Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

This technology prevents the process of updating the control program of an in-vehicle device from stopping midway. [Solution] A vehicle control device 20 mounted on a vehicle 10, which is capable of performing a process to update the control program of an in-vehicle device 22 by communicating with a server device 12, comprises an acquisition unit 38 that acquires information relating to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function mounted on the vehicle 10 and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 of the vehicle 10, and a decision unit 40 that decides whether to perform an update process based on the information relating to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 acquired by the acquisition unit 38.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology used in a vehicle capable of executing a process of updating a control program of an in-vehicle device by communicating with an external device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that enables software update processing of an electronic control unit mounted in a vehicle. This control device includes a monitoring unit that monitors the power storage amount and temperature of a battery that supplies power for executing the software update process, a determination unit that determines whether the power storage amount of the battery is equal to or greater than a first power storage amount and whether the temperature of the battery is equal to or greater than a first temperature, and a control unit that, when the temperature of the battery at the start of the vehicle is less than a second temperature lower than the first temperature, performs control to cause the update process to be executed when the determination unit determines that the power storage amount of the battery is equal to or greater than the first power storage amount and the temperature of the battery is equal to or greater than the first temperature after the vehicle has finished traveling.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed and the update process is executed, there is a risk of falling below the amount of power required for the update process.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for suppressing the interruption of the process of updating the control program of an in-vehicle device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that can perform a process to update the control program of an in-vehicle device by communication with an external device, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information relating to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function mounted on the vehicle and the remaining power supply of the vehicle's power supply; and a determination unit that determines whether to perform an update process based on the information relating to the execution of the predetermined in-vehicle function and the remaining power supply acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method. This method is a vehicle control method in which each step is performed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle capable of performing a process to update the control program of an on-board device by communication with an external device, and includes the steps of: acquiring information regarding the execution of a predetermined on-board function mounted on the vehicle and the remaining charge of the vehicle's power supply; and deciding whether to perform an update process based on the acquired information regarding the execution of the predetermined on-board function and the remaining charge of the power supply. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that prevents the process of updating the control program of an in-vehicle device from stopping midway. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the functional configuration of the vehicle control system in the embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the remaining power supply capacity and the power consumption of in-vehicle functions. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the update decision-making process based on update priority. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the process for deciding whether to execute the update process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Figure 1 shows the functional configuration of the vehicle control system 1 of the embodiment. Each function of the vehicle control system 1 can be configured in hardware terms with circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and in software terms with system software and application programs loaded into memory. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function of the vehicle control system 1 can be implemented in various ways by hardware alone, software alone, or a combination thereof, and is not limited to any one of these.

[0011] The vehicle control system 1 comprises a vehicle 10 and a server device 12, and is a system for updating programs. The vehicle 10 and the server device 12 can communicate wirelessly via a network. Although Figure 1 shows one vehicle 10, in reality, multiple vehicles 10 are connected to the server device 12. The vehicle 10 may be a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), etc., and may have an autonomous driving control function that enables autonomous driving.

[0012] The server device 12 is an external device installed outside the vehicle 10 and holds vehicle information for multiple vehicles 10. The vehicle information includes vehicle ID and vehicle type information. The server device 12 sends update request notifications to the multiple vehicles 10 via OTA (Over The Air), and when the update is permitted, it distributes update files to update the control program of the in-vehicle device 22.

[0013] The update request notification includes information indicating priority. This priority information may be expressed in one of three levels, for example, "high," "medium," or "low." For example, a "high" update file might fix a bug in the control program, a "medium" update file might improve security, and a "low" update file might add functionality. The update file will be assigned an in-vehicle function ID indicating which in-vehicle function is being updated. Priority may be replaced with an urgency level indicating the urgency of the update.

[0014] The vehicle 10 includes a power supply unit 14, a parking control device 16, an update device 18, a vehicle control device 20, and an in-vehicle device 22. The power supply unit 14 supplies power for performing update processing and also supplies power for performing predetermined in-vehicle functions.

[0015] The power supply unit 14 has a remaining charge detection sensor 24 and a communication unit 26, and is, for example, a high-voltage power supply. The remaining charge detection sensor 24 detects the remaining charge of the power supply unit 14. The communication unit 26 periodically transmits information indicating the remaining charge to the vehicle control device 20 via in-vehicle communication. The remaining charge of the power supply unit 14 may be State of Charge (SOC).

[0016] The parking control device 16 includes a parking control unit 28 and a communication unit 30. The parking control unit 28 assists in parking the vehicle 10 in a predetermined parking position. The parking control unit 28 may control the drive unit to automatically move the vehicle 10 to the set parking position. The parking function consumes a lot of power. The communication unit 30 transmits information regarding the execution of the parking function to the vehicle control device 20. The information regarding the execution of the parking function may include information indicating whether the parking function is being executed, the time elapsed since the start of the parking function execution, etc.

[0017] The update device 18 includes an update processing unit 32 and a communication unit 34. The communication unit 34 can communicate wirelessly with the server device 12. The communication unit 34 can also communicate with the vehicle control device 20 via in-vehicle communication.

[0018] When the communication unit 34 receives an update request notification from the server device 12, it transmits the update request notification to the vehicle control device 20. The update processing unit 32 receives information indicating whether an update is possible from the vehicle control device 20, and the communication unit 34 transmits the information indicating whether an update is possible to the server device 12. If an update is possible, the server device 12 transmits an update file to the update device 18.

[0019] The update processing unit 32 receives an update file from the server device 12 and executes an update process on the in-vehicle device 22 that is the update target. In the update process, the control program of the in-vehicle device 22 is updated.

[0020] The in-vehicle device 22 has an in-vehicle function to be updated and includes a program holding unit 42 and a communication unit 44. The program holding unit 42 holds a control program for executing the in-vehicle function. The communication unit 44 receives an update instruction and an update file from the update device 18. The in-vehicle device 22 may be any one of the parking control device 16, the update device 18, and the vehicle control device 20, and those devices may also be update targets.

[0021] The vehicle control device 20 may be, for example, a power ECU (engine control unit). The vehicle control device 20 includes a communication unit 36, an acquisition unit 38, and a determination unit 40. The communication unit 36 can communicate with the power supply device 14, the parking control device 16, and the update device 18 via in-vehicle communication.

[0022] The acquisition unit 38 acquires information related to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function and the remaining amount of the power supply device 14 of the vehicle. The information related to the execution of the predetermined in-vehicle function is, in FIG. 1, the information related to the execution of the parking function transmitted from the parking control device 16, but is not limited to the parking function, and may be any in-vehicle function with high power consumption, such as a driving support function. That is, the parking control device 16 can be replaced with a device that executes another in-vehicle function with high power consumption.

[0023] The decision unit 40 determines whether to perform the update process based on the information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function acquired by the acquisition unit 38 and the remaining power of the power supply unit 14. This makes it possible to determine whether the update process can be performed based on the execution status of the in-vehicle function and the remaining power.

[0024] Figure 2 illustrates the relationship between the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 and the power consumption of the in-vehicle functions. In Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the vertical axis represents the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14. The predetermined threshold Th indicates the remaining capacity required to perform the update process, and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is normally maintained after the update process has been performed.

[0025] In Figure 2(a), the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is S1 percent, which is sufficient to perform the update process. Therefore, even if power is consumed during the update process, the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is normally maintained.

[0026] In Figure 2(b), the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 is consumed by the execution of the in-vehicle function, decreasing from S1 percent to S2 percent. Since S2 percent is less than the threshold Th, if the update process is executed, the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 will become zero or close to zero, and the update process may be interrupted. Therefore, when a specific in-vehicle function is being executed, the decision unit 40 decides not to execute the update process even if the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 is above a predetermined threshold Th. This prevents the update process from being interrupted midway due to insufficient remaining power of the power supply unit 14 when the update device 18 is performing the update process.

[0027] The decision unit 40 decides to execute the update process with a lower remaining power supply capacity of the power supply unit 14 than when the predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed, if the predetermined in-vehicle function is not being executed. The decision unit 40 decides to execute the update process with a higher remaining power supply capacity of the power supply unit 14 than when the predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed, if the predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed. If the predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed, the update process is executed if the remaining power supply unit 14 is greater than or equal to the first remaining power supply capacity, which is greater than the second remaining power supply capacity used when the predetermined in-vehicle function is not being executed. If the predetermined in-vehicle function is not being executed, the update process is executed if the remaining power supply unit 14 is greater than or equal to the second remaining power supply capacity. The second remaining power supply capacity is set by the power consumption of the predetermined in-vehicle function and the power consumption of the update process.

[0028] The decision unit 40 may estimate the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 when an update process is performed based on information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14, and may decide whether to perform the update process if the estimated remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0029] Returning to Figure 1, the acquisition unit 38 acquires an update request notification that includes information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function, the remaining power of the power supply unit 14, and information indicating the update priority. The decision unit 40 decides whether to execute the update process based on the information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function, the remaining power of the power supply unit 14, and the information indicating the update priority. If the update priority is high, the update process is made more likely to be executed.

[0030] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the update decision process according to the update priority. The vertical axis in Figure 3 shows the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14. The first threshold Th1 and the second threshold Th2 show the remaining capacity required to perform the update process according to the update priority. A "high" priority is called the first priority. A "medium" or "low" priority is called the second priority.

[0031] The decision unit 40 decides to execute the update process if the update priority is first priority and the remaining quantity is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold Th1. The decision unit 40 decides not to execute the update process if the update priority is first priority and the remaining quantity is not equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold Th1. The decision unit 40 decides to execute the update process if the update priority is second priority, which is lower than the first priority, and the remaining quantity is equal to or greater than a second threshold Th2, which is higher than the first threshold Th1. The decision unit 40 decides not to execute the update process if the update priority is second priority and the remaining quantity is not equal to or greater than a second threshold Th2.

[0032] As a result, if the priority is relatively high, the update process will be executed preferentially even if the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 may approach zero after the update process. On the other hand, if the priority is relatively low, the update process will be executed only if sufficient power will be secured in the power supply unit 14 after the update process. In other words, if the update process is executed at the first threshold Th1, the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 may decrease to the minimum amount necessary for the use of the vehicle 10.

[0033] In Figure 3, the first threshold Th may correspond to a "medium" priority, and the second threshold Th may correspond to a "low" priority. Furthermore, the thresholds are not limited to being set in two stages, but may be set in three stages.

[0034] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the process for determining whether to execute the update process. The acquisition unit 38 of the vehicle control device 20 acquires information regarding the execution of the parking function from the parking control device 16 in order to determine whether the parking function is being performed (S10). The acquisition unit 38 acquires the remaining amount from the power supply device 14 (S12).

[0035] The decision unit 40 determines whether there is an update request notification from the server device 12 (S14). If there is no update request notification (N in S14), this process ends. If there is an update request notification (Y in S14), the decision unit 40 obtains the update priority (S16).

[0036] The decision unit 40 determines if the update has the highest priority (S18). If the update has the highest priority (Y in S18), the decision unit 40 determines if a predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed (S20). If a predetermined in-vehicle function is being executed (Y in S20), the decision unit 40 determines if the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is above a predetermined first threshold (S22).

[0037] If the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold (Y in S22), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process can be executed (S26) and transmits the decision result to the update device 18 (S30). If the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 is not equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold (N in S22), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process cannot be executed (S28) and transmits the decision result to the update device 18 (S30).

[0038] If the priority is not the highest (N in S18), the decision unit 40 determines whether the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold (S24). The second threshold is greater than the first threshold. If the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than the predetermined second threshold (Y in S24), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process can be executed (S26) and transmits the decision result to the update device 18 (S30). If the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is not equal to or greater than the predetermined second threshold (N in S24), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process cannot be executed (S28) and transmits the decision result to the update device 18 (S30).

[0039] If a predetermined in-vehicle function is not currently being performed (N in S20), the determination unit 40 determines whether the remaining power of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold (S24). Note that the second threshold used in the case of N in S20 may be different from the second threshold used in the case of N in S18. If the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold (Y in S24), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process can be executed (S26). If the remaining capacity of the power supply unit 14 is not equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold (N in S24), the decision unit 40 determines that the update process cannot be executed (S28).

[0040] The present disclosure has been explained above based on the examples described. The present disclosure is not limited to the examples described above, and various modifications such as design changes can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0041] In this embodiment, the update device 18 and the vehicle control device 20 are shown to be different ECUs, but the embodiment is not limited to this, and they may be the same ECU. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1 Vehicle control system, 10 Vehicle, 12 Server device, 14 Power supply unit, 16 Parking control device, 18 Update device, 20 Vehicle control device, 22 In-vehicle device, 24 Remaining amount detection sensor, 26 Communication unit, 28 Parking control unit, 30 Communication unit, 32 Update processing unit, 34, 36 Communication unit, 38 Acquisition unit, 40 Determination unit, 42 Program holding unit, 44 Communication unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that is capable of performing a process to update the control program of an in-vehicle device by communicating with an external device, An acquisition unit that acquires information relating to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function installed in the vehicle and the remaining power supply of the vehicle's power supply, A vehicle control device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether to perform an update process based on information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function acquired by the acquisition unit and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit.

2. The notification of a control program update request sent from the external device to the vehicle control device includes information indicating the update priority. The acquisition unit acquires information indicating the update priority, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the decision unit determines whether to perform an update process based on information relating to the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function, the remaining capacity of the power supply unit, and information indicating the update priority.

3. The decision unit determines to execute the update process when the update priority is first priority and the remaining capacity of the power supply is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination unit determines to execute the update process when the update priority is a second priority which is lower than the first priority, and the remaining capacity of the power supply device is greater than or equal to the second threshold which is higher than the first threshold.

4. The acquisition unit acquires information regarding the execution of the parking function as a predetermined in-vehicle function. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the determination unit decides to execute the update process with less remaining power in the power supply unit than when the parking function is being executed, when the parking function is not being executed.

5. A vehicle control method in which each step is executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that is capable of performing a process to update the control program of an in-vehicle device by communicating with an external device, The steps include obtaining information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function installed in the vehicle and the remaining power supply capacity of the vehicle's power unit, A vehicle control method characterized by including the step of determining whether to perform an update process based on acquired information regarding the execution of a predetermined in-vehicle function and the remaining capacity of the power supply unit.

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