Device system

Abstract

Provided is a device system capable of efficiently using a device system having a plurality of drive sources, and improving convenience. The device system includes: a plurality of drive sources each having a drive source control device; and an integrated control device (10) that controls the drive source control device of each of the plurality of drive sources, the integrated control device (10) performing, for the plurality of drive sources, a mutual supplemental operation and an update of a control program of each of the drive source control devices of the plurality of drive sources, in accordance with an operation state of the plurality of drive sources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device system. Background Technology

[0002] When upgrading the control program of a control device that controls the device, it is generally necessary to stop the device.

[0003] Previously, the following technology has been disclosed: multiple storage areas are prepared for the information processing device to store the same control program, and replacement processing is performed when the system is upgraded (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-156638 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in device systems with multiple drive sources and control devices that control these multiple drive sources, upgrading the control program for each drive source requires restarting each drive source itself, resulting in a temporary shutdown of the entire device system. In mobile devices like automobiles and infrastructure systems like power generation systems, even a temporary shutdown of the entire device system poses significant problems in terms of efficiency and convenience.

[0008] The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to utilize the device system efficiently and improve convenience.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] The device system includes: multiple drive sources, each of which has a drive source control device; and an integrated control device that controls the respective drive source control devices of the multiple drive sources. The integrated control device performs complementary actions for the multiple drive sources and updates the control programs of the respective drive source control devices of the multiple drive sources according to the operating status of the multiple drive sources.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] It enables efficient use of device systems with multiple drive sources, improving convenience. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the device system.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the integrated control device.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the integrated control device.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a flowchart for handling update actions of the control program and supplementary actions of the driver source.

[0017] Label Explanation

[0018] 10: Integrated control device; 80: Judgment Department. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] [Implementation Method]

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the device system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] The device system 1 has multiple drive sources, specifically a first drive source 16 and a second drive source 18. Additionally, the device system 1 has a comprehensive control device 10 that controls the multiple drive sources individually.

[0023] The device system 1 is, for example, a vehicle V. Here, the first drive source 16 is an internal combustion engine, and the second drive source 18 is an electric motor.

[0024] The internal combustion engine (first drive source) 16 includes a first drive source control device 12, a power unit 22, and a fuel tank 20. The power unit 22 is, for example, an engine. The electric motor (second drive source) 18 includes a second drive source control device 14, a battery 26, and a motor 24. The first drive source control device 12 has a fuel information acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires fuel balance information, indicating the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank 20. The second drive source control device 14 has a battery information acquisition unit (not shown) that acquires charging information of the battery 26.

[0025] The integrated control device 10 obtains information such as fuel remaining quantity, battery 26 charging information, and rotational speed of each drive source from the first drive source control device 12 and the second drive source control device 14. In other words, the integrated control device 10 obtains the operating status of each of the multiple drive sources from each drive source control device.

[0026] The integrated control device 10 is an information processing device that controls the first drive source 16 and the second drive source 18. Specifically, the integrated control device 10 controls the first drive source control device 12 that controls the first drive source 16 and the second drive source control device 14 that controls the second drive source 18.

[0027] The integrated control device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory), which perform various controls. The CPU is the central processing unit that executes various programs to achieve various functions. RAM serves as the CPU's working area and storage area, while ROM stores the operating system and programs executed by the CPU.

[0028] The first drive source control device 12 and the second drive source control device 14 have CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and perform various controls.

[0029] The control programs used in the first drive source control device 12 and the second drive source control device 14 can be upgraded online. Specifically, the updated control program can be wirelessly transmitted from the server 5 to the integrated control device 10 of the vehicle V via network N and base station B.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the integrated control device 10. The integrated control device 10 includes: a control unit 30, which performs overall control of the device; a storage unit 40, which stores data; an input / output unit 50, which performs information input / output; and a transceiver unit 55, which includes interface circuitry for data transmission and reception between the CPU and other devices, and these are connected via a bus 60.

[0031] The integrated control device 10 is connected to the first drive source 16 and the second drive source 18, for example, via CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0032] The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32, RAM 34, and ROM 36. The storage unit 40 includes a control program storage area 42 that stores the control program of the integrated control device 10, and an update program storage area 44 that stores update programs for the control programs of the first drive source control device 12 and the second drive source control device 14. Additionally, it includes an urgency storage area 46 that stores urgency information for each update program. The storage unit 40 may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Device).

[0033] Figure 3This is a functional block diagram of the control unit 30 in the integrated control device 10. The CPU 32 implements the function of the drive source control unit 70 by executing the control program stored in the control program storage area 42 of the storage unit 40.

[0034] Furthermore, the CPU 32 executes programs stored in the storage unit 40, for example, to implement the function of the arithmetic unit 75. This arithmetic unit 75, for example, obtains information about the remaining fuel level in the fuel tank 20 and performs calculations, such as determining the driving distance and the duration of independent operation. The CPU 32 also executes programs stored in the storage unit 40, for example, to implement the function of the determination unit 80, which determines whether a state is possible where the first drive source 16 and the second drive source 18 can complement each other. Additionally, the CPU 32 executes programs stored in the storage unit 40 to implement the function of the urgency determination unit 85, which determines the required level of urgency for updating the update programs of each control program.

[0035] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of the update actions of the control program in the integrated control device 10 and the supplementary actions of the drive source.

[0036] The integrated control unit 10 communicates with the server 5 to confirm whether there is a control program update (step SA1). The urgency determination unit 85 determines the urgency of the update program (step SA2). At this time, the urgency information stored in the urgency storage area 46 can be referenced. For example, the required output of the entire device system 1, the output of the first drive source 16, and the output of the second drive source 18 can be used as the determination material. If the urgency determination unit 85 determines that an urgent update is required (step SA2: Yes), the drive source that is the target of the control program update is determined (step SA3). Then, the determination unit 80 determines whether the drive source that is the target of the update is in a state where the control program can be updated (step SA4). If the drive source that is the target of the update is in a state where it can be updated (step SA4: Yes), the integrated control unit 10 obtains the update program from the server 5 and stores it in the update program storage area 44 (step SA5). Next, the determination unit 80 determines whether a supplementary operation can be performed by a drive source that is not the target of the update (step SA6).

[0037] Here, supplementary action refers to the action of increasing the output of other drive sources to achieve the output required by the device system 1 as a whole, in order to achieve the desired output.

[0038] Specifically, for example, when one drive source to be updated is the first drive source 16 and the other drive source is the second drive source 18, the determination unit 80 determines whether the second drive source 18 can output the required output for a predetermined period even if the first drive source 16 is stopped. That is, the determination unit 80 determines whether the battery 26 is charged and stores enough energy for the second drive source 18 to output the required output during the period from when the first drive source 16 is stopped until the drive is restarted. Conversely, when one drive source to be updated is the second drive source 18 and the other drive source is the first drive source 16, the determination unit 80 determines whether the first drive source 16 can output the required output for a predetermined period even if the second drive source 18 is stopped. That is, the determination unit 80 determines whether the fuel tank 20 contains enough fuel for the first drive source 16 to output the required output during the period from when the second drive source 18 is stopped until the drive is restarted. In other words, the integrated control device 10 performs complementary actions for the multiple drive sources and updates the control programs of the drive source control devices for each of the multiple drive sources based on the operating status of the multiple drive sources.

[0039] The urgency determination unit 85 determines which drive source should stop updating the control program first, based on the urgency of the update program obtained from the server 5, which is an external device, and the information stored in the urgency storage area 46.

[0040] If the determination unit 80 determines that a supplementary operation can be performed by a drive source that is not the target of the update (step SA6: Yes), the integrated control unit 10 instructs the control devices of each drive source to perform the supplementary operation (step SA7). That is, for example, if the target of the update is the first drive source 16, the integrated control unit 10 instructs the second drive source 18 to increase its output. Then, the integrated control unit 10 instructs the control device of the drive source that is the target of the update to stop the target drive source (step SA8). Through this operation, the integrated control unit 10 can stop the drive source that is the target of the update program without reducing the overall output of the device system 1, and update the control program of the control device for that drive source. The integrated control unit 10 updates the control program of the drive source that is the target of the update (step SA9). After that, the integrated control unit 10 restarts the target drive source, returns the output of the drive source that is not the target of the update to the normal state, and ends the supplementary operation (step SA10). Then, it returns to step SA1.

[0041] If the urgency determination unit 85 determines that the control program is not in a state requiring an urgent update, it returns to step SA1. If the determination unit 80 determines that the drive source for the control program to be updated is not capable of updating the update program (step SA4: No), it returns to step SA3. Furthermore, if the determination unit 80 determines that a supplementary action cannot be performed using a drive source that is not the target of the update (step SA6: No), it returns to step SA1. At this time, the existence of the update program, the inability to perform a supplementary action, and the reason can be output to the output unit of the input / output unit 50.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the method of storing the update program in the integrated control device 10 and executing the update by the control device of each drive source has been described, but the device for storing the update program may be either the integrated control device 10 or the control device of each drive source.

[0043] (Structure supported by the above embodiments)

[0044] The above implementation supports the following structures.

[0045] (Structure 1) A device system, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of drive sources, each having a drive source control device; and an integrated control device that controls the respective drive source control devices of the plurality of drive sources, wherein the integrated control device performs complementary actions for the plurality of drive sources and updates the control programs of the respective drive source control devices of the plurality of drive sources according to the operating status of the plurality of drive sources.

[0046] Most drive source control programs require the drive source itself to be stopped before they can be updated. However, it is sometimes undesirable to stop the entire system every time the control program is updated. Based on this structure, in systems with multiple drive sources, if supplementary actions such as stopping one drive source while increasing the output of the others can be performed, the entire system can achieve the excellent effect of being able to update the control program of that single drive source while continuing to operate.

[0047] (Structure 2) The device system according to Structure 1 is characterized in that the update is performed according to the update urgency of the update program obtained by the integrated control device from the external device.

[0048] Regarding the situations requiring control program updates, there exists a mixture of situations with high urgency and situations with low urgency. Based on this structure, control program updates can be performed only when the urgency is high.

[0049] (Structure 3) The device system according to Structure 1 or Structure 2 is characterized in that the integrated control device has a determination unit that determines whether one of the plurality of drive sources can be stopped. When the determination unit determines that the drive source can be stopped, the integrated control device stops the drive source and updates the control program controlling the drive source.

[0050] Even in a device system with multiple drive sources, there may be situations where stopping one of the drive sources would prevent the overall system from meeting its required output, or where stopping one drive source could lead to the depletion of fuel or other fuels in the other drive sources, causing the entire system to stop. Based on this structure, it is possible to determine whether one of the drive sources can be stopped. Therefore, even when the required output is met, one drive source can be stopped to update the control program.

[0051] (Structure 4) According to the device system described in Structure 3, the integrated control device updates the control program for the one drive source and then controls the one drive source to start operating. The determination unit determines whether the other drive sources among the plurality of drive sources can be stopped. When the determination unit determines that the other drive sources can be stopped, the integrated control device stops the other drive sources and updates the control program for controlling the other drive sources.

[0052] Based on this structure, the control program can be updated separately for each of the multiple drive sources in the device system while meeting the required output.

[0053] Furthermore, the above embodiments represent one way of applying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0054] For example, in one embodiment, the device system 1 is exemplified by a vehicle V having multiple drive sources such as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, but the device system 1 could also be a power generation system.

Claims

1. A device system, characterized in that, have: Multiple drive sources, each with its own drive source control device; and The integrated control device (10) controls the respective drive source control devices of the plurality of drive sources. The integrated control device (10) performs complementary actions for the multiple drive sources based on their operating status, and updates the control programs of the respective drive source control devices for each of the multiple drive sources. The integrated control device (10) has a determination unit (80). The determination unit (80) identifies one of the plurality of drive sources that becomes the update target of the control program, and determines whether supplementary actions can be performed through other drive sources that are not the update target. The supplementary action is the action of increasing the output of the other drive sources from a predetermined normal state when one drive source is stopped. The determination unit (80) determines whether, even if one of the plurality of drive sources is stopped, the required output of the entire device system can still be output through the other drive sources that perform supplementary actions. When the determination unit (80) determines that the required output can be output through the other drive sources performing supplementary actions even if the one drive source is stopped, the integrated control device (10) stops the one drive source and updates the control program controlling the one drive source. Then, the integrated control device restarts the operation of one of the drive sources, causing the outputs of the other drive sources to return to the prescribed normal state, thus ending the supplementary operation.

2. The device system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The update is performed based on the update urgency of the update program obtained by the integrated control device (10) from the external device.

3. The device system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After updating the control program for one of the drive sources, the integrated control device (10) controls the start-up of that drive source. The determination unit (80) determines whether the required output can be output through the one drive source even if the other drive sources are stopped. When the determination unit (80) determines that the required output can be output through the one drive source even if the other drive sources are stopped, the integrated control device (10) stops the other drive sources and updates the control program that controls the other drive sources.

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