Method of manufacturing vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique for correctly writing individual programs.SOLUTION: A vehicle manufacturing method includes: a first step of preparing a vehicle body with a controller on which common software common to multiple types of vehicles has been programmed; and a second step of writing an individual software program specific to the type of the body, to the controller mounted on the body. The controllers have identifiers corresponding to different characteristics for each type of the vehicles. The second step includes confirming, before writing the individual software programs, the consistency between the individual software program to be written to the controllers and the identifiers, and confirming, after writing the individual software programs, the consistency between the individual software programs written to the controllers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a vehicle, which includes the steps of preparing a vehicle body equipped with an ECU that has basic software common to multiple vehicle models written in it, and writing specific software specific to the vehicle model into the ECU. In the step of writing the specific software, an inspection using a checksum or the like is performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-157637 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicle manufacturing, it is necessary to write the correct individual software for each vehicle model to be manufactured. Therefore, after writing the individual software, it is possible to check the consistency between the basic software stored in the ECU and the individual software. However, if such a method is adopted, when changes are made to the basic software, it becomes necessary to modify the individual software and the contents of the check accordingly. This specification provides a technology for avoiding such troublesome work and correctly writing the individual software. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The vehicle manufacturing method disclosed in this specification comprises a first step of preparing a vehicle body equipped with a controller having written therein common software common to a plurality of vehicle types, and a second step of writing individual software specific to the vehicle type of the vehicle body into the controller mounted on the vehicle body, the controller being assigned an identifier corresponding to different features of the plurality of vehicle types, and in the second step, before writing the individual software, consistency is confirmed between the individual software to be written into the controller and the identifier, and after writing the individual software, consistency is confirmed between the individual software written into the controller.

[0006] According to the above configuration, by checking the consistency between the individual software and the identifier, it is possible to confirm that the correct individual software has been selected for the vehicle model to be manufactured. Furthermore, after the individual software has been written, the appropriateness of the written individual software can be double-checked by checking the consistency between the individual software actually stored in the controller. This series of inspections does not use common software. Therefore, even if changes are made to the basic software, the individual software can be written correctly without modifying the individual software or the inspection contents accordingly.

[0007] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Description of Embodiments of the Invention." [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle to be manufactured. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a confirmation process. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a process for manufacturing a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Vehicle 2 configuration; Figure 1) 1 shows a vehicle 2 manufactured by the manufacturing method of this embodiment. The vehicle 2 includes a vehicle body 10, a central gateway 12 (hereinafter referred to as "CGW 12"), and a controller 20. The CGW 12 and the controller 20 are mounted on the vehicle body 10. The CGW 12 is a device for executing communication between a device mounted on the vehicle body 10 (e.g., the controller 20) and a device external to the vehicle body 10.

[0010] The vehicle body 10 is further equipped with a driving motor and a power generation motor (not shown). The controller 20 includes a first microcomputer 30 that controls the power supplied to the driving motor, and a second microcomputer 40 that controls the power output from the power generation motor. In a modified example, the vehicle body 10 may be equipped with two driving motors. One motor may be a front-wheel drive motor, and the other motor may be a rear-wheel drive motor. The first microcomputer 30 may control the power supplied to the front-wheel drive motor, and the second microcomputer 40 may control the power supplied to the rear-wheel drive motor.

[0011] The first microcomputer 30 is written with first common software 32 and first individual software 34. The first common software 32 is software common to multiple vehicle models, while the first individual software 34 is software specific to the vehicle model of the vehicle body 10. In other words, the common software 32 and 42 contain the same programs between the first and second vehicle models, while the individual software 34 and 44 contain programs that differ between the first and second vehicle models. Similar to the first microcomputer 30, the second common software 42 and second individual software 44 are also written to the second microcomputer 40.

[0012] The controller 20 is assigned an identifier (e.g., ID1) corresponding to different characteristics of a plurality of vehicle types. The different characteristics of a plurality of vehicle types include, for example, the type of battery, engine displacement, drive system, etc. For example, a controller 20 having the same structure is used for a first vehicle type and a second vehicle type having different characteristics from the first vehicle type. On the other hand, the controller 20 to be installed in the first vehicle type is assigned an identifier ID1, and the controller 20 to be installed in the second vehicle type is assigned an identifier ID2 different from the identifier ID1. For example, the identifiers are included in the common software 32 and 42.

[0013] The writing device 100 is a device for writing the individual software 34 and 44 into the controller 20. The writing device 100 is configured to be connectable to the CGW 12.

[0014] (Confirmation process; Figure 2) 2, a confirmation process for confirming whether the individual software 34 and 44 have been correctly written to the controller 20 will be described. The confirmation process of FIG. 2 is executed by the controller 20. The confirmation process of FIG. 2 is started when the controller 20 receives a write request including the individual software 34 and 44 from the writing device 100.

[0015] In S10, the controller 20 checks the consistency between the first individual software 34 received from the writing device 100 and the identifier assigned to the controller 20. For example, the first individual software 34 includes an identifier corresponding to the characteristics of the vehicle model corresponding to the first individual software 34. If the identifier in the first individual software 34 matches the identifier assigned to the controller 20, the controller 20 determines that the first individual software 34 matches the identifier. If the controller 20 determines that the first individual software 34 matches the identifier (YES in S10), the controller 20 proceeds to S12.

[0016] In S12, the controller 20 writes the first individual software 34 into the first microcomputer 30. When S12 ends, the controller 20 proceeds to S20.

[0017] In S20, the controller 20 checks for consistency between the second individual software 44 received from the writing device 100 and the identifier assigned to the controller 20. The method for checking consistency is the same as in S10. If the controller 20 determines that the second individual software 44 matches the identifier (YES in S20), the controller 20 proceeds to S22.

[0018] In S22, the controller 20 writes the second individual software 44 into the second microcomputer 40. When S22 ends, the controller 20 proceeds to S40.

[0019] In S40, the controller 20 calculates an error detection code that combines the first individual software 34 written in S12 and the second individual software 44 written in S22. Here, the error detection code is, for example, a SUM value used in a checksum.

[0020] In S42, the controller 20 determines whether the error detection code calculated in S40 matches a correct value. The determination in S42 is, for example, a checksum. The correct value is, for example, included in at least one of the individual software 34 and 44 received from the writing device 100.

[0021] If the controller 20 determines that the error detection code calculated in S40 matches the correct value (YES in S42), the controller 20 proceeds to S44. In S44, the controller 20 transmits a normal notification to the writing device 100 indicating that the individual software 34 and 44 have been written normally.

[0022] Furthermore, if the controller 20 determines that the error detection code calculated in S40 does not match the correct value (YES in S42), the controller 20 proceeds to S46. In S46, the controller 20 transmits an abnormality notification to the writing device 100, indicating that the individual software 34 and 44 were not written normally.

[0023] Furthermore, if the controller 20 determines that the first individual software 34 does not match the identifier (NO in S10) or if the controller 20 determines that the second individual software 44 does not match the identifier (NO in S20), the controller 20 proceeds to S30. In S30, the controller 20 transmits an NG notice to the writing device 100 indicating that incorrect individual software has been received.

[0024] When any one of S30, S44, and S46 has finished, the controller 20 ends the processing of FIG.

[0025] (Vehicle 2 manufacturing method; Figure 3) A method for manufacturing the vehicle 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. In step (a), the vehicle body 10 equipped with the controller 20 and the CGW 12, into which the common software 32 and 34 are written, is prepared at a vehicle factory.

[0026] For example, the common software 32 and 34 are written into the controller 20 at a factory that manufactures the controller 20, and the controller 20 is then shipped to a vehicle factory. The controller 20 is then mounted on the vehicle body 10 at the vehicle factory, thereby preparing the vehicle body 10 equipped with the controller 20. At the stage of step (a), the individual software 34 and 44 have not yet been written into the controller 20. In other words, the vehicle body 10 prepared in step (a) is a vehicle body before being shipped from the factory.

[0027] In a modified example, the vehicle body 10 prepared in step (a) may be a vehicle body that has been shipped from a vehicle factory to the market and then returned to the factory. In this modified example, at the stage of step (a), the individual software 34 and 44 have already been written in the controller 20, and at least one of the individual software 34 and 44 is updated.

[0028] In step (b), the writing device 100 is connected to the central gateway 12 of the vehicle body 10. In step (c), the writing device 100 transmits a write request including the individual software 34 and 44 to the controller 20. This causes the controller 20 to execute the verification process of FIG. 2. Then, on the condition that consistency with the identifier is confirmed, the individual software 34 and 44 are written to the microcomputers 30 and 40 (S12 and S22 in FIG. 2).

[0029] In step (d), the processes from S40 onward in Fig. 2 are executed. As described above, an error detection code is calculated for the first individual software 34 and the second individual software 44. As indicated by the dashed dotted line, in S40 in Fig. 2, an error detection code is calculated between the individual software 34 and 44, but an error detection code is not calculated between the first common software 32 and the first individual software 34, and between the second common software 42 and the second individual software 44.

[0030] In step (d), the consistency between the individual software 34 and 44 is confirmed due to the calculation of an error detection code that matches the correct value between the individual software 34 and 44. This completes the production of the vehicle 2.

[0031] (Effects of this embodiment) According to the configuration of this embodiment, by checking the consistency between the individual software and the identifier, it is possible to confirm that the correct individual software has been selected for the vehicle model to be manufactured (S10 and S20 in FIG. 2). Furthermore, after the individual software has been written, the appropriateness of the written individual software can be double-checked by checking the consistency with the individual software actually stored in the controller 20 (S42). Changes to the common software may be made due to upgrades based on data obtained from the market. In the series of tests in this embodiment, the common software 32 and 34 are not used. Therefore, even if changes are made to the common software 32 and 34, the individual software can be written correctly without modifying the individual software 34 and 44 or the test contents (e.g., correct values) accordingly.

[0032] (Correspondence) The vehicle body 10 and the controller 20 are examples of a "vehicle body" and a "controller", respectively. The common software 32 and 42 are examples of "common software". The individual software 34 and 44 are examples of "individual software". The identifier ID1 is an example of an "identifier". The process (a) is an example of a "first process", and the processes (c) and (d) are examples of a "second process".

[0033] Below, we will describe some points to note regarding the technology shown in the embodiment. The controller 20 may include three or more microcomputers. In this modification, three or more individual software programs may be written to the controller 20, and in step (d), an error detection code may be calculated between the three or more individual software programs to confirm consistency between the three or more individual software programs. In this modification, the three or more individual software programs are an example of "individual software programs."

[0034] 2 may be performed by the writing device 100 instead of the controller 20. For example, the writing device 100 may receive an identifier from the controller 20 and transmit the individual software to the controller 20 if the individual software matches the identifier. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 2: Vehicle 10: Body 12: Central Gateway 20: Controller 30: First microcomputer 32: First common software 34: First individual software 40: Second microcomputer 42: Second common software 44: Second individual software 100: Writing device ID1, ID2: Identifier

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: A first step of preparing a vehicle body equipped with a controller in which common software common to a plurality of vehicle models is written; a second step of writing individual software specific to the vehicle model of the vehicle into the controller mounted on the vehicle; Equipped with The controller is assigned an identifier corresponding to a different feature of the plurality of vehicle models, In the second step, Before writing the individual software, a consistency between the individual software to be written to the controller and the identifier is confirmed; After writing the individual software, checking consistency between the individual software written in the controller. Vehicle manufacturing method.

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