US 11,907,084 B2Granted

Methods and apparatus for distributed control of vehicle systems

AssigneeAtlis Motor Vechicles, Inc.

InventorsBenoit le Bourgeois, Mark Hanchett

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A vehicle includes a plurality of systems. Each system performs a function of the automobile. In an example embodiment, a plurality of system controllers, one for each system, controls the operation of the system. Each system controller controls how its corresponding system performs its function. When all system controllers are functional, a system controller generates control signals for its corresponding system. When one system controller ceased to operate, another system controller may control the system that corresponds to the failed system controller. Distributing control of systems among the various system controllers increases reliability.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A vehicle comprising:

a plurality of vehicle systems, each vehicle system adapted to perform a function of the vehicle;
a plurality of system controllers, each system controller adapted to be connected to one vehicle system respectively whereby each system controller corresponds to one vehicle system respectively, each system controller adapted to generate a first plurality of control signals respectively, each system controller is adapted to provide the first plurality of control signals respectively to its corresponding vehicle system to control an operation of its corresponding vehicle system, each system controller further adapted to generate a second plurality of control signals to control an operation of one or more other vehicle systems;
and
a control bus adapted to be connected to each vehicle system of the plurality of vehicle systems, the control bus further adapted to be connected to one or more system controllers of the plurality of system controllers, the control bus adapted to transport the second plurality of control signals from one system controller to one or more other vehicle systems of the plurality of vehicle systems;
wherein:
each system controller of the plurality of system controllers includes a tri-state buffer respectively for connecting each system controller respectively to the control bus;
while all system controllers are functional, each system controller generates and provides the first plurality of control signals respectively to its respective vehicle system and the tri-state buffer respectively for each system controller is placed in a high impedance condition whereby the plurality of system controllers cannot access the control bus;
and
responsive to a failure of a first system controller, the tri-state buffer of a second system controller is placed in a low impedance condition, the second system controller generates and provides the second plurality of control signals to the vehicle system corresponding to the first system controller via the tri-state buffer and the control bus, whereby the second plurality of control signals control the operation of the vehicle system corresponding to the first system controller.

6 more elements

A vehicle comprising:

a control bus;
a first system adapted to be connected to the control bus, the first system adapted to perform a first function of the vehicle;
a second system adapted to be connected to the control bus, the second system adapted to perform a second function of the vehicle;
a first system controller, the first system controller includes a first translator, a first processing circuit, and a first tri-state buffer, the first system controller adapted to be connected to the first system via a first bus, the first system controller further adapted to be connected to the control bus, the first system controller adapted to provide a first plurality of control signals to the first system via the first bus, the first system controller is further adapted to provide a second plurality of control signals to the second system via the control bus, the first plurality of control signals for controlling the first system to perform the first function;
a second system controller, the second system controller includes a second translator, a second processing circuit, and a second tri-state buffer, the second system controller adapted to be connected to the second system via a second bus, the second system controller further adapted to be connected to the control bus, the second system controller adapted to provide the second plurality of control signals to the second system via a second bus, the second system controller is further adapted to provide the first plurality of control signals to the first system via the control bus, the second plurality of control signals for controlling the second system to perform the second function;
and a central control system, the central control system adapted to couple the first processing circuit to the first bus or the control bus to the first bus via the first translator, the second processing circuit to the second bus or the control bus to the second bus via the second translator, the first processing circuit to the control bus via the first tri-state buffer, and the second processing circuit to the control bus via the second tri-state buffer;
wherein:
while all system controllers are functional, the central control system controls the first translator and the second translator to connect the first processing circuit to the first bus and the second processing circuit to the second bus respectively, whereby the first processing circuit provides the first plurality of control signals to the first system via the first bus and second processing circuit provides the second plurality of control signals to the second system via the second bus;
while all system controllers are functional, the central control system further controls the first tri-state buffer and the second tri-state buffer to disconnect the first processing circuit from the control bus and the second processing circuit from the control bus respectively, whereby no control signal is provided via the control bus;
responsive to a failure of the first system controller, the second system controller provides the second plurality of control signals to the second system via the second bus and the first plurality of control signals to the first system via the control bus and the first bus;
and responsive to a failure of the second system controller, the first system controller provides the first plurality of control signals to the first system via the first bus and the second plurality of control signals to the second system via the control bus and the second bus.

8 more elements

A vehicle comprising:

a first system adapted to perform a first function of the vehicle in response to a first plurality of control signals;
a second system adapted to perform a second function of the vehicle in response to a second plurality of control signals;
a control bus adapted to transport the first plurality of control signals and the second plurality of control signals to the first system or the second system;
a central control system;
a first system controller that includes a first translator, a first processing circuit, a first bus, and a first tri-state buffer, wherein the first translator couples to the first processing circuit, the control bus, the first bus and the central control system, wherein the first tri-state buffer couples to the first processing circuit, the control bus and the central control system;
and
a second system controller that includes a second translator, a second processing circuit, a second bus, and a second tri-state buffer, wherein the second translator couples to the second processing circuit, the control bus, the second bus and the central control system, wherein the second tri-state buffer couples to the second processing circuit, the control bus and the central control system;
wherein:
the central control system is adapted to control access to the control bus, the first bus, and the second bus;
and
while all system controllers are functional, the central control system sets the first translator to couple the first processing circuit to the first bus, the second translator to couple the second processing circuit to the second bus, the first tri-state buffer to disconnect the first processing circuit from the control bus, and the second tri-state buffer to disconnect the second processing circuit from the control bus, whereby the first processing circuit provides the first plurality of control signals to the first system via the first bus, the second processing circuit provides the second plurality of control signals to the second system via the second bus, and the control bus does not transport the first plurality of control signals or the second plurality of control signals.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/494,798Filed 5 Oct 2021 · us provisional application
Priority: 20 Oct 2020
Published: US 2022/0260959 A118 Aug 2022
Granted: 20 Feb 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G05B 19/0428
Using digital processors: safety, monitoring
G06F 11/2023
Where processing functionality is redundant: failover techniques
G05B 19/048
Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers: monitoring; Safety
G05B 19/058
Programmable logic controllers, e.g. simulating logic interconnections of signals according to ladder diagrams or function charts: safety, monitoring

Family

Application63/093,897Us provisional application · filed 20 Oct 2020
US 2022/0260959 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 Aug 2022
US 11,907,084 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key