Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to operating autonomous driving vehicles. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate to operator brake detection for autonomous vehicles.
Vehicles operating in an autonomous mode (e.g., driverless) can relieve occupants, especially the driver, from some driving-related responsibilities. When operating in an autonomous mode, the vehicle can navigate to various locations using onboard sensors, allowing the vehicle to travel with minimal human interaction or in some cases without any passengers.
Brake control is a critical operation in autonomous driving. Pressure requests from the autonomous driving system (ADS) should be canceled immediately if an operator has engaged the brakes during autonomous driving (AD) events. However, since deceleration requests from AD and driver requests often use the same sensors input, a highly robust and sensitive driver brake intervention detection mechanism for AD is critical.
Embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements.
Various embodiments and aspects of the disclosures will be described with reference to the details discussed below, and the accompanying drawings will illustrate the various embodiments. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments of the present disclosures.
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.
According to some embodiments, a brake control system detects brake intervention of an operator from measurements of a pedal travel value and measurements of a brake motor actuation position of a brake booster. If it is determined an operator intervened/engaged the brakes, the brake control system signals to the autonomous driving system (ADS) to cancel the autonomous driving (AD) events and returns operations of the ADV to an operator so the operator can manually control the ADV.
The brake controls can be measured by a pedal travel distance sensor of a brake booster of the brake system. When different types of brake AD events (hard deceleration, brake hold, brake release, a ramped deceleration, etc.) are requested by the ADS, the measured pedal travel distance sensor value can reflect both the manual intervention of an operator and the AD events, since the pedal travel sensor value reflects the brake controls operated by both the ADS and the operator.
Currently, when an operator intervenes, the measurement value is insensitive to the degree of pedal travel (requires an operator to register a large pedal travel distance) and is slow (more than one planning cycles). An example of such an operator intention detection is shown in
As described above, using the current detection methodology, detecting the operator intervention reliably can be slow because the brake control system has to wait for the brake controls to settle to a steady state, e.g., at time=t1 to t2, for the ADS brake controls to be reliably discerned from operator intervention. Furthermore, the detection of operator intention is insensitive for a time window between time=t0 and t1, since the operator intervention may or may not register if the operator pressed the brake pedal, e.g., only if the operator pressed the brake pedal enough to register a large pedal travel distance (>Target value) then the operator intervention can be detected. Thus, there is a need to isolate a brake control detection of the operator from that of the ADS for a robust operator intervention detection.
According to a first aspect, a brake control system determines and observers a brake pedal travel value and a brake actuation position based on a brake pedal travel sensor and a motor actuation sensor of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). The brake control system determines a first threshold value based on the brake actuation position. The brake control system determines a deviation of the observed brake pedal travel value from the brake actuation position is above the first threshold value and detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the deviation is above the first threshold value. In one embodiment or in an alternative, the brake control system determines a deviation of the observed brake pedal travel value from the raw pedal travel sensor value is above a threshold value and detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the deviation is above this threshold value. This way, brake intervention also can be detected robustly and reliably.
According to a second aspect, a brake control system determines a first and a second brake pedal travel values of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) corresponding to a first and a second planning cycles respectively. The brake control system determines a difference value between the first and second brake pedal travel values. The brake control system detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the difference value between the first and second brake pedal travel values is above a predetermined threshold. In this scenario, the brake intervention can be detected robustly and reliably.
An ADV refers to a vehicle that can be configured to in an autonomous mode in which the vehicle navigates through an environment with little or no input from a driver. Such an ADV can include a sensor system having one or more sensors that are configured to detect information about the environment in which the vehicle operates. The vehicle and its associated controller(s) use the detected information to navigate through the environment. ADV 101 can operate in a manual mode, a full autonomous mode, or a partial autonomous mode.
In one embodiment, ADV 101 includes, but is not limited to, autonomous driving system (ADS) 110, vehicle control system 111, wireless communication system 112, user interface system 113, and sensor system 115. ADV 101 may further include certain common components included in ordinary vehicles, such as, an engine, wheels, steering wheel, transmission, etc., which may be controlled by vehicle control system 111 and/or ADS 110 using a variety of communication signals and/or commands, such as, for example, acceleration signals or commands, deceleration signals or commands, steering signals or commands, braking signals or commands, etc.
Components 110-115 may be communicatively coupled to each other via an interconnect, a bus, a network, or a combination thereof. For example, components 110-115 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a controller area network (CAN) bus. A CAN bus is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for multiplex electrical wiring within automobiles, but is also used in many other contexts.
Referring now to
Sensor system 115 may further include other sensors, such as, a sonar sensor, an infrared sensor, a steering sensor, a throttle sensor, a braking sensor, and an audio sensor (e.g., microphone). An audio sensor may be configured to capture sound from the environment surrounding the ADV. A steering sensor may be configured to sense the steering angle of a steering wheel, wheels of the vehicle, or a combination thereof. A throttle sensor and a braking sensor sense the throttle position and braking position of the vehicle, respectively. In some situations, a throttle sensor and a braking sensor may be integrated as an integrated throttle/braking sensor.
In one embodiment, vehicle control system 111 includes, but is not limited to, steering unit 201, throttle unit 202 (also referred to as an acceleration unit), and braking unit 203. Steering unit 201 is to adjust the direction or heading of the vehicle. Throttle unit 202 is to control the speed of the motor or engine that in turn controls the speed and acceleration of the vehicle. Braking unit 203 is to decelerate the vehicle by providing friction to slow the wheels or tires of the vehicle. Note that the components as shown in
Referring back to
Some or all of the functions of ADV 101 may be controlled or managed by ADS 110, especially when operating in an autonomous driving mode. ADS 110 includes the necessary hardware (e.g., processor(s), memory, storage) and software (e.g., operating system, planning and routing programs) to receive information from sensor system 115, control system 111, wireless communication system 112, and/or user interface system 113, process the received information, plan a route or path from a starting point to a destination point, and then drive vehicle 101 based on the planning and control information. Alternatively, ADS 110 may be integrated with vehicle control system 111.
For example, a user as a passenger may specify a starting location and a destination of a trip, for example, via a user interface. ADS 110 obtains the trip related data. For example, ADS 110 may obtain location and route data from an MPOI server, which may be a part of servers 103-104. The location server provides location services and the MPOI server provides map services and the POIs of certain locations. Alternatively, such location and MPOI information may be cached locally in a persistent storage device of ADS 110.
While ADV 101 is moving along the route, ADS 110 may also obtain real-time traffic information from a traffic information system or server (TIS). Note that servers 103-104 may be operated by a third party entity. Alternatively, the functionalities of servers 103-104 may be integrated with ADS 110. Based on the real-time traffic information, MPOI information, and location information, as well as real-time local environment data detected or sensed by sensor system 115 (e.g., obstacles, objects, nearby vehicles), ADS 110 can plan an optimal route and drive vehicle 101, for example, via control system 111, according to the planned route to reach the specified destination safely and efficiently.
Some or all of modules 301-308 may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, these modules may be installed in persistent storage device 352, loaded into memory 351, and executed by one or more processors (not shown). Note that some or all of these modules may be communicatively coupled to or integrated with some or all modules of vehicle control system 111 of
Localization module 301 determines a current location of ADV 300 (e.g., leveraging GPS unit 212) and manages any data related to a trip or route of a user. Localization module 301 (also referred to as a map and route module) manages any data related to a trip or route of a user. A user may log in and specify a starting location and a destination of a trip, for example, via a user interface. Localization module 301 communicates with other components of ADV 300, such as map and route data 311, to obtain the trip related data. For example, localization module 301 may obtain location and route data from a location server and a map and POI (MPOI) server. A location server provides location services and an MPOI server provides map services and the POIs of certain locations, which may be cached as part of map and route data 311. While ADV 300 is moving along the route, localization module 301 may also obtain real-time traffic information from a traffic information system or server.
Based on the sensor data provided by sensor system 115 and localization information obtained by localization module 301, a perception of the surrounding environment is determined by perception module 302. The perception information may represent what an ordinary driver would perceive surrounding a vehicle in which the driver is driving. The perception can include the lane configuration, traffic light signals, a relative position of another vehicle, a pedestrian, a building, crosswalk, or other traffic related signs (e.g., stop signs, yield signs), etc., for example, in a form of an object. The lane configuration includes information describing a lane or lanes, such as, for example, a shape of the lane (e.g., straight or curvature), a width of the lane, how many lanes in a road, one-way or two-way lane, merging or splitting lanes, exiting lane, etc.
Perception module 302 may include a computer vision system or functionalities of a computer vision system to process and analyze images captured by one or more cameras in order to identify objects and/or features in the environment of the ADV. The objects can include traffic signals, road way boundaries, other vehicles, pedestrians, and/or obstacles, etc. The computer vision system may use an object recognition algorithm, video tracking, and other computer vision techniques. In some embodiments, the computer vision system can map an environment, track objects, and estimate the speed of objects, etc. Perception module 302 can also detect objects based on other sensors data provided by other sensors such as a radar and/or LIDAR.
For each of the objects, prediction module 303 predicts what the object will behave under the circumstances. The prediction is performed based on the perception data perceiving the driving environment at the point in time in view of a set of map/route information 311 and traffic rules 312. For example, if the object is a vehicle at an opposing direction and the current driving environment includes an intersection, prediction module 303 will predict whether the vehicle will likely move straight forward or make a turn. If the perception data indicates that the intersection has no traffic light, prediction module 303 may predict that the vehicle may have to fully stop prior to enter the intersection. If the perception data indicates that the vehicle is currently at a left-turn only lane or a right-turn only lane, prediction module 303 may predict that the vehicle will more likely make a left turn or right turn respectively.
For each of the objects, decision module 304 makes a decision regarding how to handle the object. For example, for a particular object (e.g., another vehicle in a crossing route) as well as its metadata describing the object (e.g., a speed, direction, turning angle), decision module 304 decides how to encounter the object (e.g., overtake, yield, stop, pass). Decision module 304 may make such decisions according to a set of rules such as traffic rules or driving rules 312, which may be stored in persistent storage device 352.
Routing module 307 is configured to provide one or more routes or paths from a starting point to a destination point. For a given trip from a start location to a destination location, for example, received from a user, routing module 307 obtains route and map information 311 and determines all possible routes or paths from the starting location to reach the destination location. Routing module 307 may generate a reference line in a form of a topographic map for each of the routes it determines from the starting location to reach the destination location. A reference line refers to an ideal route or path without any interference from others such as other vehicles, obstacles, or traffic condition. That is, if there is no other vehicle, pedestrians, or obstacles on the road, an ADV should exactly or closely follows the reference line. The topographic maps are then provided to decision module 304 and/or planning module 305. Decision module 304 and/or planning module 305 examine all of the possible routes to select and modify one of the most optimal routes in view of other data provided by other modules such as traffic conditions from localization module 301, driving environment perceived by perception module 302, and traffic condition predicted by prediction module 303. The actual path or route for controlling the ADV may be close to or different from the reference line provided by routing module 307 dependent upon the specific driving environment at the point in time.
Based on a decision for each of the objects perceived, planning module 305 plans a path or route for the ADV, as well as driving parameters (e.g., distance, speed, and/or turning angle), using a reference line provided by routing module 307 as a basis. That is, for a given object, decision module 304 decides what to do with the object, while planning module 305 determines how to do it. For example, for a given object, decision module 304 may decide to pass the object, while planning module 305 may determine whether to pass on the left side or right side of the object. Planning and control data is generated by planning module 305 including information describing how vehicle 101 would move in a next moving cycle (e.g., next route/path segment). For example, the planning and control data may instruct vehicle 101 to move 10 meters at a speed of 30 miles per hour (mph), then change to a right lane at the speed of 25 mph.
Based on the planning and control data, control module 306 controls and drives the ADV, by sending proper commands or signals to vehicle control system 111, according to a route or path defined by the planning and control data. The planning and control data include sufficient information to drive the vehicle from a first point to a second point of a route or path using appropriate vehicle settings or driving parameters (e.g., throttle, braking, steering commands) at different points in time along the path or route.
In one embodiment, the planning phase is performed in a number of planning cycles, also referred to as driving cycles, such as, for example, in every time interval of 100 milliseconds (ms). For each of the planning cycles or driving cycles, one or more control commands will be issued based on the planning and control data. That is, for every 100 ms, planning module 305 plans a next route segment or path segment, for example, including a target position and the time required for the ADV to reach the target position. Alternatively, planning module 305 may further specify the specific speed, direction, and/or steering angle, etc. In one embodiment, planning module 305 plans a route segment or path segment for the next predetermined period of time such as 5 seconds. For each planning cycle, planning module 305 plans a target position for the current cycle (e.g., next 5 seconds) based on a target position planned in a previous cycle. Control module 306 then generates one or more control commands (e.g., throttle, brake, steering control commands) based on the planning and control data of the current cycle.
Note that decision module 304 and planning module 305 may be integrated as an integrated module. Decision module 304/planning module 305 may include a navigation system or functionalities of a navigation system to determine a driving path for the ADV. For example, the navigation system may determine a series of speeds and directional headings to affect movement of the ADV along a path that substantially avoids perceived obstacles while generally advancing the ADV along a roadway-based path leading to an ultimate destination. The destination may be set according to user inputs via user interface system 113. The navigation system may update the driving path dynamically while the ADV is in operation. The navigation system can incorporate data from a GPS system and one or more maps so as to determine the driving path for the ADV.
In one embodiment, brake system 500 includes a braking force booster 10 that is coupled between brake pedal 6 and master brake cylinder 4. Booster 10 can include an electric motor 11, mechanical gearbox 12, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 14. ECU 14 can present a microcontroller that controls the actuations of booster 10. Booster 10 can boost a brake control that is applied by an operator. For example, a brake pedal travel distance that is exerted by an operator can be measured by pedal travel sensor 7. A signal of pedal travel sensor 7 can be transmitted to ECU 14 of booster 10 to cause gears of mechanical gearbox 12 to rotate thereby boosting the applied brake pedal and causing the hydraulic brake pressure at master brake cylinder 4 to increase. In one embodiment, the actuation position of electric motor 11 can be measured by an actuation sensor 13.
Brake fluid can be carried in each brake circuit 2, 3 and are supplied to brake devices (not shown) of the vehicle wheels. The brake hydraulics can further include a hydraulic pump (not shown) to control the hydraulic brake pressure of the brake hydraulics.
For an autonomous driving mode, an ADS can request brake controls (e.g., a pedal travel distance) by sending a signal to ECU 14 of booster 10 to cause gears of the mechanical gearbox 12 to rotate and to actuate the piston of the master brake cylinder 4. Furthermore, a brake control system can obtain sensors values from ECU 14 of booster 10 to obtain measurements of travel sensor 7 and/or actuation sensor 13.
Although the vehicle brake hydraulics system is described with brake fluid hydraulics, the embodiments are not limited to fluid hydraulic brakes. For example, an electronic brake system can be used instead of the fluid hydraulics brake system.
In one embodiment, brake control system 600 can include brake intention module 308, brake system 605 and brake actuator 606. Brake intention module 308 can receive brake pedal sensor value P1, brake actuator position sensor value A1, and ADS signals AD1, and determine signal M1 that is issued to brake system 605. M1 can represent P1 when brake intention module 308 detects operator intervention or M1 can represent AD1 when brake intention module 308 discerned non-intervened autonomous driving operations. The actuation sensor that measure the actuation position value Al can be associated with brake actuator 606, e.g., the actuation position sensor is in a feedback loop with the autonomous driving system (ADS) of the ADV.
In some embodiments, brake control system 600 can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, software portions of brake control system 600 can be installed in persistent storage device 352, loaded into memory 351, and executed by one or more processors (not shown). Note that brake control system 600 can be communicatively coupled to or integrated with some or all modules of vehicle control system 111 of
In this scenario, an operator intervenes the brake controls by pressing the brake pedal between time t4 and t5. In one embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 803 suddenly has a large change (delta) for a predetermined time period. For example, t4 can correspond to planning cycle 1 and t5 can corresponding to planning cycle 2. When the delta value of the pedal travel distance measured is greater than a predetermined threshold for the time between planning cycle 1 and planning cycle 2, the control system can detect that an operator has intervened, e.g., engaged the brake pedal. Planning cycles 1-2 can correspond to two consecutive planning cycles (a planning cycle can be 10 ms or larger) or any two non-consecutive planning cycles. In one embodiment, the brake control system determines that a deviation of the observed brake pedal travel value from the raw pedal travel sensor value is above a predetermined threshold value (e.g. 0.1) and detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the deviation is above this predetermined threshold value.
In another embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 803 minus the motor actuator value 805 is greater than a threshold for a determined time period. For example, at time=t4.5 (e.g., a planning cycle), the system can determine that the brake pedal travel sensor value is 7 and the motor actuator value is 2.8. Using the motor actuator value of 2.8, the system can determine a threshold value equals to 2.7. The threshold value can be determined using a mapping table, such as mapping table 1300 of
Referring to
In another embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 903 is greater than the requested brake pedal travel value 901 minus a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.5) for a certain predetermined period (e.g., 0.02 s). For example, at time=t1, the system can determine the requested brake pedal travel sensor value 901 to be the Target value and the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 903 to be approximately the Target value. Thus, Target>Target−0.5 and the system determines that the operator intervened.
In one embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1003 suddenly has a large change (delta) for a predetermined time period. For example, t7 can correspond to planning cycle 1 and t8 can corresponding to planning cycle 2. When the delta value of the pedal travel distance measured is greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.5) for the time between planning cycle 1 and planning cycle 2, the control system can detect that an operator has intervened, e.g., pressed the brake pedal. Planning cycles 1-2 can correspond to two consecutive planning cycles (each planning cycle can be 100 ms) or any two non-consecutive planning cycles.
In another embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1003 minus the motor actuator value 1005 is greater than a threshold. For example, at time=t7.5 (a planning cycle), the system can determine that the brake pedal travel sensor value to be 5 and the motor actuator value to be 2.4. Using the motor actuator value of 2.4, the system can extrapolate and determine a threshold value to be approximately 2.8. The threshold value can be determined using mapping table 1300 of
In one embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1103 suddenly has a large change (delta) for a predetermined time period, e.g., between t4 and t5, or t5 and t9. For example, t4 can correspond to planning cycle 1, t5 can corresponding to planning cycle 2, and t9 can correspond to planning cycle 3. When the delta value of the observed pedal travel distance is greater than a predetermined threshold for the time between planning cycle 1 and planning cycle 2 or between planning cycle 2 and planning cycle 3, the control system can detect that an operator has intervened, e.g., pressed the brake pedal. Planning cycles 1-3 can correspond to three consecutive planning cycles (a planning cycle can be 100 ms) or any three non-consecutive planning cycles. In one embodiment, the two brake control engagements can be detected as separate operator interventions.
For example, in one embodiment, the brake control system can detect the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1203 has suddenly changed by a predetermined amount within a predetermined time period. For example, t4 may correspond to planning cycle 1 and t5 can corresponding to planning cycle 2. When a change of the observed pedal travel distance 1203 is greater than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.5) for the time between the planning cycle 1 and planning cycle 2, the brake control system can detect that the operator has intervened, e.g., pressed the brake pedal. Planning cycles 1-2 can correspond to two consecutive planning cycles (each planning cycle can be 100 ms) or any two non-consecutive planning cycles.
In another embodiment, the brake control system detects the operator intervention by determining that the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1203 is greater than the requested brake pedal travel value 1201 minus a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.5). For example, at time=t4, the system can determine that the requested brake pedal travel sensor value 1201 is equal to Target value and the observed brake pedal travel sensor value 1203 to be approximately the Target value. Thus, Target>Target−0.5 and the system determines that the operator intervened.
At block 1401, processing logic determines a brake pedal travel value based on a brake pedal travel sensor of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). At block 1403, processing logic determines a brake actuation position based on an actuation sensor of the ADV.
At block 1405, processing logic determines a first threshold value (threshold 1309 of
In one embodiment, in response to detecting the intention of an operator to apply a brake control, processing logic cancels autonomous driving events of an autonomous driving system of the ADV to return driving operations to an operator.
In one embodiment, the first threshold value is a dynamic threshold proportional to the brake actuation position of the ADV, where the dynamic threshold is determined based on a mapping table, such as mapping table 1300 of
In one embodiment, determining that the deviation of the brake pedal travel value from the brake actuation position is above the first threshold value is performed when an autonomous driving system of the ADV has requested the ADV to decelerate.
In one embodiment, processing logic determines a change in the brake pedal travel value between a first planning cycle and a second planning cycles is above a predetermined threshold. Processing logic detects the intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the change in the brake pedal travel value is above the predetermined threshold. See example 800 of
In one embodiment, processing logic determines a change in the brake pedal travel value between the second planning cycle and a third planning cycle is above the predetermined threshold. Processing logic detects the intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the change in the brake pedal travel value is above the predetermined threshold (e.g. 0.3) between any of the first, second, or third planning cycles. See example 1100 of
In one embodiment, processing logic determines the brake pedal travel value is above a brake pedal travel value requested by an autonomous driving system of the ADV. Processing logic detects detecting the intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the brake pedal travel value is above the requested brake pedal travel value. See example 900 of
In one embodiment, the actuation sensor is in a feedback loop for an autonomous driving system (ADS) of the ADV. In one embodiment, the actuation sensor includes a sensor (sensor 13 of
At block 1501, processing logic determines a first and a second brake pedal travel values of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) corresponding to a first and a second planning cycles respectively.
At block 1503, processing logic determines a difference value between the first and second brake pedal travel values. At block 1505, processing logic detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the difference value between the first and second brake pedal travel values is above a predetermined threshold. See example 800 of
In one embodiment, in response to detecting the intention of an operator to apply a brake control, processing logic further cancels autonomous driving events of an autonomous driving system of the ADV to return driving operations to an operator.
In one embodiment, processing logic determines a brake actuation position based on an actuation sensor of the ADV. Processing logic determines a deviation of the first brake pedal travel value from the brake actuation position is above a first threshold value. Processing logic detects an intention of an operator to apply a brake control in response to determining that the deviation is above the first threshold value. See example 800 of
In one embodiment, the first threshold value is a dynamic threshold proportional to the brake actuation position of the ADV, wherein the dynamic threshold is determined based on a mapping table.
In one embodiment, determining the delta between the first and second brake pedal travel values is performed when an autonomous driving system of the ADV has requested the ADV to decelerate. See example 800 of
Note that some or all of the components as shown and described above may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, such components can be implemented as software installed and stored in a persistent storage device, which can be loaded and executed in a memory by a processor (not shown) to carry out the processes or operations described throughout this application. Alternatively, such components can be implemented as executable code programmed or embedded into dedicated hardware such as an integrated circuit (e.g., an application specific IC or ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), which can be accessed via a corresponding driver and/or operating system from an application. Furthermore, such components can be implemented as specific hardware logic in a processor or processor core as part of an instruction set accessible by a software component via one or more specific instructions.
Some portions of the preceding detailed descriptions have been presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the ways used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to a desired result. The operations are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities.
It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as those set forth in the claims below, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
Embodiments of the disclosure also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. Such a computer program is stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium includes a machine (e.g., a computer) readable storage medium (e.g., read only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices).
The processes or methods depicted in the preceding figures may be performed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g. circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software (e.g., embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium), or a combination of both. Although the processes or methods are described above in terms of some sequential operations, it should be appreciated that some of the operations described may be performed in a different order. Moreover, some operations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of embodiments of the disclosure as described herein.
In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
This application claims the priority of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/350,778, filed Jun. 9, 2022, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63350778 | Jun 2022 | US |