In-Vehicle Network System and Electronic Control Device

Abstract

As the level of autonomous driving of vehicles increases, driving under a system without driver intervention is required, and high reliability of the system becomes essential. One method for achieving high reliability is the redundancy of the power supply. To construct a redundant power network, in addition to the main power network, a redundant power network is also required, which increases the number of electrical lines in the network. In addition, in order to handle large currents, cables with thick core wires are used for the power lines, which also increases the weight of the cables and deteriorates the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. In the electronic control device (11-B) of the present invention, power is received in the form of redundant power supplies redundant on the power overlapping data line (16) from the power storage unit (12-A) via another electronic control device (11-A). That is, the electronic control device (11-B) receives power fed or delivered from both the directly connected power storage unit (12-B) and the indirectly connected power storage unit (12-A).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control device and a network architecture (network system) equipped with the electronic control device. In particular, it relates to an in-vehicle electronic control device and an in-vehicle network system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there have been social issues such as reducing the number of traffic accidents, reducing losses, and providing mobility tools for vulnerable road users, and the development of technologies for realizing vehicle autonomous driving has been promoted. The functions required for each level of autonomous driving are defined by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). In this SAE, the responsibility for accidents that occur is defined as the driver in vehicles with an autonomous driving level of 2 or lower, and as the system in vehicles with a level of 3 or higher. Level 3 is conditional autonomous driving, where normally the system performs driving control and surrounding monitoring, and only in emergencies does the driver drive. At this level, the driver does not always hold the steering wheel, so it is not possible to immediately transfer control of the vehicle to the driver. Therefore, within the time before the system detects a failure and transfers control of the vehicle to the driver, it is necessary for the system side to drive safely. That is, a redundant system must be constructed, that is, even in the event of a failure, the system does not completely stop, but instead transfers to a degenerate system that limits functions, etc., to continue driving.

[0003] In level 2 autonomous driving, the main body of driving control is the driver, and the purpose of the system is driving assistance, which is a single system. Figure 13 The following is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a single system at level 2 or lower, taking the brake as an example. The actuator (brake) 10 performs braking according to a signal from the electronic control device 11. This electronic control device 11 is driven by power supplied from the power storage unit 12 mounted in the vehicle via the power line 15, monitors the surroundings based on information from the sensor 13 (front monitoring radar, etc.), and when it determines that it is dangerous, sends a stop signal to the actuator (brake) 10. Even if a part of this system fails and cannot operate normally, the driver, who is responsible for driving control, will step on the brake to stop the vehicle, so there is no problem with the system. On the other hand, in autonomous driving at level 3 or higher, the main body of driving control transfers to the system, so it becomes a state without a driver. In this situation, even if a part of the system fails, it is required that the system stop safely, and redundancy of the system becomes necessary. Figure 14Disclosed is a schematic diagram showing a dual system configuration of level 3 or higher, taking a brake as an example. It includes power storage units 12-A and 12-B, and power lines 15-A and 15-B to dualize a single system in a parallel manner. With this configuration, even if one system fails, the vehicle can still be stopped relying on the other system. In the field of autonomous driving, only one simultaneous failure needs to be considered. However, even a single failure in the power storage unit or the power supply unit will affect the entire system. Therefore, in particular, the redundancy of an independent dual system is necessary.

[0004] In addition, at level 3 or higher, the system becomes the main body of driving control, so it is necessary to conduct surrounding monitoring over a wide range and with high precision. Therefore, in a camera sensor, which is a type of sensor 13, the number of pixels is increased from 2M pixels to 8M pixels to pursue high resolution, and the image quality is changed to be clearer to improve the detection accuracy. In this way, the amount of data required for driving increases sharply, causing a change in the architecture of the in-vehicle network. Figure 15 Disclosed is a zone architecture using a backbone applied at level 3 or higher. The zone architecture means a structure in which electronic control units 11 arranged for each area of the vehicle are provided, and each sensor 13 is connected to the electronic control unit 11 of each area. The electronic control units 11 of each area are connected by a high-speed data line 14 at the 10Gbps level, that is, a backbone network, for transmission. In this architecture, a highly reliable system must be constructed.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: International Publication WO2017 / 222077 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] In recent years, with the change in the architecture of the vehicle network, the redundancy of the in-vehicle network system has become an issue. Figure 16Disclosed is the in-vehicle backbone network configuration under a daisy chain described in Patent Document 1. In this Patent Document 1, two independent power storage units 12-A and 12-B are mounted in a vehicle and connected together via a power switch 27 by a power line 15. The electronic control units 11 are connected using this power line 15 as the backbone network of the daisy chain. Communication is performed between the electronic control units 11 by overlapping data on the power line 15. Normally, power is supplied only from the power storage unit 12-A, but when a failure due to a cable break occurs, the power switch 27 is set to conduct, and power is also supplied from the power storage unit 12-B to achieve system redundancy. This configuration is one in which signals are overlapped on the power lines 15-A and 15-B, and these power lines 15-A and 15-B are not impedance-designed, making it difficult to perform data communication at the 10 Gbps level. Therefore, camera data cannot be transmitted, and it is difficult to apply it to systems above Level 3. In addition, as data communication in the event of a cable failure, wireless communication is envisioned, but relying on wireless, which has lower communication reliability than wired, to transmit important data such as vehicle control would create a very dangerous situation.

[0010] In the redundancy of power sources required for systems above Level 3, at least three networks, namely the main power network, the redundant power network, and the data line network, must be provided throughout the vehicle using wired cables. Therefore, the number of lines increases, resulting in an increase in the weight of the wire harness.

[0011] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control unit and an in-vehicle network system using the same that can achieve power redundancy with a simpler structure. Such a structure includes efficient use of lines. In addition, efficient use of lines includes the following: achieving redundancy by adding a smaller number of lines compared to the case where redundancy is not implemented.

[0012] Technical means for solving the problem

[0013] To achieve the object described above, in the present invention, redundant power is overlapped on the data line between electronic control units. In any electronic control unit, power is received from a power supply device via other electronic control units in the form of redundant power on the data line. Alternatively, in any electronic control unit, the power fed from the power supply device is redundant to the data line and sent to other electronic control units. In other words, in the present invention, power is received or transmitted from both the directly connected power supply device and the indirectly connected power supply device.

[0014] As a representative form of the present invention, it includes a vehicle-mounted network system having a plurality of electronic control devices that output control signals to controlled objects. This vehicle-mounted network system includes: a plurality of power supply devices that supply power to any one of the plurality of electronic control devices; and a first electronic control device included in the plurality of electronic control devices, having a first power connection part and a first data line connection part. The first power connection part is connected to a first power supply device included in the plurality of power supply devices via a first power line and receives power from the first power supply device. The first data line connection part is connected to a second electronic control device included in the plurality of electronic control devices via a first data line for transmitting and receiving data. The second electronic control device has a second power connection part and a second data line connection part. The second power connection part is connected to a second power supply device included in the plurality of power supply devices via a second power line and receives power from the second power supply device. The second data line connection part overlaps the power fed from the second power supply device on the data and transmits it to the first electronic control device via the first data line.

[0015] Furthermore, as another form of the present invention, it includes an electronic control device that outputs a control signal to a controlled object. This electronic control device includes: a power connection part connected to a first power supply device included in a plurality of power supply devices via a power line; and a data line connection part connected to a second electronic control device that receives power from a second power supply device via a data line for transmitting and receiving data. The data line connection part overlaps the power fed from the first power supply device on the data and transmits it to the second electronic control device. In addition, as other electronic control devices, the present invention also includes an electronic control device that outputs a control signal to a controlled object. This electronic control device includes: a power connection part connected to a first power supply device included in a plurality of power supply devices via a power line; and a data line connection part connected to a second electronic control device via a data line for transmitting and receiving data. The data line connection part receives, via the data line, power from the second power supply device connected to the second electronic control device, with the data overlapped on the power.

[0016] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is also a vehicle-mounted network system that processes control signals for controlled objects. The vehicle-mounted network system includes: a plurality of power supply devices; a plurality of electronic control devices; a power line that connects any one of the plurality of electronic control devices to any one of the plurality of power supply devices; and a data line that connects between the plurality of electronic control devices, and power fed from any one of the plurality of power supply devices is superimposed on the data transmitted and received between the electronic control devices for transmission and reception. Each of the plurality of electronic control devices has a power receiving unit that receives power from the power line or the data line. The relationship between the total number of the plurality of electronic control devices and the total number of power lines respectively connected to the plurality of electronic control devices satisfies the condition that the number of electronic control devices × 2 > the total number of power lines ≥ the total number of the plurality of electronic control devices, and the drive power is redundant in each of the plurality of electronic control devices.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention also includes a method using the above-mentioned electronic control device and vehicle-mounted network system. Moreover, software and program products used in the electronic control device and vehicle-mounted network system are also included in the present invention.

[0018] Effects of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, an electronic control device that redundantly supplies power with a simple structure and a vehicle-mounted network system using the same can be provided. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 A diagram showing the connection configuration of an electronic control device related to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 A configuration diagram of an electronic control device using unidirectional power superimposition according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 A configuration diagram of a filtering device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 A configuration diagram of a star-type vehicle-mounted backbone network system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 A configuration diagram of a star-type vehicle-mounted backbone network system (with power configuration changed) according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 A configuration diagram of a star-type vehicle-mounted backbone network system in a modified example according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 A configuration diagram of a ring-type vehicle-mounted backbone network system (with data redundancy) according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 Configuration diagram of the ring-shaped in-vehicle backbone network system (staggered configuration) of Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 9 Configuration diagram of the electronic control device using bidirectional power overlap of Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 10 Configuration diagram of the in-vehicle backbone network system (front-rear direction) using the electronic control device of Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 11 Configuration diagram of the in-vehicle backbone network system (left-right direction) using the electronic control device of Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 12 Diagram for explaining power supply switching in Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 13 Single-system configuration diagram of the driving assistance system targeted by the present invention.

[0033] Figure 14 Dual-system configuration diagram required for autonomous driving targeted by the present invention.

[0034] Figure 15 Configuration diagram of the regional architecture targeted by the present invention.

[0035] Figure 16 Configuration diagram of the in-vehicle network connection under the daisy chain targeted by the present invention.

[0036] Figure 17 Diagram showing the voltage waveforms of the data line and the power line in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 18 Configuration diagram of the regional electronic control device in Embodiment 5 of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] Next, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] First, use Figure 1 , to explain the concept of the connection of the electronic control device in each embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1FIG. 0 is a connection configuration diagram of an electronic control device 11-A and an electronic control device 11-B that use an underlying power supply overlap related to each embodiment. In this example, redundant power (electricity) is supplied from the electronic control device 11-A to the electronic control device 11-B. Furthermore, the electronic control device 11-A uses the main power supply A fed from the power supply network A as the redundant power supply A. In addition, the electronic control device 11-B uses the main power supply B fed from the power supply network B as the main power supply B.

[0040] In addition, in this example, normal times refer to the situation where power is supplied from the power supply network A or the power supply network B.

[0041] Next, the details will be described. The respective independent power storage units 12-A and 12-B supply the main power supply to the electronic control devices 11-A and 11-B connected to the power supply overlap data line 16. Normally, the electronic control device 11-A operates using the main power supply fed from the power supply network A composed of the power storage unit 12-A and the power line 15-A. In addition, the electronic control device 11-B operates using the main power supply fed from the power supply network B composed of the power storage unit 12-B and the power line 15-B. Here, when the power supply to the power supply network B stops due to a failure or the like, the function of the electronic control device 11-B stops.

[0042] Therefore, in order to keep the electronic control device 11-B operating, the redundant power supply is overlapped onto the power supply overlap data line 16 from the electronic control device 11-A that is supplied with power from the power supply network A and then conveyed. As a result, the electronic control device 11-B avoids function stoppage and performs normal operations.

[0043] Next, Figure 17 is used to describe the voltage waveform during the above operation. Figure 17 FIG. (a) shows the waveform of the power supply overlap data line 16 with power supply overlap. In this waveform, in addition to the DATA(p) and DATA(n) data, the average voltage difference between the two data becomes the drive voltage of the electronic control device 11-B. Figure 17 FIG. (b) shows an example of the waveforms of the power lines 15-A and 15-B. This power supply is the main power supply A. In the power supply (+) and the power supply (-), the average voltage difference serves as the drive voltage of the electronic control device 11.

[0044] As described above, in each embodiment of the present invention, the Figure 17 electric power of the voltage waveform shown is used as the main power supply and the redundant power supply for other electronic control devices.

[0045] Next, Embodiments 1 to 6 will be described. Furthermore, hereinafter, the supply of power from the power network is expressed as the supply of electricity. In addition, the supply of power from an electronic control device to another electronic control device is expressed as the transmission of electricity. Further, the reception of the supply of electricity is expressed as the reception of electricity.

[0046] Embodiment 1

[0047] First, a network system using unidirectional power supply overlap in Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described.

[0048] Figure 2 The configuration of the electronic control device in the network system of this embodiment is shown. Since the electronic control devices 11 in this system include high-capacity data communication such as camera data, high-frequency cables such as coaxial cables or differential paired cables with impedance design are used. Basically, a high-frequency cable has two physical lines, and power supplies of power supply (+) and power supply (-) are overlapped on these two lines respectively. Especially in vehicles, in order to reduce the number of cables, bidirectional data communication is implemented using a pair of two-wire cables such as UTP (Unshielded Twist Pair), STP (Shielded Twist Pair), and SPP (Shielded Parallel Pair). On the other hand, the power supply that can be overlapped with a pair of two-wire cables is unidirectional. Therefore, in this example, power can only be transmitted from the electronic control device 11-A with a power transmission function to the electronic control device 11-B with a power reception function.

[0049] The electronic control device 11-A on the power transmission side is at least composed of a data transceiver 20-A for transmitting and receiving data, a power transmission device 17-A for feeding power, a power reception device 18-A2 for receiving power from the power network A, a filtering device 19-A, and a CPU 30-A. The main power supply is fed from the power network A to the power reception device 18-A2. In addition, the power supply is combined with the transmitted and received data generated by the data transceiver 20-A in the filtering device 19-A to form the power supply of the power transmission device 17-A. And, the filtering device 19-A performs data transmission and redundant power supply to the electronic control device 11-B on the power reception side via the power supply overlap data line 16. Thus, the filtering device 19-A functions as a data line connection device connected to the power supply overlap data line 16.

[0050] In addition, the CPU 30-A performs arithmetic operations for control executed in the electronic control device 11-A. Data for this purpose is input or output via the data transceiver 20-A. Further, the CPU 30-A is driven using the power received by the power reception device 18-A2. Furthermore, the data transceiver 20-A may also be configured as a part of the CPU 30-A.

[0051] The electronic control device 11-B on the power receiving side is composed of a data transceiver 20-B, a power receiving device 18-A2, a power receiving device 18-B2, a filtering device 19-B, and power selection switches 21-B1, 21-B2, and a CPU 30-B. And the main power supply is fed from the power network B.

[0052] In addition, the filtering device 19-B separates the data transmitted from the power overlap data line 16 from the power, sends the data to the data transceiver 20-B, and sends the power to the power receiving device 18-B1. Further, in the event of a failure of the power network B, the CPU 30-B controls the power selection switches 21-B1, 21-B2 to switch the operating power from the main power supply to the redundant power supply for operation.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, there are some differences in the configurations of the electronic control devices 11-A and 11-B, but they can also be made general-purpose. In this case, a power receiving device 18-A1, power selection switches 21-A1, 21-A2 are provided in the electronic control device 11-A. In addition, a power transmission device 17-B is provided in the electronic control device 11-B.

[0054] Furthermore, the electronic control devices 11-A and 11-B are respectively connected to the power networks A and B that supply power. Here, the power network A is composed of a power storage unit 12-A and a power line 15-A. In addition, the power network B is composed of a power storage unit 12-B and a power line 15-B. Here, the power storage units 12-A and 12-B only need to supply power in some way. For example, the power storage units 12-A and 12-B can be implemented by in-vehicle batteries. In addition, the power storage units 12-A and 12-B can also be implemented by so-called secondary batteries or generators for driving the vehicle. The generator also includes an alternator. Furthermore, the implementation methods of the power storage units 12-A and 12-B are the same as those in this embodiment in the respective embodiments described later.

[0055] Next, Figure 3 The configuration of the filtering device 19 is shown. Since data and power are different in frequency components, filters with different frequency characteristics are used for separation and synthesis. The filtering device 19-A and the filtering device 19-B can have the same configuration.

[0056] Next, the configuration of the filtering device 19 will be described, but the branch numbers (-A, etc.) of the symbols shown below are omitted. The reason is that the filtering device 19 and other components are implemented with the same configuration on the power transmission side and the power receiving side.

[0057] A high-pass filter 26 is provided between the data transceiver 20 and the power-overlay data line 16. The high-pass filter 26 is implemented by capacitors connected in series or the like. Therefore, the high-pass filter 26 can prevent signals in low-frequency bands such as power from passing through and only allow data in high-frequency bands to pass through.

[0058] Furthermore, a low-pass filter 25 is provided between the power supply device 17 and the power receiving device 18 and the power-overlay data line 16. The low-pass filter 25 is implemented by connecting a coil and a ferrite bead in series. Therefore, the low-pass filter 25 can allow signals in low-frequency bands such as power to pass through and prevent data in high-frequency bands from passing through.

[0059] By using the filtering device 19 configured as above, data and power can be synthesized in the electronic control device 11-A. That is, the filtering device 19-A synthesizes the power that has passed through the low-pass filter 25 and the data that has passed through the high-pass filter 26 and outputs them to the power-overlay data line 16. In addition, the filtering device 19-B separates the overlapping power and data from the power-overlay data line 16 into the power that has passed through the low-pass filter 25 and the data that has passed through the high-pass filter 26. Subsequently, the filtering device 19-B outputs the separated power to the power receiving device 18-B1. In addition, the filtering device 19-B outputs the separated data to the data transceiver 20-B. By connecting the electronic control devices 11 using the power-overlay data line 16 where power overlaps data as in this configuration, power redundancy can be achieved with a smaller number of lines. Therefore, a highly reliable network can be constructed with a simple configuration.

[0060] In addition, each electronic control device 11 may sometimes be connected to sensors 13 such as cameras that monitor the surroundings via a sensor data line 28, as shown in Figure 1 This can also overlap power on the sensor data line 28, thereby further reducing the number of lines.

[0061] Here, in this embodiment, the number of spread lines of the power line is two, namely the power line 15-A and the power line 15-B, for the electronic control devices 11-A and 11-B. Furthermore, the number of spread lines represents the total number of power lines connected to each electronic control device. In this case, even for power lines from the same power storage unit, when connected to multiple electronic control devices, it represents the number of connected electronic control devices.

[0062] In contrast, the total number of spread lines of the power lines in a conventional system using redundant power is four. Two power lines from the power storage units 12-A and 12-B are respectively connected to the electronic control devices 11-A and 11-B. Therefore, the number of power supply lines is 2×2, that is, four.

[0063] In summary, in the conventional system, the number of lines for supplying or transmitting power is represented by the number of electronic control devices × the amount of redundant multiplexing. The so-called multiplexing amount is duplexing because there are two power sources in this embodiment.

[0064] In contrast, Figure 2 In the network system shown in the connection structure between the electronic control devices, the number of lines can be set as follows.

[0065] 2n>N≥n

[0066] Here, N is the total number of power supply lines, and n is the number of electronic control devices. Furthermore, 2 in 2n is a value corresponding to the amount of multiplexing. An example of the multiplexing is the number of power supply storage units.

[0067] Thus, in this embodiment, the total number of power supply lines can be reduced compared to the prior art.

[0068] Example 2

[0069] Next, as a second embodiment of the present invention, a regional architecture configuration of an in-vehicle network using a power supply superimposed data line will be described.

[0070] Figure 4 The structure diagram of the star-type vehicle-mounted backbone network system in this embodiment is shown.

[0071] The electronic control unit is roughly divided into two types: an integrated electronic control unit 22 and a regional electronic control unit 11-C. The integrated electronic control unit 22 uses information from sensors 13 that monitor the surroundings of the vehicle to analyze data and determine the behavior and control of the vehicle. The regional electronic control unit 11-C is connected to a limited number of input and output ports of the integrated electronic control unit 22. Therefore, data from multiple sensors is aggregated and speed conversion is performed from a data rate of several Mbps of CAN, etc. to a high-speed communication data rate of Gbps of the backbone network. In addition, it is no problem for a part of the regional electronic control unit 11-C to also serve as the integrated electronic control unit 22. Furthermore, the integrated electronic control unit 22 has the same Figure 2 The electronic control unit 11-A shown in FIG. 1 is similar in structure to the electronic control unit 11-A shown in FIG. Figure 1 The electronic control unit 11-B shown in the figure has the same structure. This structure is also the same in other embodiments described later.

[0072] In the network system shown in this embodiment, the regional electronic control devices 11-C are arranged in the four regions of the front right, front left, rear right, and rear left in the figure. In addition, the integrated electronic control device 22 is arranged in the center of the figure. The reason is that each regional electronic control device 11-C needs to be arranged near the in-vehicle sensor 13 to collect the sensor data. And each regional electronic control device 11-C transmits the sensor data to the integrated electronic control device 22 via the power-overlay data line 16. The configuration of the power-overlay data line 16, the regional electronic control devices 11-C, and the integrated electronic control device 22 is similar to a star shape, so the Figure 2 shown network system is denoted as a star network configuration.

[0073] In addition, since the integrated electronic control device 22 has to perform large-scale arithmetic processing such as data analysis and driving control, it is preferably to use high-performance LSI (Large-Scale Integration), SoC (System on chip), etc. as the CPU 30-A. Therefore, the power consumption of the integrated electronic control device 22 is high. Thus, the power storage units 12-A and 12-B feed the main power supply and the redundant power supply to the integrated electronic control device 22 via the power lines 15-A and 15-B respectively.

[0074] On the other hand, the regional electronic control device 11-C is smaller than the integrated electronic control device 22 in terms of function and scale of arithmetic processing, and has low power consumption. Therefore, the power storage unit 12-A feeds the main power supply to the regional electronic control device 11-C via the power line 15-A. In addition, the integrated electronic control device 22 transmits the power fed from the power storage unit 12-B as the redundant power supply via the power-overlay data line 16.

[0075] In this configuration, the power line 15-B of the power storage unit 12-B only goes to the integrated electronic control device 22, and the power network of the entire vehicle can be reduced. Therefore, power redundancy can be achieved by adding fewer line numbers, and thus a highly reliable in-vehicle network system can be constructed while reducing the weight of the wiring harness.

[0076] Here, as in Embodiment 1, the number of spread lines (total number) of the power lines for each electronic control device is confirmed. In this embodiment, one power line 15-A is connected to each regional electronic control device 11-C. Here, in this embodiment, there are 4 regional electronic control devices 11-C, so the number of spread lines is 4. In addition, two power lines, namely the power line 15-A and the power line 15-B, are connected to the integrated electronic control device 22. Therefore, the number of spread lines of the power lines in this embodiment is 6.

[0077] In contrast, in the conventional vehicle-mounted system using redundant power supplies, the number of power lines laid out is 5 × 2, that is, 10. Thus, in this embodiment as well, the relationship 2n > N ≥ n is satisfied.

[0078] Embodiment 3

[0079] Next, as Embodiment 3, a vehicle-mounted network system that changes the installation position of the power storage unit of the main power supply according to the installation position of the regional electronic control device will be described. Embodiment 3 is a modified example of Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, it was for the power storage unit 12-A of the main power supply of each regional electronic control device 11-C. In this Embodiment 3, the main power supplies for each of the regional electronic control devices 11-C and 11-D are divided into a power storage unit 12-A and a power storage unit 12-B. Furthermore, the regional electronic control device 11-D has the same configuration as the regional electronic control device 11-D, but the branch number of the symbol is changed according to its installation position. This is the same in each of the embodiments described later.

[0080] Figure 5 A configuration diagram of the vehicle-mounted backbone network system related to this embodiment is shown. A vehicle including an automobile is usually a rectangular parallelepiped whose length in the front-rear direction in the traveling direction is longer than that in the left-right direction. Therefore, if the main power supply is laid out only by 1 power storage unit 12-A as in Embodiment 2, the lines in the front-rear direction will be very long. In addition, if the main power supply is laid out only by 1 power storage unit 12-A as in Embodiment 2, all the power storage units 12 may also fail due to a collision in the front. Therefore, in this embodiment, 1 power storage unit 12 (12-A) is arranged in the front and 1 power storage unit 12 (12-B) is arranged in the rear, so as to prevent all the power storage units 12 from failing due to a collision in the front or a collision in the rear of the vehicle.

[0081] That is to say, as described above, in this embodiment, the power storage unit 12-A arranged in the front supplies power as the main power supply for the regional electronic control device 11-C in the front. In addition, the power storage unit 12-B arranged in the rear supplies power as the main power supply for the regional electronic control device 11-D in the rear. Furthermore, the integrated electronic control device 22 transmits power as the redundant power supply for each of the regional electronic control devices 11-C and 11-D. More specifically, the integrated electronic control device 22 transmits the power fed from the power storage unit 12-B to the regional electronic control device 11-C via the power overlap data line 16. In addition, the integrated electronic control device 22 transmits the power fed from the power storage unit 12-A to the regional electronic control device 11-D via the power overlap data line 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cable lines in the front-rear direction can be reduced, and thus the weight of the wire harness can be lightened.

[0082] Among them, as a further modification example of this embodiment, the configurations of the main power supply and the overlapping power supply may also be reversed. That is, the power storage unit 12-A supplies power as the main power supply of the area electronic control device 11-D. In addition, the power storage unit 12-B supplies power as the main power supply of the area electronic control device 11-C. Furthermore, in this case, the power storage unit 12 which is the power supply source of the redundant power supply sent from the integrated electronic control device 22 is also reversed.

[0083] In the above Figure 5 In the configuration of the above-described Embodiment 3, the number of spread power lines (total number) is the same as that of Embodiment 2. That is, the number of spread power lines in Embodiment 3 is six. In addition, as in Embodiment 2, the number of spread power lines in the conventional in-vehicle system using a redundant power supply is ten. Thus, the relationship of 2n > N ≥ n is also satisfied in Embodiment 3.

[0084] Here, Figure 6 is used to explain a further modification example of Embodiment 3. Figure 6 The configuration diagram of the in-vehicle network system related to this modification example is shown. The power lines 15-A, 15-B and the power overlapping data line 16 are required in an amount corresponding to the area electronic control devices 11-C, 11-D. That is, if the number of the area electronic control devices 11-C, 11-D increases, the number of each line increases. Therefore, in this modification example, one area electronic control device 11-C is arranged in the front and one area electronic control device 11-C is arranged in the rear in an intensive manner. In this case, Figure 5 As in, a configuration of a main power supply and a redundant power supply can also be formed, and a significant reduction in the weight of the wire harness can be expected. The number of spread power lines in the in-vehicle system in this modification example is four. In addition, the number of spread power lines in the conventional in-vehicle system using a redundant power supply is six. Thus, the relationship of 2n > N ≥ n is also satisfied in this modification example.

[0085] As described above, in Embodiment 3 including the modification example, by changing the main power supply for power supply according to the arrangement positions of the area electronic control devices 11-C and 11-D, the power lines 15-A, 15-B can be shortened, and the weight of the wire harness can be reduced.

[0086] Furthermore, the area electronic control devices 11-C, 11-D in Embodiment 3 are the same as the area electronic control devices 11-C in Embodiment 2.

[0087] Embodiment 4

[0088] Next, as Embodiment 4, a ring-shaped in-vehicle network system will be described. In this embodiment, data can also be made redundant.

[0089] Figure 7 Disclosed is a configuration diagram of a vehicle backbone network system related to this embodiment. The vehicle travels forward at a speed of several km / h to over 100 km / h on general roads, highways, etc. Therefore, forward monitoring requires a wide range of monitoring from a short distance of several meters to a long distance of over 200 meters. On the other hand, there is no situation of high-speed reverse driving, so rear monitoring can be relatively short-distance monitoring.

[0090] Therefore, the number of sensors for rear monitoring is less than that for front monitoring. Therefore, the functions of the area electronic control unit 11-D at the rear are integrated into the integrated electronic control unit 22. Thus, the setting of the area electronic control unit 11-D in Embodiments 2 and 3 can be omitted. In this configuration, both the power storage units 12-A and 12-B supply power to the integrated electronic control unit 22. In addition, the power storage unit 12-A arranged in the front of the vehicle supplies power as the main power source of the area electronic control unit 11-C. In addition, the integrated electronic control unit transmits the power fed from the power storage unit 12-B as redundant power via the power overlapping data line 16.

[0091] Furthermore, the area electronic control units 11-C are connected by the data line 14. In this way, by setting the network to a ring configuration, two independent data communication paths can be ensured from each area electronic control unit 11-C to the integrated electronic control unit 22. Therefore, even if a network line fails somewhere, the data of the area electronic control unit 11-C can be sent to the integrated electronic control unit 22, enabling redundant data communication. That is to say, redundancy of both power supply and data communication can be achieved, thus enabling the construction of a vehicle-mounted network with higher reliability.

[0092] Since redundancy of the power supply has been ensured, there is no problem if the data line 14 between the area electronic control units 11-C does not overlap the power supply.

[0093] Moreover, as a modification example of this embodiment, it can also be configured to integrate the functions of the area electronic control unit 11-C into the integrated electronic control unit 22 while leaving the area electronic control unit 11-D. Furthermore, in addition to dividing the area into the front and the rear, it can also be divided into the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side, and the area electronic control unit in one direction can be integrated into the integrated electronic control unit.

[0094] In addition, the number of power lines laid out (total number) in this embodiment is 4. In contrast, the number of power lines laid out in a conventional vehicle-mounted system using redundant power supply is 3×2, that is, 6. Thus, the relationship of 2n>N≥n is also satisfied in this embodiment.

[0095] Embodiment 5

[0096] Next, as Example 5, a ring-type in-vehicle backbone network system that feeds the main power supply of the electronic control device 11 in a staggered configuration will be described. Figure 8 A configuration diagram of this embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the vehicle is divided into four areas: front right, front left, rear right, and rear left, and the area electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' are arranged. Also, the functions of the integrated electronic control device 22 are divided and assigned to the area electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D'.

[0097] Here, temporarily use Figure 18 The electronic control devices 11-A' and 11-B' used as the area electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' will be described. As Figure 18 shown, the structure of the electronic control device 11-A' further has a power receiving device 18-A1, power selection switches 21-A1 and 21-A2 compared with the electronic control device 11-A shown in Figure 2 In addition, the structure of the electronic control device 11-B' has a power delivery device 17-B compared with the electronic control device 11-B. That is, the electronic control devices 11-A' and 11-B' have the same configuration respectively, and the branch numbers of the symbols are changed according to the power storage unit as the main power supply. Furthermore, Figure 18 in, power as the redundant power supply is delivered from the electronic control device 11-A' to the electronic control device 11-B', but there is also a case where the direction is opposite as shown in Figure 8 . In addition, Figure 18 in, the description of the CPUs 18-A and 18-B is omitted.

[0098] Here, return to the description of Figure 8 . In the Figure 8 ring-type in-vehicle backbone network system, the electronic control devices 11-A' and 11-B' are used as the area electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' respectively. Furthermore, among the area electronic control devices, the area electronic control devices arranged in the front right and rear left are set as the area electronic control device 11-C', and the area electronic control devices arranged in the front left and rear right are set as the area electronic control device 11-D'. Here, the power storage unit 12-A supplies power to the area electronic control device 11-C' as the main power supply. In addition, the power storage unit 12-B supplies power to the area electronic control device 11-D' as the main power supply. Thus, in this embodiment, the area electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' with different main power supplies are arranged in a staggered configuration, and a ring network is formed with the power overlapping data line 16.

[0099] As a result, the backbone network arranges the regional electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' with different main power supplies in sequence as regional electronic control device 11-C' → regional electronic control device 11-D' → regional electronic control device 11-C'…. In this network configuration, by unifying the transmission direction of the redundant power supply to the right or left, each of the regional electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' can receive the redundant power supply. That is to say, the regional electronic control device 11-C' sends the power fed from the power storage unit 12-A to the regional electronic control device 11-D' as the redundant power supply. In addition, the regional electronic control device 11-D' sends the power fed from the power storage unit 12-B to the regional electronic control device 11-C' as the redundant power supply.

[0100] Since this configuration is a ring network configuration, data can be transmitted through two paths, namely, to the right or to the left, thus becoming a vehicle-mounted network with high reliability that ensures data redundancy even if a power supply overlapping data line 16 fails somewhere.

[0101] In addition, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the power storage unit 12-A feeds power to the regional electronic control devices 11-C' in the front right and rear left, and the power storage unit 12-B feeds power to the regional electronic control devices 11-D' in the front left and rear right. However, even if the combinations of the power storage units 12-A and 12-B and the regional electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D' are different, the same function will be achieved.

[0102] In addition, the number of power lines laid out (total) in this embodiment is 4. In contrast, the number of power lines laid out in a conventional vehicle-mounted system using a redundant power supply is 4×2, that is, 8. Thus, the relationship of 2n>N≥n is also satisfied in this embodiment.

[0103] Embodiment 6

[0104] Next, Embodiment 6 will be described. Embodiment 6 aims to make the power fed or transmitted bidirectional. That is to say, the power supply and power transmission directions of the main power supply and the redundant power supply are made bidirectional. Generally speaking, in a vehicle-mounted network ( Figure 2 ), data communication is carried out bidirectionally through a single two-wire cable. Therefore, the feeding or transmission of power based on power overlap is unidirectional. However, in actual use, which of the main power supply and the redundant power supply fails depends on the situation, so it is not clear. Therefore, in the case of unidirectional power supply or power transmission, it is necessary to ensure redundancy for the entire system composed of multiple regional electronic control devices, which will become complicated. Therefore, a configuration is provided in which the power networks can help each other regardless of which one fails.

[0105] Figure 9Show the configurations of the electronic control devices 11-A” and 11-B” related to this embodiment. These configurations are related to the regional electronic control device part in Embodiment 5 shown in Figure 18 and there are differences in the following aspects to achieve bidirectional power supply. The electronic control devices 11-A” and 11-B” also respectively have drive control devices 23-A and 23-B. Other parts are the same as those of the electronic control devices 11-A' and 11-B'. The electronic control devices 11-A” and 11-B” have the same configuration. Furthermore, Figure 9 the descriptions of the CPUs 18-A and 18-B are also omitted in

[0106] Here, to achieve power redundancy, the main power supply and the redundant power supply must be fed from different power storage units 12. Therefore, between the electronic control device 11-A” with the power storage unit 12-A as the main power supply and the electronic control device 11-B” with the power storage unit 12-B as the main power supply, data and power are sent and received bidirectionally via the power overlap data line 16. Therefore, power transmission devices 17-A and 17-B and power receiving devices 18-A1, 18-A2, 18-B1, and 18-B2 are provided in each of the electronic control devices 11-A” and 11-B”. And data and power are coupled to the power overlap data line 16 via filtering devices 19-A and 19-B. In addition, regarding the transmission and reception of power, the drive control device 23-A is set in such a way that the power receiving device 18-A1 and the power receiving device 18-A2 operate exclusively. Furthermore, the drive control device 23-B is set in such a way that the power receiving device 18-B1 and the power receiving device 18-B2 operate exclusively. By adding this configuration, the electronic control device 11 can become the power transmission side or the power reception side, and thus redundant power can be transmitted bidirectionally between the electronic control device 11-A” and the electronic control device 11-B”.

[0107] Figure 10 Show the configuration of the in-vehicle backbone network system (front-back direction) using the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” of this embodiment. This configuration adopts a configuration similar to that of Figure 8 the ring-shaped in-vehicle backbone network system of Embodiment 5 shown in. That is, it is similar in that the vehicle is divided into four regions: front right, front left, rear right, and rear left, and the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” are arranged in each region.

[0108] Among them, in addition to the above differences, the main power supplies of the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” are also different from those of the regional electronic control devices 11-C' and 11-D'. That is to say, the regional electronic control device 11-C” arranged in the front is powered by the front power storage unit 12-A, and the regional electronic control device 11-D” arranged in the rear is powered by the rear power storage unit 12-B. At this time, by constructing a network with a ring structure in which at least the power overlapping data lines 16 are set between the front right and the rear right and between the front left and the rear left, redundant power can be obtained from a power source different from the main power source. Here, in this application example, redundant power is sent and received in both directions in the “front-rear direction”. That is to say, the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” are used to send and receive electricity.

[0109] In addition, by adopting this configuration, it is possible to reduce the number or length of the power lines 15-A and 15-B between the front and the rear with long cable lengths, thereby reducing the weight of the wire harness. The number of power lines laid out (total number) in this application example is 4. In contrast, the number of power lines laid out in the conventional in-vehicle system using redundant power is 4×2, that is, 8. Thus, the relationship of 2n>N≥n is also satisfied in this application example.

[0110] Next, as another application example of this embodiment, an in-vehicle backbone network system (left-right direction) that sends and receives redundant power in both directions in the “left-right direction” will be described. Figure 11 The configuration diagram of the in-vehicle backbone network system of this application is shown. Compared with the application example of Figure 10 , the arrangement positions of the power lines 15-A and 15-B are different. That is to say, the power storage unit 12-A is used as the main power source for the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” on the right side. In addition, the power storage unit 12-B is used as the main power source for the regional electronic control devices 11-C” and 11-D” on the left side. Thus, a network with a ring structure is constructed in which at least the power overlapping data lines 16 are set between the front right and the front left and between the rear right and the rear left. Under this configuration, an in-vehicle network that feeds redundant power from a power source different from the main power source and ensures power redundancy can be constructed. Here, in this application example, redundant power is sent and received in both directions in the “left-right direction”. That is to say, the regional electronic control devices 11-C” are used to send and receive redundant power from each other. Furthermore, the regional electronic control devices 11-D” are used to send and receive redundant power from each other.

[0111] Furthermore, the number of power lines (total) laid out in this application example is 4. In contrast, the number of power lines laid out in a conventional in-vehicle system using redundant power supplies is 4×2, i.e., 8. Thus, in this application example as well, the relationship 2n>N≥n is satisfied.

[0112] Thus, like Figure 10 , 11 shown in each application example, due to the ease of setting up the main power supply and redundant power supply lines, even if the network configuration is flexibly changed, the effect remains the same.

[0113] Finally, use Figure 12 to explain the switching method between the main power supply and the redundant power supply related to this embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, an operation of selecting either the main power supply or the redundant power supply is performed. Figure 12 Regarding Figure 9 the configuration diagram of the electronic control unit, information on the power supply monitoring function for switching is added. Usually, that is, when the main power supply can be ensured, each electronic control unit 11-A”, 11-B” is driven by the main power supply (power storage units 12-A, 12-B), and data frames conforming to a certain communication standard are transmitted and received between the electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B”. These data are divided into multiple frames for communication. Therefore, power supply information such as the voltage value of the main power supply of each electronic control unit 11-A”, 11-B” is monitored and inserted between the data frames. Thus, the electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” that receive the power supply information can grasp the power reception status of the main power supply of the source. That is, in this example, the electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” can mutually grasp the status of the main power supply of the connection target. For this purpose, the CPUs 30-A, 30-B of the electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” perform the above monitoring and insert the power supply information. In addition, a separately provided power supply monitoring function device can be used instead of the CPUs 30-A, 30-B.

[0114] When the electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” send power supply information indicating that the voltage of the main power supply is lower than the threshold, these electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” activate the power receiving devices 18-A1, 18-B1 and become the power receiving side of the redundant power supply. In addition, when receiving power supply information lower than the threshold, these electronic control units 11-A”, 11-B” activate the power delivery devices 17-A, 17-B and become the power sending side of the redundant power supply. Furthermore, as the power supply information lower than the threshold, it includes the case where power reception has stopped.

[0115] The electronic control units 11-A” and 11-B” on the power receiving side change the power supply from the main power source to the redundant power source. At this time, the electronic control units 11-A” and 11-B” must be able to survive the time before the redundant power source is delivered. Preferably, a power storage unit such as a capacitor is installed in the electronic control units 11-A” and 11-B”.

[0116] In this embodiment, as a switching method, an example of periodic transmission and reception of power supply information using the CPUs 30-A and 30-B or the power supply monitoring function device has been described. However, any configuration that can share power supply information by different methods is acceptable, and it is not limited to the above method. In addition, the above switching can be performed using other conditions, and the selection between the main power source and the redundant power source can be executed under any conditions.

[0117] In each of the above embodiments, an in-vehicle network system has been described as an example, but it can also be applied to other than vehicles. For example, it can also be applied to other transportation means such as aircraft, ships, and trains. In addition, it can also be applied to factories (workshops, power plants, etc.).

[0118] Furthermore, in addition to being applied to the regional architecture configuration, each embodiment can also be applied to the domain architecture configuration. Therefore, even if there are mixtures of regional architecture configurations and domain architecture configurations in vehicles or the like, it can be applied to each configuration.

[0119] Reference Signs

[0120] 10… Actuator

[0121] 11-A, 11-B… Electronic control unit

[0122] 12-A, 12-B… Power storage unit

[0123] 13… Sensor

[0124] 14… Data line

[0125] 15-A, 15-B… Power line

[0126] 16… Power overlap data line

[0127] 17-A, 17-B… Power delivery device

[0128] 18-A1, 18-A2, 18-B1, 18-B2… Power receiving device

[0129] 19… Filtering device

[0130] 20-A, 20-B… Data transmission and reception device

[0131] 21 - A1, 21 - A2, 21 - B1, 21 - B2... Power selection switch

[0132] 22... Integrated electronic control device

[0133] 23 - A, 23 - B... Drive control device

[0134] 25... Low - pass filter

[0135] 26... High - pass filter

[0136] 27... Power switch

[0137] 28... Sensor data line

Claims

1. An in-vehicle network system having a plurality of electronic control units that output control signals to controlled objects, wherein the in-vehicle network system comprises: A plurality of power supply units that supply power to any one of the plurality of electronic control units; and A first electronic control unit included in the plurality of electronic control units, having a first power connection part and a first data line connection part, wherein the first power connection part is connected to a first power supply unit included in the plurality of power supply units via a first power line and receives power from the first power supply unit, and the first data line connection part is connected to a second electronic control unit included in the plurality of electronic control units via a first data line for transmitting and receiving data. The second electronic control unit has a second power connection part and a second data line connection part. The second power connection part is connected to a second power supply unit included in the plurality of power supply units via a second power line and receives power from the second power supply unit. The second data line connection part superimposes the power fed from the second power supply unit on the data and transmits it to the first electronic control unit via the first data line. The second power connection part is connected to the first power supply unit via the first power line and receives power from the first power supply unit. The second data line connection part is connected to a third electronic control unit included in the plurality of electronic control units via a second data line for transmitting and receiving data. The second data line connection part superimposes the power fed from the first power supply unit on the data and transmits it to the third electronic control unit via the second data line.

2. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 1, wherein Furthermore, a third electronic control device is provided, which is included in the plurality of electronic control devices and is connected to a third power supply device via a third power supply line. The second data line connection part is connected to the third electronic control device via a second data line for transmitting and receiving data. Electric power transmitted while overlapping the data is received from the third electronic control device via the second data line.

3. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 1, wherein The first data line connection part overlaps the electric power fed from the first power supply device on the data and transmits it to the second electronic control device via the first data line.

4. The in-vehicle network system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The first electronic control device further has a power supply selection switch that selects either the electric power from the first power supply device or the electric power transmitted from the second electronic control device.

5. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 4, wherein When the reception of the electric power from the first power supply device has stopped, the power supply selection switch selects the electric power from the second electronic control device.

6. An electronic control device that outputs a control signal to a controlled object, characterized in that it comprises: A power connection part that is connected to a first power supply device included in a plurality of power supply devices via a power line; and A data line connection part that is connected to a second electronic control device that receives power from a second power supply device via a data line for transmitting and receiving data, The data line connection part superimposes the power fed from the first power supply device on the data and transmits it to the second electronic control device, The power connection part is connected to the second power supply device via a second power line and receives power from the second power supply device, The data line connection part is connected to a third electronic control device via a second data line for transmitting and receiving data, Superimposes the power received from the second power supply device on the data and transmits it to the third electronic control device via the second data line.

7. The electronic control device according to claim 6, characterized in that Furthermore, a second data line connection part is provided, which is connected to the third electronic control device via a second data line for transmitting and receiving data, and receives the electric power transmitted while overlapping the data from the third electronic control device via the second data line.

8. An electronic control device that outputs a control signal to a controlled object, characterized in that it comprises: A power connection part that is connected to a first power supply device included in a plurality of power supply devices via a power line; and A data line connection part that is connected to a second electronic control device via a data line for transmitting and receiving data, The data line connection part receives, via the data line, power from a second power supply device connected to the second electronic control device, with the data superimposed thereon, from the second electronic control device, The data line connection part is connected to a third electronic control device via a second data line, Superimposes the power fed from the first power supply device on the data and transmits it to the third electronic control device via the second data line.

9. The electronic control device according to claim 8, characterized in that The data line connection part overlaps the electric power fed from the first power supply device on the data and transmits it to the second electronic control device via the data line.

10. The electronic control device according to claim 8, characterized in that Furthermore, it has a power supply selection switch that selects the electric power fed from the first power supply device via the power supply line and the electric power transmitted from the second electronic control device.

11. The electronic control device according to claim 10, characterized in that When the reception of the electric power from the first power supply device has stopped, the power supply selection switch selects the electric power from the second electronic control device.

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