Vehicle control devices

Abstract

This provides a vehicle control system that can adapt to changes in communication protocols or the addition of new electronic control devices without requiring design modifications. [Solution] The vehicle control device 1 of the present invention comprises an electronic control device 4 that performs electronic control related to a vehicle 10, and an in-vehicle communication device 2 configured to communicate with the electronic control device 4. The in-vehicle communication device 2 is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control device 4. The in-vehicle communication device 2 has a connection ECU identification unit 2a that identifies the electronic control device 4 installed in the vehicle 10 at the start of fault diagnosis, and a communication protocol identification unit 2b that identifies a communication protocol among multiple communication protocols that the electronic control device 4 identified by the connection ECU identification unit 2a can support. Based on the communication protocol identified by the communication protocol identification unit 2b, the in-vehicle communication device 2 communicates with the electronic control device 4 identified by the connection ECU identification unit 2a.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that communicates between an in-vehicle device and an electronic control device according to a predetermined communication protocol.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a data collection device that uploads failure information of an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) that controls a vehicle to an external server. For example, in the data collection device described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of ECUs and an in-vehicle communication device are connected by a communication bus, and the in-vehicle communication device acquires failure information from each ECU and transmits it to an external server. The transmitted failure information is stored in the external server and provided to the user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, communication between the in-vehicle communication device and each ECU is performed based on a predetermined communication protocol. Such a communication protocol may be changed depending on differences in the generation or developer of the ECU. Therefore, when there is a change in the communication protocol in the data collection device described in Patent Document 1 above, it is necessary to change the settings of the in-vehicle communication device each time. Also, when a new ECU is added, it has been difficult to confirm the communication protocol with the added ECU on the in-vehicle communication device side.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize a vehicle control device that can respond to communication without design changes in the face of changes in the communication protocol or the addition of a new electronic control device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The vehicle control device of the present invention, provided to solve the above-mentioned problems, comprises an electronic control device that performs electronic control related to a vehicle, and an on-board unit configured to communicate with the electronic control device, wherein the on-board unit is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols with respect to communication with the electronic control device, and the on-board unit has, at the start of fault diagnosis, a specification unit that identifies the electronic control device installed in the vehicle, and a determination unit that determines, from among the multiple communication protocols, the communication protocol that the electronic control device identified by the specification unit is capable of supporting, and the on-board unit communicates with the electronic control device identified by the specification unit based on the communication protocol determined by the determination unit.

[0007] In the vehicle control device of the present invention, the in-vehicle unit identifies the electronic control device installed in the vehicle at the start of fault diagnosis. The in-vehicle unit also determines the communication protocol that the identified electronic control device can support and communicates accordingly. In this way, even if there is a change in the communication protocol of the electronic control device or the addition of a new electronic control device, the vehicle control device of the present invention can determine the communication protocol that the electronic control device can support and communicate accordingly. As a result, the vehicle control device of the present invention can handle communication changes in the communication protocol or the addition of a new electronic control device without requiring design changes. Furthermore, the vehicle control device of the present invention eliminates the need to confirm the communication protocols that the electronic control device can support during the development stage. Therefore, the vehicle control device of the present invention can reduce development costs and development man-hours. In addition, because the vehicle control device of the present invention identifies the electronic control device installed in the vehicle and determines the communication protocol that the identified electronic control device can support at the start of fault diagnosis, even if there is a change in the generation or manufacturer of the electronic control device or the addition of a new electronic control device before fault diagnosis, it can perform appropriate fault diagnosis without requiring design changes to the in-vehicle unit.

[0008] (2) The in-vehicle unit may receive fault information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit, and may decide whether or not to transmit predetermined information, including information that can identify the fault information, to an external server based on the content of the received fault information.

[0009] In this case, the in-vehicle device can decide whether or not to transmit predetermined information to an external server based on the content of the fault information. Therefore, the vehicle control device of the present invention can, for example, refrain from transmitting fault information to the external server if the fault information is the same as the previous information. As a result, the vehicle control device of the present invention can reduce unnecessary data communication and reduce the load on the external server related to processing fault information.

[0010] (3) The discrimination unit determines which communication protocols the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit can support by determining whether each of the plurality of communication protocols can be supported, and the in-vehicle unit has a storage unit that stores the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit and the communication protocols that the electronic control unit can support, as determined by the discrimination unit, in association, and the discrimination unit starts determining whether it can be supported by using the communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols that is stored in the storage unit and is associated with the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit.

[0011] In this way, the vehicle control device of the present invention can reduce the time required to determine the communication protocol that the electronic control device can support. Furthermore, the vehicle control device of the present invention can reduce the processing load on the in-vehicle unit during the communication protocol determination process.

[0012] (4) The discrimination unit may transmit a predetermined command which is set according to each of the plurality of communication protocols and which can identify the communication protocols that the electronic control unit can support, and determine the type of communication protocol that the electronic control unit can support based on the response to the predetermined command.

[0013] In this way, the vehicle control device of the present invention can determine which communication protocols the electronic control device can support by determining whether the response to a predetermined command set according to the communication protocol is valid.

[0014] (5) The fault diagnosis should be initiated when a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle's power was turned ON, or when the electronic control unit notifies the in-vehicle unit of a fault.

[0015] In this way, each time the vehicle's power is turned ON, the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle is identified, and the communication protocol that the electronic control unit supports is determined. Therefore, the vehicle control unit of the present invention can flexibly respond to communication with new electronic control units even if there is a change in the generation of the electronic control unit, a change in the developer, or additions to the electronic control unit. Furthermore, the vehicle control unit of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle after a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle's power was set to ON. In this way, the identification unit can perform the identification when the electronic control unit has reliably started up, so the vehicle control unit of the present invention can reliably identify the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle control unit of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle and determines the communication protocol when a fault notification is received from the electronic control unit. As a result, the vehicle control unit of the present invention can reliably communicate between the electronic control unit and the in-vehicle unit at the time when fault diagnosis is necessary.

[0016] (6) The in-vehicle device may obtain information regarding the multiple communication protocols from an external source.

[0017] In this way, the vehicle control device of the present invention can flexibly respond to changes or additions to the communication protocol of the electronic control device without requiring any design changes to the in-vehicle unit.

[0018] (7) The in-vehicle device may be an in-vehicle communication device.

[0019] In this way, the vehicle control device of the present invention can handle communication changes in communication protocols or the addition of new electronic control devices without requiring redesign of the in-vehicle communication device. Furthermore, by using the in-vehicle device as the in-vehicle communication device, fault information acquired from the electronic control device can be easily transmitted to the outside.

[0020] (8) The fault information management system of the present invention comprises an electronic control device that performs electronic control related to a vehicle, and a vehicle control device having an in-vehicle unit configured to communicate with the electronic control device, The in-vehicle unit comprises an external server and is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control unit, and the in-vehicle unit includes an identification unit that identifies the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle at the start of fault diagnosis, a discrimination unit that determines from among the multiple communication protocols which communication protocols the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit can support, and an external communication unit that performs wireless communication with the external server, and is characterized in that the in-vehicle unit receives fault presence / absence information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit based on the communication protocol determined by the discrimination unit, and transmits predetermined information including information that can identify the fault presence / absence information to the external server.

[0021] By doing so, the failure information management system of the present invention can transmit the presence / absence of failure information from the in-vehicle unit to the external server without changing the design of the in-vehicle unit in response to a change in the communication protocol of the electronic control unit or the addition of a new electronic control unit. Further, the failure information management system of the present invention eliminates the need to check the communication protocol of the electronic control unit during the system development stage. Therefore, the failure information management system of the present invention can reduce the development cost and the number of man-hours for development.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a vehicle control device that can handle communication without design changes in response to a change in the communication protocol or the addition of a new electronic control unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram of an information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the in-vehicle unit of the vehicle control device in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a diagram for explaining the control flow of the failure diagnosis process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, an information management system 100 and a vehicle control device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] (Configuration of Information Management System 100) The information management system 100 of the present embodiment provides a user with predetermined information including failure information regarding the vehicle 10 via an external server 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the information management system 100 includes a vehicle control device 1 mounted on the vehicle 10 and an external server 5. The vehicle control device 1 includes an in-vehicle communicator 2, a plurality of electronic control units (ECU_A 4a, ECU_B 4b, ECU_C 4c), a central gateway 3, and an external server 5.

[0026] Multiple electronic control units 4 (ECU_A4a, ECU_B4b, ECU_C4c) are responsible for various controls related to the vehicle 10, such as various controls necessary for the vehicle 10 to run. Each electronic control unit (ECU_A4a, ECU_B4b, ECU_C4c) is connected to the central gateway 3 via a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication bus (not shown). This enables the transmission and reception of information between each electronic control unit 4 (ECU_A4a, ECU_B4b, ECU_C4c) and the in-vehicle communication device 2. In the following, when the electronic control units (ECU_A4a, ECU_B4b, ECU_C4c) are not distinguished, they will be collectively referred to as ECU4. On the other hand, when the electronic control units are distinguished, they will be referred to as ECU_A4a, ECU_B4b, and ECU_C4c.

[0027] Each ECU 4 transmits information regarding the presence or absence of its own malfunction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as malfunction information) to the in-vehicle communication device 2 via the central gateway 3, based on a request from the in-vehicle communication device 2. In addition, if a malfunction occurs, each ECU 4 transmits a malfunction warning signal to the in-vehicle communication device 2 via the central gateway 3.

[0028] Each ECU 4 communicates with the in-vehicle communication device 2 according to a predetermined communication protocol. The communication protocol may differ depending on the type of ECU 4. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, ECU_A4a is configured to support communication protocol X for communication with the in-vehicle communication device 2. ECU_B4b is configured to support communication protocol Y for communication with the in-vehicle communication device 2. ECU_C4c is configured to support communication protocol X for communication with the in-vehicle communication device 2.

[0029] The central gateway 3 functions as a communication base station that organizes the exchange of information (signals) between each ECU 4 and the in-vehicle communication device 2. Based on a request from the in-vehicle communication device 2, the central gateway 3 sends a fault notification request signal to each ECU 4 requesting notification of whether or not there is a fault. If the central gateway 3 receives fault information from each ECU 4 based on the fault notification request signal, it transmits that information to the in-vehicle communication device 2.

[0030] Upon request from the in-vehicle communication device 2, the central gateway 3 transmits information about the ECU4s whose connection has been confirmed (information about the ECU4s whose connection has been confirmed by the central gateway 3) to the in-vehicle communication device 2. Based on this information, the in-vehicle communication device 2 can ascertain the presence of each ECU4 installed in the vehicle 10.

[0031] The external server 5 stores predetermined information transmitted from the in-vehicle communication device 2 and provides the user with fault information and other relevant data. The predetermined information includes fault diagnosis result information that can identify the presence or absence of faults transmitted from each ECU 4. The external server 5 can manage information about multiple vehicles, including vehicle 10, for example. In this case, the external server 5 stores vehicle identification information that can identify vehicle 10, linked to the predetermined information including fault diagnosis result information. The external server 5 can store and accumulate the predetermined information, or process the accumulated information to generate new information, and provide it to communication terminals, PCs, etc., used by the user.

[0032] The in-vehicle communication device 2 communicates with each ECU 4 via the central gateway 3 and also performs wireless communication with the external server 5. As described above, communication between the in-vehicle communication device 2 and each ECU 4 is performed according to a predetermined communication protocol.

[0033] Incidentally, each ECU4 may be changed to a newer generation or the manufacturer of the ECU may change. Also, new ECU4 may be added due to market demands, etc. In this case, the communication protocol between the in-vehicle communication unit 2 and the ECU4 may change. If a change in the communication protocol is not anticipated, the in-vehicle communication unit will be developed with a fixed specification for the communication protocol between it and each ECU. In this case, the in-vehicle communication unit cannot cope with changes in the ECU's communication protocol. Furthermore, even if a new ECU is added, the in-vehicle communication unit 2 has no way of checking which communication protocols the ECU can support.

[0034] Therefore, in the information management system 100 of this embodiment, the in-vehicle communication device 2 is configured to be able to handle changes in the communication protocol of each ECU4 and the addition of new ECU4s. Specifically, in the information management system 100, the in-vehicle communication device 2 is configured to support multiple communication protocols in advance, and then the in-vehicle communication device 2 is configured to determine which communication protocols it can support and communicate with each ECU4. The functions of the in-vehicle communication device 2 that realize this configuration will be described below with reference to Figure 2.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the in-vehicle communication device 2 includes a connection ECU identification unit 2a, a communication protocol determination unit 2b, a fault diagnosis unit 2c, an external communication unit 2d, and a storage unit 2e.

[0036] The connected ECU identification unit 2a identifies the ECU 4 that can communicate. When the power of the vehicle 10 is set to ON, the connected ECU identification unit 2a starts counting on the elapsed time timer 2e3. When the elapsed time timer 2e3 reaches a predetermined value, the connected ECU identification unit 2a sends a signal to the central gateway 3 requesting notification of the ECU 4 that can communicate (connected ECU notification request signal). In addition, if the connected ECU identification unit 2a receives a fault warning signal from any of the ECU 4, it also sends a connected ECU notification request signal to the central gateway 3.

[0037] When the central gateway 3 receives a connection ECU notification request signal, it identifies the ECU 4 whose connection has been confirmed at the time of receiving the signal and transmits information about the ECU 4 whose connection has been confirmed to the in-vehicle communication device 2 (connection ECU identification unit 2a). As a result, the connection ECU identification unit 2a can identify the ECU 4 that can communicate with the vehicle 10 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 10 was set to ON, or when it receives a fault warning signal from the ECU 4.

[0038] Furthermore, the predetermined value of the elapsed time timer 2e3 should be set to a value greater than the time required for all ECUs 4 to start up. This prevents problems such as the connection not being recognized by the central gateway 3 because the ECU 3 has not started up, even though it is capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication device 2.

[0039] The communication protocol determination unit 2b individually determines the communication protocols that each ECU 4 can support. The communication protocol determination unit 2b determines the communication protocols that can be supported for the ECU 4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a. In this embodiment, the case in which the in-vehicle communication device 2 can support communication protocols X and Y will be described as an example.

[0040] The communication protocol determination unit 2b determines which communication protocols each ECU 4 can support by determining, one by one, whether the ECU 4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a can support from among the communication protocols that the in-vehicle communication device 2 can support. Of the communication protocols X and Y that the in-vehicle communication device 2 can support, it is possible to pre-set which of these two protocols the communication protocol determination unit 2b will prioritize determining first.

[0041] If the system first checks for communication using communication protocol X, and then checks for communication using communication protocol Y, the communication protocol determination unit 2b can determine which communication protocols it can handle, for example, as follows. First, the communication protocol determination unit 2b sends a predetermined command via the central gateway 3 to the ECU 4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a. This command conforms to communication protocol X and allows the determination that the ECU 4 being determined can handle communication protocol X. If the response from the ECU 4 to the predetermined command is a positive response, such as an expected response, the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines that the communication protocol that the ECU 4 being determined can handle is communication protocol X. On the other hand, if the response from the ECU 4 to the predetermined command is a negative response, such as an unexpected response or no response at all, the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines that the communication protocol that the ECU 4 being determined can handle is not communication protocol X.

[0042] Furthermore, the information necessary for communication with ECU4 using communication protocol X (communication protocol X information) and the information necessary for communication with ECU4 using communication protocol Y (communication protocol Y information) are stored in the protocol X information storage area 2e1 (see Figure 2) and protocol Y information storage area 2e2 (see Figure 2) of the storage unit 2e of the in-vehicle communication device 2. As a result, the in-vehicle communication device 2 can support either communication protocol X or communication protocol Y for communication with each ECU4.

[0043] If the ECU4 being examined is determined to be incompatible with communication protocol X, the communication protocol determination unit 2b sends a predetermined command in accordance with communication protocol Y to the ECU4 being examined and performs the same determination. In this way, the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines which communication protocols the ECU4 is compatible with.

[0044] Once the communication protocol determination unit 2b has determined which communication protocols the ECU 4 can support, it stores the determined ECU 4 identification information (ECU identification information) and the types of communication protocols that the ECU 4 can support in the corresponding protocol table 2e4 of the storage unit 2e.

[0045] Furthermore, the information regarding ECU4 transmitted from the central gateway 3 (information regarding ECU4 whose connection has been confirmed) may include ECU identification information. In this case, the communication protocol determination unit 2b compares the ECU identification information with the corresponding protocol table 2e4 when determining the communication protocol. If a match is found in the corresponding protocol table 2e4 with the identification information, the communication protocol determination unit 2b can also start determining the compatible communication protocol from the communication protocols stored in association with the identification information (compatible communication protocols).

[0046] The fault diagnosis unit 2c diagnoses faults in the vehicle 10. The fault diagnosis unit 2c performs a fault diagnosis of the vehicle 10 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 10 was set to ON, or when a fault warning signal is transmitted from any of the ECUs 4. At this time, the fault diagnosis unit 2c transmits a fault notification request signal to the ECU 4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a via the central gateway 3. The fault notification request signal transmitted to each ECU 4 is transmitted according to the communication protocol that the ECU 4 can handle, as determined by the communication protocol determination unit 2b.

[0047] When the fault diagnosis unit 2c receives fault information from each ECU 4 in response to a fault notification request signal, it generates a fault diagnosis result based on that fault information. The fault diagnosis unit 2c also transmits predetermined information, including information related to the generated fault diagnosis result, to the external server 5 via the external communication unit 2d.

[0048] The above describes the configuration of the information management system 100 in this embodiment. Next, the flow of the fault diagnosis result generation process performed by the in-vehicle communication device 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 3.

[0049] (Process for generating fault diagnosis results) In step S1, when the power of the vehicle 10 is set to ON, the in-vehicle communication device 2 detects that the vehicle power has been turned ON (step S2).

[0050] When the power of the vehicle 10 is detected to be turned ON, the connected ECU identification unit 2a starts counting on the elapsed time timer 2e3 (step S3). Next, the connected ECU identification unit 2a determines whether the elapsed time timer 2e3 has reached a predetermined value, that is, whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the power of the vehicle 10 was turned ON (step S4). If the connected ECU identification unit 2a determines that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the power of the vehicle 10 was turned ON (NO in step S4), it waits until the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the power of the vehicle 10 was set to ON (YES in step S4), the connected ECU identification unit 2a performs the process of identifying the ECU 4 that has been confirmed to be connected (step S7).

[0052] Returning to step S1, when the power of the vehicle 10 is set to ON, each ECU 4 starts up and performs self-detection of faults in each ECU 4 (step S5). Here, when each ECU 4 detects its own fault, it sends a fault warning signal to the in-vehicle communication device 2 via the central gateway 3. In parallel with counting the elapsed time since the power of the vehicle 10 was set to ON, the in-vehicle communication device 2 processes whether or not a fault warning signal has been sent from each ECU 4, i.e., performs fault detection processing (step S6).

[0053] In step S6, if a fault warning signal is received from each ECU4 (YES in step S6), the connected ECU identification unit 2a performs the process of identifying the connected ECU4 (step S7). On the other hand, if no fault warning signals are received from each ECU4 (NO in step S6), the in-vehicle communication device 2 (connected ECU identification unit 2a) does not perform the process of identifying the connected ECU4 and remains in standby mode.

[0054] If a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle 10 was set to ON (YES in step S4), or if a fault warning signal is received from any ECU 4 (YES in step S6), the connected ECU identification unit 2a checks which ECU 4 is connected (step S7). At this time, the connected ECU identification unit 2a sends a connected ECU notification request signal to the central gateway 3. Upon receiving this signal, the central gateway 3 transmits information about the ECU 4 whose connection has been confirmed to be confirmed to the in-vehicle communication device 2. As a result, the connected ECU identification unit 2a identifies which ECU 4 is connected (a communication-capable ECU 4).

[0055] Next, the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines the types of communication protocols that each of the ECUs 4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a can support (step S8). As described above, the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines the communication protocols that the ECU 4 can support based on whether the response result to a predetermined command set according to the type of communication protocol is positive or negative.

[0056] When the communication protocol determination unit 2b determines the communication protocols that the connected ECU4 can handle, the fault diagnosis unit 2c starts fault diagnosis (step S9). At this time, the fault diagnosis unit 2c transmits a fault notification request signal to each of the ECU4 identified by the connected ECU identification unit 2a via the central gateway 3. The fault diagnosis unit 2c transmits a fault notification request signal to each ECU4 according to the communication protocol determined by the communication protocol determination unit 2b.

[0057] The fault diagnosis unit 2c generates fault diagnosis result information based on the fault information transmitted from each ECU 4 in response to the fault notification request signal. The fault diagnosis unit 2c transmits predetermined information, including the generated fault diagnosis result information, to the external server 5 via the external communication unit 2d. The predetermined information may include fault diagnosis result information and vehicle identification information for the vehicle 10.

[0058] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) The above describes one embodiment of the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 of the present invention. Next, the effects and advantages realized by the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0059] The information management system 100 and the vehicle control device 1 described above have the following characteristic configurations. Therefore, the information management system 100 and the vehicle control device 1 can achieve unique effects that cannot be achieved with conventional technology, as described below.

[0060] (a) The vehicle control device 1 of the present invention comprises an electronic control unit (ECU4) that performs electronic control related to the vehicle, and an on-board unit (on-board communication device 2) configured to communicate with the electronic control unit (ECU4), wherein the on-board unit (on-board communication device 2) is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control unit (ECU4), and the on-board unit (on-board communication device 2) identifies the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle 10 at the start of fault diagnosis. a) and a discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b) that discriminates among the plurality of communication protocols which communication protocols are compatible with the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the discrimination unit (connection ECU discrimination unit 2a), and the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) communicates with the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b) based on the communication protocol identified by the discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b).

[0061] In the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention, the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) identifies the electronic control unit (ECU 4) installed in the vehicle 10 at the start of fault diagnosis. The in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) also determines the communication protocol that the identified electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support and communicates accordingly. In this way, even if there is a change in the communication protocol of the electronic control unit (ECU 4) or the addition of a new electronic control unit (ECU 4), ​​the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can determine the communication protocol that the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support and communicate accordingly. As a result, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can handle communication changes in the communication protocol or the addition of a new electronic control unit (ECU 4) without requiring design changes. Furthermore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention does not require confirmation of the communication protocols that the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support during the development stage. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reduce development costs and development man-hours. Furthermore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle 10 and determines the communication protocol that the identified electronic control unit (ECU4) can support at the start of fault diagnosis. Therefore, even if there are changes in the generation or manufacturer of the electronic control unit (ECU4) or if a new electronic control unit (ECU4) is added before fault diagnosis, an appropriate fault diagnosis can be performed without redesigning the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2).

[0062] (b) The discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b) determines which communication protocols can be supported by the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the identification unit (connection ECU identification unit 2a) by determining whether each of the plurality of communication protocols can be supported, and the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) has a storage unit 2e that stores the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the identification unit (connection ECU identification unit 2a) and the communication protocols that the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support, as determined by the discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b), and the discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b) starts determining whether it can be supported by using the communication protocol that is stored in the storage unit 2e and is associated with the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the identification unit (connection ECU identification unit 2a) from among the plurality of communication protocols.

[0063] In this way, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reduce the time required for the electronic control unit (ECU 4) to determine which communication protocols it can support. Furthermore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reduce the processing load on the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) in the communication protocol determination process.

[0064] (c) The discrimination unit (communication protocol discrimination unit 2b) transmits a predetermined command which is set according to each of the plurality of communication protocols and which can identify the communication protocols that the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support, and determines the type of communication protocol that the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support based on the response to the predetermined command (positive response, negative response).

[0065] In this way, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can determine which communication protocols the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can support by determining whether the response to a predetermined command set according to the communication protocol is valid.

[0066] (d) The fault diagnosis should be initiated when a predetermined time has elapsed since the power of the vehicle 10 was set to ON, or when the electronic control unit (ECU 4) notifies the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) of a fault.

[0067] The vehicle control device 1 of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle 10 and determines the communication protocol that the electronic control unit (ECU4) can support each time the power of the vehicle 10 is turned ON. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can flexibly respond to communication with new electronic control units (ECU4) even if there is a change in the generation of the electronic control unit (ECU4), a change in the manufacturer, or additions to the electronic control unit (ECU4). Furthermore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle 10 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the power of the vehicle 10 was set to ON. In this way, the identification unit (connected ECU identification unit 2a) can perform the identification when the electronic control unit (ECU4) has been reliably started up, so the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reliably identify the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention identifies the electronic control unit (ECU4) installed in the vehicle 10 and determines the communication protocol when a failure notification is received from the electronic control unit (ECU4). As a result, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reliably communicate with the electronic control unit (ECU 4) and the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) at the time when fault diagnosis is required.

[0068] (e) The in-vehicle device may be an in-vehicle communication device.

[0069] In this way, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can communicate without redesigning the in-vehicle communication device in response to changes in the communication protocol or the addition of a new electronic control unit (ECU 4). Furthermore, by making the in-vehicle device an in-vehicle communication device 2, fault information acquired from the electronic control unit (ECU 4) can be easily transmitted to the outside.

[0070] (f) The fault information management system (information management system 100) of the present invention comprises a vehicle control device 1 having an electronic control unit (ECU 4) that performs electronic control related to the vehicle 10, and an in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) configured to communicate with the electronic control unit (ECU 4), ​​and an external server 5, wherein the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control unit (ECU 4), ​​and the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) includes a specification unit (connection ECU specification unit 2a) that identifies the electronic control unit (ECU 4) installed in the vehicle 10 at the start of fault diagnosis, and the multiple communication protocols The in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) is characterized by having a determination unit (communication protocol determination unit 2b) that determines which communication protocol the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the determination unit (connection ECU determination unit 2a) can support, and an external communication unit 2d that performs wireless communication with the external server 5, and receiving fault information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the determination unit (connection ECU determination unit 2a) based on the communication protocol determined by the determination unit (communication protocol determination unit 2b), and transmitting predetermined information including information that can identify the presence or absence of the fault information to the external server 5.

[0071] In this way, the fault information management system (information management system 100) of the present invention can transmit fault information from the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) to an external server 5 without requiring any design changes to the in-vehicle unit (in-vehicle communication device 2) in response to changes in the communication protocol of the electronic control unit (ECU 4) or the addition of a new electronic control unit (ECU 4). Furthermore, the fault information management system (information management system 100) of the present invention eliminates the need to verify the communication protocol of the electronic control unit (ECU 4) during the system development phase. Therefore, the fault information management system (information management system 100) of the present invention can reduce development costs and development man-hours.

[0072] The above describes the effects of the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. However, the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made. That is, the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 described above are merely examples of one embodiment, and the configuration can be changed, omitted, or added as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 can be made without some or all of the configurations described in (a) to (f) above, or with other configurations, or implemented with configurations described in (a) to (f) above that are different from those exemplified in the above embodiment, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0073] For example, in the above embodiment, when the in-vehicle communication device 2 receives fault information from each ECU 4, it is always described as sending predetermined information including that information to the external server 5. However, it is also possible to decide whether or not to send predetermined information to the external server 5 depending on the content of the received fault information.

[0074] In other words, the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) receives fault information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control unit (ECU 4) identified by the identification unit (connection ECU identification unit 2a), and decides whether or not to transmit predetermined information, including information that can identify the fault information, to the external server 5 based on the content of the received fault information.

[0075] In this case, the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) can decide whether or not to transmit predetermined information to the external server 5 based on the content of the fault information. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can, for example, refrain from transmitting the fault information to the external server 5 if the fault information is the same as the previous information. As a result, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can reduce unnecessary data communication and reduce the load on the external server 5 related to the processing of fault information.

[0076] Furthermore, it is also possible to configure the in-vehicle communication device 2 to store information necessary for supporting multiple communication protocols (communication protocol X information, communication protocol Y information) in an external device such as an external server 5, and for the in-vehicle communication device 2 to acquire this information. In other words, the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2) may acquire information regarding the multiple communication protocols (communication protocol X information, communication protocol Y information) from an external source (external server 5).

[0077] In this way, the vehicle control device 1 of the present invention can more easily adapt to changes or additions to the communication protocol of the electronic control unit (ECU4) without requiring any design changes to the in-vehicle device (in-vehicle communication device 2).

[0078] Furthermore, fault diagnosis as described above may be performed at specialized facilities such as service stations using fault diagnosis equipment. In such cases, it is preferable to shut down the operation of the information management system 100.

[0079] The above describes embodiments and modifications of the information management system 100 and vehicle control device 1 according to the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the embodiments and modifications described above, and it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments may exist in the spirit and teachings thereof, without departing from the scope of the claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0080] The present invention is suitably applicable to vehicle control systems in general, where an in-vehicle device and an electronic control unit communicate with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1: Vehicle control device 2: In-vehicle communication device (in-vehicle unit) 2a: Connected ECU specific part (specific part) 2b: Communication protocol discrimination unit (discrimination unit) 2e: Storage section 4: Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 5: External Server

Claims

1. An electronic control unit that performs electronic control related to the vehicle, An in-vehicle device configured to communicate with the aforementioned electronic control device, Equipped with, The in-vehicle unit is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control unit. The aforementioned in-vehicle device is At the start of fault diagnosis, an identification unit identifies the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle, A discrimination unit that determines which of the plurality of communication protocols the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit can support, It has, The in-vehicle device communicates with the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit based on the communication protocol identified by the discrimination unit. A vehicle control device characterized by the following.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the in-vehicle unit receives fault information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control device identified by the identification unit, and determines whether or not to transmit predetermined information, including information that can identify the fault information, to an external server based on the content of the received fault information.

3. The discrimination unit determines which communication protocols the electronic control device identified by the identification unit can support by determining whether each of the multiple communication protocols is compatible. The in-vehicle device has a storage unit that stores, in association with the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit and the communication protocol that the electronic control unit is compatible with, as determined by the discrimination unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the discrimination unit starts determining whether it is possible to use the communication protocol among the plurality of communication protocols that is associated with the electronic control device identified by the identification unit stored in the storage unit.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the discrimination unit transmits a predetermined command which is set according to each of the plurality of communication protocols and which can identify the communication protocols that the electronic control device can support, and determines the type of communication protocol that the electronic control device can support based on the response to the predetermined command.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fault diagnosis is initiated when a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle's power was turned ON, or when the electronic control device notifies the in-vehicle unit of a fault.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the in-vehicle device acquires information regarding the plurality of communication protocols from an external source.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the in-vehicle device is an in-vehicle communication device.

8. A vehicle control device having an electronic control unit that performs electronic control related to a vehicle, and an in-vehicle device configured to communicate with the electronic control unit, External server and Equipped with, The in-vehicle unit is capable of supporting multiple communication protocols for communication with the electronic control unit. The aforementioned in-vehicle device is At the start of fault diagnosis, an identification unit identifies the electronic control unit installed in the vehicle, A discrimination unit that determines which of the plurality of communication protocols the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit can support, An external communication unit that performs wireless communication with the aforementioned external server, It has, The in-vehicle device is characterized by receiving fault information regarding the presence or absence of a fault from the electronic control unit identified by the identification unit based on the communication protocol identified by the discrimination unit, and transmitting predetermined information including information that can identify the fault information to the external server.

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