An in-vehicle Ethernet switch, an Ethernet network, and a control method

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the fields of automotive electronic architecture and in-vehicle communication, and provides an in-vehicle Ethernet switch, an Ethernet network, and a control method. The in-vehicle Ethernet switch includes: a plurality of first-type ports for connecting to an Ethernet controller; the first-type ports are used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the in-vehicle Ethernet switch parses the destination MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address based on the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; the port number includes all the numbers of the first-type ports. The present invention enables each pair of in-vehicle Ethernet controllers that communicate with each other to transmit data without conflict.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the fields of automotive electronic architecture and in-vehicle communication, and particularly relates to an in-vehicle Ethernet switch, an Ethernet network, and a control method. Background Art

[0002] The statements in this section merely provide background technical information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] With the rapid development of automotive intelligence and networking, more and more automotive electronic controls are being applied, such as intelligent cockpits, autonomous driving, etc. The software flashing operations of controllers are increasing, with more frequently used and updated functions and customer requirements. The huge amount of flashing data poses more stringent requirements for flashing time. Today's cars are equipped with multiple advanced autonomous driving assistance functions, and the autonomous driving level has reached L2 or higher. Future fully autonomous cars will be equipped with more sensors. To handle the exponentially increasing number of sensors for fusion and V2X usage, these technologies will generate, send, receive, store, and process massive amounts of data. The higher the level of the autonomous driving system, the greater the number of independent sensors and the larger the total amount of data generated. This data needs to be transmitted, stored, and shared on a high-speed, reliable network with extremely low latency, which is precisely the strength of the high-throughput, low-latency network based on in-vehicle Ethernet. The CAN bus has been the backbone of in-vehicle networks for over thirty years. However, even the faster CAN_FD protocol has a maximum transmission rate of only 5Mbps, which is clearly insufficient. Therefore, in-vehicle Ethernet is introduced into the vehicle communication network topology. Currently, in-vehicle Ethernet can achieve communications of 100Mbps and 1000Mbps, and can reach 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, and 10Gbps in the future.

[0004] Ethernet is a local area network that uses a shared bus-type transmission medium. An Ethernet switch is a switch that transmits data based on Ethernet. Each of its ports is directly connected to an in-vehicle Ethernet controller, and it can simultaneously connect many pairs of ports. However, how to enable each pair of mutually communicating in-vehicle Ethernet controllers to transmit data without conflict, just like monopolizing the communication medium, has always been an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes an in-vehicle Ethernet switch, an Ethernet network, and a control method, which can ensure that each pair of mutually communicating in-vehicle Ethernet controllers can transmit data without conflict.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an in-vehicle Ethernet switch.

[0008] A vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch, comprising:

[0009] A plurality of first-type ports for connecting to an Ethernet controller;

[0010] The first-type port is used to receive an Ethernet packet, so that the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch analyzes the target MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address according to the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; the port number includes all the numbers of the first-type ports.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an Ethernet network.

[0012] An Ethernet network includes the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch described in the first aspect.

[0013] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling a vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch.

[0014] A method for controlling a vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch includes:

[0015] The vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch is connected to the Ethernet controller through a plurality of first-type ports;

[0016] The vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch is connected to an external device through a second-type port;

[0017] The Ethernet controller sends an Ethernet packet to the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch through the first-type port;

[0018] The vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch analyzes the target MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address according to the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; the port number includes all the numbers of the first-type ports;

[0019] The external device sends an Ethernet packet to the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch through the second-type port; after adding a VLAN tag to the Ethernet packet, the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch sends it to the first-type port;

[0020] and / or,

[0021] The Ethernet controller sends an Ethernet packet to the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch through the first-type port; after stripping the VLAN tag in the Ethernet packet, the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch sends it to the second-type port.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] The present invention ensures that every pair of in-vehicle Ethernet controllers communicating with each other can transmit data without conflict by improving the switching mechanism of the vehicle switch itself, including the forwarding table design, VLAN mechanism, input filtering mechanism, and output port mechanism, and by improving the routing mechanism of the vehicle switch, including the message routing (non-service-oriented) mechanism and the signal routing (service-oriented) mechanism, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency and accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments and descriptions thereof of the present invention are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1 is a network architecture diagram of an in-vehicle Ethernet switch shown in the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a frame structure diagram of encapsulating CAN / LIN messages into Ethernet messages shown in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0027] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0028] It should be noted that the following detailed description is exemplary and is intended to provide further explanation of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

[0029] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms are also intended to include the plural forms. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] In the present invention, terms such as "connected" and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense, which may mean a fixed connection, an integral connection, or a detachable connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the relevant scientific research or technology in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be determined according to specific circumstances, and should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0031] Embodiment 1

[0032] This embodiment provides an in-vehicle Ethernet switch.

[0033] A vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch, comprising:

[0034] A plurality of first-type ports for connecting to an Ethernet controller;

[0035] The first-type ports are used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch parses the destination MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address based on the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; the port number includes all the numbers of the first-type ports.

[0036] As one or more embodiments, the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch further includes:

[0037] Second-type ports for connecting to external devices;

[0038] The second-type ports are used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch adds a VLAN tag to the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the first-type ports.

[0039] As one or more embodiments, the first-type ports are further used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch strips the VLAN tag in the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the second-type ports.

[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the switch is connected to three T1 ports, namely port 1, port 2 and port 3, for connecting to three in-vehicle Ethernet controllers to realize communication between the in-vehicle Ethernet controllers. The switch is connected to a TX port for connecting to an external diagnostic instrument or a production-offline device to realize communication between the in-vehicle Ethernet controller and the external diagnostic instrument or the production-offline device, which is commonly used for after-sales diagnostic services. The switch is usually integrated in the vehicle gateway controller.

[0041] This embodiment includes the switch mechanism of the vehicle switch itself and the routing mechanism of the vehicle switch.

[0042] Among them, the switch mechanism of the vehicle switch itself includes forwarding table design, VLAN mechanism, input filtering mechanism and output port mechanism.

[0043] Specifically, the forwarding table design is: for example, the vehicle reference appendix Figure 1Design. In automotive Ethernet design, the port numbers and their MAC addresses corresponding to the controllers connected to the switch are obtained through static configuration of the vehicle software, thereby generating Table 1, the automotive Ethernet switch forwarding table. After "receiving" an Ethernet packet from a certain T1 port, the switch parses the destination MAC address from the Ethernet packet, then "looks up" the port number corresponding to the destination MAC address by querying the forwarding table, and then forwards the data to the link with this port number, thus realizing the complete Ethernet link transceiver communication.

[0044] Table 1 Automotive Ethernet Switch Forwarding Table (Example)

[0045] Port MAC Address 1 A1-B1-C1-D1-E1-F1 2 A2-B2-C2-D2-E2-F2 3 A3-B3-C3-D3-E3-F3

[0046] Specifically, the VLAN mechanism is as follows: The TX port of the automotive switch is connected to an external diagnostic instrument or an external off-line device. Considering safety factors, it is designed in Access mode, that is, the switch only sends Ethernet packets without VLAN tags on this port. When the switch receives a diagnostic request packet coming from the TX port, it needs to add a VLAN tag and then forward it to the T1 port; when the switch receives a diagnostic response packet coming from the T1 port, it needs to strip the VLAN tag and then forward it to the TX port. Among them, the external devices include external diagnostic instruments and off-line devices.

[0047] The T1 port of the automotive switch is in Trunk mode, that is, it allows multiple VLANs to pass through and can receive and send packets of multiple VLANs. When the switch receives an Ethernet packet coming from a certain T1 port, it keeps the VLAN tag unchanged and forwards it to the destination T1 port.

[0048] Specifically, the input filtering mechanism is as follows: When the in-vehicle Ethernet switch uses the first type of port and / or the second type of port as input ports, the automotive switch is required to support unicast MAC address transmission, multicast MAC address transmission, and broadcast MAC address transmission, and at the same time support ARP packet transmission.

[0049] Specifically, the output port mechanism is as follows: When the in-vehicle Ethernet switch uses the first type of port and / or the second type of port as output ports, the automotive switch supports two mechanisms based on FIFO (First In First Out) and PCP (priority). If there is audio and video data with a large amount of data and low latency requirements, in order to ensure low latency and functional experience, it is necessary to support the implementation of advanced priority mechanisms such as FQTSS (Forwarding and Queuing of Time Sensitive Streams) or TAS (Time Awareness Shaper). The appropriate traffic shaping mechanism can be selected through Ethernet simulation software.

[0050] The routing mechanism of the in-vehicle Ethernet switch includes message routing (without service-oriented requirements) and signal routing (with service-oriented requirements).

[0051] Specifically, the message routing is as follows: In the case of not implementing service orientation, the Ethernet controller needs to receive CAN / LIN messages, the CAN / LIN controller sends out CAN / LIN messages, and the switch treats the CAN / LIN messages as payloads according to the following Figure 2 method, adds an Ethernet header (MAC Header, IP Header, UDP Header) in front of the payload, and adds FCS (Frame checksum) behind the payload, so as to convert the CAN protocol message into an Ethernet protocol message, and then the switch sends it to the Ethernet T1 link, and the Ethernet controller receives and uses it.

[0052] Specifically, the signal routing is as follows:

[0053] It is used to convert CAN / LIN protocol messages into Ethernet SOME / IP protocol messages, and is also often used for CAN / LIN

[0054] signal service orientation to achieve vehicle-wide service orientation. After receiving the CAN / LIN message, the switch needs to parse and convert it into the Service, communication interface, and specific basic data types in the SOME / IP protocol, and design according to the parameters of the SOME / IP protocol, that is, make the CAN / LIN signal into a service, and achieve the purpose of vehicle-wide service orientation.

[0055] As one or more embodiments, the in-vehicle Ethernet switch supports message routing and signal routing.

[0056] Embodiment 2

[0057] This embodiment provides an Ethernet network.

[0058] An Ethernet network includes the in-vehicle Ethernet switch described in Embodiment 1.

[0059] Embodiment 3

[0060] This embodiment provides a method for controlling an in-vehicle Ethernet switch.

[0061] A method for controlling an in-vehicle Ethernet switch includes:

[0062] The in-vehicle Ethernet switch is connected to the Ethernet controller through multiple first-type ports;

[0063] The in-vehicle Ethernet switch is connected to external devices through second-type ports;

[0064] The Ethernet controller sends Ethernet packets to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through a first type of port;

[0065] The in-vehicle Ethernet switch parses the destination MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first type of port corresponding to the MAC address based on the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; the port number includes all the numbers of the first type of port;

[0066] An external device sends Ethernet packets to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through a second type of port; after adding a VLAN tag to the Ethernet packet, the in-vehicle Ethernet switch sends it to the first type of port;

[0067] As one or more embodiments, the Ethernet controller sends Ethernet packets to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through a first type of port; after stripping the VLAN tag in the Ethernet packet, the in-vehicle Ethernet switch sends it to the second type of port.

[0068] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch, characterized in that, Comprising: A plurality of first-type ports for connecting to an Ethernet controller; The first-type ports are used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the in-vehicle Ethernet switch parses the destination MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address based on the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; The in-vehicle Ethernet switch further comprises: Second-type ports for connecting to external devices; The second-type ports are used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the in-vehicle Ethernet switch adds a VLAN tag to the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the first-type port; The first-type ports are also used to receive Ethernet packets, so that the in-vehicle Ethernet switch strips the VLAN tag in the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the second-type port.

2. The in-vehicle Ethernet switch according to claim 1, characterized in that The external devices include an external diagnostic instrument and a line-off device.

3. The in-vehicle Ethernet switch according to claim 1, characterized in that When the first-type port and / or the second-type port of the in-vehicle Ethernet switch is used as an input port, it supports unicast MAC address transmission, multicast MAC address transmission, broadcast MAC address transmission, and ARP packet transmission.

4. The in-vehicle Ethernet switch according to claim 1, wherein When the first-type port and / or the second-type port of the in-vehicle Ethernet switch is used as an output port, it supports the FIFO mechanism, the PCP protocol, and the FQTSS protocol.

5. The in - vehicle Ethernet switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The in-vehicle Ethernet switch supports packet routing and signal routing.

6. The in - vehicle Ethernet switch according to claim 5, characterized in that, The specific packet routing is: converting a CAN protocol packet into an Ethernet protocol packet; Or, The specific signal routing is: converting a CAN / LIN protocol packet into an Ethernet SOME / IP protocol packet.

7. An Ethernet network, characterized in that, Comprising the in-vehicle Ethernet switch according to any one of claims 1-6.

8. A vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch control method, which uses the vehicle-mounted Ethernet switch as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Comprising: The in-vehicle Ethernet switch is connected to the Ethernet controller through a plurality of first-type ports; The in-vehicle Ethernet switch is connected to the external device through a second-type port; The Ethernet controller sends an Ethernet packet to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through the first-type port; The in-vehicle Ethernet switch parses the destination MAC address in the Ethernet packet according to the Ethernet packet, determines the port number of the first-type port corresponding to the MAC address based on the forwarding table, and forwards the Ethernet packet to the port number; The external device sends an Ethernet packet to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through the second-type port; The in-vehicle Ethernet switch adds a VLAN tag to the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the first-type port; And / or, The Ethernet controller sends an Ethernet packet to the in-vehicle Ethernet switch through the first-type port; The in-vehicle Ethernet switch strips the VLAN tag in the Ethernet packet and then sends it to the second-type port.

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