In-vehicle equipment, communication method, and communication program

Abstract

This allows for more flexible communication between applications added to the in-vehicle system and external devices. [Solution] The in-vehicle device includes a communication unit that communicates with equipment outside the in-vehicle device, and a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by the communication unit, and a second communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device, a communication method, and a communication program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand to customize in-vehicle devices by adding new applications to the in-vehicle devices mounted on vehicles. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 179123) discloses the following management device. That is, the management device includes a detection unit that detects the addition of a functional unit to a network including one or more in-vehicle functional units, a new functional unit that is the functional unit detected as added by the detection unit, and a functional unit information including information on the network configuration of a layer lower than the application layer of the in-vehicle functional unit. An acquisition unit that acquires each, and a generation unit that generates configuration information of a new network that is the network further including the new functional unit based on each of the functional unit information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Beyond the technology described in Patent Document 1, a technology that can more flexibly perform communication between an application added to an in-vehicle device and a device external to the in-vehicle device is desired.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle device, a communication method, and a communication program that can more flexibly perform communication between an application added to the in-vehicle device and a device external to the in-vehicle device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The in-vehicle device of this disclosure includes a communication unit that communicates with equipment outside the in-vehicle device, and a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by the communication unit, and a second communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure can be realized not only as an in-vehicle device equipped with such characteristic processing units, but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the in-vehicle device, or as a system including the in-vehicle device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, communication between applications added to the in-vehicle system and external devices can be made more flexible. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a conversion table stored in the memory unit of an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of an updated conversion table in the memory unit of an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a processing sequence in an in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the configuration of an in-vehicle ECU according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 7]Figure 7 shows an example of a conversion table stored in the memory unit of an in-vehicle ECU according to the second embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and explained. (1) An in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that communicates with equipment outside the in-vehicle device, and a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol which is a communication protocol used by the communication unit and a second communication protocol which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

[0011] In this way, by performing protocol conversion between the communication protocol used by the communication unit in the in-vehicle device and the communication protocol used by the application added to the in-vehicle device, communication between the application and external devices can be performed even if the communication protocol used by the application is not a communication protocol that the communication unit can use for communication. Therefore, communication between applications added to the in-vehicle device and devices outside the in-vehicle device can be performed more flexibly.

[0012] (2) In (1) above, the conversion unit may perform protocol conversion between the first communication protocol of layer 5 or higher in the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model and the second communication protocol of layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model.

[0013] This configuration allows for communication between applications added to the in-vehicle system and external devices, in accordance with the OSI reference model's Layer 5 and above, while utilizing the functionality of existing applications that perform processing at Layer 5 and above.

[0014] (3) In the above (2), the conversion unit may perform protocol conversion between SOME / IP (Scalable Service-Oriented Middleware on Ethernet / Internet Protocol), which is the first communication protocol, and HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), which is the second communication protocol.

[0015] With such a configuration, for example, while utilizing the SOME / IP service communication function of an existing application, communication according to HTTP by an application added to the in-vehicle device can be performed.

[0016] (4) In the above (1), the conversion unit may perform protocol conversion between the first communication protocol below the fourth layer in the OSI reference model and the second communication protocol above the fifth layer in the OSI reference model.

[0017] With such a configuration, more diverse applications can be added to the in-vehicle device without performing communication that utilizes the functions of existing applications that perform processing above the fifth layer in the OSI reference model. Also, communication according to above the fifth layer between an application added to the in-vehicle device and an external device can be performed without the communication unit performing processing above the fifth layer in the OSI reference model.

[0018] (5) In any of (1) to (4) above, the in-vehicle device may further include a storage unit that stores a conversion table indicating the correspondence between messages conforming to the first communication protocol and messages conforming to the second communication protocol, and the conversion unit may perform protocol conversion based on the conversion table.

[0019] With such a configuration, protocol conversion can be performed with simple processing compared to a configuration that performs protocol conversion without using a conversion table.

[0020] (6) In the above (5), the conversion unit may update the conversion table in the storage unit.

[0021] With such a configuration, protocol conversion can be performed using the updated conversion table, so that communication can be performed between the application added to the in-vehicle device and more external devices.

[0022] (7) In the above (6), the conversion unit may update the conversion table based on the state of the in-vehicle communication system including the in-vehicle device.

[0023] With such a configuration, protocol conversion can be performed using the updated conversion table, so that, for example, when a new external device is added to the in-vehicle communication system after an application is added to the in-vehicle device, communication can be performed between the application and the external device.

[0024] (8) In the above (6) or (7), the conversion table may include the records of the correspondence relationships fixed in advance and the records of the correspondence relationships added by the conversion unit.

[0025] With such a configuration, communication with external devices pre-installed in the in-vehicle communication system and communication with external devices added to the in-vehicle communication system can be performed.

[0026] (9) The communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a communication method in an in-vehicle device, including steps of communicating with a device external to the in-vehicle device, and performing protocol conversion between a first communication protocol that is a communication protocol used for communication with a device external to the in-vehicle device and a second communication protocol that is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

[0027] In this way, by performing protocol conversion between the communication protocol used by the communication unit in the in-vehicle device and the communication protocol used by the application added to the in-vehicle device, communication between the application and external devices can be performed even if the communication protocol used by the application is not a communication protocol that the communication unit can use for communication. Therefore, communication between applications added to the in-vehicle device and devices outside the in-vehicle device can be made more flexible.

[0028] (10) The communication program according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a communication program used in an in-vehicle device, which causes a computer to function as a communication unit that communicates with external equipment of the in-vehicle device, a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol which is a communication protocol used by the communication unit and a second communication protocol which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

[0029] In this way, by performing protocol conversion between the communication protocol used by the communication unit in the in-vehicle device and the communication protocol used by the application added to the in-vehicle device, communication between the application and external devices can be performed even if the communication protocol used by the application is not a communication protocol that the communication unit can use for communication. Therefore, communication between applications added to the in-vehicle device and devices outside the in-vehicle device can be performed more flexibly.

[0030] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any way.

[0031] <First Embodiment> [Configuration and Basic Operation] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 1, the in-vehicle communication system 201 comprises an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 101, a relay device 111, a temperature sensor 121, and an illumination 131. The in-vehicle ECU 101 is an example of an in-vehicle device. The in-vehicle communication system 201 is mounted on a vehicle 1.

[0032] The in-vehicle ECU 101, temperature sensor 121, and illumination 131 are connected to the relay device 111 via a transmission line 2. The transmission line 2 is, for example, an Ethernet® cable. However, the transmission line 2 is not limited to an Ethernet cable; it may also be a communication line conforming to other standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network)® and FlexRay®.

[0033] The relay device 111 performs relay processing to relay messages transmitted and received in the in-vehicle communication system 201. The relay device 111 is, for example, an in-vehicle device that conforms to HPC (High Performance Computing).

[0034] The temperature sensor 121 measures the interior temperature of vehicle 1 and generates temperature data showing the measurement result. When the temperature sensor 121 receives a message requesting temperature data from the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the relay device 111, it sends a message containing the temperature data to the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the relay device 111.

[0035] Illumination 131 is an interior light of vehicle 1. When illumination 131 receives a control message containing control information from the onboard ECU 101 via relay device 111, it switches the interior light on and off according to the control information contained in the received control message.

[0036] [assignment] A technology is desired that allows for more flexible communication between applications added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 and external devices.

[0037] More specifically, after the in-vehicle communication system 201 has been put into operation, an application that performs remote API communication may be added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 by installing, for example, an update program sent from an OTA (Over The Air) server onto the in-vehicle ECU 101.

[0038] However, if the communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 is not a communication protocol that can be used for communication between the in-vehicle ECU 101 and external devices, then remote API communication by that application will not be possible.

[0039] Furthermore, if applications to be added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 are to be compatible with communication protocols usable for communication between the in-vehicle ECU 101 and external devices, the man-hours required for application development will increase.

[0040] Therefore, the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure solves the above problem with the following configuration.

[0041] (In-vehicle ECU) Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. Referring to Figure 2, the in-vehicle ECU 101 comprises a communication PF (PlatForm) 11, a conversion unit 12, existing applications 13 and 14, an additional application 15, and a storage unit 16. The communication PF 11 is an example of a communication unit. The communication PF 11, the conversion unit 12, the existing applications 13 and 14, and the additional application 15 are, for example, software installed on a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. The storage unit 16 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit. The processing circuit is, for example, a microcontroller. Note that the communication PF 11 and the conversion unit 12 may be implemented by the hardware of the processing circuit without using software.

[0042] Existing applications 13 and 14 are applications pre-installed on the in-vehicle ECU 101. Additional application 15 is an application that is added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 after the in-vehicle communication system 201 has started operation. For example, additional application 15 is added to the in-vehicle ECU 101 by installing an update program sent from the OTA server onto the microcontroller in the in-vehicle ECU 101.

[0043] Communication PF11 communicates with external devices of the in-vehicle ECU101. Communication PF11 can communicate with external devices of the in-vehicle ECU101 using one or more communication protocols Pt1. Communication protocol Pt1 is an example of a first communication protocol. For example, communication PF11 is used for remote API communication. Communication PF11 can communicate with the temperature sensor 121 and illumination 131 via relay device 111 using UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and SOME / IP, which are examples of communication protocols Pt1.

[0044] The existing application 13 performs service communication. For example, the existing application 13 performs service communication that conforms to SOME / IP. More specifically, the existing application 13 sends and receives messages conforming to SOME / IP to and from external devices of the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the communication PF 11.

[0045] Existing application 14 controls illumination 131. For example, existing application 14 controls illumination 131 using control messages that conform to SOME / IP. More specifically, existing application 14 outputs control messages that conform to SOME / IP to existing application 13. Existing application 13 receives control messages from existing application 14 and outputs the received control messages to communication PF 11. Communication PF 11 transmits the control messages received from existing application 13 to illumination 131 via relay device 111.

[0046] The additional application 15 acquires temperature data generated by the temperature sensor 121 and performs various processing based on the acquired temperature data. The additional application 15 performs remote API communication using the communication protocol Pt2. More specifically, the additional application 15 acquires temperature data from the temperature sensor 121 of the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the communication PF 11 and relay device 111 using messages that conform to the communication protocol Pt2.

[0047] Figure 3 shows an example of a conversion table stored in a storage unit in an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. Referring to Figure 3, the storage unit 16 stores a conversion table Tb1 that shows the correspondence between messages following communication protocol Pt1 and messages following communication protocol Pt2.

[0048] The conversion table Tb1 contains records of the pre-defined correspondence between messages following communication protocol Pt1 and messages following communication protocol Pt2. More specifically, the conversion table Tb1 shown in Figure 3 is pre-generated by the manufacturer of the in-vehicle ECU 101 and stored in the storage unit 16.

[0049] The conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between the communication protocol Pt1 used by the communication PF 11 and the communication protocol Pt2 used by the additional application 15, based on the conversion table Tb1 in the storage unit 16.

[0050] More specifically, the conversion unit 12 converts a message generated by the additional application 15 that conforms to communication protocol Pt2 into a message that conforms to communication protocol Pt1.

[0051] Specifically, the conversion unit 12 parses, or analyzes, the message generated by the additional application 15 to obtain the communication protocol, type 1, type 2, and context of the message. For example, the conversion unit 12 obtains the message type, version, etc., as message type 1. Also, for example, the conversion unit 12 obtains a value indicating the message priority, service ID, etc., as message type 2. Also, for example, the conversion unit 12 obtains information stored in the payload, for example, as the message context. Based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to communication protocol Pt1, corresponding to the obtained communication protocol, type 1, type 2, and context.

[0052] Furthermore, the conversion unit 12 converts messages that conform to communication protocol Pt1 addressed to the additional application 15 into messages that conform to communication protocol Pt2 and outputs them to the additional application 15.

[0053] Specifically, the conversion unit 12 parses, or analyzes, the message addressed to the additional application 15 to obtain the communication protocol, type 1, 2, and context of the message. Based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to the communication protocol Pt2, corresponding to the obtained communication protocol, type 1, 2, and context.

[0054] For example, the conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between a communication protocol Pt1 of layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model and a communication protocol Pt2 of layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model.

[0055] As an example, the additional application 15 uses HTTP as the communication protocol Pt2. That is, the additional application 15 uses messages that comply with HTTP to acquire temperature data from the temperature sensor 121 of the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the communication PF 11 and relay device 111. The additional application 15 can send messages that comply with HTTP, such as messages that comply with the GET method and messages that comply with the POST method.

[0056] The conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between SOME / IP, which is the communication protocol Pt1 used by the communication PF 11, and HTTP, which is the communication protocol Pt2 used by the additional application 15.

[0057] (Sending a message to the temperature sensor) The additional application 15 generates a message requesting temperature data, which conforms to HTTP, and outputs the generated message to the conversion unit 12. By fixing the output destination of the message from the additional application 15 to the conversion unit 12 in this way, the design of the additional application 15 and its implementation on the in-vehicle ECU 10 become easier.

[0058] For example, the conversion unit 12 parses the message received from the additional application 15 and determines that the communication protocol of the message is "HTTP", the type of the message is "GET method", the HTTP version is "HTTP / 2", and the context is "xxx". In this case, based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to "SOME / IP", has a type of "Request", a service ID of "aa", and a context of "xxx" as the message after protocol conversion. The conversion unit 12 then outputs the generated message to the existing application 13.

[0059] The existing application 13 receives a message conforming to SOME / IP from the conversion unit 12 and outputs the received message to the communication PF 11. The communication PF 11 transmits the message received from the existing application 13 to the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111.

[0060] (Receiving a message from the temperature sensor) The temperature sensor 121 generates a message containing temperature data, which is addressed to the additional application 15 that conforms to SOME / IP, and transmits the generated message to the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the relay device 111.

[0061] Communication PF11 receives a message conforming to SOME / IP from the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111, and outputs the received message to the existing application 13. The existing application 13 outputs the message received from communication PF11 to the conversion unit 12.

[0062] For example, the conversion unit 12 receives a message from the existing application 13 and parses the received message to determine that the communication protocol of the message is "SOME / IP", the type of the message is "Response", the service ID is "aa", and the context is "nnn". In this case, based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that follows "HTTP", has a type of "Response", a version of "HTTP / 2", and a context of "nnn" as the message after protocol conversion. The conversion unit 12 then outputs the generated message to the additional application 15.

[0063] The additional application 15 receives an HTTP-compliant message from the conversion unit 12 and obtains temperature data from the received message. The additional application 15 performs various processing based on the obtained temperature data.

[0064] (Updating the conversion table) The conversion unit 12 updates the conversion table Tb1 in the storage unit 16. More specifically, the conversion unit 12 dynamically updates the conversion table Tb1 after the in-vehicle communication system 201 has started operation.

[0065] For example, the conversion unit 12 updates the conversion table Tb1 based on the state of the in-vehicle communication system 201. As an example, the conversion unit 12 updates the conversion table Tb1 when the network topology of the in-vehicle communication system 201 changes due to the addition of a new in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle communication system 201.

[0066] More specifically, the existing application 13 periodically or irregularly searches for in-vehicle devices that function as servers in the in-vehicle communication system 201, in accordance with SOME / IP-SD (Service Discovery). The existing application 13 notifies the conversion unit 12 of the search results for the in-vehicle devices.

[0067] The conversion unit 12 receives notification from the existing application 13 that an in-vehicle device functioning as a server has been added to the in-vehicle communication system 201, and updates the conversion table Tb1.

[0068] Figure 4 shows an example of an updated conversion table in the memory unit of an in-vehicle ECU according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 4, the updated conversion table Tb1 includes fixed records, which are records that are fixed in advance, and additional records, which are records of the correspondence between messages that follow communication protocol Pt1 and messages that follow communication protocol Pt2, added by the conversion unit 12.

[0069] More specifically, when the conversion unit 12 recognizes, based on a notification from the existing application 13, that a new in-vehicle device acting as a server has been added to the in-vehicle communication system 201, it adds a record of the correspondence between messages following communication protocol Pt1 and messages following communication protocol Pt2 to the conversion table Tb1 for sending and receiving messages between the additional application 15 and the in-vehicle device.

[0070] [Operation Flow] Figure 5 shows an example of a processing sequence in an in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment of this disclosure.

[0071] Referring to Figure 5, first, the additional application 15 outputs a message requesting temperature data, which conforms to HTTP, to the conversion unit 12 (step S11).

[0072] Next, the conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between SOME / IP, which is the communication protocol Pt1 used by the communication PF 11, and HTTP, which is the communication protocol Pt2 used by the additional application 15, based on the conversion table Tb1 in the storage unit 16. More specifically, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to SOME / IP, corresponding to the message received from the additional application 15 (step S12).

[0073] Next, the conversion unit 12 outputs the generated message to the existing application 13 (step S13).

[0074] Next, the existing application 13 receives a message conforming to SOME / IP from the conversion unit 12 and outputs the received message to the communication PF 11 (step S14).

[0075] Next, the communication PF11 transmits the message received from the existing application 13 to the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111 (step S15).

[0076] Next, the temperature sensor 121 sends a message containing temperature data, addressed to the additional application 15 which conforms to SOME / IP, to the in-vehicle ECU 101 via the relay device 111 (step S16).

[0077] Next, the communication PF11 receives a message conforming to SOME / IP from the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111, and outputs the received message to the existing application 13 (step S17).

[0078] Next, the existing application 13 outputs the message received from the communication PF 11 to the conversion unit 12 (step S18).

[0079] Next, the conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between SOME / IP, which is the communication protocol Pt1 used by the communication PF 11, and HTTP, which is the communication protocol Pt2 used by the additional application 15, based on the conversion table Tb1 in the storage unit 16. More specifically, the conversion unit 12 generates an HTTP-compliant message corresponding to the message received from the communication PF 11 (step S19).

[0080] Next, the conversion unit 12 outputs the generated message to the additional application 15 (step S20).

[0081] Next, the additional application 15 receives an HTTP-compliant message from the conversion unit 12 and obtains temperature data from the received message (step S21).

[0082] Although the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure is configured to include the existing application 13, it is not limited to this configuration. The in-vehicle ECU 101 may also be configured not to include the existing application 13. In this case, for example, the communication PF 11 performs service communication instead of the existing application 13.

[0083] Furthermore, in the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure, the conversion unit 12 is configured to perform protocol conversion between SOME / IP used by the communication PF 11 and HTTP used by the additional application 15, but it is not limited to this. The additional application 15 may be configured to use DDS (Data Distribution Service) instead of HTTP as the communication protocol Pt2. That is, the additional application 15 generates a message requesting temperature data that conforms to DDS, and outputs the generated message to the conversion unit 12.

[0084] Referring again to Figure 3, for example, the conversion unit 12 parses the message received from the additional application 15 and determines that the communication protocol of the message is "DDS", the type of the message is "Request", the value indicating priority in QoS is "XX", and the context is "yyy". In this case, based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to "SOME / IP", has a type of "Request", a service ID of "bb", and a context of "yyy" as the message after protocol conversion. The conversion unit 12 then outputs the generated message to the existing application 13.

[0085] Furthermore, the additional application 15 may be configured to use UDP instead of HTTP as the communication protocol Pt2. That is, the additional application 15 generates a message requesting temperature data that conforms to UDP, and outputs the generated message to the conversion unit 12.

[0086] For example, the conversion unit 12 parses the message received from the additional application 15 and determines that the communication protocol of the message is "UDP" and the context is "zzz". In this case, based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 12 generates a message that conforms to "SOME / IP", has a type of "Request", a service ID of "cc", and a context of "zzz". The conversion unit 12 then outputs the generated message to the existing application 13.

[0087] Furthermore, while the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure is configured in which the storage unit 16 stores a conversion table Tb1, the invention is not limited to this configuration. The storage unit 16 may not store a conversion table Tb1. In this case, the conversion unit 12 generates a message in accordance with the communication protocol Pt1 based on the analysis results of the message received from the additional application 15, without using the conversion table Tb1. Alternatively, the conversion unit 12 generates a message in accordance with the communication protocol Pt2 based on the analysis results of the message received from the existing application 13, without using the conversion table Tb1.

[0088] Furthermore, in the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure, the conversion unit 12 is configured to update the conversion table Tb1 in the storage unit 16, but this is not the only configuration. The conversion unit 12 may be configured not to update the conversion table Tb1. In this case, the conversion table Tb1 includes records that are fixed in advance, but does not include records added by the conversion unit 12.

[0089] Furthermore, while the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure is configured such that the conversion unit 12 updates the conversion table Tb1 based on the state of the in-vehicle communication system 201, the invention is not limited to this configuration. The conversion unit 12 may also be configured to update the conversion table Tb1 based on the state of a system outside the in-vehicle communication system 201, such as a cloud system.

[0090] Next, other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0091] <Second Embodiment> [Configuration and Basic Operation] This embodiment relates to an in-vehicle ECU 102 that performs protocol conversion between communication protocols Pt1 at layer 4 or lower in the OSI reference model and communication protocols Pt2 at layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model, compared to the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment. Except for the contents described below, it is the same as the in-vehicle ECU 101 according to the first embodiment.

[0092] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle ECU according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 6, the in-vehicle ECU 102, compared to the in-vehicle ECU 101, includes a conversion unit 22 instead of a conversion unit 12, and a storage unit 26 instead of a storage unit 16.

[0093] Figure 7 shows an example of a conversion table stored in a storage unit in an in-vehicle ECU according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 7, the storage unit 26 stores a conversion table Tb2 that shows the correspondence between messages following communication protocol Pt1 and messages following communication protocol Pt2.

[0094] The conversion unit 22 performs protocol conversion between the communication protocol Pt1 used by the communication PF 11 and the communication protocol Pt2 used by the additional application 15, based on the conversion table Tb2 in the storage unit 26.

[0095] For example, the conversion unit 22 performs protocol conversion between communication protocols Pt1 at layer 4 or lower in the OSI reference model and communication protocols Pt2 at layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model. As an example, the conversion unit 12 performs protocol conversion between UDP, which is communication protocol Pt1 used by communication PF11, and HTTP, which is communication protocol Pt2 used by additional application 15.

[0096] (Sending a message to the temperature sensor) The additional application 15 generates a message requesting temperature data, which conforms to HTTP, and outputs the generated message to the conversion unit 22.

[0097] For example, the conversion unit 12 parses the message received from the additional application 15 and determines that the communication protocol of the message is "HTTP", the type of the message is the "GET method", the HTTP version is "HTTP / 2", and the context is "xxx". In this case, the conversion unit 22 generates a message that follows "UDP" and has a context of "udpxxx" as the protocol-converted message, based on the conversion table Tb2. The conversion unit 22 then outputs the generated message to the communication PF 11 without going through the existing application 13.

[0098] The communication PF11 receives a message compliant with UDP from the conversion unit 12 and transmits the received message to the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111.

[0099] (Receiving a message from the temperature sensor) The temperature sensor 121 generates a message containing temperature data, which is addressed to the additional application 15 that follows UDP, and transmits the generated message to the in-vehicle ECU 102 via the relay device 111.

[0100] The communication PF11 receives a UDP-compliant message from the temperature sensor 121 via the relay device 111, and outputs the received message to the conversion unit 22 without going through the existing application 13.

[0101] For example, the conversion unit 22 receives a message from the communication PF 11 and parses the received message to determine that the communication protocol of the message is "UDP" and the context is "udpnnn". In this case, based on the conversion table Tb1, the conversion unit 22 generates a message that follows "HTTP", has a type of "Response", a version of "HTTP / 2", and a context of "nnn" as the message after protocol conversion. The conversion unit 22 then outputs the generated message to the additional application 15.

[0102] The additional application 15 receives an HTTP-compliant message from the conversion unit 22 and obtains temperature data from the received message. The additional application 15 performs various processing based on the obtained temperature data.

[0103] The embodiments described above should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included.

[0104] Each process (each function) of the above-described embodiment is implemented by a processing circuit (Circuitry) including one or more processors. The processing circuit may consist of one or more memories, various analog circuits, various digital circuits, etc., in addition to the one or more processors, as well as an integrated circuit. The one or more memories store programs (instructions) that cause the one or more processors to execute each of the above processes. The one or more processors may execute each of the above processes according to the programs read from the one or more memories, or they may execute each of the above processes according to logic circuits that have been pre-designed to execute each of the above processes. The processors may be various processors suitable for computer control, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Furthermore, the physically separated multiple processors may cooperate with each other to execute each of the above processes. For example, the processors installed in each of several physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet to perform the above processes. The program may be installed in the memory via the network from an external server device, or it may be distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), and semiconductor memory, and then installed in the memory from the recording medium.

[0105] The above description includes the following features. [Note 1] It is an in-vehicle device, A communication unit that communicates with external equipment of the in-vehicle device, The system includes a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is the communication protocol used by the communication unit, and a second communication protocol, which is the communication protocol used by a first application added to the in-vehicle device. The conversion unit performs protocol conversion between the first communication protocol, SOME / IP, and the second communication protocol, HTTP. The aforementioned in-vehicle device further includes, The system includes a second application that performs service communication in accordance with SOME / IP with the aforementioned external device, The second application sends and receives messages in accordance with SOME / IP to and from the external device via the communication unit. The conversion unit converts a message conforming to SOME / IP received by the second application into a message conforming to HTTP and outputs it to the first application, and converts a message conforming to HTTP generated by the first application into a message conforming to SOME / IP and outputs it to the second application, in-vehicle device.

[0106] [Note 2] It is an in-vehicle device, Equipped with a processing circuit, The aforementioned processing circuit is The in-vehicle device communicates with external equipment, An in-vehicle device that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is a communication protocol for communication with the aforementioned external device, and a second communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0107] 1 vehicle 2 transmission lines 11 Communications PF 12,22 Conversion section 13, 14 Existing apps 15 Additional Apps 16,26 Storage section 101,102 Automotive ECU 111 Relay device 121 Temperature Sensor 131 Illuminations 201 In-vehicle communication systems Tb1, Tb2 Conversion Table

Claims

1. It is an in-vehicle device, A communication unit that communicates with external equipment of the in-vehicle device, An in-vehicle device comprising a conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by the communication unit, and a second communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit performs protocol conversion between the first communication protocol at layer 5 or higher in the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model and the second communication protocol at layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model.

3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2, wherein the conversion unit performs protocol conversion between the first communication protocol, SOME / IP (Scalatable Service-Oriented Middleware on Ethernet / Internet Protocol), and the second communication protocol, HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

4. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein the conversion unit performs protocol conversion between the first communication protocol of layer 4 or lower in the OSI reference model and the second communication protocol of layer 5 or higher in the OSI reference model.

5. The aforementioned in-vehicle device further includes, The system includes a storage unit that stores a conversion table showing the correspondence between messages conforming to the first communication protocol and messages conforming to the second communication protocol, The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the conversion unit performs protocol conversion based on the conversion table.

6. The in-vehicle device according to claim 5, wherein the conversion unit updates the conversion table in the storage unit.

7. The in-vehicle device according to claim 6, wherein the conversion unit updates the conversion table based on the state of the in-vehicle communication system including the in-vehicle device.

8. The in-vehicle device according to claim 6, wherein the conversion table includes records of the correspondence relationship that are fixed in advance and records of the correspondence relationship that are added by the conversion unit.

9. A communication method in an in-vehicle device, The steps include: communicating with external equipment of the in-vehicle device; A communication method comprising the step of performing protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used for communication with external equipment of the in-vehicle device, and a second communication protocol, which is a communication protocol used by an application added to the in-vehicle device.

10. A communication program used in an in-vehicle device, Computers, A communication unit that communicates with external equipment of the in-vehicle device, A conversion unit that performs protocol conversion between a first communication protocol, which is the communication protocol used by the communication unit, and a second communication protocol, which is the communication protocol used by the application added to the in-vehicle device. A communication program designed to function as such.

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