Vehicle management system and vehicle management method

Abstract

To perform a setting change in an in-vehicle network with improved reliability.SOLUTION: A vehicle management system comprises: an acquisition section that performs an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network; a conversion section that performs a conversion process to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition section into setting information required a configuration performed by a Centralized Network Configuration in accordance with an IEEE 802.1Qcc standard; and a notification section that performs a notification process to notify a Centralized User Configuration, also in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, of the setting information converted by the conversion section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle management system and a vehicle management method.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for changing the configuration settings of in-vehicle networks have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 145334) discloses the following technique. That is, a vehicle control device controls a plurality of repeaters based on a control scenario in which the state of a vehicle in which a vehicle network composed of a plurality of repeaters is built inside is associated with the control content set for each of the plurality of repeaters.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, the development of vehicles capable of dynamically changing the configuration settings of in-vehicle networks using Software Defined Network (SDN) technology has been underway. Here, the IEEE (registered trademark) 802.1Qcc standard defines a method for dynamically making such configuration changes.

[0005] When dynamically changing the settings of an in-vehicle network in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, there is a possibility that a device that cannot communicate in accordance with the standard is included in the in-vehicle network. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to change the settings of the in-vehicle network.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle management system and a vehicle management method capable of more reliably changing the settings of an in-vehicle network.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle management system of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of identifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, a conversion unit that performs a conversion process of converting the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies the setting information converted by the conversion unit to Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure can be realized not only as a vehicle management system including such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute steps of such characteristic processing. Further, one aspect of the present disclosure can be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the vehicle management system.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the settings of the in-vehicle network can be changed more reliably.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] First, the content of the embodiment of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) A vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, a conversion unit that performs a conversion process of converting the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information necessary for setting performed by a Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies the setting information converted by the conversion unit to a Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0012] In the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, a method for the Centralized Network Configuration (hereinafter also referred to as "CNC") to perform settings in a network is defined. In this method, the Centralized User Configuration (hereinafter also referred to as "CUC") collects various information indicating the content of messages and the like from the device of the message sender, etc., and creates setting information required for the settings performed by the CNC based on the various information. As described above, by converting the acquired device information into setting information and notifying the CUC of the setting information, for example, even when the device of the message sender does not have a function to communicate with the CUC according to the above standard, the setting information can be provided to the CNC, so that the setting change of the in-vehicle network can be performed according to the setting information. Therefore, the setting change of the in-vehicle network can be performed more reliably.

[0013] (2) In the above (1), the vehicle management system may further include a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network, and when the change is detected by the detection unit, the acquisition unit may perform the acquisition process.

[0014] With such a configuration, it is possible to easily grasp the timing at which device information should be acquired.

[0015] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the device information may indicate a combination of identification information for identifying software incorporated in the in-vehicle device, the manufacturing number of the in-vehicle device, and the version of the software.

[0016] With such a configuration, the acquired device information can be converted into appropriate setting information according to the combination of the software identification information, the manufacturing number of the in-vehicle device, and the version of the software indicated by the device information.

[0017] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, the setting information may be User Network Interface information used between the Centralized User Configuration and the Centralized Network Configuration.

[0018] In the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, it is stipulated that the CNC performs the setting of the relay device that relays messages exchanged between the Talker and the Listener using management information based on User Network Interface information (hereinafter, also referred to as "UNI information"). With the above configuration, in the CNC, the process of converting the setting information given from the CUC into UNI information becomes unnecessary, so the setting change of the relay device can be easily performed.

[0019] (5) In (4) above, the in-vehicle network may include a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, the acquisition unit may acquire a plurality of the device information respectively corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices in the acquisition process, the conversion unit may determine the type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network based on the plurality of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the conversion unit may specify the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network using correspondence information indicating the correspondence relationship between the type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network and the User Network Interface information in the conversion process.

[0020] With such a configuration, based on the device information acquired from each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, the in-vehicle network including the plurality of in-vehicle devices can be determined, and also, using the correspondence information, the UNI information corresponding to the determined configuration of the in-vehicle network can be easily specified.

[0021] (6) In the above (4), the conversion unit may determine the type of the in-vehicle device based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and in the conversion process, the conversion unit may use correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the type of the in-vehicle device and the User Network Interface information to specify the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device.

[0022] With such a configuration, based on the device information acquired from a certain in-vehicle device, the type of the in-vehicle device can be determined, and also, using the correspondence information, the UNI information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device can be easily specified.

[0023] (7) The vehicle management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle management method in a vehicle management system, including a step of performing an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, a step of performing a conversion process of converting the acquired device information into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a step of notifying the converted setting information to Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0024] In the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, a method for CNC to perform settings in a network is defined. In this method, CUC collects various information indicating the content of a message, etc. from the device of the message sender, etc., and creates setting information necessary for the settings performed by CNC based on the various information. As described above, by converting the acquired information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device into setting information and notifying the setting information to CUC, for example, even when the device of the message sender, etc. does not have a function of communicating with CUC according to the above standard, the setting information can be provided to CNC, so that the setting change of the in-vehicle network can be performed according to the setting information. Therefore, the setting change of the in-vehicle network can be performed more reliably.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. Also, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0026] [Vehicle Management System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle management system 301 includes a plurality of relay devices 101 and a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202.

[0027] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle management system 301 includes relay devices 101A, 101B, and 101C which are relay devices 101, and in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C which are in-vehicle devices 202. The relay devices 101 and the in-vehicle devices 202 constitute an in-vehicle network 401.

[0028] The in-vehicle device 202 is, for example, an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Specifically, the in-vehicle device 202 is a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), an engine ECU, an ECU for autonomous driving, a body control ECU, a steering control ECU, a brake control ECU, and the like. Note that the in-vehicle device 202 is not limited to an in-vehicle ECU, and may be an OTA (Over The Air) master, a sensor, a navigation device, a human machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0029] In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle device 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11.

[0030] More specifically, each relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51. The communication port 51 is a terminal to which, for example, an Ethernet cable 11 can be connected. Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 are connected to other relay devices 101 or in-vehicle devices 202 via the communication port 51 and the Ethernet cable 11.

[0031] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C are respectively connected to the relay devices 101A, 101B, and 101C via Ethernet cables 11A, 11B, and 11C which are Ethernet cables 11. The relay device 101A is connected to the relay device 101B via an Ethernet cable 11D which is an Ethernet cable 11. The relay device 101B is connected to the relay device 101C via an Ethernet cable 11E which is an Ethernet cable 11.

[0032] The relay device 101 is, for example, a switch device. More specifically, the relay device 101 relays information exchanged between in-vehicle devices 202 connected via the Ethernet cable 11 in accordance with, for example, the communication standard of Ethernet.

[0033] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 generate a frame including various information described later and transmit it to other in-vehicle devices 202 or other relay devices 101.

[0034] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 provide various services in the in-vehicle network 401 by communicating with each other.

[0035] Specifically, in the in-vehicle network 401, a lighting control service for controlling the lighting timing of the headlights of the vehicle 1, a peripheral monitoring service for monitoring the periphery of the vehicle 1, and a software update service for updating various software used in the in-vehicle network 401 by OTA are executed.

[0036] Note that in the vehicle management system 301, the frame relay is not limited to the configuration that follows the communication standard of Ethernet, and may be a configuration that follows communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oritend System Transport) (registered trademark), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and CXPI (Clock Extention Peripheral Interface) (registered trademark) to perform frame relay.

[0037] Also, the vehicle management system 301 is not limited to the configuration including a plurality of relay devices 101, and may be a configuration including one relay device 101.

[0038] [Relay Device] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the relay device 101B shown in FIG. 1.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, the relay device 101B includes a relay unit 21, a detection unit 22, a conversion unit 23, a notification unit 24, a management unit 25, a setting unit 26, and a storage unit 27. Some or all of the relay unit 21, the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or a plurality of processors. The storage unit 27 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the above processing circuit. The relay unit 21 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0040] The relay unit 21 performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between in-vehicle devices 202. More specifically, for example, the storage unit 27 stores an address table indicating the correspondence between the source MAC (Media Access Control) address and the destination MAC address included in the frame and the port number of the communication port 51.

[0041] When the relay unit 21 receives a frame from the in-vehicle device 202B or the relay devices 101A and 101C, it refers to the address table in the storage unit 27 to identify the port numbers corresponding to the source MAC address and the destination MAC address included in the received frame. Then, the relay unit 21 transmits the frame to the in-vehicle device 202B or the relay devices 101A and 101C connected to the communication port 51 with the identified port number.

[0042] [Description of the problem] In recent years, the development of vehicles called SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) has been underway. Specifically, an SDV is a vehicle capable of dynamically changing the configuration settings of an in-vehicle network using SDN technology.

[0043] For example, in the in-vehicle network 401 shown in FIG. 1, an in-vehicle device 202 may be added. Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 202 newly added to the in-vehicle network 401 is also referred to as a "new device". Also, the in-vehicle network 401 including the new device is also referred to as a "new network". Further, the in-vehicle device 202 included in the in-vehicle network 401 before the new device is added is also referred to as an "existing device".

[0044] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a new network in a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 in which an in-vehicle device 202D is newly added to the in-vehicle network 401 shown in FIG. 1.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, the in-vehicle device 202D is connected to the relay device 101B via, for example, an Ethernet cable 11F which is the Ethernet cable 11. Thus, when the in-vehicle device 202D is added, it is necessary to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401. In the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, a "fully centralized model" is defined as an example of a method for dynamically performing such setting changes.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fully centralized model defined in the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 4, Bridge601 is a device that relays messages exchanged between Talker602 and Listener603. Talker602 is the device that is the source of the message. Listener603 is the device that is the destination of the message. CUC605 configures each of Talker602 and Listener603.

[0048] CNC604 configures Bridge601. Specifically, CUC605 creates UNI information necessary for the configuration performed by CNC604 by collecting information for identifying each of Talker602 and Listener603, as well as information indicating the content of messages from Talker602 and Listener603.

[0049] Then, CUC605 notifies the created UNI information to CNC604. CNC604 creates management information for changing the configuration of Bridge601. Specifically, for example, CNC604 creates management information based on the UNI information notified from CUC605.

[0050] Then, CNC604 performs the process indicated by arrow F3, specifically, creates a frame according to a protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) or NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol), and transmits the frame including the created management information to each Bridge601. Each Bridge601 makes various configuration changes according to the management information received from CNC604. Specifically, each Bridge601 changes the setting of the delay tolerance time of the message to be relayed, etc., according to the management information.

[0051] In the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, there is no provision regarding the method of the process indicated by arrow F1, specifically, the process in which CUC605 collects various information from Talker602 and Listener603. Also, in the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, there is no provision regarding the method of the process indicated by arrow F2, specifically, the process in which CUC605 configures Talker602 and Listener603.

[0052] In the vehicle management system 301 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a method in which Talker602 and Listener603 transmit various information to CUC605 in response to a request from CUC605 can be considered.

[0053] In the in-vehicle network 401 shown in FIG. 3, that is, in the new network, in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D correspond to Talker602 or Listener603.

[0054] Here, during the transitional period of the popularization of SDV, among the plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that make up the in-vehicle network 401, there may be an in-vehicle device 202 that cannot respond to a request from CUC605. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0055] Therefore, in the vehicle management system 301 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above problems are solved by the following configuration and operation.

[0056] [Relay device] Referring to FIG. 2 again, for example, the detection unit 22 detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0057] For example, the detection unit 22 detects the addition of an in-vehicle device 202 to the in-vehicle network 401. Here, the detection unit 22 detects the addition of the in-vehicle device 202D shown in FIG. 3.

[0058] More specifically, for example, when the in-vehicle device 202D is connected to the communication port 51 of the relay device 101B, it transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the in-vehicle network 401 to the relay device 101B.

[0059] When the detection unit 22 receives the connection request information from the in-vehicle device 202D via the relay unit 21, it performs authentication processing of the in-vehicle device 202D using the ID (Identifier) and the authentication password included in the connection request information.

[0060] For example, when the detection unit 22 succeeds in authenticating the in-vehicle device 202D, it outputs authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded to the relay unit 21.

[0061] When the relay unit 21 receives the authentication success information from the detection unit 22, it transmits the authentication success information to the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0062] Note that the detection unit 22 may be configured to broadcast, for example, periodically, a search message for detecting the addition of the in-vehicle device 202 via the relay unit 21. In this case, the in-vehicle device 202 added to the in-vehicle network 401 receives the search message and transmits connection request information as a response to the received search message.

[0063] The relay unit 21 performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information D that can identify the in-vehicle device 202 in the in-vehicle network 401. For example, in the acquisition process, the relay unit 21 acquires a plurality of pieces of device information D corresponding to a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 included in the in-vehicle network 401, respectively.

[0064] More specifically, for example, when the relay unit 21 detects a change in the in-vehicle network 401 by the detection unit 22, it performs the acquisition process.

[0065] Specifically, for example, when the relay unit 21 receives authentication success information from the detection unit 22, it transmits request information R for requesting device information D to each in-vehicle device 202 in the new network. Further, when the relay unit 21 transmits the request information R to each in-vehicle device 202, it activates a timer (not shown).

[0066] [In-vehicle device] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the in-vehicle device 202 includes a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, and a storage unit 33. One or both of the communication unit 31 and the processing unit 32 are realized by a processing circuit including, for example, one or more processors. The storage unit 33 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0067] When the communication unit 31 receives the request information R from the relay device 101B, it outputs the received request information R to the processing unit 32.

[0068] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored by the in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the storage unit 33 stores the device information D. When the in-vehicle device 202 is an existing device, the device information D is registered in the storage unit 33 by the vehicle 1 manufacturer at the time of shipment of the vehicle 1, for example. When the in-vehicle device 202 is a new device, the device information D is registered in the storage unit 33 by the dealer after the shipment of the vehicle 1, for example.

[0070] For example, the device information D indicates a combination of identification information for identifying software incorporated in the in-vehicle device 202 (hereinafter also referred to as "software ID"), the manufacturing number of the in-vehicle device 202, and the version of the software (hereinafter also referred to as "version information").

[0071] In the device information D shown in FIG. 6, the software ID is "S001", the serial number of the in-vehicle device 202 is "AAA", and the version of the software incorporated in the in-vehicle device 202 is "1.01".

[0072] When the processing unit 32 receives the request information R from the communication unit 31, the processing unit 32 acquires the device information D from the storage unit 33. Then, the processing unit 32 creates a frame that includes the acquired device information D and has the relay device 101B as the destination, and transmits the created frame to the relay device 101B via the communication unit 31.

[0073] Referring again to FIG. 2, in the relay device 101B, when the relay unit 21 receives the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202, the relay unit 21 stores the received device information D in the storage unit 27.

[0074] For example, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the relay unit 21 activates the timer, the relay unit 21 outputs a plurality of device information D (hereinafter, also referred to as "device information group") stored in the storage unit 27 to the conversion unit 23. Then, the relay unit 21 deletes the device information group stored in the storage unit 27.

[0075] (Conversion unit) For example, the conversion unit 23 performs a determination process of determining the type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on a plurality of device information D acquired by the relay unit 21.

[0076] For example, the conversion unit 23 determines a group (hereinafter, also referred to as "device group") including a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that constitute the in-vehicle network 401 based on a plurality of device information D. In this example, determining the device group corresponds to determining the type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0077] More specifically, for example, the storage unit 27 stores a determination table indicating the correspondence relationship between a plurality of software IDs, a plurality of serial numbers, and a plurality of version information and the device group. The determination table is registered in the storage unit 27 by the vehicle manufacturer of vehicle 1, for example, when vehicle 1 is shipped.

[0078] When the conversion unit 23 receives the device information group from the relay unit 21, it reads out the discrimination table in the storage unit 27. Then, by referring to the discrimination table, the conversion unit 23 identifies the device group corresponding to the plurality of software IDs, the plurality of manufacturing numbers, and the plurality of version information included in the device information group.

[0079] Note that the conversion unit 23 is not limited to the configuration for discriminating the device group, and may be configured to discriminate the service provided in the in-vehicle network 401, for example, based on a plurality of device information D. In this case, the discrimination table indicates the correspondence between the plurality of software IDs, the plurality of manufacturing numbers, the plurality of version information, and the service.

[0080] The conversion unit 23 performs a conversion process of converting the device information D acquired by the relay unit 21 into the setting information required for the setting performed by the CNC604 conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0081] For example, the setting information is the UNI information used between the CUC605 and the CNC604.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the content of the UNI information defined in IEEE802.1Qcc.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 7, the UNI information includes a message ID, a message rank, an end station I / F, a data frame specification, and a traffic specification as parameters.

[0084] The message ID indicates identification information for identifying UNI information. The message rank indicates the importance of the message. The end station I / F (interface) indicates the I / F between Talker602 and Listener603, such as the port number of communication port 51 to which Listener603 is connected. The data frame specification indicates the source MAC address, the destination MAC address, etc. The traffic specification indicates the interval for transmitting messages, the frame size, etc.

[0085] In FIG. 7, the message ID, the message rank, the data frame specification, and the traffic specification are information regarding Talker602. The message ID and the end station I / F are information regarding Listener603.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table stored by the relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 8, for example, the storage unit 27 further stores a correspondence table Tb1 indicating the correspondence between the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 and the UNI information. The correspondence table Tb1 is registered in the storage unit 27 by the manufacturer of the vehicle 1 at the time of shipment of the vehicle 1, for example. The correspondence table Tb1 is an example of correspondence information.

[0088] The correspondence table Tb1 shown in FIG. 8 indicates the correspondence between the device group and the UNI information. The UNI information corresponding to the device group "Group A" is UNI information U1. The UNI information corresponding to the device group "Group B" is UNI information U2. The UNI information corresponding to the device group "Group C" is UNI information U3.

[0089] Among UNI information U1, UNI information U2, and UNI information U3, at least any one of the message ID, the message rank, the end station I / F, the data frame specification, and the traffic specification shown in FIG. 7 is different from each other.

[0090] For example, the conversion unit 23 performs conversion processing using the correspondence table Tb1. More specifically, for example, the conversion unit 23 uses the correspondence table Tb1 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the device group determined in the determination process.

[0091] Specifically, for example, when the conversion unit 23 determines a device group in the determination process, it reads the correspondence table Tb1 from the storage unit 27. Then, the conversion unit 23 refers to the correspondence table Tb1 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the device group.

[0092] When the conversion unit 23 identifies the UNI information, it outputs the identified UNI information to the notification unit 24.

[0093] (Notification unit) Referring to FIG. 2 again, the notification unit 24 notifies the CUC605, that is, the management unit 25, which conforms to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, of the setting information converted by the conversion unit 23.

[0094] More specifically, for example, when the notification unit 24 receives the UNI information from the conversion unit 23, it outputs the UNI information to the management unit 25 corresponding to the CUC605.

[0095] The management unit 25, as the CUC605, outputs the UNI information notified from the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26 corresponding to the CNC604. Also, the management unit 25, as the CUC605, performs a transmission process S1 of transmitting the UNI information to each in-vehicle device 202 corresponding to the Talker602 or Listener603 shown in FIG. 4 via the relay unit 21. The transmission process S1 is indicated by the arrow F2 in FIG. 4.

[0096] When each in-vehicle device 202 receives the UNI information from the relay device 101B, it makes various setting changes according to the UNI information.

[0097] (Setting unit) When the setting unit 26 receives the UNI information from the management unit 25, as the CNC 604, it creates management information for making various setting changes to each relay device 101 based on the UNI information. Then, the setting unit 26 makes various setting changes to its own relay device 101B according to the created management information. When the setting changes are completed, the setting unit 26 outputs a completion response to the management unit 25. When the setting changes are completed, the setting unit 26 outputs a completion response to the management unit 25.

[0098] Also, when the setting unit 26 creates the management information, as the CNC 604, it performs a transmission process S2 of transmitting the management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C via the relay unit 21. The transmission process S2 is indicated by the arrow F3 in FIG. 4.

[0099] When the relay devices 101A and 101C receive the management information from the relay device 101B, they make various setting changes according to the management information.

[0100] As described above, regarding the method of the process in which the CUC 605 collects various information from the Talker 602 and the Listener 603, which is indicated by the arrow F1 in FIG. 4, it is not defined in IEEE 802.1Qcc.

[0101] On the other hand, in the vehicle management system 301, even if each in-vehicle device 202 does not have the function of the Talker 602 or the Listener 603, the setting unit 26 can make various setting changes to the relay device 101B because the relay unit 21 acquires the device information D from each in-vehicle device 202 and the notification unit 24 performs the above notification process. Also, by the management unit 25 performing the transmission process S1 and the setting unit 26 performing the transmission process S2, various setting changes can be made in each in-vehicle device 202 and the relay devices 101A and 101C. Therefore, the setting changes of the in-vehicle network 401 can be performed more reliably.

[0102] [Flow of operations] FIG. 9 is a flowchart defining the operation procedure when the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure performs the conversion process and the notification process.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 9, first, the relay device 101B waits for the addition of a new device to the in-vehicle network 401 (NO in step S101). When the addition of a new device is detected (YES in step S101), the relay device 101B transmits request information R for requesting device information D to each in-vehicle device 202 in the new network (step S102).

[0104] Next, the relay device 101B acquires device information D from the in-vehicle device 202. Here, the relay device 101B acquires device information D from each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that make up the new network (step S103).

[0105] Next, the relay device 101B determines the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the acquired plurality of pieces of device information D. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B determines a device group including a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that make up the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of pieces of device information D (step S104).

[0106] Next, the relay device 101B performs a conversion process of converting the acquired plurality of pieces of device information D into UNI information required for the settings performed by the CNC604 according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B uses the correspondence table Tb1 to specify the UNI information corresponding to the determined device group (step S105).

[0107] Next, the relay device 101B performs a notification process of notifying the converted UNI information to the CUC605 according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, in the relay device 101B, the notification unit 24 notifies the UNI information converted by the conversion unit 23 to the management unit 25 corresponding to the CUC605 (step S106).

[0108] Next, the management unit 25 outputs the UNI information from the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26 corresponding to the CNC604 as the CUC605 (step S107).

[0109] Next, the setting unit 26 creates management information for making various setting changes to each relay device 101 as the CNC 604. For example, as described above, the setting unit 26 creates management information based on the UNI information received from the management unit 25 (step S108).

[0110] Next, the setting unit 26 makes various setting changes to its own relay device 101B according to the created management information (step S109).

[0111] Next, the setting unit 26, as the CNC 604, transmits the management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C via the relay unit 21 (step S110).

[0112] Next, the management unit 25, as the CUC 605, transmits the UNI information to each in-vehicle device 202 via the relay unit 21 (step S111). Then, the relay device 101B waits for the addition of a new device (NO in step S101). Note that the processes from step S108 to step S111 may be executed in a different order or in parallel.

[0113] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the sequence of processing of the relay device and the in-vehicle device in the vehicle management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0114] Referring to FIG. 10, first, a new device added to the in-vehicle network 401 transmits connection request information to the relay device 101B (step S201).

[0115] Next, the relay device 101B receives the connection request information from the new device and detects the addition of the new device (step S202).

[0116] Next, the relay device 101B performs authentication processing on the new device (step S203), and when the authentication of the new device is successful, it transmits authentication success information to the new device (step S204).

[0117] Next, the relay device 101B transmits request information R for requesting device information D to the new device (step S205).

[0118] Next, the relay device 101B transmits the request information R to the existing device (step S206). Note that the processes of step S205 and step S206 may be executed in a swapped order or in parallel.

[0119] Next, the new device transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B (step S207).

[0120] Next, the existing device transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B (step S208). Note that the processes of step S207 and step S208 may be executed in a swapped order or in parallel.

[0121] Next, the relay device 101B determines the type of the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of device information D acquired from the new device and the existing device. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B determines a device group including a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 constituting the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of device information D (step S209).

[0122] Next, the relay device 101B performs a conversion process of converting the acquired plurality of device information D into UNI information required for the settings performed by the CNC604 according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B specifies the UNI information corresponding to the determined device group using the correspondence table Tb1 (step S210).

[0123] Next, the relay device 101B performs a notification process of notifying the converted UNI information to the CUC605 according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, in the relay device 101B, the notification unit 24 notifies the UNI information converted by the conversion unit 23 to the management unit 25 corresponding to the CUC605 (step S211).

[0124] Next, the management unit 25 outputs, as CUC605, the UNI information from the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26 corresponding to CNC604 (step S212).

[0125] Next, the setting unit 26, as CNC604, creates management information for performing various setting changes on each relay device 101. For example, as described above, the setting unit 26 creates management information based on the UNI information received from the management unit 25 (step S213).

[0126] Next, the setting unit 26 performs various setting changes on its own relay device 101B according to the created management information (step S214).

[0127] Next, the setting unit 26, as CNC604, transmits the created management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C (step S215).

[0128] Next, the management unit 25, as CUC605, transmits the UNI information to the new device (step S216).

[0129] Next, the management unit 25, as CUC605, transmits the UNI information to the existing device (step S217). Note that the processes from step S214 to step S217 may be executed in a different order or in parallel.

[0130] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101C perform various setting changes according to the management information received from the relay device 101B (step S218).

[0131] Next, the new device performs various setting changes according to the UNI information received from the relay device 101B (step S219).

[0132] Next, the existing device performs various setting changes according to the UNI information received from the relay device 101B (step S220). Note that the processes from step S218 to step S220 may be executed in a different order or in parallel.

[0133] Note that in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the relay device 101B is configured to perform an acquisition process of acquiring device information D from the in-vehicle device 202 when detecting a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The relay device 101B may be configured not to detect a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401. In this case, for example, each in-vehicle device 202 transmits the device information D to the relay device 101B regularly or irregularly.

[0134] Also, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the device information D acquired by the relay device 101B from the in-vehicle device 202 is configured to indicate a combination of a software ID, a serial number of the in-vehicle device 202, and version information, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The device information D may be configured not to include the version information and indicate a combination of the software ID and the serial number of the in-vehicle device 202. Alternatively, the device information D may be configured to indicate any one of the software ID, the serial number of the in-vehicle device 202, and the version information.

[0135] Also, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the conversion unit 23 in the relay device 101B is configured to convert the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202 into UNI information defined in the IEEE802.1Qcc standard in the conversion process, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The conversion unit 23 may be configured to convert the device information D into related information that is the source of the UNI information in the conversion process. In this case, for example, another unit other than the conversion unit 23 converts the related information into UNI information.

[0136] Also, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the relay device 101B is configured to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401 when an in-vehicle device 202 is added to the in-vehicle network 401, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The relay device 101B may be configured to perform the setting change when other events occur, such as deletion of the in-vehicle device 202 in the in-vehicle network 401 and update of various software used in the in-vehicle network 401.

[0137] Also, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the relay device 101B is configured to transmit request information R for requesting device information D to each in-vehicle device 202 when detecting a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. When the new device receives the authentication success information from the relay device 101B, the new device may be configured to transmit its own device information D to the relay device 101B as a response to the authentication success information and transmit the request information R to the existing devices. In this case, when the existing device receives the request information R from the new device, the existing device transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B.

[0138] Also, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, although the relay device 101B is configured to include the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. A device other than the relay device 101B in the in-vehicle network 401 may be configured to include a part or all of the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26. Also, a part or all of the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26 may be provided in an external device outside the vehicle 1, for example, a server. In this case, the vehicle management system 301 includes the server.

[0139] [Modification Example] Although the relay device 101B is configured to determine the type of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of acquired device information D, it is not limited thereto. The relay device 101B may be configured to determine the type of the in-vehicle device 202 based on the device information D acquired from a certain in-vehicle device 202. Hereinafter, an example in which the relay device 101B determines the type of a new device based on the device information D acquired from the new device will be described.

[0140] Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the modification, when the relay unit 21 receives the authentication success information from the detection unit 22, the relay unit 21 transmits request information R for requesting the device information D to a new device, that is, the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0141] The in-vehicle device 202D transmits the device information D stored in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 5 to the relay device 101B as a response to the request information R.

[0142] Then, when the relay unit 21 receives the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202D, the relay unit 21 outputs the received device information D to the conversion unit 23.

[0143] In this example, the discrimination table in the storage unit 27 shows the correspondence between the software ID, the manufacturing number, the version information, and the type of the in-vehicle device 202.

[0144] For example, the conversion unit 23 determines the type of the in-vehicle device 202 based on the device information D acquired by the relay unit 21.

[0145] Specifically, for example, when the conversion unit 23 receives the device information D of the in-vehicle device 202D from the relay unit 21, the conversion unit 23 reads out the discrimination table in the storage unit 27. Then, by referring to the discrimination table, the conversion unit 23 specifies the type of the in-vehicle device 202D corresponding to the software ID, the manufacturing number, and the version information included in the device information D from the relay unit 21.

[0146] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table stored by a modification of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 11, the storage unit 27 stores a correspondence table Tb2 indicating the correspondence between the types of in-vehicle devices 202 and the UNI information. The correspondence table Tb2 is an example of correspondence information.

[0148] In the correspondence table Tb2 shown in FIG. 11, the UNI information corresponding to the ECU for automatic driving is the UNI information U1. The UNI information corresponding to the body control ECU is the UNI information U2. The UNI information corresponding to the TCU is the UNI information U3.

[0149] Referring again to FIG. 2, in the modification, the conversion unit 23 performs conversion processing using the correspondence table Tb2. More specifically, for example, the conversion unit 23 uses the correspondence table Tb2 to specify the UNI information corresponding to the type of the new device determined in the determination process.

[0150] Specifically, for example, when the conversion unit 23 determines the type of the in-vehicle device 202D, it reads out the correspondence table Tb2 in the storage unit 27. Then, the conversion unit 23 refers to the correspondence table Tb2 to specify the UNI information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0151] When the conversion unit 23 specifies the UNI information, it outputs the specified UNI information to the notification unit 24.

[0152] The above embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims be included.

[0153] Each process (each function) of the above-described embodiment is realized by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The above processing circuit may be composed of an integrated circuit in which one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits are combined in addition to the one or more processors. The one or more memories store a program (instruction) for causing the one or more processors to execute each of the above processes. The one or more processors may execute each of the above processes according to the program read from the one or more memories, or may execute each of the above processes according to a logic circuit designed in advance to execute each of the above processes. The processor may be various processors suitable for computer control, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Note that the plurality of physically separated processors may cooperate with each other to execute each of the above processes. For example, the processors mounted on each of a plurality of physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet to execute each of the above processes. The program may be installed in the memory via the network from an external server device or the like, or may be distributed in a state stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and a semiconductor memory, and may be installed in the memory from the recording medium.

[0154] The above description includes the features appended below. [Appendix 1] An acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, A conversion unit that performs a conversion process of converting the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies the Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit. The in-vehicle network includes a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, In the acquisition process, the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of the device information respectively corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices, Based on the plurality of pieces of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, the conversion unit performs a determination process of determining the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network, In the determination process, the conversion unit determines, as the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network, a group including the plurality of in-vehicle devices or a service provided in the in-vehicle network. A vehicle management system.

[0155] [Appendix 2] Comprising a processing circuit, The processing circuit, Performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, Performs a conversion process of converting the acquired device information into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, A vehicle management system that notifies the Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the converted setting information.

[0156] [Appendix 3] A vehicle management program used in a vehicle management system, A computer, An acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, A conversion unit that performs a conversion process of converting the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, A notification unit that notifies the Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit, A vehicle management program for functioning as such.

Explanation of Signs

[0157] 1 Vehicle 11, 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F Ethernet Cable 21 Relay Unit 22 Detection Unit 23 Conversion Unit 24 Notification Unit 25 Management Unit 26 Setting Unit 27, 33 Storage Unit 31 Communication Unit 32 Processing Unit 51 Communication Port 101, 101A, 101B, 101C Relay Device 202, 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D On-vehicle Device 301 Vehicle Management System 401 In-vehicle Network 601 Bridge 602 Talker 603 Listener 604 CNC 605 CUC D Device Information Tb1, Tb2 Correspondence Table

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process of acquiring device information that can identify in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network; A conversion unit that performs a conversion process of converting the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information necessary for settings performed by Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard; A vehicle management system comprising: a notification unit that notifies the Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit.

2. The vehicle management system further includes a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network, The acquisition unit performs the acquisition process when the change is detected by the detection unit. The vehicle management system according to claim 1.

3. The device information indicates a combination of identification information for identifying software incorporated in the in-vehicle device, the manufacturing number of the in-vehicle device, and the version of the software. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The setting information is User Network Interface information used between the Centralized User Configuration and the Centralized Network Configuration. The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The in-vehicle network includes a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, The acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of the device information respectively corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices in the acquisition process, The conversion unit discriminates the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network based on the plurality of pieces of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, In the conversion process, the conversion unit specifies the User Network Interface information corresponding to the discriminated type of configuration of the in-vehicle network by using correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network and the User Network Interface information. The vehicle management system according to claim 4.

6. The conversion unit discriminates the type of the in-vehicle device based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit, The vehicle management system according to claim 4, wherein in the conversion process, the conversion unit uses correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the type of in-vehicle device and the User Network Interface information to specify the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined type of in-vehicle device.

7. A vehicle management method in a vehicle management system, comprising: performing an acquisition process of acquiring device information capable of specifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network; performing a conversion process of converting the acquired device information into setting information necessary for settings performed by a Centralized Network Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard; and a step of notifying the converted setting information to a Centralized User Configuration according to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

Images