In-vehicle control system

Abstract

To provide an in-vehicle control system capable of updating ECU software while avoiding an increase in power consumption of the whole vehicle during vehicle stoppage.SOLUTION: An in-vehicle control system 10 comprises a main OTA control device 100, a plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200, a main battery control device 600, and an auxiliary machine battery control device 800. The main OTA control device 100 calculates the total OTA power consumption based on the OTA power consumption within multiple areas received from the plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200. The auxiliary machine battery control device 800, upon determining that power needs to be replenished to an auxiliary machine battery 700 based on the difference between the total OTA power consumption and the remaining charge of the auxiliary machine battery 700, transmits a replenishment power amount to the main battery control device 600. The main battery control device 600 supplements power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary machine battery 700 during operation of a vehicle 1, based on the replenishment power amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11B

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle control system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for updating the software of electronic control units (ECUs) installed in vehicles. In recent years, there has been an increase in the development of over-the-air (OTA) technology for wirelessly updating ECU software.

[0003] On the other hand, as the number of ECUs installed in vehicles increases, the amount of power required to update ECU software also tends to increase, raising concerns about power shortages in the auxiliary battery that supplies power to the ECUs.

[0004] To address this issue, Patent Document 1 discloses a method in which, when the remaining power in the auxiliary battery becomes low during an ECU software update, the auxiliary battery is replenished with power from the main battery, which stores power to drive the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-27695 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when updating the software of the ECU while the vehicle is stopped (parked), the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires that a device that controls the main battery and the like be operated.

[0007] This increases the overall power consumption of the vehicle when it is stopped, so further improvements were needed.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle control system that can update ECU software while the vehicle is stopped, while avoiding an increase in the power consumption of the entire vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An in-vehicle control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main OTA control device, a plurality of secondary OTA control devices communicatively connected to the main OTA control device and respectively positioned in a plurality of areas of the vehicle, a plurality of target ECUs (Electronic Control Units) communicatively connected to the plurality of secondary OTA control devices and performing software updates, a first control device that controls an auxiliary battery that supplies power to the main OTA control device and the plurality of secondary OTA control devices, and a second control device that controls a main battery that stores power to drive the vehicle. The main OTA control device includes a first update data acquisition unit that acquires multiple update data transmitted from a data center, each of which includes software for updating the multiple target ECUs; a first update data transmission unit that transmits the multiple update data to the multiple secondary OTA control devices; an area information receiving unit that receives from each secondary OTA control device the amount of OTA power consumption within an area required for target ECUs communicatively connected to each secondary OTA control device to update their software; a calculation unit that calculates the total OTA power consumption required for updating the software throughout the vehicle based on the OTA power consumption within the multiple areas received from the multiple secondary OTA control devices; and a vehicle information transmission unit that transmits the total OTA power consumption to the first control device. The first control device includes a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the total OTA power consumption amount from the main OTA control device, a remaining power acquisition unit that acquires the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery, a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on a difference between the total OTA power consumption amount and the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery, a supplemental power amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of supplemental power when the determination unit determines that it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery, and a supplemental power amount transmission unit that transmits the amount of supplemental power to the second control device. The second control device includes a supplemental power amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of supplemental power from the first control device, and a power supplement unit that replenishes power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on the amount of supplemental power when the vehicle is in operation.Each of the secondary OTA control devices includes a second update data acquisition unit that acquires update data including software for updating the target ECU from the main OTA control device, a power supply unit that supplies power supplied from the auxiliary battery to the target ECU when the vehicle is stopped, and a second update data transmission unit that transmits the update data to the target ECU when the vehicle is stopped. The target ECU updates the software based on the update data when the vehicle is stopped, and the main OTA control device and the second control device stop operating when the vehicle is stopped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle control system that can update ECU software while the vehicle is stopped, while avoiding an increase in the power consumption of the entire vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of an in-vehicle control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the in-vehicle control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle to which the on-board control system according to this embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the main OTA control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the first identification information table according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of update data according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the secondary OTA control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the second identification information table according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the auxiliary battery control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the main battery control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the main OTA control device, the secondary OTA control device, the auxiliary battery control device, and the main battery control device according to this embodiment. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11A is a sequence diagram showing an example of a charging process for the auxiliary battery according to this embodiment. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11B is a sequence diagram showing an example of a charging process for the auxiliary battery according to this embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a software update process for an ECU according to this embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the charging state of the auxiliary battery according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The in-vehicle control system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same functions and configurations, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] [Configuration of in-vehicle control system] First, a description will be given of the configuration of an on-vehicle control system 10 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the on-vehicle control system 10 is mounted on a vehicle 1, which is, for example, a hybrid car.

[0014] In the in-vehicle control system 10, software of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is updated when the vehicle 1 is stopped (parked). In this embodiment, the in-vehicle control system 10 uses OTA (Over The Air), a technology for updating ECU software using wireless communication.

[0015] In this embodiment, the software of the ECU is updated when the vehicle 1 is stopped, but this is not limiting. For example, the software of an ECU that belongs to a system that is not involved in vehicle control (e.g., a multimedia system) may be updated while the vehicle 1 is operating.

[0016] 1A and 1B are block diagrams of an in-vehicle control system 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1A and 1B, the in-vehicle control system 10 includes a main OTA control device 100, a plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200, a plurality of ECUs 300, a main battery 400, a power converter 500, a main battery control device 600, an auxiliary battery 700, an auxiliary battery control device 800, and an in-vehicle communication device 900.

[0017] The main OTA control device 100 manages software updates for the entire vehicle 1. The main OTA control device 100 transmits update data to the secondary OTA control device 200. The update data includes software for updating the ECU 300 that is communicably connected to the secondary OTA control device 200 as the transmission destination.

[0018] After transmitting update data to the secondary OTA control device 200, the main OTA control device 100 receives, from the secondary OTA control device 200, the OTA power consumption amount within the area described below. The main OTA control device 100 calculates the total OTA power consumption amount required to update software across the entire vehicle based on the OTA power consumption amounts within multiple areas received from the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200. The main OTA control device 100 transmits the calculated total OTA power consumption amount to the auxiliary battery control device 800. The main OTA control device 100 is also referred to as a central ECU.

[0019] The multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 are respectively arranged in multiple areas within the vehicle 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of the vehicle 1 to which the in-vehicle control system 10 is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the secondary OTA control devices 200a and 200b are arranged in the right and left areas of the front part 1a of the vehicle 1, respectively, relative to the front of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the secondary OTA control device 200c is arranged in the rear part 1b area of ​​the vehicle 1.

[0020] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the secondary OTA control devices 200a, 200b, and 200c, they will be simply referred to as "secondary OTA control devices 200." Furthermore, the number of secondary OTA control devices 200 is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more.

[0021] A plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200 are communicatively connected to the main OTA control device 100. A plurality of ECUs 300 are communicatively connected to each secondary OTA control device 200. Each secondary OTA control device 200 monitors the power consumption of each ECU 300. Upon receiving update data from the main OTA control device 100, each secondary OTA control device 200 calculates the amount of OTA power consumption within the area required for the ECU 300 to be updated to update its software. The secondary OTA control devices 200 are also referred to as area ECUs.

[0022] Each of the plurality of ECUs 300 is arranged in one of a plurality of areas within the vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 are arranged in an area on the right side of the front of the vehicle 1 in the front part 1a of the vehicle 1. The ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 are ECUs that belong to first to third systems, respectively. For example, the first to third systems are a powertrain system, a chassis system, and a body system, respectively.

[0023] 1B, the ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 are electrically connected to the secondary OTA control device 200a via a power line PL1. The ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 are communicatively connected to the secondary OTA control device 200a via separate communication lines CL1a to CL1c, respectively. In this way, the ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 form one ECU group downstream of the secondary OTA control device 200a.

[0024] In this embodiment, the ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 are arranged in an area on the left side of the front of the vehicle 1 in the front part 1a of the vehicle 1. The ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 are ECUs belonging to first to third systems, respectively. The ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 are electrically connected to the secondary OTA control device 200b via a power line PL2. The ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 are communicatively connected to the secondary OTA control device 200b via communication lines CL2a to CL2c, respectively, for each system. In this way, the ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 form one ECU group downstream of the secondary OTA control device 200b.

[0025] In this embodiment, ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 are arranged in an area in the rear part 1b of the vehicle 1. The ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 are ECUs belonging to first to third systems, respectively. The ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 are electrically connected to the secondary OTA control device 200c via a power line PL3. The ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 are communicatively connected to the secondary OTA control device 200c via communication lines CL3a, CL3b, and CL3c, respectively, for each system. In this way, the ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 form one ECU group downstream of the secondary OTA control device 200c.

[0026] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between ECUs 300a1-300a3, 300b1-300b3, and 300c1-300c3, they will be simply referred to as "ECU 300." The number of systems is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more. The number of ECUs belonging to one system is also not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0027] When each ECU 300 receives update data from the communicatively connected secondary OTA control device 200, it executes a software update based on the update software included in the update data. The ECU 300 that executes the software update is also called an ECU to be updated or a target ECU.

[0028] In this embodiment, a single bank that does not use banks that logically divide the memory area of ​​the built-in memory is applied to each ECU 300. Therefore, in each ECU 300, during operation of the vehicle 1, an operation such as executing software in one bank while updating the software in the other bank is not performed.

[0029] Main battery 400 is a high-voltage battery that stores electric power for driving the vehicle. Main battery 400 is charged with electric power generated by the regenerative operation of a motor generator, for example. Main battery 400 charges auxiliary battery 700 with electric power via power converter 500.

[0030] The power converter 500 is, for example, a DC / DC converter. The power converter 500 is electrically connected to the main battery 400 and the auxiliary battery 700. The power converter 500 converts the output voltage of the main battery 400 to a low voltage (for example, 12 V) and supplies power to the auxiliary battery 700.

[0031] The main battery control device 600 is connected to be able to communicate with the main battery 400, the power converter 500, and the auxiliary battery control device 800. As will be described later, when the main battery control device 600 receives a charge request from the auxiliary battery control device 800, it controls the main battery 400 and the power converter 500 to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700. The main battery control device 600 is also referred to as a main battery control ECU and a second control device.

[0032] The auxiliary battery 700 is a low-voltage (e.g., 12 V) battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. The auxiliary battery 700 stores power for operating the main OTA control device 100, the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200, the multiple ECUs 300, the main battery control device 600, and the auxiliary battery control device 800. The auxiliary battery 700 is electrically connected to the main OTA control device 100 and the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200. Although not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the auxiliary battery 700 is also electrically connected to the main battery control device 600 and the auxiliary battery control device 800. Power is charged to the auxiliary battery 700 from the main battery 400 via a power converter 500.

[0033] The auxiliary battery control device 800 is communicatively connected to the main OTA control device 100, the main battery control device 600, and the auxiliary battery 700. The auxiliary battery control device 800 monitors the state of charge of the auxiliary battery 700. The auxiliary battery control device 800 determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the state of charge of the auxiliary battery 700 and the total OTA power consumption amount transmitted from the main OTA control device 100. When the auxiliary battery control device 800 determines that it is necessary to replenish power to the auxiliary battery 700, it transmits a charge request to the main battery control device 600. The auxiliary battery control device 800 is also referred to as an auxiliary battery control ECU and a first control device.

[0034] The in-vehicle communication device 900 is provided in the vehicle 1 and is connected to the outside of the vehicle 1 so as to be able to communicate wirelessly. The in-vehicle communication device 900 is connected to the main OTA control device 100 inside the vehicle 1 so as to be able to communicate. The in-vehicle communication device 900 receives update data transmitted from the data center 3 and transmits the received update data to the main OTA control device 100. The in-vehicle communication device 900 is also referred to as an in-vehicle communication unit.

[0035] The functional configurations of the main OTA control device 100, the secondary OTA control device 200, the auxiliary battery control device 800, and the main battery control device 600 will be described below in order.

[0036] [Functional configuration of the main OTA control device] First, the functional configuration of the main OTA control device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the main OTA control device 100. As shown in Fig. 3, the main OTA control device 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 103, a communication unit 105, an update data acquisition unit 107, an identification information acquisition unit 109, a transmission destination determination unit 111, an update data transmission unit 113, an area information reception unit 115, a calculation unit 117, a vehicle information transmission unit 119, and an update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121. Note that the storage unit 103 may be provided outside the main OTA control device 100.

[0037] The control unit 101 controls the overall processing in the main OTA control device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each of the storage unit 103, the communication unit 105, the update data acquisition unit 107, the identification information acquisition unit 109, the transmission destination determination unit 111, the update data transmission unit 113, the area information reception unit 115, the calculation unit 117, the vehicle information transmission unit 119, and the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121.

[0038] The storage unit 103 stores various information necessary for the main OTA control device 100 to operate. For example, the storage unit 103 stores a first identification information table. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the first identification information table. As shown in FIG. 4, in the first identification information table, the identification information of each ECU 300 in the vehicle 1 is linked to the identification information of the secondary OTA control device 200 with which the ECU 300 is communicatively connected. Note that instead of the identification information of the secondary OTA control device 200, identification information of the area in which the secondary OTA control device 200 is located may be used.

[0039] In this embodiment, in the first identification information table, the identification information A1 to A3 of the ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 are linked to the identification information SA of the secondary OTA control device 200a. Similarly, the identification information B1 to B3 of the ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 are linked to the identification information SB of the secondary OTA control device 200b, and the identification information C1 to C3 of the ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 are linked to the identification information SC of the secondary OTA control device 200c.

[0040] The storage unit 103 stores a first address information table. In the first address information table, the identification information of each secondary OTA control device 200 in the vehicle 1 is linked to the address information of the secondary OTA control device 200.

[0041] The storage unit 103 stores update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 107. The storage unit 103 stores identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 109. The storage unit 103 stores information on the secondary OTA control device 200 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 111. The storage unit 103 stores the amount of OTA power consumption within the area received by the area information receiving unit 115. The storage unit 103 stores the total amount of OTA power consumption calculated by the calculation unit 117.

[0042] The communication unit 105 communicates with a plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200, an auxiliary battery control device 800, and an in-vehicle communication device 900.

[0043] The update data acquisition unit 107 acquires update data from the in-vehicle communication device 900 via the communication unit 105. The update data acquisition unit 107 is also referred to as a first update data acquisition unit.

[0044] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of update data. As shown in Fig. 5, the update data includes software for updating the ECU 300 and identification information for the ECU 300. When the in-vehicle communication device 900 transmits the update data, address information of the main OTA control device 100 is added to the update data. Note that if the main OTA control device 100 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device 900 via a dedicated communication line, the address information of the main OTA control device 100 does not need to be added to the update data.

[0045] The update software includes, for example, only a portion that is different from the software currently stored in ECU 300. When performing a software update, ECU 300 rewrites only the portion that is different from the currently stored software based on the update software. Note that the update software is not limited to this, and may include both a portion that is the same as the software currently stored in ECU 300 and a portion that is different from the software currently stored in ECU 300. In this case, ECU 300 rewrites all of the currently stored software based on the update software.

[0046] The identification information acquisition unit 109 acquires the identification information of the ECU 300 from the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 107 .

[0047] The destination determination unit 111 determines the secondary OTA control device 200 to which the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 107 is to be transmitted, based on the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 109. Specifically, the destination determination unit 111 uses a first identification information table stored in the storage unit 103 to acquire the identification information of the secondary OTA control device 200 linked to the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 109. The destination determination unit 111 uses a first address information table stored in the storage unit 103 to acquire address information of the secondary OTA control device 200 linked to the identification information of the secondary OTA control device 200. In this way, the destination determination unit 111 determines the secondary OTA control device 200 to which the update data is to be transmitted.

[0048] The update data transmission unit 113 transmits the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 107 to the secondary OTA control device 200 determined by the destination determination unit 111 via the communication unit 105. When the update data transmission unit 113 transmits the update data, address information of the secondary OTA control device 200 acquired by the destination determination unit 111 is added to the update data. Note that if the main OTA control device 100 is connected to each secondary OTA control device 200 via a dedicated communication line, it is not necessary to add the address information of the secondary OTA control device 200 to the update data. The update data transmission unit 113 is also referred to as a first update data transmission unit.

[0049] The update data transmission unit 113 may monitor the communication load status between the main OTA control device 100 and the secondary OTA control device 200 determined by the destination determination unit 111. In this case, it is preferable that the update data transmission unit 113 transmits update data to the secondary OTA control device 200 when the communication load is low.

[0050] The area information receiving unit 115 receives, via the communication unit 105, from each secondary OTA control device 200, the amount of OTA power consumption within the area required for the ECU 300 to be updated to update the software, as area information.

[0051] The calculation unit 117 calculates the total OTA power consumption required for software updates throughout the vehicle 1 based on the OTA power consumption amounts within multiple areas received by the area information receiving unit 115 within a certain period of time. Specifically, the calculation unit 117 adds up the OTA power consumption amounts within multiple areas received by the area information receiving unit 115 within a certain period of time to obtain the total OTA power consumption amount. In this way, the calculation unit 117 calculates the total OTA power consumption amount every certain period of time. Note that if the area information receiving unit 115 does not receive the OTA power consumption amount within an area within the certain period of time, the calculation unit 117 calculates 0 as the value of the total OTA power consumption amount. In this case, the vehicle information transmission unit 119 does not need to transmit the total OTA power consumption amount.

[0052] The vehicle information transmission unit 119 transmits the total OTA power consumption calculated by the calculation unit 117 as vehicle information to the auxiliary battery control device 800 via the communication unit 105. The vehicle information is also referred to as OTA required power information.

[0053] When the vehicle 1 starts operating, the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121 receives an update completion notification within its area from each secondary OTA control device 200 via the communication unit 105. The update completion notification within its area is information notifying that software updates have been completed in all ECUs 300 that are communicatively connected to the secondary OTA control device 200 when the vehicle 1 was stopped before the vehicle 1 started operating. When the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121 receives an update completion notification within its area from all secondary OTA control devices 200 determined by the destination determination unit 111 during the previous operation of the vehicle 1, the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121 transmits an update completion notification for the entire vehicle to the in-vehicle communication device 900 via the communication unit 105. When the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121 transmits the update completion notification for the entire vehicle, the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 121 deletes the information of the secondary OTA control devices 200 determined by the destination determination unit 111 during the previous operation of the vehicle 1, which has been stored in the storage unit 103.

[0054] [Functional configuration of secondary OTA control device] Next, the functional configuration of the secondary OTA control device 200 will be described. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the secondary OTA control device 200. As shown in Fig. 6, the secondary OTA control device 200 includes a control unit 201, a storage unit 203, a communication unit 205, an update data acquisition unit 207, an identification information acquisition unit 209, a transmission destination determination unit 211, an update data transmission unit 213, a power consumption monitoring unit 215, a data amount acquisition unit 217, a time estimation unit 219, a calculation unit 221, an area information transmission unit 223, a power supply unit 225, and an update completion notification transmission / reception unit 227. Note that the storage unit 203 may be provided outside the secondary OTA control device 200.

[0055] The control unit 201 controls the overall processing in the secondary OTA control device 200. Specifically, the control unit 201 controls the operation of each of the storage unit 203, communication unit 205, update data acquisition unit 207, identification information acquisition unit 209, transmission destination determination unit 211, update data transmission unit 213, power consumption monitoring unit 215, data amount acquisition unit 217, time estimation unit 219, calculation unit 221, area information transmission unit 223, power supply unit 225, and update completion notification transmission / reception unit 227.

[0056] For example, when the control unit 201 detects a signal indicating that the power switch of the vehicle 1 has been switched off, the control unit 201 terminates the operation of the vehicle 1 and determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped (parked). When the control unit 201 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the identification information acquisition unit 209 to acquire identification information. When the control unit 201 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the transmission destination determination unit 211 to determine a transmission destination. When the control unit 201 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the update data transmission unit 213 to transmit update data. When the control unit 201 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the power consumption monitoring unit 215 to monitor power consumption. When the control unit 201 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the power supply unit 225 to supply power to the ECU 300 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 211. As will be described later, when update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 receives the update completion notification, control unit 201 instructs power supply unit 225 to stop supplying power to ECU 300 that is the sender of the update completion notification.

[0057] The storage unit 203 stores various types of information necessary for the operation of the secondary OTA control device 200. For example, the storage unit 203 stores a second identification information table. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the second identification information table. As shown in FIG. 7, the second identification information table stores identification information of ECUs 300 communicably connected to the secondary OTA control device 200.

[0058] In this embodiment, the secondary OTA control device 200a stores identification information A1 to A3 of the ECUs 300a1 to 300a3 in a second identification information table (see FIG. 7). Similarly, the secondary OTA control device 200b stores identification information B1 to B3 of the ECUs 300b1 to 300b3 in a second identification information table, and the secondary OTA control device 200c stores identification information C1 to C3 of the ECUs 300c1 to 300c3 in a second identification information table.

[0059] The storage unit 203 stores a second address information table. In the second address information table, the identification information of each ECU 300 communicably connected to the secondary OTA control device 200 is linked to the address information of the ECU 300.

[0060] The storage unit 203 stores the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207. The storage unit 203 stores the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 209. The storage unit 203 stores the information of the ECU 300 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 211.

[0061] The storage unit 203 stores the power consumption during software update by the ECU 300, which is monitored by the power consumption monitoring unit 215, in association with the identification information of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores the average power consumption during software update by the ECU 300, which is acquired by the power consumption monitoring unit 215, in association with the identification information of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores the data amount of the update software, which is acquired by the data amount acquisition unit 217, in association with the identification information of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores a preset average data processing amount per unit time of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores the time required for the ECU 300 to update software, which is estimated by the time estimation unit 219, in association with the identification information of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores the OTA power consumption of the ECU 300 calculated by the calculation unit 221 in association with the identification information of the ECU 300. The storage unit 203 stores the OTA power consumption within the area calculated by the calculation unit 221. The storage unit 203 stores the ECU 300 that is the sender of the update completion notification received by the update completion notification transmission / reception unit 227.

[0062] The communication unit 205 communicates with the main OTA control device 100 and a plurality of ECUs 300 communicatively connected to the secondary OTA control device 200. The communication unit 205 also communicates with the auxiliary battery control device 800, although this is not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0063] The update data acquisition unit 207 acquires the update data transmitted from the main OTA control device 100 via the communication unit 205. The update data acquisition unit 207 is also referred to as a second update data acquisition unit.

[0064] When the control unit 201 instructs the identification information acquisition unit 209 to acquire the identification information while the vehicle 1 is stopped, the identification information acquisition unit 209 acquires the identification information of the ECU 300 from the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207.

[0065] When the control unit 201 instructs the destination determination unit 211 to determine the destination of the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207, the destination determination unit 211 determines the ECU 300 to which the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207 is to be transmitted, based on the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 209. Specifically, the destination determination unit 211 determines whether the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 209 is stored in the second identification information table stored in the storage unit 203. When the destination determination unit 211 determines that the identification information of the ECU 300 is stored in the second identification information table, the destination determination unit 211 acquires address information of the ECU 300 linked to the identification information of the ECU 300, using the second address information table stored in the storage unit 203. In this way, the destination determination unit 211 determines the ECU 300 to which the update data is to be transmitted.

[0066] When the control unit 201 instructs the update data transmission unit 213 to transmit update data while the vehicle 1 is stopped, the update data transmission unit 213 transmits the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207 to the ECU 300 determined by the destination determination unit 211. When the update data transmission unit 213 transmits the update data, address information of the ECU 300 acquired by the destination determination unit 211 is added to the update data. The update data transmission unit 213 is also referred to as a second update data transmission unit.

[0067] When the control unit 201 instructs the power consumption monitoring unit 215 to monitor the power consumption while the vehicle 1 is stopped, the power consumption monitoring unit 215 monitors the power consumption during software update by the ECU 300 that is the destination of the update data transmitted from the update data transmission unit 213. The power consumption monitoring unit 215 calculates the average value of the power consumption during software updates up to the present time, and acquires the average power consumption of the ECU 300.

[0068] The data amount acquiring unit 217 acquires the identification information of the ECU 300 and the data amount of the software for update from the update data acquired by the update data acquiring unit 207. The data amount acquiring unit 217 identifies the ECU 300 to be updated based on the acquired identification information of the ECU 300.

[0069] The time estimation unit 219 estimates the time required for the ECU 300 to be updated to update the software by dividing the data amount of the software for update acquired by the data amount acquisition unit 217 by a preset average data processing amount per unit time (average data processing speed) of the ECU 300. The time estimation unit 219 may monitor the communication load status of the network made up of downstream ECUs 300 and correct the estimated time.

[0070] It should be noted that the average data processing amount per unit time of ECU 300 is not limited to being set in advance. For example, control unit 201 may measure the data processing speed of ECU 300 each time ECU 300 executes a software update, and calculate the average value of the data processing speed up to the present, thereby acquiring the average data processing speed of ECU 300.

[0071] The calculation unit 221 acquires the OTA power consumption of the update-target ECU 300 by multiplying the time required for the update-target ECU 300 to update its software, estimated by the time estimation unit 219, by the average power consumption of the update-target ECU 300 acquired by the power consumption monitoring unit 215 the previous time the vehicle 1 was stopped. The calculation unit 221 calculates the OTA power consumption within the area by adding up the OTA power consumptions of multiple update-target ECUs 300 calculated within a certain period. In this way, the calculation unit 221 calculates the OTA power consumption within the area every certain period. Note that if the update data acquisition unit 207 does not acquire update data within the certain period, the calculation unit 221 calculates the value of the OTA power consumption within the area as 0. In this case, the area information transmission unit 223 does not need to transmit the OTA power consumption within the area.

[0072] The area information transmission unit 223 transmits the amount of OTA power consumption within the area calculated by the calculation unit 221 to the main OTA control device 100 via the communication unit 205 as area information.

[0073] When the vehicle 1 is stopped, if the control unit 201 instructs the power supply to the ECU 300 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 211, the power supply unit 225 supplies the power supplied from the auxiliary battery 700 to the ECU 300. If the control unit 201 instructs the power supply unit 225 to stop supplying power to the ECU 300 that is the sender of the update completion notification stored in the storage unit 203, the power supply unit 225 stops supplying the power supplied from the auxiliary battery 700 to the ECU 300.

[0074] The update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 receives an update completion notification from each ECU 300 via the communication unit 205 when the vehicle 1 is stopped. The update completion notification is information notifying that a software update has been completed in the ECU 300 to be updated when the vehicle 1 is stopped. When the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 receives the update completion notifications from all ECUs 300 determined by the destination determination unit 211, the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 transmits an update completion notification within the area to the auxiliary battery control device 800 via the communication unit 205. When the vehicle 1 starts operating, the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 transmits an update completion notification within the area to the main OTA control device 100 via the communication unit 105. When the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 transmits the update completion notification within the area to the main OTA control device 100, the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 deletes the information of the ECUs 300 determined by the destination determination unit 211 while the vehicle 1 was last stopped, which is stored in the storage unit 103.

[0075] [Functional configuration of auxiliary battery control device] Next, a functional configuration of the auxiliary battery control device 800 will be described. Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the auxiliary battery control device 800. As shown in Fig. 8, the auxiliary battery control device 800 includes a control unit 801, a storage unit 803, a communication unit 805, a power supply unit 807, a vehicle information acquisition unit 809, a remaining energy acquisition unit 811, a determination unit 813, a calculation unit 815, a charge request transmission unit 817, an update completion notification reception unit 819, and a charge completion notification reception unit 821. The storage unit 803 may be provided outside the auxiliary battery control device 800.

[0076] The control unit 801 controls the overall processing in the auxiliary battery control device 800. Specifically, the control unit 801 controls the operation of each of the storage unit 803, communication unit 805, power supply unit 807, vehicle information acquisition unit 809, remaining energy acquisition unit 811, determination unit 813, calculation unit 815, charge request transmission unit 817, update completion notification reception unit 819, and charge completion notification reception unit 821.

[0077] For example, when the control unit 801 detects a signal indicating that the power switch of the vehicle 1 has been switched on, the control unit 801 determines that the vehicle 1 has started operating. When the control unit 801 determines that the vehicle has started operating, it instructs the power supply unit 807 to start supplying power.

[0078] For example, when the control unit 801 detects a signal indicating that the power switch of the vehicle 1 has been switched off, the control unit 801 determines that the operation of the vehicle 1 has ended and that the vehicle 1 has stopped (parked). When the control unit 801 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the power supply unit 807 to stop supplying power to the main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600. When the control unit 801 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped, it instructs the power supply unit 807 to supply power to the secondary OTA control device 200, which is the destination of the update data.

[0079] For example, the control unit 801 identifies the secondary OTA control device 200 by the main OTA control device 100 separately notifying the information of the secondary OTA control device 200 to which update data is to be transmitted. Note that the control unit 801 may also identify the secondary OTA control device 200 by each secondary OTA control device 200 separately notifying information about its own device after receiving update data.

[0080] As described below, when the update completion notification receiving unit 819 receives an update completion notification within the area from the secondary OTA control device 200, the control unit 801 instructs the power supply unit 807 to stop supplying power to the secondary OTA control device 200.

[0081] The storage unit 803 stores various information necessary for the operation of the auxiliary battery control device 800. For example, the storage unit 803 stores the current total OTA power consumption amount acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 809. The storage unit 803 stores the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700 acquired by the remaining power amount acquisition unit 811. The storage unit 803 stores the supplementary power amount calculated by the calculation unit 815.

[0082] The communication unit 805 communicates with the main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600. The communication unit 805 also communicates with a plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200, although this is not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

[0083] When the control unit 201 instructs the power supply unit 807 to start power supply at the start of operation of the vehicle 1, the power supply unit 807 starts supplying power from the auxiliary battery 700 to the main OTA control device 100, the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200, and the main battery control device 600. When the control unit 801 instructs the power supply unit 807 to stop power supply to the main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600 at the time of stopping the vehicle 1, the power supply unit 807 stops power supply from the auxiliary battery 700 to the main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600.

[0084] When the vehicle 1 is stopped, if the control unit 801 instructs the power supply unit 807 to supply power to the secondary OTA control device 200 to which update data is to be transmitted, the power supply unit 807 continues the power supply from the auxiliary battery 700 to the secondary OTA control device 200. Note that for the secondary OTA control device 200 for which the control unit 801 does not instruct the power supply (i.e., for which update data is not transmitted), the power supply unit 807 stops the power supply from the auxiliary battery 700.

[0085] The vehicle information acquisition unit 809 acquires, as vehicle information, the total OTA power consumption amount required for updating software throughout the vehicle 1 from the main OTA control device 100 via the communication unit 805. Note that the vehicle information acquisition unit 809 acquires the total OTA power consumption amount from the main OTA control device 100 at regular intervals while the vehicle 1 is in operation, and therefore, each time the vehicle information acquisition unit 809 acquires the total OTA power consumption amount while the vehicle 1 is in operation, it adds the value of the total OTA power consumption amount to the total value of all OTA power consumption amounts that have already been acquired to acquire the current total OTA power consumption amount.

[0086] The remaining energy acquisition unit 811 periodically acquires the remaining energy of the auxiliary battery 700. When acquiring a State Of Charge (SOC) value as the state of charge of the auxiliary battery 700, the remaining energy acquisition unit 811 converts the SOC value into the remaining energy using the energy of the auxiliary battery 700 when fully charged.

[0087] The determination unit 813 determines, at regular intervals, whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700, based on the difference between the remaining power of the auxiliary battery 700 acquired by the remaining power acquisition unit 811 and the current total OTA power consumption amount acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 809. If the difference does not exceed a threshold, the determination unit 813 determines that it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700. On the other hand, if the difference exceeds the threshold, the determination unit 813 determines that it is not necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700.

[0088] When the determination unit 813 determines that it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700, the calculation unit 815 calculates the amount of replenishment power that should be replenished from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700. The calculation unit 815 is also referred to as a replenishment power amount calculation unit.

[0089] The charge request transmitting unit 817 transmits the supplementary power amount calculated by the calculation unit 815 as a charge request to the main battery control device 600. The charge request transmitting unit 817 is also referred to as a supplementary power amount transmitting unit.

[0090] The update completion notification receiving unit 819 receives an update completion notification for the area from the secondary OTA control device 200 when the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0091] The charging completion notification receiving unit 821 receives a charging completion notification from the main battery control device 600 while the vehicle 1 is in operation.

[0092] [Functional configuration of main battery control device] Next, a functional configuration of the main battery control device 600 will be described. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the main battery control device 600. As shown in Fig. 9, the main battery control device 600 includes a control unit 601, a storage unit 603, a communication unit 605, a power supply unit 607, a charge request acquisition unit 609, a power supplement unit 611, and a charge completion notification transmission unit 613. Note that the storage unit 603 may be provided outside the main battery control device 600.

[0093] The control unit 601 controls the overall processing in the main battery control device 600. Specifically, the control unit 601 controls the operation of each of the storage unit 603, communication unit 605, power supply unit 607, charge request acquisition unit 609, power supplement unit 611, and charge completion notification transmission unit 613.

[0094] The storage unit 603 stores various information necessary for the operation of the main battery control device 600. For example, the storage unit 603 stores the supplementary power amount acquired by the charging request acquisition unit 609.

[0095] The communication unit 605 communicates with the main battery 400 , the power converter 500 , and the auxiliary battery control device 800 .

[0096] The power supply unit 607 supplies power to various devices used to drive the vehicle 1 at appropriate timings while the vehicle 1 is in operation. The power supply unit 607 charges the auxiliary battery 700 with power from the main battery 400 via the power converter 500 at appropriate timings while the vehicle 1 is in operation.

[0097] The charging request acquisition unit 609 acquires the amount of supplementary power as a charging request from the auxiliary battery control device 800. The charging request acquisition unit 609 is also referred to as a supplementary power amount acquisition unit.

[0098] During operation of vehicle 1, power replenishment unit 611 replenishes power from main battery 400 to auxiliary battery 700 via power converter 500 based on the amount of replenishment power acquired by charging request acquisition unit 609. Specifically, power replenishment unit 611 replenishes power from main battery 400 to auxiliary battery 700 by the amount of replenishment power.

[0099] When the power replenishment unit 611 finishes replenishment of the auxiliary battery 700 with power, the charge completion notification transmission unit 613 transmits a charge completion notification to the auxiliary battery control device 800.

[0100] The functional configurations of the main OTA control device 100, the secondary OTA control device 200, the auxiliary battery control device 800, and the main battery control device 600 have been described above.

[0101] [Hardware configuration of the main OTA control device, secondary OTA control device, auxiliary battery control device, and main battery control device] Next, the hardware configurations of the main OTA control device 100, the secondary OTA control device 200, the auxiliary battery control device 800, and the main battery control device 600 will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configurations of the above-mentioned devices. As shown in Fig. 10, the hardware configurations of the above-mentioned devices are common, so the main OTA control device 100 will be described as an example, and descriptions of the other devices will be omitted.

[0102] The main OTA control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1003, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1005, a storage 1007, an RTC (Real-Time Clock) 1009, a power interface 1011, and a communication interface 1013.

[0103] The CPU 1001 executes a program stored in the ROM 1003. The CPU 1001 performs arithmetic processing on data loaded into the RAM 1005 in accordance with the program, and comprehensively controls each unit of the main OTA control device 100. The CPU is also called a processor.

[0104] ROM 1003 stores programs and the like executed by CPU 1001. In this embodiment, ROM 1003 stores at least programs for controlling charging processing of auxiliary battery 700 and software update processing of ECU 300, which will be described later. RAM 1005 temporarily holds calculation data when CPU 1001 executes the programs stored in ROM 1003. Note that ROM and RAM are also referred to as non-volatile memory and volatile memory, respectively.

[0105] The storage 1007 stores a first identification information table, a first address information table, etc. The CPU 1001 controls reading and writing of data from and to the storage 1007 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 1003. The storage 1007 may be provided outside the main OTA control device 100. In this case, the storage 1007 is communicatively connected to the main OTA control device 100 via a communication interface 1013.

[0106] The RTC 1009 generates time information. The power interface 1011 is connected to the auxiliary battery 700 via a power line. The communication interface 1013 is connected to a plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200, the auxiliary battery control device 800, and the in-vehicle communication device 900 via communication lines. The communication interface may be connected to various sensors via communication lines.

[0107] [Auxiliary battery charging process] Next, a description will be given of the charging process of auxiliary battery 700. Figures 11A and 11B are sequence diagrams showing an example of the charging process of auxiliary battery 700. Below, the charging process of auxiliary battery 700 will be described using as an example a software update of ECUs 300a1, 300b1, and 300c1 belonging to the first system.

[0108] 11A, the data center 3 generates a plurality of pieces of update data (step S11). Each piece of update data includes identification information of a plurality of target ECUs 300 (300a1, 300b1, 300c1) to be updated and update software (see FIG. 5). The data center 3 transmits the generated plurality of pieces of update data to the vehicle 1 (step S13).

[0109] In the vehicle 1, when the in-vehicle communication device 900 receives the plurality of pieces of update data transmitted from the data center 3, the in-vehicle communication device 900 transmits the received plurality of pieces of update data to the main OTA control device 100 (step S15).

[0110] When the main OTA control device 100 receives the plurality of update data, it transmits the plurality of update data to the plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, 200c) (step S17). Specifically, in the main OTA control device 100, when the update data acquisition unit 107 acquires the plurality of update data, the identification information acquisition unit 109 acquires the identification information of the plurality of target ECUs 300 (300a1, 300b1, 300c1) from the plurality of update data.

[0111] The transmission destination determination unit 111 acquires identification information of multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, 200c) that are linked to the identification information of multiple target ECUs 300 (300a1, 300b1, 300c1) using a first identification information table stored in the storage unit 103. As a result, the transmission destination determination unit 111 determines the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, 200c) to which the multiple update data are to be transmitted. The update data transmission unit 113 transmits the multiple update data to the multiple determined secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, 200c), respectively.

[0112] When each secondary OTA control device 200 receives the update data from the main OTA control device 100, it holds the update data (step S19). Specifically, in the secondary OTA control device 200, when the update data acquisition unit 207 acquires the update data, it stores the update data in the storage unit 203.

[0113] When each secondary OTA control device 200 holds the update data, it acquires, from the update data, the identification information of the target ECU 300 and the data amount of the software for updating (step S21). Specifically, the data amount acquisition unit 217 acquires, from the update data, the identification information of the target ECU 300 and the data amount of the software for updating. The data amount acquisition unit 217 identifies the target ECU 300 based on the acquired identification information of the target ECU 300.

[0114] After acquiring the data amount from the update data, each secondary OTA control device 200 estimates the time required for the target ECU 300 to perform the software update based on the acquired data amount (step S23). Specifically, the time estimation unit 219 estimates the time required for the target ECU 300 to perform the software update by dividing the average data processing amount per unit time of the ECU 300 (average data processing speed) by the acquired data amount of the update software.

[0115] Each secondary OTA control device 200 multiplies the average power consumption during software update in the target ECU 300 by the estimated time to calculate the OTA power consumption of the target ECU 300 (step S25). Specifically, the calculation unit 221 multiplies the latest average power consumption of the target ECU 300 acquired by the power consumption monitoring unit 215 by the time estimated by the time estimation unit 219 to acquire the OTA power consumption of the target ECU 300.

[0116] Each secondary OTA control device 200 calculates the OTA power consumption amount within its area by adding up the OTA power consumption amounts calculated within a certain period. In this example, since each secondary OTA control device 200 receives one update data, the OTA power consumption amount of the target ECU 300 calculated in step S25 is set as the OTA power consumption amount within its area.

[0117] Each secondary OTA control device 200 transmits the calculated amount of OTA power consumption within the area as area information to the main OTA control device 100 (step S27). Specifically, the area information transmission unit 223 transmits the calculated amount of OTA power consumption within the area to the main OTA control device 100 as area information.

[0118] 11B, the main OTA control device 100 calculates the total OTA power consumption of the entire vehicle 1 based on the OTA power consumption amounts for multiple areas received from multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, 200c) within a certain period of time (step S29). Specifically, in the main OTA control device 100, the calculation unit 117 adds up the OTA power consumption amounts for multiple areas received by the area information receiving unit 115 within a certain period of time to obtain the total OTA power consumption amount.

[0119] The main OTA control device 100 transmits the calculated total OTA power consumption amount as vehicle information to the auxiliary battery control device 800 (step S31). Specifically, the vehicle information transmission unit 119 transmits the total OTA power consumption amount calculated by the calculation unit 117 to the auxiliary battery control device 800 as vehicle information.

[0120] The auxiliary battery control device 800 acquires the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700 (step S33). Specifically, in the auxiliary battery control device 800, the remaining power amount acquisition unit 811 acquires the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700.

[0121] The auxiliary battery control device 800 determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the difference between the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700 and the total OTA power consumption amount acquired from the main OTA control device 100 (step S34). Specifically, the determination unit 813 determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the difference between the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700 acquired by the remaining power amount acquisition unit 811 and the total OTA power consumption amount acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 809.

[0122] When the auxiliary battery control device 800 determines that it is necessary to replenish the auxiliary battery 700 with power from the main battery 400, the auxiliary battery control device 800 calculates the amount of replenishment power that should be replenished with power to the auxiliary battery 700. Specifically, when the determination unit 813 determines that it is necessary to replenish the auxiliary battery 700 with power from the main battery 400, the calculation unit 815 calculates the amount of replenishment power that should be replenished with power to the auxiliary battery 700.

[0123] The auxiliary battery control device 800 transmits the calculated amount of supplementary power to the main battery control device 600 (step S35). Specifically, the charge request transmission unit 817 transmits the amount of supplementary power calculated by the calculation unit 815 to the main battery control device 600 as a charge request.

[0124] On the other hand, when the auxiliary battery control device 800 determines that it is not necessary to replenish the auxiliary battery 700 with power from the main battery 400, the calculation and transmission of replenishment power are not performed.

[0125] When the vehicle 1 is in operation, the main battery control device 600 replenishes power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on the amount of replenishment power acquired from the auxiliary battery control device 800 (step S37). Specifically, in the main battery control device 600, the power replenishment unit 611 replenishes power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the amount of replenishment power acquired by the charging request acquisition unit 609 when the vehicle 1 is in operation.

[0126] When the main battery control device 600 has completed the power replenishment of the auxiliary battery 700, it transmits a charge completion notification to the auxiliary battery control device 800 (step S39). Specifically, when the power replenishment unit 611 has completed the power replenishment of the auxiliary battery 700, the charge completion notification transmission unit 613 transmits a charge completion notification to the auxiliary battery control device 800.

[0127] Steps S33 to S39 are performed at regular intervals until the vehicle 1 stops. As a result, even if, for example, power is continuously supplied from the auxiliary battery 700 to the multiple ECUs 300 via the secondary OTA control device 200 until the vehicle 1 stops, causing the multiple ECUs 300 to perform normal operations, it is possible to reliably avoid a power shortage in the auxiliary battery 700 when the multiple target ECUs 300 perform software updates while the vehicle 1 is stopped (see FIG. 13 ).

[0128] [ECU software update process] Next, a description will be given of a software update process for ECU 300. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a software update process for ECU 300. The software update process for ECU 300 will be described below as a process subsequent to the charging process for auxiliary battery 700.

[0129] 12, when the vehicle 1 stops (parks), the main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600 stop operating (steps S51a and S51b). Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 stops, the auxiliary battery control device 800 supplies power to the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a to 200c) (step S53). Specifically, in the auxiliary battery control device 800, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the control unit 801 instructs the power supply unit 807 to supply power to the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, and 200c) to which multiple pieces of update data are to be transmitted. Based on this instruction, the power supply unit 807 continues to supply power from the auxiliary battery 700 to the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a, 200b, and 200c).

[0130] Each secondary OTA control device 200 supplies the power received from the auxiliary battery 700 to the target ECU 300 (step S55) and transmits update data to the target ECU 300 (step S57). Specifically, in each secondary OTA control device 200, the identification information acquisition unit 209 acquires identification information of the ECU 300 from the update data acquired by the update data acquisition unit 207. The transmission destination determination unit 211 determines the target ECU 300 to which the update data is to be transmitted, based on the identification information of the ECU 300 acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 209. The power supply unit 225 supplies the power received from the auxiliary battery 700 to the target ECU 300 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 211. The update data transmission unit 213 transmits the update data to the target ECU 300 determined by the transmission destination determination unit 211.

[0131] Upon receiving the update data from the secondary OTA control device 200, the target ECU 300 executes an installation process (step S59). Specifically, the target ECU 300 executes a software update based on the update data, and rewrites the current software with the software for update.

[0132] When the target ECU 300 completes the software update, it transmits an update completion notification to the secondary OTA control device 200 (step S61). After transmitting the update completion notification, the target ECU 300 stops operation (step S63).

[0133] When each secondary OTA control device 200 receives the update completion notifications from all the target ECUs 300, it transmits an update completion notification within its area to the auxiliary battery control device 800 to notify the auxiliary battery control device 800 that the software updates of all the target ECUs 300 within its area have been completed (step S65). Specifically, in each secondary OTA control device 200, when the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 receives the update completion notifications from all the target ECUs 300, it transmits an update completion notification within its area to the auxiliary battery control device 800. In this example, since there is one target ECU 300 in each secondary OTA control device 200, when the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 receives the update completion notification from one target ECU 300, it transmits an update completion notification within its area to the auxiliary battery control device 800.

[0134] After transmitting the update completion notification within the area, each secondary OTA control device 200 stops operating (step S67).

[0135] When the vehicle 1 resumes operation, the main OTA control device 100, the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200, and the main battery control device 600 are started up (steps S101a to S101c).

[0136] When each of the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a to 200c) is started, it transmits an update completion notification within its area to the main OTA control device 100 (step S103). Specifically, the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 227 transmits an update completion notification within its area to the main OTA control device 100.

[0137] When the main OTA control device 100 receives the update completion notifications within the areas from all of the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a to 200c), it transmits an update completion notification for the entire vehicle to the in-vehicle communication device 900 (step S105). Specifically, in the main OTA control device 100, when the update completion notification transmitting / receiving unit 121 receives the update completion notifications within the areas from the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 (200a to 200c), it transmits an update completion notification for the entire vehicle to the in-vehicle communication device 900.

[0138] When the in-vehicle communication device 900 receives the update completion notification for the entire vehicle from the main OTA control device 100, the in-vehicle communication device 900 transmits the update completion notification for the entire vehicle to the data center 3 (step S107).

[0139] [Actions and Effects] According to this embodiment, the in-vehicle control system 10 includes a main OTA control device 100, multiple secondary OTA control devices 200, multiple target ECUs 300, a main battery control device 600, and an auxiliary battery control device 800. The multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 are communicatively connected to the main OTA control device 100 and are respectively disposed in multiple areas of the vehicle 1. The multiple target ECUs 300 are communicatively connected to the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200 and perform software updates. The auxiliary battery control device 800 controls an auxiliary battery 700 that supplies power to the main OTA control device 100 and the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200. The main battery control device 600 controls a main battery 400 that stores power to drive the vehicle 1.

[0140] The main OTA control device 100 includes an update data acquisition unit 107, an update data transmission unit 113, an area information reception unit 115, a calculation unit 117, and a vehicle information transmission unit 119. The update data acquisition unit 107 acquires multiple update data transmitted from the data center 3, each of which includes software for updating multiple target ECUs 300. The update data transmission unit 113 transmits the multiple update data to multiple secondary OTA control devices 200. The area information reception unit 115 receives, from each secondary OTA control device 200, the amount of OTA power consumption within the area required for the target ECUs 300 communicatively connected to each secondary OTA control device 200 to update their software. The calculation unit 117 calculates the total OTA power consumption required for updating the software throughout the vehicle based on the OTA power consumption within the multiple areas received from the multiple secondary OTA control devices 200. The vehicle information transmission unit 119 transmits the total OTA power consumption to the auxiliary battery control device 800.

[0141] The auxiliary battery control device 800 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 809, a remaining energy acquisition unit 811, a determination unit 813, a calculation unit 815, and a charge request transmission unit 817. The vehicle information acquisition unit 809 acquires the total amount of OTA power consumption from the main OTA control device 100. The remaining energy acquisition unit 811 acquires the remaining energy of the auxiliary battery 700. The determination unit 813 determines whether or not power needs to be replenished from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the difference between the total amount of OTA power consumption and the remaining energy of the auxiliary battery 700. When the determination unit 813 determines that power needs to be replenished from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700, the calculation unit 815 calculates the amount of replenished energy. The charge request transmission unit 817 transmits the amount of replenished energy to the main battery control device 600.

[0142] The main battery control device 600 has a charging request acquisition unit 609 and a power supplement unit 611. The charging request acquisition unit 609 acquires the amount of supplemental power from the auxiliary battery control device 800. The power supplement unit 611 supplements power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the amount of supplemental power while the vehicle 1 is in operation.

[0143] Each secondary OTA control device 200 has an update data acquisition unit 207, an update data transmission unit 213, and a power supply unit 225. The update data acquisition unit 207 acquires update data including software for updating the target ECU 300 from the main OTA control device 100. The power supply unit 225 supplies power supplied from the auxiliary battery 700 to the target ECU 300 when the vehicle 1 is stopped. The update data transmission unit 213 transmits the update data to the target ECU 300 when the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0144] The target ECU 300 updates the software based on the update data when the vehicle 1 is stopped. The main OTA control device 100 and the main battery control device 600 stop operating when the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0145] With this configuration, if the difference between the remaining power amount of auxiliary battery 700 and the total OTA power consumption amount, which is the power consumption amount required for updating the software in the entire vehicle 1, does not exceed the threshold, power is replenished from main battery 400 to auxiliary battery 700 while vehicle 1 is in operation. This makes it possible to avoid a power shortage in auxiliary battery 700 when target ECU 300 updates software while the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0146] 13 is a diagram illustrating the charging state of auxiliary battery 700. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, by performing additional charging (power replenishment) while vehicle 1 is in operation, it is possible to complete the software update of target ECU 300 within the normal operating range of auxiliary battery 700.

[0147] Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the main battery control device 600 that controls the main battery 400 stops operating, thereby preventing an increase in the power consumption of the entire vehicle when the vehicle 1 is stopped. In this way, according to the in-vehicle control system 10 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, it is possible to update the software of the ECU 300 while preventing an increase in the power consumption of the entire vehicle 1.

[0148] According to this embodiment, each secondary OTA control device 200 further includes a data amount acquisition unit 217, a time estimation unit 219, and a calculation unit 221. The data amount acquisition unit 217 acquires the data amount of software for updating the target ECU 300. The time estimation unit 219 estimates the time required for the target ECU 300 to perform the software update based on the acquired data amount. The calculation unit 221 calculates the OTA power consumption of the target ECU 300 by multiplying the average power consumption during the software update by the estimated time.

[0149] With this configuration, each secondary OTA control device 200 can calculate the OTA power consumption amount of the target ECU 300 without significantly deviating from the actual OTA power consumption amount of the target ECU 300.

[0150] According to this embodiment, the plurality of update data items include identification information of the plurality of target ECUs 300, respectively. The main OTA control device 100 further includes a storage unit 103, an identification information acquisition unit 109, and a transmission destination determination unit 111. The storage unit 103 stores the identification information of the plurality of target ECUs 300, each associated with the identification information of the plurality of secondary OTA control devices 200. The identification information acquisition unit 109 acquires the identification information of the plurality of target ECUs 300 from the plurality of update data items. The transmission destination determination unit 111 determines the secondary OTA control device 200 to which the update data including the identification information of each target ECU 300 is to be transmitted, based on the acquired identification information of each target ECU 300. The update data transmission unit 113 transmits the update data including the identification information of each target ECU 300 to the determined secondary OTA control device 200.

[0151] With this configuration, the main OTA control device 100 can reliably transmit update data including software for updating the target ECU 300 to the corresponding secondary OTA control device 200.

[0152] According to this embodiment, when the target ECU 300 updates the software while the vehicle 1 is stopped, the target ECU 300 transmits an update completion notification to the secondary OTA control device 200 and stops operation. When the secondary OTA control device 200 receives the update completion notification while the vehicle 1 is stopped, the secondary OTA control device 200 stops operation.

[0153] With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the power consumption of the entire vehicle 1 from increasing when the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0154] In the auxiliary battery control device 800, the remaining power acquisition unit 811 acquires the remaining power of the auxiliary battery 700 at regular intervals during operation of the vehicle 1. Each time the remaining power acquisition unit 811 acquires the remaining power of the auxiliary battery 700, the determination unit 813 determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery 400 to the auxiliary battery 700 based on the difference between the total OTA power consumption amount and the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery 700.

[0155] With this configuration, for example, even if power is continuously supplied from the auxiliary battery 700 to the plurality of ECUs 300 via the secondary OTA control device 200 until the vehicle 1 stops, causing the plurality of ECUs 300 to perform normal operations, it is possible to reliably avoid a power shortage in the auxiliary battery 700 when the plurality of target ECUs 300 perform software updates while the vehicle 1 is stopped.

[0156] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle, but is not limited to this. The vehicle 1 may be a vehicle that is driven only by an engine and does not include the main battery 400. In this case, instead of the main battery 400, the power converter 500, and the main battery control device 600, a low-voltage (e.g., 12 V) sub-battery (or alternator) and a control device that controls the operation of the sub-battery (or alternator) are provided.

[0157] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1 vehicle 3 Data Center 10. In-vehicle control systems 100 Main OTA control device 103 Storage section 107 Update data acquisition unit 109 Identification information acquisition unit 111 Destination determination unit 113 Update data transmission unit 115 Area information receiving unit 117 Calculation Unit 119 Vehicle information transmission unit 200 Secondary OTA control device 207 Update Data Acquisition Unit 213 Update data transmission unit 217 Data volume acquisition unit 219 Time Estimation Unit 221 Calculation Unit 225 Power supply section 300 ECU 400 Main Battery 600 Main battery control device 609 Charging request acquisition unit 611 Power Replenishment Department 700 Auxiliary Battery 800 Auxiliary battery control device 809 Vehicle Information Acquisition Unit 811 Remaining power amount acquisition unit 813 Judgment section 815 Calculation Unit 817 Charging request transmission unit

Claims

1. a main OTA control device; a plurality of secondary OTA control devices communicatively connected to the main OTA control device and disposed in a plurality of areas of the vehicle; a plurality of target ECUs (Electronic Control Units) communicatively connected to the plurality of secondary OTA control devices, respectively, and configured to perform software updates; a first control device that controls an auxiliary battery that supplies power to the main OTA control device and the plurality of secondary OTA control devices; a second control device that controls a main battery that stores power for driving the vehicle; Equipped with The main OTA control device a first update data acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of update data transmitted from a data center, each of the update data including software for updating the plurality of target ECUs; a first update data transmission unit that transmits the plurality of update data to the plurality of secondary OTA control devices; an area information receiving unit that receives, from each secondary OTA control device, an amount of OTA power consumption within an area required for a target ECU communicably connected to each secondary OTA control device to update software; a calculation unit that calculates a total amount of OTA power consumption required for updating software in an entire vehicle based on the amounts of OTA power consumption in a plurality of areas received from the plurality of secondary OTA control devices; a vehicle information transmission unit that transmits the total OTA power consumption amount to the first control device; and The first control device a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires the total OTA power consumption amount from the main OTA control device; a remaining energy acquisition unit that acquires a remaining energy amount of the auxiliary battery; a determination unit that determines whether or not power needs to be replenished from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on a difference between the total OTA power consumption amount and the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery; a supplementary power amount calculation unit that calculates a supplementary power amount when the determination unit determines that power needs to be supplemented from the main battery to the auxiliary battery; a supplementary power amount transmitting unit that transmits the supplementary power amount to the second control device; and The second control device is a supplementary power amount acquisition unit that acquires the supplementary power amount from the first control device; a power supplement unit that supplements power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on the supplemental power amount during operation of the vehicle; and Each of the secondary OTA control devices a second update data acquisition unit that acquires update data including software for updating the target ECU from the main OTA control device; a power supply unit that supplies power supplied from the auxiliary battery to the target ECU when the vehicle is stopped; a second update data transmission unit that transmits the update data to the target ECU when the vehicle is stopped; and the target ECU executes the software update based on the update data when the vehicle is stopped; An in-vehicle control system, wherein the main OTA control device and the second control device stop operating when the vehicle is stopped.

2. Each of the secondary OTA control devices a data amount acquiring unit that acquires the data amount of software for updating the target ECU; a time estimation unit that estimates a time required for the target ECU to perform the software update based on the acquired data amount; a calculation unit that calculates the OTA power consumption of the target ECU by multiplying the average power consumption during the software update by the estimated time; The in-vehicle control system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. the plurality of update data include identification information of the plurality of target ECUs, respectively; The main OTA control device a storage unit configured to store identification information of the plurality of target ECUs associated with the identification information of the plurality of secondary OTA control devices; an identification information acquisition unit that acquires identification information of the plurality of target ECUs from the plurality of update data; a transmission destination determination unit that determines a secondary OTA control device to which update data including the identification information of each target ECU is to be transmitted based on the acquired identification information of each target ECU; and The in-vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein the first update data transmission unit transmits the update data including identification information of each of the target ECUs to the determined secondary OTA control device.

4. When the target ECU updates the software while the vehicle is stopped, the target ECU transmits an update completion notification to each of the secondary OTA control devices and stops operation; The in-vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the secondary OTA control devices stops operating when the update completion notification is received while the vehicle is stopped.

5. In the first control device, the remaining power acquisition unit acquires the remaining power amount of the auxiliary battery at regular intervals during operation of the vehicle; 2. The in-vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not it is necessary to replenish power from the main battery to the auxiliary battery based on the difference between the total OTA power consumption and the remaining power of the auxiliary battery each time the remaining power acquisition unit acquires the remaining power of the auxiliary battery.

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