Setting device and program

Abstract

To reduce the number of communication settings to be stored in advance in a storage unit.SOLUTION: An SDN controller 15 controls communication settings of a plurality of SDN switches 12 installed in an in-vehicle network 10. The communication settings include a first communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device 14 to be connected to the in-vehicle network 10, and a second communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information. The SDN controller 15 performs selection processing and generation processing when the in-vehicle device 14 is connected to the in-vehicle network 10. The selection processing is processing of selecting a first communication setting associated with configuration information from a memory 21 for holding a plurality of first communication settings. The generation processing is processing of generating a second communication setting based on the configuration information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a setting device and a program for controlling communication settings of a relay device of an in-vehicle network. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an SDN (Software Defined Networking) system that can change the configuration and settings of a network without changing the hardware configuration by controlling communication devices with software. The SDN system includes multiple SDN switches that are frame relay devices, and an SDN controller that updates the communication settings of each SDN switch. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-175373 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is conceivable that the above-mentioned SDN system is used for an in-vehicle network. Meanwhile, in a vehicle, new in-vehicle devices may be additionally connected to the in-vehicle network for adding functions, etc. When the configuration of the in-vehicle network is changed due to the connection of the new in-vehicle device, the communication settings of the SDN switch must be updated. Here, if various communication settings corresponding to expected changes in the in-vehicle network are prepared in advance and stored in a storage unit, the number of communication settings to be stored may become enormous. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A setting device that solves the above problem controls communication settings of multiple relay devices installed in an in-vehicle network. The communication settings include a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device connected to the in-vehicle network, and a second communication setting that is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information. The setting device performs a selection process and a generation process when connecting an in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network. The selection process is a process of selecting the first communication setting associated with the configuration information from a storage unit that holds multiple first communication settings. And the generation process is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information.

[0006] Also, a program for solving the above problem is a program executed by a setting device that controls communication settings of multiple relay devices installed in an in-vehicle network. The communication settings include a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device connected to the in-vehicle network, and a second communication setting that is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information. The program causes a selection process and a generation process to be executed when an in-vehicle device is connected to the in-vehicle network. The selection process is a process of selecting the first communication setting associated with the configuration information from a storage unit that holds multiple first communication settings. And the generation process is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention can reduce the number of communication settings to be stored in advance in the storage unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a setting device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an update operation of communication settings in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a setting mode of the first communication setting in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the setting device will be described with reference to FIGS. <Configuration of in-vehicle network and setting device> The configuration of an in-vehicle network 10 to which this embodiment is applied and a setting device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the in-vehicle network 10 includes a plurality of SDN switches 12. The SDN switches 12 are connected to one another via a network line 13. Each SDN switch 12 is connected to an in-vehicle device 14. The in-vehicle devices 14 are devices that transmit and receive frames to and from one another via the in-vehicle network 10. The in-vehicle devices 14 include various ECUs (Electronic Control Units), sensors, car navigation systems, and the like that are mounted on the vehicle. Meanwhile, the SDN switch 12 is a relay device that forwards frames transmitted and received by the in-vehicle devices 14.

[0011] An SDN controller 15 is connected to one of the SDN switches 12. The SDN controller 15 is a setting device that controls communication settings of each SDN switch 12. The communication settings define rules for frame transfer, such as the communication path of frames between the in-vehicle devices 14, restrictions on the communication path for security purposes, adjustment of the transfer order and transfer amount for quality of service (QoS), etc. For example, the communication settings include a routing table that specifies the transfer destination of frames for each destination.

[0012] The SDN controller 15 includes a CPU 20 and a memory 21. The CPU 20 executes processing related to updating communication settings. The memory 21 stores programs and data used in the processing of the CPU 20 in advance.

[0013] <Connecting new in-vehicle devices to the in-vehicle network> In order to add functions to the vehicle, a new in-vehicle device 14 may be connected to the in-vehicle network 10. The connection of the new in-vehicle device 14 to the in-vehicle network 10 here includes the following cases in addition to the case where the new in-vehicle device 14 is additionally installed in the vehicle.

[0014] At present, it is conceivable that an in-vehicle device 14 for implementing a function prohibited by law may be installed in a vehicle in advance in a disabled state in anticipation of future changes to the law. Even if the disabled in-vehicle device 14 is physically connected to the in-vehicle network 10, it is treated as not existing from the in-vehicle network 10. When such an in-vehicle device 14 is activated, it is treated as newly connected to the in-vehicle network 10. In this embodiment, a connection by activating an in-vehicle device 14 installed in a disabled state is also included in the connection of a new in-vehicle device 14 to the in-vehicle network 10. Note that the activation or deactivation of the in-vehicle device 14 is performed based on preset flag information or the like.

[0015] In the following description, the in-vehicle device 14 newly connected to the in-vehicle network 10 is referred to as the new in-vehicle device 14A. The new in-vehicle device 14A is, for example, an ECU or a sensor. In addition, a unit having one or more ECUs, one or more sensors, and an SDN switch to which they are connected may be connected to the in-vehicle network 10. For example, as a unit for adding a function required for the automatic driving of the vehicle to the vehicle, there is a unit that includes a camera or a sensor for recognizing objects around the vehicle, an ECU for calculating the driving route and driving speed of the vehicle, and an SDN switch to which they are connected. If such a unit is newly connected to the in-vehicle network 10, such a unit may also be the new in-vehicle device 14A.

[0016] The configuration of the in-vehicle network 10 changes due to the connection of the new in-vehicle device 14A. The connection of the new in-vehicle device 14A also changes the state of frame communication within the in-vehicle network 10. In response to this, the SDN controller 15 updates the communication settings of each SDN switch 12 when the new in-vehicle device 14A is connected.

[0017] The aspect of the communication performed by the new in-vehicle device 14A differs depending on the type of the new in-vehicle device. For example, if the new in-vehicle device 14A is a sensor, the sensor basically only transmits frames. Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 14 to which the sensor transmits frames is limited depending on the object detected by the sensor. Furthermore, the amount of communication and the priority of the communication performed by the new in-vehicle device 14A differ depending on the type of the new in-vehicle device 14A. For example, if the new in-vehicle device 14A is a unit that adds a function necessary for the above-mentioned automatic driving, the amount of communication performed by the unit will be large, and the communication will have a high priority. In this way, the communication settings required for each SDN switch 12 differ depending on the type of the new in-vehicle device 14A. Furthermore, even if the new in-vehicle devices 14A are of the same type, there may be devices with high communication volume and devices with low communication volume. Furthermore, even if the new in-vehicle devices 14A are of the same type, they may be connected to different positions in the in-vehicle network 10. As described above, the communication settings of each SDN switch 12 corresponding to the connection of the new in-vehicle device 14A differ depending on the type, communication volume, and connection position of the new in-vehicle device 14A.

[0018] In contrast, a plurality of first communication settings are prestored in the memory 21, which is a storage unit of the SDN controller 15. The first communication settings are communication settings of each SDN switch 12 that are updated when a new in-vehicle device 14A is connected. The plurality of first communication settings stored in the memory 21 are classified according to configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10. The configuration information includes software information of the in-vehicle device 14, topology information of the in-vehicle device 14, vehicle communication specifications included in the software information of the in-vehicle device 14, and the like. The software information includes, for example, version information of the software provided in the in-vehicle device 14, the above-mentioned flag information, and the like.

[0019] <Update communication settings> Next, the update of the communication settings of the in-vehicle network 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that the update of the communication settings is performed by the CPU 20 executing a program stored in the memory 21 of the SDN controller 15.

[0020] The SDN controller 15 executes a selection process M1 and a generation process M2 when connecting the in-vehicle device 14 to the in-vehicle network 10. The selection process M1 is a process of selecting a first communication setting associated with the above-mentioned configuration information from the memory 21 that holds a plurality of first communication settings. The first communication setting is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10. In other words, there are a plurality of communication settings that can be set based on the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10, and the communication setting that is pre-selected from the plurality of existing communication settings is the first communication setting. The first communication setting is, for example, a communication setting related to priority control that determines a transfer order for quality of service (QoS) or bandwidth control that adjusts the transfer amount.

[0021] 3, the first communication setting is a versatile communication setting that can be used with different configuration information. For example, communication setting A is a communication setting associated with configuration information A and configuration information B. Also, communication setting B is a communication setting associated with configuration information C, configuration information D, and configuration information E.

[0022] In the selection process M1, topology information of the in-vehicle device 14 and software information of the in-vehicle device 14 are acquired as the above-mentioned configuration information. The topology information of the in-vehicle device 14 is acquired from the PnP master 100 on the in-vehicle network 10. The PnP master 100 manages which port on the in-vehicle network 10 each in-vehicle device 14 is connected to. That is, the PnP master 100 manages the topology information.

[0023] The software information of the in-vehicle device 14 is acquired from a software management system 200 provided in an external server outside the vehicle via an external network. The software management system 200 manages version information, flag information, vehicle communication specifications, etc. of various software provided in the in-vehicle device 14.

[0024] The generation process M2 is a process for generating a second communication setting based on the above-mentioned configuration information. The second communication setting is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10. In other words, the second communication setting is a communication setting that is automatically determined based on the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10.

[0025] In the generation process M2, topology information of the in-vehicle device 14 and vehicle communication specifications of the in-vehicle device 14 are acquired as the above-mentioned configuration information. Then, based on the topology information and the vehicle communication specifications, the second communication settings are dynamically generated according to a previously prepared algorithm. For example, parameters of the second communication settings that are uniquely determined based on the topology information include L2 forwarding settings, L3 forwarding settings, node monitoring, port monitoring, frame monitoring, etc. Also, parameters of the second communication settings that are uniquely determined based on the vehicle communication specifications include VLAN settings, time synchronization (master-slave), wake-up / sleep, port filtering, diagnostic GW, etc.

[0026] After selecting the first communication setting in the selection process M1 and generating the second communication setting in the generation process M2, the SDN controller 15 executes a setting process M3. The setting process M3 is a process for setting communication settings including the first communication setting and the second communication setting. Then, the SDN controller 15 controls the communication settings of each SDN switch 12 provided on the in-vehicle network 10 based on the set communication settings.

[0027] <Actions and Effects of the Embodiments> The operation and effects of the setting device of the present embodiment described above will now be described. (1) The SDN controller 15 controls communication settings of multiple SDN switches 12 installed in the in-vehicle network 10. The communication settings include a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10, and a second communication setting that is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information. The SDN controller 15 performs a selection process M1 and a generation process M2 when connecting the in-vehicle device 14 to the in-vehicle network 10. The selection process M1 is a process of selecting a first communication setting that corresponds to the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 from the memory 21 that holds multiple first communication settings. And the generation process M2 is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14.

[0028] According to this configuration, the second communication setting among the communication settings of the SDN switch 12 is generated from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14, and therefore does not need to be stored in advance in the memory 21. Therefore, the number of communication settings to be stored in advance in the memory 21 can be reduced.

[0029] (2) The first communication setting is a versatile communication setting that can accommodate different configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14. Therefore, the number of communication settings to be stored in advance in the memory 21 can be reduced compared to the case where the first communication setting is a dedicated communication setting that corresponds to each piece of configuration information.

[0030] (3) The SDN controller 15, which controls communication settings of a plurality of SDN switches 12 installed in the in-vehicle network 10, executes a program. The communication settings include a first communication setting, which is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 connected to the in-vehicle network 10, and a second communication setting, which is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information. The program causes the SDN controller 15 to execute a selection process M1 and a generation process M2 when connecting the in-vehicle device 14 to the in-vehicle network 10. The selection process M1 is a process of selecting a first communication setting associated with the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14 from the memory 21 that holds a plurality of first communication settings. The generation process M2 is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14.

[0031] According to this program, the second communication setting among the communication settings of the SDN switch 12 is generated from the configuration information of the in-vehicle device 14, and therefore does not need to be stored in advance in the memory 21. Therefore, the number of communication settings to be stored in advance in the memory 21 can be reduced.

[0032] <Example of change> The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0033] The selection process M1 may acquire either topology information of the in-vehicle device 14 or software information of the in-vehicle device 14 as the configuration information. The generation process M2 may acquire topology information of the in-vehicle device 14, vehicle communication specifications of the in-vehicle device 14, and flag information of the in-vehicle device 14 as the configuration information.

[0034] The generation process M2 may acquire either topology information of the in-vehicle device 14 or vehicle communication specifications of the in-vehicle device 14 as the configuration information. The first communication setting may be a dedicated communication setting corresponding to each piece of configuration information. Even in this case, it is possible to obtain actions and effects other than those described in (2) above.

[0035] Some or all of the multiple SDN switches 12 installed in the in-vehicle network 10 may be replaced with other relay devices that forward frames, such as routers, and that can update communication settings by software.

[0036] The in-vehicle network 10 in the above embodiment is configured so that the in-vehicle devices 14 communicate at the data link layer (L2). The in-vehicle network 10 may be configured so that the communication between the in-vehicle devices 14 is performed at a layer other than the data link layer. That is, the SDN controller 15 in the above embodiment may be configured as a device that controls communication settings of each relay device in an in-vehicle network provided with multiple relay devices that transfer messages.

[0037] The SDN controller 15 may be configured in any manner that has the function of a setting device that updates communication settings of multiple communication devices installed in the in-vehicle network 10. The setting device may also be configured as a circuit including one or more processors that execute various processes according to a computer program (software). The setting device may also be configured as a circuit including one or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), that execute at least some of the various processes, or a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM. The memory stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute the processes. The memory, i.e., computer-readable medium, includes any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0038] <Additional Notes> The technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described. [Appendix 1] A setting device that controls communication settings of multiple relay devices installed in an in-vehicle network, the communication settings including a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device connected to the in-vehicle network, and a second communication setting that is a communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information, and the setting device performs a selection process and a generation process when an in-vehicle device is connected to the in-vehicle network, the selection process being a process of selecting the first communication setting that corresponds to the configuration information from a memory unit that holds multiple first communication settings, and the generation process being a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information.

[0039] [Supplementary Note 2] The setting device according to Supplementary Note 1, in which the selection process acquires software information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. [Supplementary Note 3] The setting device according to Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, wherein the selection process acquires topology information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information.

[0040] [Supplementary Note 4] The setting device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the generation process acquires topology information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. [Supplementary Note 5] The setting device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the generating process acquires vehicle communication specifications included in software information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information.

[0041] [Supplementary Note 6] The setting device according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the first communication setting is a communication setting having versatility capable of being adapted to different pieces of configuration information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10…In-vehicle network 12...SDN switch (relay device) 13…Network line 14…In-vehicle equipment 14A…New vehicle equipment 15...SDN controller (setting device) 20…CPU 21...Memory (storage unit) 100…PnP Master 200...Software Management Systems

Claims

1. A setting device for controlling communication settings of a plurality of relay devices installed in an in-vehicle network, the communication settings include a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device connected to the in-vehicle network, and a second communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information; performing a selection process and a generation process when an in-vehicle device is connected to the in-vehicle network; the selection process is a process of selecting the first communication setting associated with the configuration information from a storage unit that holds a plurality of the first communication settings, The generation process is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information. Setting device.

2. The selection process acquires software information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. The setting device according to claim 1 .

3. The selection process acquires topology information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. The setting device according to claim 1 .

4. The generation process acquires topology information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. The setting device according to claim 1 .

5. The generating process acquires vehicle communication specifications included in software information of the in-vehicle device as the configuration information. The setting device according to claim 1 .

6. The first communication setting is a versatile communication setting that can accommodate different pieces of configuration information. The setting device according to claim 1 .

7. A program executed by a setting device that controls communication settings of a plurality of relay devices installed in an in-vehicle network, the communication settings include a first communication setting that is a communication setting that is not uniquely determined from configuration information of an in-vehicle device connected to the in-vehicle network, and a second communication setting that is uniquely determined from the configuration information; A selection process and a generation process are executed when an in-vehicle device is connected to the in-vehicle network, the selection process is a process of selecting the first communication setting associated with the configuration information from a storage unit that holds a plurality of the first communication settings, The generation process is a process of generating the second communication setting based on the configuration information. program.

Images