Relay device, relay method, and relay program

Abstract

A relay device that performs frame relay processing between a plurality of function units in an in-vehicle network, the relay device being provided with: a plurality of communication ports; a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between a destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port; a state monitoring unit that monitors the state of the in-vehicle network; an update unit that performs update processing of the correspondence information; a switching unit that switches between a stopped state in which the update process is stopped and an executed state in which the update process is executed; and a storage unit that, when the switching unit switches from the execution state to the stop state, stores the correspondence information on which the update processing has been performed in the execution state in the storage unit as the correspondence information used in the relay processing in the stop state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a relay device, a relay method and a relay program.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-119354, filed on July 27, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] User's Manaual of IGS-801M4.11.4 Dynamic Learned, March 2016, PLANET Networking & Communication, [retrieved on June 6, 2016], Internet,<URL:http: / / www.planet.com.tw / storage / products / 25685 / EM-IGS-801M_v2.1.pdf> (Non-Patent Document 1) and S1700 Managed Series Ethernet Switches V100R007C00 Web User Manual, October 25, 2012, [online], HUAWEI, [retrieved on June 6, 2012], Internet, <URL: https: / / www.manualslib.com / manual / 966836 / Huawei-S1700-Series.html?page=60#manual> (Non-Patent Document 2) disclose a relay device that updates a MAC (Media Access Control) address table and relays frames using the updated MAC address table.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Non-patent literature

[0006] Non-patent document 1: User's Manaual of IGS-801M4.11.4 Dynamic Learned, [online], revised in March 2016, PLANET Networking & Communication, [retrieved on June 6, 2016], Internet,<URL:http: / / www.planet.com.tw / storage / products / 25685 / EM-IGS-801M_v2.1.pdf>

[0007] Non-patent document 2: S1700 Managed Series Ethernet Switches V100R007C00 WebUser Manual, October 25, 2012, [online], HUAWEI, [retrieved on June 6, 2012], Internet, <URL:https: / / www.manualslib.com / manual / 966836 / Huawei-S1700-Series.html?page=60#manual> Summary of the invention

[0008] The relay device disclosed in the present invention is a relay device that performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in an in-vehicle network, and comprises: multiple communication ports; a storage unit that stores corresponding information used for the relay processing, the corresponding information indicating the corresponding relationship between the destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port; a state monitoring unit that monitors the state of the in-vehicle network; an updating unit that performs update processing of the corresponding information; a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update processing is stopped and an execution state in which the update processing is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected by the state monitoring unit; and a storage unit that, when the switching unit switches from the execution state to the stop state, stores the corresponding information that has been updated in the execution state as the corresponding information used for the relay processing in the stop state in the storage unit.

[0009] One embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented not only as a relay device including such a characteristic processing unit but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements a part or all of the relay device, or as a system including the relay device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a frame transmitted in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a table held by each relay device in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of frame relay when a table update process is executed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a table in an execution state of the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 1 is a diagram showing an example of a table after the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is switched to a stopped state.

[0017] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing a flow that determines an operation procedure when a relay device in the in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure executes a table update process.

[0018] Fig. 9 It is a diagram showing a sequence of relay processing in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Conventionally, there is known a technique for updating a MAC address table indicating a correspondence relationship between a destination MAC address and a communication port in Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0020] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0021] In a relay device, the contents of the MAC address table that has not been used for a certain period of time are reset, so sometimes a unicast frame received at a certain communication port is output from all communication ports except the communication port. In particular, in an in-vehicle network, the impact of flooding in a relay device becomes greater due to limited resources.

[0022] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a relay device, a relay method, and a relay program that can reduce the communication load in an in-vehicle network.

[0023] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0024] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the communication load in the vehicle-mounted network.

[0025] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0026] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0027] (1) A relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a relay device that performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in an in-vehicle network, and comprises: multiple communication ports; a storage unit that stores corresponding information used for the relay processing, the corresponding information indicating a corresponding relationship between a destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port; a state monitoring unit that monitors the state of the in-vehicle network; an updating unit that performs update processing of the corresponding information; a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update processing is stopped and an execution state in which the update processing is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected by the state monitoring unit; and a storage unit that, when the switching unit switches from the execution state to the stop state, stores the corresponding information that has been updated in the execution state as the corresponding information used for the relay processing in the stop state in the storage unit.

[0028] In this way, by switching to the execution state when there is a change in the state of the vehicle network, saving the corresponding information updated in the execution state, and using the structure for relay processing in the stop state, the corresponding information can be updated at an appropriate time and the occurrence of flooding in the vehicle network can be suppressed. Therefore, the communication load in the vehicle network can be reduced.

[0029] (2) In the above (1), the change may be to add the functional unit to the in-vehicle network.

[0030] According to such a configuration, the corresponding information can be updated at a timing when a new in-vehicle network is appropriately constructed as an update timing.

[0031] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the switching unit may switch to the stop state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the switching to the execution state.

[0032] According to such a configuration, the timing of switching from the execution state to the stop state can be determined through a simple process.

[0033] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the state monitoring unit may detect the change caused by the functional unit, and the updating unit may perform the updating process based on a predetermined frame transmitted from the functional unit that caused the change.

[0034] With such a structure, for example, corresponding information can be updated using frames that comply with an existing protocol and are sent by a functional unit that is a cause of a change in the state of the vehicle network in order to establish a communication connection with other functional units. Therefore, QoS (Quality of Service) processing that preferentially sends frames with a high priority can be implemented, and corresponding information can be updated.

[0035] (5) The relay method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is a relay method in a relay device, which performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in an in-vehicle network and has: multiple communication ports and a storage unit that stores corresponding information used for the relay processing, the corresponding information indicating the correspondence between the destination MAC address contained in the frame and the communication port, the relay method comprising the following steps: monitoring the state of the in-vehicle network; when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected, switching from a stop state in which the update processing of the corresponding information is stopped to an execution state in which the update processing is executed; performing the update processing in the execution state; and when switching from the execution state to the stop state, storing the corresponding information that has been updated in the execution state in the storage unit as the corresponding information used for the relay processing in the stop state.

[0036] In this way, by switching to the execution state when there is a change in the state of the vehicle network, saving the updated corresponding information in the execution state, and using the structure for relay processing in the stop state, the corresponding information can be updated at an appropriate time and the occurrence of flooding in the vehicle network can be suppressed. Therefore, the communication load in the vehicle network can be reduced.

[0037] (6) The relay program involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used in a relay device, which performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in an in-vehicle network and has: multiple communication ports and a storage unit that stores corresponding information used for the relay processing, the corresponding information indicating the correspondence between the destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port, the relay program is used to enable a computer to function as the following units: a status monitoring unit that monitors the status of the in-vehicle network; an update unit that performs update processing of the corresponding information; a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update processing is stopped and an execution state in which the update processing is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when the status monitoring unit detects a change in the status of the in-vehicle network; and a storage unit that, when the switching unit switches from the execution state to the stop state, stores the corresponding information updated by the update unit in the execution state as the corresponding information used for the relay processing in the stop state in the storage unit.

[0038] In this way, by switching to the execution state when there is a change in the state of the vehicle network, saving the updated corresponding information in the execution state, and using the structure for relay processing in the stop state, the corresponding information can be updated at an appropriate time and the occurrence of flooding in the vehicle network can be suppressed. Therefore, the communication load in the vehicle network can be reduced.

[0039] 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.

[0040] [Structure of the vehicle communication system]

[0041] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 The vehicle-mounted communication system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 501. The vehicle-mounted communication system 301 includes, for example, one or more vehicle-mounted ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 202 and one or more relay devices 101.

[0043] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the vehicle-mounted communication system 301 includes vehicle-mounted ECUs 202A, 202B, and 202C as vehicle-mounted ECUs 202 and relay devices 101A, 101B, and 101C as relay devices 101. The vehicle-mounted ECU 202 is an example of a functional unit.

[0044] The vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a structure including three vehicle ECUs 202, and may be a structure including at least one vehicle ECU 202. The vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a structure including three relay devices 101, and may be a structure including at least one relay device 101.

[0045] The vehicle-mounted ECU 202 includes an automatic driving ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), a human-machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0046] The in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101 constitute an in-vehicle network 401. In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via an Ethernet cable 11, for example.

[0047] Each of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 and each of the relay devices 101 is connected to another in-vehicle ECU 202 or another relay device 101 via an Ethernet cable 11 and a communication port 51 described later.

[0048] The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device. The relay device 101 can perform relay processing according to, for example, the link layer (Layer 2) and the network layer (Layer 3) higher than the link layer.

[0049] Information is exchanged between the in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101 using, for example, Ethernet frames (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “frames”) that comply with the communication standard of Ethernet.

[0050] Furthermore, the in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which frame relay processing is performed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, and may be a configuration in which frame relay processing is performed in accordance with other communication standards.

[0051] The relay device 101 performs frame relay processing between a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202 in the in-vehicle network 401. More specifically, the relay device 101 transmits a frame received from a certain in-vehicle ECU 202 to another in-vehicle ECU 202 as a destination.

[0052] Hereinafter, the function unit newly added to the vehicle-mounted network 401 is also referred to as a new function unit. In addition, the vehicle-mounted network 401 including the new function unit is also referred to as a new network, and the vehicle-mounted network 401 before the new function unit is added is also referred to as an existing network. In addition, the function unit included in the existing network is also referred to as an existing function unit.

[0053] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C is an example of a new functional unit, and the vehicle-mounted ECUs 202A and 202B are examples of existing functional units. Figure 1The existing network in which the in-vehicle ECU 202C and the relay device 101C are not connected is shown.

[0054] [Structure of relay device]

[0055] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 , the structure of the relay device 101C is shown. The structures of the relay devices 101A and 101B are the same as the structure of the relay device 101C.

[0056] Reference Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51 , a relay unit 52 , a storage unit 53 , an update unit 54 , a state monitoring unit 55 , a switch unit 56 , and a storage unit 57 .

[0057] Part or all of the relay unit 52, update unit 54, state monitoring unit 55, switch unit 56, and storage unit 57 are implemented by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 53 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0058] The communication port 51 is, for example, a terminal to which the Ethernet cable 11 can be connected. The communication port 51 is connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 via the Ethernet cable 11 .

[0059] exist Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 In the example shown, the relay device 101C has four communication ports 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D. In the relay device 101C, the relay device 101A is connected to the communication port 51A via the Ethernet cable 11, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C is connected to the communication port 51C via the Ethernet cable 11.

[0060] The relay device 101C is not limited to a configuration including four communication ports 51 , and may be any configuration as long as it includes two or more communication ports 51 .

[0061] The relay unit 52 includes, for example, a plurality of terminals (not shown) respectively connected to the plurality of communication ports 51. A unique port number is allocated to each terminal.

[0062] Here, the port numbers of the terminals connected to the communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are #1, #2, #3, and #4, respectively.

[0063] The relay unit 52 receives a frame transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 202 or another relay device 101 via the communication port 51 , and outputs the frame to other units.

[0064] The relay unit 52 transmits a frame received from another unit to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202 or another relay device 101 via the communication port 51 .

[0065] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a frame transmitted in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 , a frame has a header and a payload.

[0067] For example, the destination MAC address, the transmission source MAC address and the type are stored in the header. The destination IP address and various information are stored in the payload.

[0068] Here, the MAC addresses of the in-vehicle ECU 202A, the in-vehicle ECU 202B, and the in-vehicle ECU 202C are “MAC-A”, “MAC-B”, and “MAC-C”, respectively.

[0069] Refer again Figure 2 The storage unit 53 stores a MAC address table (hereinafter also referred to as "table T") used for relay processing. Table T indicates the correspondence between the destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port 51. Table T is an example of correspondence information.

[0070] More specifically, the table T shows the correspondence between the MAC address of the on-vehicle ECU 202 as the destination of the frame and the port number of the terminal connected to the on-vehicle ECU 202 .

[0071] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a table held by each relay device in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] Reference Figure 4 Table Ta is table T stored in the storage unit 53 of the relay device 101A in the existing network. Table Tb is table T stored in the storage unit 53 of the relay device 101B in the existing network. Table Tc is table T stored in the storage unit 53 of the relay device 101C in the existing network.

[0073] For example, in table Ta, the destination MAC address "MAC-A" is associated with the port number "#1", and the destination MAC address "MAC-B" is associated with the port number "#4". In table Tb, the destination MAC address "MAC-A" is associated with the port number "#1", and the destination MAC address "MAC-B" is associated with the port number "#2". In table Tc, the destination MAC address "MAC-A" is associated with the port number "#1", and the destination MAC address "MAC-B" is associated with the port number "#1". In addition, regarding Figure 4The "discrimination information" shown will be described later.

[0074] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 The relay unit 52 in each relay device 101 relays frames sent and received between the vehicle-mounted ECUs 202 .

[0075] More specifically, the relay unit 52 determines the port number corresponding to the destination MAC address included in the received frame by referring to the table T stored in the storage unit 53. Then, the relay unit 52 transmits the received frame from the communication port 51 corresponding to the determined port number to the destination vehicle-mounted ECU 202.

[0076] For example, when the relay unit 52 in the relay device 101C receives a frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202A, that is, a frame including the destination MAC address "MAC-A", it refers to Figure 4 The table Tc shown specifies the port number "#1" corresponding to the destination MAC address "MAC-A." Then, the relay device 101C transmits the frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202A from the communication port 51A.

[0077] In addition, the functions of the updating unit 54, the state monitoring unit 55, the switching unit 56, and the storage unit 57 will be described later.

[0078] [Explanation of the topic]

[0079] However, there are known civilian relay devices that use a MAC address table for relay processing. The above-mentioned non-patent document 1 and non-patent document 2 disclose a technology for displaying a MAC address table updated by a relay device, i.e., a dynamic MAC address table, on a screen. In addition, the above-mentioned non-patent document 1 and non-patent document 2 disclose a technology in which a user saves a dynamic table displayed on a screen as a static MAC address table, which is a table used in relay processing when updating is stopped.

[0080] However, in the relay device 101, flooding sometimes occurs because there is no entry for communication in the table T for a certain period of time, that is, the above correspondence is reset. Here, flooding means that a unicast frame received at a certain communication port 51 is output from all communication ports 51 except the communication port 51. Since the resources in the vehicle network 401 are limited, the impact of flooding in the relay device 101 becomes large.

[0081] On the other hand, in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the following configuration and operation.

[0082] [Structure of relay device]

[0083] Refer again Figure 2, the state monitoring unit 55 in the relay device 101C monitors the state of the in-vehicle network 401. More specifically, for example, the state monitoring unit 55 detects a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401 caused by the in-vehicle ECU 202. Here, the state monitoring unit 55 detects the addition of a new functional unit to the in-vehicle network 401, specifically, the addition of the in-vehicle ECU 202C as the state of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0084] For example, the in-vehicle ECU 202C transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the in-vehicle network 401 to the relay device 101C.

[0085] The relay unit 52 in the relay device 101C outputs the connection request information received from the in-vehicle ECU 202C to the state monitoring unit 55 .

[0086] When receiving the connection request information from the relay unit 52 , the state monitoring unit 55 detects the in-vehicle ECU 202C that is the transmission source of the connection request information.

[0087] More specifically, the state monitoring unit 55 receives a frame including the connection request information from the in-vehicle ECU 202C via the relay unit 52 , and performs authentication processing of the in-vehicle ECU 202C using the ID and authentication password included in the frame.

[0088] When the authentication of the in-vehicle ECU 202C is successful, the state monitoring unit 55 transmits a frame including authentication success information indicating that the authentication is successful to the in-vehicle ECU 202C via the relay unit 52 .

[0089] For example, the state monitoring section 55 may be configured to periodically broadcast a search message for detecting a new function section via the relay section 52. In this case, the new function section receives the search message and transmits connection request information as a response to the received search message.

[0090] In addition, as the state of the vehicle network 401 changes, the state monitoring unit 55 is not limited to detecting the structure of adding a new functional unit to the vehicle network 401, but can also detect the change of the communication port 51 of the connection destination of an existing functional unit, and can also detect some other events in the vehicle network 401.

[0091] The updating unit 54 performs an updating process (hereinafter also referred to as “table updating process”) of the above-mentioned table T. More specifically, the updating unit 54 switches between a stop state of stopping the table updating process and an execution state of executing the table updating process under the control of a switching unit 56 described later.

[0092] The switch unit 56 switches between the stop state and the execution state. More specifically, the switch unit 56 switches from the stop state to the execution state when the state monitoring unit 55 detects a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401. Here, the switch unit 56 switches from the stop state to the execution state when the state monitoring unit 55 detects that a new function unit is added to the in-vehicle network 401.

[0093] Specifically, when the authentication of the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C succeeds, the state monitoring unit 55 outputs a switching request notification for requesting switching from the stop state to the execution state to the switching unit 56. When receiving the switching request notification from the state monitoring unit 55, the switching unit 56 switches from the stop state to the execution state.

[0094] In addition, the state monitoring unit 55 in the relay device 101C transmits the switching request notification to the relay devices 101A and 101B via the relay unit 52. The relay unit 52 in the relay devices 101A and 101B outputs the switching request notification received from the relay device 101C to the switching unit 56. When the switching unit 56 in the relay devices 101A and 101B receives the switching request notification from the relay unit 52, it switches from the stop state to the execution state. In this way, it is possible to switch to the execution state in all the relay devices 101 in the vehicle-mounted network 401.

[0095] In the execution state, the update unit 54 performs table update processing based on a predetermined frame (hereinafter also referred to as "frame F") transmitted from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C that causes the change in the state of the vehicle-mounted network 401. For example, the update unit 54 performs table update processing based on the frame F transmitted from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C.

[0096] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of frame relay when a table update process is performed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 5 , the in-vehicle ECU 202C broadcasts the frame F. Each relay device 101 transmits the frame F from all communication ports 51 except the communication port 51 where the frame F was received. That is, each relay device 101 floods the frame F. Thus, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B receive the frame F from the in-vehicle ECU 202C via the relay device 101 .

[0098] Furthermore, the in-vehicle ECU 202C may broadcast, as the frame F, a frame storing a message conforming to an existing protocol for establishing a communication connection with the other in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B.

[0099] For example, the onboard ECU 202C may broadcast a DHCP request frame according to DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) as frame F. Furthermore, the onboard ECU 202C may broadcast a frame storing an Offer message according to SOME / IP which is a protocol of the application layer of the Ethernet protocol suite as frame F.

[0100] In addition, the frame F is not limited to a frame conforming to an existing protocol, and may be a dedicated frame used for table update processing.

[0101] In addition, the in-vehicle ECU 202C is not limited to the structure of the broadcast frame F, and may also be a multicast or unicast structure.

[0102] Furthermore, when the state monitoring unit 55 detects a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401, the switching unit 56 may transmit a frame request notification for requesting the transmission of the frame F to the in-vehicle ECU 202C via the relay unit 52. In response to the frame request notification, the in-vehicle ECU 202C transmits the frame F including its own transmission source MAC address to the relay device 101C.

[0103] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 5 When the relay unit 52 in the relay device 101C receives the frame F from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C, it outputs the received frame F to the update unit 54 and notifies the update unit 54 of the port number at which the frame F is received.

[0104] The updating unit 54 in each relay device 101 refers to the table T stored in the storage unit 53 and uses the received frame F to perform table updating processing.

[0105] The updating unit 54 learns the correspondence between the destination MAC address and the port number contained in the frame with the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C as the destination. More specifically, the updating unit 54 reads the source MAC address contained in the received frame F in the execution state, and registers the correspondence between the read source MAC address and the port number received from the relay unit 52 in the table T as the correspondence between the destination MAC address contained in the frame with the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C as the destination and the communication port 51 of the output destination of the frame.

[0106] The updating unit 54 is not limited to the configuration that performs table update processing based on the frame F sent from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C that is the cause of the above-mentioned change. For example, the updating unit 54 may perform table update processing based on the correspondence relationship between the MAC address of the vehicle-mounted ECU 202 and the communication port 51 that can be added and stored in the storage unit 53 in advance.

[0107] The storage unit 57 stores the table T updated in the execution state in the storage unit 53. More specifically, the storage unit 57 stores the table T including the above-mentioned correspondence relationship learned by the update unit 54 in the storage unit 53.

[0108] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a table in an execution state of the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] Reference Figure 6 In the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc, the correspondence between the destination MAC address "MAC-C" and the port number obtained in the execution state of the table update process is newly registered.

[0110] For example, in table Ta, the destination MAC address "MAC-C" is associated with the port number "#2". In table Tb, the destination MAC address "MAC-C" is associated with the port number "#1". In table Tc, the destination MAC address "MAC-C" is associated with the port number "#3".

[0111] Reference Figure 4 as well as Figure 6 In addition to the correspondence between the destination MAC address and the port number, the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc also include discrimination information. The discrimination information indicates whether the correspondence included in the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc is a correspondence registered in the past execution state or a correspondence registered in the current execution state.

[0112] More specifically, "stop" in "determination information" indicates that the correspondence relationship registered in the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc is the correspondence relationship registered in the past execution state. That is, "stop" indicates that it was registered by switching from the execution state to the stop state in the past table update process.

[0113] In addition, "execution" in "determination information" indicates that the correspondence relationship registered in the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc is the correspondence relationship registered in the current execution state.

[0114] like Figure 4 As shown, in the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc stored in the storage unit 53 of each relay device 101 in the existing network, "stop" is set as "determination information" for all the correspondence relationships.

[0115] In the tables Ta, Tb, Tc indicating the execution status Figure 6 In, with Figure 4 In contrast, the correspondence between the destination MAC address “MAC-C” and the port number is newly registered, and “execution” is set as “determination information” of the correspondence.

[0116] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a table after the vehicle-mounted communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is switched to a stopped state.

[0117] For example, the switching unit 56 switches to the stop state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the switching to the execution state.

[0118] When the switching unit 56 switches from the execution state to the stop state, the saving unit 57 saves the tables Ta, Tb, Tc updated in the execution state in the storage unit 53 as tables Ta, Tb, Tc for relay processing in the stop state.

[0119] For more details, refer to Figure 2 as well as Figure 7 , when the switching unit 56 switches from the execution state to the stop state, the storage unit 57 changes the determination information of the correspondence relationship between the destination MAC address "MAC-C" and the port number from "execution" to "stop" in the tables Ta, Tb, and Tc, and stores it in the storage unit 53. That is, each relay device 101 statically maintains the updated table T. As a result, for example, the correspondence relationship of "MAC-C" as the destination MAC address is not cleared and maintained, so when the relay device 101 receives a unicast frame with the vehicle-mounted ECU 202C as the destination, it can determine the port number corresponding to the unicast frame. Therefore, the occurrence of flooding in the vehicle-mounted network 401 can be suppressed.

[0120] When the relay device 101 switches from the stop state to the execution state again after storing the updated table T in the storage unit 53 , for example, in the execution state, the relay device 101 uses the last updated table T to perform frame relay processing until the table T is updated again.

[0121] In addition, the switching unit 56 may switch to the stop state when some event occurs after switching to the execution state. For example, the switching unit 56 may switch to the stop state when receiving a notification from the update unit 54 that the registration of the above correspondence and the setting of the above discrimination information have been completed in the execution state.

[0122] The storage unit 57 may not register the identification information of the correspondence relationship in the table T. In this case, the relay device 101 may notify all the onboard ECUs 202 of a request for a predetermined frame in the execution state, and update the table T based on the frame received from each onboard ECU 202 .

[0123] [Flow of Action]

[0124] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing a flow that determines an operation procedure when a relay device in the in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure executes a table update process.

[0125] Reference Figure 8 First, the relay device 101 maintains the stopped state (step S1) until it detects a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401 (No in step S2) or receives a switching request notification from another relay device 101 (No in step S3). Here, the relay device 101 detects the addition of a new functional unit as a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0126] Next, when the relay device 101 detects the above change (Yes in step S2 ) or receives a switching request notification from another relay device 101 (Yes in step S3 ), the relay device 101 switches from the stop state to the execution state (step S4 ).

[0127] Next, when the relay device 101 receives the frame F from the new functional unit (YES in step S5 ), it refers to the table T in the storage unit 53 and updates the table T using the received frame F.

[0128] Specifically, as described above, the relay device 101 newly registers the correspondence between the transmission source MAC address included in the received frame F and the communication port 51 that received the frame F as the correspondence between the destination MAC address included in the frame destined for the new functional unit and the communication port 51 of the output destination of the frame in the table T. In addition, the relay device 101 sets "execution" as the determination information of the correspondence in the table T. In addition, when the correspondence corresponding to the frame F has been registered in the table T, the relay device 101 does not update the table T (step S6).

[0129] Next, the relay device 101 waits for the frame F until a predetermined time has elapsed since the switch to the execution state (No in step S7), and switches to the stop state when the predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in step S7) (step S8).

[0130] Next, the relay device 101 stores the table T updated in the execution state as the table T used in the relay process in the stop state. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , a table T in which the determination information of the newly registered correspondence relationship is changed from “execution” to “stop” is stored (step S9 ).

[0131] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing a sequence of relay processing in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0132] Reference Fig. 9First, the relay device 101C maintains the stopped state (step S11) until it detects a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401 (No in step S13). Here, the relay device 101C detects the addition of the in-vehicle ECU 202C to the in-vehicle network 401 as a change in the state of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0133] Next, when the above-mentioned change is detected (YES in step S13 ), the relay device 101C switches from the stop state to the execution state (step S14 ).

[0134] Next, the relay device 101C transmits a switching request notification to the relay devices 101A and 101B (step S15).

[0135] Next, when the relay devices 101A and 101B are in the stopped state (step S12 ), and receive a switching request notification from the relay device 101C, they switch from the stopped state to the executed state (step S16 ).

[0136] Next, the in-vehicle ECU 202C transmits the frame F to the relay device 101C (step S17 ).

[0137] Next, when the relay device 101C receives the frame F from the in-vehicle ECU 202C, it transmits the received frame F to the relay devices 101A and 101B (step S18 ).

[0138] Next, the relay device 101C refers to the table Tc in the storage unit 53 and updates the table Tc using the received frame F. When receiving the frame F from the relay device 101C, the relay devices 101A and 101B refer to the tables Ta and Tb in the storage unit 53 and update the tables Ta and Tb using the received frame F.

[0139] Specifically, as described above, each relay device 101 newly registers the correspondence between the transmission source MAC address included in the received frame F and the communication port 51 that received the frame F as the correspondence between the destination MAC address included in the frame destined for the new function unit and the communication port 51 of the output destination of the frame in the table T. In addition, each relay device 101 sets "execution" as the determination information of the correspondence in the table T (steps S19 and S20).

[0140] Next, each relay device 101 switches to the stopped state when, for example, a predetermined time has elapsed (steps S21 and S22 ).

[0141] Next, each relay device 101 saves the table T updated in the execution state as the table T used for relay processing in the stop state. Figure 7As shown, each relay device 101 changes the determination information of the newly registered correspondence relationship in the table T from "execute" to "stop" (steps S23 and S24).

[0142] Next, each on-vehicle ECU 202 in the on-vehicle communication system 301 transmits and receives frames with other on-vehicle ECUs 202 via each relay device 101 (step S25 ).

[0143] Each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit 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 that combines 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 logic circuits that are pre-designed to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned processor can 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 that are physically separated can also cooperate with each other to perform the above-mentioned processes. For example, the processors installed on 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 processing. The program may be installed into the memory from an external server device via the network, or may 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), or a semiconductor memory, and installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0144] The above embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all aspects and not 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.

[0145] The above description includes the following additional features.

[0146] [Note 1]

[0147] A relay device performs frame relay processing between a plurality of functional units in an in-vehicle network, the relay device comprising:

[0148] Multiple communication ports;

[0149] a storage unit storing correspondence information used for the relay processing, the correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between a destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port;

[0150] A status monitoring unit, monitoring the status of the vehicle network;

[0151] An updating unit, performing an updating process on the corresponding information;

[0152] a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update process is stopped and an execution state in which the update process is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected by the state monitoring unit; and

[0153] a storage unit that stores the corresponding information that has been updated in the execution state as the corresponding information used for the relay process in the stop state in the case where the switching unit switches from the execution state to the stop state,

[0154] The storage unit stores, in the storage unit, identification information indicating whether the correspondence relationship is the correspondence relationship registered in the past execution state or the correspondence relationship registered in the current execution state.

[0155] [Note 2]

[0156] A relay device performs frame relay processing between a plurality of functional units in an in-vehicle network, the relay device comprising:

[0157] Multiple communication ports;

[0158] a storage unit storing correspondence information used for the relay processing, the correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between a destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port; and

[0159] Processing circuit,

[0160] The processing circuit monitors the state of the in-vehicle network, and when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected, switches from a stop state in which the update process of the corresponding information is stopped to an execution state in which the update process is executed, performs the update process of the corresponding information in the execution state, and when switching from the execution state to the stop state, stores the corresponding information that has been updated in the execution state in the storage unit as the corresponding information used for the relay process in the stop state.

[0161] Description of Reference Numerals

[0162] 11 Ethernet cable

[0163] 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D communication ports

[0164] 52 Relay Department

[0165] 53 Storage

[0166] 54 Update Department

[0167] 55 Status monitoring unit

[0168] 56 Switching Department

[0169] 57 Preservation Department

[0170] 101, 101A, 101B, 101C relay units

[0171] 202, 202A, 202B, 202C vehicle ECU

[0172] 301 Vehicle Communication System

[0173] 401 In-vehicle network

[0174] 501 vehicles.

Claims

1. A relay device for performing frame relay processing between a plurality of functional units in an in-vehicle network, the relay device comprising: Multiple communication ports; a storage unit storing correspondence information used for the relay processing, the correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between a destination MAC address included in the frame and the communication port; A status monitoring unit, monitoring the status of the vehicle network; An updating unit, performing an updating process on the corresponding information; a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update process is stopped and an execution state in which the update process is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected by the state monitoring unit; and The storage unit stores the correspondence information updated in the execution state as the correspondence information used for the relay process in the stop state in the storage unit when the switch unit switches from the execution state to the stop state.

2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein: The change is to add the functional unit to the in-vehicle network.

3. The relay device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The switching unit switches to the stop state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the state was switched to the execution state.

4. The relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The state monitoring unit detects the change caused by the functional unit, The updating unit performs the updating process based on a predetermined frame transmitted from the functional unit that is a factor of the change.

5. A relay method, which is a relay method in a relay device, The relay device performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in the vehicle network, and comprises: multiple communication ports and a storage unit storing corresponding information used for the relay processing, wherein the corresponding information indicates the corresponding relationship between the destination MAC address contained in the frame and the communication port, The relay method comprises the following steps: monitoring the status of the vehicle network; When a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected, switching from a stop state in which the update process of the corresponding information is stopped to an execution state in which the update process is executed; Performing the update process in the execution state; and When the execution state is switched to the stop state, the correspondence information that has been updated in the execution state is stored in the storage unit as correspondence information used for the relay process in the stop state.

6. A relay program, used in a relay device, The relay device performs frame relay processing between multiple functional units in the vehicle network, and comprises: multiple communication ports and a storage unit storing corresponding information used for the relay processing, wherein the corresponding information indicates the corresponding relationship between the destination MAC address contained in the frame and the communication port, The relay program is used to enable the computer to function as the following unit: A status monitoring unit, monitoring the status of the vehicle network; An updating unit, performing an updating process on the corresponding information; a switching unit that switches between a stop state in which the update process is stopped and an execution state in which the update process is executed, and switches from the stop state to the execution state when a change in the state of the in-vehicle network is detected by the state monitoring unit; and The storage unit stores the correspondence information updated in the execution state as the correspondence information used for the relay process in the stop state in the storage unit when the switch unit switches from the execution state to the stop state.

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