Method for allocating control in a system of systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9454152-B2
Application number	US-201414776109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for allocating control in a system-of-systems, in particular a dynamic system-of-systems consisting of a physical system PS, an autonomous control system CS, a human operator HO, a monitor component MK and an actuator controller AST, or comprising a physical system PS, an autonomous control system CS, a human operator HO, a monitor component MK and an actuator controller AST, wherein the CS uses a sensor system assigned thereto to cyclically monitor surroundings and/or the physical system itself and creates an internal model of the surroundings and/or the PS on the basis of this monitoring and performs an analysis of this model in order to determine control values for the AST and a criticality index KI of the scenario in a cycle, in particular in the current cycle, and wherein the MK cyclically monitors the HO and/or the actions thereof, in particular the current actions thereof, in order to determine an engagement index EI of the HO in a cycle, in particular in the current cycle, on the basis of this monitoring, and wherein the control over the PS is allocated to the HO when EI>KI.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for allocating control in a dynamic system-of-systems or other system-of-systems consisting of a physical system (PS), an autonomous control system CS, an operator ( 160 ), a monitor component (MK) ( 140 ) and an actuator controller AST ( 100 ), wherein the CS comprises a first memory apparatus coupled to a first processor, and wherein the MK comprises a second memory apparatus coupled to a second processor, the method comprising:
the CS using a sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned thereto to cyclically monitor surroundings and/or the physical system and creates an internal model of the surroundings and/or the PS on the basis of this monitoring and performing analysis of this model, by the first processor, to determine control values for the AST ( 100 ) and a criticality index (KI) of the scenario in a cycle, and
the MK ( 140 ) cyclically monitoring the ( 160 ) and/or actions thereof, to determine, by the second processor, an engagement index EI of the operator ( 160 ) in the cycle, on the basis of this monitoring, wherein EI and KI may adopt standardised values between 0 and 1, wherein KI=0 represents the lowest criticality and KI=1 represents the highest criticality, and wherein EI=0 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is not engaged, and EI=1 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is fully engaged, and wherein the control over the PS is allocated to the operator ( 160 ) when EI>KI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operator ( 160 ) gives control to the CS when EI≦EI limit and KI≧EI.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of the criticality index KI is derived, by the first processor, from the interval between now and the LIA (last instant of action).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the engagement index EI of the operator ( 160 ) is derived, by the second processor, from an optical attentiveness index (OAI) of the operator ( 160 ) and a motor attentiveness index MAI of the operator ( 160 ).

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the optical attentiveness index (OAI) of the operator ( 160 ) is determined by the monitoring of a line of sight of the operator ( 160 ).

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the motor attentiveness index (MAI) of the operator ( 160 ) is determined by the monitoring of the control values output by the operator ( 160 ).

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the optical attentiveness index (OAI) of the operator ( 160 ) and the motor attentiveness index (MAI) of the operator ( 160 ) are exponentially smoothed over time.

8. A dynamic system-of-systems or other systems-of-systems consisting of:
a physical system (PS);
an autonomous control system (CS) comprising a first memory apparatus coupled to a first processor;
an operator ( 160 );
a monitor component (MK) ( 140 ) comprising a second memory apparatus coupled to a second processor; and
an actuator controller (AST) ( 100 ),
wherein in order to allocate the control the CS uses a sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned thereto to cyclically monitor and create an internal model of the surroundings and/or the PS on the basis of the monitoring and performs, by the first processor, analysis of this model to determine control values for the AST ( 100 ) and a criticality index (KI) of the scenario in a cycle, and wherein the MK cyclically monitors the operator ( 160 ) and/or actions thereof, to determine, by the second processor, an engagement index (EI) of the operator ( 160 ) in the cycle, on the basis of this monitoring, wherein EI and KI may adopt standardised values between 0 and 1, wherein KI=0 represents the lowest criticality and KI=1 represents the highest criticality, and wherein EI=0 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is not engaged, and EI=1 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is fully engaged, and wherein the control over the PS is allocated to the operator ( 160 ) when EI>KI.

9. The system-of-systems of claim 8 , wherein the HO ( 160 ) gives control to the CS when EI≦EI limit and KI≧EI.

10. A motor vehicle or other vehicle, comprising at least one of the systems-of-systems of claim 8 .

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned to the CS cyclically monitors surroundings of the physical system.

12. A method for allocating control in a dynamic system-of-systems or other system-of-systems which comprises a physical system (PS), an autonomous control system (CS), an operator operator ( 160 ), a monitor component (MK) ( 140 ) and an actuator controller (AST) ( 100 ), wherein the CS comprises a first memory apparatus coupled to a first processor, and wherein the MK comprises a second memory apparatus coupled to a second processor, the method comprising:
the CS using a sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned thereto to cyclically monitor surroundings and/or the physical system and creates an internal model of the surroundings and/or the PS on the basis of this monitoring and performing analysis of this model, by the first processor, to determine control values for the AST ( 100 ) and a criticality index KI of the scenario in a cycle, and
the MK ( 140 ) cyclically monitors the operator ( 160 ) and/or actions thereof, to determine, by the second processor, an engagement index EI of the operator ( 160 ) in the cycle, on the basis of this monitoring, wherein EI and KI may adopt standardised values between 0 and 1, wherein KI=0 represents the lowest criticality and KI=1 represents the highest criticality, and wherein EI=0 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is not engaged, and EI=1 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is fully engaged, and wherein the control over the PS is allocated to the operator ( 160 ) when EI>KI.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned to the CS cyclically monitors surroundings of the physical system.

14. A dynamic or other system-of-systems comprising:
a physical system (PS);
an autonomous control system (CS) comprising a first memory apparatus coupled to a first processor;
a monitor component (MK) ( 140 ) comprising a second memory apparatus coupled to a second processor; and
an actuator controller (AST) ( 100 ), wherein in order to allocate the control the CS uses a sensor system ( 110 , 120 ) assigned thereto to cyclically monitor and create an internal model of the surroundings and/or the PS on the basis of the monitoring and performs, by the first processor, analysis of this model to determine control values for the AST ( 100 ) and a criticality index KI of the scenario in a cycle, and wherein the MK cyclically monitors an operator operator ( 160 ) and/or actions thereof, to determine, by the second processor, an engagement index (EI) of the operator ( 160 ) in the cycle, on the basis of this monitoring, wherein EI and KI may adopt standardised values between 0 and 1, wherein KI=0 represents the lowest criticality and KI=1 represents the highest criticality, and wherein EI=0 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is not engaged, and EI=1 indicates that the operator ( 160 ) is fully engaged, and wherein the control over the PS is allocated to the operator ( 160 ) when EI>KI.

15. The system-of-systems of claim 14 , wherein the operator ( 160 ) gives control to the CS when EI≦EI limit and KI≧EI.

16. A motor vehicle or other vehicle comprising at least one of the systems-of-systems of claim 14 .

17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that upon execution by at least one processor configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a sensor system configured to clinically monitor

Assignees

• Fts Computertechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Kopetz Hermann

Classifications

• B60W2556/00

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• B60W2050/0095

  Automatic control mode change · CPC title

• B60W50/10

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• B60W50/12

  Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation · CPC title

• B60W2050/0016

  State machine analysis · CPC title