Management device, vehicle communication management method, and vehicle communication management program

Abstract

A device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a management device for an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, and is provided with: an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame to be relayed by a relay device that performs a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between a plurality of function units in the in-vehicle network, and determines the importance of the frame to be relayed by the relay device; the relay device becomes an object of setting change; and an execution permission determination unit that determines whether or not to perform the setting change on the basis of the determination result of the importance determination unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device, a vehicle communication management method, and a vehicle communication management program. This application claims priority based on Japanese application No. 2022-114250 filed on July 15, 2022, and all the contents described in the above Japanese application are cited by reference. Background Art

[0002] A technology for changing the configuration of an in-vehicle network has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 145334) discloses the following technology. That is, a vehicle control device controls the plurality of repeaters based on a control scenario, and the control scenario is formed by establishing a correspondence between the state of a vehicle having a vehicle network composed of a plurality of repeaters constructed therein and the control contents set for the plurality of repeaters.

[0003] Prior art literature Patent Literature Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2020 / 145334 Summary of the invention

[0004] The management device disclosed in the present invention is used for an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein the management device comprises: an importance judgment unit for judging the importance of frames relayed by a relay device, wherein the relay device performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network, and the relay device becomes the object of setting change; and an execution possibility judgment unit for judging whether to perform the setting change based on the judgment result of the importance judgment unit.

[0005] One embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements a part or all of the management device, and can be implemented as a system including the management device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the structure of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a message relayed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a message importance table in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 It is a diagram showing the structure of Modification 2 of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 This is a flowchart that identifies an example of an operation procedure when a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure changes network settings. Figure 7 This is a flowchart that identifies an example of an operation procedure when the second modification of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure changes the network settings. Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of network setting changes in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of network setting changes in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] <Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure>

[0008] When the settings of the in-vehicle network are changed dynamically as in Patent Document 1, the setting changes may affect the communication in the in-vehicle network.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a management device, a vehicle communication management method, and a vehicle communication management program capable of changing the settings of an in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation in the in-vehicle network.

[0010] <Effects of the present disclosure>

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to change the settings of the in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation in the in-vehicle network.

[0012] <Overview of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure>

[0013] Hereinafter, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0014] (1) A management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used for an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein the management device comprises: an importance determination unit for determining the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device, the relay device performing relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network, and the relay device being an object of setting change; and an executable determination unit for determining whether to perform the setting change based on a determination result of the importance determination unit.

[0015] In this way, by considering the importance of the frame to be relayed in the vehicle network to determine whether to perform the setting change of the relay device, for example, it is possible to prevent the message exchanged between the ECUs of the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the setting change, thereby reducing the possibility that the communication of the control system is affected and the driving of the vehicle is affected. Therefore, the setting change of the vehicle network can be performed while maintaining the stable operation in the vehicle network.

[0016] (2) In the above (1), the management device may further include a generation unit, which generates setting information of the new network based on the device information obtained from the multiple functional units, thereby determining the relay device that is the object of the setting change for communicating in the new network, and notifying the determined relay device of the setting content. When the execution determination unit determines that the setting change of at least any one of the multiple relay devices is not to be performed, the generation unit does not notify the setting content to at least one of the multiple relay devices.

[0017] With such a structure, when a plurality of relay devices are provided in the vehicle network and the setting change targets are the plurality of relay devices, it is possible to prevent the relay devices that do not reflect the setting change from coexisting with the relay devices that reflect the setting change, thereby preventing mismatching in the entire system.

[0018] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the management device may also include a storage unit, which stores corresponding information, wherein the corresponding information represents the corresponding relationship between the identification information of the relay device and the importance of the frame relayed by the relay device, or the importance determination unit determines the importance based on the corresponding information.

[0019] With such a configuration, the importance of a frame can be determined through simple processing using the corresponding information.

[0020] (4) In any one of the above (1) to (3), the management device may further include a relay status determination unit, which determines whether the relay device in the vehicle network is in a state of relaying frames of a specific importance, or the execution determination unit may determine whether to make the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit and the determination result of the relay status determination unit.

[0021] With such a configuration, even when a relay device that relays highly important frames is the target of a setting change, the setting change can be put on standby and executed at an appropriate timing, so that the setting change of the in-vehicle network can be executed more reliably.

[0022] (5) In the above (4), the management device may further include a vehicle status acquisition unit, which acquires vehicle status information related to the status of the vehicle, or the relay status determination unit may determine whether the relay device in the vehicle network is in a state of relaying frames of a specific importance based on the vehicle status information acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit.

[0023] With such a configuration, it is possible to shift to the setting change in the execution standby state at an appropriate timing, such as when a vehicle stops and there is a high possibility that no frame with a high degree of importance will be relayed.

[0024] (6) In the above (4), the relay state determination unit may inquire of a specific functional unit as to whether the specific functional unit is transmitting a frame having the specific importance level.

[0025] With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably grasp the state in which a frame with a high degree of importance is not being relayed, and to shift to the setting change in the execution standby state at an appropriate timing.

[0026] (7) In any one of the above (1) to (6), the management device may further include a device information acquisition unit, which acquires the device information of the functional unit, or the importance determination unit may determine the importance based on the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit.

[0027] With such a configuration, it is possible to more accurately determine the importance of a frame using information on the functional units in the in-vehicle network.

[0028] (8) The vehicle communication management method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle communication management method of a management device used for an on-board network installed in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication management method includes the following steps: judging the importance of frames relayed by a relay device, the relay device performing relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between multiple functional units in the on-board network, and the relay device becoming an object of setting change; and judging whether to make the setting change based on the judgment result of the importance.

[0029] In this way, by considering the importance of the frame to be relayed in the vehicle network to determine whether to perform the setting change of the relay device, for example, it is possible to prevent the message exchanged between the ECUs of the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the setting change, thereby reducing the possibility that the communication of the control system is affected and the driving of the vehicle is affected. Therefore, the setting change of the vehicle network can be performed while maintaining the stable operation in the vehicle network.

[0030] (9) The vehicle communication management program involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used in a management device used for an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle communication management program is used to cause a computer to operate as the following units: an importance judgment unit, which judges the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device, wherein the relay device performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network, and the relay device becomes the object of setting change; and an execution possibility judgment unit, which judges whether to make the setting change based on the judgment result of the importance judgment unit.

[0031] In this way, by considering the importance of the frame to be relayed in the vehicle network to determine whether to perform the setting change of the relay device, for example, it is possible to prevent the message exchanged between the ECUs of the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the setting change, thereby reducing the possibility that the communication of the control system is affected and the driving of the vehicle is affected. Therefore, the setting change of the vehicle network can be performed while maintaining the stable operation in the vehicle network.

[0032] <Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure>

[0033] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, and their descriptions are not repeated. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0034] [In-vehicle communication system]

[0035] Figure 1 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The in-vehicle communication system 301 includes a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 202 and one or more relay devices 101 .

[0036] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the vehicle communication system 301 includes vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, and 202E as vehicle ECUs 202 and relays 101A and 101B as relays 101. The vehicle communication system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 501. The vehicle ECU 202 and the relays 101 constitute a vehicle network 401. The vehicle ECU 202 is an example of a functional unit. The relay 101A includes a management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] The vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a structure including five vehicle ECUs 202, but may be a structure including a plurality of vehicle ECUs 202. The vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a structure including two relay devices 101, but may be a structure including one or more than three relay devices 101.

[0038] In the in-vehicle network 401 , the in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable.

[0039] More specifically, the relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51. The communication port 51 is, for example, a terminal to which an Ethernet cable can be connected. Each relay device 101 and each vehicle-mounted ECU 202 is connected to another relay device 101 or vehicle-mounted ECU 202 via the communication port 51 and the Ethernet cable.

[0040] The relay device 101 is used in the vehicle network 401 including a plurality of vehicle ECUs 202. The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device, and can relay data between the plurality of vehicle ECUs 202 connected to the relay device 101. The relay device 101 can perform relay processing according to, for example, layer 2 and layer 3 higher than layer 2.

[0041] More specifically, the relay device 101 performs a relay process of frames exchanged between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 202 connected via an Ethernet cable, for example, in accordance with the communication standard of Ethernet.

[0042] In addition, in the vehicle communication system 301, it is not limited to a structure that relays frames according to the Ethernet communication standard. For example, it can also be a structure that relays frames according to communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) (registered trademark) and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0043] The in-vehicle ECU 202 includes, for example, an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, and a camera.

[0044] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 generates a frame including various information described below, and transmits the frame to another in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101 .

[0045] As described later, when a predetermined event occurs, the relay device 101A changes the settings of the in-vehicle network 401 (hereinafter, also referred to as network setting change). Hereinafter, the in-vehicle network 401 after the network setting change is reflected is also referred to as a new network.

[0046] [Relay device 101A]

[0047] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the structure of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Show Figure 1 The structure of the relay device 101A shown.

[0048] Reference Figure 2 The relay device 101A includes a relay unit 1, a generator 2, a setting unit 3, an importance determination unit 4, an executable determination unit 5, and a storage unit 8. Part or all of the relay unit 1, the generator 2, the setting unit 3, the importance determination unit 4, and the executable determination unit 5 are implemented, for example, by a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. The storage unit 8 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the above-mentioned processing circuit.

[0049] The relay unit 1 performs a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 202. More specifically, when receiving a frame from a vehicle-mounted ECU 202 or the relay device 101B, the relay unit 1 transmits the received frame to the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 or the relay device 101B to which it is to be transmitted.

[0050] As a device information acquisition unit, the generation unit 2 acquires device information of each of the plurality of functional units including, for example, information on a network configuration of a layer lower than the application layer.

[0051] More specifically, when a predetermined event that triggers a network setting change occurs, the generator 2 acquires device information of each functional unit, for example, each vehicle-mounted ECU 202. The generator 2 may acquire device information of the relay devices 101A and 101B in addition to the device information of each functional unit.

[0052] This event is, for example, a case where a user performs a predetermined operation on the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 as a navigation device. In addition, this event may be a case where a functional unit is newly added to the vehicle-mounted network 401. Specifically, it may be a case where the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 is added to the vehicle-mounted network 401, or a case where an application is newly installed in the existing vehicle-mounted ECU 202 in the vehicle-mounted network 401. In this way, the functional unit may be hardware or software.

[0053] For example, as device information, the generating unit 2 obtains information capable of identifying specifications of hardware devices such as the on-board ECU 202 and the relay device 101 in the new network and the topology of the new network, and information capable of identifying at least any one of constraints related to the configuration of the application to the hardware devices in the new network and constraints on the communication method in the new network.

[0054] As information capable of identifying the specifications of the hardware device and the topology of the new network, the generating unit 2 obtains, for example, information related to the identifier and name of the hardware device, the device type indicating the sensor category, etc., the memory size, the number of physical ports set for each communication protocol, the identifier of the physical port, the power supply structure, the power consumption, the VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) ID, the subnet address and the functional domain, as well as information related to the specifications of the CPU or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) mounted on the hardware device, information related to the connection relationship between the hardware devices, information related to the bandwidth of the communication between the hardware devices and at least any one of the information related to the specifications of the relay device 101.

[0055] As information capable of identifying constraints related to the configuration of an application to a hardware device, the generating unit 2 obtains, for example, at least one piece of information related to the computing speed required for the execution of the application in the vehicle-mounted ECU 202, the memory usage, the constraints of the OS (Operating System) environment, and the constraints of communication protocols such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User datagram Protocol).

[0056] As information capable of identifying constraints on the communication method in the new network, the generating unit 2 obtains at least one of the following information: the communication data size of the application in the vehicle-mounted ECU 202, the communication frequency, whether burst transmission is required, the allowed delay time, the allowed loss amount, the required security level, the action time, the communication type such as whether it is periodic communication or irregular communication, the identifier of the application that is the communication object, the communication method such as request-response type or subscription type, and the information related to the priority of the application's communication.

[0057] For example, the generator 2 specifies one or more types of device information necessary for generating the new network settings information among the types of device information described above.

[0058] The generator 2 transmits, for example, an information request notification indicating that specific types of device information should be transmitted to each functional unit and the relay device 101B via the relay unit 1 .

[0059] As a response to the information request notification received from the generator 2 , each functional unit and the relay device 101B transmits its own device information of the type specified in the information request notification to the generator 2 , for example.

[0060] Furthermore, for example, the generator 2 refers to the storage unit 8 and acquires the device information of the relay device 101A of the specified type from the storage unit 8 .

[0061] The generator 2 generates setting information of a new network based on the acquired information of each device.

[0062] More specifically, the generator 2 determines one or more relay devices 101 (hereinafter also referred to as target relay devices) to be the target of the setting change for communication in the new network by generating the setting information. Then, the generator 2 notifies the target relay devices of the setting contents based on the generated setting information.

[0063] For example, the generator 2 generates setting information based on the acquired device information, and the setting information includes setting contents of the target relay device for communication between the functional units and the relay devices 101A and 101B in the new network, such as filtering, communication bandwidth, and VLAN settings of the relay device 101. The generator 2 notifies the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information of the target relay device.

[0064] On the other hand, when there is no relay device 101 that needs to be changed in the new network, the generator 2 does not notify the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information.

[0065] The importance level determination unit 4 determines the importance level of the frame relayed by the target relay device notified from the generation unit 2 .

[0066] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a message relayed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] Reference Figure 3 The vehicle-mounted ECUs 202A and 202B are, for example, autonomous driving ECUs, engine ECUs, sensors, cameras, and other control systems that exchange information related to the travel of the vehicle 501. The vehicle-mounted ECUs 202C, 202D, and 202E are, for example, ECUs of infotainment systems such as navigation devices.

[0068] In the vehicle communication system 301, the frame of the message M1 exchanged between the vehicle ECU 202A and the vehicle ECU 202B is relayed by the relay device 101A, the frame of the message M2 exchanged between the vehicle ECU 202C and the vehicle ECU 202D is relayed by the relay devices 101A and 101B, and the frame of the message M3 exchanged between the vehicle ECU 202D and the vehicle ECU 202E is relayed by the relay device 101B.

[0069] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a message importance table in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] The storage unit 8 stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between identification information of the relay device 101 and respective importance levels of one or more types of frames relayed by the relay device 101 .

[0071] Specifically, refer to Figure 4 The message importance table, which is an example of the corresponding information, indicates the corresponding relationship among the ID of the relay device 101, the relay device name, the type of the message to be relayed, and the importance of the message.

[0072] In the message importance table, the relay device 101A with ID "001" relays the message M1 with importance "important" and the message M2 with importance "normal". The relay device 101B with ID "002" relays the messages M2 and M3 with importance "normal".

[0073] Thus, in the vehicle communication system 301, the message exchanged between the ECUs of the control system is a message that affects the driving of the vehicle 501, and therefore the importance is set to "important". On the other hand, the message exchanged between the ECUs of the infotainment system is a message that is less likely to affect the driving of the vehicle 501, and therefore the importance is set to "normal".

[0074] The importance determination unit 4 determines the importance based on the corresponding information. More specifically, the importance determination unit 4 refers to the message importance table, and when the ID of the target relay device notified from the generator 2 is "001", the importance determination unit 4 notifies the execution possibility determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is important. On the other hand, the importance determination unit 4 refers to the message importance table, and when the ID of the target relay device notified from the generator 2 is "002", the importance determination unit 4 notifies the execution possibility determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "normal".

[0075] In addition, the message importance table is not limited to "important" and "normal", and may indicate three or more importance levels. In this case, the importance determination unit 4 comprehensively determines the importance of each message to be relayed by the relay device 101, and notifies the execution determination unit 5 of the determination result.

[0076] Refer again Figure 2 The execution possibility determination unit 5 determines whether to change the settings of the target relay device based on the determination result of the importance determination unit 4 .

[0077] More specifically, when the judgment result is notified from the importance judgment unit 4 that it is "important", the executable judgment unit 5 notifies the generator 2 of the setting change of the "non-executable" target relay device. On the other hand, when the judgment result is notified from the importance judgment unit 4 that it is "normal", the executable judgment unit 5 notifies the generator 2 of the setting change of the "executable" target relay device.

[0078] That is, for example, during the period from when the relay device 101A starts changing its own settings to when the settings change is completed, if a message M1 with an importance level of "important" is delayed or discarded due to the settings change, there is a possibility that the communication of the control system is affected and the driving of the vehicle 501 is affected, so the execution feasibility judgment unit 5 determines that the settings change will not be made.

[0079] On the other hand, when the settings of the relay device 101B are changed, even if the messages M2 and M3 with the importance of "normal" are delayed or discarded due to the setting change, the possibility of affecting the communication of the control system is low, so the execution determination unit 5 determines that the setting change can be performed.

[0080] When the generator 2 is notified of "not executable" by the executable determination unit 5, the generator 2 stops or holds the notification of the setting change of the target relay device, that is, the setting contents to the target relay device.

[0081] On the other hand, when the execution determination unit 5 notifies "executable", the generator 2 notifies at least one of the relay devices 101A and 101B that need the setting change of the setting contents for communicating in the new network based on the generated setting information.

[0082] For example, when the generator 2 determines that a plurality of relay devices 101 are to be changed in settings, and when the execution determination unit 5 determines that the setting change of at least any one of the plurality of relay devices 101 is not to be performed, the generator 2 does not notify the plurality of relay devices 101 of the setting contents.

[0083] More specifically, when the importance determination unit 4 is notified of the IDs of both relay devices 101A and 101B from the generation unit 2, it notifies the execution possibility determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by the relay device 101A is "important" and the importance of the frame relayed by the relay device 101B is "normal".

[0084] Since the importance determination unit 4 has notified the relay device 101A of the determination result of “important”, the executable determination unit 5 notifies the generator 2 of the setting change of the target relay device “inexecutable”.

[0085] When notifying the relay device 101A of the setting contents, the generator 2 notifies the setting contents to the setting unit 3. When notifying the relay device 101B of the setting contents, the generator 2 transmits a frame including the setting contents to the relay device 101B via the relay unit 1.

[0086] When the setting contents are notified from the generating unit 2 , the setting unit 3 in the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B perform various setting changes according to the notified setting contents.

[0087] Furthermore, the generator 2 may be configured to generate setting information including setting contents of the functional unit, and notify the functional unit of setting contents for performing communication in the new network in addition to the relay device 101 based on the setting information.

[0088] Each functional unit and the relay devices 101A and 101B in the new network communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents.

[0089] [Variant 1]

[0090] The storage unit 8 may not store the message importance table. In this case, the importance determination unit 4 may determine the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device based on the device information acquired by the generator 2.

[0091] More specifically, the generator 2 notifies the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information of the target relay device, and outputs the acquired device information to the importance determination unit 4 .

[0092] The importance determination unit 4 determines whether the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is “important” or “normal” based on information on the application in the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 or the specifications of the relay device 101 indicated by the device information received from the generator 2 .

[0093] [Variant 2]

[0094] Figure 5It is a diagram showing the structure of Modification 2 of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 Show Figure 1 The structure of a modified example of the relay device 101A shown in FIG.

[0095] Reference Figure 5 , Variation 2 of the relay device 101A and Figure 2 Compared with the relay device 101A shown in the figure, it further includes a relay state determination unit 6 and a vehicle state acquisition unit 7. The relay unit 1, the generation unit 2, the setting unit 3, the importance determination unit 4, the execution determination unit 5, the relay state determination unit 6 and the vehicle state acquisition unit 7 are partially or entirely implemented by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 8 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the above-mentioned processing circuit.

[0096] The relay state determination unit 6 determines whether the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is in a state of relaying a frame of a specific importance.

[0097] The executable determination unit 5 determines whether to change the settings of the target relay device based on the determination result of the importance determination unit 4 and the determination result of the relay state determination unit 6 .

[0098] For example, the vehicle state acquisition unit 7 acquires vehicle state information related to the state of the vehicle 501 and outputs it to the relay state determination unit 6. The vehicle state information indicates the state related to the travel of the vehicle 501, the state of the battery, the state of the air conditioner, the state of the driver, and the like.

[0099] The relay state determination unit 6 determines whether the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is in a state of relaying a frame of a specific importance based on the vehicle state information acquired by the vehicle state acquisition unit.

[0100] Specifically, the vehicle state acquisition unit receives vehicle state information related to the state of the vehicle 501 transmitted regularly or irregularly from a specific vehicle-mounted ECU 202 via the relay unit 1, and outputs the information to the relay state determination unit 6. Here, the vehicle state information indicates whether the vehicle 501 is traveling or parked.

[0101] When the relay state determination unit 6 receives vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is traveling from the vehicle state acquisition unit, the relay state determination unit 6 notifies the execution possibility determination unit 5 of the relay state 1 indicating that the relay device 101 in the vehicle network 401 is relaying a frame with an importance level of "important". On the other hand, when the relay state determination unit 6 receives vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is parked from the vehicle state acquisition unit, the relay state determination unit 6 notifies the execution possibility determination unit 5 of the relay state 2 indicating that the relay device 101 in the vehicle network 401 is not relaying a frame with an importance level of "important".

[0102] When the execution determination unit 5 is notified of the judgment result of "important" from the importance determination unit 4 and the relay state 1 from the relay state determination unit 6, the execution determination unit 5 notifies the generation unit 2 of the setting change of the target relay device "not executable". On the other hand, when the execution determination unit 5 is notified of the judgment result of "normal" from the importance determination unit 4 or the relay state 2 from the relay state determination unit 6, the execution determination unit 5 notifies the generation unit 2 of the setting change of the target relay device "executable".

[0103] The relay state determination unit 6 is not limited to a configuration that determines the relay state using the vehicle state information, and may be configured to inquire of a specific functional unit as to whether or not a frame of a specific importance level is being transmitted.

[0104] Specifically, for example, the relay state determination unit 6 sends a transmission state inquiry to the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 of the control system via the relay unit 1, and determines the relay state based on the transmission state response from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 indicating whether the message M1 is being transmitted. In such a configuration, for example, when the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 sends a transmission state response indicating that the message M1 is not being transmitted to the relay device 101A, the transmission of the message M1 is suspended until a predetermined time has passed since the transmission of the transmission state response.

[0105] [Flow of Action]

[0106] Figure 6 This is a flowchart that identifies an example of an operation procedure when a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure changes network settings.

[0107] Reference Figure 6 First, when a predetermined event that triggers a network setting change occurs (Yes in step S1 ), the relay device 101A obtains, for example, device information of each functional unit and each relay device 101 (step S2 ).

[0108] Next, the relay device 101A generates setting information based on the acquired device information, thereby determining a target relay device (step S3 ).

[0109] Next, when the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is “important” (“Yes” in step S4 ), the relay device 101A stops changing the setting of the target relay device (step S5 ).

[0110] On the other hand, when the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is “normal” (No in step S4 ), the relay device 101A notifies the target relay device of the setting content (step S6 ).

[0111] Figure 7 This is a flowchart that identifies an example of an operation procedure when the second modification of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure changes the network settings.

[0112] Reference Figure 7 , the processing of step S11 to step S13 is the same as Figure 6 Steps S1 to S3 are the same as in .

[0113] Next, when the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is “normal” (No in step S14 ), the relay device 101A notifies the target relay device of the setting contents (step S17 ).

[0114] On the other hand, when the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "important" ("Yes" in step S4) and the relay device 101 in the vehicle network 401 is in relay state 1 ("Yes" in step S15), the relay device 101A retains the setting change of the target relay device (step S16), and when it changes to relay state 2 in which the frame is not relayed ("No" in step S15), the setting content is notified to the target relay device (step S17).

[0115] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of network setting changes in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0116] Reference Figure 8 First, when a predetermined event that triggers a network setting change occurs, the relay device 101A starts changing the network setting (step S21 ).

[0117] Next, the relay device 101A transmits an information request notification to each of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 and the relay device 101B (steps S22 , S23 , and S24 ).

[0118] Next, each of the in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101B receives the information request notification, and transmits the device information to the relay device 101A (steps S25 , S26 , and S27 ).

[0119] Next, the relay device 101A generates setting information based on, for example, the received device information and the device information of the relay device 101A, thereby determining a target relay device (step S28 ).

[0120] Next, the relay device 101A determines the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device, and determines that the importance is, for example, “important” (step S29 ).

[0121] Next, the relay device 101A transmits a transmission status inquiry to the in-vehicle ECU 202 of the control system (step S30 ).

[0122] Next, the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 of the control system receives the transmission status inquiry, and transmits a transmission status response indicating that the message M1 is not being transmitted, for example, to the relay device 101A (step S31 ).

[0123] Next, the relay device 101A receives the transmission status response, determines that the setting change of the target relay device is “executable” (step S32 ), and notifies the setting content to the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B, for example (step S33 ).

[0124] Next, the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B perform various setting changes according to the setting contents notified from the relay device 101A (steps S34 and S35 ).

[0125] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101B and each functional unit communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents (step S36 ).

[0126] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of network setting changes in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0127] Reference Fig. 9 , the processing of steps S41 to S49 is the same as Figure 8 Steps S21 to S29 are the same as in.

[0128] Next, the relay device 101A acquires, as information on the state of the vehicle 501 , vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is parked, for example (step S50 ).

[0129] Next, the relay device 101A determines that the setting change of the target relay device is “executable” (step S51 ), and notifies the setting content to the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B, for example (step S52 ).

[0130] Next, the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B perform various setting changes according to the setting contents notified from the relay device 101A (steps S53 and S54 ).

[0131] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101B and each functional unit communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents (step S55 ).

[0132] In addition, the vehicle-mounted communication system 301 may be configured to include a single relay device 101A without the relay device 101B. In this case, since the execution determination unit 5 in the relay device 101A is fixedly notified of the determination result of "important" from the importance determination unit 4, it notifies the generation unit 2 of "executable" or "non-executable" as a setting change of the target relay device, the relay device 101A, based on the relay status notified from the relay status determination unit 6.

[0133] In addition, the management device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured as a relay device 101A included in the vehicle communication system 301, but is not limited to this. Part or all of the units other than the relay unit 1 in the relay device 101A may be included in a device other than the relay device 101A in the vehicle communication system 301, or may be provided outside the vehicle communication system 301.

[0134] In addition, the management device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be implemented by a server (not shown) that can communicate with the vehicle-mounted communication system 301. In this case, part or all of the functions of the management device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be provided by cloud computing. That is, the management device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be composed of multiple cloud servers, etc.

[0135] Each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. In addition to the above-mentioned one or more processors, the above-mentioned processing circuit can also be composed of an integrated circuit composed of one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits. The above-mentioned one or more memories store programs (commands) that enable the above-mentioned one or more processors to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned one or more processors can perform the above-mentioned processes according to the above-mentioned programs read from the above-mentioned one or more memories, or according to the logic circuits pre-designed to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned processor can also be a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit: Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor: Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other various processors suitable for computer control. In addition, the above-mentioned multiple processors separated physically can also cooperate with each other to perform the above-mentioned processes. For example, the processors mounted on each of the physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet to perform the above-mentioned processes. The program may be installed in the memory from an external server device or the like via the network, or may be circulated in a state of being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and a semiconductor memory, and installed in the memory from the recording medium.

[0136] The above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and should not be construed as restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0137] The above description includes the following additional features.

[0138] [Note 1] A management device is used for an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein: The management device comprises: an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of setting change; and an execution possibility determination unit that determines whether to perform the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit, The management device further includes a relay state determination unit configured to determine whether the relay device in the vehicle network is in a first relay state in which it is relaying frames of a specific importance, or in a second relay state in which it is not relaying frames of the specific importance. The execution possibility determination unit determines whether to perform the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit and the determination result of the relay state determination unit, The execution feasibility determination unit determines not to perform the setting change when the frame relayed by the relay device that is the object of the setting change is a frame of the specific importance and is determined by the relay state determination unit to be in the first relay state, and determines to perform the setting change when it is in the second relay state.

[0139] [Note 2] A management device is used for an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein: The management device comprises a processing circuit, The processing circuit determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and the relay device is a target of setting change, Whether to perform the setting change is determined based on the determination result.

[0140] Description of symbols 1 Relay Department 2. Generation 3. Setting section 4 Importance Judgment Unit 5. Execution determination section 6 Relay status judgment unit 7 Vehicle status acquisition unit 8 Storage 51 Communication port 101, 101A, 101B relay devices 202, 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, 202E Vehicle ECU 301 Vehicle Communication System 401 In-vehicle network 501 Vehicles.

Claims

1. A management device for an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, wherein: The management device comprises: an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of setting change; and The executable determination unit determines whether to perform the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit.

2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The management device further includes a generation unit that generates setting information of a new network based on the device information obtained from the plurality of functional units, thereby determining the relay device that is the object of setting change for communication in the new network, and notifying the determined relay device of the setting content. When the execution possibility determination unit determines that the setting change of at least one of the plurality of relay devices is not to be performed, the generation unit does not notify the at least one of the plurality of relay devices of the setting content.

3. The management device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The management device further includes a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the identification information of the relay device and the importance of the frame relayed by the relay device. The importance determination unit determines the importance based on the correspondence information.

4. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The management device further includes a relay state determination unit configured to determine whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is in a state of relaying a frame of a specific importance. The executable determination unit determines whether to perform the setting change based on a determination result of the importance determination unit and a determination result of the relay state determination unit.

5. The management device according to claim 4, wherein: The management device further includes a vehicle state acquisition unit that acquires vehicle state information related to the state of the vehicle. The relay state determination unit determines whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is in a state of relaying a frame of a specific importance based on the vehicle state information acquired by the vehicle state acquisition unit.

6. The management device according to claim 4, wherein: The relay state determination unit inquires of a specific functional unit as to whether the specific functional unit is transmitting a frame having the specific importance level.

7. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The management device further includes a device information acquisition unit, the device information acquisition unit acquiring the device information of the functional unit, The importance determination unit determines the importance based on the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit.

8. A vehicle communication management method, which is a vehicle communication management method for a management device used in an on-board network installed in a vehicle, wherein: The vehicle communication management method comprises the following steps: determining the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing for relaying frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of setting change; and Whether to perform the setting change is determined based on the determination result of the importance.

9. A vehicle communication management program used in a management device used in an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, wherein: The vehicle communication management program is used to enable the computer to operate as the following units: an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing for relaying frames sent and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of setting change; and The executable determination unit determines whether to perform the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit.

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