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

Abstract

A management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is provided with: a detection unit that detects addition of a function unit to a network including one or more in-vehicle function units; and an acquisition unit that acquires functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, transmits candidate information indicating candidates of target information when target information, which is functional unit information of a new functional unit, cannot be acquired from the new functional unit, and acquires the target information by receiving a selection result of the candidates indicated by the candidate information. The new function part is the additional function part detected by the detection part; and a generation unit that generates configuration information of a new network on the basis of each of the functional unit information acquired by the acquisition unit, the new network being a network that further includes the new functional 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. 2022-123582 filed on August 2, 2022, and all the contents described in the Japanese application are cited. Background Art

[0002] Technology for changing the settings of the structure of an in-vehicle network is being developed. For example, the following technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 179124). That is, a management device comprises: a detection unit that detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more in-vehicle functional units; a generation unit that obtains functional unit information of the new functional unit and functional unit information of the in-vehicle functional unit, and generates structural information of a new network based on the obtained information of each functional unit, wherein the new functional unit is the functional unit detected to be added by the detection unit, and the new network is the network that also includes the new functional unit; and an acquisition unit that obtains, from a database in a storage device, establishment information corresponding to the structural information generated by the generation unit and indicating the establishment of the new network.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2020 / 179124 Summary of the invention

[0006] The management device disclosed in the present invention comprises: a detection unit, which detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit, which acquires functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, and when the functional unit information of the new functional unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new functional unit, sends candidate information representing a candidate of the object information, and acquires the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate represented by the candidate information, wherein the new functional unit is the functional unit added by the detection unit; and a generation unit, which generates structural information of a new network based on the functional unit information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the new network is the network that also includes the new functional unit.

[0007] One embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements a part or all of the management device, or can be implemented as a system including the management device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the structure of a communication system involved in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration in a vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the configuration of a management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the structure of a server in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of an establishment / failure database stored in a storage device in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing an example of a setting database stored in a storage device in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network after the settings are changed in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of temporary configuration information of a network generated by a management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig.13 It is a diagram showing an example of candidate information generated by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig.14 This is a diagram showing an example of selection information received by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.15 This is a diagram showing an example of new network configuration information generated by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig.16 This is a flowchart that determines the operation sequence of a management unit in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when constructing a new network.

[0024] Fig.17 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing another example of the sequence of the new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig.19 This is a diagram showing another example of the sequence of the new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] <Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure>

[0028] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the new functional unit has a function of transmitting functional unit information. However, if, for example, an onboard ECU (Electronic Control Unit) added to the onboard network does not have this function, it is difficult for the management device to generate configuration information of the new network.

[0029] 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 that can more reliably construct a network with a new structure including an in-vehicle functional unit.

[0030] <Effects of the Present Disclosure>

[0031] According to the present disclosure, a network having a new structure including vehicle-mounted functional units can be constructed more reliably.

[0032] <Overview of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure>

[0033] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0034] (1) The management device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a detection unit for detecting the addition of a functional unit to a network, the network including one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit for acquiring functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, and when the functional unit information of the new functional unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new functional unit, sending candidate information representing a candidate of the object information, and acquiring the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate represented by the candidate information, the new functional unit being the functional unit added by the detection unit; and a generation unit for generating structural information of a new network based on the functional unit information acquired by the acquisition unit, the new network being the network also including the new functional unit.

[0035] According to such a structure, even if the new functional unit added to the network does not have the function of transmitting the functional unit information, the functional unit information can be supplemented using the selection information for the candidate information to generate the structure information of the new network. Therefore, a network with a new structure including the vehicle-mounted functional unit can be constructed more reliably. In addition, compared with a structure in which the functional unit information is supplemented by the user's free input, the input burden of the user can be reduced, and, for example, the processing can be prevented from being complicated in order to deal with input errors.

[0036] (2) In the above (1), the acquisition unit may acquire the candidate information based on the acquired functional unit information of the in-vehicle functional unit.

[0037] With such a configuration, appropriate candidate information can be acquired using the function unit information of the existing function units in the network.

[0038] (3) In (2), the acquisition unit may generate temporary configuration information of the network based on the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit, and acquire the candidate information based on the temporary configuration information and establishment information, wherein the establishment information indicates establishment of the new network.

[0039] According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily estimate the functional unit information of a new functional unit that can be connected to the new network using the verification result of the validity of the network generated in advance.

[0040] (4) In (3), the establishment information may be information indicating a plurality of combinations of the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit and the functional unit information of the new functional unit and the establishment of the new network, and the acquisition unit may acquire the candidate information based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit corresponding to the temporary structure information in the establishment information.

[0041] With such a configuration, it is possible to generate candidate information by simple processing using tabulated validity information.

[0042] (5) In any one of (2) to (4) above, the acquisition unit may acquire the candidate information based on a location at which the new function unit is added to the network.

[0043] According to such a configuration, it is possible to further narrow down the candidates using the additional positions on the network, generate more appropriate candidate information, and reduce the burden on the user when selecting target information.

[0044] (6) In any one of (1) to (5) above, the management device may further include a configuration processing unit that obtains, from a database in a storage device, validity information indicating validity of the new network that corresponds to the configuration information of the new network generated by the generation unit.

[0045] With such a structure, a new network can be constructed using the verification results of the validity of a pre-generated network. Thus, as a new network, a network that guarantees validity by taking into account the logical structure and the physical structure can be constructed, thereby suppressing the occurrence of delays in important communications caused by, for example, adding a new functional unit to the network.

[0046] (7) The vehicle communication management method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle communication management method in a management device, which includes the following steps: detecting the addition of a functional unit to a network, the network including one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; obtaining functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, and when the functional unit information of the new functional unit, i.e., object information, cannot be obtained from the new functional unit, sending candidate information representing a candidate for the object information, and obtaining the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate represented by the candidate information, the new functional unit being the functional unit detected to be added; and generating structural information of a new network based on the obtained information of each functional unit, the new network being the network that also includes the new functional unit.

[0047] According to such a structure, even if the new functional unit added to the network does not have the function of transmitting the functional unit information, the functional unit information can be supplemented using the selection information for the candidate information to generate the structure information of the new network. Therefore, a network with a new structure including the vehicle-mounted functional unit can be constructed more reliably. In addition, compared with a structure in which the functional unit information is supplemented by the user's free input, the input burden of the user can be reduced, and, for example, the processing can be prevented from being complicated in order to deal with input errors.

[0048] (8) The vehicle communication management program involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle communication management program used in a management device, wherein the program is used to cause a computer to operate as the following units: a detection unit, which detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit, which acquires functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, and when the functional unit information of the new functional unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new functional unit, sends candidate information representing a candidate for the object information, and acquires the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate represented by the candidate information, wherein the new functional unit is the functional unit added by the detection unit; and a generation unit, which generates structural information of a new network based on the functional unit information acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the new network is the network that also includes the new functional unit.

[0049] According to such a structure, even if the new functional unit added to the network does not have the function of transmitting the functional unit information, the functional unit information can be supplemented using the selection information for the candidate information to generate the structure information of the new network. Therefore, a network with a new structure including the vehicle-mounted functional unit can be constructed more reliably. In addition, compared with a structure in which the functional unit information is supplemented by the user's free input, the input burden of the user can be reduced, and, for example, the processing can be prevented from being complicated in order to deal with input errors.

[0050] <Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure>

[0051] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are marked with the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0052] [Communication System]

[0053] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the structure of a communication system involved in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] Reference Figure 1 The communication system 400 includes a server 180 and one or more vehicle communication systems 300 . The vehicle communication system 300 is mounted on the vehicle 1 .

[0055] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] Reference Figure 2The vehicle communication system 300 includes one or more vehicle-mounted ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 111 and a relay device 112 . Specifically, the vehicle communication system 300 includes vehicle-mounted ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, and 111E as the vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 . The relay device 112 includes a management unit 200 .

[0057] The in-vehicle ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, 111E and the relay device 112 each include an application program 100 .

[0058] More specifically, as the application 100 , the vehicle-mounted ECU 111A includes the application 100A, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111B includes the application 100B, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111C includes the application 100C, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111D includes the application 100D, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111E includes the application 100E, and the relay device 112 includes the application 100F.

[0059] The in-vehicle ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, and 111E and the relay device 112 constitute a network 12 .

[0060] The vehicle-mounted ECU 111 and the application 100 are examples of vehicle-mounted functional units that are mounted on the vehicle 1 among the functional units or targets of the network 12. The relay device 112 is an example of a management device.

[0061] It should be noted that the vehicle communication system 300 is not limited to a structure having five vehicle-mounted ECUs 111, but may be a structure having one, two, three, four, or six or more vehicle-mounted ECUs 111. In addition, the vehicle communication system 300 is not limited to a structure having one application 100 in one vehicle-mounted ECU 111, but may be a structure having two or more application programs 100 in one vehicle-mounted ECU 111.

[0062] The vehicle communication system 300 is not limited to a structure including one relay device 112, but may be a structure including a plurality of relay devices 112. The vehicle communication system 300 is not limited to a structure including one application 100 in one relay device 112, but may be a structure including two or more application programs 100 in one relay device 112.

[0063] Furthermore, the network 12 may include an external device outside the vehicle 1 and an application program provided in the external device as a functional unit, that is, an object.

[0064] The vehicle-mounted ECU 111 is, for example, a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0065] In this example, the vehicle-mounted ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, and 111E are a TCU, an intake pressure sensor, an engine ECU, a temperature sensor, and a water temperature sensor, respectively.

[0066] Hereinafter, the vehicle-mounted ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, and 111E are also referred to as TCU 111A, intake pressure sensor 111B, engine ECU 111C, temperature sensor 111D, and water temperature sensor 111E, respectively.

[0067] In the network 12 , the in-vehicle ECUs 111A, 111B, 111C, 111D, and 111E are connected to a relay device 112 via an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11 .

[0068] The relay device 112 is, for example, a gateway device, and can relay data between a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 connected to the relay device.

[0069] The relay device 112 performs a relay process of an Ethernet frame according to the Ethernet communication standard. Specifically, for example, the relay device 112 relays an Ethernet frame exchanged between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 111. An IP packet is stored in the Ethernet frame.

[0070] It should be noted that the vehicle communication system 300 is not limited to a structure for relaying Ethernet frames in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard. For example, it may also be a structure for relaying data in accordance with communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network) (registered trademark), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) (registered trademark) and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0071] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the TCU 111A can communicate with the server 180. Specifically, the TCU 111A can communicate with the server 180 via the wireless base station device 161 using, for example, IP packets.

[0072] More specifically, the TCU 111A can perform wireless communication with the wireless base station device 161 in accordance with communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G.

[0073] Specifically, when receiving an IP packet from the server 180 via the external network 170 such as the Internet, the wireless base station device 161 includes the received IP packet in a wireless signal and transmits the signal to the TCU 111A.

[0074] For example, when receiving a wireless signal including an IP packet from the server 180 through the wireless base station device 161 , the TCU 111A obtains the IP packet from the received wireless signal, stores the obtained IP packet in an Ethernet frame, and transmits the obtained IP packet to the relay device 112 .

[0075] Furthermore, when receiving an Ethernet frame from the relay device 112 , the TCU 111A obtains an IP packet from the received Ethernet frame, and transmits a wireless signal including the obtained IP packet to the wireless base station device 161 .

[0076] When receiving a wireless signal from the TCU 111A, the wireless base station device 161 acquires an IP packet from the received wireless signal and transmits the acquired IP packet to the server 180 via the external network 170 .

[0077] The intake air pressure sensor 111B can communicate with other vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 via the relay device 112 , and periodically measures the intake air pressure of the engine in the vehicle 1 , for example.

[0078] The engine ECU 111C can communicate with other vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 via the relay device 112 , for example, to control the engine in the vehicle 1 .

[0079] More specifically, the engine ECU 111C acquires information indicating, for example, the engine rotation speed, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 , the engine shaft torque, the state of the transmission, the state of the throttle, and the measurement values ​​of various sensors, and controls the engine based on the acquired information.

[0080] In addition, the engine ECU 111C can transmit part or all of the acquired information to the relay device 112 , for example, in response to a request from the relay device 112 .

[0081] The temperature sensor 111D can communicate with other vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 via the relay device 112 , and can periodically measure the outside temperature of the vehicle 1 , for example.

[0082] The water temperature sensor 111E can communicate with other vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 via the relay device 112 , and regularly measures the temperature of cooling water circulating in the engine of the vehicle 1 , for example.

[0083] Each application 100 performs a predetermined process in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 or the relay device 112 provided therein by performing, for example, processing at the application layer. For example, the application 100D in the temperature sensor 111D generates temperature information indicating the outside temperature of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined period.

[0084] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration in a vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] Reference Figure 3 The relay device 112 includes communication ports 120A, 120B, and 120C. The communication ports 120A, 120B, and 120C are also referred to as communication ports 120. The communication port 120 is, for example, a terminal to which the Ethernet cable 11 can be connected.

[0086] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the TCU 111A is connected to the communication port 120A, the intake pressure sensor 111B and the engine ECU 111C are connected to the communication port 120B, and the temperature sensor 111D and the water temperature sensor 111E are connected to the communication port 120C.

[0087] In the network 12 , the TCU 111A belongs to a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) 10 . The intake pressure sensor 111B and the engine ECU 111C belong to a VLAN 20 different from the VLAN 10 . The temperature sensor 111D and the water temperature sensor 111E belong to a VLAN 30 different from the VLAN 10 and the VLAN 20 .

[0088] The relay device 112 performs, for example, Ethernet frame relay processing between vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 belonging to the same VLAN. Specifically, the relay device 112 sends the Ethernet frame to the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 as the destination based on the source MAC (Media Access Control) address and the destination MAC address contained in the received Ethernet frame.

[0089] The relay device 112 relays IP packets between vehicle-mounted ECUs 111 belonging to different VLANs. Specifically, the relay device 112 obtains IP packets from received Ethernet frames and transmits the IP packets to the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 as the destination based on the destination IP address of the obtained IP packets.

[0090] [Management Department]

[0091] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the configuration of a management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] Reference Figure 4 The management unit 200 includes a detection unit 210, a generation unit 220, a setting processing unit 230, a storage unit 240, a notification unit 250, and an acquisition unit 270. Part or all of the detection unit 210, the generation unit 220, the setting processing unit 230, the notification unit 250, and the acquisition unit 270 are implemented by, for example, a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. The storage unit 240 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0093] [Detection Department]

[0094] The detection unit 210 detects a new functional unit that is newly added to the network 12. That is, the detection unit 210 detects the addition of a new functional unit to the network 12. More specifically, the detection unit 210 detects the addition of the onboard ECU 111, the external device, the application 100, etc. to the network 12. As an example, the detection unit 210 detects the application 100 of the onboard ECU 111 newly added to the network 12 as a new functional unit.

[0095] For example, the new function section transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the network 12 to the detection section 210 .

[0096] The detection unit 210 receives the connection request information and detects the new functional unit that is the source of the connection request information.

[0097] It should be noted that the detection unit 210 may be configured to, for example, periodically broadcast a search message for detecting a new functional unit. In this case, the new functional unit receives the search message and sends a connection request message as a response to the received search message.

[0098] Hereinafter, the network 12 including the new functional unit is also referred to as a new network, the network 12 before the addition of the new functional unit is also referred to as an existing network, and the functional unit included in the existing network is also referred to as an existing functional unit. The vehicle-mounted ECU 111 included in the existing network is an example of an existing functional unit.

[0099] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Reference Figure 5, it is assumed that a vehicle-mounted ECU 111G is newly added to the network 12. In this example, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111G is an image sensor. Hereinafter, the vehicle-mounted ECU 111G is also referred to as the image sensor 111G. The image sensor 111G includes an application 100G as a new functional unit.

[0101] When the image sensor 111G receives power supply and is connected to the communication port 120C of the relay device 112 via the Ethernet cable 11 , for example, connection request information for requesting communication connection in the network 12 is transmitted to the detection section 210 .

[0102] More specifically, the application 100G in the image sensor 111G generates an Ethernet frame including connection request information, its own ID, and the MAC address of the relay device 112 as a transmission destination MAC address, and transmits the generated Ethernet frame to the relay device 112 .

[0103] When receiving the Ethernet frame transmitted from the application 100G, the detection unit 210 in the relay device 112 performs authentication processing of the application 100G using the ID and the like included in the received Ethernet frame.

[0104] When the authentication of the application 100G succeeds, the detection unit 210 generates authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded and an Ethernet frame including the MAC address of the image sensor 111G as the destination MAC address, and transmits the generated Ethernet frame to the image sensor 111G.

[0105] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0106] The new functional unit detected by the detection unit 210 is not limited to the application 100 included in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 newly connected to the relay device 112. For example, the detection unit 210 may be configured to detect the application 100 newly installed in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 in the existing network as the new functional unit.

[0107] Reference Figure 6 In the network 12, it is assumed that the application 100H is newly installed as a new functional unit in the engine ECU 111C which is an existing functional unit.

[0108] When installed in the engine ECU 111C, the application 100H generates an Ethernet frame including connection request information, its own ID, and the MAC address of the relay device 112 as a transmission destination MAC address, and transmits the generated Ethernet frame to the relay device 112 .

[0109] When receiving the Ethernet frame transmitted from the application 100H, the detection unit 210 in the relay device 112 performs authentication processing of the application 100H using the ID and the like included in the received Ethernet frame.

[0110] When the authentication of the application 100H succeeds, the detection unit 210 generates authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded and an Ethernet frame including the MAC address of the engine ECU 111C as the destination MAC address, and transmits the generated Ethernet frame to the engine ECU 111C.

[0111] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] The new functional unit detected by the detection unit 210 is not limited to the application 100 included in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 newly connected to the relay device 112 as described above, or the application 100 installed in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111. For example, the detection unit 210 may be configured to detect the application 100 included in the external device 113 added to the network 12 outside the vehicle 1 as the new functional unit.

[0113] Reference Figure 7 , it is assumed that an external device 113 is newly added to the network 12. The external device 113 is a device provided outside the vehicle 1. The external device 113 includes an application 100J as a new functional unit.

[0114] The external device 113 can communicate with the TCU 111A. More specifically, the external device 113 can communicate with the TCU 111A via the wireless base station device 161 using, for example, IP packets.

[0115] The external device 113 transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the network 12 to the detection unit 210 via the TCU 111A.

[0116] More specifically, the application 100J in the external device 113 transmits an IP packet including connection request information, its own ID, and the MAC address of the relay device 112 to the wireless base station device 161 via the external network 170 .

[0117] When receiving an IP packet from the external device 113 via the external network 170 , the wireless base station 161 includes the received IP packet in a wireless signal and transmits it to the TCU 111A.

[0118] When TCU111A receives a wireless signal containing an IP packet from application 100J from wireless base station device 161, it obtains the IP packet from the received wireless signal, generates an Ethernet frame containing the obtained IP packet and the MAC address of relay device 112 as the destination MAC address, and sends the generated Ethernet frame to relay device 112.

[0119] When receiving the Ethernet frame from the TCU 111A, the detection unit 210 in the relay device 112 performs authentication processing of the application 100J using the ID and the like contained in the IP packet stored in the received Ethernet frame.

[0120] If the authentication of the application 100J succeeds, the detection unit 210 generates authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded and an Ethernet frame including the MAC address of the external device 113 as the destination MAC address, and transmits the generated Ethernet frame to the TCU 111A.

[0121] When receiving the Ethernet frame from the detection unit 210 , the TCU 111A obtains the IP packet from the received Ethernet frame, and transmits a wireless signal including the obtained IP packet to the external device 113 via the wireless base station device 161 .

[0122] As described above, when the authentication of the new functional unit is successful, the detection unit 210 outputs detection information indicating the ID of the new functional unit and the port number of the corresponding communication port 120 to the acquisition unit 270 .

[0123] It should be noted that when the vehicle communication system 300 includes multiple relay devices 112 and the on-board ECU 111 is newly connected to the relay device 112 that does not include the management unit 200, for example, the relay device 112 can detect the connection of the on-board ECU 111 through Ethernet link connection or LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol), and send the detection information about the new functional unit to the management unit 200 in another relay device 112.

[0124] [Acquisition Department]

[0125] The acquisition unit 270 acquires the functional unit information of the existing functional unit and the functional unit information of the new functional unit. More specifically, when the acquisition unit 270 receives the detection information from the detection unit 210, it starts the acquisition process of the functional unit information of each functional unit. The acquisition unit 270 acquires the functional unit information of the new functional unit indicated by the detection information, and acquires the functional unit information of the existing functional unit, and outputs it to the generation unit 220.

[0126] For example, the acquisition unit 270 acquires information that can identify the topology of hardware devices such as the vehicle-mounted ECU 111, the relay device 112, and the external device 113 in the new network as the functional unit information. In addition, for example, the acquisition unit 270 acquires information that can identify restrictions on the configuration of the application 100 to the hardware device in the new network as the functional unit information. In addition, for example, the acquisition unit 270 acquires information that can identify restrictions on the communication method between the applications 100.

[0127] The acquisition unit 270 acquires, for example, vehicle information indicating the manufacturer and model of the vehicle 1 equipped with the on-board ECU 111 and the relay device 112, additional option information indicating additional options installed on the vehicle 1, an identifier indicating the manufacturer and manufacturing number of the on-board ECU 111, namely, the on-board device ID, the port number of the communication port in the connection between the hardware devices, and the bandwidth of the communication path between the hardware devices, as information capable of identifying the topology of the hardware devices.

[0128] The acquisition unit 270 acquires, for example, the ID of the application 100 as information capable of identifying restrictions on the placement of the application 100 in the hardware device.

[0129] The acquisition unit 270 acquires information indicating a communication standard used for communication between the applications 100 , such as Ethernet or CAN, as information capable of identifying restrictions on the communication method between the applications 100 .

[0130] For example, the acquisition unit 270 transmits an information request notification indicating the type of function unit information to be transmitted among the types of function unit information described above, to the existing function unit and the new function unit.

[0131] In response to the information request notification received from the acquisition unit 270 , the existing function unit and the new function unit transmit their own function unit information of the type specified in the information request notification to the acquisition unit 270 .

[0132] [Generation Department]

[0133] Generator 220 generates new network configuration information based on the existing function unit information and the new function unit information acquired by acquirer 270. Generator 220 generates new network configuration information based on each function unit information received from acquirer 270 and outputs it to configuration processor 230.

[0134] For example, the generator 220 generates information that can identify the functional units in the vehicle 1 and the new network as the configuration information. Here, as an example, the generator 220 generates configuration information indicating a combination of vehicle information, the ID of the application 100 in the existing network, and the ID of the additional application 100.

[0135] It should be noted that the acquisition unit 270 may also be configured to acquire the configuration information of the existing network as the functional unit information of each existing functional unit and output it to the generation unit 220 .

[0136] More specifically, the storage unit 240 may store the structure information of the existing network.

[0137] Acquisition unit 270 refers to storage unit 240, and if existing network configuration information is registered in storage unit 240, acquires the configuration information from storage unit 240. In this case, acquisition unit 270 sends an information request notification to the new function unit, but does not send an information request notification to the existing function unit.

[0138] The generation unit 220 generates the configuration information of the new network based on the function unit information of the new function unit received from the acquisition unit 270 and the configuration information of the existing network. Specifically, the generation unit 220 uses the function unit information of the new function unit to change the configuration information of the existing network acquired from the storage unit 240, thereby generating the configuration information of the new network. The generation unit 220 updates the configuration information in the storage unit 240 to the generated new configuration information.

[0139] [Settings Processing Unit]

[0140] The configuration processing unit 230 acquires, from the database in the storage device, the validity information indicating the validity of the new network, which corresponds to the configuration information of the new network generated by the generation unit 220 .

[0141] More specifically, the configuration processing unit 230 acquires, as the establishment information, for example, establishment information indicating whether the new network is established or not and configuration information indicating the contents of configuration for performing communication in the new network.

[0142] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the structure of a server in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] Reference Figure 8 The server 180 includes a storage device 181 and a database processing unit 182. The database processing unit 182 is implemented by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage device 181 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0144] For example, the storage device 181 stores an establishment / failure database in which the configuration information of the network 12 and establishment / failure information indicating whether the network 12 is established / failure are associated with each other.

[0145] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 8When receiving the configuration information of the new network from the generation unit 220 , the setting processing unit 230 communicates with the server 180 via the TCU 111A, thereby acquiring the establishment information corresponding to the configuration information from the establishment database in the storage device 181 .

[0146] More specifically, the configuration processing unit 230 transmits the configuration information received from the generating unit 220 to the database processing unit 182 in the server 180 .

[0147] The database processing unit 182 uses the configuration information received from the configuration processing unit 230 as a search key to obtain the corresponding establishment / failure information from the establishment / failure database. The database processing unit 182 sends the obtained establishment / failure information to the configuration processing unit 230 .

[0148] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example of an establishment / failure database stored in a storage device in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0149] In the following, it is assumed that the IDs of applications 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, 100H, and 100J are "ID-A", "ID-B", "ID-C", "ID-D", "ID-E", "ID-F", "ID-G", "ID-H", and "ID-J", respectively.

[0150] The validity information is information indicating a plurality of combinations of the function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, the function unit information of the new function unit, and the validity of the new network.

[0151] Specifically, refer to Fig. 9 In the establishment database in the storage device 181, the structure ID, the structure information representing the vehicle information and the combination of the ID of the application 100 in the original network and the ID of the additional application 100, and the establishment information of the new network represented by the structure information are registered in correspondence.

[0152] It should be noted that in this example, for convenience, it is assumed that the topology of the hardware devices and the bandwidth of the communication path between the hardware devices can be determined based on the vehicle information and the ID of the application 100 .

[0153] In the validity database, the validity information indicates, for example, "validation" or "non-validation".

[0154] In the establishment or failure database, when the establishment or failure information corresponding to the structural information of the new network indicates "established", it means that the new network is established; when the establishment or failure information indicates "not established", it means that the new network is not established. In addition, "unverified" in the establishment or failure database means that the establishment or failure of the new network has not been verified and there is no establishment or failure information.

[0155] For example, the database processing unit 182 receives structural information indicating that the manufacturer of the vehicle 1 is "Company A", the model is "aaaa", the IDs of the applications 100 in the existing network are "IDA", "ID-B" and "ID-C", and the ID of the additional application 100 is "ID-G" from the setting processing unit 230. Then, the database processing unit 182 uses the received structural information as a search keyword to obtain the establishment information indicating "establishment" from the establishment database, and sends the obtained establishment information to the setting processing unit 230.

[0156] For example, when the configuration processing unit 230 in the management unit 200 obtains the validity information from the database in the storage device 181 as described above, it registers the structure information generated by the generation unit 220 and the validity information corresponding to the structure information in the storage unit 240 .

[0157] In addition, for example, the configuration processing unit 230 also acquires configuration information indicating configuration contents for performing communication in the new network.

[0158] More specifically, the configuration processing unit 230 acquires configuration information indicating configuration contents of each functional unit for each functional unit to perform communication below layer 4 in the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model in the new network.

[0159] For example, the storage device 181 in the server 180 stores a setting database in which the configuration information of the network 12 and the setting contents of the functional units in the network 12 are associated with each other.

[0160] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing an example of a setting database stored in a storage device in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0161] For convenience, the communication ports 120A, 120B, and 120C of the relay device 112 are denoted by “1,” “2,” and “3” respectively. The vehicle-mounted ECU 111 includes one communication port, and the port number of the communication port is denoted by “1.”

[0162] Reference Fig.10In the setting database in the storage device 181, for example, the configuration ID and the setting contents of each functional unit in the network 12 indicated by the configuration ID, for example, the VLAN ID of each communication port 120 are registered. Hereinafter, the VLAN ID is also referred to as "VID".

[0163] Reference Fig. 9 and Fig.10 When the database processing unit 182 obtains the establishment / failure information indicating "establishment" from the establishment / failure database as the establishment / failure information corresponding to the structure information with the structure ID "00001", it obtains the VID of each functional unit from the setting database as the setting information with the structure ID "00001".

[0164] For example, the establishment / failure information in the establishment / failure database and the setting information in the setting database are generated based on the results of verification performed in advance in consideration of the logical structure and the physical structure of the network indicated by each structure information.

[0165] The database processing unit 182 sends the acquired setting information to the setting processing unit 230 in the management unit 200 .

[0166] (Action Example 1)

[0167] When acquiring the establishment / failure information and the setting information indicating “establishment” as the establishment information, the setting processing unit 230 outputs the acquired establishment / failure information and the setting information to the notification unit 250 .

[0168] When receiving the establishment information from the setting processing unit 230 , the notification unit 250 notifies at least any one of the functional units in the new network of the setting contents for communicating in the new network based on the received establishment information.

[0169] More specifically, the notification unit 250 identifies a function unit whose settings need to be changed in order to communicate in the new network from among one or more existing function units and new function units included in the existing network, and notifies the identified function unit of the settings.

[0170] For example, when the notification unit 250 receives the setting information from the setting processing unit 230, it obtains the setting information indicating the setting contents of each functional unit in the existing network from the storage unit 240. Then, the notification unit 250 compares the setting information received from the setting processing unit 230 with the setting information obtained from the storage unit 240 to determine one or more functional units whose setting contents need to be changed in order to communicate in the new network. The notification unit 250 sends the setting information received from the setting processing unit 230 to the determined functional units.

[0171] For example, when there is no functional unit whose settings need to be changed in the new network, the notification unit 250 does not transmit the setting information to the functional unit.

[0172] When one or more functional units in the new network receive the setting information from the notification unit 250, they change the setting according to the received setting information. The functional units in the new network communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents.

[0173] For example, in Fig.10 In the example shown, the setting processing unit 230 obtains setting information indicating the following: the ID of the VLAN to which the image sensor 111G including the application 100G as the new function unit belongs is "VLAN20" and the ID of the VLAN corresponding to the communication port 120C of the relay device 112 including the application 100F is "VLAN20, VLAN30".

[0174] The setting processing unit 230 outputs the acquired setting information to the notification unit 250. Based on the setting information received from the setting processing unit 230, the notification unit 250 notifies the image sensor 111G and other units (not shown) in the relay device 112 of the setting contents.

[0175] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a new network after the settings are changed in the vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0176] Reference Fig.11 ,exist Figure 5 In the new network shown, the image sensor 111G and the relay device 112 change the settings based on the setting contents notified from the notification unit 250. Therefore, the image sensor 111G can communicate in the VLAN 20.

[0177] (Action Example 2)

[0178] When acquiring the establishment / failure information indicating “not established” as the establishment information, the setting processing unit 230 outputs the acquired establishment / failure information to the generating unit 220 .

[0179] When receiving the establishment / failure information indicating “not established” from the setting processing unit 230 as the establishment information, the generation unit 220 changes the generation condition based on the received establishment information and regenerates the configuration information according to the changed generation condition.

[0180] For example, the generation unit 220 changes the current generation condition to a generation condition that does not add some of the multiple new functional units to the network 12, and regenerates the configuration information of the new network according to the changed generation condition.

[0181] Furthermore, for example, the generation unit 220 changes the current generation condition by changing the functional arrangement between the functional units, and regenerates the configuration information of the new network according to the changed generation condition.

[0182] The generation unit 220 outputs the newly generated configuration information of the new network to the setting processing unit 230 .

[0183] When receiving the configuration information newly generated by the generation unit 220 , the configuration processing unit 230 acquires the establishment / failure information corresponding to the received configuration information from the establishment / failure database in the storage device 181 .

[0184] [Acquisition of object information using candidate information]

[0185] When the acquisition unit 270 cannot acquire function unit information (hereinafter also referred to as object information) of the new function unit detected as an additional function unit by the detection unit 210 from the new function unit, the acquisition unit 270 transmits candidate information indicating the function unit information of the function unit that is a candidate of the object information, i.e., a function unit that has a connection possibility. Then, the acquisition unit 270 acquires the object information by receiving the selection result of the candidate indicated by the transmitted candidate information.

[0186] Fig.12 This is a diagram showing an example of temporary configuration information of a network generated by a management unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0187] The acquisition unit 270 acquires candidate information based on the acquired function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, that is, the function unit information of the existing function unit.

[0188] For example, the acquisition unit 270 generates temporary configuration information of the network 12 based on the acquired functional unit information of the existing functional units, and acquires candidate information based on the temporary configuration information and establishment information indicating establishment of the new network.

[0189] In more detail, when the object information has not arrived from the new functional unit even after a specified time has passed from the sending of the information request notification, the acquisition unit 270 determines that the new functional unit does not have the function of sending the functional unit information, and generates temporary structure information of the network 12 based on the acquired functional unit information of the original functional unit.

[0190] Specifically, refer to Fig.12 The acquisition unit 270 generates the existing network structure information indicating that the manufacturer of the vehicle 1 is "Company A", the model is "aaaa", and the IDs of the applications 100 in the existing network are "ID-A", "ID-B", and "ID-C". Then, the acquisition unit 270 sends the generated structure information to the database processing unit 182 in the server 180.

[0191] Fig.13 It is a diagram showing an example of candidate information generated by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0192] For example, the acquisition unit 270 acquires candidate information of the functional unit information based on the new functional unit corresponding to the temporary configuration information in the establishment information.

[0193] For more details, refer to Fig.13 The database processing unit 182 uses the received structure information of the existing network as a search keyword to extract the ID of the additional application 100 corresponding to the combination of the manufacturer "Company A" of the vehicle 1, the model "aaaa", and the IDs "ID-A", "ID-B", and "ID-C" of the application 100 in the existing network from the establishment database. Then, the database processing unit 182 sends the candidate list CL representing the extracted ID to the acquisition unit 270.

[0194] Acquisition unit 270 transmits candidate list CL received from database processing unit 182 as an example of candidate information to input unit 290. Input unit 290 is, for example, IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment), and as an example, is vehicle-mounted ECU 111 as a navigation device.

[0195] It should be noted that the acquisition unit 270 may download and refer to the contents of the establishment / non-establishment database from the server 180 to generate candidate information indicating candidates of the ID of the application 100 or the like corresponding to the generated temporary configuration information.

[0196] In addition, the acquisition unit 270 may be configured to acquire candidate information based on the location where the new function unit is added to the network 12. The location where the new function unit is added is, for example, the port number of the communication port 120 of the relay device 112 newly connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 111. The acquisition unit 270 extracts the ID of the application program that can be connected to the communication port 120 of the port number from the candidate list CL received from the database processing unit 182, and sends the candidate information indicating the extracted ID to the input unit 290.

[0197] The navigation device as input unit 290 receives the candidate information from acquisition unit 270 and performs a process of displaying the ID of the application indicated by the candidate information and the content urging selection on the screen.

[0198] Fig.14 This is a diagram showing an example of selection information received by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0199] Reference Fig.14 The acquisition unit 270 acquires the object information based on the selection result of the user on the candidate information.

[0200] In more detail, for example, the user who newly connects the in-vehicle ECU 111 to the network 12 confirms the screen, and performs an operation of selecting "ID-G" which is the ID of the application 100 as the target information for the navigation device.

[0201] The navigation device receives a selection operation of the user on the object information, and transmits selection information indicating the selection result to the relay device 112 .

[0202] The acquisition unit 270 in the relay device 112 outputs the object information indicated by the selection information received from the navigation device to the generation unit 220 .

[0203] According to such a configuration, for example, more accurate object information can be acquired using input contents from a user who has added a functional unit.

[0204] It should be noted that the input unit 290 is not limited to the navigation device, and may be a portable terminal of a user in the vehicle 1 , or may be a device such as the server 180 outside the vehicle 1 .

[0205] Fig.15 This is a diagram showing an example of new network configuration information generated by the management unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0206] Reference Fig.15 The generation unit 220 generates the structure information of the new network which represents the combination of the vehicle information, the ID of the application 100 in the existing network, and the ID of the additional application 100. Specifically, the generation unit 220 generates the structure information which represents the following: the manufacturer of the vehicle 1 is "Company A", the model is "aaaa", the IDs of the application 100 in the existing network are "ID-A", "ID-B", and "ID-C", and the ID of the additional application 100 is "ID-G".

[0207] [Flow of Action]

[0208] Fig.16 This is a flowchart that determines the operation sequence of a management unit in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when constructing a new network.

[0209] Reference Fig.16 First, the management unit 200 waits for a new functional unit to be added to the network 12 (step S102: No). If a new functional unit is detected (step S102: Yes), the management unit 200 starts the process of acquiring the functional unit information of the detected new functional unit and the functional unit information of the original functional unit (step S104).

[0210] Next, the management unit 200 obtains the functional unit information of the original functional unit by sending an information request notification (step S106). In addition, when the functional unit information can be received from the new functional unit within the specified time from the sending of the information request notification ("Yes" in step S108), the structural information of the new network is generated based on the obtained functional unit information of the new functional unit and the original functional unit (step S118).

[0211] On the other hand, when the management unit 200 is unable to receive the function unit information from the new function unit even if the prescribed time has passed since the information request notification was sent ("No" in step S108), it generates temporary structural information of the network 12 based on the obtained function unit information of the original function unit, and sends the generated structural information to the database processing unit 182 in the server 180 (step S110).

[0212] Next, the management unit 200 receives the candidate list CL indicating each ID extracted from the establishment / failure database from the database processing unit 182 , and generates candidate information based on the candidate list CL (step S112 ).

[0213] Next, the management unit 200 transmits the generated candidate information to the input unit 290 (step S114 ).

[0214] Next, the management unit 200 receives selection information indicating a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information from the input unit 290 (step S116 ).

[0215] Next, the management unit 200 generates configuration information of a new network based on the target information indicated by the received selection information and the functional unit information of the existing functional units (step S118 ).

[0216] Next, the management unit 200 acquires the establishment / failure information corresponding to the generated configuration information from the establishment / failure database in the storage device 181 of the server 180 (step S120 ).

[0217] Next, when the acquired establishment information indicates “establishment” (step S122 : Yes), the management unit 200 acquires setting information indicating setting contents for communicating in the new network from the setting database in the storage device 181 of the server 180 (step S124 ).

[0218] Next, the management unit 200 transmits the acquired setting information to one or more functional units in the new network (step S126 ).

[0219] Next, the management unit 200 waits for the new function unit to be added to the new network (step S102 : No).

[0220] On the other hand, when the acquired establishment / failure information indicates “not established” (No in step S122 ), the management unit 200 changes the generation condition of the structural information and regenerates the structural information according to the changed generation condition (step S128 ).

[0221] Next, the management unit 200 acquires the establishment / failure information corresponding to the newly generated configuration information from the establishment / failure database in the storage device 181 of the server 180 (step S120 ).

[0222] Fig.17 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.17 This shows the processing corresponding to the above-mentioned operation example 1.

[0223] Reference Fig.17 First, the new functional unit newly added to the network 12 transmits connection request information to the management unit 200 (step S202 ).

[0224] Next, when receiving the connection request information from the new functional unit, the management unit 200 detects the new functional unit and performs authentication processing on the new functional unit (step S204 ).

[0225] Next, when the authentication of the new functional unit is successful, the management unit 200 transmits an information request notification for requesting functional unit information to the existing functional unit and the new functional unit (step S206 ).

[0226] Next, in response to the information request notification, the existing function unit transmits the function unit information of the type specified in the information request notification to the management unit 200. On the other hand, since the new function unit does not have the function of transmitting the function unit information to the management unit 200, the new function unit does not transmit the function unit information (step S208).

[0227] Next, since the management unit 200 cannot receive the function unit information from the new function unit even if a predetermined time has passed since the information request notification was sent, it generates temporary configuration information of the network 12 , such as configuration information of the existing network, and sends it to the server 180 (step S210 ).

[0228] Next, the management unit 200 receives the candidate list CL from the server 180 (step S212 ), generates candidate information based on the candidate list CL, and transmits the information to the input unit 290 (step S214 ).

[0229] Next, the input unit 290 receives the selection operation of the object information by the user who has confirmed the above-mentioned screen (step S216 ), and transmits selection information indicating the operation result to the management unit 200 (step S218 ).

[0230] Next, the management unit 200 generates configuration information of a new network based on the function unit information received from the existing function unit and the object information indicated by the selection information received from the input unit 290 (step S220 ).

[0231] Next, the management unit 200 transmits the generated configuration information to the server 180 (step S222 ).

[0232] Next, the server 180 acquires establishment information indicating establishment of the new network corresponding to the configuration information received from the management unit 200 from the database, and transmits the acquired establishment information to the management unit 200 (step S224 ).

[0233] Next, the management unit 200 registers the generated configuration information and the validity information received from the server 180 in the storage unit 240 (step S226 ).

[0234] Next, when receiving the establishment / failure information indicating “establishment” and the setting information as establishment information, the management unit 200 transmits the setting information to the existing function unit and the new function unit (step S228 ).

[0235] Next, the new function unit changes its settings based on the setting information received from the management unit 200 (step S230 ). In addition, the existing function unit changes its settings based on the setting information received from the management unit 200 (step S232 ).

[0236] Next, the new function unit and the existing function unit in the new network communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents (step S234 ).

[0237] Fig.18 This is a diagram showing another example of the sequence of the new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.18 This shows the processing corresponding to the above-mentioned operation example 1.

[0238] Reference Fig.18 First, the new functional unit newly added to the network 12 transmits connection request information to the management unit 200 (step S302 ).

[0239] Next, when receiving the connection request information from the new functional unit, the management unit 200 detects the new functional unit and performs authentication processing on the new functional unit (step S304 ).

[0240] Next, when the authentication of the new functional unit succeeds, the management unit 200 obtains the configuration information of the existing network from the storage unit 240 (step S306 ), and transmits an information request notification for requesting functional unit information to the new functional unit (step S308 ).

[0241] Next, since the new function unit does not have a function of transmitting the function unit information to the management unit 200 , the new function unit does not transmit the function unit information (step S310 ).

[0242] Next, since the management unit 200 cannot receive the function unit information from the new function unit even if a predetermined time has passed since the information request notification was sent, it generates temporary configuration information of the network 12 , such as the configuration information of the existing network, and sends it to the server 180 (step S312 ).

[0243] Next, the management unit 200 receives the candidate list CL from the server 180 (step S314 ), generates candidate information based on the candidate list CL, and transmits the information to the input unit 290 (step S316 ).

[0244] Next, the input unit 290 receives the selection operation of the object information by the user who has confirmed the above-mentioned screen (step S318 ), and transmits selection information indicating the operation result to the management unit 200 (step S320 ).

[0245] Next, the management unit 200 generates the configuration information of the new network based on the target information indicated by the selection information received from the input unit 290 and the configuration information acquired from the storage unit 240 (step S322 ).

[0246] The processing from step S324 to step S336 is the same as Fig.17 Steps S222 to S234 are the same.

[0247] Fig.19 This is a diagram showing another example of the sequence of the new network construction process in the communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.19 This shows the processing corresponding to the above-mentioned operation example 2.

[0248] Fig.19 The processing of steps S402 to S424 in Fig.17 The processing from step S202 to step S224 is the same.

[0249] Next, when the validity information includes validity information indicating “not valid”, the management unit 200 changes the generation condition of the structural information and regenerates the structural information according to the changed generation condition (step S426 ).

[0250] Next, the management unit 200 transmits the regenerated configuration information to the server 180 via the wireless base station device 161 (step S428 ).

[0251] Next, the server 180 acquires establishment information indicating establishment of the new network corresponding to the configuration information received from the management unit 200 from the database, and transmits the acquired establishment information to the management unit 200 via the wireless base station device 161 (step S430 ).

[0252] The processing from step S432 to step S440 is the same as Fig.17 Steps S226 to S234 are the same.

[0253] It should be noted that, in the management unit 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 270 acquires candidate information based on the acquired functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The acquisition unit 270 is not limited to the acquired functional unit information of the original functional unit, and may be configured to send candidate information of fixed content to the input unit 290, for example.

[0254] In the management unit 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 270 acquires temporary configuration information and candidate information based on the establishment information indicating the establishment of the new network, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The acquisition unit 270 may acquire candidate information using some information other than the establishment database.

[0255] In addition, in the management unit 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the detection unit 210 is configured to detect the application 100 included in the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 or the external device as a new functional unit when the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 or the external device is added to the network 12, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The detection unit 210 may also be configured to detect the vehicle-mounted ECU 111 or the external device added to the network 12 without the application 100 as a new functional unit.

[0256] In addition, in the management unit 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the generation unit 220 is configured to change the generation condition of the structure information and regenerate the structure information according to the changed generation condition when receiving the establishment / failure information indicating "not established" from the setting processing unit 230, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The generation unit 220 may also be configured not to regenerate the structure information even if the establishment / failure information indicating "not established" is received. In this case, for example, the notification unit 250 notifies the new function unit that the new function unit is not added to the network 12.

[0257] In addition, in the management unit 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the generation unit 220 generates the configuration information of the new network based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit and the obtained configuration information of the existing network when the configuration information of the existing network is obtained from the storage unit 240, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The generation unit 220 may also be configured such that, even when the configuration information of the existing network is obtained from the storage unit 240, the function unit information is obtained from one or more existing function units according to the content of the function unit information of the new function unit, and the configuration information of the new network is generated based on the function unit information of the new function unit, the function unit information of the existing function unit, and the obtained configuration information of the existing network.

[0258] In addition, in the management unit 200 involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the notification unit 250 is configured to determine the functional unit whose setting content needs to be changed from one or more existing functional units and new functional units included in the existing network, and notify the determined functional unit of the setting content, but the present invention is not limited to this. The notification unit 250 may also notify the setting content to all functional units in the new network without determining the functional unit whose setting content needs to be changed.

[0259] In the communication system 400 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the management unit 200 is configured to be included in the relay device 112 in the network 12, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Part or all of the units in the management unit 200 may be included in a device other than the relay device 112 in the network 12, or may be provided outside the network 12. It should be noted that the management unit 200 may be configured to be included in the relay device 112 in the network 12, or may be provided to be provided to be provided to be provided to be provided to be provided to be provided to be provided to the network 12. Figure 2 The configuration included in the relay device 112 in the star topology shown can more efficiently perform the above-mentioned processing of the management unit 200.

[0260] In addition, the management unit 200 may be configured not to include the setting processing unit 230 and the notification unit 250. In addition, the storage unit 240 may be configured to be provided outside the relay device 112 as an example of the management device.

[0261] In addition, the management unit 200 may also be implemented by the server 180. In this case, part or all of the functions of the management unit 200 involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be provided by cloud computing. That is, the management unit 200 involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be composed of multiple cloud servers and the like.

[0262] However, there is a demand for a technology that can flexibly construct a network with a new structure while maintaining stable operation in the network.

[0263] For example, when a new network is constructed by adding a new functional unit to the network, communication required by the upper layer may not be realized due to the network structure and restrictions of the lower layer.

[0264] As an example of such a lower-level network structure and restriction, the restriction of the communication band of the physical layer can be cited. In particular, in a network including a vehicle-mounted functional unit such as an on-board ECU and other vehicle-mounted functional units that require low costs, it is sometimes difficult to add a new functional unit to the network while maintaining stable operation in the network due to the restriction of the communication band as described above.

[0265] In contrast, in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a new network can be constructed using the verification result of the validity of the pre-generated network through the above-mentioned structure. As a result, a network can be constructed as a new network, for example, in which the validity is guaranteed by considering the logical structure and the physical structure, so that the generation of delays in important communications caused by adding a new functional unit to the network can be suppressed.

[0266] Each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. In addition to the one or more processors, the processing circuit may also be composed of an integrated circuit that combines one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits. The one or more memories store programs (commands) that enable the one or more processors to perform the various processes. The one or more processors may perform the various processes according to the programs read from the one or more memories, or may perform the various processes according to logic circuits designed to perform the various processes in advance. The processor may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other various processors suitable for computer control. It should be noted that the physically separated multiple processors may also cooperate with each other to perform the various processes. For example, the processors installed on physically separated computers can 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 processing. The program can be installed into the memory from an external server device via the network, or can be circulated in a state 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 from the recording medium into the memory.

[0267] The above embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative rather than 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.

[0268] The above description includes the following additional features.

[0269] [Note 1]

[0270] A management device, comprising: A detection unit, which detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, and when the function unit information of the new function unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new function unit, sends candidate information indicating a candidate of the object information, and acquires the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information, wherein the new function unit is the function unit detected and added by the detection unit; and a generating unit that generates configuration information of a new network based on the information of each of the functional units acquired by the acquiring unit, wherein the new network is the network that also includes the new functional unit, The acquisition unit transmits the candidate information to a navigation device in the network, and receives the selection result based on the operation content of the navigation device by a user.

[0271] [Note 2]

[0272] A management device, comprising a processing circuit, The processing circuit detects the addition of a functional unit to a network including one or more vehicle-mounted functional units, obtains functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit, sends candidate information indicating a candidate of the object information when the functional unit information of the new functional unit, i.e., object information, cannot be obtained from the new functional unit, and obtains the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information, wherein the new functional unit is the functional unit detected to be added by the detection unit, The processing circuit generates configuration information of a new network based on the acquired information of each functional unit, the new network being the network further including the new functional unit.

[0273] Description of symbols

[0274] 1 Vehicle

[0275] 11 Ethernet cable

[0276] 12 Network

[0277] 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, 100H, 100J Applications

[0278] 111, 111A Vehicle ECU

[0279] 111B Vehicle ECU (Intake Air Pressure Sensor)

[0280] 111C Vehicle ECU (Engine ECU)

[0281] 111D Vehicle ECU (temperature sensor)

[0282] 111E On-board ECU (water temperature sensor)

[0283] 111G Vehicle ECU (Image Sensor)

[0284] 112 Relay Device

[0285] 113 External Devices

[0286] 120, 120A, 120B, 120C communication ports

[0287] 161 Wireless base station device

[0288] 170 External Network

[0289] 180 Servers

[0290] 181 Storage Device

[0291] 182 Database Processing Department

[0292] 200 Management Department

[0293] 210 Detection Department

[0294] 220 Generation Department

[0295] 230 Setting Processing Unit

[0296] 240 Storage

[0297] 250 Notification Department

[0298] 270 Acquisition Department

[0299] 290 Input

[0300] 300 Vehicle Communication System

[0301] 400 Communication Systems

Claims

1. A management device comprising: A detection unit, which detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, and when the function unit information of the new function unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new function unit, sends candidate information indicating a candidate of the object information, and acquires the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information, wherein the new function unit is the function unit detected and added by the detection unit; and The generating unit generates configuration information of a new network based on the information of each functional unit acquired by the acquiring unit, the new network being the network further including the new functional unit.

2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires the candidate information based on the acquired functional unit information of the in-vehicle functional unit.

3. The management device according to claim 2, wherein: The acquisition unit generates temporary configuration information of the network based on the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit, and acquires the candidate information based on the temporary configuration information and establishment information indicating establishment of the new network.

4. The management device according to claim 3, wherein: The establishment information is information indicating a plurality of combinations of the function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, the function unit information of the new function unit, and the establishment of the new network. The acquisition unit acquires the candidate information based on the function unit information of the new function unit corresponding to the temporary configuration information in the establishment information.

5. The management device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires the candidate information based on a position where the new function unit is added to the network.

6. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The management device further includes a configuration processing unit that acquires, from a database in a storage device, validity information indicating validity of the new network that corresponds to the configuration information of the new network generated by the generation unit.

7. A vehicle communication management method is a vehicle communication management method in a management device, wherein: The vehicle communication management method comprises the following steps: detecting the addition of a functional unit to a network, the network comprising one or more in-vehicle functional units; acquiring function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, and in a case where the function unit information of the new function unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new function unit, sending candidate information indicating a candidate of the object information, and acquiring the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information, wherein the new function unit is the function unit detected to be added; and Based on the acquired information of each of the functional units, configuration information of a new network is generated, the new network being the network further including the new functional unit.

8. A vehicle communication management program is a vehicle communication management program used in a management device, wherein: The vehicle communication management program is used to enable the computer to operate as the following units: A detection unit, which detects the addition of a functional unit to a network, wherein the network includes one or more vehicle-mounted functional units; an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of the vehicle-mounted function unit, and when the function unit information of the new function unit, i.e., object information, cannot be acquired from the new function unit, sends candidate information indicating a candidate of the object information, and acquires the object information by receiving a selection result of the candidate indicated by the candidate information, wherein the new function unit is the function unit detected and added by the detection unit; as well as The generating unit generates configuration information of a new network based on the information of each functional unit acquired by the acquiring unit, the new network being the network further including the new functional unit.

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