Electric vehicle instrument and implementation method thereof, and electric vehicle

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of electric vehicle technology and discloses an electric vehicle instrument panel and its implementation method, as well as an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle instrument panel provided by this invention includes a SOC chip, a Bluetooth module, and a display unit. The SOC chip and the Bluetooth module are bidirectionally connected, and the input terminal of the display unit is connected to the output terminal of the SOC chip. This invention, under the condition of limited SOC chip port resources, can migrate some instrument signals to the Bluetooth module for acquisition and processing, thus solving the problems of complex architecture and high cost in existing electric vehicle instrument panels. The architecture of this invention is more streamlined and the cost is lower.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electric vehicle technology, and more specifically, relates to an electric vehicle instrument panel and its implementation method, and an electric vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Existing electric vehicle LCD (Thin Film Transistor) instrument panels typically employ a hardware architecture based on a microcontroller (MCU), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), and other functional modules. The MCU acquires instrument signals, the SoC connects to a Bluetooth module, the SoC processes the data acquired by the MCU, and finally, the data is displayed on the TFT screen. However, this instrument architecture is relatively complex and costly. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention addresses the problems of complex architecture and high cost of electric vehicle instrument panels in the prior art by providing an electric vehicle instrument panel and its implementation method, as well as an electric vehicle.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an electric vehicle instrument panel, comprising: a SOC chip, a Bluetooth module, and a display unit; the SOC chip and the Bluetooth module are bidirectionally connected, and the input terminal of the display unit is connected to the output terminal of the SOC chip;

[0005] The SOC chip is used to acquire and process all instrument signals under a first condition to obtain first acquisition and processing information, and to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information. The first condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip can process all instrument signals. The SOC chip is used to acquire and process a first portion of the instrument signals under a second condition to obtain first acquisition and processing information, to receive second acquisition and processing information from the Bluetooth module, and to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information and the second acquisition and processing information. The second condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip are insufficient to process all instrument signals.

[0006] The Bluetooth module is used to collect and process the instrument signal of the second part under the second condition to obtain the second collection and processing information, and to transmit the second collection and processing information to the SOC chip;

[0007] The display unit is used to receive display control information from the SOC chip and display electric vehicle information according to the display control information.

[0008] Preferably, the electric vehicle instrument panel further includes: an instrument interface unit; the instrument interface unit is used to convert vehicle body signals into instrument signals, the instrument signals including a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals and a third number of PWM signals.

[0009] Preferably, the Bluetooth module is also used for interconnection with a mobile device.

[0010] Preferably, the Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires mobile terminal data at a first time interval and refreshes and acquires vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile terminal data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip.

[0011] Preferably, the electric vehicle instrument panel further includes: other functional modules; the other functional modules have GPIO or AD or PWM port resources; the other functional modules are used to collect and process the instrument signal of the third part under the second condition to obtain the third collection and processing information, and transmit the third collection and processing information to the SOC chip; the SOC chip is used to obtain display control information based on the first collection and processing information, the second collection and processing information and the third collection and processing information under the second condition.

[0012] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel, which uses an SOC chip as the main processor and a Bluetooth module as an auxiliary processor.

[0013] When the port resources of the SOC chip are capable of processing all instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process all instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information.

[0014] When the port resources of the SOC chip are insufficient to process all the instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process the first part of the instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the Bluetooth module is used to collect and process the second part of the instrument signals to obtain second collection and processing information and transmit it to the SOC chip. The SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information and the second collection and processing information.

[0015] The SOC chip transmits the display control information to the display unit, and the display unit displays electric vehicle information according to the display control information.

[0016] Preferably, the vehicle body signals are converted into instrument signals using an instrument interface unit, the instrument signals including a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals, and a third number of PWM signals.

[0017] Preferably, the interconnection with the mobile terminal is achieved through the Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires the mobile terminal data at a first time interval and refreshes and acquires the vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile terminal data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip.

[0018] Preferably, one or more other functional modules with port resources are also used as auxiliary processors. These other functional modules are used to collect and process some of the instrument signals, and the collected and processed information is transmitted to the SOC chip. The SOC obtains display control information based on the first collected and processed information and the collected and processed information transmitted from all the auxiliary processors.

[0019] Thirdly, the present invention provides an electric vehicle, including the aforementioned electric vehicle instrument panel.

[0020] One or more technical solutions provided in this invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0021] This invention uses a System-on-a-Chip (SOC) chip as the main processor and a Bluetooth module as an auxiliary processor. When the SOC chip's port resources are sufficient to handle all instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to acquire and process all instrument signals to obtain display control information. When the SOC chip's port resources are insufficient to handle all instrument signals, both the SOC chip and the Bluetooth chip are used to acquire and process a portion of the instrument signals to obtain display control information. Finally, the display unit displays electric vehicle information based on the display control information. In other words, this invention extends the existing Bluetooth module in the instrument cluster. Given the limited overall resources of the SOC, some instrument signals are migrated to the Bluetooth module for acquisition and processing, increasing the number of signals that the instrument cluster can acquire and process to exceed the number of port resources available to the main processor SOC. Therefore, this invention eliminates the need for an MCU as a signal acquisition device, resulting in a more streamlined system architecture and lower instrument cost. Furthermore, the Bluetooth module enables interconnection between the instrument cluster and other components, achieving information sharing and interconnectivity for the electric vehicle instrument cluster. When other functional modules exist in the electric vehicle instrument cluster, these modules with port resources can also be used as auxiliary processors, further expanding the instrument cluster's functionality in a similar manner to the Bluetooth module. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of a typical electric vehicle instrument panel.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electric vehicle instrument provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of data processing in an electric vehicle instrument panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating data caching in a Bluetooth module of an electric vehicle instrument panel, provided as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission of data from a Bluetooth module to a SOC chip in an electric vehicle instrument panel, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] See Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of a typical electric vehicle instrument panel shown mainly includes an instrument interface unit 110, an MCU 120, a SOC chip 130, a Bluetooth module 140, and a display unit 150. In the prior art, the MCU 120 is usually used to acquire instrument signals, the SOC chip 130 is used to process the data acquired by the MCU 120, and finally the display unit 150 is used to display the data. The Bluetooth module 140 is only used to realize the interconnection with other devices such as mobile phones and does not participate in the acquisition and processing of instrument signals.

[0028] To address the issues of complex architecture and high cost in existing electric vehicle instrument clusters, this invention proposes a novel instrument cluster architecture. Instead of using an MCU as the instrument signal acquisition unit, it utilizes a System-on-a-Chip (SOC) chip as the main processor. By extending the existing Bluetooth module of the instrument cluster, and considering the limited overall resources of the SOC chip, some instrument signals can be migrated to the Bluetooth module for acquisition and processing. This results in a greater number of signals that the instrument cluster can acquire and process than the GPIO, AD, and PWM port resources of the main processor itself. Consequently, this invention offers a more streamlined system architecture and lower instrument costs.

[0029] To better understand the above technical solutions, the following will provide a detailed explanation of the technical solutions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0030] Example 1:

[0031] Example 1 provides an electric vehicle instrument panel, see [link / reference] Figure 2 It includes: an instrument interface unit 210, a SOC chip 220, a Bluetooth module 230, and a display unit 240; the instrument interface unit 210 is connected to the SOC chip 220 and the Bluetooth module 230 respectively, the SOC chip 220 and the Bluetooth module 230 are bidirectionally connected, the input terminal of the display unit 240 is connected to the output terminal of the SOC chip, and the Bluetooth module 230 can be interconnected with the mobile terminal 250.

[0032] The components are explained below.

[0033] (1) Instrument interface unit.

[0034] The present invention utilizes the instrument interface unit 210 to realize the primary processing and level conversion of signals.

[0035] Specifically, the instrument interface unit 210 is used to convert vehicle body signals into instrument signals. The vehicle body signals include vehicle speed, engine speed, gear position, fuel level, water temperature, etc. The instrument interface unit 210 converts the vehicle body signals into three types of signals that the processor can collect and process: GPIO, AD, and PWM. That is, the instrument signals include a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals, and a third number of PWM signals.

[0036] (2) SOC chip.

[0037] In this invention, the SOC chip 220 is used as the main processor, which is the core unit of the instrument. It is mainly used to process instrument signals and communicate with the Bluetooth module 230.

[0038] The SOC chip 220 is used to acquire and process all instrument signals under a first condition to obtain first acquisition and processing information, and to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information. The first condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip 220 can process all instrument signals.

[0039] The SOC chip 220 is used to collect and process the instrument signals of the first part under the second condition to obtain the first collection and processing information, receive the second collection and processing information from the Bluetooth module 230, and obtain display control information based on the first collection and processing information and the second collection and processing information. The second condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip 220 are insufficient to process all the instrument signals.

[0040] join Figure 2 Let N, K, and P be the maximum number of GPIO, AD, and PWM signals that the SOC chip 220 can process, respectively; let X, Y, and Z be the maximum number of GPIO, AD, and PWM signals that the Bluetooth module 230 can process, respectively; let (n+x), (k+y), and (p+z) be the number of GPIO, AD, and PWM signals contained in the instrument signal obtained after processing by the instrument interface unit 210, respectively, and n≤N, k≤K, p≤P, x≤X, y≤Y, and z≤Z.

[0041] When the number of signals that the instrument needs to process satisfies all of the following relationships:

[0042] GPIO: (n+x)≤N;

[0043] AD: (k+y)≤K;

[0044] PWM: (p+z)≤P;

[0045] It is assumed that the SOC chip 220 has sufficient resources to process all instrument signals, thus meeting the first condition.

[0046] When the number of signals that the instrument needs to process meets any of the following relationships:

[0047] GPIO: (n+x)>N;

[0048] AD: (k+y)>K;

[0049] PWM: (p+z)>P;

[0050] If the total number of port resources of the SOC chip 220 is insufficient to process all instrument signals, i.e., the second condition is met, then n GPIO signals, k AD signals, and p PWM signals are transmitted to the SOC chip 220 for processing, and x GPIO signals, y AD signals, and z PWM signals are transmitted to the Bluetooth module 230 for processing.

[0051] (3) Bluetooth module.

[0052] Considering that Bluetooth modules, which enable interconnection, have GPIO, AD, and PWM signal processing capabilities in addition to basic Bluetooth functions, some of their idle ports are also equipped with these capabilities. Based on the characteristics of instrument signal types, this invention migrates some instrument signals to the instrument's own Bluetooth module. By fully utilizing the port resources of the Bluetooth module, instrument signal acquisition and processing are achieved. The UART communication between Bluetooth and the SOC enables the transmission of relevant instrument information, which is then processed and displayed by the SOC.

[0053] The Bluetooth module 230 is used to acquire and process the instrument signal of the second part under the second condition to obtain the second acquisition and processing information, and transmit the second acquisition and processing information to the SOC chip 220. The Bluetooth module 230 is also used to interconnect with the mobile terminal 250 to realize the interconnection function of the instrument.

[0054] The Bluetooth module 230 refreshes and acquires mobile terminal data at a first time interval and refreshes and acquires vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile terminal data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module 230 at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip 220.

[0055] For details, see Figure 3The Bluetooth module 320 mainly includes a Bluetooth front-end 321 and a Bluetooth module internal controller 322. A portion of the physical storage space within the Bluetooth module internal controller 322 is designated as a data queue storage space for caching and transmitting mobile terminal data and vehicle body data acquired by the Bluetooth module 230. The following explanation uses mobile terminal data from a mobile app as an example.

[0056] The data acquired by the Bluetooth front-end 321 from the mobile APP uses a fixed-format data header, denoted as...<head_FF> A frame of data recorded by a mobile app<head_FF><BT_data_FromPhoneAPP> The Bluetooth module's internal controller 322 converts the acquired vehicle speed signal into binary data via the AD port, GPIO port, and PWM port, and stores it as fixed-format data, denoted as...<BT_data_FromVehicle> To distinguish it from the data obtained from the mobile app, another fixed data header is added, denoted as...<head_EE> A frame of vehicle body data is recorded as<head_EE><BT_data_FromVehicle> .

[0057] The caching process for the Bluetooth module to acquire vehicle data and mobile app data is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, on the one hand, the minimum interval for the internal controller of the Bluetooth module to acquire data from the mobile APP is T1, which is taken as 30ms here; on the other hand, the internal controller of the Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires vehicle body data at a fixed time interval T2, which is taken as 100ms here; since the data queue storage space allocated in the internal controller of the Bluetooth module is relatively large enough, the mobile APP data...<head_FF><BT_data_FromPhoneAPP> and vehicle body data<head_EE><BT_data_FromVehicle> The data is stored in the queue buffer space at time intervals T1 and T2, respectively, and then queued for transmission to the SOC chip via the UART port. As mentioned above, the mobile APP data is acquired and transmitted at the shortest interval T1, and the vehicle body data is transmitted between the transmission of two frames of mobile APP data, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5 As shown, approximately one frame of vehicle data can be transmitted after every three frames of mobile app data.

[0058] See Figure 3The SOC chip 310 obtains a portion of the vehicle body data from its own AD port, GPIO port, and PWM port, denoted as...<SOC_data_FromVehicle> The SOC chip 310 obtains mobile APP data from the Bluetooth module 320.<head_FF><BT_data_FromPhoneAPP> And another part of the vehicle body data<head_EE><BT_data_FromVehicle> Remove the data headers and label them as follows:<BT_data_FromPhoneAPP> and<BT_data_FromVehicle> The SOC chip 310 refreshes and displays the above data on the display unit 330. Since the Bluetooth module 320 sends vehicle body data to the SOC chip 310 during the interval of transmitting mobile APP data, it does not occupy the communication time for interconnection. Therefore, it realizes the interconnection function and the extended instrument function at the same time, without affecting the real-time performance of the data.

[0059] (4) Display unit.

[0060] The display unit 240 is used to receive display control information from the SOC chip 220, and to display electric vehicle information according to the display control information. (See [link]) Figure 2 .

[0061] In addition, the electric vehicle instrument panel may also include one or more other functional modules. These other functional modules possess GPIO, AD, or PWM port resources; they are used to acquire and process the instrument signal from the third part under the second condition to obtain the third acquisition and processing information, and then transmit the third acquisition and processing information to the SOC chip 220. In this case, the SOC chip 220 is used to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information, the second acquisition and processing information, and the third acquisition and processing information under the second condition.

[0062] When the instrument system also includes other modules with resources such as GPIO, AD, and PWM, such as a radio module, the instrument functions can be further expanded in a manner similar to that of a Bluetooth module.

[0063] In summary, Example 1 connects a portion of the signals to the SOC chip for processing based on signal type characteristics, and migrates some instrument signals (GPIO, AD, PWM) to the Bluetooth module. By fully utilizing the port resources of the Bluetooth module, instrument signal acquisition and processing are achieved. Instrument-related information is transmitted via a serial port communicating with the SOC chip and returned to the SOC chip. Finally, the signals are processed by the SOC chip and displayed through the display unit. The number of instrument signals that Example 1 provides for electric vehicle instruments is greater than the number of port resources available on the SOC chip itself, maximizing the acquisition and processing of instrument signals. The Bluetooth module's extended functionality enables an economical TFT interconnected instrument, expanding instrument functionality and achieving electrification, informationization, and interconnection functions for electric vehicle instruments while reducing system architecture complexity and system cost.

[0064] Example 2:

[0065] Example 2 provides a method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel as described in Example 1. Example 2 uses an SOC chip as the main processor and a Bluetooth module as an auxiliary processor.

[0066] When the port resources of the SOC chip are sufficient to process all instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process all instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information.

[0067] When the port resources of the SOC chip are insufficient to process all the instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process the first part of the instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the Bluetooth module is used to collect and process the second part of the instrument signals to obtain second collection and processing information and transmit it to the SOC chip. The SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information and the second collection and processing information.

[0068] The SOC chip transmits the display control information to the display unit, and the display unit displays electric vehicle information according to the display control information.

[0069] Specifically, the vehicle body signals are converted into instrument signals using the instrument interface unit. The instrument signals include a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals, and a third number of PWM signals.

[0070] The Bluetooth module enables interconnection with the mobile device. The Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires mobile device data at a first time interval and acquires vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile device data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip.

[0071] In addition, one or more other functional modules with port resources can also be used as auxiliary processors to collect and process some of the instrument signals and transmit the collected and processed information to the SOC chip; the SOC obtains display control information based on the first collected and processed information and the collected and processed information transmitted from all the auxiliary processors.

[0072] Example 3:

[0073] Example 3 provides an electric vehicle, including the electric vehicle instrument panel as described in Example 1. The electric vehicle and the electric vehicle instrument panel and their implementation method described above have the same advantages over the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

[0074] Finally, it should be noted that the above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to examples, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An instrument panel for an electric vehicle, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a SOC chip, a Bluetooth module, and a display unit; the SOC chip and the Bluetooth module are bidirectionally connected, and the input terminal of the display unit is connected to the output terminal of the SOC chip. The SOC chip is used to acquire and process all instrument signals under a first condition to obtain first acquisition and processing information, and to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information. The first condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip can process all instrument signals. The SOC chip is used to acquire and process a first portion of the instrument signals under a second condition to obtain first acquisition and processing information, to receive second acquisition and processing information from the Bluetooth module, and to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information and the second acquisition and processing information. The second condition is that the port resources of the SOC chip are insufficient to process all instrument signals. The Bluetooth module is used to collect and process the instrument signal of the second part under the second condition to obtain the second collection and processing information, and to transmit the second collection and processing information to the SOC chip; The Bluetooth module is also used to connect to a mobile device; The display unit is used to receive display control information from the SOC chip and display electric vehicle information according to the display control information; The instrument signals include a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals, and a third number of PWM signals.

2. The electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Instrument interface unit; The instrument interface unit is used to convert vehicle body signals into instrument signals.

3. The electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires mobile terminal data at a first time interval, and refreshes and acquires vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile terminal data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip.

4. The electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Other functional modules; these other functional modules have GPIO, AD, or PWM port resources; The other functional modules are used to collect and process the instrument signals of the third part under the second condition to obtain third collection and processing information, and transmit the third collection and processing information to the SOC chip; The SOC chip is used to obtain display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information, the second acquisition and processing information, and the third acquisition and processing information under the second condition.

5. A method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel, characterized in that, The SOC chip is used as the main processor, and the Bluetooth module is used as the auxiliary processor; the Bluetooth module is used to achieve interconnection with the mobile device. When the port resources of the SOC chip are capable of processing all instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process all instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information. When the port resources of the SOC chip are insufficient to process all the instrument signals, the SOC chip is used to collect and process the first part of the instrument signals to obtain first collection and processing information, and the Bluetooth module is used to collect and process the second part of the instrument signals to obtain second collection and processing information and transmit it to the SOC chip. The SOC chip obtains display control information based on the first collection and processing information and the second collection and processing information. The instrument signals include a first number of GPIO signals, a second number of AD signals, and a third number of PWM signals; The SOC chip transmits the display control information to the display unit, and the display unit displays electric vehicle information according to the display control information.

6. The method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, The vehicle body signals are converted into instrument signals using the instrument interface unit.

7. The method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, The Bluetooth module refreshes and acquires mobile terminal data at a first time interval, and refreshes and acquires vehicle body data contained in the instrument signal at a second time interval. The mobile terminal data and the vehicle body data are stored in the queue cache space of the Bluetooth module at the first time interval and the second time interval, respectively, and are queued for transmission to the SOC chip.

8. The method for implementing an electric vehicle instrument panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, One or more other functional modules with port resources are also used as auxiliary processors. These other functional modules are used to collect and process some of the instrument signals, and the collected and processed information is transmitted to the SOC chip. The SOC obtains display control information based on the first acquisition and processing information and the acquisition and processing information transmitted from all auxiliary processors.

9. An electric vehicle, characterized in that, Including the electric vehicle instrument panel as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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