Relay device, gateway, and on-vehicle network system

Abstract

To reduce a communication load due to collection of service data.SOLUTION: A relay device 100 relays data contained in a first frame received from a first communication network to a second communication network. The relay device includes a receiving unit 131, a network monitoring unit 140, a determining unit 123, a frame creating unit 124, and an Ethernet transmitting unit_T111. The receiving unit receives the first frame from the first communication network. The network monitoring unit monitors the load of the second communication network. The determination unit determines a relay method for relaying the data included in the first frame to the second communication network on the basis of the load. The frame creation unit creates a second frame to be relayed to the second communication network from the data included in the first communication network on the basis of the relay method determined by the determination unit. The Ethernet transmission unit_T transmits the second frame to the second communication network.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay device, a gateway, and an in-vehicle network system. [Background technology]

[0002] Modern automobiles and other vehicles are equipped with multiple electronic control units (ECUs). Each ECU is connected to a network to form an in-vehicle network. Each ECU communicates to realize in-vehicle applications such as driving control and navigation systems.

[0003] CAN (Control Area Network) has traditionally been widely used as a communication protocol for in-vehicle networks, but in recent years, Ethernet (registered trademark), which enables faster communication, has also come into widespread use.

[0004] For in-vehicle networks, a communication protocol is selected according to the requirements for communication between ECUs. Therefore, in many cases, a network is configured by combining multiple types of communication protocols. When the communication protocols are different from each other, relay processing is required to transfer data from one communication protocol to another.

[0005] The following Patent Document 1 describes a technique for relaying data of a data frame received from a CAN network to an Ethernet network using mutually different communication protocols. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-114798 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In recent years, services based on the condition of the car and driving conditions have begun to be provided by processing car data on the cloud. In the future, it is expected that convenience and safety will improve as more services using a wider variety of car data are provided.

[0008] In the past, the data on various automobiles was sufficient only if the gateway communicating with the cloud could obtain the communication control data (hereafter referred to as control data) necessary for the automobile to operate. However, it is expected that there will be a need to obtain new data for providing services (hereafter referred to as service data) in addition to the control data.

[0009] In such a situation, a relay device connected to the same network as the gateway in the in-vehicle network as well as another different network needs to transfer the service data to the gateway.

[0010] This service data has not traditionally been transmitted over the network with the gateway. Therefore, if the amount of communication traffic increases due to the transfer of this new service data, the load on the network will increase, but this is not acceptable as it will affect driving.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the communication load caused by collecting service data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a relay device that relays data contained in a first frame received from a first communications network to a second communications network, comprising: a first receiving unit that receives the first frame from the first communications network; a monitoring unit that monitors the load of the second communications network; a determination unit that determines a relay method for relaying the data contained in the first frame to the second communications network based on the load; a frame creation unit that creates a second frame to be relayed to the second communications network from data contained in the first communications network based on the relay method determined by the determination unit; and a first transmitting unit that transmits the second frame to the second communications network. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the communication load caused by collecting service data is reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle network system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a gateway and a relay device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data acquisition source list according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a control data transfer table according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a collection condition table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a collection data list according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a transfer condition table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 6 is a diagram showing a sequence of a relay process by the relay device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 6 is a diagram showing a sequence of stored data processing by the relay device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a CAN frame according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an Ethernet frame according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of a transfer condition update process by the gateway according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 6 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of a forwarding condition update process performed by the relay device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a gateway and a relay device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, specific examples of a relay device, a gateway, and an in-vehicle network system according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, but is defined by the claims. EXAMPLES

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle network system according to the first embodiment.

[0017] The in-vehicle network system 10 is mounted on an "automobile" as an example of a vehicle. The in-vehicle network system 10 includes a relay device 100 and various devices such as electronic control units (ECUs) 300a, 300b, 400a to 400c. The various devices may include various sensors and a navigation system such as a navigation system 300c. The relay device 100, the ECU_Es 300a and 300b, the ECU_Cs 400a to 400c, the sensors, and the navigation system 300c are connected to each other via an in-vehicle network.

[0018] The in-vehicle network includes a CAN network (CAN buses 50a, 50b) as an example of a "first network" and an Ethernet network (Ethernet cables 40a-40d) as an example of a "second communication network." That is, the in-vehicle network system 10 includes a CAN network, which is a bus-type network that communicates according to the CAN protocol, and an Ethernet network that communicates according to the Ethernet (registered trademark) protocol. In addition to data required for driving the automobile (hereinafter, control data), data required for providing services (hereinafter, service data) is transmitted and received through the Ethernet cables 40a-40d and the CAN buses 50a, 50b.

[0019] The in-vehicle network system 10 further includes a gateway 200. The gateway 200 is connected to the relay device 100 via an Ethernet cable 40a. Furthermore, the gateway 200 is connected to the ECU_E 300a and 300b via Ethernet cables 40b and 40c, and is connected to the navigation system 300c via an Ethernet cable 40d. A sensor such as a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) 500d is connected to the ECU_E 300a. Sensors such as a camera 500e and a radar 500f are connected to the ECU_E 300b. An appropriate method may be used for communication between the ECU_E 300a and 300b and the sensors such as the Lidar 500d, the camera 500e, and the radar 500f. The devices connected to the ECU_E 300a and 300b are not limited to sensors, and may be devices such as actuators.

[0020] The relay device 100 is further connected to ECU_C 400a to 400c via CAN buses 50a and 50b. Devices such as a power window 500a, an engine 500b, and a brake 500c are connected to the ECU_C 400a to 400c, respectively. Sensor data and control data are communicated between the ECU_C 400a to 400c and the devices such as the power window 500a, the engine 500b, and the brake 500c. The ECU_C and the devices such as the power window 500a, the engine 500b, and the brake 500c are connected by an appropriate communication method.

[0021] The gateway 200 has a function for communicating with the outside world, and can communicate with a server 90 in the cloud or the like via a network 80 .

[0022] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the relay device and the gateway.

[0023] The relay device 100 includes a CAN transceiver unit 130, a relay control unit 120, an Ethernet transceiver unit_T110, and a network monitoring unit 140 as an example of a "monitoring unit."

[0024] The CAN transceiver 130 includes a receiver 131 as an example of a "first receiver" and a transmitter 132. The receiver 131 receives CAN frame data as an example of a "first frame" from the CAN network. The transmitter 132 transmits various data to the CAN network.

[0025] The relay control unit 120 includes a control data transfer table 121, a transfer condition table 122, a determination unit 123, a frame creation unit 124 as an example of a "creation unit", a storage unit 125, and a collection data list 126. The relay control unit 120 controls the relay of the CAN frame received by the receiving unit 131 to the Ethernet network.

[0026] The control data transfer table 121 indicates the transfer destination for each control data ID (CAN ID). The transfer condition table 122 indicates the transfer conditions for each control data and service data ID (CAN ID). The transfer conditions include the transfer destination and the importance of the service data.

[0027] The determination unit 123 determines a data relay method based on the transfer condition table 122. The frame creation unit 124 creates an Ethernet frame as an example of a "second frame" that is compatible with the Ethernet network based on the data received by the receiving unit 131, and passes the created Ethernet frame to the Ethernet transmitting unit_T111.

[0028] When the determination unit 123 determines to store the data without relaying it to the Ethernet network, the storage unit 125 saves the data that has been determined to be stored.

[0029] The importance of each service data ID (CAN ID) is shown in the collected data list 126. The collected data list 126 is created by the gateway 200.

[0030] The Ethernet transmitter / receiver unit_T110 includes an Ethernet transmitter unit_T111 as an example of a "first transmitter unit" and an Ethernet receiver unit_T112. The Ethernet transmitter unit_T111 transmits Ethernet frames to the Ethernet network. The Ethernet receiver unit_T112 receives various data from the Ethernet network.

[0031] The network monitor 140 monitors the load, ie, the degree of congestion, of the Ethernet network.

[0032] The gateway 200 includes an Ethernet transmitter / receiver unit_G 210 , a switching hub 220 , and a transfer condition creating unit 230 .

[0033] The Ethernet transmission / reception unit _G210 has an Ethernet reception unit _G211 and an Ethernet transmission unit _G212. The Ethernet reception unit _G211 receives various data from the Ethernet network. The Ethernet transmission unit _G212 transmits various data to the Ethernet network. The switching hub 220 is disposed within the gateway 200. However, the switching hub 220 may be a separate device from the gateway 200.

[0034] The Ethernet transmission / reception unit _G210, the relay device 100, the ECU_E300a-b, and the navigation system 300c are connected to the switching hub 220. The switching hub 220 transfers data according to the destination (transfer destination) of the data in the Ethernet frame.

[0035] The transfer condition creation unit 230 creates transfer conditions used for controlling the transfer of data on the CAN network in the relay device 100, based on the automobile data received by the Ethernet receiving unit_G211. The transfer condition creation unit 230 includes a collection condition table 231, a data acquisition source list 232, a data collection unit 233, a collection data list 234, and an update unit 235.

[0036] The collection condition table 231 is created by the server 90. The collection condition table 231 indicates collection conditions for each ID (CAN ID) of service data. The collection conditions include importance and vehicle running conditions.

[0037] The data acquisition source list 232 includes, for each piece of data acquired from within the vehicle, a correspondence between the identifier of that data (CAN ID) and the device (acquisition source) from which the data can be acquired.

[0038] The data collection unit 233 acquires various data included in the collection condition table 231 via the Ethernet receiving unit_G211.

[0039] The collected data list 234 includes the correspondence between the importance of each service data ID (CAN ID).

[0040] The update unit 235 compares the data collected by the data collection unit 233 with the conditions of importance for each service data included in the collection condition table 231. If there is a change in the importance, the update unit 235 updates the collected data list 234 and causes the created collected data list 234 to be transmitted from the Ethernet transmission unit_G212 to the relay device 100. The above is the configuration of the device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data acquisition source list according to the first embodiment.

[0042] The source of each piece of data acquired from the vehicle is shown in the data acquisition source list 232. The data acquisition source list 232 is a table that stores data names, identifiers, and acquisition sources as items (column values).

[0043] The data names include, for example, speed, fuel remaining percentage, engine coolant temperature, engine oil amount, handbrake operation state, and camera image. The identifier is a CAN ID assigned to each piece of data acquired from the automobile. The acquisition source is a device or ECU from which each piece of data acquired from the automobile is acquired. For example, speed data is assigned CAN ID "10" as an identifier, and is acquired from the relay device 100. The data acquisition source list 232 is placed in the gateway 200 in advance. This makes it possible to identify the data acquired from the relay device 200.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control data transfer table according to the first embodiment.

[0045] In the control data transfer table 121, the destination network type and the destination are shown for each control data. The control data transfer table 121 is a table that stores, as items (column values), a CAN ID, a destination network type, and a destination. The CAN ID is an identifier assigned to each control data. The destination network type includes Ethernet or CAN. The destination is a relay destination to which each control data is transferred via the relay device 100.

[0046] The control data transfer table 121 is driving data, and is therefore incorporated into the relay device 100 when the vehicle is manufactured. However, the control data transfer table 121 may be updated through communication when a change occurs in the in-vehicle network due to the addition of an ECU after shipment. Also, in the control data transfer table 121 of Fig. 4, the transfer destination of the Ethernet network is a MAC address. However, the transfer destination of the Ethernet network may be an IP address.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a collection condition table according to the first embodiment.

[0048] The collection condition table 231 shows the importance of each service data and the driving conditions. The driving conditions include the importance of each service data and the driving conditions of the vehicle. In the collection condition table 231, data required for a service by a service provider or the like is defined as service data in a server 90 such as a cloud.

[0049] The collection condition table 231 is a table that stores, as items (column values), CAN ID, importance, value, and traveling road type. The CAN ID is an identifier assigned to each control data. The importance is the degree to which each service data is requested by a service provider or the like. The value is a measurement value of each service data. The traveling road type is, for example, a general road or an expressway.

[0050] The importance of service data varies depending on the driving conditions. For example, the service data with CAN ID 10 in FIG. 5 has high importance when the speed is 30 km / h or more on a general road, and has medium importance when the speed is less than 30 km / h while driving on a general road. Furthermore, the driving conditions may use other conditions in addition to the condition of the data value of the CAN ID and the type of road traveled, and may use appropriate conditions. The collection condition table 231 does not list the device from which each data is acquired. However, by arranging a list of each data and its acquisition source in the gateway 200 in advance, as in the data acquisition source list 232, it becomes possible to identify the data to be acquired from the relay device 200.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a collected data list according to the first embodiment.

[0052] The collected data lists 126, 234 indicate the importance of each piece of service data relayed by the relay device 100. The collected data lists 126, 234 are tables that store CAN IDs and importance as items (column values). The CAN ID is an identifier assigned to each piece of control data. The importance is the degree to which each piece of service data is requested by a service provider or the like. The collected data lists 126, 234 do not include a transfer destination. This is because the only transfer destination for service data is the gateway, so the transfer destination is omitted. However, the collected data lists 126, 234 may include transfer destination information for the gateway 200. Furthermore, when there are multiple transfer destinations, transfer destination information for each transfer destination is included.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a transfer condition table according to the first embodiment.

[0054] The transfer condition table 122 is a table that stores, as items (column values), CAN ID, destination network type, transfer destination, and importance. The CAN ID is an identifier assigned to each control data and service data. The destination network type includes Ethernet or CAN. The transfer destination is the relay destination to which each control data and service data is transferred via the relay device 100. The importance is the degree to which each service data is required by a service provider, etc. There are three types of importance: high, medium, and low. If the importance is not specified, the data is relayed as control data. Furthermore, if the relay destinations are different for the control data and the service data, the row with the same CAN ID is divided into two rows.

[0055] Next, the flow of data relay control in the relay device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of relay processing by the relay device according to the first embodiment.

[0057] First, the receiving unit 131 receives the data of the CAN frame transmitted from the ECU_C 400a to 400c via the CAN buses 50a and 50b (S100).

[0058] Then, the determination unit 123 refers to the transfer condition table 122 and refers to the transfer destination and importance corresponding to the ID (CAN ID) of the received data. Note that Fig. 10 shows the configuration of a CAN frame of the CAN protocol transmitted and received in the first network. The CAN frame includes a SOF (Start Of Frame), an ID (CAN ID), a control field, a data field, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) sequence, an ACK (Acknowledgement) slot, and an EOF (End Of Frame). The ID (CAN ID) is an identifier that indicates the type of data.

[0059] The determination unit 123 determines whether the importance is not listed or is high in the transfer condition table 122 (S101). If the determination result of S101 is true (S101: YES), the determination unit 123 proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the frame creation unit 121 creates an Ethernet frame and causes the created Ethernet frame to be output from the Ethernet transmission unit_T111 to the Ethernet cable 40a.

[0060] If the determination result of S101 is false (S101: NO), the determination unit 123 determines whether or not the importance included in the transfer condition table 122 is low (S103). If the determination result of S103 is true (S103: YES), the determination unit 123 proceeds to S105 and stores the data in the storage unit 123. If the determination result of S103 is false (S103: NO), that is, if the importance is medium, the determination unit 123 refers to the congestion level of the Ethernet network detected by the network monitoring unit 140 and determines whether or not the network load is equal to or greater than a preset standard (S104).

[0061] If the determination result in S104 is false (S104: NO), the process proceeds to S102, where the frame creation unit 121 creates an Ethernet frame and transmits the created Ethernet frame from the Ethernet transmission unit_T111 to the Ethernet network. If the determination result in S104 is true (S104: YES), that is, if the network load is equal to or greater than the reference value, the frame creation unit 121 adds the received CAN network data to the Ethernet frame (S106).

[0062] Next, in S107, the determination unit 123 determines whether or not a preset amount of data has been added to the Ethernet frame (S107). If the determination result of S107 is false (S107: NO), the determination unit 123 returns to S100. If the determination result of S107 is true (S107: YES), the determination unit 123 proceeds to S108 and transmits the Ethernet frame to which the preset amount of data has been added to the Ethernet network. Note that the transmission condition may be based on the data length of the Ethernet frame, rather than the amount of data of the CAN network added to the Ethernet frame. Note that FIG. 11 shows the structure of the Ethernet frame in S106. The Ethernet frame includes a preensemble, an Ethernet header, data, and a Frame Check Sequence (FCS). The data includes a plurality of CAN frame data (CAN data 1, ..., CAN data N) including an ID (CAN ID) and a data field.

[0063] Next, the processing of the data accumulated in S105 of FIG. 8 (accumulated data processing) will be described.

[0064] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of stored data processing by the relay device according to the first embodiment.

[0065] The determination unit 124 first determines whether the ignition (IGN) is on (S200). If the determination result of S200 is false (S200: NO), the determination unit 124 waits until the ignition (IGN) is turned on. If the determination result of S200 is true (S200: YES), the determination unit 124 checks whether data is stored in the storage unit 125 in step S201 after the in-vehicle network system 10 is powered on (S201). If the determination result of S201 is true (S201: YES), in step S202, the frame creation unit 121 creates an Ethernet frame using the data stored in the storage unit 125. The determination unit 124 causes the Ethernet transmission unit_T111 to transmit the created Ethernet frame to the Ethernet network (S203).

[0066] In this way, by changing the method of relay control based on the importance of the data and the degree of congestion on the Ethernet network, it is possible to prevent an increase in the load on the Ethernet network due to the relaying of service data, and to relay data necessary for service provision without affecting communications necessary for driving.

[0067] Next, a method of updating the importance of data in the transfer condition table 122 held by the relay device 100 in accordance with the driving state will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0068] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of a collection condition update process by the gateway according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of a collection condition update process by the relay device according to the first embodiment.

[0069] The data collection unit 233 of the gateway 200 acquires service data of the conditions shown in the collection condition table 231 via the Ethernet receiving unit_G211 (S301). Next, the acquired service data is passed to the update unit 235, which compares the acquired service data with the collection conditions shown in the collection condition table 231 to determine the importance of the acquired service data (S302). Then, in step 303, the update unit 235 determines whether or not there is a change in the importance. If the determination result of S303 is false (S303: NO), the update unit 235 returns to step S301. If the determination result of S303 is true (S303: YES), the update unit 235 updates the collected data list 234 (S304) and causes the relay device 100 to transmit the updated collected data list 234 (S305).

[0070] Next, a description will be given of the flow of the collection condition update process by the relay device 100 shown in Fig. 13. The Ethernet receiving unit_T112 receives the updated collected data list 234 transmitted from the gateway 100 (S400).

[0071] Next, in step S401, the relay control unit 120 combines the control data transfer table 121 and the received collected data list 126 to create a transfer condition table 122. At this time, the relay control unit 120 integrates data (transfer information) with high importance in the collected data list 126 that has the same data and transfer destination in the control data transfer table 121 and the collected data list 126, and leaves the importance column of the transfer condition table 122 blank (nothing is written). In other words, the relay device 100 relays data using the transfer control of the control data.

[0072] In this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of data relayed to the Ethernet network. Even if the data and the transfer destination are the same between the control data transfer table 121 and the collected data list 126, if the importance of the collected data list 126 is medium or low, the relay control unit 120 includes the respective contents in the transfer condition table 122.

[0073] In this way, by updating the transfer condition table 122 according to the driving conditions, it becomes possible to relay data according to the driving situation and the importance of the data, thereby optimizing the amount of data relayed to the Ethernet network.

[0074] According to this configuration, the relay device 100 relays data included in a CAN frame received from the CAN network to the Ethernet network. The relay device 100 includes a receiving unit 131, a network monitoring unit 140, a determining unit 123, a frame creating unit 124, and an Ethernet transmitting unit_T111. The receiving unit 131 receives a CAN frame from the CAN network. The network monitoring unit 140 monitors the load status of the Ethernet network. The determining unit 123 determines a relay method for relaying the data included in the CAN frame to the Ethernet network based on the load. The frame creating unit 124 creates an Ethernet frame to be relayed to the Ethernet network from the data included in the CAN network based on the relay method determined by the determining unit 123. The Ethernet transmitting unit_T111 transmits the Ethernet frame to the Ethernet network.

[0075] This enables Ethernet frames to be transmitted according to the load on the Ethernet network, thereby reducing the communication load caused by collecting service data.

[0076] Furthermore, the CAN frame includes control data necessary for the vehicle to run and service data necessary for providing the service, and further includes a transfer condition table 122 indicating the transfer conditions for each service data, and a determination unit 123 determines the relay method for the service data based on the transfer condition table 122. This allows the service data to be relayed appropriately.

[0077] Furthermore, the transfer conditions include the importance of each piece of service data, the relay method is the timing of transmitting the service data to the Ethernet network, and the determination unit 123 determines the transmission timing based on the importance. This makes it possible to determine the transmission timing of the service data according to the importance of the service data.

[0078] If the load is less than the threshold, the determining unit 123 determines the time of receiving the service data as the transmission timing, thereby making it possible to determine the transmission timing of the service data according to the load of the Ethernet network.

[0079] The CAN network and the Ethernet network are in-vehicle networks, the CAN network is a CAN, and the Ethernet network is Ethernet (registered trademark), which allows Ethernet frames to be properly transmitted from the CAN to the Ethernet.

[0080] The system further includes a storage unit 125 that stores data included in the CAN1 frame, and when a predetermined amount of service data included in the CAN frame has been stored in the storage unit 125, the frame creation unit 124 creates an Ethernet frame to be relayed to the Ethernet network by the relay method determined by the determination unit 123, based on the service data included in the first frame. This makes it possible to reduce the number of times the Ethernet frame is transmitted.

[0081] The system further includes a relay control unit 120 that creates a transfer condition table 122 based on a control data transfer table 121 that indicates the transfer destination for each control data and a collected data list 126 that indicates the importance of each service data. This makes it possible to easily create the transfer condition table 122. EXAMPLES

[0082] In the following, a description will be given of an example in which the relay device 100 and the gateway 200 shown in the first embodiment are partially modified. In the second embodiment, an example in which the gateway 200 has a control data transfer table 121. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified.

[0083] FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a gateway and a relay device according to the second embodiment.

[0084] In the first embodiment, the transfer condition table 122 is created by the relay control unit 120 of the relay device 100. By arranging the control data transfer table 121 in the transfer condition creating unit 230 of the gateway 200, the transfer condition table 122 can also be created by the gateway 200. Then, by transmitting the transfer condition table 122 created by the gateway 200 to the relay device 100, the determination unit 123 of the relay device 100 can relay the service data from the CAN network to the Ethernet network based on the transfer condition table 122.

[0085] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. Also, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 10...In-vehicle network system, 100...Relay device, 111...Ethernet transmission unit_T, 120...Relay control unit, 121...Control data transfer table, 122...Transfer condition table, 123...Determination unit, 124...Frame creation unit, 125...Storage unit, 126...Collected data list table, 131...Receiver, 140...Network monitoring unit, 200...Gateway, 211...Ethernet reception unit_G, 231...Collected condition table, 234...Collected data list table, 235...Update unit

Claims

1. A relay device that relays data included in a first frame received from a first communication network to a second communication network, a first receiving unit configured to receive the first frame from the first communication network; A monitoring unit that monitors a load on the second communication network; a determination unit that determines a relay method for relaying data included in the first frame to the second communication network based on the load; a frame creation unit that creates a second frame to be relayed to the second communication network from data included in the first communication network based on the relay method determined by the determination unit; a first transmitting unit configured to transmit the second frame to the second communication network.

2. The first frame includes control data necessary for vehicle operation and service data necessary for providing a service, A transfer condition table indicating a transfer condition for each of the service data is further provided, the determination unit determines the relay method of the service data based on the transfer condition table. The relay device according to claim 1.

3. The transfer conditions include a degree of importance of each of the service data, the relay method is a transmission timing for transmitting the service data to the second communication network, The determination unit determines the transmission timing of the service data based on the importance of each of the service data. The relay device according to claim 2.

4. When the load is less than a threshold, the determination unit determines a time when the service data is received as the transmission timing. The relay device according to claim 3 .

5. the first communication network and the second communication network are in-vehicle networks; the first communication network is a CAN; The second communication network is Ethernet (registered trademark); The relay device according to claim 1.

6. A storage unit that stores data included in the first frame, the frame creation unit creates the second frame by the relay method determined by the determination unit based on the service data included in the first frame when a predetermined amount of the service data included in the first frame is stored in the storage unit. The relay device according to claim 2.

7. a relay control unit that creates the transfer condition table based on a control data transfer table indicating a transfer destination for each of the control data and a collected data list indicating the importance of each of the service data. The relay device according to claim 2 .

8. the transfer conditions include a transfer destination for each of the control data and the service data; the relay control unit creates the transfer condition table by integrating data that has the same transfer destination as data in the control data transfer table and the collected data list table and has a high level of importance among low, medium, and high. The relay device according to claim 7.

9. A gateway connected to the relay device according to claim 7 via the second communication network, a second receiving unit that receives the service data via the second communication network; A collection condition table indicating collection conditions for each of the service data; an update unit that updates the collected data list when it is determined that the importance of the service data received by the second receiving unit has been changed based on the collection condition table; a second transmission unit configured to transmit the updated collected data list to the relay device.

10. An in-vehicle network system comprising: a relay device according to claim 7; and a gateway according to claim 9.

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