller.

12. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to generate a third MRC event recommendation as a result of the MRC controller detecting a vehicle sensor failure and wherein selecting the selected MRC event includes selecting from among the first, second, and third MRC event recommendations.

13. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to control the autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event by outputting motion control signals to at least one of the first platform controller, the second platform controller, and a third platform controller.

14. The vehicle system of claim 13, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to receive the motion control signals from an autonomous vehicle controller and output the motion control signals to at least one of the first platform controller, the second platform controller, and the third platform controller.

15. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to select one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as the selected MRC event based on a severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation and a severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation, wherein the severities of the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation are different.

16. The vehicle system of claim 15, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to select the first MRC event recommendation as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation.

17. The vehicle system of claim 15, wherein the MRC controller is programmed to select the second MRC event recommendation as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation.

18. A method comprising:

receiving a first minimum risk condition (MRC) event recommendation from a first platform controller;

receiving a second MRC event recommendation from a second platform controller;

selecting one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as a selected MRC event; and

controlling an autonomous host vehicle according to the selected MRC event.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating a third MRC event recommendation and wherein selecting the selected MRC event includes selecting from among the first, second, and third MRC event recommendations.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein selecting one of the first and second MRC event recommendations as the selected MRC event is based on a severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation and a severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation,

wherein the severities of the first MRC event recommendation and the second MRC event recommendation are different,

wherein the first MRC event recommendation is selected as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation, and

wherein the second MRC event recommendation is selected as the selected MRC event as a result of determining that the severity associated with the second MRC event recommendation is greater than the severity associated with the first MRC event recommendation.