Distribution method of LIN node address, main control unit and LIN bus

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for allocating node addresses in an LIN bus network, the LIN bus network comprising a master control unit, an LIN communication line and one or more slave nodes, the method comprising the following steps: respectively installing one or more communication products to which addresses are to be allocated at any node position in the LIN bus network, enabling each communication product to correspond to one corresponding slave node; different test voltages are output to each communication product installed at different slave nodes by means of the main control unit; sampling voltage is obtained from each communication product by means of a sampling unit, and the obtained sampling voltage is fed back to the main control unit; and distributing a corresponding node address to each slave node by means of the main control unit based on the sampling voltage fed back by the sampling unit. The invention also relates to a main control unit for use in an LIN bus network, and to an LIN bus network comprising the main control unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of LIN bus, and more specifically, to a method for allocating node addresses in a LIN bus network, a master control unit used in a LIN bus network, and a LIN bus network including the master control unit. Background Art

[0002] LIN (Local Interconnect Network) is a low-cost serial communication network that can be used to control distributed vehicle electronic systems. The LIN bus network is an auxiliary serial communication bus network, which is mostly used in situations where the bandwidth and multi-functions of the CAN bus are not required. Its goal is to provide auxiliary functions for the existing CAN bus network. For example, the LIN bus network can be used to communicate between various smart sensors and brake devices inside the vehicle, which can significantly reduce costs.

[0003] The LIN bus network usually consists of a master node, communication lines, and one or more slave nodes. The master node can perform master tasks (causing LIN network communication) or slave tasks. The information transmission on the bus is controlled by the master node. In the LIN bus network, each slave node must be assigned a unique node address to identify the node's position in the network.

[0004] In summary, the traditional LIN bus node address assignment is completed by manual configuration or hardware settings. This configuration process needs to be carried out during the manufacturing process, which increases the process and software configuration costs of the communication product line. In addition, manual configuration has the possibility of errors, such as repeated assignment of the same address or configuration of the wrong address. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for allocating node addresses in a LIN bus network, wherein the LIN bus network comprises a master control unit, a LIN communication line, and one or more slave nodes, each of which is sequentially connected to the master control unit via the LIN communication line, the method comprising the following steps:

[0006] Install one or more communication products to be assigned addresses at any node position in the LIN bus network, so that each communication product corresponds to a corresponding slave node;

[0007] Outputting different test voltages to various communication products installed at different slave nodes by means of the main control unit;

[0008] Acquire a sampled voltage from each communication product by means of a sampling unit, and feed the acquired sampled voltage back to a main control unit; and

[0009] The master control unit is used to assign corresponding node addresses to the slave nodes based on the sampled voltage fed back by the sampling unit.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment, the main control unit is further configured to output a test voltage within any one of a first test voltage range, a second test voltage range, and a third test voltage range to each communication product, and the sampled voltage obtained from each communication product falls within any one of the first sampling voltage range, the second sampling voltage range, and the third sampling voltage range, wherein the second test voltage range is greater than the first test voltage range and the third test voltage range is greater than the second test voltage range, the second sampling voltage range is greater than the first sampling voltage range, and the third sampling voltage range is greater than the second sampling voltage range.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment, the main control unit is further configured as:

[0012] When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the first sampled voltage range, assigning a first node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product;

[0013] When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the second sampled voltage range, assigning a second node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product; and

[0014] When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the third sampled voltage range, a third node address is allocated to the slave node corresponding to the communication product.

[0015] According to an optional embodiment, the sampling unit includes an internal power supply, an input port for receiving a test voltage provided by a main control unit, a sampling port for feeding back a sampling voltage of a corresponding communication product to the main control unit, and a sampling circuit arranged between the input port and the sampling port, wherein the sampling circuit is powered by the internal power supply.

[0016] According to an optional embodiment, the sampling circuit includes a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor, a diode and a switch tube.

[0017] Among them, the first resistor is connected between the input port and the control end of the switch tube, the power input end of the switch tube is connected to the internal power supply, the second resistor is connected between the power output end of the switch tube and the ground end, the positive pole of the diode is connected to the internal power supply, and the third resistor is connected between the control end of the switch tube and the negative pole of the diode.

[0018] According to an optional embodiment, the sampling circuit further includes one or more of the following electrical components:

[0019] A fourth resistor, wherein the fourth resistor is connected between the power output end of the switch tube and the sampling port;

[0020] A voltage stabilizing diode connected between the control terminal and the ground terminal of the switch tube;

[0021] A first capacitor, wherein the first capacitor is connected between a control terminal and a ground terminal of the switch tube; and

[0022] A second capacitor is connected between the sampling port and the ground terminal.

[0023] According to an optional embodiment, the switch tube is selected from the group including MOS tube, IGBT and BJT.

[0024] According to an optional embodiment, one sampling unit is integrated in each communication product, or the sampling unit is integrated in a main control unit.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a master control unit for use in a LIN bus network is provided. The master control unit uses the method described above to assign node addresses to each slave node in the LIN bus network.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a LIN bus network is further provided. According to an optional embodiment, the LIN bus network includes:

[0027] Main control unit as above;

[0028] LIN communication line; and

[0029] One or more slave nodes, each slave node is sequentially connected to the main control unit via the LIN communication line.

[0030] According to the method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network of the present invention, different voltage signals received by the ECU are used as unique identifiers between products, and the LIN node addresses are automatically assigned to each slave node through calculation by the ECU. The method does not require the product to be installed at a specified location, and there is no need to classify communication products with different node addresses on the product generation line at the client, saving BOM costs. The method does not require human intervention to manually assign node addresses, but by measuring the voltage signal and mapping it to a specific node address, the entire process can be completed automatically, thereby reducing the complexity of product installation and configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] By incorporating the accompanying drawings andFigure 1 With reference to the specific embodiments used to illustrate certain principles of the present invention, other features and advantages of the method of the present invention will become clear or be described in more detail.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a LIN bus network for implementing the node address assignment method according to the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 A method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 3 A circuit diagram of a sampling unit used in a LIN bus network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The method for allocating node addresses in a LIN bus network according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and by way of example. In the following description, many specific details are set forth so that those skilled in the art can more fully understand the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the implementation of the present invention may not have some of these specific details. On the contrary, it is contemplated that the present invention may be implemented with any combination of the following features and elements, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following various aspects, features, embodiments and advantages are for illustrative purposes only and should not be regarded as elements or limitations of the claims.

[0036] Typically, in a LIN bus network, there are multiple communication modes, such as one-way communication from a master node to one or more slave nodes, two-way communication from a slave node to a master node or other slave nodes (communication signals are transmitted between slave nodes without passing through the master node), and the master node broadcasting messages to the entire network.

[0037] Due to the diversity of slave nodes and the complexity of communication, in order to ensure the accuracy of communication between each node, a unique node address must be assigned to each slave node in the LIN network to identify the location of the slave node in the network so that other nodes can communicate with it according to the address corresponding to each node. The allocation of node addresses can be configured by the node as a whole according to the system design and network topology to ensure that there will be no conflicts in communication between each slave node.

[0038] In the existing method of assigning node addresses to the LIN bus network, communication products with the same appearance need to be identified offline through manual coding, which increases the process and software configuration costs of the communication product line. In addition, when assembling communication products at the client end, it is necessary to ensure that there are no errors in the installation position of the communication products. Once a node in the network changes (for example, replacing, adding or removing a communication product), the communication product and the node address will not match. At this time, it is necessary to use different versions of software programs to reconfigure and debug the entire LIN network, which further reduces the configuration efficiency of the node address.

[0039] In order to solve the above defects existing in the existing node address configuration process, the present invention proposes a method for configuring LIN node addresses through software diagnosis. The method aims to solve the node address configuration problem of LIN communication products with the same appearance. It does not require the products to be installed in the specified position according to the corresponding node address, and the client does not need to classify the communication products with different node addresses on the product generation line, thus saving BOM cost.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a LIN bus network for implementing the node address allocation method according to the present invention is shown. Figure 1 As shown in , the network includes a master node (also referred to as a "master control unit" in this article and shown as an "ECU" in the figure), a LIN communication line and one or more slave nodes, each slave node is connected to the master control unit in turn through the LIN communication line.

[0041] At each slave node, corresponding communication products can be installed, such as expansion valves, PT sensors, water valves, etc. Figure 1 The figure shows three communication products installed at slave nodes 1, 2, and 3 respectively. In order to ensure accurate communication between the products in the LIN network and between the corresponding products and the ECU, it is necessary to assign a node address to each slave node 1, 2, and 3 installed with different communication products.

[0042] Figure 2 A method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 The bus network shown in the figure is assumed to include a master node ECU and three slave nodes 1, 2, and 3. Figure 2 To describe the specific implementation process of the node address allocation method.

[0043] First, one or more communication products to be assigned addresses can be installed at any node position in the LIN bus network to ensure that each communication product corresponds to a corresponding slave node. Figure 2For the embodiment in, product 1 corresponds to slave node 1, product 2 corresponds to slave node 2, and product 3 corresponds to slave node 3.

[0044] Subsequently, different test voltages can be output to the communication products 1, 2, and 3 installed at different slave nodes by means of the main control unit ECU (master node), and the sampling voltage can be obtained from the sampling port of each communication product by means of the sampling unit, and the obtained sampling voltage can be fed back to the main control unit. Finally, the main control unit can allocate corresponding node addresses to each slave node based on the sampling voltage fed back by the sampling unit.

[0045] As corresponding to Figure 1 In the optional examples of the three communication products 1, 2, and 3 shown in the figure, the test voltage output by the ECU to the communication product may include, for example, a first test voltage range (e.g., 0 to 2V), a second test voltage range (e.g., 2 to 6V), and a third test voltage range (e.g., 6 to 27V). Correspondingly, the sampled voltage obtained by the ECU from the sampling port of each communication product may fall within any one of the first sampled voltage range (e.g., 0 to 1V), the second sampled voltage range (e.g., 1 to 4V), and the third sampled voltage range (e.g., 4 to 5V).

[0046] When the sampled voltage obtained from the sampling port of a communication product falls within the first sampling voltage range, the ECU may assign a first node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product. When the sampled voltage obtained from the sampling port of a communication product falls within the second sampling voltage range, the ECU may assign a second node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product. When the sampled voltage obtained from the sampling port of a communication product falls within the third sampling voltage range, the ECU may assign a third node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product. The above-mentioned address assignment procedure ends until all slave nodes are assigned unique node addresses.

[0047] The "sampling unit" in the above description can be integrated on a communication product, that is, each communication product can be equipped with its own sampling unit; or, a single sampling unit can be integrated inside the ECU, and the sampling unit has multiple sampling pins, which are respectively used to receive the sampled voltages obtained from each communication product. These variations all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 3A circuit diagram of a sampling unit for a LIN bus network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The sampling circuit may be composed of an internal power supply VCC, an input port INPUT, a sampling port ADC, and a sampling circuit. The input port INPUT may be connected to an ECU to receive a test voltage provided by a main control unit. The sampling port ADC may be connected to various communication products to feed back the sampled voltage of the communication products to the ECU. The sampling circuit may be arranged between the input port INPUT and the sampling port ADC, and may be powered by the internal power supply VCC.

[0049] exist Figure 3 In an optional example shown in , the sampling circuit may include a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a diode D1, and a switch tube M1. Figure 3 The switch tube M1 is shown as an N-channel MOS tube, but this MOS tube is only an example. In other examples, it can also be a P-channel MOS tube, or a BJT, IGBT, etc.

[0050] The first resistor R1 is connected between the input port INPUT and the control terminal of the switch tube M1 (with Figure 3 Taking the MOS tube in as an example, that is, the gate of the MOS tube, the power input end (drain) of the switch tube M1 is connected to the internal power supply VCC, the second resistor R2 is connected between the power output end (source) of the switch tube M1 and the ground end, the anode of the diode D1 is connected to the internal power supply VCC, and the third resistor R3 is connected between the control end of the switch tube M1 and the cathode of the diode D1.

[0051] Additionally, the sampling circuit may further include a fourth resistor R4 connected between the power output terminal of the switch tube and the sampling port ADC. In addition, a voltage stabilizing diode D2 and / or a first capacitor C1 may be provided between the control terminal and the ground terminal of the switch tube. Optionally, an additional second capacitor C2 may be provided between the sampling port ADC and the ground terminal.

[0052] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also relates to a master control unit (ECU) used in a LIN bus network, which can use the method introduced above to assign node addresses to each slave node in the LIN bus network, and a LIN bus network including the ECU.

[0053] According to the method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network of the present invention, different voltage signals received by the ECU are used as unique identifiers between products, and the LIN node addresses are automatically assigned to each slave node through calculation by the ECU. The method does not require the product to be installed at a specified location, and there is no need to classify communication products with different node addresses on the product generation line at the client, saving BOM costs. The method does not require human intervention to manually assign node addresses, but by measuring the voltage signal and mapping it to a specific node address, the entire process can be completed automatically, thereby reducing the complexity of product installation and configuration.

[0054] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that each step of the method according to the present invention can be performed in a given order. However, it should be noted that different orders are also possible. The method may include other method steps that are not listed. In addition, one or more of the method steps may be performed once or repeatedly. In addition, two or more of the method steps may be performed simultaneously or in a time-overlapping manner.

[0055] Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "having", "including" or "comprising" or any grammatical variations thereof are used in a non-exclusive manner. Thus, these terms may refer to the absence of additional features in the entity described in this context in addition to the features introduced by these terms, or the presence of one or more additional features.

[0056] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes and modifications made by any person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention, and therefore the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network, the LIN bus network comprising a master control unit, a LIN communication line and one or more slave nodes, each slave node being sequentially connected to the master control unit via the LIN communication line, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: Install one or more communication products to be assigned addresses at any node position in the LIN bus network, so that each communication product corresponds to a corresponding slave node; Outputting different test voltages to various communication products installed at different slave nodes by means of the main control unit; Acquire a sampled voltage from each communication product by means of a sampling unit, and feed the acquired sampled voltage back to a main control unit; and The master control unit is used to assign corresponding node addresses to the slave nodes based on the sampled voltage fed back by the sampling unit.

2. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main control unit is further configured to output a test voltage within any one of a first test voltage range, a second test voltage range, and a third test voltage range to each communication product, and a sampled voltage obtained from each communication product falls within any one of the first sampled voltage range, the second sampled voltage range, and the third sampled voltage range, wherein the second test voltage range is greater than the first test voltage range and the third test voltage range is greater than the second test voltage range, the second sampled voltage range is greater than the first sampled voltage range, and the third sampled voltage range is greater than the second sampled voltage range.

3. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to claim 2, characterized in that: The main control unit is further configured as: When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the first sampled voltage range, assigning a first node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product; When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the second sampled voltage range, assigning a second node address to the slave node corresponding to the communication product; and When the sampled voltage obtained from the corresponding communication product falls within the third sampled voltage range, a third node address is allocated to the slave node corresponding to the communication product.

4. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The sampling unit includes an internal power supply (VCC), an input port (INPUT) for receiving a test voltage provided by a main control unit, a sampling port (ADC) for feeding back a sampling voltage of a corresponding communication product to the main control unit, and a sampling circuit arranged between the input port and the sampling port, wherein the sampling circuit is powered by the internal power supply.

5. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sampling circuit comprises a first resistor (R1), a second resistor (R2), a third resistor (R3), a diode (D1) and a switch tube (M1). The first resistor (R1) is connected between the input port (INPUT) and the control end of the switch tube (M1), the power input end of the switch tube (M1) is connected to an internal power supply (VCC), the second resistor (R2) is connected between the power output end of the switch tube (M1) and the ground end, the positive electrode of the diode (D1) is connected to the internal power supply (VCC), and the third resistor (R3) is connected between the control end of the switch tube (M1) and the negative electrode of the diode (D1).

6. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sampling circuit also includes one or more of the following electrical components: a fourth resistor (R4), the fourth resistor (R4) being connected between the power output end of the switch tube and the sampling port (ADC); A voltage stabilizing diode (D2), wherein the voltage stabilizing diode (D2) is connected between the control end and the ground end of the switch tube; A first capacitor (C1), the first capacitor (C1) is connected between the control terminal and the ground terminal of the switch tube; and A second capacitor (C2), wherein the second capacitor (C2) is connected between the sampling port (ADC) and the ground terminal.

7. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The switch tube (M1) is selected from the group consisting of MOS tube, IGBT and BJT.

8. The method for assigning node addresses in a LIN bus network according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: One of the sampling units is integrated on each communication product, or the sampling unit is integrated in a main control unit.

9. A main control unit for a LIN bus network, characterized in that: The master control unit allocates a node address to each slave node in the LIN bus network using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A LIN bus network, characterized in that: The LIN bus network include: The main control unit according to claim 9; LIN communication line; and One or more slave nodes, each slave node is sequentially connected to the main control unit via the LIN communication line.

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