Vehicle control system

Abstract

Vehicle control system (1) in which cooperative control is carried out in which control units (11 to 14) cooperate with each other and control vehicle devices (30 to 38), comprising: - a determination unit (10) that determines the cooperative control to be executed among a plurality of cooperative controls that are previously created in accordance with a state of a vehicle; and - a cooperation control execution management unit (41e) that manages an execution of the cooperation control determined by the determination unit (10), wherein - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) - a storage unit (41f) which stores information corresponding to individual controls individually executed in the control units (11 to 14) in each of the cooperative controllers and corresponding to an input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers, and - creates an execution plan of the individual control executed in the control units (11 to 14) in the cooperative control determined by the determination unit (10) on the basis of the information stored in the storage unit (41f), - the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls in accordance with the execution plan prepared by the cooperative control execution management unit (41e), - the input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers comprises a relationship in which an individual controller receives an output from at least one other individual controller and is subsequently executed, and - when the determination unit (10) determines to execute the cooperative controls simultaneously, the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) first prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in the cooperative control having a priority that is the highest priority in a priority order predetermined in accordance with specifications of the cooperative controls, and the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) then prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in a current cooperative control to be executed simultaneously with a previously determined cooperative control having the priority that is higher in the priority order than the current cooperative control, and in which the execution plan of the individual controls is previously prepared, such thatthat the execution plan for the current cooperation control does not conflict with the execution plan for the previously determined cooperation control.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system in which cooperative control is performed in which a plurality of control units cooperate with each other and control a plurality of vehicle devices.

[0002] According to JP 2011 - 014 033 A, a vehicle information processing unit can share information used in functional cooperation between ECUs mounted on a vehicle before vehicle control applications of the ECUs use the information.

[0003] In the vehicle information processing unit, a first ECU executing a navigation application program and a second ECU executing a broadcast control application program are connected to each other via a vehicle LAN.

[0004] The first ECU executes the navigation application program, which includes a map search application as a map search program and a drawing application that draws map data displayed during navigation using map information stored in a database. When the first ECU detects a road with a slope extending as a sharp curve in front of the vehicle, when the first ECU executes the map search application, it is effective for the first ECU to appropriately and automatically shift a gear in accordance with the slope and curvature of the sloped road to reduce fuel consumption.

[0005] The second ECU shares data including map data with the first ECU to perform functional cooperation. Specifically, the second ECU sends a first packet requesting functional cooperation data to the first ECU. When the first ECU receives the first packet from the second ECU, the first ECU activates a functional cooperation OS control unit. The functional cooperation OS control unit loads the map data, which is data corresponding to the first packet, from a functional cooperation address area, generates a second packet for transmitting the functional cooperation data, and then sends the second packet to the second ECU.

[0006] The second ECU determines whether it has received data from the first ECU. If the second ECU determines that it has received the data from the first ECU, the second ECU activates a functional cooperation OS control unit through a reception completion interrupt. The functional cooperation OS control unit of the second ECU divides the received data into the functional cooperation address area.

[0007] Consequently, the first ECU sends the map data to the second ECU before the second ECU executes transmission control. Then, when the second ECU executes transmission control, the second ECU can access the map data immediately.

[0008] The first packet and the second packet are transmitted between the first ECU and the second ECU as described above, and functional cooperation control is performed. In this case, the first ECU receiving the first packet cannot detect a timing at which the first packet is received in advance. Consequently, if the first ECU is executing important processing while the first ECU is interrupted to receive the first packet, interference may occur. Furthermore, the second ECU cannot detect a timing at which the second packet is received in advance. For example, data that the second ECU sends to another ECU conflicts with the first packet of the first ECU on a communication line, and a timing at which the first ECU receives the first packet is delayed.In this case, the second ECU may not be able to execute the function cooperation control at an appropriate timing.

[0009] From DE 10 2016 207 831 A1, a control system is further known which is intended to start safely and quickly, even if functions in the control system are divided into several areas and several area controllers for controlling the several areas are each mapped and implemented in several electronic control units, by designing a configuration in which a manager role for managing an operating environment, including managing a power supply for each of the several areas, is exercised in a start-up stage of the control system by an energy area controller which is started more quickly than an integrated controller, and is then exercised after the start-up stage of the control system by the integrated controller, by passing the manager role from the energy area controller to the integrated controller.

[0010] US 6 067 009 A relates to a diagnostic method and a diagnostic device for a vehicle for diagnosing the conditions of various components of a vehicle, and in particular to a diagnostic device for a vehicle which can transmit diagnostic results to a management center outside the vehicle.

[0011] US 2005 / 0 027 404 A1 relates to a control device in a vehicle for controlling a device, such as an engine, in the vehicle, and in particular to a control device capable of communicating with at least one other unit via a communication line.

[0012] Furthermore, DE 10 2014 220 701 A1 discloses an in-vehicle diagnostic system for transmitting diagnostic data to a diagnostic device arranged outside a vehicle, and US 2007 / 0 021 847 A1 teaches a distributed control system with a plurality of control units connected via a network.

[0013] It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control system in which cooperative control of a plurality of control units can be carried out smoothly.

[0014] The problem is solved by the subject matter of the main claim. Advantageous further developments are specified in the subclaims.

[0015] The vehicle control system according to the invention includes the cooperative control execution management unit that manages the execution of the cooperative control. The cooperative control execution management unit stores information corresponding to individual controls individually executed in the control units in each of the cooperative controllers and the input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers. The cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution plan of the individual control executed in the control units in the cooperative control determined to be executed based on the stored information.Since the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution schedule of the individual controls in the control units, the control units can determine the execution periods of other processing executed in a single control in each of the control units, preventing interference with the execution of the individual controls in the cooperative control that is predetermined to be executed. Consequently, in the vehicle control system, the cooperative control can be smoothly executed by the control units.

[0016] The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating functions of a vehicle control system that controls a vehicle system in a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating domain control units implemented in an electronic control unit; Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control executed by a federation control unit to execute cooperative control by the domain control units; Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating control executed by a cooperation control execution management unit to execute the cooperation control by the domain control units; Fig. 5 is a timing chart illustrating an example in which the cooperative control execution management unit prepares an execution plan of individual controllers at a selected cooperative controller, which is the cooperative controller selected according to the execution plan of the individual controllers at a previously determined cooperative controller, which is the cooperative controller that is predetermined and has a priority high in a priority order such that the execution plans do not conflict with each other; Fig. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating an example in which a corrected execution plan is created by changing the execution times of the individual controllers in the previously determined cooperative control, and the execution plan of the individual controllers in the selected cooperative control is created such that the execution plan of the individual controllers in the selected cooperative control does not conflict with the corrected execution plan in the event that it is not possible to create a conflict-free execution plan; and Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating domain control units implemented in the electronic control unit according to further embodiments.

[0017] Hereinafter, a vehicle control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. According to the embodiment, the vehicle control system 1 is applied to a vehicle system including various vehicle units mounted on a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as drive sources of the hybrid vehicle. In this case, the electric motor may be a motor generator. However, the vehicle control system 1 is not limited to controlling the vehicle system in the hybrid vehicle. The vehicle control system 1 may control a vehicle system in a vehicle having only an internal combustion engine or a vehicle system in an electric vehicle having only an electric motor. A domain division will be described below.Since the domain division depends on a control configuration of the vehicle control system 1, the following domain division is used as an example, and the domain division of the present invention can be appropriately made in other ways.

[0018] Fig. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the vehicle control system 1 that controls the vehicle system in the hybrid vehicle. In this case, Fig. 1 not all of the functions of the vehicle control system 1 are shown. Fig. 1 shows only the functions of the vehicle control system 1 relating to the present embodiment.

[0019] As in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system 1 has the functions of controlling the vehicle devices including a braking device 30, a steering device 31, an air conditioner 32, a door motor 33, an internal combustion engine 34, a motor generator (MG) 35, a high-voltage battery 36, a meter 37, and a display 38. Further, the vehicle control system 1 may have functions of controlling other vehicle devices including a transmission, a suspension, and an interior lighting device.

[0020] As in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system 1 includes a plurality of logical blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28, which are functional blocks that control the vehicle devices 30 to 38. In this case, the logical blocks are divided in advance, and connection relationships are established between the logical blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28. More specifically, a logical configuration of the vehicle control system 1 that controls the vehicle devices 30 to 38 is constituted by the logical blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 and the connection relationships between the logical blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28. The vehicle control system 1 controls the vehicle devices 30 to 38 by activating and cooperating with the logical blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 based on the established connection relationships.

[0021] Furthermore, the logic blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 include at least one control block. Each of the logic blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 achieves a function by combining computational processing in a plurality of control blocks.

[0022] An engine control unit 24, which is one of the logical blocks, includes a control block that receives sensor signals from various sensors and converts the sensor signals into signals that can be used in the logical block to detect an operating state of the engine 34. The engine control unit 24 further includes a control block that calculates a generation torque in a current state from the operating state of the engine 34 detected from the sensor signals and calculates a target engine operating state that is used to cancel a difference between the generation torque and a command torque commanded by a higher-level logical block when the difference is generated. In this case, the higher-level logical block is a powertrain domain control unit 13.The engine control unit 24 further includes a control block that calculates a throttle opening degree, a fuel injection amount, a fuel injection timing, and an ignition timing, which are used to achieve the target engine operating state. The engine control unit 24 further includes a control block that performs temperature control of the engine 34 in accordance with a generation temperature of the engine 34. According to the present invention, the engine control unit 24 is not limited to including the above control blocks, and the engine control unit 24 may include a control block that performs other calculation processing to achieve a function. Further, in the engine control unit 24, control blocks including the above control blocks may be combined into one block or further divided into smaller blocks.

[0023] In the vehicle control system 1, the logic blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 are distributed and implemented in at least one electronic control unit, namely as programs or databases. When the logic blocks are implemented in a plurality of electronic control units, the electronic control units have a configuration in which the electronic control units are individually connected to a communication line or each of the electronic control units is connected to a common network, so that the electronic control units can communicate with each other based on the connection relationships of the logic blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28.

[0024] According to the present embodiment, the vehicle control system 1 divides the vehicle devices 30 to 38 into a plurality of domains in accordance with functions of the vehicle devices 30 to 38, and the vehicle control system 1 provides a domain control unit configured to control a part of the vehicle devices 30 to 38 corresponding to each of the domains.

[0025] In particular, as in Fig. 1, a chassis domain control unit 11 is a domain control unit that integrates control of the vehicle devices configured to stabilize operations of the hybrid vehicle and determine a traveling direction of the hybrid vehicle. In this case, the vehicle devices are the braking device 30 and the steering device 31. Further, a body domain control unit 12 is a domain control unit that integrates control of the vehicle devices configured to adjust an environment of an interior of the hybrid vehicle and assist a passenger in boarding or exiting the hybrid vehicle. In this case, the vehicle devices are the air conditioner 32, which performs air conditioning processing in the interior of the hybrid vehicle, and the door motor 33.Furthermore, the powertrain domain control unit 13 is a domain control unit that integrates control of the vehicle devices configured to accelerate the hybrid vehicle, decelerate the hybrid vehicle, and maintain a constant speed. In this case, the vehicle devices are the internal combustion engine 34 and the MG 35, which provide power to the hybrid vehicle. When the hybrid vehicle is decelerating, the MG 35 generates regenerative energy. Consequently, the powertrain domain control unit 13 also controls generation of the regenerative energy and consumption of energy by the MG 35. The energy is accumulated in the high-voltage battery 36. Thus, the powertrain domain control unit 13 integrates a domain that includes the high-voltage battery 36.An information domain control unit 14 is a domain control unit that integrates a control of the vehicle devices that provides various information to passengers including a driver.

[0026] As in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system 1 includes domain control units 11 to 14 and device control units 20 to 28 that control operating states of vehicle devices 30 to 38 based on commands from the domain control units 11 to 14. In this case, the device control units 20 to 28 are subordinate units to the domain control units 11 to 14.

[0027] As in Fig. 1, the chassis domain control unit 11 has subordinate units including a brake control unit 20 that controls the braking device 30 and a steering control unit 21 that controls the steering device 31. The body domain control unit 12 has subordinate units including an air conditioning control unit 22 that controls the air conditioning system 32 and a door control unit 23 that controls the door motor 33. The powertrain domain control unit 13 has subordinate units including the engine control unit 24 that controls the engine 34, an MG control unit 25 that controls the MG 35, and a battery control unit 26 that controls the high-voltage battery 36. The information domain control unit 14 has subordinate units including a meter control unit 27 that controls the meter 37 and a display control unit 28 that controls the display 38.

[0028] A human-machine interface (HMI) 15, which is a logical block that acquires information about operations of various operating devices in the hybrid vehicle and driving operations of the driver, and a vehicle environment interface (EVI) 16, which is a logical block that acquires information about an external environment of the hybrid vehicle, are also domain control units.

[0029] The vehicle control system 1 further includes a unification control unit 10 that controls an operating environment regarding power, communications, and security of the domain control units 11 to 16, and cooperates with the domain control units 11 to 16 to achieve a coordination relationship of the domain control units 11 to 16. According to the present embodiment, in the vehicle control system 1, a plurality of cooperation controllers are created in advance as cooperation controllers that execute controls to cause the domain control units 11 to 16 to cooperate with each other. The unification control unit 10 determines one cooperation control among the cooperation controls created in advance in accordance with a state of the hybrid vehicle. In this case, the one cooperation control is the cooperation control to be executed.The unification control unit 10 is also a domain control unit, which is a higher-level domain control unit of the domain control units 11 to 16. Furthermore, the unification control unit 10 is synonymous with a destination unit.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the Fig. 1, a federation control unit 10. However, if the domain control units 11 to 16 are divided into multiple groups, each group may have a higher-level domain control unit that is a federation control unit. According to the present invention, the federation control unit 10 is not limited to being independent of other units. The federation control unit 10 may be included in any of the domain control units 11 to 16.

[0031] The unification control unit 10 estimates the state of the hybrid vehicle based on operations performed by the driver on various operation devices, a condition of the hybrid vehicle, and operating states of the vehicle devices 30 to 38. Then, the unification control unit 10 determines the cooperative control to be executed in accordance with the state of the vehicle to cooperate with the domain control units 11 to 14.

[0032] A first example of cooperation between the domain control units 11 to 14 is described below. When the driver of the hybrid vehicle depresses a brake pedal, deceleration must be generated in accordance with a position of the brake pedal. In this case, the powertrain domain control unit 13 creates a target deceleration torque with which the hybrid vehicle is decelerated. Further, the powertrain domain control unit 13 calculates a deceleration torque that can be generated during regenerative braking using the MG 35. When the deceleration torque is insufficient with respect to the target deceleration torque, the powertrain domain control unit 13 informs the chassis domain control unit 11 of insufficient torque. In this case, the insufficient torque is a deceleration torque by which the deceleration torque calculated by the powertrain domain control unit 13 is lower than the target deceleration torque.The chassis domain control unit 11 controls the braking device 30 via the braking control unit 20 to generate the insufficient torque.

[0033] According to a second example of the cooperation between the domain control units 11 to 14, the chassis domain control unit 11 controls the traveling direction of the hybrid vehicle to prevent the hybrid vehicle from leaving a lane, and the powertrain domain control unit 13 controls traveling of the hybrid vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle. In this case, the EVI 16 detects a dividing line of the lane in which the hybrid vehicle is traveling and the preceding vehicle traveling in the same lane as the hybrid vehicle. The EVI 16 acquires images capturing the dividing line and the preceding vehicle. The EVI 16 informs the chassis domain control unit 11 and the powertrain domain control unit 13 of the above detection result or images. The chassis domain control unit 11 controls the steering device 31 in accordance with a relationship between the dividing line of the lane and a position of the hybrid vehicle.The powertrain domain control unit 13 controls the internal combustion engine 34 and the MG 35 in accordance with a distance between the hybrid vehicle and the preceding vehicle and a relative speed between the hybrid vehicle and the preceding vehicle. When braking is required, the powertrain domain control unit 13 instructs the chassis domain control unit 11 to activate the braking device 30.

[0034] When the passenger of the hybrid vehicle exits the hybrid vehicle, the EVI 16 determines whether an obstacle exists in an area around a door. The body domain control unit 12 controls the door motor 33 and limits an opening and closing degree of the door in accordance with a determination result of the EVI 16. The body domain control unit 12 receives information about the external environment detected by the EVI 16. In this case, the external environment includes an external temperature or an external humidity. The body domain control unit 12 appropriately controls the environment of the interior of the hybrid vehicle by considering a temperature of the interior of the hybrid vehicle, a humidity of the interior of the hybrid vehicle, and a solar radiation. The domain control units 11 to 14 cooperate with each other in various ways.

[0035] When a front grille of the hybrid vehicle is provided with a shutter that opens and closes an opening portion of the front grille, which communicates with an engine compartment, the powertrain-domain control unit 13 or the engine control unit 24 controls the shutter to close it to improve warming of the engine 34 when a temperature of the engine 34 is low. Further, the body-domain control unit 12 or the air conditioning control unit 22 controls the shutter to open it, so that outside air can easily enter the interior of the hybrid vehicle when the outside air is introduced into the interior of the hybrid vehicle. Thus, a common vehicle device, which is the shutter in the above case, can be controlled by various control units.

[0036] Below, various functions and various logic blocks 10 to 16 and 20 to 28 included in the vehicle control system 1 are described with reference to the Fig. 1 described.

[0037] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle control system 1 further includes the HMI 15 and the EVI 16 for acquiring various information. The HMI 15 is a logical block that acquires an operation amount or an operation position of an operation unit operated by the driver to drive the hybrid vehicle and operate various vehicle devices. The operation unit operated by the driver includes an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, an air conditioner control panel 32, and a door handle. Various operation amounts and operation positions of the operation unit are acquired by sensors and by the HMI 15. The EVI 16 is a logical block that acquires information about the external environment of the hybrid vehicle.The EVI 16 collects information from a laser unit that detects the vehicle ahead or an obstacle, a camera that captures an image of the area around the hybrid vehicle, and a navigation system that outputs a position of the hybrid vehicle or a route of the hybrid vehicle's travel path. The EVI 16 also collects information about the outside temperature and outside humidity.

[0038] Furthermore, the HMI 15, the EVI 16, or another logic block can be used to acquire information indicating a driving state of the hybrid vehicle or operating states of various vehicle devices. According to the present invention, the driving state includes a speed and acceleration of the hybrid vehicle, and the operating or control states include an engine speed, an engine speed, a brake oil pressure, and a steering angle.

[0039] The information concerning the operation amount or the operation position acquired by the HMI 15 and the information concerning the external environment acquired by the EVI 16 are sent to the unification control unit 10 and the domain control units 11 to 14 of the vehicle control system 1. In this way, the unification control unit 10 estimates the state of the hybrid vehicle and determines the cooperation control required in accordance with the state.

[0040] The chassis domain control unit 11 receives information about the external environment of the hybrid vehicle. Consequently, the chassis domain control unit 11 can perform lane keeping control to detect white lines in an image and adjust an assist force of the steering device 31 so that the hybrid vehicle does not depart from a lane divided by the white lines. Furthermore, the chassis domain control unit 11 can control the braking device 30 and the steering device 31 to prevent a collision with the preceding vehicle or an obstacle.

[0041] The brake control unit 20 follows a control signal output from the chassis control unit 11 and controls an operation of the brake device 30. The steering control unit 21 follows a control signal output from the chassis control unit 11 and controls an operation of the steering device 31.

[0042] The body-domain control unit 12 receives information including a main switch signal of the hybrid vehicle, an operation signal of the air conditioner 32, a door handle operation signal, and a passenger detection signal. When the operation signal of the air conditioner 32 is detected, in the event that the passenger enters the hybrid vehicle, the body-domain control unit 12 instructs the air conditioner control unit 22 to perform control of an environment of the interior of the hybrid vehicle. When the driver stops the internal combustion engine 34 of the hybrid vehicle, stops the hybrid vehicle, and operates the door handle, it is determined that the driver is exiting the hybrid vehicle. In this case, the cooperation control of the EVI 16 starts.When the EVI 16 detects an obstacle present in the area around the door, the body domain control unit 12 controls the opening and closing degree of the door using the door motor 33 to prevent the door from colliding with the obstacle.

[0043] The air conditioning control unit 22 performs control of the interior environment of the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a command from the body-domain control unit 12. Specifically, the air conditioning control unit 22 receives the operation signal of the air conditioning system 32, temperature measurement signals of the interior and exterior environment of the hybrid vehicle, and a solar radiation measurement signal. The air conditioning control unit 22 generates a control signal that controls the air conditioning system 32 to adjust the interior environment of the hybrid vehicle to match an environment instructed by the passenger of the hybrid vehicle, based on the operation signal and various measurement signals, and outputs the control signal.As a result, a rotation speed of a blower of the air conditioner 32 and an opening degree of an air mix door are controlled, and the temperature and humidity of the interior of the hybrid vehicle are controlled to a state requested by the passenger.

[0044] The door control unit 23 follows a command from the body domain control unit 12, controls the door motor 33 and limits the opening and closing degree of the door.

[0045] The powertrain domain control unit 13 receives information including the operation amount or position of the accelerator pedal and the gearshift lever, and an operating state of the engine 34 or the MG 35. The powertrain domain control unit 13 calculates a required drive torque of the entire hybrid vehicle, which is used to accelerate or maintain the speed of the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a driver's operation, based on the information. The powertrain domain control unit 13 calculates distribution drive torques of the engine 34 and the MG 35 from the requested drive torque and then outputs them to the engine control unit 24 and the MG control unit 25.In this case, the distribution drive torques are a target engine torque and a target MG torque, and the powertrain domain control unit 13 outputs the target engine torque and the target MG torque to the engine control unit 24 and the MG control unit 25, respectively. When the hybrid vehicle is decelerated, the powertrain domain control unit 13 determines a regeneration energy amount that the MG 35 needs to generate and outputs the regeneration energy amount to the MG control unit 25, based on a storage amount of the high-voltage battery 36 and energy usage amounts of the domains.

[0046] The engine control unit 24 outputs a control signal required to achieve the target engine torque output from the powertrain domain control unit 13 to the engine 34. Specifically, the engine control unit 24 receives information from various sensors that detect the operating state of the engine 34. In this case, the various sensors include a rotation sensor, a temperature sensor, and an air flow sensor. The engine control unit 24 calculates the generation torque in the current state from the operating state of the engine 34 estimated using the information from the sensors. The engine control unit 24 calculates an engine operating state that increases or decreases torque as a difference between the generation torque and the target engine torque.The engine control unit 24 calculates the throttle opening degree, the fuel injection amount, the fuel injection timing, and the ignition timing used to achieve the engine operating state being calculated, and outputs control signals indicative of the fuel injection amount, the fuel injection timing, and the ignition timing to the engine 34.

[0047] The MG control unit 25 outputs a control signal used to achieve the target MG torque output from the powertrain domain control unit 13 to the MG 35. When the MG 35 generates drive torque to assist engine torque, which is drive torque generated by the engine 34, the MG control unit 25 controls exciting currents of stator coils of the MG 35 by performing vector control to control the MG 35 to generate the target MG torque. The MG control unit 25 controls an inverter of the MG 35 to achieve the amount of regeneration energy generated by the powertrain domain control unit 13 during regenerative braking.

[0048] The information domain control unit 14 receives information including the main switch signal of the hybrid vehicle and a display operation signal activated by the passenger. The information domain control unit 14 instructs the meter control unit 27 and the display control unit 28 to display the information based on a state of the main switch signal and the display operation signal.

[0049] The gauge control unit 27 follows a command from the information domain control unit 14 and controls a display of the gauge 37. The gauge control unit 27 receives information including the speed of the hybrid vehicle, the engine speed, an engine coolant temperature, and excess fuel, or receives distance information including a distance between the hybrid vehicle and an obstacle present in the area around the hybrid vehicle. The gauge control unit 27 displays the speed of the hybrid vehicle, the engine speed, the engine coolant temperature, and excess fuel, or displays a proximity level between the hybrid vehicle and the obstacle using the gauge 37.The meter control unit 27 follows a command from the information domain control unit 14 and changes a display number of the information or changes a display state.

[0050] The display control unit 28 acquires image information from a camera that captures the surrounding conditions of the hybrid vehicle or acquires information including the steering angle. The display control unit 28 controls image information displayed on the display 38. The display control unit 28 performs an overlapping display in which a predetermined route of the hybrid vehicle overlaps a camera image, or performs a notification display in which the presence of an obstacle is indicated.

[0051] Below is an implementation of the domain control units 10 to 16 implemented in an electronic control unit with reference to the Fig. 2. As described in Fig. 2, the unification control unit 10, the chassis domain control unit 11, the body domain control unit 12, and the powertrain domain control unit 13 are implemented in an electronic control unit 40. Multiple domain control units may be implemented in a common electronic control unit.

[0052] Fig. Figure 2 shows connections between a software architecture of the electronic control unit 40, the electronic control unit in which the domain control units are implemented, and various device control units 50 to 52 controlled by the domain control units. Furthermore, the vehicle devices that are control objects and other components are omitted. The electronic control unit 40 has a memory, and the memory stores the Fig. 2 shown software architecture.

[0053] As in Fig. 2, the electronic control unit 40 has the software architecture according to AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System Architecture). In particular, the electronic control unit 40, as shown in Fig. 2, a microcontroller 44, which is hardware. Software loaded into the electronic control unit 40 includes base software 43, a runtime environment (RTE) 42, and an application layer 41, which includes applications 41a through 41e.

[0054] The microcontroller 44 includes at least one set of a microprocessing unit and a cache memory.

[0055] The base software 43 is hierarchically structured to have a layered architecture including a microcontroller abstraction layer, an ECU abstraction layer, and a service layer. When a layer is located at a higher level, the level of abstraction of the layer is more advanced and the layer is independent of various hardware. The base software 43 may have a combination driver.

[0056] The microcontroller abstraction layer is located at the lowest level of the base software 43 and includes a microcontroller driver, a memory driver, a communication driver, and an input / output (I / O) driver. The microcontroller abstraction layer depends on a hardware architecture of the microcontroller 44. Since the microcontroller abstraction layer abstracts the microcontroller 44 and peripheral devices of the microcontroller 44, layers above the microcontroller abstraction layer depend on the microcontroller 44 and the peripheral devices of the microcontroller 44.

[0057] The ECU abstraction layer is located one level higher than the microcontroller abstraction layer. The ECU abstraction layer abstracts a basic component of the electronic control unit 40, and layers above the ECU abstraction layer depend on hardware of the electronic control unit 40. The ECU abstraction layer includes an implementation device abstraction, a memory hardware abstraction, a communication hardware abstraction, and an input / output (I / O) hardware abstraction.

[0058] The service layer includes a portion located one level above the ECU abstraction layer. The service layer provides a basic service for an application. Specifically, the service layer provides services including an operating system (OS), communication and management of a vehicle network, a storage service, a diagnostic service, and ECU state management. The service layer includes a portion that depends on the hardware and a portion, including the OS, that depends on the microcontroller 44.

[0059] The combination driver achieves a function or satisfies a timing requirement to operate a complex sensor or actuator in a case where other layers lack a complex function to achieve the function or satisfy the timing requirement. The combination driver is used to execute a control of an injector that injects fuel.

[0060] The RTE 42 is located at a level above the base software 43. The RTE 42 prevents the applications 41a to 41e contained in the application layer 41 from depending on the electronic control unit 40. Consequently, the RTE 42 provides communication between the applications 41a to 41e and communication between the applications 41a to 41e and the base software 43.

[0061] Since the software architecture complies with AUTOSAR, the applications 41a to 41e do not depend on the microcontroller 44 or the electronic control unit 40 and the reusability of the applications 41a to 41e can be improved.

[0062] The application layer 41 includes a fusion control unit application 41a serving as the fusion control unit 10, a chassis domain control unit application 41b serving as the chassis domain control unit 11, a body domain control unit application 41c serving as the body domain control unit 12, and a powertrain domain control unit application 41d serving as the powertrain domain control unit 13. When the applications 41a to 41d are executed, functions similar to the fusion control unit 10, the chassis domain control unit 11, the body domain control unit 12, and the powertrain domain control unit 13 are achieved, and control signals are given to a chassis domain device control unit 50, a body domain device control unit 51, and a powertrain domain device control unit 52. The chassis domain device control unit 50 includes the brake control unit 20 and the steering control unit 21.The body-domain device control unit 51 includes the air conditioning control unit 22 and the door control unit 23. The powertrain-domain device control unit 52 includes the engine control unit 24, the MG control unit 25, and the battery control unit 26.

[0063] The application layer 41 further includes a cooperation control execution management unit application 41e serving as a cooperation control execution management unit that manages execution of cooperation control determined by the unification control unit application 41a. When the cooperation control execution management unit application 41e is executed, a function of the cooperation control execution management unit is achieved.

[0064] The cooperative control execution management unit includes a storage unit 41f that stores information corresponding to individual controls individually executed in the domain control units 11 to 16 in each of a plurality of cooperative controllers, and an input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers. The cooperative control execution management unit creates an execution plan of the individual controls executed in each of the domain control units 11 to 16 in the cooperative control determined to be executed in the unification control unit 10 based on the information stored in the storage unit 41f.Since the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution schedule of each control in the domain control units 11 to 16, the domain control units 11 to 16 can determine the execution periods of other processing executed in a single control in each of the domain control units, thus preventing conflict in the execution of each control in the cooperative control determined to be executed. Consequently, in the vehicle control system, the cooperative controls can be smoothly executed by the domain control units 11 to 16.

[0065] Below, with reference to the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, processings executed by the unification control unit 10 and the cooperation control execution management unit to smoothly execute the cooperation controls in the domain control units 11 to 16 are described. Fig. 3 shows a processing executed by the merging control unit 10, and the Fig. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 shows processing executed by the cooperation control execution management unit.

[0066] As in Fig. 3, in S100, the unification control unit 10 receives the sensor signals detected by detecting the driving state of the hybrid vehicle or operating states of various vehicle devices. According to the present invention, the driving state includes the speed and acceleration of the hybrid vehicle, and the operating states include the engine speed, the engine speed, the brake oil pressure, and the steering angle. In S110, the unification control unit 10 acquires information about the operation amount or the operation position detected by the HMI 15 or information about the external environment detected by the EVI 16.In S120, the fusion control unit 10 estimates the state of the hybrid vehicle based on various information acquired or the sensor signals received, and determines the cooperative control to be executed from among the cooperative controls created in advance in accordance with the state of the hybrid vehicle. In this case, when the state of the hybrid vehicle is associated with multiple cooperative controls, the fusion control unit 10 determines the multiple cooperative controls as the cooperative control to be executed. When the state of the hybrid vehicle is not associated with any cooperative control, the fusion control unit 10 does not determine any cooperative control to be executed.

[0067] In S130, the merging control unit 10 determines whether the cooperative control to be executed has been determined in S120. If the merging control unit 10 determines that the cooperative control has been determined in S120, the merging control unit 10 proceeds to S140. In S140, the merging control unit 10 outputs information of the cooperative control to be executed to the cooperative control execution management unit. According to the present embodiment, the information of the cooperative control to be executed is referred to as cooperative control information. If the merging control unit 10 determines that the cooperative control to be executed has not been determined in S120, the merging control unit 10 returns to S100 to execute S100 to S130 again.

[0068] Below is the flowchart of the Fig. 4 will be described. In S200, the cooperation control execution management unit determines whether the cooperation control information is received from the federation control unit 10. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that the cooperation control information is received, the cooperation control execution management unit proceeds to S210. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that the cooperation control information is not received, the cooperation control execution management unit repeats S200 to wait until the cooperation control information is received.

[0069] In S210, the cooperation control execution management unit determines whether multiple cooperation controls are to be executed concurrently based on the cooperation control information received. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that multiple cooperation controls are to be executed concurrently, the cooperation control execution management unit proceeds to S220. In S220, the cooperation control execution management unit establishes a priority order of the multiple cooperation controls in accordance with specifications of the multiple cooperation controls. For example, priority orders of cooperation controls are determined in advance and stored in advance, according to each pattern of the cooperation controls that are executed concurrently.In this case, the cooperation control execution management unit may determine the priority order of the plurality of cooperation controllers by referring to the priority order of the cooperation controllers having a pattern corresponding to a pattern of the plurality of cooperation controllers.

[0070] In S230, the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative controller having a priority that is the highest in the priority order. When creating the execution plan, the cooperative control execution management unit refers to the information stored in the storage unit 41f. The storage unit 41f stores information corresponding to the individual controllers individually executed in the domain control units 11 to 16 in each of a plurality of cooperative controllers, and the input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers.Consequently, the cooperation control execution management unit estimates the individual controls executed in each of the domain control units and a constraint on an execution order of the individual controls, and the cooperation control execution management unit determines the execution plan suitable for executing the cooperation control having the priority that is the highest in the priority order.

[0071] In S250, the cooperation control execution management unit determines whether at least one cooperation controller for which the execution plan of the cooperation controller is not created exists among the cooperation controllers to be executed concurrently. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that at least one cooperation controller for which the execution plan of the cooperation controller is not created exists among the cooperation controllers to be executed concurrently, the cooperation control execution management unit proceeds to S260. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that all of the execution plans of the cooperation controllers are completely created, the cooperation control execution management unit proceeds to S330.

[0072] If the cooperative control execution management unit determines in S210 that it is not necessary to execute multiple cooperative controls simultaneously, and one cooperative control is to be executed, the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S240. In S240, the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution plan of the single control in the one cooperative control. Then, the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S330.

[0073] In S260, the cooperative control execution management unit selects the cooperative controller with the highest priority in the priority order among the cooperative controller(s) for which the execution plan(s) of the cooperative controller(s) is not established. In S270, the cooperative control execution management unit determines whether the in-vehicle device that overlaps the in-vehicle device that is a control object in a cooperative control having a high priority in the priority order and for which the execution plan of the individual controller is already established is included in the in-vehicle device(s) that is / are the control object(s) in the cooperative control being selected. In this case, the selected cooperative controller is referred to as a selected cooperative controller.

[0074] According to the present embodiment, a shutter arranged at the opening portion communicating with the engine compartment may be the control object of the body domain control unit 12 and the powertrain domain control unit 13. When multiple domain control units control the same vehicle device as the control object, the same vehicle device may be overlapped and controlled under multiple cooperative controls. When the multiple cooperative controls overlap and control the same vehicle device, control states of the same vehicle device may be opposite to each other. In this case, the control state of the same vehicle device is frequently changed, and deterioration may be caused.When the cooperative control execution management unit determines that the vehicle device that overlaps the vehicle device that is the control object in the cooperative control that has the priority that is high in the priority order and for which the single control execution plan is already created is included in the vehicle device(s) that is / are the control object(s) in the cooperative control selected in S270, the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S320. In S320, the cooperative control execution management unit temporarily stops the creation of the single control execution plan in the selected cooperative control. Consequently, the above deterioration can be prevented.

[0075] Alternatively, when the plurality of cooperative controls overlap and control the same vehicle device as the control object, the cooperative control execution management unit determines whether another vehicle device that can achieve a function equal to that of the same vehicle device exists.When the cooperative control execution management unit determines that there is another vehicle device that can achieve the function equal to that of the same vehicle device, the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having a priority that is low in the priority order without temporarily stopping the creation of the execution plan, such that the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority that is low in the priority order does not conflict with the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority that is higher.

[0076] According to the present embodiment, multiple vehicle devices that achieve the same function may include the shutter and an electric radiator fan, which can be used in temperature control of the engine compartment. Furthermore, the multiple vehicle devices may include the air conditioner and a seat heater, which can be used to warm the passenger.

[0077] When the cooperative control execution management unit determines in S270 that the control object does not overlap with the one in the cooperative control having the priority that is high in the priority order, the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S280. In S280, the cooperative control execution management unit creates the execution plan of the individual controller in the selected cooperative control such that the execution plan of the individual controller in the selected cooperative control does not conflict with a previously determined execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority that is high in the priority order. In this case, the execution plan of the individual controller in the selected cooperative control is referred to as a selected execution plan.

[0078] According to the present embodiment, the previously determined execution plan of the individual controller is in a cooperative controller CCA having the priority that is high in the priority order in the Fig. 5. The cooperative controller CCA includes individual controllers a1, a2, and a3. The individual controller a3 receives outputs from the individual controllers a1 and a2 and is then executed. Consequently, the cooperative controller execution management unit creates the predetermined execution plan, which is the execution plan of the individual controllers a1, a2, and a3 in the cooperative controller CCA, to (i) execute the individual controller a1, then (ii) execute the individual controller a2, and then (iii) execute the individual controller a3.

[0079] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, a cooperative controller CCB, in which the execution plan is generated after the cooperative controller CCA, has individual controllers b1 and b2. The individual controller b2 receives an output from the individual controller b1 and is subsequently executed.

[0080] According to Fig. In FIG. 5, a horizontal axis represents time, and a vertical axis represents a computational load. Specifically, each controller a1 to a3, b1, and b2 has computational loads that can be determined according to the usage frequency of the microprocessing unit per unit time. Alternatively, the computational load may be determined by considering the usage frequency of the cache memory in addition to the usage frequency of the microprocessing unit. When a single controller has a low computational load, the electronic control unit 40 can execute the single controller and other controls simultaneously.

[0081] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the cooperative control execution management unit can create the execution plan of the individual controllers b1 and b2 in the cooperative controller CCB to (i) execute the individual controller b1 and the individual controller a2 simultaneously, and (ii) execute the individual controller b2 after the individual controller a3 is executed. Consequently, the execution plan of the individual controllers b1 and b2 in the cooperative controller CCB does not conflict with the previously determined execution plan of the individual controllers a1, a2, and a3 in the cooperative controller CCA, and both the cooperative controllers CCA and CCB can be smoothly executed.

[0082] When the microprocessing unit of the electronic control unit 40 has multiple cores, the individual controls that are executed simultaneously can be processed in different cores. Consequently, conflicts between the individual controls that are executed simultaneously can be reliably prevented by executing the individual controls in different cores. In this case, the total number of individual controls that can be executed simultaneously is limited to the total number of cores.

[0083] The above execution plans are described as examples of the present embodiment, but other execution plan patterns or configurations may be applied to the present embodiment. Specifically, the execution plans of the individual controllers may be created such that the cooperative controller CCB is executed following the cooperative controller CCA. Alternatively, the execution plans of the individual controllers may be created such that the individual controls b1 and b2 of the cooperative controller CCB are executed at time intervals between the individual controls a1, a2, and a3 of the cooperative controller CCA.

[0084] Furthermore, the individual controls a1 to a3, b1 and b2, as shown in Fig. 5, the same control period. However, according to the present embodiment, the control periods of the individual controllers may be different from each other, or the control cycles of the individual controllers may be different from each other.

[0085] In S290, the cooperative control execution management unit determines whether the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority lower than that of the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order is created to cooperate with the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order. In this case, when the execution plans of the cooperative controllers cooperate with each other, the execution plans of the cooperative controllers do not conflict with each other. Further, the execution plan of the individual controller in the cooperative control having the priority lower than that of the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order is referred to as a conflict-free execution plan.If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that the conflict-free execution plan is created, the cooperation control execution management unit returns to S250. If the cooperation control execution management unit determines that the conflict-free execution plan cannot be created, the cooperation control execution management unit proceeds to S300.

[0086] The conflict-free execution plan that cannot be created is described below. As in Fig. 6, the execution plan of the individual controllers a1, a2 and a3 in the cooperation controller CCA, which has the priority that is high in the priority order, is the same as that shown in the Fig. 5. Furthermore, a cooperative controller CCC, in which the execution plan is created after the cooperative controller CCA, includes individual controllers c1, c2, and c3. The individual controller c2 receives an output of the individual controller c1 and is subsequently executed, and the individual controller c3 receives an output of the individual controller c2 and is subsequently executed.

[0087] In this case, since the individual controllers a1 and c1 have high computational loads, the individual controllers a1 and c1 cannot be executed concurrently. Furthermore, since the individual controllers a2 and c2 have low computational loads, the individual controllers a2 and c2 can be executed concurrently.When there is an impediment to executing the individual control c1 before executing the individual control a1, or when the cooperative control CCC cannot be executed after the cooperative control CCA, the cooperative control execution management unit determines that the execution plan of the individual control in the cooperative control having the priority that is low in the priority order cannot be created such that the execution plan of the individual control in the cooperative control having the priority that is low in the priority order does not conflict with the execution plan of the individual control in the cooperative control having the priority that is high in the priority order.

[0088] In S300, the cooperative control execution management unit determines whether execution timings of the individual controllers in the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order where the previously determined execution plan of the individual controllers is created can be changed.

[0089] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the execution plan of the individual controllers a1, a2, and a3 is created at the cooperative controller CCA to (i) execute the individual controller a1, then (ii) execute the individual controller a2, and then (iii) execute the individual controller a3. Since the individual controllers a1 and a2 output control results to the individual controller a3, no obstacle is generated during execution of the cooperative controller CCA if the execution timings of the individual controllers a1 and a2 are exchanged. In this case, the cooperative controller execution management unit determines that the execution timings of the individual controllers can be changed at the cooperative controller.

[0090] When the cooperative control execution management unit determines in S300 that the execution timing of the individual controllers can be changed in the cooperative control where the previously determined execution plan of the individual controllers is created, the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S310. In S310, the cooperative control execution management unit corrects the previously determined execution plan of the individual controllers in the cooperative control having the high priority in the priority order where the execution plan of the individual controllers is previously created, so that the execution timing of the individual controllers is changed. Subsequently, the cooperative control execution management unit creates the selected execution plan such that the selected execution plan and the previously determined execution plan being corrected do not conflict with each other.In this case, the previously determined execution plan that is corrected is called a corrected execution plan.

[0091] Further, in S310, the collaborative control execution management unit may determine whether the selected execution plan is created such that the selected execution plan does not conflict with the corrected execution plan. If the collaborative control execution management unit determines that the selected execution plan cannot be created such that the selected execution plan does not conflict with the corrected execution plan, and if another pattern of correction of the previously determined execution plan can be executed, the collaborative control execution management unit corrects the previously determined execution plan to obtain a newly corrected execution plan.Subsequently, if the cooperation control execution management unit determines that the selected execution plan cannot be created in such a way that the selected execution plan does not conflict with the newly corrected execution plan, the cooperation control execution management unit temporarily stops the creation of the selected execution plan.

[0092] If the collaborative control execution management unit determines in S300 that the execution timing of each controller cannot be changed in the collaborative control where the execution plan of each controller is previously created, the collaborative control execution management unit proceeds to S320. In S320, the collaborative control execution management unit temporarily stops the creation of the selected execution plan.

[0093] When the cooperative control execution management unit determines in S250 that at least one cooperative controller for which the cooperative control execution plan is not created does not exist among the cooperative controllers to be executed concurrently, the execution plan for one or more cooperative controllers is completed, and the cooperative control execution management unit proceeds to S330. In S330, the cooperative control execution management unit outputs the created execution plan to the domain control units 10 to 16. The domain control units 10 to 16 execute the individual controls in accordance with the received execution plan. In this way, the cooperative control can be smoothly executed by the domain control units 10 to 16.

[0094] The unification control unit 10 manages the domain control units 11 to 16 and the operating environment regarding energies, communications, and securities of areas of the domain control units 11 to 16 in accordance with the execution plan.

[0095] When the unification control unit 10 manages the operating environment by managing the energies, the unification control unit 10 collects information on an amount of energy expected to be consumed by the electronic control units in which the logical blocks in the domains are implemented and by the vehicle devices that are control objects in the domains from the domain control units 11 to 16. The unification control unit 10 determines whether the amount of energy expected to be consumed in the domains can be provided using the storage amount of the battery mounted on the vehicle.When the unification control unit 10 determines that the amount of energy expected to be consumed can be provided using the storage amount of the battery, the unification control unit 10 issues a notification that use of the amount of energy expected to be consumed is permitted to the domain control units 11 to 16.

[0096] When the unification control unit 10 determines that the amount of energy expected to be consumed cannot be supplied using the storage amount of the battery, the unification control unit 10 executes power increase control to increase the storage amount of the battery. According to the present embodiment, the battery includes a low-voltage battery and a high-voltage battery mounted on the vehicle. Further, the low-voltage battery and the high-voltage battery (the high-voltage battery 36) are connected to each other via a DC-DC converter. The high-voltage battery supplies power to the motor generator 35 and an electric compressor of the air conditioner 32, and the low-voltage battery supplies power to other electrical control units or other vehicle devices.In the above configuration, when the combining control unit 10 determines that the power supplied by the low-voltage battery is insufficient, the combining control unit 10 may activate the DC-DC converter to charge the low-voltage battery.

[0097] Alternatively, the cooperative control execution management unit 41e may create a supply plan of power energy required when the domain control units 10 to 16 execute individual controls in accordance with the execution plans created respectively. Then, the unification control unit 10 controls to supply the power energy to the domain control units 11 to 16 in accordance with the supply plan of power energy.

[0098] Alternatively, when the merging control unit 10 determines that the power provided by the high-voltage battery is insufficient, the merging control unit 10 may reduce the power supplied to the motor generator 35 or the electric compressor of the air conditioner 32.

[0099] When the unification control unit 10 manages the operating environment by managing communications, the unification control unit 10 performs confirmation control to determine whether communication functions of the domain control units 11 to 16 operate normally before the domain control units 11 to 16 start individual control. Furthermore, when communications are actually performed between the domain control units 11 to 16, the unification control unit 10 may perform protocol conversion control.

[0100] When the unification control unit 10 manages the operating environment by managing the safeguards, the unification control unit 10 confirms whether controls by the domain control units 11 to 16 of the vehicle control system 1 are performed normally based on a determination of whether acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle varies in accordance with a target value. When the unification control unit 10 determines that an abnormality is generated, the unification control unit 10 executes a fail-safe operation in which an evacuation run of the vehicle is performed, and the unification control unit 10 instructs the domain control units 11 to 16 to notify passengers of the abnormality. Further, the unification control unit 10 instructs timing adjustment to correct deviations in the control cycles of the domain control units 11 to 16.In this case, the unification control unit 10 performs a function of security environment management.

[0101] Alternatively, the cooperation control execution management unit 41e may create a security management deployment plan, which is the security environment management, based on the execution plan created to ensure that the federation control unit 10 executes the security management function. Then, the federation control unit 10 controls to provide security management to the domain control units 11 to 16 in accordance with the security management deployment plan.

[0102] According to the above embodiment, the usage frequency of the microprocessing unit is described without considering a configuration of cores of the microprocessing unit, except for the processing related to each controller that is executed concurrently. When the microprocessing unit has multiple cores, a configuration in which processing distribution of the cores is performed by considering the configuration of the cores after the execution plan of the cooperative controller is created can simplify the processing distribution more than a configuration in which processing distribution of the cores is performed at a stage where the execution plan is created. Specifically, if the processing distribution is considered at the stage where the execution plan is created, the processing distribution becomes complicated.

[0103] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be applied to various embodiments within its scope.

[0104] According to the above embodiment, multiple domain control units are implemented in a common electronic control unit 40. As in Fig.However, as shown in Figure 7, the domain control units 11 to 16 may be distributed to be implemented in different electronic control units. In this case, since the domain control units 11 to 16 execute the individual controls using different electronic control units, consideration should be given to preventing conflict of communication data, other than considering the usage frequency of the microprocessing unit or the usage frequency of the cache memory to prevent interference.Therefore, when multiple cooperative controls are executed concurrently, the cooperative control execution management unit determines the execution schedule of each control among the cooperative controls to be executed concurrently such that the communication data regarding each control among the cooperative controls to be executed concurrently with the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order does not conflict with the communication data regarding each control among the cooperative control having the priority high in the priority order. The cooperative control execution management unit can create a communication schedule of the communication data communicated between at least two different electronic control units based on the created execution schedules.In this case, the domain control units 11 to 16 carry out communication of the communication data in accordance with the communication plan that is respectively prepared.

[0105] The execution plan and the communication plan are created by a master cooperative control execution management unit 141e included in an electronic control unit 140, in which a unification control unit application 141a, which is equivalent to an unification control unit, is implemented. The created execution plan is sent to a slave cooperative control execution management unit 141g included in another electronic control unit. Subsequently, the execution timing or communication timing of the individual controllers is managed in accordance with the execution plan.

[0106] The above describes the creation of the execution plan or the communication plan related to the cooperative control, which is predetermined and stored in the storage unit 41f of the cooperative control execution management unit 41e. However, since program rewriting is performed online or by a program rewriting unit after the vehicle is launched on the market, a new function or new cooperative control is added, or an old function or old cooperative control is removed. In this case, since information stored in the storage unit 41f is updated in accordance with the program rewriting by adding or removing cooperative control, addition of cooperative control or removal of cooperative control can be achieved.

[0107] Although the present invention has been described above in connection with its embodiments, it should be understood that it is not limited to the embodiments and constructions. The present invention is to be understood as including various modifications and equivalent arrangements. Furthermore, while the various combinations and configurations are shown to be preferred, other combinations and configurations including more, fewer, or only a single element are also to be understood as being included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

[1] A vehicle control system (1) in which cooperative control is carried out in which control units (11 to 14) cooperate with each other and control vehicle devices (30 to 38), comprising: - a determination unit (10) that determines the cooperative control to be executed among a plurality of cooperative controls that are previously created in accordance with a state of a vehicle; and - a cooperation control execution management unit (41e) that manages an execution of the cooperation control determined by the determination unit (10), wherein - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) - a storage unit (41f) which stores information corresponding to individual controls individually executed in the control units (11 to 14) in each of the cooperative controllers and corresponding to an input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers, and - creates an execution plan of the individual control executed in the control units (11 to 14) in the cooperative control determined by the determination unit (10) on the basis of the information stored in the storage unit (41f), - the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls in accordance with the execution plan prepared by the cooperative control execution management unit (41e), - the input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers comprises a relationship in which an individual controller receives an output from at least one other individual controller and is subsequently executed, and - when the determination unit (10) determines to execute the cooperative controls simultaneously, the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) first prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in the cooperative control having a priority that is the highest priority in a priority order predetermined in accordance with specifications of the cooperative controls, and the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) then prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in a current cooperative control to be executed simultaneously with a previously determined cooperative control having the priority that is higher in the priority order than the current cooperative control, and in which the execution plan of the individual controls is previously prepared, such thatthat the execution plan for the current cooperation control does not conflict with the execution plan for the previously determined cooperation control. [2] Vehicle control system (1) according to claim 1, wherein - the vehicle devices (30 to 38) are divided into a plurality of domains in accordance with functions of the vehicle devices (30 to 38), each of the domains being hierarchized to include a device control unit that controls the vehicle devices (30 to 38) and a domain control unit that integrates control performed by the device control unit; and - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) creates the execution plan of the individual controller in the domain control unit which is one of the control units (11 to 14) and is configured in each of the domains. [3] The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the vehicle device (30 to 38) which is a control object of the current cooperative control having the priority which is low in the priority order overlaps the vehicle device (30 to 38) which is the control object of the previously determined cooperative control having the priority which is higher in the priority order than the current cooperative control, the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) temporarily stops the creation of the execution plan of the current cooperative control to be executed simultaneously with the previously determined cooperative control. [4] Vehicle control system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein - the control units (11 to 14) are implemented in a common electronic control unit (40); and - the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in the current cooperative control to be executed simultaneously with the previously determined cooperative control, taking into account at least one of an unused rate of a microprocessing unit in the common electronic control unit (40) and a free space of a work area in the common electronic control unit (40) such that the execution plan in the current cooperative control does not conflict with the execution plan in the previously determined cooperative control. [5] Vehicle control system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein - the control units (11 to 14) are distributed to be implemented in at least two electronic control units; - the at least two electronic control units are connected to communicate with each other; and - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) prepares the execution plan of the individual controls in the current cooperation control to be executed simultaneously with the previously determined cooperation control such that communication data regarding the individual controls in the current cooperation control does not conflict with the communication data regarding the individual controls in the previously determined cooperation control having the priority high in the priority order. [6] Vehicle control system (1) according to claim 5, wherein - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) creates a communication plan of the communication data exchanged between the at least two electronic control units based on the execution plan that is created; and - the control units (11 to 14) carry out communication of the communication data in accordance with the communication plan that is created. [7] Vehicle control system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein - when the execution plan of the individual controllers in the current cooperative control to be executed simultaneously with the previously determined cooperative control and not conflicting with the execution plan of the individual controllers in the previously determined cooperative control cannot be created, the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) determines whether execution timings of the individual controllers in the previously determined cooperative control can be changed based on the input-output relationship of data between the individual controllers stored in the storage unit (41f); and - when the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) determines that the execution timings can be changed, the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) corrects the execution plan of the individual controllers in the previously determined cooperation control. [8] Vehicle control system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein - the cooperative control execution management unit (41e) creates a power supply plan, which is a supply plan of a power energy required when the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls in accordance with the execution plan that is created; and - when the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls, the control units (11 to 14) supply the power energy in accordance with the energy supply plan. [9] Vehicle control system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein - the cooperation control execution management unit (41e) creates a security deployment plan, which is a deployment plan of a security management that must be provided as an operating environment in which the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls in accordance with the execution plan that is created; and - when the control units (11 to 14) execute the individual controls, the control units (11 to 14) provide the operating environment in accordance with the safety provision plan.

Images