IP Library Granted Patent US 12679295
Granted Patent B2
US 12679295 · App. 18/823,879 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Hierarchical system architecture for controlling an automated vehicle

Inventors: Heiko Freienstein (Weil Der Stadt, DE); Johannes Christian Mueller (Stuttgart, DE); Maxim Dolgov (Renningen, DE); Ralf Kohlhaas (Calw, DE)
Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
B60R16/0232B60W60/0015
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12679295
App. No.
18/823,879
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A hierarchical system architecture for controlling an automated vehicle. The hierarchical system architecture includes: a performance layer; a safety layer; a hardware layer, wherein the safety layer is arranged between the performance layer and the hardware layer; the performance layer is configured to generate a first control signal and to transmit it to the safety layer; the safety layer is configured to detect whether a safety-critical driving situation is present for the vehicle, and a first system reaction is to be carried out to bring the vehicle into a safe state by transmitting a corresponding second control signal to the hardware layer instead of the first control signal, and the safety layer includes at least one detector module which detects whether a special case is present in the safety-critical driving situation of the vehicle which requires an associated second system reaction instead of the first system reaction.

Claims (12)

1 . A hierarchical system architecture for controlling an automated vehicle, the hierarchical system architecture comprising:

a performance layer;

a safety layer; and

a hardware layer, wherein the safety layer is arranged between the performance layer and the hardware layer;

wherein the performance layer is configured to generate a first control signal and to transmit the first control signal to the safety layer;

wherein the safety layer is configured to detect whether a safety-critical driving situation is present for the vehicle, and a first system reaction is to be carried out in order to bring the vehicle into a safe state by transmitting a corresponding second control signal to the hardware layer instead of the first control signal; and

wherein the safety layer includes at least one detector module which is configured to detect, based on an evaluation using at least one evaluation criterion, whether a special case is present in the safety-critical driving situation of the vehicle, the special case requiring an associated second system reaction instead of the first system reaction to achieve the safe state of the vehicle by transmitting a corresponding third control signal to the hardware layer instead of the corresponding second control signal;

wherein the second system reaction is carried out by a reaction module which is connected via signals to the detector module;

wherein the reaction module is located on a layer of the system architecture arranged above a layer on which the detector module is located.

2 . The hierarchical system architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the first system reaction is triggered based on a result of a validity check of the received first control signal.

3 . The hierarchical system architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one evaluation criterion provides whether the first system reaction is sufficient to bring the vehicle into the safe state.

4 . The hierarchical system architecture according to claim 1 , wherein the detector module is configured to access the performance layer to obtain information which is used in the evaluation of the safety-critical driving situation of the vehicle.