IP Library Granted Patent US 12,479,421
Granted Patent B2
US 12,479,421 · App. 17/493,323 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

Modular network based knowledge sharing for multiple entities

Inventors: LuAn Tang (Pennington, NJ); Wei Cheng (Princeton Junction, NJ); Haifeng Chen (West Windsor, NJ); Zhengzhang Chen (Princeton Junction, NJ); Yuxiang Ren (Tallahassee, FL)
Assignee: NEC Corporation
B60W30/08G06F18/2148G06N3/082G06N5/02
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 12,479,421
App. No.
17/493,323
Granted
Nov 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for vehicle fault detection is provided. The method includes training, by a cloud module controlled by a processor device, an entity-shared modular and a shared modular connection controller. The entity-shared modular stores common knowledge for a transfer scope, and is formed from a set of sub-networks which are dynamically assembled for different target entities of a vehicle by the shared modular connection controller. The method further includes training, by an edge module controlled by another processor device, an entity-specific decoder and an entity-specific connection controller. The entity-specific decoder is for filtering entity-specific information from the common knowledge in the entity-shared modular by dynamically assembling the set of sub-networks in a manner decided by the entity specific connection controller.

Claims (24)

1 . A method for vehicle fault detection, comprising:

training, by a cloud module controlled by a processor device, an entity-shared modular and a shared modular connection controller, the entity-shared modular storing common knowledge for a transfer scope, the transfer scope being based on a local community where an entity is located, and formed from a set of sub-networks which are dynamically assembled for different target entities of a vehicle by the shared modular connection controller, and the shared modular connection controller connects the sub-networks; and

training, by an edge module controlled by another processor device, an entity-specific decoder, an entity-specific connection controller, and an output module, the entity-specific decoder for filtering entity-specific information from the common knowledge in the entity-shared modular by dynamically assembling the set of sub-networks in a manner decided by the entity specific connection controller, the output module transforms a dimension of the shared decoder to an output dimension to adapt to different task needs, wherein the entity-shared modular and the entity-specific decoder form a task-specific graph using task and data scenarios.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting, by the edge module based on the entity-specific information filtered from the common knowledge, an anomaly in at least one of the different target entities of the vehicle.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling a system of the vehicle for obstacle avoidance responsive to a detection of the anomaly in at least one of the different target entities of the vehicle.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the system of the vehicle is selected from a group consisting of steering, accelerating, and braking.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the entity-shared modular and the shared modular connection controller are jointly trained.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the entity-specific controller and the entity-specific connection controller are trained only with the entity-specific information while excluding the common knowledge.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein parameters of the entity-shared modular and the shared modular connection controller are frozen while training the entity-specific connection controller.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the task-specific graph measures a similarity between the different target entities such that connections in the task-specific graph reflect common attributes between the different target entities.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein nodes in the task-specific graph represent respective ones of the different target entities, and edges in the task-specific graph represent common attributes between respective pairs of the different target entities.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared modular connection controller decides different decision connections between different layers having different ones of the sub-networks in the set.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared modular connection controller and the entity-specific connection controller selectively make or break a connection with the entity-shared modular and the entity-specific decoder, respectively.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the shared modular connection controller implements a reinforcement learning process using a reward in relation to making and braking the connection.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cloud module is pre-trained prior to the edge module.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the entity-shared modular and the entity specific decoder form a personalized model for at least one of the different target entities.

15 . A system for vehicle fault detection, comprising:

a cloud module, controlled by a processor device, for training an entity-shared modular and a shared modular connection controller, the entity-shared modular storing common knowledge for a transfer scope, the transfer scope being based on a local community where an entity is located, and formed from a set of sub-networks which are dynamically assembled for different target entities of a vehicle by the shared modular connection controller, and the shared modular connection controller connects the sub-networks; and

an edge module controlled by another processor device, for training an entity-specific decoder, an entity-specific connection controller, and an output module, the entity-specific decoder for filtering entity-specific information from the common knowledge in the entity-shared modular by dynamically assembling the set of sub-networks in a manner decided by the entity specific connection controller, the output module transforms a dimension of the shared decoder to an output dimension to adapt to different task needs, wherein the entity-shared modular and the entity-specific decoder form a task-specific graph using task and data scenarios.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the edge module detects an anomaly in at least one of the different target entities of the vehicle, based on the entity-specific information filtered from the common knowledge.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the edge module interacts to initiate a control of a system of the vehicle for obstacle avoidance responsive to a detection of the anomaly in at least one of the different target entities of the vehicle.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the system of the vehicle is selected from a group consisting of steering, accelerating, and braking.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the entity-shared modular and the shared modular connection controller are jointly trained.

20 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the entity-specific controller and the entity-specific connection controller are trained only with the entity-specific information while excluding the common knowledge.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2025
From: NEC LABORATORIES AMERICA, INC.
To: NEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 072592/0768 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 4, 2021
From: TANG, LUAN; CHENG, WEI; CHEN, HAIFENG; CHEN, ZHENGZHANG; REN, YUXIANG
To: NEC LABORATORIES AMERICA, INC.
Reel/Frame 057692/0201 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63089566 · Oct 9, 2020
Related Publication 20220111836A1 · Apr 14, 2022
References Cited (14)
US 10210487B2 · Penilla · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 11436504B1 · Lukarski · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11978266B2 · Arar · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20180275657A1 · You · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190163193A1 · Lingg · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190333291A1 · Liu · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200301772A1 · McMenemy · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200364953A1 · Simoudis · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210233196A1 · Qin · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20230292117A1 · Hemantharaja · 2023 [cited by examiner]
KR 1020120107774A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
KR 102018010850A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
Cheng et al., “Meta multi-task learning for sequence modeling”, Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence. vol. 32, No. 1. Apr. 27, 2018. pp. 5070-5077. [cited by applicant]
Kirsch et al., “Modular networks: Learning to decompose neural computation”, 32nd Conference on Neural Information Processing System. vol. 31. Dec. 3-8, 2018. pp. 2408-2418, 2018. [cited by applicant]