In-vehicle device, connection destination notification method, and connection destination notification program

Abstract

An in-vehicle device is used in an in-vehicle network including an in-vehicle relay device for relaying frames transmitted and received between in-vehicle function units, the in-vehicle relay device including: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits provided corresponding to each of the plurality of communication ports, the communication circuit group including a plurality of target communication circuits of a type requiring a unified sleep mode, and the communication port group including a plurality of target communication ports corresponding to each of the plurality of target communication circuits. The in-vehicle device is provided with a notification unit that notifies a new function unit when a new function unit is connected to the target communication port that is not connected to an existing function unit in a state in which the existing function unit is connected to some of the plurality of target communication ports, the new function unit being connected to the target communication port that is not connected to the existing function unit. And a notification unit that notifies the communication port to be a connection destination of the new function unit on the basis of a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the plurality of target communication circuits.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-mounted device, a connection destination notification method, and a connection destination notification program.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-161477, filed on October 6, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] The following technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-074243). That is, a relay device (11) comprises: a plurality of ports (P1~P5) for sending and receiving frames; a switch unit (31) having a relay execution unit for executing relay processing, in which, based on a frame received via any one of the plurality of ports, i.e., a destination of a received frame, any one of the plurality of ports is selected as the relay destination of the received frame, and the received frame is sent from the selected port, and the switch unit is capable of switching between a state in which the relay execution unit can execute the relay processing, i.e., a first start state, and a state in which the relay execution unit cannot execute the relay processing, i.e., a first dormant state; and a plurality of PHY units (Y1~Y5) having a communication execution unit for executing a receiving function of converting a communication signal input from the port into received data and outputting it to the switch unit, and a sending function of converting data sent from the switch unit into a communication signal transmitted on a communication line and outputting it to the port, capable of The communication execution unit is capable of switching between a second start-up state in which the communication execution unit can execute the receiving function and the sending function and a second dormant state in which the communication execution unit cannot execute the receiving function and the sending function, and the states are set corresponding to the multiple ports respectively; a first control unit (37), when the switch unit is in the first dormant state and the multiple PHY units are respectively in the second dormant state, causes the PHY unit corresponding to the port that detects the frame to transition from the second dormant state to the second start-up state; and a second control unit (38), when the switch unit is in the first dormant state and the multiple PHY units are respectively in the second dormant state, causes the switch unit to transition from the first dormant state to the first start-up state after any one of the multiple PHY units transitions from the second dormant state to the second start-up state.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-074243 Summary of the invention

[0007] The vehicle-mounted device of the present disclosure is used in a vehicle-mounted network including a vehicle-mounted relay device that relays frames sent and received between vehicle-mounted functional units, wherein the vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can connect the vehicle-mounted functional units; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the communication circuit group including a plurality of target communication circuits, the plurality of target communication circuits being the communication circuits that need to unify the types of the sleep modes, the communication port group including a plurality of target communication ports, the plurality of target communication ports being the communication ports respectively corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, and the vehicle-mounted device includes a notification unit that performs notification processing of notifying the communication port that should be set as a connection destination of the new functional unit based on a combination of the types of the sleep modes applied to the plurality of target communication circuits when a new functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit is connected to the target communication port to which the existing functional unit is not connected in a state where some of the plurality of target communication ports are connected to existing functional units as the vehicle-mounted functional units.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure can be realized not only as an in-vehicle device having such a characteristic processing unit but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit realizing a part or all of the in-vehicle device, or as a system including the in-vehicle device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a sleep process in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table stored in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the wakeup permission time of each application in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table after the update process of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 7This is a diagram showing an example of a condition table stored in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a prediction table created by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of the notification process in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig.10 This is a flowchart defining the operation procedure of the sleep control in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig.11 This is a diagram showing an example of a sleep control sequence in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In an in-vehicle relay device, a technology has been developed for reducing power consumption by performing sleep control on a communication circuit provided corresponding to a communication port.

[0021] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0022] Sometimes, a vehicle-mounted functional unit such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is newly connected to the communication port of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to user needs. Here, as an example, it can be considered that when the allowed time until the application installed in the new vehicle-mounted functional unit is started is short, the relay device applies a sleep mode that is not accompanied by the disconnection of the power supply line and has a short transition time to the wake-up mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the new vehicle-mounted functional unit. The power consumption of the communication circuit operating in this sleep mode becomes larger than the case where the communication circuit operates in the sleep mode accompanied by the disconnection of the power supply line.

[0023] In addition, the vehicle-mounted relay device may include multiple communication circuits that need to have a unified sleep mode type in each communication circuit due to hardware constraints. In this case, if a new vehicle-mounted functional unit with a shorter allowable time is connected to some of the multiple communication ports corresponding to the multiple communication circuits, the relay device needs to apply a sleep mode with a larger power consumption to the multiple communication circuits, thereby reducing the power saving effect in the vehicle-mounted relay device.

[0024] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an in-vehicle device, a connection destination notification method, and a connection destination notification program capable of improving a power saving function in an in-vehicle relay device.

[0025] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0026] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the power saving function in the vehicle-mounted relay device.

[0027] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0028] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0029] (1) An on-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used in an on-vehicle network including an on-vehicle relay device that relays frames transmitted and received between on-vehicle functional units, wherein the on-vehicle relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can connect to the on-vehicle functional units; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports, respectively, and that operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the communication circuit group including a plurality of target communication circuits, the plurality of target communication circuits being the communication circuits that need to have the same type of sleep mode, the communication port group including a plurality of target communication ports, the plurality of target communication ports being the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, respectively, the on-vehicle device including a notification unit that, when a new function unit as the on-vehicle functional unit is connected to the target communication port to which the existing function unit is not connected, performs notification processing for notifying the communication port to be set as a connection destination of the new function unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the plurality of target communication circuits in a state where existing function units as the on-vehicle functional units are connected to some of the plurality of target communication ports.

[0030] In this way, by notifying the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit in consideration of the combination of the types of sleep modes newly applied to a plurality of target communication circuits that have restrictions on the application of sleep modes in the newly structured vehicle network, the user can easily confirm whether the connection destination of the new functional unit is appropriate for reducing the power consumption in the vehicle-mounted relay device. For example, when the notified connection destination is not the target communication port, the user can change the connection destination of the new functional unit. Therefore, the power saving function in the vehicle-mounted relay device can be improved.

[0031] (2) In the above (1), the notification unit may notify the communication port other than the target communication port as the communication port to be set as the connection destination.

[0032] With such a configuration, when the connection destination of the new functional unit is not suitable for reducing power consumption in the vehicle-mounted relay device, it is possible to urge a change in the connection destination.

[0033] (3) In the above (2), it may be that the notification unit notifies the communication port other than the object communication port as the communication port to be set as the connection destination when the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit and the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the new functional unit are different.

[0034] Through such a structure, when the types of sleep modes newly applied to multiple object communication circuits are not unified, it is possible to maintain the application of sleep modes with lower power consumption to multiple object communication circuits, or connect a new functional unit to a communication port other than the object communication port and apply a sleep mode with lower power consumption to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port.

[0035] (4) In the above (2) or (3), it may be that the notification unit, when applying the second sleep mode in which the power consumption of the communication circuit is greater than the first sleep mode to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the new functional unit while the first sleep mode is applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit, notifies the communication port other than the object communication port as the communication port to be set as the connection destination.

[0036] With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid application of a sleep mode that consumes a large amount of power to a plurality of target communication circuits when a new functional unit is connected to a target communication port.

[0037] (5) In any one of the above (1) to (4), it may be that the vehicle-mounted device further comprises: an acquisition unit, which acquires functional unit information of the new functional unit when the new functional unit is connected to the object communication port; and a sleep control unit, which selects the type of the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the new functional unit from a plurality of sleep modes based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit; and it may be that the notification unit performs the notification processing based on the type of the sleep mode selected by the sleep control unit and the type of the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit.

[0038] With such a configuration, when a new functional unit is connected to the target communication port, an appropriate sleep mode according to the functional unit information of the new functional unit can be selected as the type of sleep mode newly applied to a plurality of target communication circuits.

[0039] (6) In any of the above (1) to (5), the notification unit may perform the notification processing based on the number of communication circuits that apply the prescribed type of sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to the communication port other than the object communication port and the number of communication circuits that apply the prescribed type of sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to the object communication port.

[0040] With such a configuration, for example, the user can select a connection destination to which the number of communication circuits applying the sleep mode with less power consumption is larger as a connection destination for the new functional unit.

[0041] (7) A connection destination notification method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a connection destination notification method in an on-board device used in an on-board network including an on-board relay device that relays frames sent and received between on-board functional units, wherein the on-board relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can connect to the on-board functional units; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and that operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the communication circuit group including a plurality of target communication circuits, the plurality of target communication circuits being the communication circuits that need to have a unified type of sleep mode, the communication port group including a plurality of target communication ports, the plurality of target communication ports being the communication ports that respectively correspond to the plurality of target communication circuits, the connection destination notification method including the following steps: when a new function unit as the on-board functional unit is connected to the target communication port to which the existing function unit is not connected while some of the plurality of target communication ports are connected to an existing function unit as the on-board functional unit, a notification process is performed to notify the communication port that should be set as a connection destination of the new function unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the plurality of target communication circuits.

[0042] In this way, by notifying the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit in consideration of the combination of the types of sleep modes newly applied to a plurality of target communication circuits that have restrictions on the application of sleep modes in the newly structured vehicle network, the user can easily confirm whether the connection destination of the new functional unit is appropriate for reducing the power consumption in the vehicle-mounted relay device. For example, when the notified connection destination is not the target communication port, the user can change the connection destination of the new functional unit. Therefore, the power saving function in the vehicle-mounted relay device can be improved.

[0043] (8) The connection destination notification program of the embodiment of the present disclosure is a connection destination notification program used in a vehicle-mounted device used in a vehicle-mounted network including a vehicle-mounted relay device that relays frames sent and received between vehicle-mounted functional units, wherein the vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to the vehicle-mounted functional units; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when specified conditions are met, the communication circuit group including a plurality of object communication circuits, the plurality of object communication circuits being the communication circuits that need to unify the type of the sleep mode, and the communication The port group includes a plurality of object communication ports, which are the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of object communication circuits respectively, and the connection destination notification program is a program for enabling a computer to function as a notification unit, and when a new function unit as the vehicle-mounted function unit is connected to the object communication port to which the existing function unit is not connected, the notification unit performs notification processing of the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new function unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the plurality of object communication circuits in a state where an existing function unit as the vehicle-mounted function unit is connected to a part of the plurality of object communication ports.

[0044] In this way, by notifying the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit in consideration of the combination of the types of sleep modes newly applied to a plurality of target communication circuits that have restrictions on the application of sleep modes in the newly structured vehicle network, the user can easily confirm whether the connection destination of the new functional unit is appropriate for reducing the power consumption in the vehicle-mounted relay device. For example, when the notified connection destination is not the target communication port, the user can change the connection destination of the new functional unit. Therefore, the power saving function in the vehicle-mounted relay device can be improved.

[0045] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are marked with the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are not repeated. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0046] [In-vehicle communication system]

[0047] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The vehicle-mounted communication system 301 includes a vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 201. The vehicle-mounted communication system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 501. The vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is an example of a vehicle-mounted functional unit mounted on the vehicle 501. The vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is an example of a vehicle-mounted device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] The vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is, for example, an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, a door lock ECU, a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), etc. It should be noted that the vehicle-mounted functional unit is not limited to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201, and may also be a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, etc.

[0049] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the in-vehicle communication system 301 includes in-vehicle ECUs 201A and 201B as the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 .

[0050] It should be noted that the in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration including two in-vehicle ECUs 201 , and may be a configuration including three or more in-vehicle ECUs 201 .

[0051] The in-vehicle relay device 101 and the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 constitute an in-vehicle network 401 .

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

[0053] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is an example of a new functional unit, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A is an example of an existing functional unit. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the dotted double arrow indicates that the in-vehicle ECU 201B and the in-vehicle relay device 101 are not connected.

[0054] The in-vehicle ECUs 201A and 201B are equipped with an application program 202. More specifically, as the application program 202, the in-vehicle ECU 201A is equipped with an application program 202A, and the in-vehicle ECU 201B is equipped with application programs 202A and 202B.

[0055] In the in-vehicle network 401 , the in-vehicle ECU 201 is connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11 . Each in-vehicle ECU 201 is connected to other in-vehicle ECUs 201 via the Ethernet cable 11 and the in-vehicle relay device 101 .

[0056] The in-vehicle relay device 101 is used in an in-vehicle network 401 including a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201. The in-vehicle relay device 101 is, for example, a switch device, and performs a relay process for relaying data between the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101.

[0057] More specifically, the in-vehicle relay device 101 performs relay processing of Ethernet frames (hereinafter also simply referred to as “frames”) exchanged between the in-vehicle ECUs 201 connected via the Ethernet cable 11 , for example, in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard.

[0058] It should be noted that the vehicle-mounted communication system 301 is not limited to a structure that performs frame relay processing in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard. For example, it may also be a structure that performs frame relay processing in accordance with communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network) (registered trademark), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oritend System Transport) (registered trademark) and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0059] [In-vehicle relay device]

[0060] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle-mounted relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The in-vehicle relay device 101 includes a communication port group P1 including a plurality of communication ports 51 , a communication circuit group P2 including a plurality of communication circuits 52 , a switch IC (Integrated Circuit) 53 , a processing unit 54 , and a storage unit 55 .

[0061] The processing unit 54 is realized by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 55 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory included in the processing circuit. The processing unit 54 includes a determination unit 71 , a sleep control unit 72 , a detection unit 73 , an acquisition unit 74 , and a notification unit 75 .

[0062] The plurality of communication ports 51 can be connected to the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs 201 , respectively. The communication port 51 is, for example, a terminal to which the Ethernet cable 11 can be connected.

[0063] More specifically, the in-vehicle relay device 101 includes three communication ports 51A, 51B, and 51C as the plurality of communication ports 51. In the existing network, the in-vehicle ECU 201A is connected to the communication port 51A via the Ethernet cable 11.

[0064] The plurality of communication circuits 52 are provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports 51. More specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes three communication circuits 52A, 52B, and 52C as the plurality of communication circuits 52. The communication circuits 52A, 52B, and 52C are provided corresponding to the communication ports 51A, 51B, and 51C, respectively.

[0065] The communication circuit 52 can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the corresponding communication port 51. More specifically, the communication circuit 52A can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the communication port 51A, the communication circuit 52B can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the communication port 51B, and the communication circuit 52C can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the communication port 51C.

[0066] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes a switch IC 53 . The switch IC 53 includes communication circuits 52A and 52B and a switch unit 61 .

[0067] Thus, the communication circuits 52A and 52B are provided inside the switch IC 53. That is, the communication circuits 52A and 52B are built into the switch IC 53. On the other hand, the communication circuit 52C is provided outside the switch IC 53. That is, the communication circuit 52C is externally connected to the switch IC 53.

[0068] It should be noted that the communication circuit 52 built into the switch IC 53 is not limited to the structure of two communication circuits 52A and 52B, and three or more communication circuits 52 may be built into the switch IC 53. In addition, the communication circuit 52 externally connected to the switch IC 53 is not limited to the structure of one communication circuit 52C, and multiple communication circuits 52 may be externally connected to the switch IC 53.

[0069] The switch IC 53 operates as, for example, an L2 switch. The switch unit 61 in the switch IC 53 relays frames transmitted and received between the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 .

[0070] More specifically, when the communication circuit 52 receives a frame addressed to another on-vehicle ECU 201 from the on-vehicle ECU 201 connected to the corresponding communication port 51 , the communication circuit 52 outputs the received frame to the switch unit 61 .

[0071] The storage unit 55 stores an address table indicating the correspondence between a destination MAC (Media Access Control) address and a communication port 51 .

[0072] When the switch unit 61 receives a frame destined for the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 from the communication circuit 52, it determines the communication port 51 corresponding to the destination MAC address included in the frame by referring to the address table in the storage unit 55. Then, the switch unit 61 transmits the frame received from the communication circuit 52 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 of the destination via the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the determined communication port 51 and the communication port 51.

[0073] When the communication circuit 52 receives a frame addressed to the on-vehicle relay device 101 from the on-vehicle ECU 201 connected via the corresponding communication port 51, the communication circuit 52 outputs the received frame to the switch unit 61. The switch unit 61 outputs the frame received from the communication circuit 52 to the processing unit 54.

[0074] The processing unit 54 creates a frame with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 as the destination, and outputs the created frame to the switch unit 61. When the switch unit 61 receives the frame from the processing unit 54, it refers to the address table stored in the storage unit 55 and determines the communication port 51 corresponding to the destination MAC address included in the frame. Then, the switch unit 61 sends the frame received from the processing unit 54 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 of the destination via the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the determined communication port 51 and the communication port 51.

[0075] The switch unit 61 includes, for example, a plurality of terminals (not shown) respectively connected to the plurality of communication circuits 52. A unique port number is allocated to each terminal.

[0076] (Sleep mode and wake-up mode)

[0077] The vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 change from the wake-up mode to the sleep mode, and change from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode. The vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicate with other devices in the vehicle-mounted communication system 301 in the wake-up mode, and stop communicating with other devices in the vehicle-mounted communication system 301 in the sleep mode. Here, the sleep mode refers to a mode in which power consumption is smaller than that in the wake-up mode due to the cessation of some functions of the device, the cessation of power supply to the device, or the decrease of the clock frequency in the device.

[0078] For example, a sleep condition, which is a condition for transitioning to the sleep mode, and a wake-up condition, which is a condition for transitioning to the wake-up mode, are preset in the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 201 , respectively.

[0079] For example, the sleep condition is that the vehicle 501 is ignition-off, the vehicle 501 is parked, etc. Also, for example, the wake-up condition is that the vehicle 501 is ignition-on, the vehicle 501 starts traveling, etc.

[0080] Figure 3This is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a sleep process in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The “device A” and “device B” shown are the in-vehicle relay device 101 or the in-vehicle ECU 201 .

[0081] Reference Figure 3 First, in the wake-up mode (steps S11 and S12), device A and device B send frames storing NM (Network Management) messages according to AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) (registered trademark) to each device in the vehicle communication system 301. Specifically, device A and device B broadcast frames storing NM messages to each device for life and death monitoring (steps S13 and S14).

[0082] Next, when the sleep condition of the device A itself is satisfied in the wake-up mode (step S15), the device A stops sending the NM message (step S16).

[0083] In addition, when the sleep condition of the device B itself is satisfied in the wake-up mode (step S17), the device B stops sending the NM message (step S18).

[0084] Next, when the device A and the device B do not receive an NM message from other devices in the vehicle communication system 301 from the time when the transmission of the NM message is stopped until a predetermined time has passed, they transition to the sleep mode (step S19).

[0085] In this way, by switching the states of the devices A and B from the awake mode to the sleep mode using the NM message, the power consumption of the devices A and B can be reduced.

[0086] It should be noted that when the wake-up conditions of device A and device B are met in the sleep mode (step S19), they change to the wake-up mode and start sending NM messages regularly. In addition, when device A and device B receive a wake-up request from other devices in the vehicle communication system 301 in the sleep mode (step S19), they change to the wake-up mode.

[0087] (Judgment Department)

[0088] Refer again Figure 2 The determination unit 71 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 determines whether the sleep condition of the communication circuit 52 is satisfied and whether the wake-up condition of the communication circuit 52 is satisfied.

[0089] More specifically, the determination unit 71 monitors the state of the vehicle 501 and performs determination processing based on the monitoring result to determine whether the sleep condition of the communication circuit 52 is satisfied and whether the wake-up condition of the communication circuit 52 is satisfied. The determination unit 71 performs the determination processing periodically, for example, and notifies the sleep control unit 72 of the determination result.

[0090] (Sleep Control Department)

[0091] The sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the sleep mode. In addition, the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the wake-up mode.

[0092] More specifically, when the operation mode of communication circuit 52 is the wake mode and the sleep condition is satisfied, sleep control unit 72 switches communication circuit 52 to the sleep mode. That is, communication circuit 52 operates in the sleep mode when the sleep condition is satisfied.

[0093] When the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the sleep mode and the sleep control unit 72 receives a notification from the determination unit 71 that the wake-up condition is satisfied, the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the wake-up mode.

[0094] In addition, when the sleep control unit 72 receives a wake-up request from the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the communication port 51, the communication circuit 52, and the switch unit 61, the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 that received the wake-up request to switch from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode. Hereinafter, the wake-up request sent by the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is also referred to as "wake-up request W1".

[0095] Then, the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 201 establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging frames including various information.

[0096] In addition, the sleep control unit 72 controls the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 to shift to the wake-up mode. More specifically, for example, when the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 operating in the sleep mode is the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 to be woken up, the sleep control unit 72 sends a wake-up request to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the switch IC 53 and the communication port 51. Hereinafter, the wake-up request sent by the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is also referred to as a "wake-up request W2".

[0097] When the in-vehicle ECU 201 receives the wakeup request W2 from the in-vehicle relay device 101 , it shifts to the wakeup mode.

[0098] All applications 202 installed in the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 stop operating when the operation mode of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is the sleep mode. When the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 receives a startup request for an application 202 from another device in the vehicle-mounted communication system 301, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 starts the application 202 specified in the startup request among the applications 202 installed in itself.

[0099] (Deep sleep mode and light sleep mode)

[0100] The sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the deep sleep mode or the light sleep mode.

[0101] More specifically, the in-vehicle relay device 101 includes a plurality of power supply lines (not shown) that can supply power to the communication circuit 52. For example, the in-vehicle relay device 101 includes a 12V power supply line and a 3V power supply line.

[0102] For example, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the light sleep mode, all of the plurality of power supply lines are connected to the communication circuit 52, and when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the deep sleep mode, any one of the plurality of power supply lines is disconnected from the communication circuit 52. That is, the power consumption of the communication circuit 52 in the deep sleep mode is smaller than the power consumption of the communication circuit 52 in the light sleep mode.

[0103] In addition, for example, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the light sleep mode, the communication circuit 52 stops sending and receiving data with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 connected via the corresponding communication port 51. Alternatively, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the light sleep mode, the processing unit 54 can perform a part of processing such as reading the value of a register (not shown) of the communication circuit 52, but cannot perform other processing with the communication circuit 52.

[0104] Here, the storage unit 55 stores sleep mode correspondence information indicating the sleep mode applied to each of the plurality of communication circuits 52. More specifically, the storage unit 55 stores a communication circuit table Tb11 including the sleep mode correspondence information.

[0105] When the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the wake-up mode and the sleep control unit 72 receives a notification from the determination unit 71 that the sleep condition is satisfied, the sleep control unit 72 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 in the storage unit 55 and determines the sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52. Then, the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to transition to the determined sleep mode.

[0106] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table stored in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 An example of the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in the existing network is shown.

[0107] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, in the communication circuit table Tb11, "deep sleep mode" is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B built in the switch IC 53. In addition, "deep sleep mode" is registered as the initial value as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the communication port 51C not connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201.

[0108] The sleep control unit 72 cannot perform sleep control on the communication circuits 52A and 52B built into the switch IC 53 independently due to the specification constraints of the hardware of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, etc. In other words, the type of sleep mode needs to be unified in the communication circuits 52A and 52B. Therefore, when the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52A corresponding to the communication port 51A connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A is selected, the sleep control unit 72 applies the same type of sleep mode as the selected sleep mode to the communication circuit 52B.

[0109] Hereinafter, the communication circuits 52A and 52B of the type that need to be in the same sleep mode are also referred to as "target communication circuits". In addition, the communication ports 51A and 51B corresponding to the communication circuits 52A and 52B are also referred to as "target communication ports". Figure 4 The "ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU" and "functional unit information" shown will be described later.

[0110] (Detection Department)

[0111] The detection unit 73 detects the addition of a new functional unit to the in-vehicle network 401. Here, the detection unit 73 detects the in-vehicle ECU 201B connected to the communication port 51B by the user.

[0112] More specifically, for example, when the in-vehicle ECU 201B is connected to the communication port 51B, it transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the in-vehicle network 401 to the in-vehicle relay device 101 .

[0113] When receiving the connection request information from the in-vehicle ECU 201B via the switch IC 53 , the detection unit 73 performs an authentication process of the in-vehicle ECU 201B using the ID and the authentication password included in the connection request information.

[0114] If the detection unit 73 succeeds in the authentication of the on-vehicle ECU 201B, the detection unit 73 transmits a frame including authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded to the on-vehicle ECU 201B via the switch IC 53 .

[0115] When the detection unit 73 succeeds in authenticating the new function unit as described above, the detection unit 73 outputs detection information including, for example, the ID of the new function unit and the port number corresponding to the new function unit to the acquisition unit 74 .

[0116] If the authentication process of the in-vehicle ECU 201B by the detection unit 73 is successful, the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the new function unit periodically transmit and receive NM messages, for example.

[0117] It should be noted that the detection unit 73 may be configured to periodically broadcast a search message for detecting a new functional unit via the switch IC 53. In this case, the new functional unit receives the search message and transmits connection request information as a response to the received search message.

[0118] [Explanation of the topic]

[0119] The deep sleep mode is accompanied by disconnection of the power supply line, and therefore, it takes a longer time to shift to the wake-up mode than the light sleep mode.

[0120] In the in-vehicle communication system 301 , an allowable time until each application 202 is activated (hereinafter also referred to as “wake-up allowable time”) is set.

[0121] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the wakeup permission time of each application in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0122] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the wakeup time allowed for application 202A is "100 ms", and the wakeup time allowed for application 202B is "10 ms". Figure 5 In the example shown, the wakeup allowable time of application 202A is longer than the wakeup allowable time of application 202B.

[0123] The vehicle-mounted ECU 201A equipped with the application 202A having a relatively long wake-up allowable time communicates with the communication circuit 52A. Figure 4 In the illustrated example, the sleep control unit 72 selects the “deep sleep mode” as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the “communication circuit 52A”.

[0124] As described above, it is necessary to unify the types of sleep modes in the communication circuits 52A and 52B built into the switch IC 53. Figure 4 In the example shown, as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B corresponding to the communication port 51B to which the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is not connected, the same “deep sleep mode” as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52A is registered.

[0125] In addition to the application 202A, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is also equipped with an application 202B having a shorter wake-up allowable time than the application 202A. Therefore, even if the time required for the communication circuit 52B operating in the deep sleep mode to shift to the wake-up mode does not exceed the wake-up allowable time of the application 202A, the operation in the new network becomes unstable when the wake-up allowable time of the application 202B is exceeded.

[0126] Therefore, in the above case, the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B needs to be changed from the deep sleep mode to the light sleep mode in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101. Furthermore, in order to unify the types of sleep modes applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52A needs to be changed from the deep sleep mode to the light sleep mode. In this case, the power saving effect in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is reduced.

[0127] On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure solves such a problem by the following configuration and operation.

[0128] [Acquisition Department]

[0129] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The acquisition unit 74 acquires the identification information of the existing functional unit. It is assumed below that the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A as the identification information of the existing functional unit is "ID1-A".

[0130] More specifically, the acquisition unit 74 periodically or irregularly transmits an information request notification for requesting identification information of the existing functional unit to the existing functional unit via the switch IC 53. The existing functional unit transmits its own ID to the in-vehicle relay device 101 as a response to the information request notification received from the in-vehicle relay device 101.

[0131] When receiving the identification information of the existing functional unit via the switch IC 53 , the acquisition unit 74 registers the identification information of the existing functional unit in association with the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 that received the identification information in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 .

[0132] Refer again Figure 4 , the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52A is "ID1-A".

[0133] The acquisition unit 74 acquires the function unit information of the existing function unit. More specifically, for example, the acquisition unit 74 periodically or irregularly transmits an information request notification for requesting the function unit information of the existing function unit to the existing function unit via the switch IC 53. The existing function unit transmits its own function unit information to the in-vehicle relay device 101 as a response to the information request notification received from the in-vehicle relay device 101.

[0134] When the acquisition unit 74 receives the function unit information of the existing function unit via the switch IC 53, the function unit information of the existing function unit is registered in correspondence with the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 to which the existing function unit is connected in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55. In this way, the storage unit 55 stores the function correspondence information indicating the correspondence relationship between the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 to which the existing function unit is connected and the function unit information of the existing function unit.

[0135] The function unit information of the existing function unit includes application information related to the application installed in the existing function unit. Specifically, the application information includes information related to the type of application 202 and information related to the wake-up allowed time. The information related to the type of application 202 includes, for example, the ID of the application 202 (hereinafter also referred to as "application ID").

[0136] It is assumed below that the IDs of the applications 202A and 202B are "ID2-A" and "ID2-B", respectively.

[0137] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A is associated with the communication circuit 52A. Specifically, the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52A is "ID2-A", and the wakeup permission time is "100 ms".

[0138] When detecting that the in-vehicle ECU 201 is added to the existing network, the acquisition unit 74 acquires functional unit information of the detected added new functional unit.

[0139] For example, when the acquisition unit 74 receives the detection information from the detection unit 73, it refers to the port number included in the detection information to identify the communication port 51 to which the new function unit is connected. Then, the acquisition unit 74 sends an information request notification for requesting the function unit information of the new function unit to the new function unit via the switch IC 53 and the identified communication port 51. The new function unit sends its own function unit information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 as a response to the information request notification received from the vehicle-mounted relay device 101.

[0140] The function unit information of the new function unit includes application information related to the application installed in the new function unit. When the new function unit itself has one application 202 installed, it transmits information including the ID of the application 202 and information related to the wakeup permission time to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 as application information.

[0141] On the other hand, when the new function unit has a plurality of applications 202 installed, the new function unit transmits information including the ID of each application 202 as application information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101. Also, when the new function unit has a plurality of applications 202 installed, the new function unit transmits information related to the minimum wake-up allowable time as application information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101.

[0142] When acquiring the function unit information of the new function unit, the acquisition unit 74 performs update processing to register the correspondence between the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new function unit and the function unit information of the new function unit in the function correspondence information in the storage unit 55 .

[0143] More specifically, when the acquisition unit 74 acquires the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B, it registers the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B in correspondence with the communication circuit 52B in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55. When the update process is completed, the acquisition unit 74 outputs an update completion notification indicating that the update process is completed to the sleep control unit 72.

[0144] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table after the update process of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0145] Reference Figure 6 , the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52B is "ID2-A, ID2-B", and the wake-up allowable time is "10 ms".

[0146] Furthermore, upon receiving the detection information from the detection unit 73 , the acquisition unit 74 registers the ID of the new functional unit included in the detection information in the communication circuit table Tb11 .

[0147] More specifically, when the acquisition unit 74 receives the detection information from the detection unit 73, it refers to the port number included in the detection information to identify the communication circuit 52 that communicates with the new function unit. In addition, the acquisition unit 74 registers the ID of the new function unit and the identified communication circuit 52 in correspondence with each other in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55. Figure 6 In the example shown, the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52B is "ID1-B".

[0148] (Sleep mode selection)

[0149] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sleep control unit 72 performs a selection process of selecting a type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 to which the new function unit is connected from a plurality of sleep modes based on the function unit information of the new function unit acquired by the acquisition unit 74 .

[0150] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is an example of a new functional unit. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the in-vehicle ECU 201B is connected to the communication port 51B in a state where the in-vehicle ECU 201A is connected to the communication port 51A.

[0151] Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the sleep control unit 72 selects a sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52B corresponding to the communication port 51B connected to the onboard ECU 201B from among a plurality of sleep modes based on the functional unit information of the onboard ECU 201B acquired by the acquisition unit 74 .

[0152] More specifically, the storage unit 55 stores the condition table Tb1 . The condition table Tb1 is a table used by the sleep control unit 72 to determine whether or not to select the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to each communication circuit 52 .

[0153] Upon receiving the update completion notification from the acquisition unit 74 , the sleep control unit 72 performs selection processing based on the communication circuit table Tb11 after the update processing in the storage unit 55 .

[0154] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a condition table stored in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0155] Reference Figure 7 In the condition table Tb1, for example, “condition 1” which is a condition related to the type and number of applications 202 and “condition 2” which is a condition related to the wakeup allowed time are registered.

[0156] Condition 1 is a determination condition for determining whether the deep sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B built in the switch IC 53. Condition 2 is a determination condition for determining whether the deep sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, and 52C.

[0157] The sleep control unit 72 performs the selection process using condition 1 or condition 2. Hereinafter, the determination condition used by the sleep control unit 72 in the selection process is also referred to as a "deep sleep application condition."

[0158] For example, in the selection process using condition 1, the sleep control unit 72 selects deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B when the type of application 202 installed in the existing functional unit and the type of application 202 installed in the new functional unit are consistent, and the number of applications 202 installed in the existing functional unit and the number of applications 202 installed in the new functional unit are consistent.

[0159] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, "If the corresponding application IDs are the same, select the deep sleep mode" is registered as condition 1. When the application ID of the onboard ECU 201A communicating with the communication circuit 52A and the application ID of the onboard ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52B are the same, the sleep control unit 72 selects the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0160] On the other hand, when the application ID of the onboard ECU 201A communicating with the communication circuit 52A and the application ID of the onboard ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52B do not match, the sleep control unit 72 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0161] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A communicating with the communication circuit 52A is "ID-A", while the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52B is "ID-A, ID-B". That is, the number of applications 202 mounted on the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A and the number of applications 202 mounted on the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B are inconsistent. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0162] More specifically, the sleep control unit 72 changes the sleep mode applied to the “communication circuit 52A” and the “communication circuit 52B” in the communication circuit table Tb11 from the “deep sleep mode” to the “light sleep mode”.

[0163] In the selection process using condition 2, when the wakeup allowable time of the onboard ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52 is equal to or longer than a predetermined threshold, the sleep control unit 72 selects the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit.

[0164] exist Figure 7In the example shown, "If the corresponding wake-up allowable time is 100 ms or longer, select the deep sleep mode" is registered as condition 2. Specifically, when the wake-up allowable time of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52 is 100 ms or longer, the sleep control unit 72 selects the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52.

[0165] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, the wake-up allowable time "10ms" of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52B is shorter than 100ms. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B. In addition, as described above, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, it is necessary to unify the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 changes the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52A from the deep sleep mode to the light sleep mode.

[0166] When the light sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B, the sleep control unit 72 checks whether the existing functional unit is connected to a communication port 51 other than the target communication port.

[0167] More specifically, when the light sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B, the sleep control unit 72 checks whether the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 .

[0168] When the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 , the sleep control unit 72 notifies the notification unit 75 of the registration.

[0169] On the other hand, when the ID of the onboard ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is not registered in the communication circuit table Tb11, the sleep control unit 72 creates an estimation table Tb21 indicating the type of sleep mode applied to each of the plurality of communication circuits 52 when a new function unit is connected to the communication port 51C.

[0170] More specifically, when the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is not registered in the communication circuit table Tb11, the sleep control unit 72 reads the function unit information of the existing function unit and the function unit information of the new function unit stored in the storage unit 55. The sleep control unit 72 creates the prediction table Tb21 based on the read function unit information of the existing function unit and the function unit information of the new function unit.

[0171] Figure 8Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the sleep control unit 72 registers the sleep modes applied to the plurality of communication circuits 52 in the prediction table Tb21 using the condition 2 of the condition table Tb1 in the storage unit 55 .

[0172] Reference Figure 8 In the prediction table Tb21, the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A is registered in correspondence with the communication circuit 52A, and the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is registered in correspondence with the communication circuit 52C.

[0173] exist Figure 8 In the example shown, the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52A is "ID2-A" and the wakeup permission time is "100 ms". The application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is "ID2-A, ID2-B" and the wakeup permission time is "10 ms".

[0174] Then, the sleep control unit 72 refers to the condition 2 of the condition table Tb1 in the storage unit 55 , and registers the type of sleep mode applied to each communication circuit 52 in the prediction table Tb21 .

[0175] Specifically, the wakeup permission time "100 ms" of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A communicating with the communication circuit 52A satisfies the condition 2 of the condition table Tb1. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 registers "deep sleep mode" as the type of sleep mode applied to the "communication circuit 52A" in the prediction table Tb21.

[0176] In addition, the wakeup permission time "10 ms" of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52C does not satisfy the condition 2. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 registers "light sleep mode" as the type of sleep mode applied to the "communication circuit 52C" in the prediction table Tb21.

[0177] When the prediction table Tb21 is created, the sleep control unit 72 notifies the notification unit 75 of a creation completion notification indicating that the creation of the prediction table Tb21 is completed.

[0178] [Notification Department]

[0179] When a new function unit is connected to a target communication port to which an existing function unit is not connected while some of the target communication ports are connected to existing function units, the notification unit 75 performs notification processing to notify the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new function unit. The notification unit 75 performs notification processing based on the combination of the types of sleep modes newly applied to the plurality of target communication circuits.

[0180] More specifically, notification unit 75 performs notification processing based on the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the new functional unit and the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the target communication port to which the existing functional unit is connected, selected by sleep control unit 72 .

[0181] Upon receiving the creation completion notification from the sleep control unit 72 , the notification unit 75 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 and the prediction table Tb21 updated by the selection process in the storage unit 55 .

[0182] The notification unit 75 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 and the prediction table Tb21 updated by the selection process, and determines whether to notify a communication port 51 other than the target communication port as the communication port 51 to be connected to the new functional unit.

[0183] For example, the notification unit 75 performs notification processing based on the number of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to a communication port 51 other than the target communication port and the number of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to the target communication port.

[0184] exist Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 In the example shown, the notification unit 75 performs notification processing based on the number N2 of communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the prediction table Tb21 and the number N1 of communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 updated by the selection processing.

[0185] When the number N2 of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode shown in the expected table Tb21 is greater than the number N1 of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 updated by the selection processing, the notification unit 75 decides to notify the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B.

[0186] exist Figure 6 and Figure 8 In the example shown, the communication circuit 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 after the selection process is updated is the communication circuit 52C, while the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the prediction table Tb21 are the communication circuits 52A and 52B. That is, the number N2 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the prediction table Tb21 is greater than the number N1 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 after the selection process is updated. Therefore, the notification unit 75 decides to notify the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new function unit.

[0187] That is, the number N1 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 after the selection process is updated is smaller than the number of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 before the selection process is performed. In this case, the notification unit 75 needs to notify the communication port 51 other than the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new function unit.

[0188] On the other hand, when the number N2 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the prediction table Tb21 is equal to or less than the number N1 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 updated by the selection process, the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit. In addition, when the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 that communicates with the communication circuit 52C is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11, the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit. That is, in these cases, in the new network, the connection destination of the new functional unit is maintained as the communication port 51B as the target communication port.

[0189] The notification unit 75 displays the content indicating the communication port 51 to be connected to the new functional unit on other in-vehicle devices to notify the user. For example, the notification unit 75 displays the content indicating the communication port 51 to be connected to the new functional unit on a navigation device and a display in an IVI (In-Vechile Infotainment) system.

[0190] It should be noted that the notification unit 75 may not perform notification processing when the connection destination of the new functional unit is maintained as the target communication port. Also, the notification unit 75 may not perform notification processing when the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11.

[0191] (Other examples of notification processing)

[0192] When the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the target communication port to which the existing functional unit is connected is different from the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the target communication port to which the new functional unit is connected, the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51 other than the target communication port as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit. In this case, the sleep control unit 72 does not need to create the prediction table Tb21.

[0193] Specifically, for example, when a light sleep mode is applied to an object communication circuit corresponding to an object communication port connected to a new functional part while a deep sleep mode is applied to an object communication circuit corresponding to an object communication port connected to an existing functional part, the notification unit 75 notifies communication port 51C as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional part.

[0194] In addition, for example, when a deep sleep mode is applied to an object communication circuit corresponding to an object communication port connected to a new functional unit while a light sleep mode is applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit, the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit.

[0195] More specifically, the sleep control unit 72 uses the communication circuit table Tb11 and the condition table Tb1 after the above-mentioned update process to select the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the new network. In this case, the sleep control unit 72 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the new network. That is, since condition 1 of the condition table Tb1 is not satisfied, the sleep control unit 72 confirms whether the existing functional unit is connected to the communication port 51 other than the target communication port.

[0196] For example, when the sleep control unit 72 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the new network, it checks whether the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11. The sleep control unit 72 notifies the notification unit 75 of the confirmation result.

[0197] When receiving notification from the sleep control unit 72 that the ID of the onboard ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is not registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 , the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 to be connected to the onboard ECU 201B.

[0198] On the other hand, when receiving notification from sleep control unit 72 that the ID of onboard ECU 201 communicating with communication circuit 52C is registered in communication circuit table Tb11 , notification unit 75 notifies communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be connected to onboard ECU 201B.

[0199] It should be noted that the notification unit 75 can also be configured as follows: when the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the existing network and the type of sleep mode newly applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the new network are the same, the communication port 51B is notified as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the on-board ECU 201B.

[0200] More specifically, when the same sleep mode as the sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the existing network is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in the new network, the sleep control unit 72 outputs a selection completion notification indicating that the selection process is completed to the notification unit 75. In this case, the sleep control unit 72 does not confirm whether the existing functional unit is connected to the communication port 51 other than the target communication port.

[0201] When receiving the selection completion notification from the sleep control unit 72 , the notification unit 75 notifies the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be connected to the in-vehicle ECU 201B.

[0202] (Selection process after changing the connection destination of the new function unit)

[0203] For example, when the connection destination of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is changed by the user to the communication port 51C, the acquisition unit 74 performs update processing to register the correspondence between the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the communication port 51C and the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55.

[0204] For example, the acquisition unit 74 registers the application IDs “ID1-A, ID1-B” of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B and the communication circuit 52C in correspondence with each other in the communication circuit table Tb11 , and registers the wakeup allowable time “10 ms” in the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B and the communication circuit 52C in correspondence with each other.

[0205] When receiving the update completion notification from the acquisition unit 74 , the sleep control unit 72 performs a process of selecting a sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52C based on the communication circuit table Tb11 and the condition table Tb1 after the update process in the storage unit 55 .

[0206] As described above, the wakeup permission time "10 ms" of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52C does not satisfy the condition 2 of the condition table Tb1. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 registers the light sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11 as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C.

[0207] More specifically, the sleep control unit 72 changes the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C from the deep sleep mode to the light sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11. In this case, the sleep control unit 72 maintains the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B as the deep sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11.

[0208] [Flow of Action]

[0209] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of the notification process performed by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0210] Reference Fig. 9 First, the on-vehicle relay device 101 registers the sleep mode corresponding information in the communication circuit table Tb11 in a state where the existing functional unit is connected to a part of the plurality of target communication ports. Here, it is assumed that the existing functional unit is connected to the communication port 51A. In addition, it is assumed that the deep sleep mode is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B (step S101).

[0211] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 waits for the new functional unit to be connected to itself (No in step S102), and if the connection of the new functional unit is detected (Yes in step S102), the functional unit information of the detected new functional unit is obtained. Here, it is assumed that the new functional unit is connected to the communication port 51B (step S103).

[0212] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 updates the function correspondence information. For example, as described above, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 obtains the function unit information of the new function unit, the function unit information of the new function unit is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 in correspondence with the communication circuit 52B corresponding to the communication port 51B connected to the new function unit (step S104).

[0213] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 and the condition table Tb1 in the storage unit 55, and when the deep sleep application condition is satisfied (Yes in step S105), the deep sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the plurality of target communication circuits. Specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 maintains the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B as the deep sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 (step S106).

[0214] On the other hand, when the deep sleep application condition is not satisfied (No in step S105), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the plurality of target communication circuits. For example, as described above, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 changes the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B from the deep sleep mode to the light sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 (step S107).

[0215] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 creates a prediction table Tb21 when the existing functional unit is not connected to the communication port 51C (Yes in step S108). For example, as described above, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 creates a prediction table Tb21 indicating the types of sleep modes applied to the plurality of communication circuits 52 when the new functional unit is connected to the communication port 51C. Here, it is assumed that the deep sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B, and the light sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C in the prediction table Tb21 (step S109).

[0216] Next, when the number N2 of communication circuits 52 that apply deep sleep mode when the new functional part is connected to the communication port 51C is greater than the number N1 of communication circuits 52 that apply deep sleep mode when the new functional part is connected to the communication port 51B (yes in step S110), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs notification processing to notify the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional part (step S111).

[0217] On the other hand, when the existing functional unit is connected to the communication port 51C (No in step S108), the in-vehicle relay device 101 performs a notification process to notify the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 to be connected to the new functional unit (step S112).

[0218] In addition, when the number N2 of communication circuits 52 that apply deep sleep mode when the new functional part is connected to the communication port 51C is less than the number N1 of communication circuits 52 that apply deep sleep mode when the new functional part is connected to the communication port 51B (No in step S110), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs notification processing to notify the communication port 51B as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional part (step S112).

[0219] Here, for example, Figure 6 and Figure 8Different from the example shown, an example is described in which a new functional unit with a wake-up allowable time of "10ms" is connected to the communication port 51B in a state where a light sleep mode is applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B in an existing network and a deep sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C. In this example, the wake-up allowable time of the new functional unit does not satisfy the deep sleep application condition (No in step S105), so the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 maintains the sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B as the light sleep mode in the communication circuit table Tb11 (step S107).

[0220] Next, when the existing functional unit is not connected to the communication port 51C (Yes in step S108), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 creates an estimation table Tb21 indicating the type of sleep mode applied to each of the plurality of communication circuits 52 when the new functional unit is connected to the communication port 51C. In this example, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, and 52C in the estimation table Tb21. That is, in the estimation table Tb21, unlike the communication circuit table Tb11 after the selection process, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C (step S109).

[0221] Next, the number N2 of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode when the new functional unit is connected to communication port 51C is less than the number N1 of communication circuits 52 applying deep sleep mode when the new functional unit is connected to communication port 51B (No in step S110), so the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 notifies communication port 51B as the communication port 51 that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit (step S112).

[0222] Fig.10 This is a flowchart defining the operation procedure of the sleep control in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0223] Reference Fig.10 First, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 operates in the wake-up mode (step S201) until its own sleep condition is satisfied (No in step S202).

[0224] Next, if the sleep condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is satisfied (YES in step S202 ), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 in the storage unit 55 and determines the sleep mode to be applied to each communication circuit 52 (step S203 ).

[0225] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 shifts each communication circuit 52 to the determined sleep mode until its own wake-up condition is satisfied (No in step S205 ), and maintains the sleep mode (step S204 ).

[0226] Next, if the wake-up condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is satisfied (YES in step S205 ), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 causes each communication circuit 52 to transition to the wake-up mode (step S206 ).

[0227] Fig.11 1 is a diagram showing an example of a sleep control sequence in the vehicle-mounted communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, an example of sleep control when the existing functional unit in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 is connected to the communication port 51A and not connected to the communication port 51C will be described.

[0228] Reference Fig.11 First, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers the sleep mode corresponding information in the communication circuit table Tb11 in a state where the existing functional unit is connected to a part of the plurality of target communication ports. Here, it is assumed that the deep sleep mode is registered in the communication circuit table Tb11 as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B (step S301).

[0229] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs authentication processing of the new functional unit. More specifically, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 receives connection request information from the new functional unit added to the vehicle-mounted network 401, the new functional unit is detected and authentication processing of the new functional unit is performed. If the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 successfully authenticates the new functional unit, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and the new functional unit establish a communication connection with each other. Here, it is assumed that the new functional unit is connected to the communication port 51B (step S302).

[0230] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 updates the function correspondence information. For example, as described above, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers the function unit information of the new function unit in correspondence with the communication circuit 52B corresponding to the communication port 51B connected to the new function unit in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 (step S303).

[0231] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs a selection process of selecting the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B from a plurality of sleep modes based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be newly applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B (step S304).

[0232] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 creates the prediction table Tb21. For example, as described above, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 creates the prediction table Tb21 indicating the type of sleep mode applied to each of the plurality of communication circuits 52 when the new function unit is connected to the communication port 51C (step S305).

[0233] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 and the prediction table Tb21 updated by the selection process, and determines whether to notify a communication port 51 other than the target communication port as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit. When the number N2 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the prediction table Tb21 is greater than the number N1 of the communication circuits 52 to which the deep sleep mode is applied shown in the communication circuit table Tb11 updated by the selection process, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 notifies the communication port 51C as the communication port 51 to be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit (step S306).

[0234] Next, it is assumed that the user changes the connection destination of the new functional unit from the communication port 51B to the communication port 51C. The in-vehicle relay device 101 performs authentication processing for the new functional unit connected to the communication port 51C (step S307).

[0235] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 updates the function correspondence information. For example, as described above, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers the function unit information of the new function unit in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 in correspondence with the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the communication port 51C connected to the new function unit (step S308).

[0236] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs a selection process of selecting the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52C from a plurality of sleep modes based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit. Here, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 selects the light sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52C. In addition, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 maintains the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B (step S309).

[0237] Next, when the sleep conditions of the existing functional units, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 , and the new functional units are satisfied (step S310 ), the existing functional units transition to the sleep mode (step S311 ).

[0238] In addition, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 causes each communication circuit 52 to transition to the sleep mode selected in the most recent selection process. More specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 causes the communication circuits 52A and 52B to transition to the deep sleep mode, and causes the communication circuit 52C to transition to the light sleep mode (step S312). In addition, the new function unit transitions to the sleep mode (step S313).

[0239] Next, when the new function unit's own wakeup condition is satisfied and the new function unit transitions to the wakeup mode (step S314 ), the new function unit transmits a wakeup request W1 to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 (step S315 ).

[0240] Next, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 receives the wakeup request W1 from the new functional unit, it changes the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the new functional unit to the wakeup mode. More specifically, the sleep control unit 72 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 changes the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the communication port 51C that received the wakeup request W1 to the wakeup mode (step S316).

[0241] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 transmits a wakeup request W2 to the existing functional unit (step S317 ).

[0242] Next, when the existing functional unit receives the wakeup request W2 from the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, it transitions to the wakeup mode (step S318).

[0243] Next, the new function unit and the existing function unit communicate with each other. For example, if the communication circuit 52 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 receives a frame with the existing function unit as the destination from the new function unit via the corresponding communication port 51, the received frame is output to the switch unit 61. The switch unit 61 sends the frame received from the communication circuit 52 to the destination existing function unit (step S319).

[0244] It should be noted that in the vehicle communication system 301 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle relay device 101 is provided with the notification unit 75, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Alternatively, another vehicle device other than the vehicle relay device 101 may be provided with the notification unit 75 and perform the notification process described above.

[0245] In addition, in the in-vehicle communication system 301 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep control unit 72 is configured to select the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the new function unit from a plurality of sleep modes based on the function unit information of the new function unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The sleep control unit 72 may also be configured to fixedly select one sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the new function unit.

[0246] In addition, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep control unit 72 is configured to select the sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit from two sleep modes in the selection process, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sleep control unit 72 may also be configured to select the sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit from three or more sleep modes in the selection process.

[0247] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 74 acquires application information of the new function unit as the function unit information of the new function unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the acquisition unit 74 may acquire hardware information of the new function unit as the function unit information of the new function unit.

[0248] In addition, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 74 is configured to acquire the identification information and function unit information of the existing function unit by sending the information request notification to the existing function unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. The acquisition unit 74 may also be configured to acquire the identification information and function unit information of the existing function unit from the storage unit 55 when the identification information and function unit information of the existing function unit are pre-stored in the storage unit 55.

[0249] The above embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0250] Each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The above-mentioned processing circuit can also be composed of an integrated circuit that is combined with one or more memories, various analog circuits, various digital circuits, etc. in addition to the above-mentioned one or more processors. The above-mentioned one or more memories store programs (commands) that enable the above-mentioned one or more processors to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned one or more processors can perform the above-mentioned processes according to the above-mentioned programs read from the above-mentioned one or more memories, or according to the logic circuits pre-designed to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned processor can be a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit: Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor: Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other various processors suitable for computer control. It should be noted that it is also possible that the above-mentioned multiple processors separated physically cooperate with each other to perform the above-mentioned processes. For example, the processors installed in physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet to execute the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned program may be installed from an external server device or the like to the above-mentioned memory via the above-mentioned network, or may be circulated in a state of being stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and a semiconductor memory, and installed from the above-mentioned recording medium to the above-mentioned memory.

[0251] The above description includes the following additional features.

[0252] [Note 1]

[0253] An in-vehicle device is used in an in-vehicle network including an in-vehicle relay device for relaying frames transmitted and received between in-vehicle functional units, wherein:

[0254] The vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to the vehicle-mounted functional unit; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0255] The communication circuit group includes a plurality of target communication circuits, and the plurality of target communication circuits are the communication circuits that need to unify the types of the sleep modes.

[0256] The communication port group includes a plurality of target communication ports, and the plurality of target communication ports are the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, respectively.

[0257] The vehicle-mounted device comprises a processing circuit,

[0258] In a case where a new functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit is connected to the object communication port to which the existing functional unit is not connected, the processing circuit performs notification processing of the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the multiple object communication circuits.

[0259] Description of Reference Numerals

[0260] 11 Ethernet cable

[0261] 51, 51A, 51B, 51C communication ports

[0262] 52, 52A, 52B, 52C Communication circuit

[0263] 53 Switch IC

[0264] 54 Processing Department

[0265] 55 Storage

[0266] 61 Switch

[0267] 71 Judgment Department

[0268] 72 Sleep Control Department

[0269] 73 Detection Department

[0270] 74 Acquisition

[0271] 75 Notification Department

[0272] 101 Car Relay Device

[0273] 201, 201A, 201B Vehicle ECU

[0274] 202, 202A, 202B Application

[0275] 301 Vehicle Communication System

[0276] 401 In-vehicle network

[0277] 501 Vehicles

[0278] P1 Communication Port Group

[0279] P2 Communications circuit group.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device used in an in-vehicle network including an in-vehicle relay device for relaying frames transmitted and received between in-vehicle functional units, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to the vehicle-mounted functional unit; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The communication circuit group includes a plurality of target communication circuits, and the plurality of target communication circuits are the communication circuits that need to unify the types of the sleep modes. The communication port group includes a plurality of target communication ports, and the plurality of target communication ports are the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, respectively. The vehicle-mounted device includes a notification unit that performs notification processing of notifying the communication port that should be set as a connection destination of the new functional unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the multiple object communication circuits when a new functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit is connected to the object communication port to which the existing functional unit is not connected, in a state where a part of the multiple object communication ports is connected to an existing functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit.

2. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification unit notifies the communication port other than the target communication port as the communication port to be set as the connection destination.

3. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 2, wherein: The notification unit notifies the communication port other than the object communication port as the communication port that should be set as the connection destination when the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit and the sleep mode applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the new functional unit are different.

4. The vehicle-mounted device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The notification unit, when applying the second sleep mode in which the power consumption of the communication circuit is greater than the first sleep mode to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the new functional unit while the first sleep mode is applied to the object communication circuit corresponding to the object communication port connected to the existing functional unit, notifies the communication port other than the object communication port as the communication port that should be set as the connection destination.

5. The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The vehicle-mounted device further comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of the new function unit when the new function unit is connected to the target communication port; and a sleep control unit that selects a type of the sleep mode to be applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the target communication port to which the new function unit is connected, from among the plurality of sleep modes, based on the function unit information of the new function unit acquired by the acquisition unit; The notification section performs the notification process based on the type of the sleep mode selected by the sleep control section and the type of the sleep mode applied to the target communication circuit corresponding to the target communication port to which the existing functional section is connected.

6. The vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The notification unit performs the notification processing based on the number of communication circuits that apply the prescribed type of sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to the communication port other than the target communication port and the number of communication circuits that apply the prescribed type of sleep mode when the new function unit is connected to the target communication port.

7. A connection destination notification method in a vehicle-mounted device used in a vehicle-mounted network including a vehicle-mounted relay device that relays frames transmitted and received between vehicle-mounted functional units, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to the vehicle-mounted functional unit; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The communication circuit group includes a plurality of target communication circuits, and the plurality of target communication circuits are the communication circuits that need to unify the types of the sleep modes. The communication port group includes a plurality of target communication ports, and the plurality of target communication ports are the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, respectively. The connection destination notification method includes the following steps: in a case where a new functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit is connected to the object communication port to which the existing functional unit is not connected, while a part of the multiple object communication ports is connected to an existing functional unit as the vehicle-mounted functional unit, notification processing of notifying the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new functional unit is performed based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the multiple object communication circuits.

8. A connection destination notification program used in an on-vehicle device used in an on-vehicle network including an on-vehicle relay device that relays frames transmitted and received between on-vehicle functional units, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device includes: a communication port group including a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to the vehicle-mounted functional unit; and a communication circuit group including a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and operate in a sleep mode when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The communication circuit group includes a plurality of target communication circuits, and the plurality of target communication circuits are the communication circuits that need to unify the types of the sleep modes. The communication port group includes a plurality of target communication ports, and the plurality of target communication ports are the communication ports corresponding to the plurality of target communication circuits, respectively. The connection destination notification program is used to enable the computer to function as a notification unit. When a new function unit as the vehicle-mounted function unit is connected to the object communication port to which the existing function unit is not connected, the notification unit performs notification processing of notifying the communication port that should be set as the connection destination of the new function unit based on a combination of the types of sleep modes applied to the multiple object communication circuits.

Images