In-vehicle communication system and communication node

Abstract

When the first node (10) is in a sleep state, the first node (10) is activated when an activation factor that is not caused by communication with other nodes is generated in the first node (10). When activated, the first node (10) transmits an activation request signal to the second node (20) via the first communication line (4). The first node (10) further transmits an activation request signal to the second node (20) via the first communication line (4) when a transmission condition between the first node (10) and the second node (20) is satisfied. The second node (20) is activated when the second node (20) receives an activation request signal from the first communication line (4) when the second node (20) is in a sleep state.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This international application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-146307 filed with the Japan Patent Office on September 14, 2022, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a technique for performing wired communication between multiple nodes in a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle network having a plurality of ECUs. In this in-vehicle network, an ECU in a sleep state wakes up when a condition for waking up is satisfied.

[0005] In such an in-vehicle network, for example, the following communication protocol is considered. That is, if the first node in the sleeping state (i) is awakened by a start factor generated in the first node, it requests the second node to be awakened, and (ii) communicates with the second node awakened by the request. The first node corresponds to the first ECU, for example. The second node corresponds to the second ECU different from the first ECU, for example. As an example of such a communication protocol, the so-called in-vehicle Ethernet ("Ethernet" is a registered trademark) is known.

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6337783

[0007] As a result of the inventor's detailed research, the following problem was discovered in the communication specifications described above. That is, after the second node is started based on a wake-up request from the first node, it may move to a sleep state again due to unpredictable factors. Unpredictable factors include, for example, some abnormality in the second node that performs communication and other factors. If the second node moves to a sleep state due to such unpredictable factors, the first node cannot communicate with the second node. If the abnormality is removed from the second node that has moved to the sleep state, the second node can return to a normal state. However, in this case, since the second node is in a sleep state, the first node still cannot communicate with the second node. Summary of the invention

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is preferably capable of providing an in-vehicle communication system that can quickly wake up the second node and resume communication with the first node even if the second node accidentally enters a sleep state during communication between the first node and the second node.

[0009] A vehicle-mounted communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first node and a second node. The second node is connected to the first node via a first communication line. The first node communicates with the second node via the first communication line. The communication is based on a predetermined communication standard.

[0010] The first node includes a startup unit, a first sending unit, and a second sending unit. When the first node is in a sleep state, the startup unit starts the first node according to the occurrence of a startup factor in the first node. The startup factor is not caused by the above-mentioned communication. The first sending unit sends a startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line according to the situation that the first node is started by the startup unit. When the sending condition between the second sending unit and the second node is satisfied, the second sending unit sends the startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line. The sending condition corresponds to the condition under which the startup request signal should be sent, in other words, corresponds to the necessary condition required for sending the startup request signal.

[0011] When the second node is in the sleep state, the second node is activated when receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line.

[0012] In such an in-vehicle communication system, even if a second node accidentally enters a sleep state due to some factors while a first node is communicating with a second node activated by the first node, the second node can be quickly activated, thereby restoring communication with the first node. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the vehicle-mounted communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing a first operation example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing a second operation example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram showing a third operation example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the communication control process according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the retransmission control process according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing a first specific example (first mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing a second specific example (second mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process of the first embodiment.

[0022] Fig.10 This is a flowchart showing a third specific example (third mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process of the first embodiment.

[0023] Fig.11 This is a flowchart of other factor activation processing according to the first embodiment.

[0024] Fig.12 This is a flowchart of the relay control process according to the first embodiment.

[0025] Fig.13 It is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the in-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment.

[0026] Fig.14 It is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the in-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Fig.15 It is an explanatory diagram showing a first operation example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment.

[0028] Fig.16 is shown in more detail Fig.15 An explanatory diagram of a portion of the first operation example.

[0029] Fig.17 It is an explanatory diagram showing a second operation example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment.

[0030] Fig.18 This is a flowchart of the communication control process according to the second embodiment.

[0031] Fig.19 This is a flowchart of the retransmission control process according to the second embodiment.

[0032] Fig. 20 This is a flowchart showing a first specific example (first mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process according to the second embodiment.

[0033] Fig.21 This is a flowchart showing a second specific example (second mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process according to the second embodiment.

[0034] Fig. 22This is a flowchart showing a third specific example (third mode) of the retransmission process in the retransmission control process according to the second embodiment.

[0035] Fig.23 This is a flowchart of other factor activation processing according to the second embodiment.

[0036] Fig.24 This is a flowchart of the relay control process according to the second embodiment.

[0037] Fig.25 This is a flowchart of the transfer setting control process according to the second embodiment.

[0038] Fig.26 It is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the in-vehicle communication system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0040] [1. First embodiment]

[0041] (1-1) Overview of vehicle-mounted communication systems

[0042] Figure 1 The in-vehicle communication system 2 shown is mounted on a vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes a plurality of wheels including a front wheel 8 and a rear wheel 9. The vehicle 1 is in the form of a four-wheeled vehicle, for example.

[0043] The vehicle 1 includes a driving source (not shown) for driving the vehicle 1. The driving source may be configured in any manner. For example, the driving source may include an internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle communication system 2 includes a first node 10, a second node 20, and a first communication line 4. The first communication line 4 connects the first node 10 and the second node 20 so that they can communicate with each other. That is, the first node 10 can communicate with the second node 20 via the first communication line 4.

[0045] In the vehicle communication system 2 of the present embodiment, the communication between the first node 10 and the second node 20 is performed according to a prescribed communication standard. In the present embodiment, the prescribed communication standard is vehicle Ethernet. "Ethernet" is a registered trademark. Ethernet is a well-known wired communication standard specified by IEEE802.3. Vehicle Ethernet can be said to be based on Ethernet, and the communication standard of the Ethernet is partially changed according to the specifications required in the vehicle. In recent years, vehicle Ethernet has been standardized in IEEE, OPEN (One-Pair Ether-Net) ALLIANCE.

[0046] The vehicle-mounted communication system 2 further includes a third node 30 and a second communication line 5. The second communication line 5 connects the first node 10 and the third node 30 in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. That is, the first node 10 can communicate with the third node 30 via the second communication line 5. In the vehicle-mounted communication system 2 of this embodiment, the communication between the first node 10 and the third node 30 is also performed according to the above-mentioned prescribed communication standard.

[0047] Ethernet is a communication standard corresponding to Layer 1 (physical layer) and Layer 2 (data link layer) in the so-called OSI reference model. Functions corresponding to Layer 2 include (i) placing transmission data transmitted from an upper layer on an Ethernet frame and transmitting it to Layer 1, and (ii) restoring reception data from an Ethernet frame received at Layer 1 and transmitting it to an upper layer. The upper layer includes, for example, an application layer, a presentation layer, a session layer, a transport layer, and a network layer. Functions corresponding to Layer 1 include (i) converting an Ethernet frame from Layer 2 into an electrical signal and transmitting it, and (ii) converting a received electrical signal into an Ethernet frame and transmitting it to Layer 2.

[0048] The Ethernet frame includes the address information of the transmission source and the transmission destination. This address information is generally called a MAC address. In this embodiment, the first to third nodes 10 to 30 each have a unique address information. When the first to third nodes 10 to 30 send data to other nodes, they each include their own address information in the Ethernet frame.

[0049] The functions corresponding to layer 2 also include an address recognition function. The address recognition function is implemented based on the destination address contained in the received Ethernet frame. Specifically, the address recognition function abandons the received Ethernet frame when the destination address represents a node different from the current node. On the other hand, the address recognition function passes the received Ethernet frame to the upper layer when the destination address represents the current node. (i) In the case of having the data relay function described later, (ii) if the destination address represents another node connected to the current node, the received Ethernet frame is forwarded to the other node.

[0050] The vehicle 1 is equipped with a plurality of ECUs for controlling the vehicle 1. "ECU" is an abbreviation for an electronic control unit. In the present embodiment, as an example, the first to third nodes 10 to 30 each correspond to one of the plurality of ECUs.

[0051] The first node 10 is, for example, a gateway ECU. The first node 10 is connected to another communication system not shown in the figure. The first node 10 controls the sending and receiving of data between the other communication system and the vehicle communication system 2. The communication protocol used for communication between the other communication system and the gateway ECU is different from the communication protocol used in the vehicle communication system 2. In the communication between the other communication system and the gateway ECU, for example, CAN or CAN-FD can be used. "CAN" is the abbreviation of "Controller Area Network: Controller Area Network", and is a registered trademark. In addition, "CAN-FD" is the abbreviation of "Controller Area Network with Flexible Data rate: CAN with variable data rate", and is a registered trademark.

[0052] The second node 20 is, for example, a meter ECU. The meter ECU is responsible for controlling, for example, a dashboard (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1 .

[0053] The third node 30 is, for example, a body ECU. The body ECU is responsible for body system control in the vehicle 1. The body system control includes, for example, controlling (i) turning on or off a lighting lamp (not shown), (ii) locking or unlocking a door (not shown), and / or (iii) vehicle anti-theft (illegal intrusion detection).

[0054] The first node 10 includes a control unit 11, a PHY 14, and a PHY 15. "PHY" is an abbreviation for "PHY ceiver: physical layer transceiver". The control unit 11 is connected to the PHY 14 and the PHY 15. The control unit 11 can send various signals and data to other nodes or receive various signals and data from other nodes through the PHY 14 and the PHY 15.

[0055] The control unit 11 realizes various functions of the first node 10. The various functions include a function as the above-mentioned gateway ECU, a communication function with the second node 20 and the third node 30, and the like.

[0056] The control unit 11 includes a CPU 12 and a storage unit 13. The storage unit 13 includes, for example, semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory. In other words, the control unit 11 is constructed with a well-known microcomputer as the center. The various functions of the control unit 11 are realized by the CPU 12 executing a program stored in a non-migrating physical recording medium. In this example, the storage unit 13 is equivalent to a non-migrating physical recording medium storing the program. In addition, by executing the program, the processing corresponding to the program is performed. In addition, the number of microcomputers constituting the control unit 11 can be either one or more.

[0057] The control unit 11 has Figure 2 The communication unit 10A is shown as an example. The communication unit 10A is responsible for communication according to the above-mentioned prescribed communication standard. The communication unit 10A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 10A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 12 executing the program. The software that implements the communication unit 10A includes the communication control processing ( Figure 6 )、Retransmission control processing( Figure 7 ), other factors start processing ( Fig.11 ) and relay control processing ( Fig.12 These programs for implementing the communication unit 10A are stored in the storage unit 13. Figure 2 The communication unit 10A will be described.

[0058] The control unit 11 also has a first node functional unit which is not shown in the figure. The first node functional unit assumes the essential function of the first node 10, that is, in this example, the function of serving as a gateway ECU. The first node functional unit is implemented by software. In other words, the first node functional unit corresponds to the function implemented by executing a program by the CPU 12. The storage unit 13 stores various programs for implementing the first node functional unit. The first node functional unit cooperates with the communication unit 10A to implement various functions. Specifically, the first node functional unit sends data through the communication unit 10A as needed. The first node functional unit obtains data from other nodes through the communication unit 10A.

[0059] The functions of the gateway ECU based on the first node function unit include (i) a function that does not require communication with other nodes through PHY14, 15, and (ii) a function that requires communication with other nodes through PHY14 and / or PHY15. When the first node function unit generates a node startup factor in the first node 10, the first node function unit issues a startup request to the communication unit 10A. The node startup factor is a startup factor that should communicate with other nodes. The node startup factor is not generated by communication with other nodes.

[0060] The communication unit 10A can selectively take either a startup state or a sleep state as an action state. In the startup state, the entire function of the communication unit 10A is exerted. In the sleep state, a part or substantially all of the functions of the communication unit 10A are stopped. In the sleep state, the functions are stopped, and accordingly the power consumption of the first node 10 is suppressed compared to the startup state. In this embodiment, in the sleep state of the communication unit 10A, at least (i) the function corresponding to the startup request from the first node functional unit and (ii) the function corresponding to the wake-up signal described later can be maintained.

[0061] The method of implementing the communication unit 10A and the first node functional unit is not limited to software, and one or more hardware may be used to implement some or all of the elements. Specifically, for example, a digital circuit including many logic circuits, or an analog circuit, or a combination thereof may be used to implement some or all of the functions of the communication unit 10A. The same is true for the first node functional unit. Furthermore, for the communication unit 20A in the second node 20 described later (see Figure 2 ) and the second node functional unit, and the communication unit 30A in the third node 30 described later (refer to Figure 2 ) and the third node functional unit are the same.

[0062] PHY14 and PHY15 are electronic circuits configured to mainly perform the functions of layer 1. PHY14 and PHY15 may each have a part or all of the functions of layer 2. The first communication line 4 is connected to PHY14, and the second communication line 5 is connected to PHY15.

[0063] PHY14 and PHY15 can selectively adopt either the startup state or the sleep state as the operation state. In the startup state, the functions of PHY14 and PHY15, such as sending and receiving various signals and data, can be exerted as a whole. In the sleep state, part or substantially all of the functions of PHY14 and PHY15 are stopped. In the sleep state, the functions are stopped, and the power consumption is suppressed accordingly compared with the startup state. In this embodiment, in the sleep state, at least the functions of sending and receiving the wake-up signal described later can be maintained.

[0064] The PHY 14 and the PHY 15 are connected to each other via a connection line 18. The connection line 18 is used in a first transfer function described later.

[0065] like Figure 1 As shown, the second node 20 includes a control unit 21 and a PHY 24. The control unit 21 is connected to the PHY 24. The control unit 21 can send various signals and data to other nodes through the PHY 24, or receive various signals and data from other nodes.

[0066] The control unit 21 implements various functions of the second node 20. The various functions include the function as the meter ECU described above and the communication function with the first node 10 and the third node 30. As described later, the communication with the third node 30 is relayed by the first node 10, for example.

[0067] The control unit 21 includes a CPU 22 and a storage unit 23. The basic configuration of the CPU 22 and the storage unit 23 is the same as that of the CPU 12 and the storage unit 13 of the first node 10. In other words, the control unit 21 is mainly configured with a well-known microcomputer.

[0068] The control unit 21 has Figure 2 The communication unit 20A is shown as an example. The communication unit 20A is responsible for communication according to the above-mentioned prescribed communication standard. The communication unit 20A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 20A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 22 executing the program. The software that implements the communication unit 20A includes a communication control processing ( Figure 6 )、Retransmission control processing( Figure 7 ) and other factors to initiate processing ( Fig.11 ) of each program. These programs for implementing the communication unit 20A are stored in the storage unit 23. Figure 2 The communication unit 20A will be described.

[0069] The control unit 21 also has a second node functional unit which is not shown in the figure. The second node functional unit assumes the essential function of the second node 20, that is, in this example, the function of the instrument ECU. The second node functional unit is implemented by software. In other words, the second node functional unit corresponds to the function implemented by executing the program by the CPU 22. The storage unit 23 stores various programs for implementing the second node functional unit. The second node functional unit cooperates with the communication unit 20A to implement various functions. Specifically, the second node functional unit sends data through the communication unit 20A as needed. The second node functional unit obtains data from other nodes through the communication unit 20A.

[0070] The functions of the meter ECU based on the second node function unit include (i) a function that does not require communication with other nodes via PHY 24, and (ii) a function that requires communication with other nodes via PHY 24. When a node activation factor occurs in the second node 20, the second node function unit issues an activation request to the communication unit 20A.

[0071] The communication unit 20A can selectively take either a startup state or a sleep state as an action state. In the startup state, the entire function of the communication unit 20A can be exerted. In the sleep state, a part or substantially all of the functions of the communication unit 20A are stopped. In the sleep state, the functions are stopped, and the power consumption of the second node 20 is correspondingly suppressed compared to the startup state. In this embodiment, in the sleep state of the communication unit 20A, at least (i) the function corresponding to the startup request from the second node functional unit and (ii) the function corresponding to the wake-up signal can be maintained.

[0072] The first communication line 4 is connected to the PHY 24. The PHY 24 is configured basically the same as the PHY 14. That is, the PHY 24 can also selectively take either the active state or the sleep state as the operating state.

[0073] like Figure 1 As shown, the third node 30 includes a control unit 31 and a PHY 34. The control unit 31 is connected to the PHY 34. The control unit 31 can send various signals and data to other nodes through the PHY 34, or receive various signals and data from other nodes.

[0074] The control unit 31 implements various functions of the third node 30. The various functions include the function as the body ECU described above, and the communication function with the first node 10 and the second node 20. As described later, the communication with the second node 20 is relayed by the first node 10, for example.

[0075] The control unit 31 includes a CPU 32 and a storage unit 33. The basic configuration of the CPU 32 and the storage unit 33 is the same as that of the CPU 12 and the storage unit 13 of the first node 10. In other words, the control unit 31 is mainly configured with a well-known microcomputer.

[0076] The control unit 31 has Figure 2 The communication unit 30A is shown as an example. The communication unit 30A is responsible for communication according to the above-mentioned prescribed communication standard. The communication unit 30A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 30A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 32 executing the program. The software that implements the communication unit 30A includes a communication control processing ( Figure 6 ) and other factors to initiate processing ( Fig.11 These programs for implementing the communication unit 30A are stored in the storage unit 33. Figure 2 The communication unit 30A will be described.

[0077] The control unit 31 also has a third node functional unit which is not shown in the figure. The third node functional unit assumes the essential function of the third node 30, that is, in this example, the function of the vehicle body ECU. The third node functional unit is implemented by software. In other words, the third node functional unit corresponds to the function implemented by executing the program by the CPU 32. The storage unit 33 stores various programs for implementing the third node functional unit. The third node functional unit cooperates with the communication unit 30A to implement various functions. Specifically, the third node functional unit sends data through the communication unit 30A as needed. The third node functional unit obtains data from other nodes through the communication unit 30A.

[0078] The functions of the body ECU based on the third node functional unit include (i) functions that do not require communication with other nodes via PHY 34, and (ii) functions that require communication with other nodes via PHY 34. When the third node functional unit generates a node activation factor within the third node 30, the third node functional unit issues an activation request to the communication unit 30A.

[0079] The communication unit 30A can selectively take either a startup state or a sleep state as an action state. In the startup state, the entire function of the communication unit 30A can be exerted. In the sleep state, a part or substantially all of the functions of the communication unit 30A are stopped. In the sleep state, the functions are stopped, and accordingly the power consumption of the third node 30 is suppressed compared to the startup state. In this embodiment, in the sleep state of the communication unit 30A, at least (i) the function corresponding to the startup request from the third node functional unit and (ii) the function corresponding to the wake-up signal can be maintained.

[0080] The second communication line 5 is connected to the PHY 34. The PHY 34 is configured basically the same as the PHY 14. That is, the PHY 34 can also selectively take either the active state or the sleep state as the operating state.

[0081] (1-2) Specific composition of the vehicle communication system

[0082] Reference Figure 2 , the communication function in the vehicle communication system 2 is described in more detail. Figure 2 As shown, the first node 10 includes the above-mentioned communication unit 10A. The communication unit 10A includes a communication control unit 11a and a hardware control unit 11b.

[0083] The communication control unit 11a sets the operation state of the communication unit 10A (hereinafter referred to as "NM control state"), and performs various management of data communication corresponding to the NM control state. "NM" is an abbreviation of "Network Management". In this embodiment, the NM control state can be set to any one of "NM self-factor activated", "NM other factor activated" and "NM stopped".

[0084] "NM stopped" corresponds to the sleep state. That is, if the operation state of the communication unit 10A is set to "NM stopped", the communication unit 10A moves to the sleep state. On the other hand, "NM self-factor activated" and "NM other factor activated" both correspond to the activation state, that is, the state of waking up from the sleep state and performing normal activation.

[0085] Specifically, when the communication control unit 11a receives a startup request from the first node function unit and starts up due to the occurrence of the node startup factor, "NM own factor startup" is set. Fig.11 As described later, the "NM other factors are activated" is set based on the receipt of a wake-up signal from another node in the sleep state. When the communication control unit 11a is activated due to the activation factor of the node itself, as described later, it sends a wake-up signal from each port (i.e., PHY 14, 15), thereby activating other nodes (i.e., the second node 20 and the third node 30) connected to each port.

[0086] The wake-up signal may be in the form of an Ethernet frame or in a form different from the Ethernet frame. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described later, as an example, the wake-up signal is in a form different from the Ethernet frame (for example, a pulse signal of a specified period). The wake-up signal is equivalent to an example of a start-up request signal in the present disclosure. In the above and following descriptions, "start", "start it", and "starting" refer to "moving to the start-up state", "moving it to the start-up state", and "during the start-up state", respectively. The start-up request signal sent from the first node in the present disclosure may be the same as the start-up request signal sent from the second node or may be at least partially different.

[0087] The communication control unit 11a controls the communication between the first node 10 and other nodes during the startup of the communication control unit 11a. When sending data to other nodes, the communication control unit 11a requests the hardware control unit 11b to send the data to the sending object (i.e., the other node). If the hardware control unit 11b accepts the request, it passes the data to any one or both of PHY14 and 15 connected to the communication object and instructs the sending. Thus, PHY14 and / or PHY15 that have received the sending instruction send the data. The above-mentioned "when sending data to other nodes" also includes forwarding or relaying data received from other nodes to other nodes. For example, it also includes the case where the first node 10 forwards or relays data received from the second node 20 to the third node 30.

[0088] During startup, the communication control unit 11a periodically sends a predetermined Ethernet frame (hereinafter referred to as an "NM frame") to each node of the communication object as a sending destination. In the first embodiment, the nodes of the communication object include the second node 20 and the third node 30. The NM frame acts in a manner to maintain the startup state of each node of the communication object.

[0089] As described later, the communication control unit 11a transmits a wake-up signal when the retransmission condition is satisfied. The retransmission condition is an example of a transmission condition in the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the communication control unit 11a transmits a wake-up signal after the communication control unit 11a is activated and before the retransmission condition is satisfied. Therefore, hereinafter, the case where the wake-up signal is transmitted in response to the retransmission condition being satisfied is referred to as "retransmission".

[0090] The hardware control unit 11b independently controls PHY 14 and 15 according to various requests from the communication control unit 11a. Controlling PHY 14 and 15 includes, for example, sending instructions for sending data, setting functions of PHY 14 and 15, etc. The hardware control unit 11b further cooperates with the communication control unit 11a to process the received data when receiving the received data from other nodes via PHY 14 and 15. When the received data is data destined for the first node function unit of the upper layer, the received data is transmitted to the first node function unit through the communication control unit 11a.

[0091] The communication unit 10A further includes an abnormality detection unit 11c and a repair unit 11d. The abnormality detection unit 11c determines whether the node of the communication object connected to the port (hereinafter referred to as the "communication object node") is in a communication abnormality state for each port for communication. The communication abnormality state refers to a state in which the communication object node activated by the wake-up signal from the other node cannot communicate normally with the other node. In addition, "port" and "PHY" are actually synonymous in this embodiment.

[0092] The abnormality detection unit 11 c of the present embodiment determines whether the communication partner node is in a communication abnormality state using at least one of the first to third detection methods.

[0093] In the first detection method, (i) a prescribed instruction is periodically sent to the communication object node, and (ii) it is determined whether response data to the prescribed instruction is properly received from the communication object node. In the present embodiment, for example, in the case of a port with a response timeout state, it is determined that the communication object node corresponding to the port is in a communication abnormality state. No response timeout means that after the prescribed instruction is sent, the response data is not properly received even after a time period exceeding the first time threshold has passed. The first time threshold can be appropriately determined. The first time threshold can, for example, be longer than the prescribed response time. The prescribed response time is the time required from sending a prescribed instruction to receiving response data when the vehicle-mounted communication system 2 is normal. Specifically, the first time threshold can, for example, be n times the prescribed response time (n is a natural number).

[0094] The sending cycle of the prescribed instructions may also be appropriately determined. For example, there is a situation where it is desired to restore the communication object node that has become a communication abnormality state before the prescribed recovery allowable time has passed since it became a communication abnormality state (that is, to make it a state in which normal communication can be performed). In this case, the sending cycle of the prescribed instructions may also be determined to be a time shorter than the recovery allowable time. Specifically, for example, the time required for initialization and re-establishment of the communication connection may also be considered to determine the sending cycle of the prescribed instructions. More specifically, the sending cycle of the prescribed instructions may also be set to 1 / 2 of the recovery allowable time or thereabouts.

[0095] In the second detection method, a link interruption of a port of a communication partner is detected. As is well known, a link interruption refers to a state in which it is physically impossible to properly send and receive electrical signals with a communication partner node. As a specific form of a link interruption, for example, a state in which the communication partner node is not physically connected can be cited. The state in which the communication partner node can physically send and receive electrical signals appropriately, which is the opposite of a link interruption, is generally referred to as a link connection.

[0096] In this embodiment, for example, the detection of link interruption is performed directly through the corresponding PHY. When the abnormality detection unit 11c detects link interruption through the PHY, it receives a notification of link interruption detection from the PHY. When the abnormality detection unit 11c detects link interruption (i.e., when it receives the notification from the PHY), it determines that the communication object node connected to the port where the link interruption is detected is in a communication abnormality state.

[0097] In the third detection method, a non-reception timeout of a periodic message (equivalent to an example of "specified data" in the present disclosure) from a communication object node is detected. In the present embodiment, a node that is started with the NM control state set to "NM other factors starting", that is, a node that is started according to a startup request from another node periodically sends a periodic message. A non-reception timeout means that the periodic message cannot be received for more than a second time threshold. The second time threshold can be appropriately determined as a time longer than the sending cycle of the periodic message. Specifically, the second time threshold can be, for example, n times the sending cycle of the periodic message. There is a situation where it is expected to restore communication within a specified time since it is impossible to communicate normally with the communication object node. In this case, the second time threshold can also be determined in consideration of the specified time.

[0098] The sending cycle of periodic messages can be appropriately determined. The sending cycle of periodic messages can be, for example, a constant cycle shared by all nodes, or a constant cycle set independently for each node. For example, in a case where the node of the sending source of the periodic message becomes in a communication abnormality state, there is a desire to restore the node of the sending source to a normal state capable of communication before a prescribed recovery allowed time has passed. In this case, the sending cycle of periodic messages in the node of the sending source can also be a time shorter than the recovery allowed time. Specifically, for example, the sending cycle can also be determined by considering the time required for the initialization of the node of the sending source and the re-establishment of the communication connection. More specifically, the sending cycle can also be set to, for example, 1 / 2 of the recovery allowed time or thereabouts.

[0099] In the case where multiple types of periodic messages are periodically sent respectively, for example, one or more specific ones of the multiple types of periodic messages can be set as the detection object of no reception timeout. Alternatively, all of the multiple types of periodic messages can be set as the detection object of no reception timeout. In other words, even after receiving a first type of periodic message among multiple types of periodic messages, if the first type of periodic message is not received again until the second time threshold passes, it does not correspond to no reception timeout when a second type of periodic message is received. The sending periods of multiple types of periodic messages can be the same as or different from each other.

[0100] The first to third detection methods described above are only examples of methods for detecting abnormal communication states. The abnormality detection unit 11c may determine whether the communication partner node is in an abnormal communication state by a method different from the first to third detection methods in addition to or instead of the first to third detection methods.

[0101] If the abnormality detection unit 11c detects that the communication partner node is in a communication abnormality state, it notifies the repair unit 11d of the occurrence of the communication abnormality state. At this time, the abnormality detection unit 11c also notifies abnormal port information. The abnormal port information refers to the port to which the communication partner node in which the communication abnormality state is detected is connected.

[0102] After the communication unit 10A activated by the node activation factor sends a wake-up signal to each port, the repair unit 11d retransmits the wake-up signal when the retransmission condition is met. More specifically, the repair unit 11d requests the communication control unit 11a to retransmit when the retransmission condition is met. Thus, the wake-up signal is retransmitted under the control of the communication control unit 11a.

[0103] In this embodiment, the retransmission conditions include, for example, the first to third retransmission conditions. The repair unit 11d may also adopt any one or more of the first to third retransmission conditions. The repair unit 11d may also retransmit the wake-up signal when adopting two or more of the first to third retransmission conditions and any one of the two or more retransmission conditions is satisfied.

[0104] The first retransmission condition is established when the retransmission timing arrives. The retransmission timing is set to arrive periodically and repeatedly. The retransmission timing is equivalent to an example of the transmission timing in the present disclosure. When the first retransmission condition is established, the wake-up signal is retransmitted to all communication target nodes.

[0105] The retransmission timing cycle can be appropriately determined. The retransmission timing cycle can be, for example, the same as the transmission cycle of the above-mentioned prescribed instruction, and can be determined to be a time shorter than the recovery allowed time. Alternatively, the transmission cycle of the above-mentioned NM frame can be determined as the retransmission timing cycle. In this case, the transmission timing of the NM frame and the retransmission timing of the wake-up signal can be set relatively arbitrarily. In this embodiment, the Figure 7 The execution period of the retransmission control processing corresponds to the arrival period of the retransmission timing.

[0106] The second retransmission condition is established when a communication abnormality state of the communication partner node is detected by the above-mentioned first detection method.

[0107] The third retransmission condition is established when a communication abnormality state of the communication partner node is detected by the second detection method or the third detection method.

[0108] When the second retransmission condition is satisfied and when the third retransmission condition is satisfied, the wake-up signal is retransmitted to the communication target node that detects the abnormal communication state. However, in this case, the wake-up signal may be retransmitted to all communication target nodes.

[0109] When the second and third retransmission conditions are not used as retransmission conditions, basically, it is not necessary to detect a communication abnormality state. Therefore, in this case, the abnormality detection unit 11c may be omitted.

[0110] The first node 10 also has the above-mentioned first forwarding function and second forwarding function. The first forwarding function is a function of forwarding the wake-up signal to the other party and sending it from the other party when the wake-up signal is received through either PHY14 or PHY15. For example, when a wake-up signal is received from the second node 20 through PHY14, the wake-up signal is directly or appropriately processed and forwarded to PHY15 via the connection line 18. PHY15 sends the forwarded wake-up signal via the second communication line 5. As a result, the wake-up signal sent from the second node 20 to the first node 10 is also received by the third node 30 via the first node 10.

[0111] On the contrary, when the wakeup signal transmitted from the third node 30 is received via the PHY 15, the wakeup signal is transferred from the PHY 15 to the first communication line 4 via the connection line 18 and the PHY 14. As a result, the second node 20 is activated in response to the transmission of the wakeup signal from the third node 30.

[0112] Thus, the first forwarding function is a function of forwarding the wake-up signal through hardware processing (that is, wiring logic) instead of software processing according to a computer program.

[0113] The second forwarding function is the same as the first forwarding function, and is a function of forwarding the wake-up signal received through either PHY 14 or PHY 15 to the other and outputting it from the other. However, the second forwarding function is implemented by software processing based on the communication unit 10A. That is, if the communication unit 10A receives the wake-up signal through either PHY 14 or PHY 15, it directly or appropriately processes the wake-up signal and sends it from the other.

[0114] The first node 10 may include only one of the first forwarding function and the second forwarding function.

[0115] The communication unit 10A also has a data relay function. The data relay function is a function of relaying the communication between the other node and other nodes when it is activated according to the wake-up signal from the other node. For example, assume that the first node 10 is activated according to the wake-up signal from the second node 20. In this case, if the communication unit 10A receives data with the third node 30 as the destination from the second node 20, the data is sent (i.e., relayed) to the third node 30. In addition, the communication unit 10A takes the third node 30 of the relay destination as the object and determines whether the retransmission condition is met. This judgment is basically the same as above. In addition, when the retransmission condition is met for the third node 30, the communication unit 10A retransmits the wake-up signal to the third node 30.

[0116] Next, the second node 20 has the above-mentioned communication unit 20A implemented by software. The communication unit 20A has a communication control unit 21a, a hardware control unit 21b, an abnormality detection unit 21c, and a repair unit 21d. The communication control unit 21a, the hardware control unit 21b, the abnormality detection unit 21c, and the repair unit 21d are basically configured and function in the same manner as the communication control unit 11a, the hardware control unit 11b, the abnormality detection unit 11c, and the repair unit 11d in the first node 10, except that they have one port (i.e., PHY24) and the direct communication object node is the first node 10. Therefore, if the port is replaced with PHY24 and the communication object node is replaced with the first node 10, the above-mentioned first node 10-related based Figure 2 The description of is basically consistent with the second node 20.

[0117] Next, the third node 30 has the above-mentioned communication unit 30A implemented by software. The communication unit 30A has a communication control unit 31a and a hardware control unit 31b. These control units are basically configured and function in the same manner as the communication control unit 11a and the hardware control unit 11b in the first node 10, except that the port is one (i.e., PHY34) and the communication target node is the first node 10.

[0118] However, the communication unit 30A of the third node 30 does not have functions equivalent to the abnormality detection unit 11c and the repair unit 11d of the first node 10. Therefore, the communication control unit 31a and the hardware control unit 31b of the third node 30 do not have functions equivalent to the functions related to the abnormality detection unit 11c and the repair unit 11d compared with the communication control unit 11a and the hardware control unit 11b of the first node 10.

[0119] In addition to the difference from the first node 10, the above description about the communication control unit 11a and the hardware control unit 11b of the first node 10 is also basically applicable to the communication control unit 31a and the hardware control unit 31b of the third node 30. In addition, the third node 30 may also have functions equivalent to the abnormality detection unit 11c and the repair unit 11d. In other words, the communication unit 30A may also be configured to have a retransmission control process ( Figure 7 ) and execute the program.

[0120] (1-3) Operation example of vehicle-mounted communication system

[0121] Next, refer to Figure 3 to Figure 5 An operation example of the vehicle-mounted communication system 2 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 to Figure 5 All of them are based on the premise that, for example, at least one of the second and third retransmission conditions is adopted as the retransmission condition.

[0122] First of all, Figure 3 The following describes the operation example shown. Figure 3 For simplicity of description, only the first node 10 and the second node 20 are extracted. Figure 3 In the state A1, both the first node 10 and the second node 20 are in the sleep state. Specifically, in the first node 10, the communication unit 10A is set to "NM stopped", and the PHY 14 is also set to be stopped (i.e., sleep state). In the second node 20, the communication unit 20A is also set to "NM stopped", and the PHY 24 is also set to be stopped (i.e., sleep state).

[0123] In state A1, if the node activation factor is generated in the first node 10, the first node 10 is activated (see state A2). Specifically, the activation of the communication unit 10A is set as "NM own factor activation". PHY14 is also activated. For example, PHY14 is activated by the communication control unit 11a instructing PHY14 to activate via the hardware control unit 11b.

[0124] The started first node 10 sends a wake-up signal to the second node 20 from a port (ie, PHY 14 ) connected to the second node 20 .

[0125] If the second node 20 receives a wake-up signal from the first node 10, it starts up (refer to state A3). Specifically, PHY24 starts up due to receiving the wake-up signal. The started PHY24 notifies the communication unit 20A (specifically, the hardware control unit 21b) of the startup. The communication unit 20A is thus started. At this time, the communication unit 20A is set to "NM other factors are starting up". In this way, if the first node 10 and the second node 20 are started, communication between the two is performed. In addition, in this embodiment, when "startup" or "startup state" is expressed with respect to any node as the object, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the startup or startup state of both the communication unit and the PHY on the node. Similarly, when "sleep state" is expressed with respect to any node as the object, unless otherwise specified, it refers to the sleep state of both the communication unit and the PHY on the node.

[0126] However, the “sleep state” in the description “when the ... node is in the sleep state” in the present disclosure also includes a state in which only one of the communication unit and the PHY in the node is in the sleep state.

[0127] When the first detection method described above is adopted in the abnormality detection unit 11c, a predetermined command is periodically sent from the first node 10 to the second node 20. When the second detection method described above is adopted in the abnormality detection unit 11c, the link of the monitoring port (PHY24) is interrupted. When the third detection method described above is adopted in the abnormality detection unit 11c, a periodic message is periodically sent from the second node 20 to the first node 10.

[0128] Assume that, during the communication between the first node 10 and the second node 20, for example, the second node 20 enters a communication abnormality state. In this case, the second node 20 moves to a sleep state (see state A4). More specifically, the second node 20 moves to a sleep state when (i) the communication unit 20A of the second node 20 moves to "NM stopped" and (ii) the PHY 24 moves to "stopped". Moving to a sleep state in response to a communication abnormality state is one of the specifications of the automotive Ethernet.

[0129] The abnormality detection unit 11c of the first node 10 detects that the second node 20 is in the abnormal communication state. As a result, the retransmission condition is satisfied in the first node 10. Therefore, the wakeup signal is retransmitted from the first node 10 to the second node 20 (see state A5). Figure 3 The “Wu” shown in FIG. 1 and other drawings refers to a wake-up signal.

[0130] In this embodiment, each node starts from the sleep state when a node startup factor is generated or when a wake-up signal is received from another node. Therefore, after the second node 20 moves to the sleep state due to the generation of the abnormal communication state, even if the abnormal communication state is eliminated, it will not start according to the elimination of the abnormal communication state. The second node 20 remains in the sleep state even if the abnormal communication state is eliminated. The same is true for other nodes described later.

[0131] The second node 20 that has shifted to the sleep state due to the occurrence of the abnormal communication state starts up again (see state A6) if it receives the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 10. As a result, the first node 10 can communicate with the second node 20 again. In addition, the second node 20 may not start up when receiving the retransmitted wake-up signal while the abnormal communication state continues.

[0132] exist Figure 3 In the operation example of , assuming that the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, when the communication between the first node 10 and the second node 20 is started (refer to state A3), the wake-up signal is periodically retransmitted from the first node 10 to the second node 20. Therefore, even if the second node 20 is assumed to be in a communication abnormality state, the second node 20 can be restarted by receiving the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 10.

[0133] The factors causing the node to accidentally enter the sleep state during communication are not limited to the occurrence of a communication abnormality. Even if a communication abnormality does not occur, the node may accidentally enter the sleep state. In contrast, if the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, the node can be restarted even if the node 20 enters the sleep state due to a factor different from the occurrence of a communication abnormality.

[0134] Next, Figure 4 The following describes the operation example shown. Figure 4 All of the first to third nodes 10 to 30 are shown. Figure 4 In the state B1, the first to third nodes 10 to 30 are all in the sleep state. Specifically, in the first node 10, the communication unit 10A is set to "NM stopped", and PHY14 and PHY15 are also set to "stopped" (i.e., sleep state). In the second node 20, the communication unit 20A is also set to "NM stopped", and PHY24 is also set to "stopped" (i.e., sleep state). In the third node 30, the communication unit 30A is also set to "NM stopped", and PHY34 is also set to "stopped" (i.e., sleep state).

[0135] In state B1, if the node activation factor is generated in the first node 10, the first node 10 is activated (refer to state B2). Specifically, the activation of the communication unit 10A is set as "NM own factor activation". The two PHYs 14 and 15 are also activated. PHY 15 is the same as PHY 14, and is activated by the communication control unit 11a instructing PHY 15 to activate via the hardware control unit 11b.

[0136] The activated first node 10 transmits a wakeup signal to the second node 20 and the third node 30 respectively from the ports (ie, PHYs 14 and 15 ) connected to the communication partner nodes (ie, the second node 20 and the third node 30 ).

[0137] When the second node 20 and the third node 30 receive the wake-up signal from the first node 10, they start up (refer to state B3). At this time, the communication unit 20A of the second node 20 and the communication unit 30A of the third node 30 are both set to "NM other factors are started". In this way, when the first to third nodes 10 to 30 are started, communication between the three nodes is performed.

[0138] Assume that, during the communication between the three parties, for example, the second node 20 becomes in a communication abnormality state. In this case, Figure 3The second node 20 moves to the sleep state (refer to state B4) in the same state as state A4. The abnormal communication state is detected by the abnormality detection unit 11c of the first node 10. As a result, the retransmission condition is met in the first node 10, and the wake-up signal is retransmitted from the first node 10 to the second node 20 (refer to state B5). In this case, the retransmission destination of the wake-up signal is only the second node 20 that detected the abnormal communication state. However, it is also possible to retransmit the wake-up signal to the node that did not detect the abnormal communication state (in Figure 4 In the example, the third node 30) retransmits the wake-up signal.

[0139] If the second node 20 that has moved to the sleep state due to the occurrence of the abnormal communication state receives the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 10, Figure 3 The first node 10 is started again (see state B6) in the same manner as in the example of FIG. 1 . Thus, the first node 10 can communicate with the second node 20 again.

[0140] exist Figure 4 In the operation example of FIG. 1 , assuming that the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, if the communication among the three is started (refer to state B3), the first node 10 periodically retransmits the wake-up signal to the second node 20 and the third node 30. Therefore, even if the second node 20 is in a communication abnormality state, the second node 20 can be restarted by receiving the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 10. The same is true for the third node 30.

[0141] Next, Figure 5 The following describes the operation example shown. Figure 5 An operation example is shown in which a wakeup signal transmitted from the second node 20 is transferred to the third node 30 via the first node 10 .

[0142] exist Figure 5 In the state C1, the first to third nodes 10 to 30 are all connected to the above Figure 4 State B1 is the same as the sleep state.

[0143] In state C1, when the node activation factor is generated in the second node 20, the second node 20 is activated (see state C2). Specifically, the activation of the communication unit 20A is set as "NM own factor activation". The PHY 24 is also activated.

[0144] The started second node 20 sends a wake-up signal to the first node 10 from the port (ie, PHY 24 ) connected to the communication partner node (ie, the first node 10 ).

[0145] The first node 10 starts up when receiving the wake-up signal from the second node 20 (see state C3). More specifically, the PHY 14 receives the wake-up signal from the second node 20, and the PHY 14 starts up, thereby starting up the communication unit 10A. At this time, the communication unit 10A of the first node 10 is set to "NM other factors are starting up".

[0146] Furthermore, in the first node 10, the above-mentioned first forwarding function and second forwarding function operate. That is, if PHY14 receives a wake-up signal, it forwards the wake-up signal to PHY15 via the connection line 18. Furthermore, the communication unit 10A also forwards the wake-up signal received by PHY14 via PHY15 through software processing. When the communication unit 10A wants to forward the wake-up signal through the second forwarding function, if PHY15 is in a sleep state, PHY15 is started and forwarded. PHY15 can also be configured to start if it receives a forwarding instruction of the wake-up signal from the communication unit 10A when PHY15 is in a sleep state. In other words, the forwarding instruction of the wake-up signal can also serve as a start-up instruction.

[0147] When PHY15 receives a wake-up signal from PHY14 through the first forwarding function, or receives a start-up request (including a forwarding instruction of the wake-up signal) from the communication unit 10A based on the second forwarding function, it starts up. As a result, the wake-up signal is sent from PHY15 to the third node 30. In addition, only one of the first forwarding function and the second forwarding function may be provided. In this case, PHY15 is started up by the one, and the wake-up signal is sent from PHY15 to the third node 30.

[0148] When the first to third nodes 10 to 30 are activated in this way, communication among the three nodes is performed. In this case, the above-mentioned data relay function operates in the communication unit 10A of the first node 10. That is, when the first node 10 receives data destined for the third node 30 from the second node 20, the first node 10 transmits the data to the third node 30.

[0149] Furthermore, the communication unit 10A determines whether the retransmission condition is satisfied for the third node 30 at the relay destination. At this time, for example, if the retransmission condition is satisfied (in other words, the second retransmission condition or the third retransmission condition is satisfied) due to the abnormal communication state of the third node 30 (see state C5), the wake-up signal is retransmitted from the first node 10 to the third node 30 (see state C6). As a result, the third node 30 is restarted (see state C7).

[0150] exist Figure 5In the operation example of FIG. 1 , it is assumed that the retransmission condition to the third node 30 in the communication unit 10A includes the first retransmission condition. In this case, if the data relay function works (refer to state C4), the wake-up signal is periodically retransmitted from the first node 10 to the third node 30. Therefore, even if the third node 30 is assumed to be in a communication abnormal state, the third node 30 can be restarted based on the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 10.

[0151] exist Figure 5 In the above description, the case where the relay destination node is the third node 30 is taken as an example for explanation, but even if the relay destination node is other than the third node 30, the communication unit 10A also performs the judgment of the retransmission condition and retransmission, etc. on the node of the relay destination as the object in the same manner as described above. In addition, when there are multiple relay destination nodes, the communication unit 10A can also independently perform the judgment of the retransmission condition and retransmission, etc. on these multiple nodes.

[0152] (1-4) Various Processes of the Communication Unit

[0153] Next, various processes for realizing the various functions described above will be described.

[0154] (1-4-1) Communication Control Processing

[0155] First, refer to Figure 6 The communication control processing executed in the first to third nodes 10 to 30, respectively, is described. The communication control processing is equivalent to the processing based on each communication unit 10A to 30A. If each CPU 12, 22, 32 of the first to third nodes 10 to 30 is supplied with power and starts to operate, it starts to operate as the communication unit 10A to 30A, respectively. The operation as the communication unit 10A includes periodically and repeatedly executing the communication control processing. The same is true for the communication units 20A and 30A. Below, in the description of each flowchart in the present embodiment, for the convenience of explanation, the execution subject is set to the communication unit 10A of the first node 10 as an example.

[0156] When the communication unit 10A (more specifically, the CPU 12 ) starts operating, the communication unit 10A itself and the PHYs 14 and 15 are shifted to a sleep state, and a communication control process is started.

[0157] If the communication unit 10A starts the communication control processing, it determines in S110 whether a startup request based on the startup factor of the node is generated. The startup factor of the node in the first node 10 is as described above, for example, including a startup request from the first node function unit. In the case where a startup request based on the startup factor of the node is not generated, the communication unit 10A ends the present processing. In the case where a startup request based on the startup factor of the node is generated, the communication unit 10A starts itself in S120. Specifically, the action state of the communication control unit 11a is set to "NM own factor startup".

[0158] Then, the communication unit 10A performs a wake-up signal transmission process in S130. Specifically, first in S131, the communication control unit 11a requests the hardware control unit 11b to transmit a wake-up signal. Then in S132, the hardware control unit 11b receives the request and starts all the PHYs 14 and 15. Furthermore, in S133, the PHYs 14 and 15 are respectively requested to transmit a wake-up signal. Thus, the wake-up signal is transmitted from each of the PHYs 14 and 15.

[0159] After the wake-up signal is sent, the communication unit 10A starts the communication process in S140. That is, it starts the communication with each communication object node connected to each port. During the communication execution, the communication control unit 11a periodically sends NM frames to each port as described above. In addition, in the communication process of S140, the communication is mainly carried out according to the communication request from the upper layer (for example, the first node function unit in the first node 10) of the generation source of the startup request. In other words, the communication between the upper layers of each node is carried out via the communication unit of the lower layer of each node.

[0160] In S150, the communication unit 10A determines whether the communication termination condition is met. When the communication termination condition is not met, the communication unit 10A continues the communication processing and repeats the judgment processing of S140. The judgment processing of S140 can be repeated at an arbitrary period. The judgment processing of S140 can also be performed non-periodically. The communication termination condition can be determined arbitrarily. In this embodiment, if the upper layer does not need communication, the communication control unit 11a is notified of this. Therefore, the communication termination condition can be met, for example, when it is notified from the upper layer that communication is not needed. In addition, for example, the communication termination condition can also be met when a state in which no data is sent or received with the communication object continues for a specified time.

[0161] If the communication end condition is satisfied in S150, the communication unit 10A causes the first node 10 to enter the sleep state in S160. At this time, the communication control unit 11a sets the NM control state to "NM stopped" and sets the PHYs 14 and 15 to "stopped" via the hardware control unit 11b.

[0162] In addition, the second node 20 and the third node 30 perform the same operation except that the corresponding PHY and the communication target node are different. Figure 6 Communication control processing.

[0163] (1-4-2) Retransmission Control Processing

[0164] Next, refer to Figure 7 The retransmission control process is described below. (i) When the node is started due to the node's own startup factor and (ii) Figure 6 After the communication process of S140 in the communication control process of , the retransmission control process is performed. The retransmission control process is performed at least in the node having the repair unit. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the retransmission control process is performed in the first node 10 for explanation. In the startup of the communication unit 10A, the retransmission control process is repeatedly performed periodically. The execution timing of the retransmission control process that comes periodically corresponds to the above-mentioned retransmission timing and is equivalent to an example of the transmission timing in the present disclosure.

[0165] If the communication unit 10A of the first node 10 starts the retransmission control process, then in S210, it is determined whether the NM control state of the communication unit 10A is "NM itself is starting". The NM control state of "NM itself is starting" indicates that the upper layer needs to communicate. If the NM control state is not "NM itself is starting", the communication unit 10A ends this process. If the NM control state is "NM itself is starting", the communication unit 10A performs the retransmission process in S220. A specific example of the retransmission process is Figure 8 to Figure 10 shown.

[0166] Figure 8 The retransmission process is performed when the first retransmission condition is adopted as the retransmission condition. Figure 8 If the retransmission processing is not performed, the wake-up signal retransmission processing is performed in S260. Specifically, the communication unit 10A first requests the communication control unit 11a from the repair unit 11d to send a wake-up signal to the object port of retransmission in S261. The object port in the first retransmission condition is all ports (PHY14, 15 in the first embodiment). In the following S262, the communication control unit 11a that has received the request requests the hardware control unit 11b to send a wake-up signal to the object port. Further in S263, the hardware control unit 11b that has received the request requests all object ports (PHY14, 15) to retransmit the wake-up signal respectively. Thereby, the wake-up signal is retransmitted from each PHY14, 15.

[0167] Next, Fig. 9The retransmission process is performed when the second retransmission condition is used as the retransmission condition. Fig. 9 If the retransmission process is not performed, then in S310, a predetermined command is sent from each port to the communication target node. This process is performed by the abnormality detection unit 11c.

[0168] In S320, the communication unit 10A determines whether there is a port that has generated a no-response timeout. In other words, the communication unit 10A determines whether there is a port that has not properly received response data to a predetermined command.

[0169] If there is no port with no response timeout, the communication unit 10A ends the process. On the other hand, if there is a port with no response timeout, the communication unit 10A performs port abnormality detection at S330. This process is performed by the abnormality detection unit 11c. Specifically, the abnormality detection unit 11c notifies the repair unit 11d of the abnormality and the corresponding port.

[0170] The communication unit 10A executes a wakeup signal retransmission process in S340. The wakeup signal retransmission process in S340 is the same as the wakeup signal retransmission process in S260 except that the retransmission target port is only the port where the no response timeout has occurred. Therefore, a detailed description of S340 is omitted.

[0171] Next, Fig.10 The retransmission process is performed when the third retransmission condition is adopted as the retransmission condition. Fig.10 If the retransmission process is not performed, then in S410, the communication abnormality detection process is performed. Specifically, the communication unit 10A uses the second detection method and / or the third detection method described above to detect the communication abnormality state of the communication target node.

[0172] In S420, the communication unit 10A determines whether there is a port that has detected a communication abnormality in the process of S410. If there is a port that has detected a communication abnormality, the communication unit 10A performs a wake-up signal retransmission process in S430. The wake-up signal retransmission process in S430 is similar to the process in S430 except that the retransmission target port is only the port that has detected a communication abnormality. Figure 8 The wake-up signal retransmission process of S260 is the same as that of S430. Therefore, the detailed description of S430 is omitted.

[0173] (1-4-3) Other factors trigger processing

[0174] Next, refer to Fig.11 The other factor activation process will be described. In the present embodiment, the first to third nodes 10 to 30 can all execute the other factor activation process. Here, the other factor activation process will be described assuming that the first node 10 executes the other factor activation process as an example.

[0175] When the communication unit 10A starts operating, the communication unit 10A itself and each PHY 14, 15 are shifted to the sleep state as described above, and other factor activation processing is started. The communication unit 10A may also be connected to the above-mentioned communication control processing (see Figure 6 ) execute other factors in parallel (e.g., as multi-tasking) to initiate processing.

[0176] If the communication unit 10A starts the other factor startup process, it determines whether a wake-up signal is received from other nodes in S510. If the wake-up signal is not received from other nodes, the communication unit 10A ends the present process. If the wake-up signal is received from other nodes, the communication unit 10A starts the first node 10 in S520. Then, in S530, the communication unit 10A forwards the wake-up signal to other ports other than the port that received the wake-up signal in S510. In other words, in S530, the communication unit 10A activates the second forwarding function.

[0177] In S540, the communication unit 10A determines whether an NM frame destined for the current node is received in the port activated by receiving the wake-up signal. In the case where an NM frame destined for the current node is not received, the communication unit 10A determines in S590 whether a constant time has passed since the activation in S520. In the case where the constant time has not passed, the communication unit 10A returns to S540. In the case where the constant time has passed, the communication unit 10A causes the first node 10 to move to a sleep state in S580. That is, the communication control unit 11a sets the action state to "NM stopped" and causes the communication unit 10A to move to a sleep state. In addition, the PHY in the activation state moves to a sleep state.

[0178] In S540, when an NM frame destined for the current node is received, the communication unit 10A sets the NM control state of the communication control unit 11a to "NM other factors are activated" in S550. Then, the communication unit 10A starts communication processing in S560. For example, the communication unit 10A starts communication with the node that sent the wake-up signal.

[0179] In S570, the communication unit 10A determines whether the communication termination condition is met. When the communication termination condition is not met, the communication unit 10A continues the communication processing and repeats the determination process of S570. The determination process of S570 can be repeated according to any period. The determination process of S570 can also be performed non-periodically. The communication termination condition in S570 can be determined arbitrarily. The communication termination condition can be met when the state where no data is sent and received between the communication object node continues for a specified time.

[0180] If the communication end condition is satisfied in S570, the communication unit 10A causes the first node 10 to enter the sleep state in S580. At this time, the communication control unit 11a sets the NM control state to "NM stopped" and sets the PHY started in S520 to "stopped" via the hardware control unit 11b.

[0181] The activation in S520 can be said to be a tentative activation in a state where it is unclear whether the system should actually be activated. In contrast, the processing in S550 can be said to be a confirmed activation that the system should actually be activated after receiving confirmation based on the NM frame.

[0182] (1-4-4) Relay Control Processing

[0183] Next, refer to Fig.12 The relay control process is described below. Fig.11 If the other factors of the activation process are activated, the relay control process is executed. Fig.11 If the communication process of S560 in the process of starting the process of other factors is executed in parallel Fig.12 Relay control processing.

[0184] If the communication unit 10A starts the relay control process, it determines in S460 whether the NM control state is "NM other factors are activated". Furthermore, when the NM control state is "NM other factors are activated", the communication unit 10A performs data relay processing in S470. Specifically, the communication unit 10A performs the above-mentioned data relay function. The data relay function relays the communication between other nodes that are the source of the wake-up signal that is the factor for starting itself and nodes that are different from the other nodes. As described above, the data relay function also includes retransmission control of the wake-up signal with the node at the relay destination as the object. Therefore, in S470, the node at the relay destination is also used as the object for communication. Figure 7 The same retransmission process is performed in S220.

[0185] [2. Second Embodiment]

[0186] (2-1) Overview of vehicle-mounted communication systems

[0187] Fig.13The vehicle communication system 110 of the second embodiment shown is mounted on a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is the same as the vehicle 1, for example, in the form of a four-wheeled vehicle. The vehicle communication system 110 of the second embodiment is different from the vehicle communication system 2 of the first embodiment in the number of nodes and the type of some nodes (i.e., the type of ECU). In addition, in the second embodiment, a plurality of local networks are constructed. In addition, in the vehicle communication system 2, the same communication standard as that of the first embodiment (for example, vehicle Ethernet) is used.

[0188] In the vehicle communication system 110 of the second embodiment, as an example, a first partial network and a second partial network are constructed. In the vehicle communication system 2 of the first embodiment, each node can be set to an active state or a sleep state. In contrast, in the vehicle communication system 110 of the second embodiment, each partial network can be independently set to an active state or a sleep state.

[0189] like Fig.13 As shown, the vehicle communication system 110 includes a first node 50, a second node 60, a third node 70, a fourth node 80, a first communication line 101, a second communication line 102, and a third communication line 103. The first communication line 101 connects the first node 50 and the second node 60 in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. The second communication line 102 connects the second node 60 and the fourth node 80 in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other. The third communication line 103 connects the first node 50 and the third node 70 in a manner that allows them to communicate with each other.

[0190] The first node 50 is, for example, a first gateway ECU. The first node 50 is, for example, connected to a first communication system not shown. The first node 50 controls the transmission and reception of data between the first communication system and the vehicle communication system 110. The communication protocol used in the communication between the first communication system and the first gateway ECU is different from the communication protocol used in the vehicle communication system 110. In the communication between the first communication system and the first gateway ECU, CAN or CAN-FD, for example, can be used.

[0191] The second node 60 is, for example, a second gateway ECU. The second node 60 is, for example, connected to a second communication system not shown. The second node 60 controls the transmission and reception of data between the second communication system and the vehicle communication system 110. The communication protocol used in the communication between the second communication system and the second gateway ECU is different from the communication protocol used in the vehicle communication system 110. In the communication between the second communication system and the second gateway ECU, CAN or CAN-FD, for example, can be used.

[0192] The third node 70 is, for example, a body ECU similar to the third node 30 of the first embodiment. The fourth node 80 is, for example, a meter ECU. The meter ECU controls, for example, a dashboard (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 100 .

[0193] The first nodes 50 belong to a first local network cluster (hereinafter referred to as "first PNC") and a second local network cluster (hereinafter referred to as "second PNC"). The first PNC refers to a group of nodes belonging to the first local network, and the second PNC refers to a group of nodes belonging to the second local network.

[0194] The hardware configuration of the first node 50 is basically the same as that of the first node 10 of the first embodiment. That is, the first node 50 includes a control unit 51, a PHY 54, and a PHY 55. The control unit 51 is connected to the PHY 54 and the PHY 55, respectively. The PHY 54 and the PHY 55 are connected via a connection line 58. The first node 50 has a first forwarding function of a wake-up signal. The control unit 51 is the same as the control unit 11 of the first node 10 of the first embodiment, and includes a CPU 52 and a storage unit 53.

[0195] The control unit 51 has Fig.14 The communication unit 50A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 50A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 52 executing the program. The software implementing the communication unit 50A includes the communication control processing ( Fig.18 )、Retransmission control processing( Fig.19 ), other factors start processing ( Fig.23 )、Relay control processing( Fig.24 ), and transfer setting control processing ( Fig.25 These programs for realizing the communication unit 50A are stored in the storage unit 53.

[0196] The control unit 51 also has a first node function unit (not shown). The first node function unit assumes the essential function of the first node 50, that is, in this example, the function of the first gateway ECU. The first node function unit is implemented by software. In other words, the first node function unit corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 52 executing the program.

[0197] The functions implemented by the first node function unit also include the first node first function belonging to the first PNC and the first node second function belonging to the second PNC. In the first node 50, the local node startup factor is independently generated according to the local network cluster (hereinafter referred to as "PNC"). When the first node function unit generates the local node startup factor in the first node 50, the corresponding PNC is specified to the communication unit 50A and a startup request is issued.

[0198] Thus, for example, when a factor for starting the first function of the first node is generated, the communication unit 50A is started. More specifically, the communication function corresponding to the first PNC (hereinafter referred to as "the first communication unit 501") among the functions of the communication unit 50A is started. In this case, the communication unit 50A communicates with the communication object node belonging to the first PNC, and does not communicate with the communication object node that does not belong to the first PNC. Figure 15 to Figure 17 The first communication unit 501 is shown in the figure.

[0199] For example, when a factor for starting the second function of the first node is generated, the communication unit 50A is also started. More specifically, the communication function corresponding to the second PNC (hereinafter referred to as "the second communication unit 502") among the functions of the communication unit 50A is started. In this case, the communication unit 50A communicates with the communication object node belonging to the second PNC, and does not communicate with the communication object node that does not belong to the second PNC. Figure 15 to Figure 17 The second communication unit 502 is shown in the figure.

[0200] The PHY 54 and the PHY 55 are respectively configured similarly to the PHY 14 and the PHY 15 of the first node 10 of the first embodiment. The first communication line 101 is connected to the PHY 54 , and the third communication line 103 is connected to the PHY 55 .

[0201] The second node 60 belongs to the first PNC and the second PNC. The hardware configuration of the second node 60 is basically the same as the second node 20 of the first embodiment except for the number of PHYs. That is, the second node 60 includes a control unit 61, PHY 64, and PHY 65. PHY 64 and PHY 65 are connected to each other via a connection line 68. The second node 60 has a first forwarding function of a wake-up signal. PHY 64 is connected to the second communication line 102. PHY 65 is connected to the first communication line 101. The control unit 61 includes a CPU 62 and a storage unit 63.

[0202] The control unit 61 has Fig.14 The communication unit 60A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 60A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 62 executing the program. The software implementing the communication unit 60A includes the communication control processing ( Fig.18 )、Retransmission control processing( Fig.19 ), other factors start processing ( Fig.23 )、Relay control processing( Fig.24 ), and transfer setting control processing ( Fig.25 These programs for realizing the communication unit 60A are stored in the storage unit 63.

[0203] The control unit 61 further includes a second node function unit (not shown). The second node function unit assumes the essential function of the second node 60, that is, the function of the second gateway ECU in this example. The second node function unit corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 62 executing the program.

[0204] The functions implemented by the second node function unit also include the second node first function belonging to the first PNC and the second node second function belonging to the second PNC. In the second node 60, the node startup factor is also generated independently according to the PNC. When the node startup factor is generated in the second node 60, the second node function unit specifies the corresponding PNC to the communication unit 60A and issues a startup request.

[0205] Thus, for example, when a factor for starting the second node's first function is generated, the communication unit 60A is started. More specifically, the communication function corresponding to the first PNC (hereinafter referred to as "the first communication unit 601") among the functions of the communication unit 60A is started. In this case, the communication unit 60A communicates with the communication object node belonging to the first PNC, and does not communicate with the communication object node that does not belong to the first PNC. In addition, Figure 15 to Figure 17 The first communication unit 601 is shown in the figure.

[0206] For example, when a start factor that should execute the second function of the second node is generated, the communication unit 60A is started. More specifically, the communication function corresponding to the second PNC (hereinafter referred to as "the second communication unit 602") among the functions of the communication unit 60A is started. In this case, the communication unit 60A communicates with the communication object node belonging to the second PNC, and does not communicate with the communication object node that does not belong to the second PNC. In addition, Figure 15 to Figure 17 The second communication unit 602 is shown in the figure.

[0207] The third node 70 belongs to the second PNC, for example, and does not belong to the first PNC. The hardware configuration of the third node 70 is basically the same as that of the third node 30 of the first embodiment. That is, the third node 70 includes a control unit 71 and a PHY 74. The PHY 74 is connected to the third communication line 103. In addition, the control unit 71 includes a CPU 72 and a storage unit 73.

[0208] The control unit 71 has Fig.14 The communication unit 70A is shown as an example. The communication unit 70A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 70A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 72 executing the program. The software that implements the communication unit 70A includes the communication control processing ( Fig.18 ) and other factors to initiate processing ( Fig.23 These programs for realizing the communication unit 70A are stored in the storage unit 73.

[0209] The control unit 71 also has a third node functional unit (not shown). The third node functional unit assumes the essential function of the third node 70, that is, assumes the function of the body ECU in this example. In addition, in this embodiment, the third node functional unit assumes the function belonging to the second PNC. The third node functional unit corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 72 executing the program.

[0210] In such a third node 70, when a local node activation factor is generated in the third node 70, that is, when a local node activation factor that should execute the function of the third node functional unit is generated, the second PNC is specified to the communication unit 70A and an activation request is issued.

[0211] The communication unit 70A receives the activation request and activates the communication function corresponding to the second PNC (hereinafter referred to as the "second communication unit 702"). In this case, the communication unit 70A communicates with the communication target node belonging to the second PNC, and does not communicate with the communication target node that does not belong to the second PNC. Figure 15 to Figure 17 The second communication unit 702 is shown in the figure.

[0212] The fourth node 80 belongs to the second PNC, not the first PNC. The hardware configuration of the fourth node 80 is basically the same as that of the third node 70. That is, the fourth node 80 includes a control unit 81 and a PHY 84. The PHY 84 is connected to the second communication line 102. In addition, the control unit 81 includes a CPU 82 and a storage unit 83.

[0213] In addition, the control unit 81 has Fig.14 The communication unit 80A is implemented by software. In other words, the communication unit 80A corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 82 executing the program. The software implementing the communication unit 80A includes the communication control processing ( Fig.18 ) and other factors to initiate processing ( Fig.23 These programs for realizing the communication unit 80A are stored in the storage unit 83.

[0214] The control unit 81 also includes a fourth node functional unit (not shown). The fourth node functional unit assumes the essential function of the fourth node 80, that is, in this example, assumes the function of the meter ECU. In addition, in this embodiment, the fourth node functional unit assumes the function belonging to the second PNC. The fourth node functional unit corresponds to the function implemented by the CPU 82 executing the program.

[0215] In such a fourth node 80, when a local node activation factor is generated in the fourth node 80, that is, when a local node activation factor that should execute the function of the fourth node functional unit is generated, the second PNC is specified to the communication unit 80A and an activation request is issued.

[0216] The communication unit 80A receives the activation request and activates the communication function corresponding to the second PNC (hereinafter referred to as the "second communication unit 802"). In this case, the communication unit 80A communicates with the communication target node belonging to the second PNC, and does not communicate with the communication target node that does not belong to the second PNC. Figure 15 to Figure 17 The second communication unit 802 is shown in the figure.

[0217] (2-2) Specific composition of the vehicle communication system

[0218] Reference Fig.14 The communication function in the vehicle-mounted communication system 110 of the second embodiment is described in more detail. Fig.14 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first node 50 includes the above-mentioned communication unit 50A. The communication unit 50A is the same as the communication unit 10A of the first embodiment, and includes a communication control unit 51a, a hardware control unit 51b, an abnormality detection unit 51c, and a repair unit 51d. The communication unit 50A is basically the same as the communication unit 10A of the first embodiment (see FIG. 1 ), except that each PNC is independently controlled. Figure 2 ) have the same functions.

[0219] That is, the communication control unit 51a independently sets the NM control state of the communication unit 50A according to the PNC to which it belongs. Therefore, in this embodiment, the NM control state is referred to as the PNC control state. The PNC control state is independently set according to the PNC to which it belongs. In this embodiment, the PNC control state can be set to any one of "PNC self-factor is activated", "PNC other factors are activated" and "PNC is stopped".

[0220] "PNC stopped" corresponds to the case where the communication function of the corresponding PNC is in a sleep state. In the first node 50, the first communication unit 501 corresponding to the first PNC and the second communication unit 502 corresponding to the second PNC are independently started. Therefore, for "PNC stopped", the first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 are also independently set.

[0221] Both "PNC own factor is activated" and "PNC other factor is activated" correspond to the case where the communication function of the corresponding PNC is in the activated state.

[0222] Specifically, when the communication control unit 51a receives a startup request from the first node function unit and starts up due to the occurrence of a node startup factor corresponding to a certain PNC, "PNC own factor startup" is set with respect to the PNC as the object. Since a wake-up signal is received from other nodes in the sleep state and information indicating a PNC to be started is received, "PNC other factor startup" is set with respect to the PNC as the object.

[0223] When the communication control unit 51a is activated by a node activation factor corresponding to a certain PNC, it transmits a wakeup signal from a port connected to a communication partner node belonging to the PNC, thereby preventing a communication partner node not belonging to the PNC from being activated.

[0224] The first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 are software in substance, and the difference between the two lies in the corresponding PNCs. The first communication unit 601 and the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 are also the same.

[0225] Next, the second node 60 includes the above-mentioned communication unit 60A implemented by software. The communication unit 60A includes a communication control unit 61a, a hardware control unit 61b, an abnormality detection unit 61c, and a repair unit 61d. These have basically the same functions as the communication unit 20A of the first embodiment (see Figure 2 In the second node 60, as described above, the first communication unit 601 corresponding to the first PNC and the second communication unit 602 corresponding to the second PNC are independently started.

[0226] Next, the third node 70 includes the above-mentioned communication unit 70A implemented by software. The communication unit 70A includes a communication control unit 71a and a hardware control unit 71b. These are basically the same as the communication unit 30A of the first embodiment (see Figure 2 In the third node 70, as described above, the second communication unit 702 corresponding to the second PNC is started.

[0227] Next, the fourth node 80 has the above-mentioned communication unit 80A implemented by software. The communication unit 80A has a communication control unit 81a and a hardware control unit 81b. They have the same functions as the communication control unit 71a and the hardware control unit 71b of the third node 70. In the fourth node 80, as described above, the second communication unit 802 corresponding to the second PNC is independently started.

[0228] (2-3) Operation example of the vehicle communication system

[0229] Next, refer to Figure 15 to Figure 17 An operation example of the vehicle-mounted communication system 110 according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 15 to Figure 17 All of them are based on the premise that, for example, at least one of the second and third retransmission conditions is adopted as the retransmission condition.

[0230] First of all, Fig.15 The following is an explanation of the operation example shown. Fig.15In the state D1, the first to fourth nodes 50 to 80 are all in sleep state. Specifically, in the first node 50, the first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 are set to "PNC stopped", and PHY54 and 55 are also set to stopped (i.e., sleep state). In the second node 60, the first communication unit 601 and the second communication unit 602 are also set to "PNC stopped", and PHY64 and 65 are also set to stopped. The second communication unit 702 of the third node 70 and the second communication unit 802 of the fourth node 80 are also set to "PNC stopped", and PHY74 and PHY84 are also set to "stopped".

[0231] In state D1, if the node startup factor corresponding to the first PNC is generated in the first node 50, the first communication unit 501 is started (refer to state D2). Specifically, in the communication control unit 51a, the PNC control state corresponding to the first PNC is set to "PNC own factor is started". In addition, the PHY54 connected to the second node 60 is also started. Since the third node 70 does not belong to the first PNC, the PHY55, PHY74 and the second communication unit 702 are not started. In addition, since only the node startup factor corresponding to the first PNC is generated, the second communication unit 502 of the first node 50 is also not started.

[0232] The first communication unit 501 transmits a wakeup signal from the PHY 54 to the second node 60 .

[0233] In the second node 60, when the wake-up signal is received from the first node 50, the PHY 65 is activated and the first communication unit 601 is activated (see state D3). More specifically, the transition from state D2 to state D3 is as follows: Fig.16 The process as shown.

[0234] That is, if the wake-up signal transmitted from the PHY54 of the first node 50 is received by the PHY65 of the second node 60, the PHY65 is activated. Thus, the wake-up signal is transferred from the PHY65 to the fourth node 80 via the PHY64 through the first transfer function of the wake-up signal (state D31). At this time, the PHY64 and the PHY84 receive the transfer of the wake-up signal and are activated (state D32). In addition, since the wake-up signal is received, the first communication unit 601 and the second communication unit 602 of the second node, and the second communication unit 802 of the fourth node 80 are also temporarily activated (state D32).

[0235] On the other hand, the first communication unit 501 that has sent the wake-up signal sends an NM frame F1 corresponding to the first PNC to the second node 60 (state D33). The NM frame F1 includes the first identification information indicating the first PNC. Therefore, the first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 maintains the startup state (state D34) based on the NM frame. When the second communication unit 502 sends the NM frame corresponding to the second PNC to other nodes, the NM frame includes the second identification information indicating the second PNC.

[0236] On the other hand, after being activated, the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 and the second communication unit 802 of the fourth node move to the sleep state again (state D35) because the NM frame corresponding to the second PNC is not received for more than a certain time. The NM frame is sent periodically during communication as in the first embodiment (state D36). In this way, in more detail, Fig.16 The above process is shown in Fig.15 The transition to state D3 in .

[0237] Return to Fig.15 The description is continued. For example, when the first detection method described above is adopted in the abnormality detection unit 51c, a prescribed instruction is periodically sent from the first node 50 to the second node 60. For another example, when the second detection method described above is adopted, the link of the monitoring port (PHY65) is interrupted. For another example, when the third detection method described above is adopted, a periodic message is periodically sent from the second node 60 to the first node 50.

[0238] Assume that after the transition to state D3, for example, the first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 becomes a communication abnormal state. In this case, the first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 transitions to a sleep state (refer to state D4). To explain in more detail, when the first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 becomes a communication abnormal state, the first communication unit 601 transitions to "PNC stopped" and the PHY 65 transitions to "stopped".

[0239] The abnormal communication state of the first communication unit 601 is detected by the abnormality detection unit 51c of the first node 50. As a result, the retransmission condition is satisfied in the first node 50. Therefore, the wakeup signal is retransmitted from the first node 50 to the second node 60 (see state D5).

[0240] The first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 that has shifted to the sleep state due to the occurrence of the abnormal communication state starts up again (see state D6) if it receives the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 50. Thus, the first communication unit 501 of the first node 50 can restart the communication corresponding to the first PNC with the first communication unit 60 of the second node 60.

[0241] exist Fig.15 In the operation example of , assuming that the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, when the communication between the first node 50 and the second node 60 is started (refer to state D3), the wake-up signal is periodically retransmitted from the first node 50 to the second node 60. Therefore, even if the first communication unit 601 of the second node 60 is assumed to be in a communication abnormality state, the first communication unit 601 can be restarted by receiving the wake-up signal retransmitted from the first node 50.

[0242] Next, Fig.17 The following describes the operation example shown. Fig.17 An operation example is shown in which the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 relays data corresponding to the second PNC transmitted from the first node 50 to the fourth node 80 .

[0243] exist Fig.17 In the state E1 and Fig.15 The state D1 is the same as that of the state E1. In the state E1, if the node activation factor corresponding to the second PNC is generated in the first node 50, the second communication unit 502 is activated (refer to the state E2). Specifically, the communication unit 50A of the first node 50 is activated, and in the communication control unit 51a, the PNC control state corresponding to the second PNC is set to "PNC own factor activation". In addition, both PHY54 and 55 are activated due to the connection with the communication object node belonging to the second PNC.

[0244] The activated second communication unit 502 sends a wake-up signal from each port connected to the communication object node (state E2). As a result, the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 and the second communication unit 702 of the third node 70 are activated (state E3). In addition, the wake-up signal is transferred to the fourth node 80 through the first transfer function of the wake-up signal, and the fourth node 80 is activated (state E4). In addition to the first transfer function, or instead of the first transfer function, the wake-up signal can also be transferred by the second transfer function based on software processing.

[0245] In state E4, the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 relays the communication corresponding to the second PNC between the second communication unit 502 of the first node 50 and the second communication unit 802 of the fourth node. In addition, the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 takes the fourth node 80 of the relay destination as the object and determines whether the retransmission condition is satisfied. At this time, for example, if the retransmission condition is satisfied because the second communication unit 802 of the fourth node 80 becomes a communication abnormality state (refer to state E5), the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 retransmits the wake-up signal to the fourth node 80 (refer to state E6). As a result, the fourth node 80 is restarted (refer to state E7).

[0246] exist Fig.17In the operation example, assuming that the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, in state E4, the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 periodically retransmits the wake-up signal to the first and fourth nodes 50 and 80 respectively. The reason is that the first and fourth nodes 50 and 80 all belong to the second PNC. Therefore, even if the second communication unit 502 of the first node 50 becomes a communication abnormal state in which it cannot communicate with other nodes, the second communication unit 502 can receive the wake-up signal retransmitted from the second node 60 and start again.

[0247] The second communication unit 502 of the first node 50 may also forward the wake-up signal retransmitted from the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 to the third node 70 belonging to the second PNC. In addition, the second communication unit 502 of the first node 50 may not forward the wake-up signal retransmitted from the second communication unit 602 of the second node 60 to the third node 70 belonging to the second PNC based on a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition includes, for example, a situation where an abnormality occurs in the third node 70 and / or a situation where communication is congested.

[0248] (2-4) Various Processes of the Communication Unit

[0249] Next, refer to Fig.18 The communication control processing executed by the first node 50 to realize the above-mentioned various functions is described below. The communication control processing of the second embodiment corresponds to the processing of the communication unit 50A. When the CPU 52 of the first node 50 is supplied with power and starts to operate, it starts to operate as the communication unit 50A. The operation as the communication unit 50A includes periodically and repeatedly executing Fig.18 Communication control processing.

[0250] When the communication unit 50A (more specifically, the CPU 52 ) of the first node 50 starts operating, the communication unit 50A itself and each of the PHYs 54 and 55 are shifted to a sleep state, and a communication control process is started.

[0251] If the communication unit 50A starts the communication control process, then in S710, it is determined whether a startup request of any PNC based on the startup factor of this node (i.e., a startup request from the first node function unit) has been generated. In the case where a startup request based on the startup factor of this node has not been generated, the communication unit 50A ends this process. In the case where a startup request based on the startup factor of this node has been generated, the communication unit 50A starts the first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 corresponding to the PNC that generated the startup factor of this node in S720. For example, in the case where the communication unit 50A accepts the startup request due to the generation of the startup factor of the node corresponding to the second PNC, based on the information of the PNC contained in the startup request, the PNC control state of the second PNC is set to "PNC own factor startup". In more detail, the processing of S730 after any PNC is started in S720 is executed by the first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 corresponding to the started PNC. In addition, there may be a situation where the startup request is received from both the first PNC and the second PNC. In this case, more specifically, the processes after S730 are executed by the first communication unit 501 and the second communication unit 502 respectively.

[0252] The communication unit 50A performs a wake-up signal sending process in S730. Specifically, the communication unit 50A first requests the hardware control unit 51b to send a wake-up signal from the port associated with the corresponding PNC (i.e., the PNC that generates the startup factor of this node) from the communication control unit 51a in S731. Then, in S732, the hardware control unit 51b that receives the request starts the PHY of the corresponding port. Further, in S733, the PHY of the corresponding port is requested to send a wake-up signal. Thus, the wake-up signal is sent from the corresponding PHY. In other words, the wake-up signal is sent only to the communication object node belonging to the PNC that becomes the startup factor.

[0253] After the wake-up signal is sent, the communication unit 50A starts the communication process in S740. This communication process is similar to S140 ( Figure 6 ) is the same as the communication processing.

[0254] In S750, the communication unit 50A determines whether the communication termination condition is met. When the communication termination condition is not met, the communication unit 50A continues the communication processing and repeats the judgment processing of S740. The judgment processing of S740 can be repeated at any period. The judgment processing of S740 can also be performed non-periodically. The communication termination condition can be determined arbitrarily. In this embodiment, if the upper layer of each PNC does not need communication, it notifies the communication control unit 51a of the subject. Therefore, the communication termination condition can be met, for example, when the upper layer of the PNC being started notifies that communication is not required. In addition, for example, the communication termination condition can also be met when the state where no data is sent and received between the communication object node continues for a specified time.

[0255] If the communication termination condition is satisfied in S150, the present process proceeds to S760. In S760, the communication unit 50A terminates the communication with the communication partner node for which the communication termination condition is satisfied, and causes the communication unit of the corresponding PNC to enter the sleep state.

[0256] The same is done in the second to fourth nodes 60 to 80. Fig.18 Communication control processing.

[0257] Next, refer to Fig.19 The retransmission control process is described below. (i) When the node is started due to the node's own startup factor and (ii) Fig.18 The retransmission control process is executed after the communication process of S740 in the communication control process of . Here, the retransmission control process is described as an example assuming that the first node 50 executes the retransmission control process. During the activation of the communication unit 50A, the retransmission control process is repeatedly executed periodically.

[0258] If the communication unit 50A of the first node 50 starts the retransmission control process, it determines in S810 whether the PNC control state of any of its own PNCs is "PNC itself is starting". "PNC itself is starting" of any PNC means that the upper layer corresponding to the PNC needs communication within the PNC. If any PNC is not "PNC itself is starting", the communication unit 50A ends this process. If any PNC is "PNC itself is starting", the communication unit 50A performs retransmission processing in S820.

[0259] For example, when the retransmission condition includes the first retransmission condition, executing Fig. 20 If the communication unit 50A starts Fig. 20If the retransmission process is not performed, the wake-up signal retransmission process is performed in S860. Specifically, the communication unit 50A first requests the communication control unit 51a to send a wake-up signal from the port associated with the PNC being started in S861 from the repair unit 51d. Then, through the process after S862, the wake-up signal is sent from the target port. The process of S862 to S863 is basically the same as Figure 8 S262~S263 are the same, so their detailed description is omitted.

[0260] Next, Fig.21 The retransmission process is performed when the retransmission condition includes the second retransmission condition. If the communication unit 50A starts Fig.21 If the retransmission process is not performed, then in S910, a predetermined instruction is sent to the communication target node from the port connected to the communication target node belonging to the corresponding PNC. This process is performed by the abnormality detection unit 51c. The predetermined instruction sent here includes the information of the corresponding PNC.

[0261] In S920, the communication unit 50A determines whether a no-response timeout has occurred in any of the ports that have sent the predetermined command. In other words, the communication unit 50A determines whether there is a port that has not properly received the response data to the predetermined command.

[0262] If there is no port with no response timeout, the communication unit 50A ends the process. On the other hand, if there is a port with no response timeout, the communication unit 50A performs port abnormality detection in S930. This process is performed by the abnormality detection unit 51c. Specifically, the abnormality detection unit 51c notifies the repair unit 51d of the abnormality, the corresponding PNC, and the corresponding port.

[0263] The communication unit 50A executes the wakeup signal retransmission process in S940. The wakeup signal retransmission process in S940 is similar to the above except that the retransmission target port is only the port where the no response timeout occurred. Fig. 20 The wake-up signal retransmission process of S860 is the same.

[0264] Next, Fig. 22 The retransmission process is performed when the third retransmission condition is adopted as the retransmission condition. Fig. 22 If the retransmission process is not performed, then in S1010, a communication anomaly detection process is performed. Specifically, the communication unit 50A uses the second detection method and / or the third detection method described above to detect the communication anomaly state of the communication target node. The processing target of S1010 is the port associated with the corresponding PNC.

[0265] In S1020, the communication unit 50A determines whether there is a port for which a communication abnormality is detected in the process of S1010. If there is a port for which a communication abnormality is detected, the communication unit 50A performs a wake-up signal retransmission process in S1030. The wake-up signal retransmission process in S1030 is similar to the process in S1030 except that the retransmission target port is only the port for which a communication abnormality is detected. Fig. 20 The wake-up signal retransmission process of S860 is the same.

[0266] Next, refer to Fig.23 The other factor activation process of the second embodiment is described. In the second embodiment, the first to fourth nodes 50 to 80 can all execute the other factor activation process. And, the other factor activation process is executed independently for each PNC. That is, for example, in the first node 50, the other factor activation process is executed for the first PNC and the second PNC as objects.

[0267] When the communication unit 50A starts operating, the communication unit 50A itself and each PHY 54, 55 are moved to the sleep state as described above, and other factor activation processing is started. The communication unit 50A may also be connected to the above-mentioned communication control processing (see Fig.18 ) executes other factor startup processing in parallel.

[0268] If the communication unit 50A starts the other factor startup process, it determines whether a wake-up signal is received from other nodes in S1110. If the wake-up signal is not received from other nodes, the communication unit 50A ends the present process. If the wake-up signal is received from other nodes, the communication unit 50A starts the target PNC in S1120. Then, in S1130, the communication unit 50A forwards the wake-up signal to other ports other than the port that received the wake-up signal in S1110. In other words, in S1130, the communication unit 50A enables the second forwarding function.

[0269] In S1140, the communication unit 50A determines whether an NM frame with the destination being the present node and requesting the activation of the target PNC is received in the port activated by receiving the wake-up signal. In the case where the corresponding NM frame is not received, the communication unit 50A determines in S1180 whether a constant time has passed since the activation of the communication unit of the target PNC. In the case where the constant time has not passed, the process returns to S1140. In the case where the constant time has passed, the communication unit 50A causes the communication unit of the target PNC in the first node 50 to move to a sleep state in S1170. That is, the communication control unit 51a sets the PNC control state of the target PNC to "PNC stopped", causing the communication unit of the target PNC to move to a sleep state. Furthermore, in the case where the communication units of all other PNCs are in a sleep state, the PHY being activated is also moved to a sleep state.

[0270] In S1140, when the corresponding NM frame is received, the communication unit 50A sets the PNC control state of the target PNC in the communication control unit 51a to "PNC other factors are activated" in S1150. Then, in S1160, the communication unit 50A starts the communication process. The communication process in S1160 is the same as that in Fig.18 The communication process of S740 is basically the same, and communication is performed within the range of the target PNC.

[0271] The communication unit 50A determines whether the communication termination condition is met in S1170. When the communication termination condition is not met, the communication unit 50A continues the communication processing and repeats the determination process of S1170. In addition, the determination process of S1170 can be repeated according to an arbitrary period. The determination process of S1170 can also be performed non-periodically. The communication termination condition in S1170 can be arbitrarily determined. The communication termination condition can be met when the state where no data is sent and received with the communication object node continues for a predetermined time.

[0272] When the communication termination condition is satisfied in S1170, the communication unit 50A terminates the communication with the communication partner node for which the communication termination condition is satisfied in S1180, and shifts the communication unit of the partner PNC to the sleep state.

[0273] Next, refer to Fig.24 The relay control process is described below. The communication unit 60A of the second node 60 communicates with the relay unit 60A via Fig.23 The relay control process is executed when the other factors start the process. Fig.23 If the communication process of S1160 in the process of starting the process of other factors is executed in parallel Fig.24 Relay control processing.

[0274] If the communication unit 60A starts the relay control process, then in S1060, it is determined whether the PNC control state of the PNC activated by the wake-up signal from the other node is "PNC other factors are activated". Moreover, when the PNC control state is "PNC other factors are activated", the communication unit 60A performs data relay processing in S1070. Specifically, the communication unit 60A performs the above-mentioned data relay function. The data relay function relays the communication within the range of the corresponding PNC between the other node that is the source of the wake-up signal that is the factor for starting itself and the node different from the other node. The data relay function also includes retransmission control of the wake-up signal with the corresponding PNC in the node of the relay destination as the object. Therefore, in S1070, the node of the relay destination is also taken as the object to be communicated with. Fig.19 The same retransmission process as S820.

[0275] Next, refer to Fig.25 The forwarding setting control process is described. The forwarding setting control process is performed in a node having a first forwarding function based on hardware of a wake-up signal. The forwarding setting control process is a process of temporarily invalidating the first forwarding function of the wake-up signal when the node having the first forwarding function receives the wake-up signal from another node. The forwarding setting control process is particularly effective when the retransmission condition of the retransmission process in the node of the transmission source of the wake-up signal includes the first retransmission condition.

[0276] That is, after the node adopting the first retransmission condition is started up due to the node startup factor and sends the wake-up signal, it periodically and repeatedly retransmits the wake-up signal. Therefore, for example, it is assumed that the first PNC is started up in the first node 50, and thus the wake-up signal is repeatedly retransmitted from the first node 50 to the PHY 65 of the second node 60. In this case, each time the wake-up signal is retransmitted, the wake-up signal is forwarded to the fourth node 80 through the PHY 64. Although the fourth node 80 does not belong to the first PNC and does not need to be started, it has to be started based on the wake-up signal forwarded by the first forwarding function.

[0277] In contrast, the node having the first forwarding function executes Fig.25 The forwarding setting control processing can avoid the startup of unnecessary nodes (specifically, unnecessary PNCs) as described above.

[0278] As an example, the description will be given assuming that the communication unit 60A of the second node 60 executes the forwarding setting control process. The forwarding setting control process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

[0279] When the communication unit 60A starts the forwarding setting control process, it determines in S1210 whether a PHY startup notification is received from any one of the PHYs 64 and 65 in the second node 60. If the PHY of this embodiment receives a wake-up signal during sleep, it starts up and sends a PHY startup notification to the communication unit 60A (specifically, the hardware control unit 61b). In other words, the PHY startup notification notifies that the wake-up signal is received in the PHY.

[0280] When the communication unit 60A receives the PHY startup notification, it performs a process of disabling the first forwarding function of the wake-up signal in S1220. Specifically, the communication unit 60A stops forwarding the wake-up signal from the PHY that sent the PHY startup notification to other PHYs. Thus, even if the PHY periodically receives the wake-up signal in the future, it is possible to avoid forwarding the wake-up signal.

[0281] If the PHY start notification is not received in S1210, the communication unit 60A determines in S1230 whether a PHY stop notification is received from any PHY. The PHY of this embodiment sends a PHY stop notification to the hardware control unit 61b when the PHY enters the sleep state. In other words, the PHY stop notification notifies the PHY to enter the sleep state.

[0282] When receiving the PHY stop notification, the communication unit 60A performs a process of enabling the first forwarding function of the wakeup signal in S1240. Specifically, the communication unit 60A sets the PHY that has transmitted the PHY stop notification to forward the wakeup signal received by the PHY to another PHY.

[0283] [3. Other embodiments]

[0284] As mentioned above, although embodiment of this disclosure was described, this disclosure is not limited to the said embodiment, Various deformation|transformation can be made and it can be implemented.

[0285] (3-1) In the first embodiment, an in-vehicle communication system including three nodes is exemplified, and in the second embodiment, an in-vehicle communication system including four nodes and constructing a plurality of local networks is exemplified. However, the in-vehicle communication system may include any number of nodes, and any number of local networks may be constructed in the in-vehicle communication system.

[0286] In addition, in the vehicle communication system, multiple nodes can be connected to each other arbitrarily. In addition, multiple nodes can each have any number of PHYs. In addition, the retransmission function of the wake-up signal in the present disclosure can be possessed by some of the multiple nodes or by all of the multiple nodes.

[0287] In addition, a node having multiple PHYs may not necessarily have the first forwarding function of the wakeup signal by hardware. A node having multiple PHYs may not necessarily have the data forwarding function (including the retransmission function of the wakeup signal to the forwarding destination node) by software.

[0288] (3-2) In the first embodiment, the first node 10 has a function of relaying data communication between the second node 20 and the third node 30. A plurality of nodes having such a relay function may be connected in multiple stages to relay data via the plurality of nodes.

[0289] For example, in Fig.26 In the illustrated in-vehicle communication system, Figure 1Compared with the first embodiment illustrated, one or more additional nodes including a fourth node 40 are connected between the first node 10 and the third node 30. Moreover, these one or more additional nodes all have a data relay function. For example, the fourth node has a control circuit 41, a PHY 44, and a PHY 45. The control circuit 41 has a function of relaying data communication between a node connected to the PHY 44 and a node connected to the PHY 45. Thus, the second node 20 can perform data communication with the third node 30 through the first node 10 and one or more additional node relays.

[0290] Furthermore, each of the one or more additional nodes including the fourth node 40 (i) has a wake-up signal retransmission function and (ii) can retransmit the wake-up signal to a node to restart the node when a communication abnormality of the node to which the signal is forwarded is detected.

[0291] The second embodiment can also adopt the multi-stage relay as described above. Fig.13 In the illustrated configuration, one or more additional nodes may be connected in multiple stages between the second node and the fourth node. Furthermore, the wakeup signal from the second node may be relayed sequentially through the one or more additional nodes and sent to the fourth node.

[0292] (3-3) In the first embodiment, the communication unit 10A sends a wake-up signal when it is started due to the startup factor of the node. And, after the sending, when the retransmission condition is met, the wake-up signal is sent (i.e., retransmitted). However, the communication unit 10A may also send the wake-up signal unconditionally when it is started due to the startup factor of the node. In other words, the communication unit 10A may wait for the sending of the wake-up signal until the retransmission condition is met after it is started due to the startup factor of the node. And, the communication unit 10A may also send the wake-up signal according to the retransmission condition being met. This is also the same for the other communication units 20A and 30A, and is also the same for the communication units 50A, 60A, 70A, and 80A of the second embodiment.

[0293] (3-4) The present disclosure is not limited to application to communication between multiple ECUs. That is, the nodes constituting the vehicle communication system are not limited to ECUs. The present disclosure can also be applied to communication between a node other than an ECU and an ECU, or can also be applied to communication between multiple nodes other than an ECU.

[0294] (3-5) The present disclosure is not limited to application to an in-vehicle communication system based on in-vehicle Ethernet. The present disclosure can also be applied to an in-vehicle communication system configured to communicate based on a communication standard different from the in-vehicle Ethernet.

[0295] (3-6) The present disclosure is not limited to application to four-wheeled vehicles. The present disclosure can be applied to vehicles of all types including two-wheeled vehicles, for example.

[0296] (3-7) It is also possible to implement multiple functions of one component in the above-mentioned embodiment by multiple components, or to implement one function of one component by multiple components. In addition, it is also possible to implement multiple functions of multiple components by one component, or to implement one function implemented by multiple components by one component. In addition, part of the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment may be omitted. In addition, at least part of the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment may be added to or replaced by the structure of other above-mentioned embodiments.

[0297] (3-8) In addition to the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted communication system, the present disclosure can also be implemented in various ways, such as nodes constituting the vehicle-mounted communication system, a program for causing a computer to function as the vehicle-mounted communication system, a program for causing a computer to function as the node, a non-migrating physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory recording any one or both of these programs, and a method for properly maintaining the startup state of a node in the vehicle-mounted communication system.

[0298] [4. Note]

[0299] Technical ideas grasped from the above-mentioned first and second embodiments and modified examples are described below as Supplementary Notes 1 to 6.

[0300] (Note 1)

[0301] A vehicle-mounted communication system is a vehicle-mounted communication system (101),

[0302] The vehicle communication system includes (or constructs) a plurality of networks, wherein the plurality of networks includes at least a first network and a second network.

[0303] The vehicle-mounted communication system comprises a plurality of nodes (50, 60, 70, 80) respectively belonging to the first network and / or the second network.

[0304] The above multiple nodes have:

[0305] A first node (50) belonging to the first network and the second network; and

[0306] The second node (60) belongs to the first network and is configured to communicate with the first node via a first communication line (101) in accordance with a predetermined communication standard.

[0307] The first node has:

[0308] A first node first communication unit (501) belongs to the first network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the first network with other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes; and

[0309] The first node second communication unit (502) belongs to the second network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes.

[0310] The second node comprises a second node first communication unit (601), the second node first communication unit belongs to the first network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the first network with other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes.

[0311] The first node also has:

[0312] The activation unit (S720) is configured to activate the first communication unit of the first node when the first communication unit of the first node is in a sleep state according to a first activation factor generated at the first node, wherein the first activation factor is a factor that should activate the first communication unit of the first node and is not caused by the communication;

[0313] a first sending unit (S730) configured to perform a first startup request process according to the startup of the first communication unit of the first node by the startup unit, wherein the first startup request process is (i) a process of independently sending a startup request signal to other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes, including (ii) sending the startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line; and

[0314] The second sending unit (S820) is configured to send the start request signal to the second node via the first communication line when a sending condition is satisfied between the first communication unit and the second node, and the sending condition corresponds to a condition under which the start request signal should be sent.

[0315] The second node first communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line when the second node first communication unit is in a sleep state.

[0316] (Note 2)

[0317] According to the vehicle communication system recorded in Supplementary Note 1, wherein:

[0318] The second node further comprises a second node second communication unit (602), the second node second communication unit belonging to the second network and configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes.

[0319] In the first node above,

[0320] The startup unit is configured to start the second communication unit of the first node when the second communication unit of the first node is in a sleep state according to a second startup factor generated at the first node, wherein the second startup factor is a factor that should start the second communication unit of the first node and is not caused by the communication.

[0321] The first sending unit is configured to perform a second startup request process according to the situation that the second communication unit of the first node is started by the startup unit, and the second startup request process is (i) independently sending the startup request signal to other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes, including (ii) sending the startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line,

[0322] The second sending unit is configured to send the start request signal to the second node via the first communication line when the sending condition between the second sending unit and the second node second communication unit is satisfied.

[0323] The second node second communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line when the second node second communication unit is in a sleep state.

[0324] (Note 3)

[0325] According to the vehicle communication system recorded in Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0326] The plurality of nodes include a third node (80) belonging to the second network, the third node being configured to communicate with the second node via a second communication line (102).

[0327] The third node comprises a third node communication unit (802) belonging to the second network, and the third node communication unit is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes.

[0328] The second node includes a first forwarding unit (S1070), which is configured to send the startup request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the second communication unit of the second node is started according to the startup request signal from the first node.

[0329] The third node communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the second communication line when the third node communication unit is in a sleep state.

[0330] The activation request signal from the first node may be a signal sent through the second activation request process.

[0331] (Note 4)

[0332] According to the vehicle communication system recorded in Appendix 3, wherein:

[0333] The first transfer unit includes a transfer circuit (64, 65, 68) configured to transfer the start-up request signal received from the first node to the third node.

[0334] The second node includes a transfer circuit control unit (S1210 to S1220) configured to disable transfer of the activation request signal to the third node by the transfer circuit when the activation request signal is received by the second node.

[0335] (Note 5)

[0336] According to the vehicle communication system described in Appendix 4,

[0337] The transfer circuit control unit (S1230 to S1240) is configured to enable the transfer again after invalidating the transfer when both the second node first communication unit and the second node second communication unit are in a sleep state.

[0338] (Note 6)

[0339] A communication node, comprising:

[0340] The communication circuit is configured to (i) be connected to a communication line, and (ii) transmit and receive data between communication devices connected to the communication line via the communication line in accordance with a prescribed communication standard;

[0341] an activation unit configured to activate the communication node in response to a startup factor being generated in the communication node in a sleep state, the startup factor not being caused by a receiving operation of the communication circuit;

[0342] a first transmitting unit configured to transmit an activation request signal to the communication device via the communication line in response to activation of the communication node by the activation unit; and

[0343] The second sending unit is configured to send the start request signal to the communication device via the communication line when a sending condition between the communication device and the communication device is satisfied, and the sending condition corresponds to a condition under which the start request signal should be sent.

[0344] The communication device is configured to be activated when receiving the activation request signal from the communication line while the communication device is in a sleep state.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted communication system (2), comprising: a first node (10); and The second node (20) is configured to communicate with the first node via the first communication line (4) in accordance with a predetermined communication standard. The first node has: an activation unit (S120) configured to activate the first node in response to a startup factor being generated in the first node in a sleep state, the startup factor not being caused by the communication; a first sending unit (S130) configured to send a start-up request signal to the second node via the first communication line in response to the first node being started by the start-up unit; and The second sending unit (S220) is configured to send the start request signal to the second node via the first communication line when a sending condition between the second node and the second node is satisfied, and the sending condition corresponds to a condition under which the start request signal should be sent. The second node is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line when the second node is in a sleep state.

2. The vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a third node (30) configured to communicate with the first node via a second communication line (5). The first sending unit of the first node is configured to further send the activation request signal to the third node via the second communication line in response to the activation of the first node by the activation unit. The second sending unit of the first node is configured to send the start request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the sending condition between the first node and the third node is satisfied. The third node is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the second communication line when the third node is in a sleep state.

3. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a third node (30) configured to communicate with the first node via a second communication line (5). The second node is configured to be able to send the startup request signal to the first node via the first communication line. The activation unit of the first node is configured to activate the first node in response to receiving the activation request signal from the second node when the first node is in a sleep state. The first node also has: The first forwarding unit (S470) is configured to send the startup request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the startup request signal is received from the second node and the node is started; as well as The second transfer unit (S470) is configured to send the start request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the sending condition between the third node and the third node is satisfied. The third node is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the second communication line when the third node is in a sleep state.

4. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The transmission condition is established when the transmission timing arrives, and the transmission timing is set to arrive repeatedly and periodically.

5. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to claim 1, wherein: The first node includes a determination unit (S320, S420) configured to determine whether the determination target node is in a communication abnormality state where the communication with the first node cannot be performed normally. The above-mentioned judgment object node includes the above-mentioned second node, The transmission condition with the second node is satisfied when the determination unit determines that the second node is in the abnormal communication state.

6. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to claim 2, wherein: The first node includes a determination unit (S320, S420) configured to determine whether the determination target node is in a communication abnormality state where the communication with the first node cannot be performed normally. The judgment object node includes the second node and the third node. The transmission condition between the second node and the second node is established based on the determination by the determination unit that the second node is in the abnormal communication state. The transmission condition with the third node is satisfied when the determination unit determines that the third node is in the abnormal communication state.

7. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to claim 3, wherein: The second node includes a determination unit configured to determine whether the determination target node is in a communication abnormality state in which the determination target node cannot normally communicate with the first node. The above-mentioned judgment object node includes the above-mentioned third node, The transmission condition with the third node is satisfied when the determination unit determines that the third node is in the abnormal communication state.

8. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein: The sending condition also requires that the activation factor continues to be generated in the first node (S210: Yes), which is a necessary condition for the sending condition to be satisfied.

9. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 7, wherein: The transmission condition further requires that the second node receive a start request from the first node as a necessary condition for the transmission condition to be satisfied.

10. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: The judgment unit is configured to periodically send a predetermined instruction to the judgment object node (S310), and when response data corresponding to the predetermined instruction is not properly received from the judgment object node, judge that the judgment object node is in the communication abnormal state (S330), The determination target node is configured to transmit the response data to the first node in response to receiving the predetermined command from the first node.

11. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: The above-mentioned judgment unit is configured to judge whether the above-mentioned first node is in the link interruption state (S410, S420), and the above-mentioned link interruption state corresponds to a state in which the above-mentioned first node is unable to properly physically send and receive electrical signals with the above-mentioned judgment object node. When it is judged that the above-mentioned first node is in the above-mentioned link interruption state, it is judged that the above-mentioned judgment object node is in the above-mentioned communication abnormality state (S420: Yes).

12. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: The determination unit is configured to determine that the determination target node is in the communication abnormal state when the predetermined data is not received from the determination target node for a certain period of time (S420: Yes), The determination target node is configured to periodically transmit the prescribed data to the first node at a cycle shorter than the constant time when activated by the activation request signal from the first node.

13. A vehicle-mounted communication system, which is a vehicle-mounted communication system (101), wherein: The vehicle communication system includes a plurality of networks, wherein the plurality of networks include at least a first network and a second network. The vehicle-mounted communication system comprises a plurality of nodes (50, 60, 70, 80) respectively belonging to the first network and / or the second network. The above multiple nodes have: A first node (50) belonging to the first network and the second network; and The second node (60) belongs to the first network and is configured to communicate with the first node via a first communication line (101) in accordance with a predetermined communication standard. The first node has: A first node first communication unit (501) belongs to the first network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the first network with other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes; and The first node second communication unit (502) belongs to the second network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes. The second node comprises a second node first communication unit (601), the second node first communication unit belongs to the first network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the first network with other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes. The first node also has: The activation unit (S720) is configured to activate the first communication unit of the first node when the first communication unit of the first node is in a sleep state according to a first activation factor generated in the first node, wherein the first activation factor is a factor that should activate the first communication unit of the first node and is not caused by the communication; a first sending unit (S730) configured to perform a first startup request process according to the startup of the first communication unit of the first node by the startup unit, wherein the first startup request process is (i) a process of independently sending a startup request signal to other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes, and includes (ii) sending the startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line; as well as The second sending unit (S820) is configured to send the start request signal to the second node via the first communication line when a sending condition is satisfied between the first communication unit and the second node, and the sending condition corresponds to a condition under which the start request signal should be sent. The second node first communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line when the second node first communication unit is in a sleep state.

14. The vehicle communication system according to claim 13, wherein: The second node further comprises a second node second communication unit (602), the second node second communication unit belonging to the second network and configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes. In the first node above, The startup unit is configured to start the second communication unit of the first node when the second communication unit of the first node is in a sleep state, based on a second startup factor generated in the first node, wherein the second startup factor is a factor that should start the second communication unit of the first node and is not caused by the communication. The first sending unit is configured to perform a second startup request process based on the startup of the second communication unit of the first node by the startup unit, and the second startup request process is (i) independently sending the startup request signal to other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes, including (ii) sending the startup request signal to the second node via the first communication line, The second sending unit is configured to send the start request signal to the second node via the first communication line when the sending condition between the second sending unit and the second node second communication unit is satisfied. The second node second communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the first communication line when the second node second communication unit is in a sleep state.

15. The vehicle communication system according to claim 14, wherein: The plurality of nodes include a third node (80), the third node belonging to the second network and configured to communicate with the second node via a second communication line (102). The third node comprises a third node communication unit (802), the third node communication unit belongs to the second network and is configured to mutually perform the communication corresponding to the second network with other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes. The second node includes a first forwarding unit (S1070), which is configured to send the startup request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the second communication unit of the second node is started according to the startup request signal from the first node. The third node communication unit is configured to be activated upon receiving the activation request signal from the second communication line when the third node communication unit is in a sleep state.

16. The vehicle communication system according to claim 15, wherein: The second node includes a second transfer unit (S1070) configured to send the activation request signal to the third node via the second communication line when the transmission condition between the second node and the third node is satisfied.

17. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The transmission condition is established when the transmission timing arrives, and the transmission timing is set to arrive repeatedly and periodically.

18. The vehicle communication system according to claim 13, wherein: The first node includes a judgment unit (S920, S1020), which is configured to judge whether the judgment object node is in a communication abnormal state in which the communication corresponding to the first network cannot be normally performed with the first communication unit of the first node when the first communication unit of the first node is started by the start-up unit, The judgment object node is (i) another node belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes, and includes (ii) the second node. The transmission condition between the first communication unit and the second node is established when the determination unit determines that the second node is in the abnormal communication state.

19. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 14, wherein: The first node has a judgment unit (S920, S1020), which is configured to (i) judge whether the judgment object node corresponding to the first communication unit of the first node is in a communication abnormality state where it cannot normally communicate with the first communication unit of the first node corresponding to the first network when the first communication unit of the first node is started by the startup unit, and (ii) judge whether the judgment object node corresponding to the second communication unit of the first node is in a communication abnormality state where it cannot normally communicate with the second communication unit of the first node corresponding to the second network when the second communication unit of the first node is started by the startup unit, The judgment object node corresponding to the first communication unit of the first node is another node belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes, and includes the second node. The judgment object node corresponding to the second communication unit of the first node is another node belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes, and includes the second node. The transmission condition between the second node and the first communication unit is established based on the determination by the determination unit that the second node is in the abnormal communication state in which the second node cannot normally perform the communication corresponding to the first network with the first communication unit of the first node, The transmission condition with the second node second communication unit is established when the determination unit determines that the second node is in the abnormal communication state in which the second node cannot normally perform the communication corresponding to the second network with the first node second communication unit.

20. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 15, wherein: The second node includes a judgment unit (S920, S1020), which is configured to judge whether the object node is in a communication abnormal state in which the communication corresponding to the second network cannot be normally performed with the second communication unit of the second node when the second communication unit of the second node is started by the start-up unit. The judgment object node is (i) other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes, and includes (ii) the third node. The transmission condition with the third node is satisfied when the determination unit determines that the third node is in the abnormal communication state.

21. The vehicle communication system according to claim 20, wherein: The transmission condition further requires that the second node second communication unit receive a start request from the first node second communication unit as a necessary condition for the transmission condition to be satisfied.

22. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The judgment unit is configured to periodically send a prescribed instruction to the judgment object node (S910), and when response data corresponding to the network to which the judgment object node belongs is not properly received from the judgment object node in response to the prescribed instruction, judge that the judgment object node is in the communication abnormal state in which the communication corresponding to the network cannot be normally performed (S930), The determination target node is configured to transmit the response data corresponding to the network, upon receiving the predetermined command corresponding to the network to which the determination target node belongs from the first node.

23. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The above-mentioned judgment unit is configured to judge whether the above-mentioned first node is in the link interruption state (S1010, S1020), and the above-mentioned link interruption state corresponds to a state in which the above-mentioned first node is unable to physically send and receive electrical signals with the above-mentioned judgment object node appropriately and thus is unable to communicate with the above-mentioned judgment object node. When it is judged that the above-mentioned first node is in the above-mentioned link interruption state, it is judged that the above-mentioned judgment object node is in the above-mentioned communication abnormality state (S1020: Yes).

24. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The determination unit is configured to (i) determine whether specified data corresponding to the network to which the determination object node belongs is received from the determination object node, and (ii) determine that the determination object node is in the communication abnormal state where the communication corresponding to the network cannot be performed normally if the specified data is not received for a constant period of time (S1020: Yes). The above-mentioned determination object node is configured to, when activated according to the above-mentioned activation request signal from the above-mentioned first node, periodically send the above-mentioned prescribed data to the above-mentioned first node independently at a cycle shorter than the above-mentioned fixed time for each of the above-mentioned networks to which the above-mentioned determination object node belongs.

25. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The first communication unit of the first node is configured to independently send first identification information to other nodes belonging to the first network among the plurality of nodes after startup, wherein the first identification information indicates that the communication corresponding to the first network is performed. The second node first communication unit is configured to shift to the sleep state again if it does not receive the first identification information after being activated.

26. The vehicle-mounted communication system according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein: The second communication unit of the first node is configured to independently send second identification information to other nodes belonging to the second network among the plurality of nodes after startup, wherein the second identification information indicates that the communication corresponding to the second network is performed. The second node second communication unit is configured to shift to the sleep state again if it does not receive the second identification information after being activated.

27. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 15, wherein: The first transfer unit includes a transfer circuit (64, 65, 68) configured to transfer the start-up request signal received from the first node to the third node. The second node includes a transfer circuit control unit (S1210 to S1220) configured to disable transfer of the activation request signal to the third node by the transfer circuit when the activation request signal is received by the second node.

28. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 27, wherein: The transfer circuit control unit (S1230 to S1240) is configured to enable the transfer again after invalidating the transfer when both the second node first communication unit and the second node second communication unit are in a sleep state.

29. A communication node, comprising: A communication circuit, (i) connected to a communication line, and (ii) configured to transmit and receive data between communication devices connected to the communication line via the communication line in accordance with a prescribed communication standard; an activation unit configured to activate the communication node in response to a startup factor being generated in the communication node in a sleep state, the startup factor not being caused by a receiving operation of the communication circuit; a first transmitting unit configured to transmit an activation request signal to the communication device via the communication line in response to activation of the communication node by the activation unit; and The second sending unit is configured to send the start request signal to the communication device via the communication line when a sending condition between the communication device and the communication device is satisfied, and the sending condition corresponds to a condition under which the start request signal should be sent. The communication device is configured to be activated when receiving the activation request signal from the communication line while the communication device is in a sleep state.

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