CN113619573A

CN113619573A - Assistance device, corresponding system, assistance method and medium

Info

Publication number: CN113619573A
Application number: CN202010387903.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 唐帅
Original assignee: Audi AG
Current assignee: Audi AG
Priority date: 2020-05-09
Filing date: 2020-05-09
Publication date: 2021-11-09

Abstract

The invention provides an auxiliary device, a corresponding system, an auxiliary method and a medium. The auxiliary device includes: a storage unit configured to store data associated with at least one of a plurality of modules of one vehicle; an analysis unit configured to, for each module of the at least one module: determining a key performance indicator for the module based on data associated with the module; an output unit configured to provide an output for the vehicle based on the determined key performance indicators for each module. With the solution of the invention, it is possible to intervene in advance on the driving of the vehicle to prevent the occurrence of an accident, if necessary, and/or to identify a vehicle module related to the occurrence of an accident so as to promote the improvement of the vehicle module.

Description

Assistance device, corresponding system, assistance method and medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more particularly, to an assistance device, a corresponding system, an assistance method, and a medium.

Background

With the development of vehicle technology, automatic driving has become feasible. Depending on the degree of automation, autodrive can be divided into five levels: stage 1: assisted driving, in which the vehicle provides driving support for one of steering and acceleration and deceleration, and the human driver is responsible for other driving actions; stage 2: partial autopilot, where the vehicle provides driving support for multiple operations in steering and acceleration and deceleration, and the human driver is responsible for other driving actions; stage 3: conditional autonomous driving, in which most of the driving operations are performed by the vehicle, the human driver needs to concentrate on and be ready to take over control at all times; and 4, stage: highly automated driving, where all driving operations are done by the vehicle, human drivers do not need to concentrate on, but define road and environmental conditions; stage 5: fully autonomous driving, in which all driving operations are performed by the vehicle, the human driver does not need to concentrate on, and the road and environment are not defined. For level 1 and level 2 autonomous driving, when an accident occurs to the vehicle, the accident may be blamed for the driver or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). For class 3, 4 and 5 autonomous driving, when an accident occurs to a vehicle, the accident is typically blamed for OEMs. Given that a vehicle has numerous modules, in the event of an accident, it is important to determine the specific vehicle module that is relevant to the occurrence of the accident. In addition, it is also important how to intervene in the driving of the vehicle in advance to prevent the occurrence of an accident.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a solution that can be used in a vehicle to intervene in advance in the driving of the vehicle to prevent the occurrence of an accident or to determine, in the case of an accident, a vehicle module that is relevant to the occurrence of the accident.

Specifically, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assist device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store data associated with at least one of a plurality of modules of one vehicle;

an analysis unit configured to, for each module of the at least one module: determining a key performance indicator for the module based on data associated with the module;

an output unit configured to provide an output for the vehicle based on the determined key performance indicators for each module.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system comprising the auxiliary device described above, wherein:

the system is a vehicle comprising the auxiliary device;

the system is a server comprising the auxiliary device; or

The system includes a vehicle including a storage unit of the auxiliary device and a server in communication with the vehicle including an analysis unit and an output unit of the auxiliary device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assistance method comprising:

storing data associated with at least one of a plurality of modules of a vehicle;

for each module of the at least one module, determining a key performance indicator for the module based on data associated with the module;

providing an output for the vehicle based on the determined key performance indicators for each module.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a computer device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the above-mentioned assistance method to be performed.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the above-mentioned assistance method to be performed.

With the solution of the invention, it is possible to perform an analysis based on data associated with vehicle modules, identify potential factors that may lead to an accident, to intervene in advance in the driving of the vehicle to prevent the occurrence of the accident, and/or identify vehicle modules that are relevant to the occurrence of the accident, to facilitate the improvement of the vehicle modules. In addition, such identification facilitates OEM communication and negotiation with module suppliers.

Drawings

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described by way of example with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating one possible arrangement of an auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a secondary method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the above and other features and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an auxiliary device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.

The assisting apparatus 100 includes a storage unit 101, an analyzing unit 102, and an output unit 103. Analysis unit 102 is communicatively coupled to storage unit 101 and output unit 103 is communicatively coupled to analysis unit 102.

The storage unit 101 may be configured to store data associated with at least one of a plurality of modules of a vehicle. As can be appreciated, the vehicle has various modules. Each module may be a hardware module and/or a software module. Herein, a "software module" should be broadly understood as a module that implements the functionality of the module based at least in part on software, and a "hardware module" should be broadly understood as a module that implements the functionality of the module based at least in part on hardware. A single module may be a purely software module, or a purely hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware. Depending on the situation, a single module may be subdivided into multiple sub-modules, each of which may be a purely software module, or a purely hardware module, or a combination of software and hardware. For any module that is a combination of hardware and software, the module may be considered to include both hardware and software modules.

For software modules, the data associated with each software module may include: data input to the software module; data output by the software module; and operating parameters of the software module. The operating parameters of a software module may typically include the processing time, i.e. the time required to obtain a corresponding output from the input of the software module by the software module. Examples of software modules may include, for example and without limitation: a sensing module, a positioning module, a path planning module, etc. of the vehicle.

For a hardware module, the data associated with each hardware module may include operating parameters of the hardware module. The operating parameters of the hardware modules may include temperature, network bandwidth, occupancy, and the like. Examples of hardware modules may include, for example, but are not limited to: sensors of the vehicle, central controller, network components, etc.

The "storage unit" herein is similar to a black box of an aircraft. Techniques applicable to the black box of an aircraft can be used for the "storage unit" herein, except that the two record different information: the former records information that can be used for aircraft flight accident analysis, while the latter records information that can be used for analysis of vehicle module operation or vehicle accident cause.

For a particular vehicle module, the storage unit 101 may record and store data associated therewith in real time, periodically, or on other suitable schedules as desired.

The analysis unit 102 may be configured to: for each of the at least one module, a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of the module is determined based on data associated with the module. For a particular module, its key performance indicators may be determined and/or defined as appropriate. Individual modules may have one or more key performance indicators, as desired. For example, for the sensing module described above, the key performance indicators thereof may include the confidence level of the object detected by the sensing module; for the positioning module, the key performance index may include a confidence level of the position of the vehicle determined by the positioning module; for the path planning module, the key performance indicators may include safety, comfort, and/or efficiency of the path planned by the path planning module. As another example, for a sensor of a vehicle, such as a camera, millimeter wave radar, lidar, ultrasonic sensor, etc., its key performance indicators may include the processing time, frequency, and/or noise, etc., of the sensor; for the central controller of the vehicle, the key performance indexes of the central controller can include the temperature, the occupancy rate of an arithmetic processing unit and/or the occupancy rate of a memory and the like of the central controller; for a network component of a vehicle, its key performance indicators may include bandwidth occupancy of the network component, network latency, and the like.

For the known vehicle module as mentioned above, the definition and calculation of its various indices and parameters are known. For such vehicle modules, the key performance indicators determined and/or defined for them may be calculated using methods known in the art and/or by their definition; this is not described in detail herein.

The output unit 103 may be configured to provide an output for the vehicle based on the determined key performance indicators for each module.

In one embodiment, the output unit 103 may compare each determined key performance indicator of each module to an associated threshold and provide an output for the vehicle based on the comparison. By selecting an appropriate threshold for a particular module for its individual or each key performance indicator, such a comparison may indicate whether the module is functioning properly.

In another embodiment, the output unit 103 may calculate a total key performance indicator based on the determined plurality of key performance indicators for each module or the determined same key performance indicators for the plurality of modules, compare the total key performance indicator to a threshold, and provide an output for the vehicle based on the comparison. By selecting appropriate thresholds for multiple key performances of a single module or the same key performance indicators of multiple modules involved in calculating the overall key performance indicator, such comparison results may indicate whether the involved single module or combination of modules is functioning properly.

When calculating an overall key performance indicator based on a plurality of key performance indicators of a determined single module, the overall key performance indicator may be, for example, a weighted sum of the plurality of key performance indicators, or may be obtained in any other suitable manner based on the plurality of key performance indicators. For example, the single module may be the path planning module described above, the plurality of key performance indicators may be safety, comfort and efficiency of the path planned by the path planning module, and the overall key performance indicator may be a weighted sum of the determined safety, comfort and efficiency. In calculating the weighted sum, the weight assigned to each key performance indicator may be determined on a case-by-case basis.

When calculating an overall key performance indicator based on the determined same key performance indicators of the plurality of modules, the overall key performance indicator may be, for example, a weighted sum of the key performance indicators of each of the plurality of modules, or may be obtained in any other suitable manner based on the key performance indicators of each of the plurality of modules. For example, the plurality of modules may be a camera of a vehicle, a millimeter wave radar, and a lidar, the key performance indicator may be a processing time, and the total key performance indicator may be a weighted sum of the determined processing time of the camera, the processing time of the millimeter wave radar, and the processing time of the lidar. In calculating the weighted sum, the weight assigned to the key performance indicator for each of the modules may be determined on a case-by-case basis.

As described above, the comparison may indicate whether the associated module or combination of modules is functioning properly. Depending on the particular comparison, it may be determined whether the module or combination of modules associated with the comparison is functioning properly. In the event that a module or combination of modules is thus determined to be not functioning properly, appropriate outputs for the vehicle may be provided based on the function of the module or combination of modules and their key performance indicators to prevent the occurrence of an accident and/or to provide an improvement to the module or combination of modules in the event of an accident. In addition, the output provided may also assist the OEM in communicating and negotiating with the module supplier. Here, the output for the vehicle provided by the output unit should be broadly construed to encompass various vehicle-related outputs, such as outputs related to control of the vehicle, outputs related to information presentation or information transmission of the vehicle, outputs related to improvement of the vehicle, and the like.

The output provided may be in various forms of output, such as: may be a command for triggering some kind of operation or response, such as a command for triggering steering/braking control of the vehicle to stop the vehicle sideways; or may be some information for presentation, such as an indication of a module or combination of modules that is not functioning properly, a determined key performance indicator for that module, a key performance indicator for each module included in the combination of modules, and/or a calculated overall key performance indicator for the combination of modules, etc.; or may be some type of message or signal for presentation or transmission, such as a warning message or signal indicating a hazard to occupants inside the vehicle, to other traffic participants outside the vehicle, and/or to an online server in communication with the vehicle.

For example, the output unit 103 may provide an output to trigger visual and/or audible warnings of different intensity levels, as the case may be, thereby alerting the driver of the vehicle. Alternatively, the output unit 103 may provide an output to trigger automatic control of the vehicle, such as steering, braking (deceleration or parking), and the like. Alternatively, the output unit 103 may provide an output to trigger a vehicle-to-vehicle warning to surrounding vehicles wirelessly connected with the vehicle. Alternatively, the output unit 103 may provide an output to trigger a warning of the vehicle to the outside, such as making a horn of the vehicle sound, flashing headlights of the vehicle, or the like. Alternatively, in the case of autonomous driving, the output unit 103 may provide an output to trigger an autonomous driving system of the vehicle, such as a Highway autonomous driving system (Highway Pilot), to make a decision, or to trigger a take-over request under autonomous driving.

For a particular vehicle module, the analysis unit may calculate its key performance indicators in real time, periodically, or on other suitable timing as desired. In addition, the output unit may determine and provide an output for the vehicle in real time, periodically, or on other suitable timing as desired.

For the same module or combination of modules, the change over time of the key performance indicator may be determined from the same key performance indicator determined for it at different times. The variation may be presented in a number of forms, for example in the form of a histogram.

The auxiliary device 100 described above may be located entirely in the vehicle, or may be located entirely on a server in communication with the vehicle, or the auxiliary device may be located partly in the vehicle and partly on a server in communication with the vehicle, as shown in fig. 2.

In the assisting apparatus 100' of fig. 2, the storage unit 101 is located on the vehicle V, and the analysis unit 102 and the output unit 103 are located on the server S. The vehicle V and the server S may communicate with each other by any available communication means. For example, the vehicle V and the server S may communicate with each other via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a mobile network, among others. Thereby, the storage unit 101 and the analysis unit 102 can communicate with each other.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in alternative arrangements, the storage unit 101, the analysis unit 102 and the output unit 103 may all be located on the vehicle V, or on the server S.

The solution of the invention can be applied to vehicles driven by human drivers and to autonomous vehicles. The solution of the invention is particularly advantageous for application in autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous vehicles are known per se in the art and are not described in detail here, but merely exemplify some of the features that they may optionally have:

the autonomous vehicle may be equipped with sensors, such as cameras, millimeter wave radars, lidar, ultrasonic sensors, etc., to sense by the sensors, e.g. to detect objects, obstacles, infrastructure, etc. around the vehicle;

the autonomous vehicle is adapted to perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or to communicate with an online server or database, e.g. an accessible High Automatic Driving (HAD) map or the like;

the autonomous vehicle may have a positioning function, for example its own position may be determined by one or a combination of: global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), HAD maps, data sensed by sensors;

the autonomous vehicle may have a navigation function, for example connectable to an online server, by means of which a navigation route is determined;

autonomous vehicles may have path planning functions, e.g. route and path planning may be performed based on sensing of sensors and self-positioning results;

the autonomous vehicle may have a central controller, for example by which: send control signals to the powertrain, steering system, driveline to follow the planned path, receive commands to control other on-board components, and the like, based on the planned path.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an assistance method 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The assistance method may be implemented using the assistance device of the invention as described above.

In step S301, data associated with at least one of a plurality of modules of a vehicle is stored.

After step S301, the process proceeds to step S302.

In step S302, for each of the at least one module, a key performance indicator for the module is determined based on data associated with the module.

After step S302, the process proceeds to step S303.

In step S303, an output for the vehicle is provided based on the determined key performance indicators for each module.

Specifically, step S303 may include: comparing each determined key performance indicator for each of the at least one module to an associated threshold and providing an output for the vehicle based on the comparison; and/or calculating a total key performance indicator based on the determined plurality of key performance indicators for each of the at least one module and/or the same key performance indicator for the plurality of modules, comparing the total key performance indicator to a threshold value, and providing an output for the vehicle based on the comparison.

Depending on the circumstances, the assistance method 300 may be implemented entirely in the vehicle, or may be implemented entirely on a server in communication with the vehicle, or may be implemented partly in the vehicle and partly on a server in communication with the vehicle.

Each of the above steps may be performed by a respective unit of the aid of the invention, as described above in connection with fig. 1 and 2. In addition, various operations and details as described above in connection with the units of the auxiliary device of the present invention may be included or embodied in the auxiliary method of the present invention.

It should be understood that the various elements of the auxiliary device of the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or a combination thereof. The units may be embedded in a processor of the computer device in a hardware or firmware form or independent of the processor, or may be stored in a memory of the computer device in a software form for being called by the processor to execute operations of the units. Each of the units may be implemented as a separate component or module, or two or more units may be implemented as a single component or module.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the schematic diagrams of the auxiliary devices shown in fig. 1 and 2 are merely illustrative block diagrams of partial structures associated with aspects of the present invention and do not constitute limitations of computer apparatus, processors or computer programs embodying aspects of the present invention. A particular computer device, processor or computer program may include more or fewer components or modules than shown in the figures, or may combine or split certain components or modules, or may have a different arrangement of components or modules.

In one embodiment, a computer device is provided comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having stored thereon computer instructions executable by the processor, the computer instructions, when executed by the processor, instructing the processor to perform the steps of the auxiliary method of the invention. The computer device may broadly be a server, a vehicle mounted terminal, or any other electronic device having the necessary computing and/or processing capabilities. In one embodiment, the computer device may include a processor, memory, a network interface, a communication interface, etc., connected by a system bus. The processor of the computer device may be used to provide the necessary computing, processing and/or control capabilities. The memory of the computer device may include non-volatile storage media and internal memory. An operating system, a computer program, and the like may be stored in or on the non-volatile storage medium. The internal memory may provide an environment for the operating system and the computer programs in the non-volatile storage medium to run. The network interface and the communication interface of the computer device may be used to connect and communicate with an external device through a network. Which computer program, when being executed by a processor, carries out the steps of the auxiliary method of the invention.

The invention may be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the steps of the method of the invention to be performed. In one embodiment, the computer program is distributed across a plurality of computer devices or processors coupled by a network such that the computer program is stored, accessed, and executed by one or more computer devices or processors in a distributed fashion. A single method step/operation, or two or more method steps/operations, may be performed by a single computer device or processor or by two or more computer devices or processors. One or more method steps/operations may be performed by one or more computer devices or processors, and one or more other method steps/operations may be performed by one or more other computer devices or processors. One or more computer devices or processors may perform a single method step/operation, or perform two or more method steps/operations.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps of the assistance method of the present invention may be instructed to be performed by associated hardware such as a computer device or a processor through a computer program, which may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, and which when executed causes the steps of the assistance method of the present invention to be performed. Any reference herein to memory, storage, databases, or other media may include non-volatile and/or volatile memory, as appropriate. Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (prom), electrically programmable ROM (eprom), electrically erasable programmable ROM (eeprom), flash memory, magnetic tape, floppy disk, magneto-optical data storage device, hard disk, solid state disk, and the like. Examples of volatile memory include Random Access Memory (RAM), external cache memory, and the like.

The respective technical features described above may be arbitrarily combined. Although not all possible combinations of features are described, any combination of features should be considered to be covered by the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between such combinations.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the embodiments, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description and drawings are merely illustrative and not restrictive of the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. An accessory device, comprising:

2. The auxiliary device of claim 1, wherein the output unit is configured to:

comparing each determined key performance indicator for each of the at least one module to an associated threshold and providing an output for the vehicle based on the comparison; and/or

Calculating a total key performance indicator based on the determined plurality of key performance indicators for each of the at least one module and/or the same key performance indicator for the plurality of modules, comparing the total key performance indicator to a threshold value, and providing an output for the vehicle based on the comparison.

3. The assistance device according to claim 1,

the at least one module includes one or more software modules, and the data associated with each software module includes: data input to the software module; data output by the software module; and operating parameters of the software module;

and/or

The at least one module includes one or more hardware modules, and the data associated with each hardware module includes operating parameters of the hardware module.

4. The assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the auxiliary device is located in the vehicle;

the auxiliary device is located on a server in communication with the vehicle; or

The auxiliary device is located partially in the vehicle and partially on a server in communication with the vehicle.

5. System comprising a supplementary device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein,

the system is a vehicle comprising the auxiliary device;

the system is a server comprising the auxiliary device; or

The system comprises a vehicle, in particular an autonomous vehicle, and a server communicating with the vehicle, wherein the vehicle comprises a storage unit for the auxiliary device, and the server comprises an analysis unit and an output unit for the auxiliary device.

6. A secondary method, comprising:

7. The assistance method of claim 6, wherein providing an output for the vehicle based on the determined key performance indicators for each module comprises:

8. The assistance method according to claim 6,

and/or

9. The assistance method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,

the assistance method is implemented in the vehicle;

the assistance method is implemented on a server in communication with the vehicle; or

The assistance method is implemented in part in the vehicle and in part on a server in communication with the vehicle.

10. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the assistance method of any one of claims 6 to 9 to be performed.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes the assistance method of any one of claims 6 to 9 to be performed.