Multi-controller synchronization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12093043-B2
Application number	US-202117408997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2021
Priority date	Dec 19, 2018
Publication date	Sep 17, 2024
Grant date	Sep 17, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle can include a primary computing device and a secondary computing device. The primary computing device can receive a trajectory and can generate control data to control the vehicle based on a computed state. Further, the primary computing device can send the internal data to the secondary computing device configured to control the vehicle in the event of a failure of the primary computing device. The secondary computing device can receive the internal data as first internal data and determine a capability associated with the primary computing device. Using the first internal data, the secondary computing device can determine second internal data and, based on the capability (e.g., in event of a failure of the primary computing device), can control the vehicle to follow a trajectory using the second internal data. Transferring state between an active to a standby computing device can ensure algorithmic synchronization and safe operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, from a first computing device and at a second computing device, transmitted data comprising vehicle state data, time data indicating at least one of an operational state or an active state of the first computing device, and a trajectory for a vehicle;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on determining that a time period associated with receiving the transmitted data is outside of a time period associated with the transmitted data, an expired state associated with the transmitted data;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the expired state and determining that a time period associated with the time data has expired, an error state associated with the first computing device;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the transmitted data and the error state, internal data associated with the vehicle, the internal data comprising a difference between a position of the vehicle and the trajectory of the vehicle;
determining, based at least in part on the internal data, control data; and
controlling based at least in part on the control data, the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the error state indicating at least one of a malfunction, an error condition, or a fault condition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the vehicle is at a first time, the method further comprising:
determining, based at least in part on determining the error state, a standby state associated with the first computing device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the control data is first control data, the method further comprising:
determining an active state associated with the first computing device at a second time after the first time;
transmitting, from the second computing device and to the first computing device, second internal data;
receiving, from the first computing device and based at least in part on the second internal data, second control data; and
controlling, based at least in part on the second control data, the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle state data comprises at least one of a current position, a current velocity, a plurality of previous positions, or a plurality of previous velocities.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to an actuator from the second computing device, the control data, the actuator associated with at least one of a steering system, a braking system, or a motor system of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the trajectory is determined by a third computing device, the trajectory determined to avoid an obstacle in an environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the error state is further based on determining a nonreceipt of updated transmitted data from the first computing device before the expired state.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device is a first vehicle controller and the second computing device is a second vehicle controller.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a first computing device and at a second computing device, transmitted data comprising vehicle state data, time data indicating at least one of an operational state or an active state of the first computing device, and a trajectory for a vehicle;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on determining that a time period associated with receiving the transmitted data is outside of a time period associated with the transmitted data, an expired state associated with the transmitted data;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the expired state and determining that a time period associated with the time data has expired, an error state associated with the first computing device;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the transmitted data and the error state, internal data associated with the vehicle, the internal data comprising a difference between a position of the vehicle and the trajectory of the vehicle;
determining, based at least in part on the internal data, control data; and
controlling, based at least in part on the control data, the vehicle.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 ,
wherein determining the error state is further based at least in part on one of:
determining, at the second computing device, error data indicating at least one of a malfunction, an error condition, or a fault condition associated with the first computing device;
receiving, at the second computing device, command data indicating that the second computing device is to control the vehicle.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein controlling the vehicle comprises controlling the vehicle to stop.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the internal data is based on the trajectory and is first internal data, the operations further comprising:
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the first internal data, second internal data,
wherein determining the control data is further based at least in part on the second internal data.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13 , the operations further comprising:
transmitting, from the second computing device and to the first computing device, the second internal data.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 10 , wherein the control data comprises at least one of steering data or acceleration data, and wherein controlling the vehicle comprises:
transmitting, from the second computing device and to an actuator, the control data, the actuator associated with at least one of a steering system, a braking system, or a motor system of the vehicle.

16. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a first computing device and at a second computing device, transmitted data comprising vehicle state data, time data indicating at least one of an operational state or an active state of the first computing device, and a trajectory for a vehicle;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on determining that a time period associated with receiving the transmitted data in outside of a time period associated with the transmitted data, an expired state associated with the transmitted data;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the expired state and determining that a time period associated with the time data has expired, an error state associated with the first computing device;
determining, at the second computing device and based at least in part on the transmitted data and the error state, internal data associated with the vehicle, the internal data comprising a difference between a position of the vehicle and the trajectory of the vehicle;
determining, based at least in part on the internal data, control data; and
controlling, based at least in part on the control data, the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein controlling the vehi

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Darayan Shayan
• Funke Joseph
• Wimmershoff Marc

Classifications

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G05D1/628

  following the obstacle profile, e.g. a wall or undulated terrain · CPC title

• G05D1/81

  Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control · CPC title

• B60W30/0956

  the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters · CPC title

• G05D1/0238

  using obstacle or wall sensors (G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93) · CPC title