Electronic control device

Abstract

To realize an on-vehicle network which is capable of continuing sensing, even if an electronic control device in the network is failed, while suppressing elongation of a harness used for connection with a sensor.SOLUTION: An electronic control device 3 is provided with respect to a partial area in a plurality of areas in a case where an on-vehicle network is divided into a plurality of areas on the basis of physical positions within a vehicle, and communicates with at least one or more target sensors, which are provided in a corresponding area, in a plurality of sensors 4 and a central processing unit 2. The electronic control device 3 comprises: a calculation section 10 which performs calculation based on single point group information outputted from the sensors 4 and transmits local object information indicating a result of the calculation to the central processing unit 2; and a relay section 11 which transmits degeneracy information outputted from the target sensors to the central processing unit 2 in a case where a state of the calculation section 10 satisfies a predetermined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a design method called zone architecture has been known, which determines the assignment of in-vehicle functions to each control device based on the physical position within a vehicle for a plurality of control devices mounted on the vehicle, and control devices for zone architecture have been developed. In a vehicle adopting zone architecture, since various sensors and actuators in the vehicle are connected to a control device arranged in the vicinity thereof, it is possible to shorten the total length of connection harnesses in the whole vehicle compared with the conventional design method. As a result, it is possible to reduce the vehicle weight, reduce the harness material cost, and improve the assemblability.

[0003] However, on the other hand, in a vehicle adopting zone architecture, since the connection relationship between the sensor and the control device is determined based on these physical positions, a plurality of sensors that recognize the same range around the vehicle are connected to a common control device. Therefore, when any control device in the vehicle fails, all sensors connected to the control device become unavailable, and as a result, there is a problem that the range corresponding to the control device cannot be recognized at all. For example, when all of a plurality of sensors that recognize the right front of the vehicle are connected to a control device arranged in the right front part of the vehicle, if this control device fails, the right front of the vehicle cannot be recognized at all even if the sensors are normal. In an automatic driving system or a driving support system adopting zone architecture, in order to improve the reliability, it is necessary to solve such problems and continue sensing the range corresponding to the control device even if any control device fails.

[0004] As an example of a technology for solving the above problems, Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In the in-vehicle network system described in Patent Document 1, by connecting some of the plurality of sensors that recognize the same range of the vehicle to a control device that is not in the vicinity, sensing of the range can be continued even if the control device fails.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, when some of the sensors are connected to a control device that is not in the vicinity as in the in-vehicle network system described in Patent Document 1, it goes against the original purpose of the zone architecture, and the harness extends throughout the vehicle accordingly. As a result, it will lead to an increase in vehicle weight, an increase in the material cost of the harness, and a deterioration in assemblability.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize an in-vehicle network capable of continuing sensing even if an electronic control device in the network fails while suppressing the extension of the harness used for connection to the sensors.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The electronic control device according to the present invention is provided for some of the plurality of areas when the in-vehicle network including a plurality of sensors and a central processing unit respectively mounted on a vehicle is divided into a plurality of areas based on the physical positions within the vehicle, and communicates with at least one or more target sensors provided in the area among the plurality of sensors and the central processing unit. The electronic control device includes a calculation unit that performs a calculation based on the first information output from the target sensors and transmits the result of the calculation to the central processing unit, and a relay unit that transmits the second information output from the target sensors to the central processing unit when the state of the calculation unit satisfies a predetermined condition. The electronic control system according to the present invention includes a central processing unit mounted on a vehicle, a plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle, and an electronic control device provided for some of the plurality of areas when the in-vehicle network including the plurality of sensors and the central processing unit is divided into a plurality of areas based on the physical positions within the vehicle, and communicates with at least one or more target sensors provided in the area among the plurality of sensors and the central processing unit. The electronic control device includes a calculation unit that performs a calculation based on the first information output from the target sensors and transmits the result of the calculation to the central processing unit, and a relay unit that transmits the second information output from the target sensors to the central processing unit when the state of the calculation unit satisfies a predetermined condition.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an in-vehicle network that can continue sensing even if an electronic control device in the network fails while suppressing the extension of the harness used for connection to the sensors. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to an electronic control device and an electronic control system used for controlling an automobile is taken as an example for explanation. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to electronic control devices and electronic control systems used for controlling vehicles other than automobiles, such as transport vehicles traveling in a warehouse and construction vehicles traveling at a construction site.

[0012] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic control system including an electronic control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a combination of a plurality of devices mounted on a vehicle 5. The broken lines in FIG. 1 indicate connections between the devices.

[0013] The electronic control system 1 mounted on the vehicle 5 includes a central processing unit 2, a plurality of electronic control devices 3 respectively connected to the central processing unit 2, and a plurality of sensors 4 respectively connected to the electronic control devices 3. The central processing unit 2 is a device that handles information related to the entire electronic control system 1 and is arranged near the approximate center of the vehicle 5. The electronic control devices 3 and the sensors 4 are respectively arranged at the four corners inside the vehicle 5, and each sensor 4 is connected to the nearby electronic control device 3. The central processing unit 2 and each electronic control device 3, and between each electronic control device 3 and each sensor 4 are respectively connected by wired communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark). Through these connections, an in-vehicle network of the electronic control system 1 is constructed inside the vehicle 5.

[0014] In the electronic control system 1, each electronic control device 3 and each sensor 4 are respectively provided for some of the plurality of areas when the in-vehicle network of the electronic control system 1 is divided into a plurality of areas based on the physical positions within the vehicle 5. Specifically, when the in-vehicle network of the electronic control system 1 is divided into areas corresponding to the right front part, left front part, right rear part, and left rear part of the vehicle 5, for each of these areas, a combination of an electronic control device 3 and one or more sensors 4 connected thereto is provided. Hereinafter, when explaining a certain electronic control device 3, the sensor 4 connected to the electronic control device 3 may be referred to as a "target sensor" in order to distinguish it from other sensors 4.

[0015] The central processing unit 2 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, a power supply device, a network interface, etc., and handles information related to the entire electronic control system 1. The central processing unit 2 performs arithmetic processing based on the information transmitted from each electronic control device 3, and controls the vehicle 5 based on the result of the arithmetic processing. In the example of FIG. 1, the central processing unit 2 is arranged near the approximate center of the vehicle 5, but it may be arranged at other positions.

[0016] Each electronic control device 3 handles information related to a local part of the vehicle according to its arrangement position (for example, if the electronic control device 3 is arranged in the right front part of the vehicle 5, information related to the devices arranged in the right front part of the vehicle 5). Each electronic control device 3 collects information output from one or more target sensors 4, performs arithmetic processing based on the information, and transmits information based on the result of the arithmetic processing to the central processing unit 2.

[0017] Each sensor 4 measures an object within a recognition range corresponding to its arrangement position among the objects existing around the vehicle 5, and transmits information based on the measurement result to the electronic control unit 3 to which the sensor 4 is connected. Each sensor 4 is composed of a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), a CPU, a memory, a power supply device, a network interface, and the like. Note that a plurality of target sensors 4 for the same electronic control unit 3, that is, a plurality of sensors 4 commonly connected to the electronic control unit 3, each recognize the same range with respect to the vehicle 5. For example, each sensor 4 provided in the right front portion of the vehicle 5 and connected to the electronic control unit 3 arranged in the right front portion of the vehicle 5 uses a predetermined range in the right front of the vehicle 5 as a recognition range, and measures and recognizes an object within the recognition range.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The broken line arrow and the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2 indicate the signal flow and the power supply connection, respectively.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, each electronic control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 includes an arithmetic unit 10 and a relay unit 11.

[0020] The arithmetic unit 10 is composed of a CPU, a memory, a power supply device, a network interface, and the like. The arithmetic unit 10 calculates the content related to the vehicle local based on the information output from the target sensor 4, and transmits the calculation result to the central processing unit 2.

[0021] The relay unit 11 is composed of a CPU, a memory, a power supply device, a network adapter, and the like. The relay unit 11 relays the information output from the target sensor 4 to the central processing unit 2. Note that the information relayed by the relay unit 11 is different from the information transmitted from the arithmetic unit 10 to the central processing unit 2. This point will be described later.

[0022] In the electronic control device 3, the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 are respectively connected to different power supply systems. In FIG. 2, the power supply system to which the arithmetic unit 10 is connected is referred to as "power supply system A", and the power supply system to which the relay unit 11 is connected is referred to as "power supply system B". Thus, even when the power supply system A to which the arithmetic unit 10 is connected fails, the relay unit 11 can continue to operate using the power supply system B.

[0023] The electronic control device 3 has, for example, a plurality of power supply units (not shown), and can realize the above power supply systems A and B by supplying power to the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 from different power supply units respectively. Further, the power supply systems A and B may be realized using power generated by different methods in the vehicle 5. For example, when the vehicle 5 is an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the power from the auxiliary battery mounted on the vehicle 5 is used as the power supply system A, and the power from the drive battery mounted separately from the auxiliary battery on the vehicle 5 is used as the power supply system B, and can be supplied to the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 respectively.

[0024] The relay unit 11 constantly monitors the state of the arithmetic unit 10, and when the state of the arithmetic unit 10 satisfies a predetermined condition, starts a relay operation of relaying the information output from the target sensor 4 to the central arithmetic unit 2. In the present embodiment, the relay unit 11 determines whether the arithmetic unit 10 has failed as a predetermined condition, and performs a relay operation when a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected. The details of this relay operation will be described below.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of sensor fusion in the electronic control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 to 7 are flowcharts showing the operations of the respective devices in the electronic control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In these flowcharts, FIG. 4 shows the operation of the sensor 4, FIG. 5 shows the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control device 3, FIG. 6 shows the relay unit 11 of the electronic control device 3, and FIG. 7 shows the operation of the central arithmetic unit 2. Hereinafter, the operation of the electronic control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic control system 1 of the present embodiment includes, as functional blocks for sensor fusion, a point cloud information output unit 100 and a degeneracy information calculation unit 101 provided in each sensor 4, a point cloud information integration unit 110, an object detection unit 111, a failure detection unit 120, and a transmission unit 121 provided in each electronic control device 3, and an object information integration unit 130 and a degeneracy information complementation unit 131 provided in the central processing unit 2. In the electronic control device 3, the point cloud information integration unit 110 and the object detection unit 111 are provided in the calculation unit 10, and the failure detection unit 120 and the transmission unit 121 are provided in the relay unit 11, respectively. In FIG. 3, only the above functional blocks are shown for one sensor 4 and one electronic control device 3, and the illustration of the functional blocks for other sensors 4 and electronic control devices 3 is omitted.

[0027] In each sensor 4, the point cloud information output unit 100 and the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 are realized, for example, in the form of software of a microcomputer. The CPU of each sensor 4 operates as the point cloud information output unit 100 and the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 by executing a predetermined sensor control program while the power supply (not shown) of the vehicle 5 is on, and repeatedly performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 at a predetermined calculation cycle.

[0028] In each electronic control device 3, the point cloud information integration unit 110, the object detection unit 111, the failure detection unit 120, and the transmission unit 121 are realized, for example, in the form of software of a microcomputer. In each electronic control device 3, the CPU of the calculation unit 10 operates as the point cloud information integration unit 110 and the object detection unit 111 by executing a predetermined calculation control program while the power supply (not shown) of the vehicle 5 is on, and repeatedly performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 at a predetermined calculation cycle. Further, the CPU of the relay unit 11 operates as the failure detection unit 120 and the transmission unit 121 by executing a predetermined relay program while the power supply (not shown) of the vehicle 5 is on, and repeatedly performs the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 at a predetermined calculation cycle.

[0029] In the central processing unit 2, the object information integration unit 130 and the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 are realized, for example, in the form of software of a microcomputer. The CPU of the central processing unit 2 operates as the object information integration unit 130 and the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 by executing a predetermined central operation control program while the power supply (not shown) of the vehicle 5 is on, and repeatedly performs the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 at predetermined operation cycles.

[0030] Note that the sensor 4, the electronic control unit 3, and the central processing unit 2 may each be realized by hardware such as a logic circuit for some or all of the above functional blocks.

[0031] In step S001 of FIG. 4, the point cloud information output unit 100 acquires sensor data indicating the object measurement result by the sensor 4. Here, for example, data on the distances to each point on the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 measured by the LiDAR of the sensor 4 is acquired as the sensor data.

[0032] In step S002 of FIG. 4, based on the sensor data acquired in step S001, the point cloud information output unit 100 generates and outputs single-entity point cloud information obtained by measuring the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 with the sensor 4 alone. Here, for example, the single-entity point cloud information can be generated and output by converting the distance data of each point on the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 measured by the LiDAR of the sensor 4 into three-dimensional point cloud information. The single-entity point cloud information output from the point cloud information output unit 100 in step S002 is input to the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 in the sensor 4 and transmitted from the sensor 4 to the point cloud information integration unit 110 of the electronic control unit 3. When the point cloud information output unit 100 outputs the single-entity point cloud information, the process proceeds to step S003.

[0033] In step S003 of FIG. 4, the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 performs the calculation of degeneracy information with a data size smaller than that of the single point cloud information, using the single point cloud information input from the point cloud information output unit 100 in step S002. Here, for example, based on the three-dimensional point cloud information represented by the single point cloud information, by identifying the positions and shapes of the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 measured by the LiDAR of the sensor 4, the object can be detected, and the degeneracy information corresponding to the detection result can be obtained. In this object detection, for example, Euclidean clustering that classifies point clouds close in distance into the same cluster for the point cloud with the road surface removed, or an algorithm based on a neural network such as PointPillars may be used. The degeneracy information obtained in step S003 is transmitted from the sensor 4 to the transmission unit 121 of the electronic control unit 3.

[0034] When the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 transmits the degeneracy information in step S003, the sensor 4 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 and waits until the next calculation cycle.

[0035] In the sensor 4, in the process of FIG. 4, by converting the single point cloud information into degeneracy information as described above, the data size transmitted to the transmission unit 121 can be reduced, and the communication load can be reduced.

[0036] In step S101 of FIG. 5, the point cloud information integration unit 110 combines the single point cloud information transmitted from each target sensor 4. Here, for example, in step S003 of FIG. 4, the single point cloud information respectively transmitted from the point cloud information output units 100 of each target sensor 4 is received, and by combining these single point cloud information, point cloud information integrating the object measurement information by a plurality of target sensors 4 with a common recognition range can be obtained.

[0037] In step S102 of FIG. 5, the point cloud information integration unit 110 outputs the integrated point cloud information obtained in step S101 as local point cloud information about a local part of the vehicle 5 corresponding to the arrangement position of the electronic control unit 3. The local point cloud information output from the point cloud information integration unit 110 in step S102 is input to the object detection unit 111 in the arithmetic unit 10 in the same electronic control unit 3. After the point cloud information integration unit 110 outputs the local point cloud information, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0038] In step S103 of FIG. 5, the object detection unit 111 detects surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 using the local point cloud information input from the point cloud information integration unit 110 in step S102. Here, similar to the case where the degeneracy information calculation unit 101 calculates the degeneracy information in step S003 of FIG. 4, based on the three-dimensional point cloud information represented by the local point cloud information, by specifying the positions and shapes of the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 measured by the LiDAR of each target sensor 4, the object can be detected. At this time, as described in step S003, an algorithm based on Euclidean clustering or a neural network may be used. After the object detection unit 111 detects the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 in step S103, it generates local object information indicating the detection result and transmits it to the object information integration unit 130 of the central processing unit 2.

[0039] After the object detection unit 111 transmits the local object information in step S103, the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control unit 3 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0040] In the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control unit 3, by converting the local point cloud information into local object information as described above in the process of FIG. 5, the data size transmitted to the object information integration unit 130 can be reduced, and the communication load can be reduced.

[0041] In step S201 of FIG. 6, the failure detection unit 120 performs a failure determination of the arithmetic unit 10. Here, for example, by checking whether local object information is periodically output from the object detection unit 111 of the arithmetic unit 10, it is determined whether the arithmetic unit 10 is operating normally. If it is determined that the arithmetic unit 10 is not operating normally, it can be considered that the arithmetic unit 10 has failed.

[0042] In step S202 of FIG. 6, the failure detection unit 120 determines whether it has detected a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 in step S201. If a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected, failure information indicating that is output to the transmitter 121, and the process proceeds to step S203.

[0043] When failure information is input from the failure detection unit 120 in step S202, in step S203 of FIG. 6, the transmitter 121 relays the degradation information transmitted from the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 provided in each target sensor 4 and transmits it as relayed degradation information to the degradation information complementing unit 131 of the central arithmetic unit 2.

[0044] If a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is not detected in step S202, or if the transmitter 121 transmits relayed degradation information in step S203, the relay unit 11 of the electronic control unit 3 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0045] In step S301 of FIG. 7, the object information integration unit 130 combines the local object information transmitted from each electronic control unit 3. Here, for example, the local object information transmitted from the object detection units 111 provided in the arithmetic units 10 of the respective electronic control units 3 in step S103 of FIG. 5 is received, and these local object information are combined over the entire circumference of the vehicle 5, whereby object information integrating the local object information by the plurality of electronic control units 3 mounted on the vehicle 5 can be obtained.

[0046] In step S302 of FIG. 7, the object information integration unit 130 outputs the integrated object information obtained in step S301 as the overall object information for the entire vehicle 5. The overall object information output from the object information integration unit 130 in step S302 is input to the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 within the same central processing unit 2. After the object information integration unit 130 outputs the overall object information, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0047] In step S303 of FIG. 7, the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 complements the overall object information input from the object information integration unit 130 in step S302 with the relay degeneracy information transmitted from the transmission unit 121. Here, when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in any one of the plurality of electronic control units 3, and as a result, relay degeneracy information is transmitted from the transmission unit 121 provided in the relay unit 11 of the electronic control unit 3, the recognition range missing in the overall object information, that is, the information of the recognition range corresponding to the arrangement position of the electronic control unit 3, is complemented using the relay degeneracy information. In other words, when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in any one of the plurality of electronic control units 3 and the result of the arithmetic operation is not transmitted from the arithmetic unit 10, the central processing unit 2 substitutes the result of the arithmetic operation in the arithmetic unit 10 with the relay degeneracy information transmitted from the relay unit of the electronic control unit 3. If no relay degeneracy information is transmitted from any of the electronic control units 3, the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 may omit the process of step S303.

[0048] After the degeneracy information complementation unit 131 complements the overall object information in step S303, the central processing unit 2 transmits the complemented overall object information as the complemented object information to the subsequent control program, and then ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0049] In the central processing unit 2, in the process of FIG. 7, by complementing the overall object information with the relay degeneracy information as described above, even when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in any one of the electronic control units 3 and it becomes impossible to perform object detection, the sensing of the surrounding objects of the vehicle 5 can be continued.

[0050] Also, when the arithmetic unit 10 is not malfunctioning in any of the electronic control units 3, the transmission of relay retreat information from each electronic control unit 3 to the central arithmetic unit 2 can be stopped, thus reducing the communication load between them. Furthermore, since the relay retreat information obtained from a single target sensor 4 has lower accuracy than the local object information generated based on the sensor data obtained from a plurality of target sensors 4, when integration using the relay retreat information is unnecessary, this can be avoided, preventing the object recognition accuracy from decreasing. Note that, regardless of whether the arithmetic unit 10 is malfunctioning or not, relay retreat information may be transmitted from each electronic control unit 3 to the central arithmetic unit 2.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation when the arithmetic unit 10 malfunctions in the electronic control system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the arithmetic unit 10 has malfunctioned in the electronic control unit 3 arranged in the right front part of the vehicle 5. In FIG. 8, the dotted lines indicate examples of the measurement ranges of the respective sensors 4, and the hatched lines indicate an example of the range in which local object information cannot be obtained around the vehicle 5 when the arithmetic unit 10 malfunctions.

[0052] When the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control unit 3 arranged in the right front part of the vehicle 5 malfunctions, as shown in FIG. 8, among the measurement ranges 81 to 84 respectively set around the vehicle 5, acquisition of local object information becomes impossible in the measurement range 81 corresponding to the right front of the vehicle 5. That is, when the arithmetic unit 10 malfunctions in the electronic control unit 3 arranged in the right front part of the vehicle 5, the calculation of local object information from the single point cloud information output from each target sensor 4 connected to the electronic control unit 3, that is, each sensor 4 that measures the right front of the vehicle 5, becomes impossible. As a result, the central arithmetic unit 2 cannot acquire local object information for the measurement range 81, and as it is, among the objects 81a, 81b, 82a, 82b, 82c, 83a, 83b, 83c, 84a, and 84b such as vehicles and people existing around the vehicle 5, the objects 81a, 81b existing within the measurement range 81 cannot be recognized.

[0053] Therefore, in the electronic control system 1 of the present embodiment, when a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected in the electronic control device 3, relay degradation information is transmitted from the transmission unit 121 of the relay unit 11 to the central processing unit 2 by the process of step S203 in FIG. 6. In the degradation information complementing unit 131 of the central processing unit 2, by using this relay degradation information instead of the local object information for the measurement range 81 to complement the overall object information, it becomes possible to recognize the objects 81a and 81b existing within the measurement range 81.

[0054] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the relay degradation information and the overall object information when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in the electronic control system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 9, similar to FIG. 8, when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in the electronic control device 3 disposed in the right front portion of the vehicle 5, it shows which object information among the overall object information and the relay degradation information at this time represents the information of which object existing around the vehicle 5.

[0055] When the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control device 3 disposed in the right front portion of the vehicle 5 fails, as described with reference to FIG. 8, local object information cannot be obtained in the measurement range 81 corresponding to the right front of the vehicle 5. As a result, among the objects 81a, 81b, 82a, 82b, 82c, 83a, 83b, 83c, 84a, and 84b existing around the vehicle 5 in the overall object information input to the degradation information complementing unit 131 of the central processing unit 2, the information of the objects 81a and 81b existing in the right front is missing.

[0056] On the other hand, when the relay unit 11 provided in the electronic control device 3 detects a failure of the arithmetic unit 10, it starts transmitting relay degradation information using the degradation information transmitted from each target sensor 4 that measures the right front of the vehicle 5. In the degradation information complementing unit 131 of the central processing unit 2, by integrating this relay degradation information into the overall object information, it is possible to complement the information of the missing objects 81a and 81b in the overall object information. As a result, even after the arithmetic unit 10 fails, sensing over the entire circumference of the vehicle 5 can be continued.

[0057] According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the following operational effects are achieved.

[0058] (1) The electronic control device 3 is provided for some of a plurality of areas when the in-vehicle network of the electronic control system 1 including a plurality of sensors 4 and a central processing unit 2 respectively mounted on the vehicle 5 is divided into a plurality of areas based on the physical positions within the vehicle 5, and communicates with at least one or more target sensors provided in the area among the plurality of sensors 4 and the central processing unit 2. The electronic control device 3 includes an arithmetic unit 10 that performs an operation based on the first information (single point cloud information) output from the target sensors and transmits local object information indicating the result of the operation to the central processing unit 2, and a relay unit 11 that transmits the second information (relay contraction information) output from the target sensors to the central processing unit 2 when the state of the arithmetic unit 10 satisfies a predetermined condition. In this way, without connecting the target sensors to another electronic control device, when the state of the arithmetic unit 10 in the electronic control device 3 satisfies a predetermined condition, the information of the target sensors can be transmitted to the central processing unit 2. As a result, while suppressing the extension of the harness used for connection with the sensors 4, even if the electronic control device 3 in the network fails, the central processing unit 2 can acquire the information of the target sensors and a realizable in-vehicle network capable of continuing sensing can be achieved.

[0059] (2) In the electronic control device 3, the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 are connected to different power supply systems. In this way, even when the power supply system to which the arithmetic unit 10 is connected fails, the operation of the relay unit 11 can be continued using another power supply system, and the information of the target sensors can be transmitted to the central processing unit 2.

[0060] (3) The electronic control device 3 includes a failure detection unit 120 that detects a failure of the arithmetic unit 10. When the failure detection unit 120 detects a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 (step S202: YES), the relay unit 11 transmits relay contraction information to the central processing unit 2 (step S203). In this way, even when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in the electronic control device 3, the relay unit 11 can transmit the information of the target sensors to the central processing unit 2.

[0061] (4) When the failure detection unit 120 has not detected a failure in the arithmetic unit 10 (step S202: NO), the relay unit 11 does not transmit the relay degradation information to the central processing unit 2. By doing so, when the arithmetic unit 10 is operating normally, the communication load can be reduced and a decrease in object recognition accuracy can be prevented.

[0062] (5) The relay unit 11 transmits to the central processing unit 2 relay degradation information that has a smaller data size than the single point cloud information output from the target sensor. By doing so, the communication load in the event of a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 can be reduced as compared with the case of relaying the single point cloud information output from the target sensor as it is.

[0063] (6) The single point cloud information output from the target sensor to the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control unit 3 is information generated based on sensor data obtained by the target sensor measuring an object existing around the vehicle 5. On the other hand, the degradation information output from the target sensor to the relay unit 11 of the electronic control unit 3 and transmitted to the central processing unit 2 as relay degradation information is information indicating the detection result of an object generated by the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 in the target sensor based on the single point cloud information. By doing so, even relay degradation information having a smaller data size than the single point cloud information can reliably transmit the information necessary for sensing an object existing around the vehicle 5.

[0064] (7) The arithmetic unit 10 detects an object existing around the vehicle 5 based on the single point cloud information output from each of the plurality of target sensors (step S102), and transmits local object information indicating the detection result to the central processing unit 2. By doing so, when the arithmetic unit 10 is operating normally, the central processing unit 2 can reliably acquire the detection result of an object existing around the vehicle 5.

[0065] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The electronic control system according to the present embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the configuration of the electronic control system 1 according to the above-described first embodiment.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an overview of sensor fusion in an electronic control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the electronic control system 1A shown in FIG. 10, the same elements as those in the electronic control system 1 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, the electronic control system 1A of the present embodiment will be described centering on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0067] In the electronic control system 1A, the failure detection unit 120 determines whether the arithmetic unit 10 has failed. If it is determined that the arithmetic unit 10 has failed, the failure information is transmitted to the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 of each target sensor 4. When receiving the failure information from the failure detection unit 120, the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 detects surrounding objects from the single point cloud information input from the point cloud information output unit 100, and transmits the result to the transmission unit 121 as degradation information.

[0068] FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing the operations of the respective devices in the electronic control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In these flowcharts, FIG. 11 shows the operation of the sensor 4, and FIG. 12 shows the operation of the relay unit 11 of the electronic control device 3. In the present embodiment, the operations of the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control device 3 and the central processing unit 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0069] In steps S001 and S002 of FIG. 11, the point cloud information output unit 100 performs the same processing as in FIG. 4.

[0070] In step S002A of FIG. 11, the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 determines whether it has received failure information from the failure detection unit 120 of the relay unit 11. If it has received the failure information transmitted by the failure detection unit 120 in step S202A of FIG. 12 described later, the degradation information arithmetic unit 101 proceeds to step S003, and performs the calculation of the degradation information using the single point cloud information input from the point cloud information output unit 100 in step S002 in the same manner as in FIG. 4, and transmits it to the transmission unit 121.

[0071] If no failure information is received in step S002A, or if the transmitter 121 transmits the degradation information in step S003, the sensor 4 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0072] In the sensor 4, in the process of FIG. 11, the calculation and transmission of the degradation information are performed only when the failure information is received from the failure detection unit 120 as described above, so that the processing load and the communication load can be reduced.

[0073] In steps S201 and S202 of FIG. 12, the failure detection unit 120 performs the same processing as in FIG. 6 respectively. When a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected in step S202, the process proceeds to step S202A.

[0074] In step S202A of FIG. 12, the failure detection unit 120 transmits failure information indicating that the arithmetic unit 10 has failed to each target sensor 4. In each target sensor 4, when the failure information is transmitted from the failure detection unit 120, it is received by the degradation information calculation unit 101, and the degradation information is calculated and transmitted to the transmitter 121 in step S003 of FIG. 11 as described above.

[0075] When the degradation information is transmitted from the degradation information calculation unit 101 of each target sensor 4, the failure detection unit 120 proceeds to step S203, and relays the degradation information transmitted from each target sensor 4 in the same manner as in FIG. 6, and transmits it as the relayed degradation information to the degradation information complementing unit 131 of the central arithmetic unit 2.

[0076] If a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is not detected in step S202, or if the transmitter 121 transmits the relayed degradation information in step S203, the relay unit 11 of the electronic control device 3 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0077] In the electronic control device 3, in the process shown in FIG. 12, the failure detection unit 120 transmits failure information to the target sensor 4 only when the arithmetic unit 10 has failed as described above, and relays the degeneracy information transmitted from the target sensor 4 to the central processing unit 2 in response thereto. As a result, the communication load when the arithmetic unit 10 is operating normally can be reduced, and the integration of unnecessary relayed degeneracy information in the central processing unit 2 can be prevented, thereby avoiding a decrease in object recognition accuracy.

[0078] According to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, when the failure detection unit 120 detects a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 (step S202: YES), the relay unit 11 outputs degeneracy information by transmitting failure information to the target sensor (step S202A). By doing so, when the arithmetic unit 10 is normal in the electronic control device 3, the output of degeneracy information from the target sensor can be stopped, and the processing load and communication load of the target sensor can be reduced.

[0079] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The electronic control system according to this embodiment is a modification of a part of the configuration of the electronic control system 1 according to the first embodiment described above.

[0080] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an overview of sensor fusion in the electronic control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the electronic control system 1B shown in FIG. 13, the same elements as those in the electronic control system 1 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, the electronic control system 1B of this embodiment will be described centering on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0081] In the electronic control system 1B, the failure detection unit 120 determines whether the arithmetic unit 10 has failed. If it is determined that the arithmetic unit 10 has failed, the failure information is transmitted to the degraded information complementing unit 131 of the central processing unit 2. When the degraded information complementing unit 131 receives the failure information from the failure detection unit 120, it complements the overall object information input from the object information integration unit 130 with the relay degraded information transmitted from the transmission unit 121 of the electronic control device 3.

[0082] FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are flowcharts showing the operations of the respective devices in the electronic control system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In these flowcharts, FIG. 14 shows the operation of the relay unit 11 of the electronic control device 3, and FIG. 15 shows the operation of the central processing unit 2. In the present embodiment, the operations of the sensor 4 and the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control device 3 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0083] In steps S201 and S202 of FIG. 14, the failure detection unit 120 performs the same processing as in FIG. 6. If a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected in step S202, the process proceeds to step S202B, and if not, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0084] In step S202B of FIG. 14, the failure detection unit 120 transmits failure information indicating that the arithmetic unit 10 has failed to the central processing unit 2. In the central processing unit 2, when the failure information is transmitted from the failure detection unit 120, it is received by the degraded information complementing unit 131. After transmitting the failure information to the central processing unit 2, the failure detection unit 120 proceeds to step S203.

[0085] In step S203 of FIG. 14, the failure detection unit 120 relays the degraded information transmitted from each target sensor 4 in the same manner as in FIG. 6, and transmits it as relay degraded information to the degraded information complementing unit 131 of the central processing unit 2.

[0086] When the transmission unit 121 transmits the relay degraded information in step S203, the relay unit 11 of the electronic control device 3 ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0087] In the electronic control device 3, in the process of FIG. 14, the failure detection unit 120 transmits failure information to the central processing unit 2 only when the arithmetic unit 10 has failed as described above. On the other hand, regardless of whether the arithmetic unit 10 has failed or not, relay degradation information is transmitted to the central processing unit 2.

[0088] In steps S301 and S302 of FIG. 15, the object information integration unit 130 performs the same processes as those in FIG. 7 respectively. Then, the process proceeds to step S302B.

[0089] In step S302B of FIG. 15, the degradation information complementation unit 131 determines whether it has received failure information from the failure detection unit 120 of the relay unit 11. If it has received the failure information transmitted by the failure detection unit 120 in step S202B of FIG. 14, the degradation information complementation unit 131 proceeds to step S303 and, in the same manner as in FIG. 7, complements the overall object information input from the object information integration unit 130 in step S302 with the relay degradation information transmitted from the transmission unit 121.

[0090] After the degradation information complementation unit 131 has complemented the overall object information in step S303, the central processing unit 2 transmits the complemented overall object information as complemented object information to the subsequent control program, and then ends the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15 and waits until the next operation cycle.

[0091] In the central processing unit 2, in the process of FIG. 15, the overall object information is complemented with the relay degradation information only when it has received failure information from the failure detection unit 120 as described above. Thereby, when the arithmetic unit 10 is operating normally, it is possible to prevent unnecessary integration of relay degradation information in the central processing unit 2 and avoid a decrease in object recognition accuracy.

[0092] According to the third embodiment of the present invention described above, the relay unit 11 transmits relay degradation information to the central processing unit 2 regardless of whether there is a failure in the arithmetic unit 10 (step S203). Further, when a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is detected by the failure detection unit 120 (step S202: YES), failure information indicating the failure of the arithmetic unit 10 is transmitted to the central processing unit 2 (step S202B). By doing so, in the electronic control device 3, while constantly relaying and transmitting the degradation information output from the target sensor to the central processing unit 2, when the arithmetic unit 10 is normal, integration of unnecessary relay degradation information in the central processing unit 2 can be prevented, and a decrease in object recognition accuracy can be avoided.

[0093] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The electronic control system according to this embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the configuration of the electronic control system 1 according to the first embodiment described above and applying it to the braking force control of the vehicle 5.

[0094] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an overview of the braking force control in the electronic control system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the electronic control system 1C shown in FIG. 16, the same elements as those in the electronic control system 1 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, the electronic control system 1C of this embodiment will be described centering on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0095] The electronic control system 1C includes a brake pedal sensor 200 instead of the plurality of sensors 4 included in the electronic control system 1. Further, it further includes a brake actuator 201 connected to the electronic control device 3 and a parking brake actuator 202 connected to the central processing unit 2.

[0096] The brake pedal sensor 200 includes a pedal pressing force output unit 210. The pedal pressing force output unit 210 transmits opening information, which is the opening of the brake pedal, to the electronic control device 3 based on the operation of the brake pedal by the driver of the vehicle 5.

[0097] In the electronic control device 3, the arithmetic unit 10 includes a braking force arithmetic unit 211. The braking force arithmetic unit 211 calculates the target braking force of the brake actuator 201 based on the opening information transmitted from the pedal depression force output unit 210, and transmits the target braking force information indicating the calculation result to the brake actuator 201.

[0098] In the electronic control device 3, when failure information is input from the failure detection unit 120 to the transmission unit 121 of the relay unit 11, the transmission unit 121 relays the opening information transmitted from the pedal depression force output unit 210 accordingly, and transmits it to the central processing unit 2 as relay degradation information.

[0099] The central processing unit 2 includes a sub-braking force arithmetic unit 212. The sub-braking force arithmetic unit 212 calculates the target braking force of the parking brake actuator 202 based on the relay degradation information transmitted from the transmission unit 121, and transmits the target sub-braking force information indicating the calculation result to the parking brake actuator 202.

[0100] The brake actuator 201 controls the brakes provided in the vehicle 5 based on the target braking force information transmitted from the braking force arithmetic unit 211. Thereby, braking force is generated to stop the vehicle 5.

[0101] The parking brake actuator 202 controls the parking brake provided in the vehicle 5 based on the target sub-braking force information transmitted from the sub-braking force arithmetic unit 212. Thereby, braking force is generated to stop the vehicle 5.

[0102] According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention described above, when the relay unit 11 detects a failure of the arithmetic unit 10 by the failure detection unit 120, the relay unit 11 transmits relay degradation information based on the opening information transmitted from the pedal depression force output unit 210 to the central processing unit 2. By doing so, even when the arithmetic unit 10 fails in the electronic control device 3, the parking brake of the vehicle 5 can be controlled using the sub-braking force arithmetic unit 212 provided in the central processing unit 2, and the vehicle 5 can be braked.

[0103] In addition, in each of the first to third embodiments described above, an example has been described in which the single point cloud information output from the target sensor 4 to the arithmetic unit 10 of the electronic control unit 3 and used for the arithmetic operation of the arithmetic unit 10 is different from the degeneracy information output from the target sensor 4 to the relay unit 11 of the electronic control unit 3 and relayed to the central arithmetic unit 2. However, as in the fourth embodiment, these may be the same information. That is, in the electronic control unit 3, the single point cloud information output from the target sensor 4 may be input to the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 respectively, used for the arithmetic operation of the arithmetic unit 10, and relayed from the relay unit 11 to the central arithmetic unit 2. Even in this case, as in each of the first to third embodiments, while suppressing the extension of the harness used for connection to the sensor 4, even if the electronic control unit 3 in the network fails, the central arithmetic unit 2 can acquire the information of the target sensor and realize an in-vehicle network capable of continuing sensing.

[0104] Alternatively, the degeneracy information arithmetic unit 101 described in each of the first to third embodiments may be provided in the electronic control unit 3 instead of the sensor 4. That is, in the electronic control unit 3, the single point cloud information output from the target sensor 4 is input to the arithmetic unit 10 and the relay unit 11 respectively, used for the arithmetic operation of the arithmetic unit 10, and the single point cloud information is converted into degeneracy information by the degeneracy information arithmetic unit 101 provided in the relay unit 11 and relayed to the central arithmetic unit 2. Even in this case, as in each of the first to third embodiments, while suppressing the extension of the harness used for connection to the sensor 4, even if the electronic control unit 3 in the network fails, the central arithmetic unit 2 can acquire the information of the target sensor and realize an in-vehicle network capable of continuing sensing.

[0105] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described various embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments are specifically described in order to explain the present invention clearly, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment. Also, the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Also, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, it can be deleted, a part of another configuration can be added, and a part of another configuration can be replaced.

[0106] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0107] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C: Electronic control system 2: Central processing unit 3: Electronic control device 4: Sensor 5: Vehicle 10: Arithmetic unit 11: Relay unit 100: Point cloud information output unit 101: Degenerate information arithmetic unit 110: Point cloud information integration unit 111: Object detection unit 120: Fault detection unit 121: Transmission unit 130: Object information integration unit 131: Degenerate information completion unit 200: Brake pedal sensor 201: Brake actuator 202: Parking brake actuator 210: Pedal force output unit 211: Braking force arithmetic unit 212: Sub-braking force arithmetic unit

Claims

1. An electronic control device is provided in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of sensors and a central processing unit, each of which is mounted on a vehicle, the in-vehicle network being divided into a plurality of areas based on physical positions within the vehicle, the electronic control device being provided in a portion of the plurality of areas and communicating with at least one or more target sensors of the plurality of sensors provided in the corresponding area and the central processing unit, a calculation unit that performs a calculation based on first information output from the target sensor and transmits a result of the calculation to the central processing unit; and a relay unit that transmits second information output from the target sensor to the central processing unit when a state of the processing unit satisfies a predetermined condition. Electronic control unit.

2. 2. The electronic control device according to claim 1, The calculation unit and the relay unit are connected to different power supply systems. Electronic control unit.

3. 3. The electronic control device according to claim 2, a failure detection unit that detects a failure of the calculation unit, the relay unit transmits the second information to the central processing unit when the failure detection unit detects a failure of the processing unit. Electronic control unit.

4. 4. The electronic control device according to claim 3, the relay unit does not transmit the second information to the central processing unit when the failure detection unit has not detected a failure of the processing unit. Electronic control unit.

5. 3. The electronic control device according to claim 2, a failure detection unit that detects a failure of the calculation unit, When the failure detection unit detects a failure of the calculation unit, the target sensor is caused to output the second information. Electronic control unit.

6. 3. The electronic control device according to claim 2, a failure detection unit that detects a failure of the calculation unit, the relay unit transmits the second information to the central processing unit regardless of the presence or absence of a failure of the processing unit; when the failure detection unit detects a failure of the arithmetic unit, transmitting failure information indicating the failure of the arithmetic unit to the central processing unit; Electronic control unit.

7. 7. An electronic control device according to claim 1, the relay unit transmits to the central processing unit the second information having a data size smaller than that of the first information output from the target sensor; Electronic control unit.

8. 8. The electronic control device according to claim 7, the first information is information generated based on sensor data acquired by the target sensor measuring an object present around the vehicle, The second information is information indicating a detection result of the object based on the first information. Electronic control unit.

9. 9. The electronic control device according to claim 8, the computing unit detects the object based on the first information output from each of the target sensors, and transmits a detection result to the central processing unit; Electronic control unit.

10. A central processing unit mounted on the vehicle; A plurality of sensors mounted on the vehicle; an electronic control device that is provided for a part of an in-vehicle network including the plurality of sensors and the central processing unit, the electronic control device being provided for a part of the plurality of areas when an in-vehicle network including the plurality of sensors and the central processing unit is divided into a plurality of areas based on physical positions within the vehicle, and that communicates with at least one target sensor of the plurality of sensors provided in the corresponding area and the central processing unit; The electronic control device includes: a calculation unit that performs a calculation based on first information output from the target sensor and transmits a result of the calculation to the central processing unit; and a relay unit that transmits second information output from the target sensor to the central processing unit when a state of the processing unit satisfies a predetermined condition. Electronic control system.

11. 11. The electronic control system of claim 10, When the result of the operation is not transmitted from the operation unit, the central processing unit substitutes the result of the operation with the second information. Electronic control system.

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