Electric vehicle power domain controller, data communication method and domain control system

Abstract

The present invention provides an electric vehicle power domain controller, a data communication method and a domain control system. The power domain controller is based on a multi-core MCU. The multi-core MCU is provided with a plurality of core processing units arranged in parallel, each of which is used to integrate and realize the function of a power controller of the electric vehicle. Each of the core processing units communicates with other core processing units via a shared memory arranged inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type. The present invention can integrate the functions of multiple vehicle controllers, and multiple cores can realize data transmission between cores by using global variables and shared memory, thereby changing the situation in which many controllers transmit data completely through a CAN bus. In addition, the data in the shared memory can be stored in two storage areas in turn to ensure the real-time performance of the data, thereby effectively reducing the delay of data communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automobile electric control technology, and more specifically, to an electric vehicle power domain controller, a data communication method and a domain control system. Background Art

[0002] The automotive electronic control unit (ECU) is a key component in the vehicle's electronic control system. At present, the ECUs of vehicles are all independent, and different ECUs exchange information through the bus to cooperate to complete the control of the vehicle; however, the distributed control of many ECUs will cause redundancy and waste of vehicle controller resources, and also increase the cost and complexity of the control system. In particular, in recent years, the degree of electrification and intelligence of vehicles has been continuously improved, and the number of electronic control units has increased year by year, which has brought huge challenges to the electronic architecture of vehicles.

[0003] At present, the traditional automobile control method still adopts the decentralized ECU control method. If the domain controller solution can be introduced, the controller can realize centralized control, communication and power supply, thereby reducing the interactive wiring harness connection, simplifying the design, and reducing the hardware and system costs. The centralized control of the domain controller not only greatly reduces the communication load rate of the CAN bus, but also greatly improves the operating efficiency of the control system compared with decentralized ECU control.

[0004] The prior art discloses a new energy vehicle power domain controller, including: a power module, a central processing unit, a CPLD module, an analog quantity acquisition module, a switch quantity acquisition module, a high-side drive module, a low-side drive module, a gear selection motor drive module, a gear selection motor current detection module, a CAN communication module, a frequency quantity acquisition module, a PWM signal output module, an RD conversion module, an Ethernet module and a current sensor; although the solution of the prior art uses a processor to realize the control of the three major controllers of the whole vehicle system VCU, TCU, and MCU, achieving the effects of reducing costs, improving data transmission efficiency, and reducing the communication bus load, the integration of the domain controller in the solution is simply to combine the original several parts into one large part, and the several components in the whole large part are still separated and not fully integrated together; and many controllers still transmit data through the CAN bus, and there is still a high delay in the data communication between the internal controllers. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art that many controllers are not fully integrated together and data is still transmitted through the CAN bus, and there is a high delay in the communication between internal controllers, the present invention provides an electric vehicle power domain controller, a data communication method and a domain control system. The domain controller can integrate the functions of vehicle controllers such as VCU, TCU, BMS, thermal management, gateway, etc., and the multi-cores realize data transmission between cores by using global variables and shared memory, thereby changing the situation where many controllers transmit data completely through the CAN bus.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] An electric vehicle power domain controller, the electric vehicle is provided with several power controllers, and the power domain controller is based on a multi-core MCU;

[0008] The multi-core MCU has several core processing units arranged in parallel inside, and each of the core processing units is used to integrate and realize the function of a power controller of the electric vehicle;

[0009] Each of the core processing units communicates with other core processing units via a shared memory provided inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type.

[0010] Preferably, the power controller of the electric vehicle includes: a vehicle controller VCU, an automatic transmission controller TCU, a battery management system BMS controller, a thermal management system controller and a gateway controller.

[0011] Preferably, the power domain controller also includes a signal acquisition unit and a load driving unit connected to the multi-core MCU.

[0012] Preferably, the multi-core MCU includes 4 core processing units, which are respectively used to integrate and implement the functions of the electric vehicle's vehicle controller VCU, automatic transmission controller TCU, battery management system BMS and thermal management system controller, and gateway controller.

[0013] The present invention also provides a data communication method based on an electric vehicle power domain controller. Based on the electric vehicle power domain controller, each core processing unit communicates with other core processing units through a shared memory set inside a multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type.

[0014] The shared memory includes a plurality of storage area sets, each of which includes a first storage area and a second storage area of ​​the same size; the last index address of the first storage area points to the first index address of the second storage area, and the last index address of the second storage area points to the first index address of the first storage area;

[0015] The data communication method is as follows: each of the core processing units utilizes the first storage area and the second storage area in each storage area set to write and read data in turn.

[0016] Preferably, when each of the core processing units writes data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 0; when each of the core processing units reads data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 1.

[0017] Preferably, the data writing in turn comprises the following steps:

[0018] S1.1: At the current moment, any core processing unit in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area;

[0019] S1.2: At the next moment, any one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area;

[0020] S1.3: cyclically execute steps S1.1 to S1.2 to complete the writing of data into the first storage area and the second storage area in turn;

[0021] The data reading in turn comprises the following steps:

[0022] S2.1: At the current moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the second storage area;

[0023] S2.2: At the next moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the first storage area;

[0024] S2.3: Execute steps S2.1 to S2.2 in a loop to read data from the first storage area and the second storage area in turn.

[0025] The present invention also provides an electric vehicle domain control system, using the electric vehicle power domain controller and the electric vehicle power domain controller-based data communication method, including: a power domain controller, and a body domain controller BCM, an all-in-one domain controller, a battery management system BMS slave, a chassis domain controller, a cockpit domain controller and a vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox connected to the power domain controller via a CAN bus respectively;

[0026] The cockpit domain controller is also connected to the chassis domain controller and the vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox through a CAN bus.

[0027] Preferably, the electric vehicle domain control system further comprises a diagnostic interface OBD, and the diagnostic interface OBD is connected to the power domain controller via a CAN bus.

[0028] Preferably, the electric vehicle domain control system further includes an intelligent driving domain controller, and the intelligent driving domain controller is respectively connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle networking terminal Tbox through a CAN bus;

[0029] The intelligent driving domain controller is also connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox via Ethernet.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] The present invention provides an electric vehicle power domain controller, a data communication method and a domain control system. The power domain controller is based on a multi-core MCU; a plurality of core processing units are arranged in parallel inside the multi-core MCU, and each of the core processing units is used to integrate and realize the function of a power controller of the electric vehicle; each of the core processing units communicates with other core processing units through a shared memory arranged inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type;

[0032] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0033] 1) The new electronic architecture can reduce data interaction between controllers and the data load rate of the CAN bus, simplify system design and optimize costs;

[0034] 2) The domain controller integrates the functions of multiple controllers, which not only simplifies the connection of the wiring harness, but also transforms the CAN bus communication between controllers into data access operations between cores within the domain controller, thus improving the efficiency of the system;

[0035] 3) Each core of a multi-core MCU is separated from each other and has an independent code storage area and data work area. In this way, when the system needs to update the code of a certain core, only the code storage area of ​​the core needs to be updated, without the need to operate the entire storage area, which effectively improves work efficiency.

[0036] 4) The method of global variables + shared memory is selected for data information transmission within the domain controller, which can better realize the domain control function. The global variables can also establish a data transmission channel with the application layer software;

[0037] 5) The data in the shared memory can be stored in two storage areas in turn to ensure the real-time nature of the data, effectively reducing the delay in data communication. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an electric vehicle power domain controller provided in Example 1.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a first storage area and a second storage area established in a shared memory provided in Example 2.

[0040] Figure 3 The data provided in Example 2 is a schematic diagram of alternately writing and reading data in the first storage area and the second storage area.

[0041] Figure 4 This is an architecture diagram of an electric vehicle domain control system provided in Example 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the present patent;

[0043] In order to better illustrate the present embodiment, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged or reduced, and do not represent the size of the actual product;

[0044] It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings.

[0045] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides an electric vehicle power domain controller, the electric vehicle is provided with several power controllers, and the power domain controller is based on a multi-core MCU; in this embodiment, a 4-core MCU is used, and each core assumes the function of a corresponding controller. If more cores are used, more functions can be realized;

[0048] The multi-core MCU includes four core processing units, which are used to integrate and implement the functions of the vehicle controller VCU, automatic transmission controller TCU, battery management system BMS and thermal management system controller of the electric vehicle, as well as the gateway controller;

[0049] Each of the core processing units communicates with other core processing units via a shared memory set inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type;

[0050] The power domain controller also includes a signal acquisition unit and a load driving unit connected to the multi-core MCU.

[0051] In the specific implementation process, the multi-core MCU of the domain controller in this embodiment adopts a 4-core MCU, and the input and output resources of the 4-core MCU should meet the total input and output requirements of the VCU, TCU, BMS, and gateway controller. Therefore, as long as the computing power of the MCU multi-core can meet the total computing power of the relevant controllers, the domain controller can replace the dispersed VCU, TCU, BMS, and gateway controller in the traditional solution;

[0052] In such Figure 1 In the domain controller shown, the functions of VCU, TCU, BMS and gateway controller are distributed and replaced and realized by the four cores in the MCU; to ensure the realization of the power domain control function, multiple cores need to run separately without affecting each other, so in this embodiment, each core has its own data storage area and code storage area;

[0053] In this embodiment, each core processing unit communicates with other core processing units through a shared memory set inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type;

[0054] Shared memory is a storage area of ​​the MCU that can be accessed by both cores. However, in order to ensure the validity of the data, the standardization of access requires agreed rules or data structures to avoid one core accessing and modifying the data while the other core has not yet obtained the original data.

[0055] Global variables are used for multi-core information transmission, and any core can modify and access them at any time; the scope of global variables is global, and they complement shared memory to achieve data transmission and interaction between multiple cores; at the same time, global variables can not only be used for data transmission between cores, but also for data interaction with the upper layer (application layer) to achieve out-of-domain communication; for example, global variables can be used to establish a connection with the simulink model of the application layer software of electric vehicles;

[0056] In this embodiment, the main functions of the domain controller are operation, coordination and control. The signal acquisition still requires a signal acquisition unit, and the load driving still requires a load driving unit. Therefore, it is necessary to connect the corresponding peripheral circuits according to the requirements of the VCU, TCU, BMS and other controllers. The peripheral circuits need to meet the signal acquisition and driving capability requirements of the above controllers, so as to realize real-time data transmission;

[0057] The domain control in this embodiment adopts a multi-core MCU, in which one core integrates the VCU function, one core integrates the TCU function, one core integrates the BMS function, and one core integrates the gateway function; data is transferred between cores through shared memory + global variables, thereby changing the situation in which many controllers transmit data completely through the CAN bus, effectively reducing communication delays.

[0058] Example 2

[0059] This embodiment provides a data communication method based on an electric vehicle power domain controller. Based on the electric vehicle power domain controller in Embodiment 1, each core processing unit communicates with other core processing units through a shared memory set inside a multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type.

[0060] The shared memory includes several storage area sets, such as Figure 2 As shown, each storage area set includes a first storage area and a second storage area, which are respectively recorded as storage area A and storage area B; the last index address of storage area A points to the first index address of storage area B, and the last index address of storage area B points to the first index address of storage area A; in each of the storage area sets, storage area A and storage area B have the same size;

[0061] The data communication method includes data writing and data reading;

[0062] The data writing comprises the following steps:

[0063] S1.1: At the current moment, any core processing unit in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area;

[0064] S1.2: At the next moment, any one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area;

[0065] S1.3: Execute steps S1.1 to S1.2 in a loop to complete writing data into the first storage area and the second storage area in turn;

[0066] The data reading comprises the following steps:

[0067] S2.1: At the current moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the second storage area;

[0068] S2.2: At the next moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the first storage area;

[0069] S2.3: cyclically execute steps S2.1 to S2.2 to complete the reading of data in the first storage area and the second storage area in turn;

[0070] When each of the core processing units writes data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 0; when each of the core processing units reads data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 1.

[0071] In the specific implementation process, this embodiment is to solve the problem of high latency in multi-core data transmission in the domain controller and establish a safe and effective data transmission method;

[0072] Since there are 4 or more cores in the MCU, data needs to be exchanged between them. For example, if core 1 and core 2 need the same data, there will be competition.

[0073] When data is transmitted between cores, for example, when a core with VCU function needs to send data to another core with TCU function, data can be transmitted through shared memory, that is, at a certain moment, a core stores data in shared memory, and the status flag is set to 0 when storing data; when the storage is completed, the status flag is set to 1, which indicates that other cores can access the data; when there are more than two cores reading data, the flag is set to 0 until the last core reads it; however, there is a problem with this data communication method. When data is transmitted with strong real-time performance and large data volume, assuming that the time for storing data once is T and the time for reading data once is also T, it means that the shortest time is to wait until 2T time before the second data storage can be performed, which also leads to high communication delay;

[0074] To solve this problem, it is necessary to adopt Figure 2 In the data structure, several storage area sets are established in the shared memory, each storage area set includes a first storage area A and a second storage area B; the storage areas A and B are two independent storage areas, Figure 2 The arrows in the figure indicate the address direction. The last address of area A points to the first address of area B, and the last address of area B points to the first address of area A, thereby realizing the rotation reading or rotation writing of data and ensuring the timeliness of data communication.

[0075] in addition, Figure 2 More storage areas can also be established in the storage area set in, for example, storage area C, storage area D, etc. can also be set, as long as the address of each storage area points to the address of the next storage area, and the index address of the last storage area points to the address of the first storage area. In this embodiment, only two storage areas are needed to realize low-latency rotation reading and writing of data;

[0076] like Figure 3 As shown, when a kernel stores data in data area A, the data storage is completed after T time, and the kernel can continue to store data in data storage area B without waiting, and the cycle is repeated to complete the rotation of data writing; and for the kernel that fetches data, when another kernel stores data in storage area A, it can read data from storage area B at this time; when another kernel stores data in storage area B, it can read data from storage area A at this time; through the method of alternating storage and reading of storage areas A and B, real-time and effective transmission of data can be guaranteed; in addition, in this embodiment, the sizes of storage areas A and B are the same, which can also ensure real-time and effective transmission of data and reduce communication delays.

[0077] Example 3

[0078] like Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment provides an electric vehicle domain control system, which applies the electric vehicle power domain controller in embodiment 1 and the data communication method based on the electric vehicle power domain controller in embodiment 2, including: a power domain controller, and a body domain controller BCM, an all-in-one domain controller, a battery management system BMS slave, a chassis domain controller, a cockpit domain controller and a vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox connected to the power domain controller through a CAN bus respectively;

[0079] The cockpit domain controller is also connected to the chassis domain controller and the vehicle networking terminal Tbox via a CAN bus;

[0080] The electric vehicle domain control system further includes a diagnostic interface OBD, and the diagnostic interface OBD is connected to the power domain controller via a CAN bus;

[0081] The electric vehicle domain control system also includes an intelligent driving domain controller, which is respectively connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle networking terminal Tbox through a CAN bus;

[0082] The intelligent driving domain controller is also connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox via Ethernet.

[0083] In the specific implementation process, in the domain control system architecture of the electric vehicle, the power domain controller is connected to the body domain controller, the all-in-one controller, the BMS slave, the chassis domain related controller, the cockpit domain controller, the intelligent driving domain controller, the Tbox, etc. through the CAN bus, and one CAN is reserved for OBD diagnosis. Therefore, at least 7 CAN buses are required;

[0084] In this domain control architecture, the intelligent driving domain controller is connected to the domain controller, Tbox, and cockpit domain controller through the vehicle Ethernet. At the same time, the intelligent driving domain controller, cockpit domain controller, and Tbox retain a private CAN. When the intelligent driving function is not needed, the intelligent driving domain controller can also be cancelled. At this time, the Tbox is connected to the cockpit domain controller through the CAN bus.

[0085] In addition, to ensure the driving safety of the vehicle, the cockpit domain controller can be directly connected to the chassis domain related controller, so that the driver can control the vehicle chassis domain in time;

[0086] This embodiment provides a new domain control architecture and a connection method between controllers, which can achieve simple, efficient and safe control of the vehicle.

[0087] The same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components;

[0088] The terms used in the drawings to describe positional relationships are only used for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting this patent;

[0089] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle power domain controller, wherein the electric vehicle is provided with several power controllers, characterized in that: The power domain controller is based on a multi-core MCU; The multi-core MCU has several core processing units arranged in parallel inside, and each of the core processing units is used to integrate and realize the function of a power controller of the electric vehicle; The power controller of the electric vehicle includes: a vehicle controller VCU, an automatic transmission controller TCU, a battery management system BMS controller, a thermal management system controller and a gateway controller; The power domain controller also includes a signal acquisition unit and a load driving unit connected to the multi-core MCU; The multi-core MCU includes four core processing units, which are used to integrate and implement the functions of the vehicle controller VCU, automatic transmission controller TCU, battery management system BMS and thermal management system controller of the electric vehicle, as well as the gateway controller; Each of the core processing units communicates with other core processing units via a shared memory set inside the multi-core MCU, and the data type of the communication is a global variable type; The shared memory includes a plurality of storage area sets, each of which includes a first storage area and a second storage area of ​​the same size; the last index address of the first storage area points to the first index address of the second storage area, and the last index address of the second storage area points to the first index address of the first storage area; The data communication method is as follows: each core processing unit uses the first storage area and the second storage area in each storage area set to write and read data in turn; When each of the core processing units writes data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 0; when each of the core processing units reads data, the flag bit of the data of the global variable type is 1; The data writing in turn comprises the following steps: S1.1: At the current moment, any core processing unit in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area; S1.2: At the next moment, any one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area; S1.3: Execute steps S1.1 to S1.2 in a loop to complete writing data into the first storage area and the second storage area in turn; The data reading in turn comprises the following steps: S2.1: At the current moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the first storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the second storage area; S2.2: At the next moment, when one of the core processing units in the multi-core MCU writes data to the second storage area, another core processing unit reads data from the first storage area; S2.3: Execute steps S2.1 to S2.2 in a loop to read data from the first storage area and the second storage area in turn.

2. An electric vehicle domain control system, using the electric vehicle power domain controller described in claim 1, characterized in that: include: The power domain controller, as well as the body domain controller BCM, the all-in-one domain controller, the battery management system BMS slave, the chassis domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle networking terminal Tbox, which are connected to the power domain controller via the CAN bus; The cockpit domain controller is also connected to the chassis domain controller and the vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox through a CAN bus.

3. The electric vehicle domain control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric vehicle domain control system also includes a diagnostic interface OBD, and the diagnostic interface OBD is connected to the power domain controller via a CAN bus.

4. An electric vehicle domain control system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The electric vehicle domain control system also includes an intelligent driving domain controller, which is respectively connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle networking terminal Tbox through a CAN bus; The intelligent driving domain controller is also connected to the power domain controller, the cockpit domain controller and the vehicle-mounted networking terminal Tbox via Ethernet.

Images