Vehicle-mounted relay device, computer-readable storage medium, and relay method

Abstract

The vehicle-mounted relay device includes a control unit that controls the relay of messages. When relaying an update program obtained from an external server to an update target vehicle-mounted ECU, the control unit relays the update program through multiple relay modes. The multiple relay modes include a first relay mode that prohibits the relay of messages between vehicle-mounted ECUs other than the update target vehicle-mounted ECU and a second relay mode that prohibits the relay of messages between the update target vehicle-mounted ECU and vehicle-mounted ECUs other than the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device. The control unit selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode based on specified conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-mounted relay device, a computer-readable storage medium, and a relay method.

[0002] This application claims the priority based on Japanese application No. 2019-215677 for which it applied on November 28, 2019, and cites all the contents described in the said Japanese application. Background Art

[0003] The vehicle is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling vehicle-mounted devices such as powertrain systems such as engine control and body systems such as air conditioning control. The ECU includes an arithmetic processing unit such as an MPU, a rewritable non-volatile storage unit such as a RAM, and a communication unit for communicating with other ECUs. The ECU reads the control program stored in the storage unit and executes it, thereby controlling the vehicle-mounted devices. Furthermore, a communication device with a wireless communication function is installed in the vehicle, which can communicate with a program providing device connected to a network outside the vehicle via the communication device, download (receive) the control program of the ECU from the program providing device, and update the control program of the ECU (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-97851 Summary of the invention

[0007] A vehicle-mounted relay device in one embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle having a charging control device, and has multiple in-vehicle communication units connected to communication lines for communicating with multiple in-vehicle ECUs, and relays messages sent from the multiple in-vehicle ECUs between the in-vehicle communication units, wherein the in-vehicle relay device has a control unit that controls the relay of the messages, and when relaying an update program obtained from an external server outside the vehicle to an update target in-vehicle ECU, the control unit relays the update program or the message through multiple relay modes, the multiple relay modes including a first relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between in-vehicle ECUs other than the update target in-vehicle ECU and a second relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between the update target in-vehicle ECU and an in-vehicle ECU other than the in-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device, and the control unit selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode based on specified conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle relay system including an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the physical structure of an in-vehicle relay device.

[0010] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram illustrating one form of configuration information of an in-vehicle ECU.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of the vehicle-mounted relay device.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the second embodiment.

[0013] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle relay system including an in-vehicle relay device according to a third embodiment.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0016] The relay device of Patent Document 1 has a problem that, when the control program is updated during charging of the vehicle, the influence on the vehicle-mounted ECU (charging ECU) in charge of charging control is not considered.

[0017] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle relay device or the like that can perform appropriate processing for updating a control program even when a vehicle is being charged.

[0018] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0019] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle relay device or the like that performs appropriate processing for updating a control program even when a vehicle is being charged.

[0020] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0021] First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0022] (1) A vehicle-mounted relay device according to one embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle having a charging control device, and has a plurality of in-vehicle communication units connected to communication lines for communicating with a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs, and relays messages sent from the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs between the in-vehicle communication units, wherein the in-vehicle relay device has a control unit for controlling the relay of the messages, and when relaying an update program obtained from an external server outside the vehicle to an in-vehicle ECU to be updated, the control unit relays the update program or the message through a plurality of relay modes, the plurality of relay modes including a first relay mode for prohibiting the relay of messages between in-vehicle ECUs other than the in-vehicle ECU to be updated and a second relay mode for prohibiting the relay of messages between the in-vehicle ECU to be updated and an in-vehicle ECU other than the in-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device, and the control unit selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode based on a specified condition.

[0023] In this method, when the vehicle-mounted relay device outputs (relays) the update program obtained from the external server outside the vehicle to the vehicle-mounted ECU to be updated, the update program or message is relayed through multiple relay modes including the first relay mode and the second relay mode. Since the relay based on the first relay mode prohibits the relay of messages between vehicle-mounted ECUs other than the vehicle-mounted ECU to be updated, the update program etc. obtained from the external server can be efficiently relayed (output) to the vehicle-mounted ECU to be updated without unnecessary relaying. Since the relay based on the second relay mode prohibits the relay of messages between the vehicle-mounted ECU to be updated and the vehicle-mounted ECU other than the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device, for example, even if the vehicle is in the process of being charged by the charging control device, the message to the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device can be continued to be relayed and charging can be continued. The vehicle-mounted relay device selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode based on predetermined conditions, and can efficiently relay (output) update programs etc. acquired from an external server to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU using an appropriate relay mode according to the vehicle state.

[0024] (2) Regarding a vehicle-mounted relay device of one embodiment of the present disclosure, the prescribed conditions include conditions related to charging of the vehicle, and the control unit selects the first relay mode when charging of the vehicle is not being performed, and selects the second relay mode when charging of the vehicle is being performed.

[0025] In this method, the vehicle-mounted relay device selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode according to the charging state of the vehicle by the charging control device, that is, whether charging is performed. Then, the vehicle-mounted relay device selects the first relay mode when charging of the vehicle by the charging control device is not performed. When charging of the vehicle is not performed, it is not necessary to relay messages of the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device, and the vehicle-mounted relay device selects the first relay mode when charging is not performed, so it is possible to efficiently relay (output) update programs obtained from an external server to the update object vehicle-mounted ECU without unnecessary relaying. When charging is performed, the second relay mode is selected, so charging can continue and the update program can be relayed.

[0026] (3) Regarding a vehicle-mounted relay device of one embodiment of the present invention, the prescribed conditions include conditions regarding a connection method between the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device and the in-vehicle communication unit, the connection method including a first connection method in which the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device is connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit and a second connection method in which the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device is connected to different in-vehicle communication units, respectively, and the control unit selects a first relay mode when the connection method is the first connection method, and selects a second relay mode when the connection method is the second connection method.

[0027] In this method, the connection method of the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device and the in-vehicle communication unit includes a first connection method connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit and a second connection method connected to different in-vehicle communication units. In the first connection method connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit, the single or multiple vehicle-mounted ECUs associated with the charging control device can communicate with each other without passing through the vehicle-mounted relay device, that is, without relaying by the vehicle-mounted relay device, and continue charging the vehicle by the charging control device. Therefore, in the case of the first connection method, the control unit selects the first relay mode, so that the update program obtained from the external server can be efficiently relayed (output) to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU without unnecessary relaying. In the second connection method connected to different in-vehicle communication units, in order to continue charging the vehicle by the charging control device, it is necessary to communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECUs associated with the charging control device. In contrast, in the case of the second connection mode, the control unit selects the second relay mode, thereby continuing to relay messages from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device, allowing charging by the charging control device to continue, and efficiently relaying (outputting) update programs obtained from an external server to the vehicle-mounted ECU to be updated.

[0028] (4) Regarding a vehicle-mounted relay device of one embodiment of the present invention, the messages sent from the multiple vehicle-mounted ECUs include CAN messages using the CAN protocol, and the control unit determines the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device based on an identifier included in the CAN message sent from the multiple vehicle-mounted ECUs.

[0029] In this method, the vehicle-mounted relay device identifies the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device based on the identifier (CAN-ID) included in the CAN (Controller Area Network) message. Therefore, in the vehicle-mounted LAN using the CAN protocol, the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device can be efficiently identified.

[0030] (5) Regarding a vehicle-mounted relay device of one embodiment of the present invention, the message sent from the multiple vehicle-mounted ECUs includes an IP data packet using an Ethernet protocol, and the control unit determines the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device based on the sending source address or the sending destination address included in the IP data packet sent from the multiple vehicle-mounted ECUs.

[0031] In this method, the vehicle-mounted relay device determines the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device based on the sending source address or the sending destination address included in the IP data packet. Therefore, in the vehicle-mounted LAN using the Ethernet protocol, the message from the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device can be efficiently determined.

[0032] (6) A program in one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining an update program from an external server outside a vehicle, and based on specified conditions, selecting a first relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU to be updated, or a second relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between the onboard ECU to be updated and onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU associated with a charging control device, and relaying the update program or message through the selected relay mode.

[0033] In this embodiment, the computer can be made to function as an in-vehicle relay device.

[0034] (7) A relay method according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining an update program from an external server outside a vehicle, and based on specified conditions, selecting a first relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU to be updated, or a second relay mode that prohibits relaying of messages between the onboard ECU to be updated and onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU associated with a charging control device, and relaying the update program or message through the selected relay mode.

[0035] In this aspect, it is possible to provide a relay method that performs appropriate processing for updating a control program even when the vehicle is being charged.

[0036] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

[0037] The present disclosure is specifically described based on the drawings showing its embodiments. Below, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is represented by the scope of the invention protection claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the invention protection claims.

[0038] (Implementation Method 1)

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the vehicle-mounted relay system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 The in-vehicle relay system S includes an off-vehicle communication device 1 and an on-vehicle relay device 2 mounted on a vehicle C, and transmits (relays) a program or data obtained from an external server 100 connected via an off-vehicle network N to an on-vehicle ECU 3 (Electronic Control Unit / on-vehicle control device) mounted on the vehicle C.

[0040] The external server 100 is a computer such as a server connected to an external vehicle network N such as the Internet or a public line network, and has a storage unit 101 based on RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory) or a hard disk, which is equivalent to a program providing device. In the external server 100, a program or data for controlling the vehicle-mounted ECU3 produced by the manufacturer of the vehicle-mounted ECU3 is stored in the storage unit 101. The program or data is sent to the vehicle C as an update program as described later, and is used to update the program or data of the vehicle-mounted ECU3 installed in the vehicle C. The external server 100 constructed in this way is also called an OTA (Over The Air) server. The vehicle-mounted ECU3 installed in the vehicle obtains the update program sent from the external server 100 via wireless communication, and applies the update program as the executed program, thereby being able to update (reprogram) the program executed by this ECU.

[0041] Hereinafter, the program is described as including a program code including control syntax etc. for processing by the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 and an external file recording data referenced when executing the program code. When the update program is sent, the external file recording the program code and data is sent from the external server 100 as, for example, an encrypted archive file.

[0042] The vehicle C is equipped with an off-vehicle communication device 1, an on-vehicle relay device 2, a display device 5, and a plurality of on-vehicle ECUs 3 for controlling various on-vehicle devices. Furthermore, the vehicle C is equipped with a charging control device that is connected to a charging device disposed outside the vehicle in a communicative manner and controls the charging of the power output from the charging device to the battery 8 mounted on the vehicle C, a charging ECU 31 that is connected to the charging control device in a communicative manner, and a charging port 81 and a power receiving pad 80. The off-vehicle communication device 1 is connected to the on-vehicle relay device 2 in a communicative manner through a wiring harness such as a serial cable. The on-vehicle relay device 2 and the on-vehicle ECU 3 are connected in a communicative manner through an in-vehicle LAN 4 corresponding to a communication protocol such as CAN (Control Area Network, Control Local Area Network / Registered Trademark) or Ethernet (Ethernet / Registered Trademark).

[0043] The charging device 9 is a device that transmits electric power to a vehicle C such as a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle equipped with a battery 8 for driving the vehicle to charge the battery 8. The charging device 9 is provided outside the vehicle C, for example, at a power supply station. The charging device 9 includes a power transmission pad 91 that supplies (transmits) electric power to the vehicle C in a non-contact manner. In the vehicle C, a power receiving pad 80 that receives the electric power transmitted from the power transmission pad 91 is provided. The battery 8 is charged by the electric power received by the power receiving pad 80. That is, the vehicle C is charged. The charging device 9 includes a wireless communication unit 90 that performs wireless communication using a communication protocol such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit 90 communicates (sends and receives data) with the charging control device 7 described later and mounted on the vehicle C via the connected antenna 90a.

[0044] The charging device 9 also includes a power supply line (charging cable) 92 with a charging gun at the front end, and has a function of supplying power to the vehicle C in a DC manner via the power supply line 92 to charge the battery 8. When charging by the power supply line 92, the charging gun is connected to the charging port 81 provided in the vehicle C. The charging port 81 is connected to the battery 8 through the in-vehicle power supply line, and is connected to the PLC communication device 71 provided by the charging control device 7 described later through the communication line 41 for power line communication (PLC / Power Line Communication). The battery 8 is charged by the power supplied from the charging device 9 via the power supply line 92, the charging port 81 and the in-vehicle power supply line. The charging device 9 can communicate with the charging control device 7 by wire using the power line communication of the power supply line 92. The charging device 9 is a structure capable of both contactless power supply (power supply by the power transmission pad 91) and power supply by the power supply line 92, but it can also be a structure capable of only one side of the power supply. For example, the charging device 9 may not have the wireless communication unit 90 when only power supply is performed by the power supply line 92. The charging device 9 may include a communication device (not shown) and may communicate with the external server 100. The communication between the charging device 9 and the external server 100 may be performed via the network N outside the vehicle, for example.

[0045] The charging control device 7 includes a wireless communication device 70 and a PLC communication device 71. The wireless communication device 70 is a communication device for wireless communication using a communication protocol such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The wireless communication device 70 wirelessly communicates with the charging device 9 via an antenna 70a connected to the device. The wireless communication device 70 performs protocol conversion from Wi-Fi to CAN or Ethernet, for example. When the charging gun is connected to the charging port 81, the PLC communication device 71 performs power line communication with the charging device 9 via the charging port 81 and the power supply line 92. The PLC communication device 71 performs protocol conversion from the communication protocol of the power line communication to CAN or Ethernet, for example. The charging control device 7 communicates with the charging device 9 through wireless communication by the wireless communication device 70. In addition, the charging control device 7 communicates with the charging device 9 through power line communication by the PLC communication device 71. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication device 70 and the PLC communication device 71 are each built into the charging control device 7 as a component of the charging control device 7, but they may not be built into the charging control device 7. For example, the wireless communication device 70 and the PLC communication device 71 may each be a device independent of the charging control device 7 , and may be connected to the charging control device 7 in a communicable manner via an input / output I / F or the like.

[0046] The charging control device 7 is connected to a part of the on-board ECUs 3 among the plurality of on-board ECUs 3, namely, the charging ECU 31 (the on-board ECU 3 associated with the charging control device) in a communicable manner. The charging ECU 31 is an on-board ECU 3 related to charging, and is connected to, for example, the battery 8 and the power receiving pad 80. For example, when charging of the battery 8 is started, the charging ECU 31 sends information about the battery 8 to the charging control device 7, and during the charging of the battery 8, monitors (manages) charging information such as the charging rate of the battery 8, and sends the charging information to the charging control device 7. In addition, the power supply (charging) from the power receiving pad 80 to the battery 8 is monitored (managed). The charging control device 7 performs wireless communication or power line communication with the charging device 9, and controls the charging of the battery 8 (charging of the vehicle C) together with the charging ECU 31. For example, when the power supply (charging) is supplied by the power supply line 92, the charging control device 7 performs power line communication with the charging device 9 via the power supply line 92, and when the power supply (charging) is non-contact, the wireless communication device 70 is used to perform wireless communication with the charging device 9. Even when the charging control device 7 is powered by the power supply line 92, it is possible to use the wireless communication device 70 to perform wireless communication with the charging device 9. A plurality of charging ECUs 31 may be mounted on the vehicle C. For example, the charging ECU 31 that manages the battery 8 and the charging ECU 31 that manages the power receiving pad 80 may be connected to the charging control device 7, respectively.

[0047] In the vehicle C, a single charging ECU31 or multiple charging ECU31 may also be mounted. When multiple charging ECU31 are mounted on the vehicle C, each of these multiple charging ECU31 may be connected to a vehicle-mounted device or vehicle-mounted equipment related to electricity, such as the charging control device 7, the battery 8, the power storage device for auxiliary equipment (not shown) or the AC generator (not shown) in a manner that enables communication, and cooperates to perform a series of processing related to charging. These multiple charging ECU31 are equivalent to the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device. Any one of the multiple charging ECU31 may also be built into the charging control device 7, and the charging control device 7 is connected to the vehicle network.

[0048] In this embodiment, the plurality of charging ECUs 31 are connected to different communication lines 41 (buses), and communication between the plurality of charging ECUs 31 is performed via an on-vehicle relay device. That is, messages sent and received between the plurality of charging ECUs 31 are relayed by the on-vehicle relay device.

[0049] The charging control device 7 is connected to the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 via any charging ECU 31 in a communicable manner. In the present embodiment, the charging control device 7 communicates with the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 via the charging ECU 31 and the in-vehicle LAN 4. The in-vehicle relay device 2 and the charging control device 7 can also communicate, for example, by connecting through the in-vehicle LAN 4. After the charging of the battery 8 is completed, the charging control device 7 sends a charging completion notification to the in-vehicle relay device 2. The charging control device 7 obtains information related to the charging status by communicating with the charging device 9 or according to the supply (power supply) status of the power from the power receiving pad 80 and the charging port 81, and outputs it to the in-vehicle relay device 2.

[0050] The on-vehicle relay device 2 can acquire information related to the charging state of the vehicle C by communicating with the charging control device 7. The information related to the charging state of the vehicle C includes, for example, whether charging is in progress, the progress of charging, and the remaining capacity (SOC: State of Charge) of the battery 8 to be charged.

[0051] The vehicle-mounted relay device 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, and an in-vehicle communication unit 23. The vehicle-mounted relay device 2 is configured to obtain an update program received by the in-vehicle communication device 1 from the external server 100 through wireless communication, and transmit the update program to a predetermined in-vehicle ECU 3 (update target in-vehicle ECU 3) via the in-vehicle LAN 4.

[0052] The vehicle-mounted relay device 2 is, for example, a gateway (repeater) that aggregates the buses (segments) of multiple systems such as the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 of the body system, the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 of the safety system, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 of the control system, and relays the communication between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 between these buses (segments). That is, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 functions as a CAN gateway in the relay of the CAN protocol, and functions as a second-layer switch or a third-layer switch in the relay of the TCP / IP protocol. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can also be configured as a functional part of the body ECU that controls the entire vehicle C.

[0053] The vehicle-mounted relay device 2 relays the communication between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 connected to the device when the update process such as sending the update program received from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated is not implemented. The relay performed when the update process such as sending the update program received from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated is not implemented is called the normal relay mode. When the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 implements the update process such as sending the update program received from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated, the relay process is performed by a relay mode (first relay mode, second relay mode) different from the above-mentioned normal relay mode. The details of this point will be described later.

[0054] The control unit 20 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (MicroProcessing Unit), and reads out and executes control programs and data pre-stored in the storage unit 21 to perform various control processes and calculation processes.

[0055] The storage unit 21 is composed of a volatile memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory element such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory, and pre-stores a control program and data to be referred to during processing. The control program stored in the storage unit 21 may also be a control program read from a recording medium 211 readable by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. In addition, the control program may be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 21. Furthermore, the storage unit 21 stores the structural information of all vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 installed in the vehicle C. The storage unit 21 stores the update program obtained from the external server 100 and information related to the progress of sending the update program to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3.

[0056] In the storage unit 21, relay path information (routing table) used when performing relay processing for communication between vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 or communication between the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 and the external server 100 is stored. The format of the relay path information is determined based on the communication protocol. When the communication protocol is CAN, the relay path information for CAN includes a message identifier (CAN-ID) included in the CAN message and a relay destination associated with the CAN-ID (I / O port number of the CAN communication unit 232). When the communication protocol is TCP / IP, the relay path information for TCP / IP includes a sending destination address (MAC address or IP address) included in the IP data packet and a relay destination (physical port number of the Ethernet communication unit 231) associated with the sending destination address.

[0057] The input / output I / F 22 is a communication interface for serial communication, for example, similar to the input / output I / F of the off-vehicle communication device 1. The on-vehicle relay device 2 is connected to the off-vehicle communication device 1, the display device 5 (HMI device), and the IG switch 6 for starting and stopping the vehicle C in a communicative manner via the input / output I / F 22.

[0058] The in-vehicle communication unit 23 is an input / output interface (CAN communication unit 232, Ethernet communication unit 231) using a communication protocol such as CAN (Control Area Network), CAN-FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), or Ethernet (registered trademark), and functions as a communication unit for the in-vehicle relay device 2 to communicate with the in-vehicle ECU 3. The in-vehicle communication unit 23 includes a CAN communication unit 232 and an Ethernet communication unit 231.

[0059] The CAN communication unit 232 corresponds to the communication protocol of CAN or CAN-FD, and corresponds to the CAN message transmitted on the CAN bus 412. The CAN communication unit 232 is a CAN transceiver or a CAN-FD transceiver that receives a waveform formed by the potential difference of the differential voltage on the CAN bus 412 composed of two wirings on the high voltage side and the low voltage side, and decodes the received waveform into a signal represented by a bit string of 1 and 0. Alternatively, the CAN communication unit 232 may also include a CAN transceiver and a CAN controller or a CAN-FD transceiver and a CAN-FD controller.

[0060] The Ethernet communication unit 231 is an Ethernet PHY unit that supports TCP / IP packets transmitted through the Ethernet cable 411 such as 100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1.

[0061] A plurality of in-vehicle communication units 23 (Ethernet communication unit 231, CAN communication unit 232) are provided, and each in-vehicle communication unit 23 is connected to each communication line 41 (Ethernet cable 411, CAN bus 412), that is, each bus constituting the in-vehicle network 4. By providing a plurality of in-vehicle communication units 23, the in-vehicle network 4 may be divided into a plurality of buses (segments), and the in-vehicle ECU 3 may be connected to each segment according to the function of the in-vehicle ECU 3. The control unit 20 of the in-vehicle relay device 2 communicates with the in-vehicle ECU 3 or other in-vehicle devices such as other relay devices connected to the in-vehicle network 4 via the in-vehicle communication unit 23.

[0062] The vehicle-mounted ECU 3 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit (not shown) and an in-vehicle communication unit (not shown) in the same manner as the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. The storage unit is composed of a volatile memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory element such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory, and stores a program or data of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3. The program or data is sent from a program providing device and is updated by an update program relayed by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. The in-vehicle communication unit of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 includes an Ethernet communication unit or a CAN communication unit in the same manner as the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 communicates with the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 via the in-vehicle communication unit. The vehicle-mounted ECU 3 connected to different communication lines 41 (buses) communicates via the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. That is, messages transmitted and received between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 connected to different communication lines 41 (buses) are relayed by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. As described above, the vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 include the charging ECU 31.

[0063] The display device 5 is, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device such as a display of a car navigation system. The display device 5 is connected to the input / output I / F 22 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 in a communicative manner through a harness such as a serial cable. The display device 5 displays data or information output from the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 via the input / output I / F 22.

[0064] Figure 31 is an explanatory diagram illustrating one form of the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3. As described above, the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 is stored in the storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. Alternatively, the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 may be stored in a storage unit of any vehicle-mounted ECU 3 mounted on the vehicle C, or in a storage unit 101 of an external server 100, or in a predetermined storage area accessible by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 (control unit 20).

[0065] The structural information of the vehicle-mounted ECU3 (the main table of vehicle C structural information) includes, as management items (fields), for example, the manufacturing number (serial number), ECU number (model), Software number, version, CAN-ID (CAN message identifier), MAC (Media Access Control) address, IP address, function group and connection port number of the vehicle-mounted ECU3. In each vehicle-mounted ECU3, it is managed in association with the ECU-ID based on a serial number set in a non-repetitive manner.

[0066] The manufacturing number (serial number) is a number assigned when the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 is manufactured. It is composed of a batch number indicating the production base, etc. and a serial number at the time of manufacturing, etc., and is a unique number that can uniquely identify the ECU. The ECU number (model) is a number that identifies the type of vehicle-mounted ECU 3, such as a part number. The software number is a number used to identify the type of software for the update program. The version is the version number of the program currently executed (applied) by the vehicle-mounted ECU 3, and is the version number of the program stored in the action surface in the storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3.

[0067] When the in-vehicle communication unit 23 of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 is a communication port (CAN communication unit 232 ) compatible with the CAN protocol, the CAN-ID is a CAN message identifier used in a CAN message transmitted by the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 .

[0068] When the in-vehicle communication unit 23 of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 is a communication port (Ethernet communication unit 231) corresponding to Ethernet, the MAC address is an address corresponding to the data ring layer. The MAC address is a number assigned when the in-vehicle communication unit 23 is manufactured, and is composed of a vendor code indicating the manufacturer and a serial number at the time of manufacturing, etc., and is a unique number that can uniquely identify the ECU. When the in-vehicle communication unit 23 is a communication port corresponding to Ethernet, the IP address is an address corresponding to the network layer when performing communication using TCP / IP.

[0069] The function group is information related to the functional classification of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 , and the functional classification includes, for example, a body system function, an ADAS system function, and a charging system function.

[0070] The connection port number is the port number of the in-vehicle communication unit 23 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 corresponding to the communication line 41 (bus) connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3. That is, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 and the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 are directly connected by connecting to the communication line 41 (bus) of the connection port number stored in the field of the connection port number. In the case where the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 communicates by the CAN protocol, the connection port number of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 indicates the I / O port number of the CAN communication unit 232. In the case where the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 communicates by the Ethernet protocol, the connection port number of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 indicates the physical port number of the Ethernet communication unit 231.

[0071] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can determine which vehicle-mounted ECU3 among the multiple vehicle-mounted ECU3 installed in the vehicle C is the charging ECU31 by referring to the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU3 stored in the storage unit 21 (the vehicle C configuration information master table). When making this determination, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may, for example, determine that the vehicle-mounted ECU3 whose content stored in the field of the function group indicates the function (charging) of the charging system is the charging ECU31. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may, for example, determine that the vehicle-mounted ECU3 whose value stored in the field of the CAN-ID is a number related to the message of the charging system is the charging ECU31. Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may also determine whether the vehicle-mounted ECU3 is the charging ECU31 based on the ECU number or the Software number.

[0072] The configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 mounted on the vehicle C is stored and saved in the storage unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, for example, when the vehicle C is manufactured. Furthermore, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may stably or regularly request all the vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 or a specific vehicle-mounted ECU 3 mounted on the vehicle C to send the configuration information of the ECU and the update history of the configuration information, for example, when the IG switch 6 is turned on, turned off, or at a predetermined time. Then, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may obtain and collect the configuration information or update history sent from the vehicle-mounted ECU 3, store the collected configuration information, etc. in the storage unit 21, and update the vehicle C configuration information master table. In this way, even if an additional vehicle-mounted ECU 3 or a vehicle-mounted device such as a vehicle-mounted device is mounted on the vehicle C after the vehicle C is manufactured, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can obtain and grasp the latest configuration information of the vehicle by stably or regularly collecting the configuration information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 3.

[0073] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 is configured to relay the update program obtained from the external server 100 outside the vehicle and the message sent and received between the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 through a plurality of relay modes by executing the control program stored in the storage unit 21. The plurality of relay modes include a normal relay mode performed in a state where an update process such as sending the update program received from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated is not performed, and a first relay mode and a second relay mode performed when an update process such as sending the update program received from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated is performed.

[0074] As described above, the normal relay mode is a relay mode performed by the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 when no update processing such as sending the update program to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 is performed. The control unit 20 relays messages (CAN messages, IP data packets) sent from the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 based on the relay path information (routing table) stored in the storage unit 21.

[0075] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode according to a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is, for example, a condition based on information related to the charging state of the vehicle C, including whether the vehicle C is powered from the charging device and the battery 8 mounted on the vehicle C is being charged. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 acquires information related to the charging state of the vehicle C by communicating with the charging control device 7. When the battery 8 mounted on the vehicle C is not being charged, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode. When the battery 8 mounted on the vehicle C is being charged, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the second relay mode.

[0076] The first relay mode is a relay mode in which the update program is output from the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the in-vehicle ECU 3 to be updated, and the relay of messages between in-vehicle ECUs 3 other than the in-vehicle ECU 3 to be updated is prohibited. In the first relay mode, the control unit 20 of the in-vehicle relay device 2 does not relay in-vehicle communication units 23 other than the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the in-vehicle ECU 3 to be updated, and outputs the update program obtained from the external vehicle communication device 1 from the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the in-vehicle ECU 3 to be updated.

[0077] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 and the in-vehicle communication unit 23 (connection port number) connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 based on the update program or the information accompanying the update program obtained from the external server 100, for example, by referring to the vehicle C structure information master table. Alternatively, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may refer to the vehicle C structure information master table to determine the message identifier sent by the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3, and prohibit the relay of the message including the message identifier other than the determined message identifier of the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3.

[0078] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 relays the update program obtained from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated by outputting the update program from the determined vehicle-mounted communication unit 23 (connection port number). When outputting the update program from the determined vehicle-mounted communication unit 23 (connection port number) or when performing an update process including pre-processing and post-processing performed before and after the output, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 prohibits relaying to a vehicle-mounted communication unit 23 other than the determined vehicle-mounted communication unit 23. When a series of update processes are associated with a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 3, that is, when there are a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 to be updated, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 may prohibit relaying to a vehicle-mounted communication unit 23 other than a plurality of vehicle-mounted communication units 23 connected to the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 to be updated.

[0079] Since the relay processing based on the first relay mode prohibits the relay of messages between vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 other than the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3, the update program etc. obtained from the external server 100 can be efficiently relayed (output) to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 without performing unnecessary relay.

[0080] The second relay mode is a relay mode in which the update program is output from the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the update target on-vehicle ECU 3, and the relay of messages between the update target on-vehicle ECU 3 and the on-vehicle ECU 3 other than the charging ECU 31 (the on-vehicle ECU 3 associated with the charging control device 7) is prohibited. In the second relay mode, the control unit 20 of the on-vehicle relay device 2 relays the update program obtained from the external server 100 to the update target on-vehicle ECU 3, and only relays messages sent and received between the charging ECU 31, as in the first relay mode.

[0081] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, for example, refers to the vehicle C structure information master table to determine the message identifier (CAN-ID) used by the charging ECU 31, and relays the CAN message including the message identifier in the header. Alternatively, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, for example, refers to the vehicle C structure information master table to determine the IP address of the charging ECU 31, and relays the IP data packet including the IP address as the transmission source address or the transmission destination address in the header. Then, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 prohibits the relay of messages other than the update program and the message from the charging ECU 31.

[0082] Since the relay processing based on the second relay mode is performed to prohibit the relay of messages between the on-vehicle ECU3 other than the update target on-vehicle ECU3 and the charging ECU31 (the on-vehicle ECU3 associated with the charging control device 7), even if the vehicle C (battery 8) is being charged, the relay of messages to the charging ECU31 can be continued and charging can be continued.

[0083] Figure 4 2 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 stably performs the following processing when the vehicle C is in the startup state (IG switch 6 is on) or the stop state (IG switch 6 is off).

[0084] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines whether there is information related to the update program (S101). The control unit 20 communicates with the external server 100 via the vehicle-external communication device 1, inquires whether there is information related to the update program, and determines whether there is information related to the update program such as activity information. The determination of whether there is information related to the update program can be made not only based on pull communication by inquiry from the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 to the external server 100, but also based on push communication such as a message sent from the external server 100 to the vehicle-mounted relay device 2.

[0085] If there is no information related to the update program (S101: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs a loop process to execute the process of S101 again. By performing this loop process, the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 periodically inquires the external server 100 about whether there is information related to the update program. In this way, if there is no information related to the update program, the control unit 20 performs the relay process in the above-mentioned normal relay mode.

[0086] When there is information on the update program ( S101 : Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 acquires the update program ( S102 ). The control unit 20 acquires the update program from the external server 100 via the external vehicle communication device 1 .

[0087] The control unit 20 of the on-vehicle relay device 2 determines whether the vehicle C is being charged ( S103 ). The control unit 20 acquires information on the charging state of the vehicle C by communicating with the charging control device 7 , and determines whether the vehicle C is being charged.

[0088] When the vehicle C is not being charged (S103: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode (S1031). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 outputs (relays) the update program to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 through the first relay mode. The control unit 20 selects the first relay mode, outputs the update program from the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3, and prohibits the relay of messages between vehicle-mounted ECUs 3 other than the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3.

[0089] When the vehicle C is being charged (S103: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the second relay mode (S104). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 outputs (relays) the update program to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated through the second relay mode (S105). The control unit 20 selects the second relay mode, outputs the update program from the in-vehicle communication unit 23 connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated, and prohibits the relay of messages between the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated and the charging ECU 31 (the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 associated with the charging control device 7) other than the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated.

[0090] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 transmits information related to the output result of the update program to the external server 100 (S106). As information related to the output result of the update program, the control unit 20 transmits (outputs) to the external server 100 via the vehicle-external communication device 1, for example, the date and time when the update program is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated, the response result received from the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 to be updated as the transmission result, or information indicating that the update process has been normally implemented. The control unit 20 may also output the information related to the output result of the update program to the display device 5. By outputting the information related to the output result of the update program to the external server 100 or the display device 5, the information can be notified to the administrator of the external server 100 or the operator of the vehicle C.

[0091] According to the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 obtains information related to the charging state of the vehicle C from the charging control device 7, and selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode according to the information related to the charging state of the vehicle C, that is, whether charging is being performed (whether charging is in progress). When the vehicle C is not being charged (when not being charged), since it is not necessary to relay the message of the charging ECU 31, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can efficiently relay (output) the update program etc. obtained from the external server 100 to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 without performing unnecessary relaying by selecting the first relay mode. When the vehicle C is being charged (when charging is in progress), the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 relays only the message sent and received in the charging ECU 31 together with the relay of the update program, so that charging can continue.

[0092] (Implementation Method 2)

[0093] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 according to the second embodiment. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 stably performs the following processing when the vehicle C is in the start state (IG switch 6 is turned on) or the stop state (IG switch 6 is turned off). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs the processing of S201, S202, and S203 in the same manner as the processing of S101, S102, and S103 in the first embodiment.

[0094] The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines whether to prioritize the output of the update program (S204). The control unit 20 determines whether to prioritize the output of the update program over charging, for example, based on the state of the vehicle C such as the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 8. The control unit 20 may also determine, for example, that the output of the update program should be prioritized over charging when the remaining capacity (SOC) is higher than a specified threshold such as 70% (S204: "Yes"). That is, when performing update processing such as outputting the update program, it may be determined that there is not enough battery capacity, and a determination may be made not to prioritize the output of the update program over charging (S204: "No"), or a determination may be made that charging should be prioritized over the output of the update program, even if charging is prioritized over the output of the update program.

[0095] When the output of the update program is not prioritized (S204: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines whether the charging of the vehicle C is completed (S2041). The control unit 20 communicates with the charging control device 7 to obtain information including whether the charging of the vehicle C is completed, and determines whether the charging of the vehicle C is completed based on the information.

[0096] If charging of the vehicle C is not completed (S2041: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs a loop process to perform the process of S2041 again. By performing this loop process, the control unit 20 performs a standby process until charging of the vehicle C is completed.

[0097] When charging of the vehicle C is completed (S2041: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode (S2031). The control unit 20 performs the processes of S2031 and S2032 in the same manner as the processes of S1031 and S1032 in the first embodiment.

[0098] When output of the update program is prioritized (S204: YES), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the second relay mode (S205). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs the processes of S205, S206 and S207 similarly to the processes of S104, S105 and S106 of the first embodiment.

[0099] According to the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines whether to give priority to the output of the update program over the charging, for example, based on the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 8, and relays the update program to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 through the first relay mode or the second relay mode. Therefore, the update program can be relayed to the update target vehicle-mounted ECU 3 through an appropriate relay mode corresponding to the state of the vehicle C, such as the remaining capacity (SOC) of the battery 8, and the situation in which the relay processing of the update program is abnormally terminated due to insufficient power output from the battery 8 during the relay processing of the update program can be prevented.

[0100] (Implementation Method 3)

[0101] Figure 6 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an in-vehicle relay system S including an in-vehicle relay device 2 according to the third embodiment. Figure 6 In the embodiment, the plurality of charging ECUs 31 are respectively connected to the same communication line 41 (bus).

[0102] All the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 (bus). Therefore, these multiple charging ECUs 31 are connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit 23 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 2. Since all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 (bus), the communication between these charging ECUs 31 does not need to be relayed by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, and the messages of these charging ECUs 31 are sent and received on the same communication line 41. The mode in which all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 includes a mode in which there are multiple charging ECUs 31 and all of the multiple charging ECUs 31 are connected to the same communication line 41, and a mode in which the charging ECU 31 mounted on the vehicle C is a single one.

[0103] In the third embodiment, it is not limited to Figure 6 The connection method of the charging ECU 31 shown in the figure can also be Figure 1 That is, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 in the third embodiment corresponds to Figure 1 Such a method in which a plurality of charging ECUs 31 are connected to the same communication line 41 (bus) and Figure 6 There are two connection methods in which all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 .

[0104] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 according to the third embodiment. The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 stably performs the following processing when the vehicle C is in the start state (IG switch 6 is turned on) or the stop state (IG switch 6 is turned off). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs the processing of S301, S302 and S303 in the same manner as the processing of S101, S102 and S103 in the first embodiment.

[0105] When the vehicle C is not being charged (S303: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs the processes of 3031 and 3032 in the same manner as the processes of S1031 and 1032 in the first embodiment.

[0106] When the vehicle C is being charged (S303: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 determines whether the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 associated with the charging control device 7 is connected to each of the different in-vehicle communication units 23 (S304). The control unit 20 obtains the connection port number of each charging ECU 31 whose function group is charging by referring to the vehicle C structure information master table or relay path information (routing table) stored in the storage unit 21, and thereby determines whether the plurality of charging ECUs 31 are connected to each of the different in-vehicle communication units 23.

[0107] When the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 associated with the charging control device 7 is connected to different in-vehicle communication units 23 (S304: Yes), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the second relay mode (S305). The control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 performs the processes of S305, S306, and S307 in the same manner as the processes of S104, S105, and S106 of the first embodiment.

[0108] When the vehicle-mounted ECU 3 associated with the charging control device 7 is not connected to each of the different vehicle-mounted communication units 23 (S304: No), the control unit 20 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode (S3031). When the different vehicle-mounted communication units 23 are not connected to each of the charging ECUs 31, that is, when all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same vehicle-mounted communication unit 23 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 2, and when the relay by the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 is not required, and when all of these charging ECUs 31 can send and receive messages through the same communication line 41 (bus), the control unit 20 selects the first relay mode.

[0109] Since all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 (bus), it is not necessary for the on-vehicle relay device 2 to relay messages sent and received by the charging ECUs 31. Therefore, by performing the first relay mode of relaying only the update program, charging can be continued while suppressing unnecessary relaying. As described above, the control unit 20 of the on-vehicle relay device 2 performs the processing of 3031 and 3032 in the same manner as the processing of S1031 and 1032 in the first embodiment.

[0110] According to the present embodiment, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode according to the connection method of the charging ECU 31. The connection method of the charging ECU 31 is determined according to the vehicle model, but by selecting the relay mode according to the connection method of the charging ECU 31, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can be used as a common component applied to different vehicle models. That is, by installing the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 in the present embodiment on a vehicle model in which all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 and a vehicle model in which the charging ECUs 31 are respectively connected to different communication lines 41, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 can correspond to the connection method of the charging ECU 31 in any vehicle model.

[0111] Even if all the charging ECUs 31 mounted on the vehicle C are connected to the same communication line 41 at the time of factory manufacturing, there are cases where vehicle-mounted devices such as optional components are additionally installed after shipment, and the charging ECUs 31 are connected to different communication lines 41. In this way, even if the connection method at the time of factory manufacturing and the connection method after shipment are different for the same vehicle model, the vehicle-mounted relay device 2 in this embodiment can select the first relay mode or the second relay mode according to the connection method at the current time point, and continue charging together with the relay of the update program.

[0112] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all aspects and should not be considered restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not indicated by the above meaning but by the scope of the claims for protection, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims for protection.

[0113] Description of symbols

[0114] C. Vehicle;

[0115] S Vehicle-mounted relay system;

[0116] 100 external server;

[0117] 101 Storage Department;

[0118] 1. External vehicle communication device;

[0119] 11 Antenna;

[0120] 2. Vehicle-mounted relay device (gateway);

[0121] 20 Control Department;

[0122] 21 Storage Department;

[0123] 211 Recording media;

[0124] 22 Input and output I / F;

[0125] 23 In-vehicle communication unit;

[0126] 231 Ethernet Communications Department;

[0127] 232 CAN Communications Department;

[0128] 3. On-board ECU (on-board control unit);

[0129] 31 Charging ECU;

[0130] 4. In-vehicle network;

[0131] 41 communication line (bus);

[0132] 411 Ethernet cable;

[0133] 412 CAN bus;

[0134] 5. Display device;

[0135] 6 IG switch;

[0136] 7. Charging control device;

[0137] 70 Wireless communication devices;

[0138] 70a antenna;

[0139] 71 PLC communication device;

[0140] 8 Batteries;

[0141] 80 power receiving pad;

[0142] 81 Charging port;

[0143] 9 Charging device;

[0144] 90 Wireless Communications Department;

[0145] 90a antenna;

[0146] 91 Power delivery pad;

[0147] 92 Power supply lines.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted relay device, mounted on a vehicle having a charging control device, comprising a plurality of in-vehicle communication units connected to communication lines for communicating with a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs, and relaying messages sent from the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs between the in-vehicle communication units, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device includes a control unit for controlling the relay of the message. When relaying an update program obtained from an external server outside the vehicle to the in-vehicle ECU to be updated, the control unit relays the update program or the message in a plurality of relay modes. The multiple relay modes include: a first relay mode for prohibiting the relay of messages between onboard ECUs other than the update target onboard ECU; and The second relay mode prohibits the relay of messages between the update target on-vehicle ECU and an on-vehicle ECU other than the on-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device. The control unit selects the first relay mode or the second relay mode based on a predetermined condition, The prescribed conditions include one of the following: (1) a first condition related to charging of the vehicle, The control unit selects the first relay mode when the vehicle is not being charged, and selects the second relay mode when the vehicle is being charged; (2) a second condition regarding the connection between the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device and the in-vehicle communication unit, The connection methods include: In a first connection mode, an on-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device is connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit; and In the second connection mode, different in-vehicle communication units are respectively connected to the vehicle-mounted ECUs associated with the charging control device. The control unit selects a first relay mode when the connection method is a first connection method, and selects a second relay mode when the connection method is a second connection method.

2. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to claim 1, wherein: The messages sent from the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs include CAN messages using a CAN protocol, The control portion identifies a message from an on-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device based on an identifier included in the CAN message transmitted from the plurality of on-vehicle ECUs.

3. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein: The messages sent from the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs include IP packets using an Ethernet protocol, The control unit specifies a message from an on-vehicle ECU associated with the charging control device based on a transmission source address or a transmission destination address included in the IP packet transmitted from the plurality of on-vehicle ECUs.

4. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to perform the following processing: Get updates from an external server outside the car. Based on a predetermined condition, a first relay mode for prohibiting relay of messages between onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU to be updated or a second relay mode for prohibiting relay of messages between the onboard ECU to be updated and an onboard ECU other than the onboard ECU associated with the charging control device is selected; relaying the update program or message through the selected relay mode, The prescribed conditions include one of the following: (1) A first condition related to charging of the vehicle, The control unit selects the first relay mode when the vehicle is not being charged, and selects the second relay mode when the vehicle is being charged; (2) a second condition regarding the connection between the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device and the in-vehicle communication unit, The connection methods include: In a first connection mode, the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device is connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit; as well as In the second connection mode, different in-vehicle communication units are respectively connected to the vehicle-mounted ECUs associated with the charging control device. The control unit selects a first relay mode when the connection method is a first connection method, and selects a second relay mode when the connection method is a second connection method.

5. A relay method, wherein: Make the computer execute the following processing: Get updates from an external server outside the car. Based on a predetermined condition, a first relay mode for prohibiting relay of messages between onboard ECUs other than the onboard ECU to be updated or a second relay mode for prohibiting relay of messages between the onboard ECU to be updated and an onboard ECU other than the onboard ECU associated with the charging control device is selected; relaying the update program or message through the selected relay mode, The prescribed conditions include one of the following: (1) A first condition related to charging of the vehicle, The control unit selects the first relay mode when the vehicle is not being charged, and selects the second relay mode when the vehicle is being charged; (2) a second condition regarding the connection between the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device and the in-vehicle communication unit, The connection methods include: In a first connection mode, the vehicle-mounted ECU associated with the charging control device is connected to the same in-vehicle communication unit; as well as In the second connection mode, different in-vehicle communication units are respectively connected to the vehicle-mounted ECUs associated with the charging control device. The control unit selects a first relay mode when the connection method is a first connection method, and selects a second relay mode when the connection method is a second connection method.

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