In-vehicle relay device, sleep control method, and sleep control program

Abstract

An in-vehicle relay device is provided with: a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to a plurality of in-vehicle function units, respectively; a plurality of communication circuits provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports, respectively, and capable of communicating with the in-vehicle function unit via the corresponding communication ports; an acquisition unit that, when it is detected that the in-vehicle function unit is added to an in-vehicle network including one or a plurality of existing function units, acquires function unit information of a new function unit that is the in-vehicle function unit that has been detected to be added, and, if it is detected that the in-vehicle function unit is added to the in-vehicle network including the existing function units, acquires the function unit information of the new function unit that is the in-vehicle function unit that has been detected to be added; and a sleep control unit that performs a selection process on the basis of the functional unit information of the new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit. The selection process selects, from a plurality of types of sleep modes, a type of sleep mode to be applied to each of the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the new function unit is connected and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the existing function unit is connected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle-mounted relay device, a sleep control method, and a sleep control program.

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-172049, filed on October 27, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Background Art

[0003] Patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-074243) discloses the following technology. That is, a relay device (11) comprises: a plurality of ports (P1 to P5) for transmitting and receiving frames; a switch unit (31) having a relay execution unit, the relay execution unit selecting any one of the plurality of ports as a relay object of the received frame based on the destination of the frame received via any one of the plurality of ports, and executing a relay process of sending the received frame from the selected port, the switch unit (31) being able to switch between a first start state and a first stop state, the first start state being a state in which the relay execution unit can execute the relay process, and the first stop state being a state in which the relay execution unit cannot execute the relay process; a plurality of PHY units (Y1 to Y5) having a communication execution unit, the communication execution unit 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, the plurality of PHY units (Y1 ~Y5) can switch between a second start state and a second stop state, the second start state is a state in which the communication execution unit can execute the receiving function and the sending function, and the second stop state is a state in which the communication execution unit cannot execute the receiving function and the sending function, and the multiple PHY units (Y1~Y5) are respectively set corresponding to the multiple ports; the first control unit (37), when the switch unit is in the first stop state and the multiple PHY units are respectively in the second stop state, causes the PHY unit corresponding to the port that detects the frame to transfer from the second stop state to the second start state; and the second control unit (38), when the switch unit is in the first stop state and the multiple PHY units are respectively in the second stop state, when any one of the multiple PHY units transfers from the second stop state to the second start state, causes the switch unit to transfer from the first stop state to the first start state.

[0004] Prior art literature Patent Literature Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-074243 Summary of the invention

[0005] The vehicle-mounted relay device disclosed in the present invention comprises: a plurality of communication ports, which can be respectively connected to a plurality of vehicle-mounted functional units; a plurality of communication circuits, which are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and can communicate with the vehicle-mounted functional units via the corresponding communication ports; an acquisition unit, which acquires functional unit information of the new functional unit when detecting the addition of the vehicle-mounted functional unit to the vehicle-mounted network including the existing functional unit, wherein the existing functional unit is one or more of the vehicle-mounted functional units, and the new functional unit is the vehicle-mounted functional unit detected to be added; and a sleep control unit, which performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected with the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected with the existing functional unit from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

[0006] One embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized not only as an in-vehicle relay device having such a characteristic processing unit but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit realizing a part or all of the in-vehicle relay device, or as a system including the in-vehicle relay device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] 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. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 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. 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 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. Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table after the update process performed by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 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. Figure 8 The present invention is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of the selection process performed by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 This is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of sleep control in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 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. Fig.11 It is a diagram showing a configuration of a modified example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.12 It is a diagram showing a communication circuit table stored in a modified example of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.13 This is a diagram showing a communication circuit table after the update process performed by a modification of the in-vehicle relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] 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.

[0009] [Problems to be Solved by the Present Disclosure]

[0010] In the vehicle network, there are cases where vehicle-mounted functional units such as ECUs are added according to user needs. Here, for example, if the time required for the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port of the vehicle-mounted relay device connected to the new vehicle-mounted functional unit to shift from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode exceeds the allowed time until the application installed in the new vehicle-mounted functional unit is started, the operation of the vehicle network with the new structure may become unstable.

[0011] 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 relay device, a sleep control method, and a sleep control program that can realize stable operation in an in-vehicle network of a new structure.

[0012] [Effects of the present disclosure]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, stable operation can be achieved in a vehicle-mounted network having a new structure.

[0014] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0015] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0016] (1) The vehicle-mounted relay device involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a plurality of communication ports capable of being connected to a plurality of vehicle-mounted functional units, respectively; a plurality of communication circuits respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and capable of communicating with the vehicle-mounted functional units via the corresponding communication ports; an acquisition unit, when detecting that the vehicle-mounted functional unit is added to a vehicle-mounted network including existing functional units, acquires functional unit information of the new functional unit, wherein the existing functional unit is one or more of the vehicle-mounted functional units and the new functional unit is the vehicle-mounted functional unit detected to be added; and a sleep control unit, based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit, performing selection processing, wherein the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the new functional unit is connected and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the existing functional unit is connected, from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

[0017] In this way, by selecting the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit based on the function unit information of the new function unit, when the sleep condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit can be respectively transferred to the appropriate sleep mode corresponding to the function unit information of the new function unit. Therefore, when the wake-up condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the delay in the transfer of the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit to the wake-up mode can be suppressed, so that stable operation in the vehicle-mounted network of the new structure can be achieved.

[0018] (2) In the above (1), the function unit information may include application information related to an application installed in the new function unit, and the sleep control unit may perform the selection process based on the application information of the new function unit acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0019] With such a configuration, as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit, respectively, the sleep mode corresponding to the application information of the new function unit can be selected.

[0020] (3) In the above (2), the application information may include information related to the type of the application.

[0021] With such a configuration, it is possible to use an appropriate sleep mode according to the type of application program of the new function unit.

[0022] (4) In the above (2) or (3), the application information may include information on a time allowed until the application is activated.

[0023] With such a configuration, it is possible to use an appropriate sleep mode corresponding to the allowed time until the application installed in the new function unit is activated.

[0024] (5) In any one of the above (1) to (4), the acquisition unit may further acquire function unit information of the existing function unit, or the sleep control unit may perform the selection process based on the function unit information of the new function unit and the function unit information of the existing function unit acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0025] With such a configuration, in the selection process, a more appropriate sleep mode that reflects the contents of the function unit information of the existing function unit in addition to the function unit information of the new function unit can be selected.

[0026] (6) In any one of the above (1) to (5), the vehicle-mounted relay device may also include a storage unit, the storage unit storing function correspondence information, the function correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing function unit and the function unit information of the existing function unit; or the acquisition unit may perform an update process after acquiring the function unit information of the new function unit, the update process registering the correspondence between the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 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; or the sleep control unit may perform the selection process based on the function correspondence information after the update process.

[0027] With such a configuration, for example, selection processing can be performed through a simple process using the function correspondence information after the update process.

[0028] (7) In any one of the above (1) to (6), the vehicle-mounted relay device may further include a storage unit, the storage unit storing sleep mode corresponding information, the sleep mode corresponding information indicating the sleep modes applied to the plurality of communication circuits respectively; the acquisition unit may acquire the functional unit information of the other new functional unit when the other new functional unit is added to the vehicle-mounted network; or the sleep control unit may perform the selection process based on the functional unit information of the other new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit and the sleep mode corresponding information in the storage unit.

[0029] With such a configuration, when performing selection processing using function unit information of another new function unit, the sleep mode corresponding information in the storage unit can be referred to and the sleep mode applied to each communication circuit in the most recent selection processing can be easily confirmed.

[0030] (8) In any one of the above (1) to (7), it may be that the multiple types of sleep modes include a first sleep mode and a second sleep mode, and the second sleep mode is a sleep mode in which the power consumption in the communication circuit is less than that of the first sleep mode. It may also be that the sleep control unit, in a state where the second sleep mode is selected as the sleep mode applied to the specified multiple communication circuits, changes the sleep mode applied to all the remaining communication circuits among the specified multiple communication circuits from the second sleep mode to the first sleep mode when the communication port corresponding to at least any one of the specified multiple communication circuits is connected to the new functional unit and the first sleep mode is selected as the sleep mode applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected with the new functional unit.

[0031] With such a configuration, when, for example, the sleep control of multiple communication circuits cannot be performed individually due to hardware specification constraints of the vehicle-mounted relay device, the type of sleep mode applied to the multiple communication circuits can be accurately selected, making the sleep control more stable.

[0032] (9) The sleep control method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used in an on-vehicle relay device, and the on-vehicle relay device includes: multiple communication ports that can be connected to multiple on-vehicle functional units respectively; and multiple communication circuits that are respectively set corresponding to the multiple communication ports and can communicate with the on-vehicle functional units via the corresponding communication ports, wherein the sleep control method includes the following steps: when it is detected that the on-vehicle functional unit is added to the on-vehicle network including the existing functional unit, obtaining functional unit information of the new functional unit, the existing functional unit is one or more of the on-vehicle functional units, and the new functional unit is the on-vehicle functional unit detected to be added; and based on the obtained functional unit information of the new functional unit, performing selection processing, the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing functional unit from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

[0033] In this way, by selecting the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit based on the function unit information of the new function unit, when the sleep condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit can be respectively transferred to the appropriate sleep mode corresponding to the function unit information of the new function unit. Therefore, when the wake-up condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the delay in the transfer of the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit to the wake-up mode can be suppressed, so that stable operation in the vehicle-mounted network of the new structure can be achieved.

[0034] (10) The sleep control program involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure is used in an on-vehicle relay device, and the on-vehicle relay device includes: a plurality of communication ports that can be connected to a plurality of on-vehicle functional units respectively; and a plurality of communication circuits that are respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and can communicate with the on-vehicle functional units via the corresponding communication ports, wherein the sleep control program is used to cause a computer to operate as the following unit: an acquisition unit that, when detecting the addition of the on-vehicle functional unit to an on-vehicle network including an existing functional unit, acquires functional unit information of the new functional unit, wherein the existing functional unit is one or more of the on-vehicle functional units, and the new functional unit is the on-vehicle functional unit detected to be added; and a sleep control unit that performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the new functional unit is connected and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the existing functional unit is connected from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

[0035] In this way, by selecting the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit based on the function unit information of the new function unit, when the sleep condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit can be respectively transferred to the appropriate sleep mode corresponding to the function unit information of the new function unit. Therefore, when the wake-up condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device is satisfied, the delay in the transfer of the communication circuits corresponding to the new function unit and the existing function unit to the wake-up mode can be suppressed, so that stable operation in the vehicle-mounted network of the new structure can be achieved.

[0036] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described using the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, and their descriptions are not repeated. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0037] [In-vehicle communication system]

[0038] Figure 1FIG. 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 (Electronic Control Units) 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 .

[0039] 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. The vehicle-mounted functional unit is not limited to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 and may be a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, etc.

[0040] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the in-vehicle communication system 301 includes in-vehicle ECUs 201A, 201B, and 201C as the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 .

[0041] In addition, the in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration including three in-vehicle ECUs 201 , and may be a configuration including two or more in-vehicle ECUs 201 .

[0042] The in-vehicle relay device 101 and the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 constitute an in-vehicle network 401 .

[0043] 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.

[0044] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is an example of a new functional unit, and the vehicle-mounted ECUs 201A and 201C are examples of existing functional units. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the arrows at both ends of the dotted line indicate that the in-vehicle ECU 201B is not connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 .

[0045] The vehicle-mounted ECUs 201A, 201B, and 201C are equipped with an application 202. More specifically, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A is equipped with an application 202A, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is equipped with applications 202A and 202B, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201C is equipped with an application 202C.

[0046] 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 .

[0047] The in-vehicle relay device 101 is, for example, a switch device, and performs a relay process of relaying data between a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 201 connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 .

[0048] 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.

[0049] In addition, in the vehicle communication system 301, the structure is not limited to the one that performs frame relay processing according to the Ethernet communication standard. For example, it can also be a structure that performs frame relay processing according to 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).

[0050] [In-vehicle relay device]

[0051] 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 plurality of communication ports 51 , a plurality of communication circuits 52 , a switch IC (Integrated Circuit) 53 , a processing unit 54 , and a storage unit 55 .

[0052] The processing unit 54 includes a determination unit 71, a sleep control unit 72, a detection unit 73, and an acquisition unit 74. The processing unit 54 is implemented 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] More specifically, the in-vehicle relay device 101 includes four communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D as the plurality of communication ports 51. In the in-vehicle relay device 101, the in-vehicle ECUs 201A, 201B, and 201C are connected to the communication ports 51A, 51B, and 51C via Ethernet cables 11, respectively.

[0055] 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 four communication circuits 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D as the plurality of communication circuits 52. The communication circuits 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D are provided corresponding to the communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D, respectively.

[0056] 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 201A via the communication port 51A, the communication circuit 52B can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B via the communication port 51B, and the communication circuit 52C can communicate with the vehicle-mounted ECU 201C via the communication port 51C.

[0057] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the in-vehicle relay device 101 includes a switch IC 53 . The switch IC 53 includes communication circuits 52A and 52B and a switch unit 61 .

[0058] 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.

[0059] The communication circuits 52A and 52B are not limited to being built in the switch IC 53 and may be externally connected to the switch IC 53. The communication circuits 52C and 52D are not limited to being externally connected to the switch IC 53 and may be built in the switch IC 53.

[0060] In addition, the communication circuit 52 built into the switch IC 53 is not limited to the structure of two communication circuits 52A and 52B, and one 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 two communication circuits 52C and 52D, and one or more communication circuits 52 may be externally connected to the switch IC 53.

[0061] 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 ECUs 201 .

[0062] More specifically, when receiving 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 .

[0063] The storage unit 55 stores an address table indicating the correspondence between destination MAC (Media Access Control) addresses and communication ports 51 .

[0064] 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.

[0065] When receiving a frame addressed to the in-vehicle relay device 101 from the in-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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] The switch unit 61 includes, for example, a plurality of terminals (not shown), each of which is connected to a plurality of communication circuits 52. A unique port number is allocated to each terminal.

[0068] (Sleep mode and wake-up mode)

[0069] The vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 shift from the awake mode to the sleep mode, and shift from the sleep mode to the awake 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 awake 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 less than that in the awake mode due to the cessation of a part of the function of the device, the cessation of power supply to the device, or the reduction of the clock frequency in the device.

[0070] 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 each of the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 201 .

[0071] For example, the sleep condition is that the ignition switch of the vehicle 501 is turned off and the vehicle 501 is parked, etc. Also, for example, the wake-up condition is that the ignition switch of the vehicle 501 is turned on and the vehicle 501 starts running, etc.

[0072] 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. Figure 3 The “device A” and “device B” shown are the in-vehicle relay device 101 or the in-vehicle ECU 201 .

[0073] Reference Figure 3 First, in the wake-up mode (steps S11 and S12), the device A and the device B send a frame storing a NM (Network Management) message, for example, in accordance with AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) (registered trademark) to each device in the vehicle communication system 301. Specifically, the device A and the device B broadcast the frame storing the NM message to each device for life and death monitoring (steps S13 and S14).

[0074] Next, when the sleep condition of the device A is satisfied in the wake-up mode (step S15 ), the device A stops sending the NM message (step S16 ).

[0075] In addition, when the sleep condition of the device B is satisfied in the wake-up mode (step S17 ), the device B stops sending the NM message (step S18 ).

[0076] 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, the device A and the device B shift to the sleep mode (step S19 ).

[0077] In this way, by switching the states of the device A and the device B from the awake mode to the sleep mode using the NM message, the power consumption of the device A and the device B can be reduced.

[0078] In addition, when the device A and the device B are in the sleep mode (step S19), if their own wake-up conditions are met, they shift to the wake-up mode and start to send NM messages regularly. In addition, when the device A and the device B are in the sleep mode (step S19), if a wake-up request is received from other devices in the vehicle communication system 301, they shift to the wake-up mode.

[0079] (Judgment Department)

[0080] 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.

[0081] More specifically, the determination unit 71 monitors the state of the vehicle 501 and performs determination processing based on the monitoring result, the determination processing determining 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, for example, periodically and notifies the sleep control unit 72 of the determination result.

[0082] (Sleep control unit)

[0083] 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 mode.

[0084] More specifically, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the awake mode and a notification indicating that the sleep condition is satisfied is received from the determination unit 71 , the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the sleep mode.

[0085] When the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the sleep mode and a notification indicating that the wakeup condition is satisfied is received from the determination unit 71 , the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the wakeup mode.

[0086] In addition, the sleep control unit 72 shifts the communication circuit 52 operating in the sleep mode to the wake-up mode when receiving a wake-up request from the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 via the communication port 51, the communication circuit 52, and the switch unit 61. 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".

[0087] Then, the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 201 establish a mutual communication connection by exchanging frames including various information.

[0088] 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".

[0089] When receiving the wakeup request W2 from the in-vehicle relay device 101 , the in-vehicle ECU 201 shifts to the wakeup mode.

[0090] All the 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 start 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 start request among the applications 202 installed in itself.

[0091] (Light sleep mode and deep sleep mode)

[0092] The sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52 to shift to the shallow sleep mode or the deep sleep mode. The shallow sleep mode is an example of the first sleep mode, and the deep sleep mode is an example of the second sleep mode. The words "first" and "second" do not imply a priority order.

[0093] More specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes a plurality of power supply lines (not shown) that can supply power to the communication circuit 52. For example, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes a power supply line with a voltage of 12V and a power supply line with a voltage of 3V.

[0094] For example, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the shallow 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 deep sleep mode is a sleep mode in which the power consumption of the communication circuit 52 is smaller than that in the shallow sleep mode.

[0095] In addition, for example, when the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the shallow 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 shallow sleep mode, the processing unit 54 can perform a part of processing such as reading the value of the register (not shown) of the communication circuit 52, but cannot perform other processing with the communication circuit 52.

[0096] Here, the storage unit 55 stores sleep mode correspondence information indicating sleep modes applied to the plurality of communication circuits 52. More specifically, the storage unit 55 stores a communication circuit table Tb1 including the sleep mode correspondence information.

[0097] When the operation mode of the communication circuit 52 is the awake mode and a notification indicating that the sleep condition is satisfied is received from the determination unit 71, the sleep control unit 72 refers to the communication circuit table Tb1 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 shift to the determined sleep mode.

[0098] 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.

[0099] Figure 4 FIG. 2 shows an example of the communication circuit table Tb1 stored in the storage unit 55 of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in the existing network. Figure 4 In the illustrated example, in the communication circuit table Tb1 , the deep sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52C.

[0100] Therefore, in the existing network, when the operation mode of communication circuits 52A and 52C is the awake mode and a notification indicating that the sleep condition is satisfied is received from determination unit 71 , sleep control unit 72 causes communication circuits 52A and 52C to shift to the deep sleep mode.

[0101] In addition, Figure 4 In the example shown, in the communication circuit table Tb1, the deep sleep mode is registered as the initial value as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52B and 52D corresponding to the communication ports 51B and 51D not connected to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201, respectively. Figure 4 The "ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU" and the "functional unit information" shown will be described later.

[0102] (Detection Department)

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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 .

[0105] When receiving the connection request information from the in-vehicle ECU 201B via the switch IC 53 , the detection unit 73 performs authentication processing of the in-vehicle ECU 201B using the ID and the authentication password included in the connection request information.

[0106] When the authentication of the in-vehicle ECU 201B succeeds, the detection unit 73 transmits a frame including authentication success information indicating that the authentication is successful to the in-vehicle ECU 201B via the switch IC 53 .

[0107] When the authentication of the new function unit succeeds as described above, the detection unit 73 outputs detection information such as an ID indicating the new function unit and a port number corresponding to the new function unit to the acquisition unit 74 .

[0108] When the authentication process of the in-vehicle ECU 201B by the detection unit 73 succeeds, the in-vehicle relay device 101 and the new function unit perform transmission and reception of NM messages, for example, on a regular basis.

[0109] Furthermore, 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.

[0110] [Explanation of the topic]

[0111] Since the deep sleep mode involves disconnection of the power supply line, it takes a longer time to shift to the wake-up mode than the shallow sleep mode.

[0112] In the in-vehicle communication system 301 , a time allowed until each application 202 is activated (hereinafter also referred to as “wake-up allowed time”) is set.

[0113] 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.

[0114] exist Figure 5In the example shown, the wake-up permission time of application 202A is "100ms", the wake-up permission time of application 202B is "10ms", and the wake-up permission time of application 202C is "100ms". Figure 5 In the example shown, the wakeup permission time of the applications 202A and 202C is longer than the wakeup permission time of the application 202B.

[0115] The vehicle-mounted ECUs 201A and 201B equipped with the application 202A with a long wake-up permission time communicate with the communication circuits 52A and 52B, respectively. In addition, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201C equipped with the application 202C with a long wake-up permission time communicates with the communication circuit 52C. Therefore, it is considered that the deep sleep mode is applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, and 52C.

[0116] However, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the example shown, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is equipped with the application 202B. The wake-up permission time of the application 202B is shorter than the wake-up permission time of the application 202A. Here, consider the case where the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52B operating in the deep sleep mode to transition to the wake-up mode. In this case, even if the time required for the communication circuit 52B to transition to the wake-up mode does not exceed the wake-up permission time of the application 202A, when the wake-up permission time "10ms" of the application 202B is exceeded, the operation in the new network becomes unstable. Specifically, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B may not be able to communicate with other vehicle-mounted ECUs 201 that have sent a startup request for the application 202B installed on itself via the vehicle-mounted relay device 101.

[0117] The sleep control unit 72 cannot independently perform sleep control on the communication circuits 52A and 52B built into the switch IC 53 due to, for example, hardware specification restrictions of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101. That is, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, a common sleep mode must be applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0118] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, in the existing network, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A equipped with the application 202A with a long wake-up permission time is connected to the communication port 51A corresponding to the communication circuit 52A, while the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B is not connected to the communication port 51B corresponding to the communication circuit 52B. Figure 4 In the illustrated example, the sleep control section 72 selects the deep sleep mode as the common sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B in the existing network.

[0119] However, in the new network, in addition to the application 202A, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B also carries the application 202B having a shorter wake-up permission time than the application 202A. Therefore, when the sleep control unit 72 causes the communication circuit 52B operating in the deep sleep mode to shift to the wake-up mode, as described above, even if the time required for the communication circuit 52B to shift to the wake-up mode does not exceed the wake-up permission time of the application 202A, if the wake-up permission time of the application 202B is exceeded, the operation in the new network becomes unstable.

[0120] On the other hand, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure solves such problems by the following configuration and operation.

[0121] (Acquisition Department)

[0122] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The acquisition unit 74 acquires the identification information of the existing functional unit. Hereinafter, the identification information of the existing functional unit is assumed to be that the IDs of the vehicle-mounted ECUs 201A, 201B, and 201C are "ID1-A", "ID1-B", and "ID1-C", respectively.

[0123] More specifically, the acquisition unit 74 transmits an information request notification for requesting identification information of the existing functional unit to the existing functional unit via the switch IC 53, for example, regularly or irregularly. 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.

[0124] 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 the communication circuit table Tb1 stored in the storage unit 55 in association with the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 that received the identification information.

[0125] Refer again Figure 4 The ID of the on-vehicle ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52A is “ID1-A”, and the ID of the on-vehicle ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52C is “ID1-C”.

[0126] 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.

[0127] When the acquisition unit 74 receives the function unit information of the existing function unit via the switch IC 53, it registers the function unit information of the existing function unit 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 Tb1 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. In other words, the communication circuit table Tb1 includes the function correspondence information.

[0128] 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 permission time. The information related to the type of application 202 includes, for example, the ID of application 202 (hereinafter also referred to as "application ID").

[0129] In the following, it is assumed that the IDs of the applications 202A, 202B, and 202C are respectively "ID2-A", "ID2-B", and "ID2-C".

[0130] 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 that communicates with the communication circuit 52A is "ID2-A", and the wake-up permission time is "100ms". The functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201C is associated with the communication circuit 52C. Specifically, the application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 that communicates with the communication circuit 52C is "ID2-C", and the wake-up permission time is "100ms".

[0131] Furthermore, when the identification information and the function unit information of the existing function unit are stored in advance in the storage unit 55 , the acquisition unit 74 may acquire the identification information and the function unit information of the existing function unit from the storage unit 55 .

[0132] When detecting that the in-vehicle ECU 201 is added to the existing network, that is, the in-vehicle network 401 including the existing functional units, the acquisition unit 74 acquires the functional unit information of the detected new functional unit added.

[0133] For example, when receiving the detection information from the detection unit 73, the acquisition unit 74 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.

[0134] 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 has an application 202 installed in itself, 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.

[0135] On the other hand, when the new function unit has a plurality of applications 202 installed therein, the new function unit transmits information including the ID of each application 202 as application information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101. Furthermore, when the new function unit has a plurality of applications 202 installed therein, the new function unit transmits information related to the wake-up permission time having the smallest value as application information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101.

[0136] When the acquisition unit 74 acquires the functional unit information of the new functional unit, it performs an update process, which registers the correspondence in the functional correspondence information in the storage unit 55, wherein the correspondence is the correspondence between the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new functional unit and the functional unit information of the new functional unit.

[0137] 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 and the communication circuit 52B in correspondence with each other in the communication circuit table Tb1 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.

[0138] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a communication circuit table after the update process performed by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0139] 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 permission time is "10 ms".

[0140] Furthermore, when 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 Tb1 .

[0141] 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 functional unit. Then, the acquisition unit 74 registers the ID of the new functional unit and the identified communication circuit 52 in the communication circuit table Tb1 stored in the storage unit 55 in correspondence.

[0142] exist Figure 6 In the illustrated example, the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52B is “ ID1 -B ”.

[0143] (Sleep mode selection)

[0144] Refer again Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sleep control unit 72 performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit obtained by the acquisition unit 74, and the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the existing functional unit from multiple types of sleep modes.

[0145] More specifically, the condition table Tb2 is stored in the storage unit 55. The condition table Tb2 is a table used by the sleep control unit 72 to determine whether the deep sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52.

[0146] When receiving the update completion notification from the acquisition unit 74 , the sleep control unit 72 performs selection processing based on the communication circuit table Tb1 after the update processing in the storage unit 55 .

[0147] 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.

[0148] Reference Figure 7 In the condition table Tb2, for example, "condition 1" as a condition related to the type and number of applications 202 and "condition 2" as a condition related to the wake-up permission time are registered. Condition 1 is a 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 condition for determining whether the deep sleep mode is selected as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D.

[0149] 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."

[0150] 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 is consistent with the type of application 202 installed in the new functional unit, and the number of application 202 installed in the existing functional unit is consistent with the number of application 202 installed in the new functional unit.

[0151] 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 vehicle-mounted ECU 201A communicating with the communication circuit 52A and the application ID of the vehicle-mounted 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.

[0152] 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 shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0153] exist Figure 7 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 application programs 202 mounted on the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A and the number of application programs 202 mounted on the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B are inconsistent. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 selects the shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0154] More specifically, the sleep control unit 72 changes the type of sleep mode applied to the “communication circuit 52A” and the “communication circuit 52B” from the “deep sleep mode” to the “shallow sleep mode” in the communication circuit table Tb1 .

[0155] In the selection process using condition 2, when the wakeup permission 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 applied to the communication circuit.

[0156] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, "If the corresponding wake-up permission time is 100 ms or more, select the deep sleep mode" is registered as condition 2. Specifically, the sleep control unit 72 selects the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52 when the wake-up permission time of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 communicating with the communication circuit 52 is 100 ms or more.

[0157] exist Figure 7 In the example shown, the wakeup permission time "10 ms" of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201B communicating with the communication circuit 52B is shorter than 100 ms. Therefore, the sleep control unit 72 selects the shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B.

[0158] As described above, for example, the sleep control unit 72 is in a state where the 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 the existing network (hereinafter also referred to as “initial mode state”).

[0159] exist Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the illustrated example, as described above, in the initial mode state, when the new function unit is connected to the communication port 51B corresponding to at least one of the plurality of communication circuits 52 built into the switch IC 53, that is, the communication circuit 52B, the sleep control unit 72 selects the shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52B. In this case, the sleep control unit changes the type of sleep mode applied to all the remaining communication circuits 52 built into the switch IC 53, that is, the communication circuit 52A, from the deep sleep mode to the shallow sleep mode.

[0160] Specifically, the sleep control unit 72 changes the type of sleep mode applied to the “communication circuit 52A” and the “communication circuit 52B” in the communication circuit table Tb1 from the “deep sleep mode” to the “shallow sleep mode”.

[0161] <Flow of Action>

[0162] Figure 8 The present invention is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of the selection process performed by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0163] Reference Figure 8First, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers 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 communication ports 51. Here, it is assumed that the existing functional unit is connected to the communication ports 51A and 51C. In addition, it is assumed that in the communication circuit table Tb11, a deep sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D (step S101).

[0164] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 waits for the addition of a new functional unit to the in-vehicle network 401 (No in step S102 ), and upon detecting the addition of a new functional unit (Yes in step S102 ), acquires functional unit information of the detected new functional unit (step S103 ).

[0165] 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, it registers the function unit information of the new function unit in correspondence with the communication port 51 to which the new function unit is connected in the communication circuit table Tb1 stored in the storage unit 55 (step S104).

[0166] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 refers to the communication circuit table Tb1 and the condition table Tb2 in the storage unit 55, and when the deep sleep application condition is met ("Yes" in step S105), selects the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the existing functional unit (step S106).

[0167] 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 shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the existing functional unit, respectively (step S107).

[0168] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 changes the sleep mode corresponding information included in the communication circuit table Tb1. For example, as described above, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 selects the shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to each communication circuit 52, the type of sleep mode applied to "communication circuit 52A" and "communication circuit 52B" in the communication circuit table Tb1 is changed from "deep sleep mode" to "shallow sleep mode" (step S108).

[0169] Furthermore, when the in-vehicle relay device 101 detects the addition of another new functional unit in the in-vehicle network 401 after the selection process, the in-vehicle relay device 101 performs the selection process again.

[0170] For more details, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 When other new functional units are added to the in-vehicle network 401, the acquisition unit 74 acquires functional unit information of the other new functional units. The sleep control unit 72 performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the other new functional units acquired by the acquisition unit 74 and the sleep corresponding information included in the communication circuit table Tb1 in the storage unit 55.

[0171] Specifically, upon receiving detection information of the in-vehicle ECU 201 connected to the communication port 51D from the detection unit 73 , the acquisition unit 74 acquires the functional unit information of the in-vehicle ECU 201 .

[0172] When the acquisition unit 74 acquires the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 connected to the communication port 51D, the functional unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201 is registered in correspondence with the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51D in the communication circuit table Tb1 stored in the storage unit 55. Then, the sleep control unit 72 re-performs the selection process using the communication circuit table Tb1 and the condition table Tb2 in the storage unit 55.

[0173] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart that defines the operation procedure of sleep control in the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0174] Reference Fig. 9 First, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 operates in the awake mode (step S201 ) until its own sleep condition is satisfied (“No” in step S202 ).

[0175] Next, when 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 Tb1 in the storage unit 55 and determines the sleep mode to be applied to each communication circuit 52 (step S203 ).

[0176] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 shifts each communication circuit 52 to the determined sleep mode, and maintains the sleep mode until its own wakeup condition is satisfied (No in step S205 ) (step S204 ).

[0177] Next, when the wake-up condition of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 itself is satisfied (YES in step S205 ), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 shifts each communication circuit 52 to the wake-up mode (step S201 ).

[0178] Fig.101 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 existing functional units are connected to the communication ports 51A and 51C in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 will be described.

[0179] Reference Fig.10 First, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 registers sleep mode corresponding information in the communication circuit table Tb1 while the existing functional unit is connected to the communication ports 51A and 51C. Here, it is assumed that the deep sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D in the communication circuit table Tb1 (step S301).

[0180] Next, the new functional unit added to the in-vehicle network 401 transmits connection request information to the in-vehicle relay device 101. Here, it is assumed that the new functional unit is connected to the communication port 51B (step S302).

[0181] Next, when receiving the connection request information from the new functional unit, the in-vehicle relay device 101 detects the new functional unit and performs authentication processing on the new functional unit (step S303 ).

[0182] Next, when the authentication of the new functional unit is successful, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 transmits authentication success information to the new functional unit (step S304 ).

[0183] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 transmits an information request notification for requesting functional unit information of the new functional unit to the new functional unit (step S305 ).

[0184] Next, the new functional unit transmits functional unit information of the new functional unit to the in-vehicle relay device 101 as a response to the information request notification (step S306 ).

[0185] Next, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 obtains the function unit information of the new function unit, it performs an update process to update 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 Tb1 in the storage unit 55 in correspondence with the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 to which the new function unit is connected (step S307).

[0186] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs a selection process based on the function correspondence information after the update process, and the selection process selects the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the communication port 51 connected to the existing functional unit from a plurality of types of sleep modes. Here, it is assumed that 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 shallow sleep mode, and maintains the deep sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52C and 52D (step S308).

[0187] Next, when the sleep conditions of the existing functional unit, the in-vehicle relay device 101 , and the new functional unit are satisfied (step S309 ), the existing functional unit shifts to the sleep mode (step S310 ).

[0188] In addition, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 causes each communication circuit 52 to shift to the sleep mode selected by the selection process. More specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 causes the communication circuits 52A and 52B to shift to the shallow sleep mode, and causes the communication circuits 52C and 52D to shift to the deep mode (step S311). In addition, the new function unit shifts to the sleep mode (step S312).

[0189] Next, when the new functional unit's own wake-up condition is satisfied and the new functional unit shifts to the wake-up mode (step S313 ), the new functional unit transmits a wake-up request W1 to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 (step S314 ).

[0190] Next, when receiving the wakeup request W1 from the new functional unit, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 switches the communication circuit 52 corresponding to the new functional unit to the wakeup mode. Here, the sleep control unit 72 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 switches the communication circuit 52B to the wakeup mode (step S315).

[0191] Next, the in-vehicle relay device 101 transmits a wakeup request W2 to the existing functional unit (step S316 ).

[0192] Next, when receiving the wakeup request W2 from the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 , the existing functional unit shifts to the wakeup mode (step S317 ).

[0193] Next, the new function unit and the existing function unit communicate with each other. For example, when the communication circuit 52 in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 receives a frame destined for the existing function unit from the new function unit via the corresponding communication port 51, it outputs the received frame 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 S318).

[0194] In addition, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep control unit 72 is configured to select the type of sleep mode 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 type of sleep mode 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.

[0195] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to 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 thereto. 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.

[0196] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 74 is configured to acquire information related to the type of the application 202 and information related to the wake-up permission time as application information, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the acquisition unit 74 may acquire information related to the hardware restrictions of the application 202 as application information.

[0197] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the acquisition unit 74 acquires function unit information of existing function units and function unit information of new function units, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The acquisition unit 74 may, for example, not acquire function unit information of existing function units.

[0198] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the storage unit 55 stores the communication circuit table Tb1 including the function correspondence information and the sleep correspondence information, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The storage unit 55 may store a table including the function correspondence information and a table including the sleep correspondence information separately.

[0199] [Variation example]

[0200] In the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep control unit 72 is configured to select the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B built into the switch IC 53 from a plurality of types of sleep modes, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sleep control unit 72 may also be configured to select the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52 externally connected to the switch IC 53 from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

[0201] Fig.11 It is a diagram showing a configuration of a modified example of the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0202] Reference Fig.11 In the modified example, the vehicle-mounted ECU 201A and 201B are examples of existing functional units, and the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D is an example of a new functional unit. Fig.11 In FIG. 1 , the arrows at both ends of the dotted line indicate that the in-vehicle ECU 201D and the in-vehicle relay device 101 are not connected.

[0203] In the modified example, application programs 202B and 202C are installed in the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D.

[0204] Fig.12 It is a diagram showing a communication circuit table stored in a modified example of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0205] Fig.12 An example of the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 is shown as a modified example of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in the conventional network. Fig.12 In the illustrated example, in the communication circuit table Tb11 , the shallow sleep mode is registered as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B.

[0206] In addition, Fig.12 In the illustrated example, in the communication circuit table Tb11 , the deep sleep mode is registered as an initial value as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52C and 52D corresponding to the communication ports 51C and 51D to which the in-vehicle ECU 201 is not connected.

[0207] When the acquisition unit 74 detects that the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D is added to the existing network, it transmits an information request notification for requesting the function unit information of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D to the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D via the switch IC 53. The vehicle-mounted ECU 201D transmits 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. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D is connected to the communication port 51C by the user.

[0208] When acquiring the functional unit information of the onboard ECU 201D, the acquisition unit 74 registers the functional unit information of the onboard ECU 201D in the communication circuit table Tb11 stored in the storage unit 55 in association with the communication circuit 52C corresponding to the communication port 51C connected to the onboard ECU 201D.

[0209] Fig.13 This is a diagram showing a communication circuit table after the update process performed by a modification of the in-vehicle relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0210] Reference Fig.13 The application ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D communicating with the communication circuit 52C is "ID2-B, ID2-C", and the wake-up permission time is "10 ms". In addition, the ID of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D communicating with the communication circuit 52C is "ID1-D".

[0211] In the modified example, when receiving the update completion notification from the acquisition unit 74, the sleep control unit 72 refers to the communication circuit table Tb11 and the condition table Tb2 after the update process in the storage unit 55. Then, the sleep control unit 72 determines that the wake-up permission time of the vehicle-mounted ECU 201D communicating with the communication circuit 52C is shorter than 100 ms, and selects the shallow sleep mode as the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuit 52C.

[0212] 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 “shallow sleep mode” in the communication circuit table Tb11 .

[0213] In the modified example, in the new network, the sleep control unit 72 maintains the type of sleep mode applied to the communication circuits 52A and 52B built into the switch IC 53 to the sleep mode applied in the existing network. Fig.13 In the illustrated example, the sleep control unit 72 maintains the type of sleep mode applied to the “communication circuit 52A” and the “communication circuit 52B” at the “shallow sleep mode”.

[0214] The above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and should not be construed as 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.

[0215] Each process (function) of the above-mentioned embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit including one or more processors. In addition to the above-mentioned one or more processors, the above-mentioned processing circuit may also be composed of an integrated circuit composed of one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits. The above-mentioned one or more memories store programs (commands) that enable the above-mentioned one or more processors to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned one or more processors may perform the above-mentioned processes according to the above-mentioned programs read from the above-mentioned one or more memories, or may perform the above-mentioned processes according to logic circuits pre-designed to perform the above-mentioned processes. The above-mentioned processor may also be a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit: Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor: Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: Field Programmable Gate Array) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and other various processors suitable for computer control. In addition, the above-mentioned multiple processors separated physically may also cooperate with each other to perform the above-mentioned processes. For example, the processors installed in each of the physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet to perform the above-mentioned processes. The program may be installed in the memory from an external server device or the like via the 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 in the memory from the recording medium.

[0216] The above description includes the following additional features.

[0217] [Note 1] A vehicle-mounted relay device, comprising: Multiple communication ports, capable of being connected to multiple vehicle-mounted functional units respectively; a plurality of communication circuits, respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports, capable of communicating with the vehicle-mounted functional unit via the corresponding communication ports; and Processing circuit, The processing circuit acquires function unit information of the new function unit when detecting that the vehicle-mounted function unit is added to the vehicle-mounted network including the existing function unit, wherein the existing function unit is one or more of the vehicle-mounted function units and the new function unit is the vehicle-mounted function unit detected to be added. The processing circuit performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit obtained, and the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing functional unit from multiple types of sleep modes.

[0218] Description of symbols 11 Ethernet cable 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D communication ports 52, 52A, 52B, 52C, 52D Communication circuit 53 Switch IC 54 Processing Department 55 Storage 61 Switch Department 71 Judgment Department 72 Sleep control unit 73 Detection Department 74 Acquisition 101 Car Relay Device 201, 201A, 201B, 201C, 201D Vehicle ECU 202, 202A, 202B, 202C Application 301 Vehicle Communication System 401 In-vehicle network 501 Vehicles.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted relay device, comprising: Multiple communication ports, capable of being connected to multiple vehicle-mounted functional units respectively; a plurality of communication circuits, respectively provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports, and capable of communicating with the vehicle-mounted functional unit via the corresponding communication ports; an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of a new function unit when an addition of the vehicle-mounted function unit to a vehicle-mounted network including existing function units is detected, the existing function unit being one or more of the vehicle-mounted function units, and the new function unit being the vehicle-mounted function unit detected to be added; and The sleep control unit performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit obtained by the acquisition unit, and the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing functional unit from multiple types of sleep modes.

2. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to claim 1, wherein: The functional unit information includes application information, and the application information is related to an application installed in the new functional unit. The sleep control unit performs the selection process based on the application information of the new function unit acquired by the acquisition unit.

3. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to claim 2, wherein: The application information includes information related to the type of the application.

4. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein: The application information includes information on a time allowed until the application is activated.

5. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The acquisition unit further acquires the functional unit information of the existing functional unit. The sleep control unit performs the selection process based on the function unit information of the new function unit and the function unit information of the existing function unit acquired by the acquisition unit.

6. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device further includes a storage unit, the storage unit storing function correspondence information, the function correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port to which the existing function unit is connected and the function unit information of the existing function unit, The acquisition unit performs update processing when acquiring the functional unit information of the new functional unit, wherein the update processing registers the correspondence between the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the functional unit information of the new functional unit in the function correspondence information in the storage unit, The sleep control unit performs the selection process based on the function correspondence information after the update process.

7. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The vehicle-mounted relay device further includes a storage unit storing sleep mode corresponding information indicating the sleep modes applied to the plurality of communication circuits respectively. The acquisition unit acquires functional unit information of the other new functional unit when the other new functional unit is added to the in-vehicle network. The sleep control unit performs the selection process based on the function unit information of the other new function unit acquired by the acquisition unit and the sleep mode corresponding information in the storage unit.

8. The vehicle-mounted relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The plurality of types of sleep modes include a first sleep mode and a second sleep mode, wherein the second sleep mode is a sleep mode in which power consumption in the communication circuit is lower than that in the first sleep mode, The sleep control unit, in a state where the second sleep mode is selected as the sleep mode applied to the specified multiple communication circuits, changes the sleep mode applied to all the remaining communication circuits among the specified multiple communication circuits from the second sleep mode to the first sleep mode, when the communication port corresponding to at least any one of the specified multiple communication circuits is connected to the new functional unit and the first sleep mode is selected as the sleep mode applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected with the new functional unit.

9. A sleep control method, used in an on-vehicle relay device, the on-vehicle relay device comprising: a plurality of communication ports, each of which can be connected to a plurality of on-vehicle functional units; and a plurality of communication circuits, each of which is provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and can communicate with the on-vehicle functional units via the corresponding communication ports, wherein: The sleep control method comprises the following steps: Acquiring function unit information of a new function unit when an addition of the vehicle-mounted function unit to a vehicle-mounted network including existing function units is detected, the existing function unit being one or more of the vehicle-mounted function units, and the new function unit being the vehicle-mounted function unit detected to be added; and A selection process is performed based on the obtained functional unit information of the new functional unit, and the selection process selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing functional unit from a plurality of types of sleep modes.

10. A sleep control program used in an on-vehicle relay device, the on-vehicle relay device comprising: a plurality of communication ports, each of which can be connected to a plurality of on-vehicle functional units; and a plurality of communication circuits, each of which is provided corresponding to the plurality of communication ports and can communicate with the on-vehicle functional units via the corresponding communication ports, wherein: The sleep control program is used to make the computer run as the following units: an acquisition unit that acquires function unit information of a new function unit when an addition of the vehicle-mounted function unit to a vehicle-mounted network including existing function units is detected, the existing function unit being one or more of the vehicle-mounted function units, and the new function unit being the vehicle-mounted function unit detected to be added; and The sleep control unit performs selection processing based on the functional unit information of the new functional unit obtained by the acquisition unit, and the selection processing selects the type of sleep mode to be applied to the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the new functional unit and the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port connected to the existing functional unit from multiple types of sleep modes.

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