Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

A vehicle control device comprising a processor for operating a function provided by an onboar device of a vehicle (1), wherein an ECU (10) determines, on the basis of navigation information and / or vehicle information, the optimum recording state of software suitable for a traveling state of the vehicle for individual pieces of software used for realizing the function, and when the actual recording state of the software actually stored is different from the determined optimum recording state, the ECU (10) updates the software so that the actual recording state will be the optimum recording state.

Description

Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method.

[0002] Conventionally, an electronic control device in which an application program installed in an ECU can be rewritten by OTA is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The battery control device described in Patent Document 1 operates an application program stored in a first data storage area which is an operation area, writes update data acquired from an external device into a second data storage area which is a non-operation area, switches the operation area from the first data storage area to the second data storage area, and rewrites the second data storage area while the vehicle is running or parked. During parking, the operation area switches from the first data storage area to the second data storage area.

[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 032122

[0004] The electronic control device described in Patent Document 1 expands the memory capacity using a dual bank for software update. However, even if the memory is expanded, there is an upper limit to the capacity of each memory, so there is a risk of insufficient capacity depending on the running state of the vehicle.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can prevent the memory capacity from becoming insufficient according to the running state of the vehicle.

[0006] According to the present invention, based on navigation information and / or vehicle information, the optimal recording state of software suitable for the running state of the vehicle is determined for each software for realizing a function, and when the actual recording state of the actually stored software is different from the determined optimal recording state, the above problem is solved by updating the software so that the actual recording state becomes the optimal recording state.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the memory capacity from becoming insufficient according to the running state of the vehicle.

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle control system equipped with a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating "full functionality" and "stub functionality". Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the determination result of the functional necessity of each function according to the transition of the driving state in this embodiment. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for determining the optimal recording state according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedure of the update execution unit according to this embodiment.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control device and vehicle control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle control system equipped with a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control system 1000 is a system that realizes various in-vehicle functions such as driver assistance functions, vehicle driving functions, and IVI-related functions such as information and entertainment, and manages software updates for the vehicle 1. The vehicle control system 1000 is a system that can update the software for vehicle control and diagnostics executed by the vehicle's electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as ECU (Electronic Control Unit)) via OTA (Over The Air). Updating software via such OTA is also called SOTA (Software Over The Air).

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle control system 1000 includes an ECU 10, another ECU 11, and another ECU 12. Each ECU is mounted on the vehicle 1 and is connected by an in-vehicle network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Interconnect Network). Each ECU controls the in-vehicle equipment of the vehicle and performs the functions provided by the in-vehicle equipment. ECU 10 is an example of the "vehicle control device" described in the claims. In Figure 1, for simplification, two ECUs (other ECUs 11 and 12) are shown as examples of other ECUs, but the other ECUs are not limited to these; there may be one ECU or three or more ECUs.

[0012] The ECU 10 is a microcontroller composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 10b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 10c, and a flash memory 10d. In addition to the microcontroller, each ECU also has a power supply circuit, a data transfer circuit, etc. The flash memory 10d stores programs for realizing the software of each function of the ECU. The flash memory 10d is a non-volatile storage medium and is physically composed of a single storage medium. The CPU 10a is a processor that operates the functions provided by the in-vehicle equipment. That is, the software for each function of the ECU 10 is realized by the CPU 10a executing the programs stored in the flash memory 10d and performing various processes. The software for each function can be updated via OTA (Over The Air). In software updates, the ECU 10 wirelessly acquires update data from outside the vehicle 1, performs an installation process to write the update data to the flash memory, and then performs an activation process to read the update data, thereby updating the software. The ECU 10 can perform software updates for each function it performs.

[0013] In this embodiment, the ECU 10 is described as a driver assistance system ECU that performs driver assistance functions to assist in driving the vehicle 1. The ECU 10 includes software for performing driver assistance functions. The driver assistance functions performed by the ECU 10 are examples of functions provided by in-vehicle equipment and include, for example, emergency braking (FEB), rear emergency braking (EAP), lane departure prevention (LDP), rear side collision prevention (BSI), autonomous driving (AD), parking assistance (APA), preceding vehicle departure notification (LCDN), and exit safety assistance (OSE). In this embodiment, each function is independent for each application. That is, each application includes a program (software) for performing its respective function. In Figure 1, for the sake of simplicity, the ECU 10 is shown to have three function execution units (for example, a first function execution unit 101, a second function execution unit 102, and a third function execution unit 103) as functional units for performing driver assistance functions. Each function execution unit performs functions such as FEB and EAP. Furthermore, the number of function execution units for driver assistance is not limited to three; it may be two or fewer, or four or more.

[0014] In this embodiment, the ECU 10 is not limited to a driver assistance system ECU, but may also be a multimedia system ECU, a power supply system ECU, etc. A multimedia system ECU is a general term for an ECU that controls the multimedia system of the vehicle 1. Examples of multimedia system ECUs include a navigation control ECU that controls the navigation system of the vehicle 1, and an audio control ECU that controls the audio equipment of the vehicle 1. A power supply system ECU is a general term for an ECU that controls the power supply system of the vehicle 1. Examples of power supply system ECUs include a power supply control ECU that controls the ACC (accessory) power supply and IG (ignition) power supply installed in the vehicle 1.

[0015] The ECU 10 includes functions for determining the recording status of the software appropriate for the vehicle's driving conditions, and for updating the software. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the ECU 10 includes a determination unit 100 and an update execution unit 110. The determination unit 100 and the function execution units such as the first function execution unit 101, the second function execution unit 102, and the third function execution unit 103 are function units included in the OEM domain, while the update execution unit 110 is a function unit included in the supplier domain.

[0016] The determination unit 100 determines the appropriate recording state of the software for each software that implements the driving assistance function, based on the vehicle's driving conditions. The software is, for example, a program that executes various control processes such as signal reception processing, calculation processing, determination processing, and transmission processing. The software is recorded in the flash memory 10d either with all of the processing functions included in the software enabled (hereinafter also referred to as "full functionality") or with some of the processing functions disabled (hereinafter also referred to as "stub functionality"). The recording state of the software differs depending on the number of processing functions enabled, the degree to which the processing functions are enabled, or the type of processing functions enabled among the multiple processing functions included in the software, and the difference in the recording state of the software is reflected in the data capacity recorded in the flash memory 10d. For example, if the software is recorded in the flash memory 10d in full functionality, the amount of data used in the flash memory 10d will be large, and if the software is recorded in the flash memory 10d in stub functionality, the amount of data used in the flash memory 10d will be small.

[0017] Here, the concepts of "full functionality" and "stub functionality" in software will be explained with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2(a) is a conceptual diagram illustrating "full functionality," and Figure 2(b) is a conceptual diagram illustrating "stub functionality." The functional blocks "Processing Functions 1-3" shown in Figures 2(a) and (b) represent processing functions in an example of functions included in the driver assistance function. For example, "Processing Function 1" corresponds to the receiving process of receiving signals transmitted via an in-vehicle communication network such as CAN. For example, "Processing Function 2" corresponds to the process of performing judgments and calculations on the information contained in the signal received by "Processing Function 1" under a predetermined logic. For example, "Processing Function 3" corresponds to the transmission process of performing necessary processing for transmission, such as filtering, on the information processed by "Processing Function 2," and then transmitting the signal to other functions. Note that "Processing Functions 1-3" are merely examples of processing functions included in the software, and each of Processing Functions 1-3 may perform different processing. Furthermore, the processing functions included in the software are not limited to the three "Processing Functions 1-3," but may be one, two, or four or more "processing functions."

[0018] As shown in Figure 2(a), in "Full Function" mode, all "Processing Functions 1-3" are enabled. As shown in Figure 2(b), in "Stub Mode" mode, "Processing Function 1" and "Processing Function 2" are enabled, but "Processing Function 2" is limited to its minimum processing functions, with all other functions disabled. The minimum processing functions enabled by stub mode are pass-through, fixed initial value, and minimum logic. Pass-through receives on / off commands and function setting commands from Processing Function 1 and sends them directly to "Processing Function 3" without applying any corrections. Fixed initial value disables the correction processing of "Processing Function 2" in full function mode and sends the correction value as "0 (zero): fixed value". For example, in full function mode, "Processing Function 2" performs correction processing on parameters (yaw angle, brake operation amount, etc.) input from "Processing Function 1" and outputs the corrected parameters to "Processing Function 3". Stub mode disables the correction processing of "Processing Function 2" and outputs the fixed value "zero" to "Processing Function 3". The minimum logic performs the minimum control processing necessary to maintain the fail operation. For example, if the sign detection function does not work due to a camera malfunction, the fail processing will display on the meter that some functions are not working. In the minimum logic, when a fail operation occurs, a command indicating a fail state is output to "processing function 3". Note that when processing function 2 is stubbed, only the three processing functions of passthrough, initial value fixing, and minimum logic are enabled, but it is not necessary to enable all three processing functions; at least one processing function may be enabled and the others disabled. Furthermore, the processing functions enabled by stubping are not limited to the three processing functions of passthrough, initial value fixing, and minimum logic; other processing functions may also be enabled. In other words, of the multiple processing functions that were enabled in full-function mode, it is sufficient that at least one processing function is disabled by stubping.

[0019] Furthermore, if stubbing disables some of the software's processing functions, the interface of the processing function before disabling it and the interface of the processing function after disabling it are maintained. In the example in Figure 2, the interface of "Processing Function 2" when fully functional and the interface of "Processing Function 2" when stubbed are identical. As a result, even when "Processing Function 2" is stubbed, "Processing Function 1" and "Processing Function 3" can send and receive signals through "Processing Function 2".

[0020] The determination unit 100 determines, depending on the vehicle's driving state, whether to record the software to the flash memory 10d in a "full-function" state or in a "stub" state. Each function included in the driver assistance function is classified into necessary functions that require processing and unnecessary functions that do not require processing, depending on the vehicle's driving state. Necessary functions are functions that are processed based on the vehicle's driving scene and state. Unnecessary functions are functions that are not processed based on the vehicle's driving scene and state. In other words, necessary functions are functions that require processing frequently based on the vehicle's driving scene and state, while unnecessary functions are functions that require processing less frequently based on the vehicle's driving scene and state.

[0021] For example, functions used on highways, such as autonomous driving (AD), are functions that need to be processed while driving on highways, but do not need to be processed while driving on ordinary roads. Since the autonomous driving (AD) function is likely to be used while driving on highways, the software for implementing the autonomous driving (AD) function is recorded in the flash memory 10d in a "full-function" state. On the other hand, since the autonomous driving (AD) function is unlikely to be used while driving on ordinary roads, the software for implementing the autonomous driving (AD) function is recorded in the flash memory 10d in a "stub" state.

[0022] In other words, the determination unit 100 determines whether a function is necessary or unnecessary based on navigation information and / or vehicle information. The determination unit 100 then determines that the optimal recording state is to record the software for executing the necessary function in the flash memory 10d in a "full-function" state. The determination unit 100 also determines that the optimal recording state for the software for executing the unnecessary function is to record it in a "stub" state. Since necessary functions are likely to be used, the optimal recording state is to record the software with a data structure that can realize all the processing functions included in the necessary function. On the other hand, since unnecessary functions are unlikely to be used, the optimal recording state is to record the software with a data structure that can realize the minimum necessary processing functions included in the unnecessary function.

[0023] Here, we will explain an example of the procedure for identifying unnecessary and necessary functions. First, when the ignition of vehicle 1 is turned on and the ECU 10 is activated, the determination unit 100 acquires navigation information and / or vehicle information of vehicle 1 at regular intervals. Navigation information and / or vehicle information is information acquired from other ECUs 11 and 12.

[0024] Navigation information is information necessary for vehicle 1 to travel a route from the starting point to the destination, and includes vehicle 1's location information, map information, traffic congestion information, and travel time. Map information includes, for example, the type of road (general road, expressway, etc.) of the roads included in the travel route. Travel time includes the travel time to the destination, and if the travel route includes an expressway, the travel time to the expressway entrance. Traffic congestion information includes the presence and location of traffic congestion along the travel route. Vehicle information is information about the vehicle status of vehicle 1, and includes, for example, the vehicle speed of vehicle 1, accelerator opening, brake pressure, gear lock status, and information about the operation status of driver assistance functions. Gear status is the shift position setting, and includes, for example, parking range, drive range, and reverse range. Lock status includes the on / off status of the door locks.

[0025] Next, the determination unit 100 determines whether the state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 has changed based on the navigation information and / or vehicle information. For example, at regular intervals, the determination unit 100 refers to a stored table based on the navigation information and / or vehicle information to determine the current state of the navigation system or vehicle 1, and determines that the state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 has changed if the current state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 is different from the previous determination result. The stored table stores, for example, predetermined states of the navigation system or vehicle 1 and their determination conditions, associated with each state of the navigation system or vehicle 1. The determination conditions are conditions determined based on the navigation information and vehicle information. The determination unit 100 determines whether the determination conditions are met based on the navigation information and / or vehicle information, and if the determination conditions are met, it determines that the current state of the navigation system or vehicle is the state of the navigation system or vehicle corresponding to the determination conditions. If the current state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 is the same as the previous determination result, the determination unit 100 determines that the state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 has not changed.

[0026] The determination unit 100 then determines whether each function is unnecessary or necessary when it determines that the state of the navigation system or the vehicle has changed. In the following description, the determination of whether each function is unnecessary or necessary will also be referred to as "determining the necessity of the function" or "determining the functionality." Specifically, the determination unit 100 determines the necessity of the function based on the navigation information and / or vehicle information. At this time, the necessity of the function may be determined for all functions, or it may be determined for some functions. In this embodiment, the determination of the necessity of the function is performed when it is determined that the state of the navigation system or the vehicle has changed, but it is not limited to this, and the determination of the necessity of the function may be performed at regular intervals.

[0027] For example, in the case of a function used on a highway, such as autonomous driving (AD), the determination unit 100 obtains the driving route from the navigation information, and if the driving route includes a highway, it determines the time from the vehicle 1's current position to the highway entrance and identifies the function related to autonomous driving (AD) as a required function. Conversely, if the driving route does not include a highway, the determination unit 100 identifies, for example, the function related to autonomous driving (AD) as an unnecessary function.

[0028] Furthermore, in the case of a function used at the departure or arrival point, such as parking assistance (APA), the determination unit 100 identifies the function related to parking assistance (APA) as a required function based on the navigation information, if the current position of vehicle 1 is the departure point, destination, or intermediate point.

[0029] Furthermore, in the case of a function used when the vehicle is stopped, such as a preceding vehicle departure notification (LCDN), the determination unit 100 identifies the preceding vehicle departure notification (LCDN) function as a necessary function based on navigation information when vehicle 1 is traveling from its current location to a highway exit or a congested area. Also, the determination unit 100 identifies the preceding vehicle departure notification (LCDN) function as an unnecessary function based on navigation information when vehicle 1 is currently on a public road and vehicle 1 is in motion. Also, the determination unit 100 identifies the preceding vehicle departure notification (LCDN) function as a necessary function based on navigation information when vehicle 1 is currently on a public road and vehicle 1 is stopped, such as at a traffic light.

[0030] Furthermore, in the case of functions used while driving, such as ITS-related safety functions, the determination unit 100 identifies the ITS-related safety functions as unnecessary functions if the vehicle 1 is stopped at a traffic light.

[0031] The determination unit 100 then determines the optimal recording state of the software for each function, defining the recording state of the software for realizing unnecessary functions as a "stub" recording state and the recording state of the software for realizing necessary functions as a "full function" recording state. Specifically, the determination unit 100 determines the optimal recording state of the software based on the function necessity initially identified after the ECU 10 starts up, and stores the determination result. The determination unit 100 then identifies the function necessity, and if the result of identifying the function necessity changes, it updates the recorded determination result to reflect the optimal recording state of the software corresponding to the new identified function necessity.

[0032] Here, we will explain how to manage the optimal recording state of the software using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the optimal recording state of the software for each function according to the transition of the driving state in this embodiment. In Figure 3, each time the state of the navigation or vehicle 1 changes, the navigation information, vehicle information, and the results of identifying the necessity of each function are updated, and in correspondence with these updates, the determination result of the optimal recording state of the software is also updated. Figure 3 shows an example of how to manage the optimal recording state of the software from when vehicle 1 leaves home until it arrives at its destination. In Figure 3, "0" and "1" are determination flags for the optimal recording state of the software, "1" indicates that "full functionality" is the optimal recording state of the software, and "0" indicates that "stub" is the optimal recording state of the software.

[0033] For example, in Figure 3, the navigation system or vehicle status transitions from a state where vehicle 1 is at home, through states of driving on a public road, waiting at a traffic light on a public road, on a highway, and on a public road (traffic jam), to a state where vehicle 1 is at its destination. For example, the determination unit 100 determines that the navigation system or vehicle status is "on a public road (driving)" because it satisfies the determination condition that vehicle 1 is located on a public road based on the navigation information, and satisfies the determination condition that vehicle 1 is driving based on the vehicle information. Also, even if vehicle 1 is located on a public road, if the determination unit 100 satisfies the determination condition that vehicle 1 is at a traffic light based on the navigation information, it determines that the navigation system or vehicle status is "on a public road (waiting at a traffic light)".

[0034] The determination unit 100 identifies the necessity of a function each time the state of the navigation system or vehicle 1 changes, and stores the optimal recording state of the software corresponding to the identified necessity as a determination result. In the example in Figure 3, for example, when vehicle 1 is at home, the determination unit 100 identifies the functions of FEB, LDP, BSI, AD, and LCDN as unnecessary functions and determines the optimal recording state of the software for FEB, LDP, BSI, AD, and LCDN as "stubbed". The determination unit 100 also identifies the functions of EAP, APA, and OSE as necessary functions and determines the optimal recording state of the software for EAP, APA, and OSE as "full function". Then, when vehicle 1 starts driving and is on a public road, the determination unit 100 identifies the necessity of a function and updates the determination result of the optimal recording state of the software. Specifically, the determination unit 100 identifies the functions of FEB, EAP, LDP, and BSI as necessary functions, identifies the functions of AD, LCDN, OSE, and APA as unnecessary functions, and updates the determination result of the software's recording state to determine the optimal recording state of the software corresponding to the identified function requirements.

[0035] As an example, let's explain the update of the APA (Accessibility Check) determination result. When Vehicle 1 is at home, the APA function is identified as a necessary function, but when Vehicle 1 starts driving on a public road, it is updated to a non-necessary function. This is because the next time the APA function will be needed is when Vehicle 1 arrives at its destination, and it is assumed that the function will not operate until then.

[0036] Furthermore, the determination unit 100 may determine that if it determines one of multiple mutually exclusive functions is a necessary function, it may also determine that the other function is unnecessary. For example, with respect to parking assistance (APA) and driving assistance functions for highways (e.g., autonomous driving (AD)), if one function is operating, the other function becomes a function that does not need to be processed. Therefore, the determination unit 100 may determine the necessity of a function based on the mutually exclusive relationship between the functions.

[0037] The determination unit 100 sends a notification to the update execution unit 110 indicating the determination result of the optimal recording state of the software. The update execution unit 110 manages the recording state of the software for each function by storing the notification information of the software's recording state in memory. The notification information of the software's recording state is indicated by a determination flag "1" or "0" for each function. If the actual recording state of the software actually stored in the flash memory 10d differs from the determined optimal recording state of the software, the update execution unit 110 updates the software so that the actual recording state becomes the optimal recording state. Specifically, the update execution unit 110 acquires the notification information of the software's optimal recording state. For each function, the update execution unit 110 compares the optimal recording state of the software indicated in the notification information with the actual recording state of the software, and if the recording states differ, it executes the software update process for that function.

[0038] During the update process, the update execution unit 110 changes the recording state of the software from "full function" to "stub" or from "stub" to "full function". The update execution unit 110 communicates wirelessly with a server outside the vehicle and outputs an update command to the server indicating whether to set the software's recording state to "full function" or "stub". The server manages data for "full function" and data for "stub" for each software. The server selects either the data for "full function" or the data for "stub" according to the update command and transmits it to the vehicle. The update execution unit 110 uses the data obtained from the server to update the software so that the actual recording state of the software is the optimal recording state. As a result, the ECU 10 updates the software via wireless communication with the server.

[0039] Next, the procedure for determining the optimal recording state of the software by the determination unit 100 according to this embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for determining the optimal recording state according to this embodiment. When the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the determination unit 100 of the ECU 10 starts the control flow from step S1 shown in Figure 4 at regular intervals.

[0040] In step S1, the determination unit 100 acquires navigation information and vehicle information. For example, ECU 10 acquires navigation information and vehicle information from other ECUs 11 and 12. In step S2, the determination unit 100 determines whether the state of the navigation or vehicle has changed based on the navigation information and vehicle information. For example, the determination unit 100 determines the current state of the navigation or vehicle, and determines that the state of the navigation or vehicle has changed if the current state of the navigation or vehicle is different from the state determined in the previous control flow.

[0041] If the determination unit 100 determines that the navigation system or the vehicle's status has changed, the control flow of the determination unit 100 proceeds to step S3. If the determination unit 100 determines that the navigation system or the vehicle's status has not changed, the determination unit 100 terminates the control flow.

[0042] In step S3, the determination unit 100 identifies the vehicle's driving scene and / or vehicle state based on navigation information and / or vehicle information. The ECU 10 stores a recording state map in memory or the like that shows the correlation between various functions included in the driver assistance function and the determination flags "1" and "0" of the recording state. A map is provided for each vehicle's driving scene and / or vehicle state. The recording state map corresponds to the map shown as "determination flag" in Figure 3. Note that the recording state map is not limited to the map shown in Figure 3; for example, it may be a map like the following: In a map of a driving scene such as "Location: General road, Traffic congestion: None", the determination flag for the autonomous driving (AD) and parking assistance (APA) software will be "0". In a map of a driving scene such as "Location: Expressway, Traffic congestion: None", the determination flag for the autonomous driving (AD) software will be "1", and the determination flag for the parking assistance (APA) software will be "0". Furthermore, in maps of driving scenarios such as "Location: Destination, Traffic Congestion: None," the judgment flag for autonomous driving (AD) software will be "0," and the judgment flag for parking assistance (APA) software will be "1."

[0043] The determination unit 100 identifies the vehicle's driving scene from the navigation information and selects a recording status map corresponding to the identified driving scene. For example, if the driving scene "Location: General road, Traffic congestion: None" is identified from the navigation information, the determination unit 100 selects a map with "Automated Driving (AD) and Parking Assist (APA) determination flag = 0". The ECU 10 also identifies the vehicle status from the vehicle information and selects a recording status map corresponding to the identified vehicle status.

[0044] In step S4, the determination unit 100 compares the map selected in the current control flow with the map selected in the previous control flow to determine whether the map has been changed. If it is determined that the map has been changed, the control flow of the ECU 10 proceeds to step S5. If it is determined that the map has not been changed, the ECU 10 ends the control flow. In step S5, the ECU 10 sends a notification indicating a determination flag for each function from the changed recording state map to the update execution unit 110. The notification indicates the determination result of the optimal recording state of the software determined by the determination unit 100. Then, the ECU 10 ends the control flow shown in FIG. 3. As described above, by executing the control flow of steps S1 to S5, the determination unit 100 determines the optimal recording state of the software suitable for the driving state of the vehicle based on the navigation information and / or vehicle information for each software for realizing the function.

[0045] Next, the processing procedure in the update execution unit 110 according to the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control procedure of the update execution unit 110 according to the present embodiment.

[0046] In step S11, the update execution unit 110 determines whether there is a notification of the optimal recording state from the determination unit 100. If there is no notification, the update execution unit 110 ends the control flow shown in FIG. 5. If there is a notification of the optimal recording state, the update execution unit 110 executes the control flow of step S12.

[0047] In step S12, the update execution unit 110 acquires information indicating the current recording state of the software from the memory, and checks the actual recording state of the software recorded in the flash memory 10d. The update execution unit 110 compares the newly notified optimal recording state of the software with the actual recording state for each function. Then, the update execution unit 110 determines whether the actual recording state is the optimal recording state. If the actual recording state is different from the optimal recording state, the update execution unit 110 updates the software so that the actual recording state becomes the optimal recording state (step S13). On the other hand, if the actual recording state is the optimal recording state, the update execution unit 110 does not execute the software update process and ends the control flow shown in FIG. 5.

[0048] In step S14, the update execution unit 110 updates the actual recording state of the software to the recording state after software update, and stores the information indicating the actual recording state in the memory. Then, the update execution unit 110 ends the control flow shown in FIG. 5.

[0049] As described above, in the vehicle control device and the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, the ECU 10 determines the optimal recording state of the software suitable for the running state of the vehicle based on the navigation information and / or the vehicle information for each software for realizing the function. When the actual recording state of the actually stored software is different from the determined optimal recording state, the software is updated so that the actual recording state becomes the optimal recording state. As a result, the software is recorded in the optimal recording state according to the running state of the vehicle, and the usage amount when recording the software of unused functions can be reduced. In addition, the capacity corresponding to the reduced usage capacity of the memory can be allocated to the storage capacity of the functions that cannot be used due to the insufficient capacity of the memory. As a result, it is possible to prevent the memory capacity from becoming insufficient according to the running state of the vehicle.

[0050] In this embodiment, the ECU 10 identifies, based on navigation information and / or vehicle information, that a function is an unnecessary function that does not require processing, and determines that the state in which some of the processing functions included in the software for implementing the unnecessary function are disabled is the optimal recording state. This prevents the memory capacity from becoming insufficient depending on the vehicle's driving conditions.

[0051] In this embodiment, the ECU 10 identifies a function as a necessary function that needs to be processed based on navigation information and / or vehicle information, and determines that the state in which all processing functions included in the software for realizing the necessary function are enabled is the optimal recording state. This prevents the memory capacity from becoming insufficient depending on the vehicle's driving conditions.

[0052] In this embodiment, if there are multiple functions that are subject to software updates, the ECU 10 may update the software that provides the greatest reduction in processor load and / or memory usage. "Stubging" can reduce the usage of flash memory 10d, but the amount of usage that can be reduced varies depending on the type of software. Therefore, if there are multiple functions that are subject to software updates, updating the software that provides the greatest reduction can reduce the amount of usage when recording software for functions that are not used.

[0053] Furthermore, as a modification of this embodiment, the ECU 10 may estimate the expected usage time of a function based on navigation information and / or the vehicle information, identify functions whose expected usage time is longer than a predetermined time as necessary functions that require processing, identify functions whose expected usage time is less than or equal to a predetermined time as unnecessary functions that do not require processing, determine that the state in which some processing functions included in the software for realizing the unnecessary functions are disabled is the optimal recording state, and determine that the state in which all processing functions included in the software for realizing the necessary functions are enabled is the optimal recording state. For example, when a vehicle travels a long distance on a highway, the automatic driving (AD) function is used for a long time, but the parking assist (APA) function is not used for a long time. Also, the ECU 10 can estimate the travel time on highways and general roads from the route calculation to the destination by the navigation system. Therefore, the ECU 10 can calculate the travel time on highways and general roads from the route calculation of the navigation system, estimate the travel time on highways as the expected usage time of functions used while traveling on highways, and estimate the travel time on general roads as the expected usage time of functions used while traveling on general roads. This prevents the memory capacity from becoming insufficient depending on the vehicle's driving conditions.

[0054] As a variation of this embodiment, the ECU 10 may record the software for implementing vehicle safety functions, among its multiple functions, in a separate memory from the other software. Vehicle safety functions are, in principle, recorded in "full functionality" and not recorded in a "stub" state. By recording software that is not recorded in a "stub" state in a separate memory, it is possible to record updateable software and non-updatable software in separate memories.

[0055] 1000...Vehicle control system ECU 10 CPU 10a Flash memory 10d 100...Determination unit 110...Update execution unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising a processor for operating functions provided by in-vehicle equipment of a vehicle, wherein the processor determines, based on navigation information and / or vehicle information, the optimal recording state of the software suitable for the driving state of the vehicle, for each piece of software that implements the function, and updates the software so that the actual recording state of the software stored in the system is the optimal recording state if the actual recording state differs from the determined optimal recording state.

2. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor updates the software via wireless communication with a server.

3. A vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor identifies, based on the navigation information and / or the vehicle information, that the function is an unnecessary function that does not require processing, and determines that the state in which some of the processing functions included in the software for realizing the unnecessary function are disabled is the optimal recording state.

4. A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor identifies, based on the navigation information and / or the vehicle information, that the function is a necessary function for processing, and determines that the state in which all processing functions included in the software for realizing the necessary function are enabled is the optimal recording state.

5. A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor maintains the interface of the processing function before disabling and the interface of the processing function after disabling when disabling a part of the processing function of the software.

6. A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, if the processor has multiple functions that are subject to software updates, the vehicle control device updates the software that provides the greatest reduction in the processor's processing load and / or memory usage through the software update.

7. A vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor estimates the expected usage time of the function based on the navigation information and / or the vehicle information; identifies the function whose expected usage time is longer than a predetermined time as a necessary function requiring processing; identifies the function whose expected usage time is less than or equal to the predetermined time as an unnecessary function requiring processing; determines that the state in which some of the processing functions included in the software for realizing the unnecessary function are disabled is the optimal recording state; and determines that the state in which all the processing functions included in the software for realizing the necessary function are enabled is the optimal recording state.

8. A vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the processor has a plurality of functions that are mutually exclusive, and when one function is identified as a necessary function, the other function is identified as an unnecessary function.

9. A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the software for realizing a function related to vehicle safety among a plurality of functions is stored in a memory separate from the other software.

10. A vehicle control method performed by a vehicle control device equipped with a processor for operating functions provided by in-vehicle equipment of a vehicle, wherein the processor determines, based on navigation information and / or vehicle information, the optimal recording state of software suitable for the driving state of the vehicle, for each piece of software that implements the function, and updates the software so that the actual recording state of the software stored in the vehicle is the optimal recording state if the actual recording state is different from the determined optimal recording state.

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