In-vehicle device and sleep control method

Abstract

To perform more stable sleep control of each on-vehicle device in an on-vehicle network.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle device includes: a communication unit that communicates with an on-vehicle device in an on-vehicle network; a detection unit that detects a new on-vehicle device that is an on-vehicle device newly added to the on-vehicle network; and a sleep processing unit that transmits a sleep request for transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the on-vehicle device in the on-vehicle network, to the new on-vehicle device via the communication unit in a detection state where the detection unit has detected the new on-vehicle device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle device and a sleep control method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques have been developed for saving power by controlling the sleep state of in-vehicle devices such as ECUs (Electronic Control Units) in an in-vehicle network.

[0003] As an example of such a technology, for example, Non-Patent Document 1 (Philip Axer (NXP), Charles Hong (Realtek), Antony Liu (Realtek), "OPEN Sleep / Wake-up Specification", OPEN ALLIANCE, March 7, 2019, pp. 9-10) discloses a technology for controlling the sleep state of an ECU in an in-vehicle Ethernet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-177785 A [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Philip Axer (NXP), Charles Hong (Realtek), Antony Liu (Realtek), “OPEN Sleep / Wake-up Specification”, OPEN ALLIANCE, March 7, 2019, p.9-10 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In an in-vehicle network, various in-vehicle devices may be added or removed depending on the user's needs.

[0007] If an in-vehicle device newly added to an in-vehicle network does not have the sleep function described in non-patent document 1, for example, when a process is performed to transition the entire in-vehicle network to a sleep state due to abnormality processing or maintenance work, the process may fail unexpectedly.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an in-vehicle device and a sleep control method that enable more stable sleep control of each in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The in-vehicle device of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that communicates with in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, a detection unit that detects a new in-vehicle device that is an in-vehicle device that has been newly added to the in-vehicle network, and a sleep processing unit that, in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device has been detected by the detection unit, transmits a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network.

[0010] The sleep control method disclosed herein is a sleep control method in an in-vehicle device capable of communicating with other in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, and includes a step of detecting a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network, and a step of, in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device has been detected, sending a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure may be realized not only as an in-vehicle device having such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute steps of such characteristic processing. Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes a part or all of the in-vehicle device, or as a system including the in-vehicle device. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, sleep control of each in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network can be performed more stably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of a sleep process in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device in an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of sleep function information in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of forwarding information in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a process for adding a new in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a sequence of the process of adding a new in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) An in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a communication unit that communicates with in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, a detection unit that detects a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network, and a sleep processing unit that, in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device has been detected by the detection unit, transmits a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to check in advance whether an in-vehicle device newly added to the in-vehicle network has a sleep function for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with other in-vehicle devices, and therefore it is possible to prevent the process from unexpectedly failing when, for example, a process for transitioning the entire in-vehicle network to a sleep state is performed for abnormality processing, maintenance work, etc. Therefore, the sleep control of each in-vehicle device can be performed more stably in the in-vehicle network.

[0016] (2) Preferably, the sleep processing unit stores in a storage unit sleep function information indicating whether or not the communication unit has received from the new in-vehicle device a sleep response to the sleep request transmitted in the detection state.

[0017] With this configuration, it is possible to use the sleep function information for one or more in-vehicle devices to perform appropriate processing according to the past confirmation result as to whether or not each in-vehicle device has the sleep function.

[0018] (3) Preferably, the communication unit stops operating in the sleep state, and the sleep processing unit performs control so as not to transition the communication unit to the sleep state when the communication unit receives a sleep response to the sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state.

[0019] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the communication unit from erroneously transitioning to the sleep state in the detection state with simple processing.

[0020] (4) Preferably, when the communication unit receives a sleep response to the sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, the sleep processing unit transmits a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit to transition the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network from a sleep state to an awake state.

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the new in-vehicle device from erroneously switching to the sleep state in the detection state with simple processing.

[0022] (5) A sleep control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a sleep control method in an in-vehicle device capable of communicating with other in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, and includes a step of detecting a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network, and a step of transmitting a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device has been detected, in order to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network.

[0023] With this configuration, it is possible to check in advance whether an in-vehicle device newly added to the in-vehicle network has a sleep function for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with other in-vehicle devices, and therefore it is possible to prevent the process from unexpectedly failing when, for example, a process for transitioning the entire in-vehicle network to a sleep state is performed for abnormality processing, maintenance work, etc. Therefore, the sleep control of each in-vehicle device can be performed more stably in the in-vehicle network.

[0024] Hereinafter, 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 the description thereof will not be repeated. In addition, at least some of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

[0025] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG 1, an in-vehicle system 301 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a relay device 101 and one or more in-vehicle ECUs 202.

[0026] The in-vehicle system 301 may include a plurality of relay devices 101. In the example shown in FIG.

[0027] The in-vehicle ECU 202 is, for example, a TCU (Telematics Control Unit), an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, etc. The TCU communicates with a device outside the vehicle, for example, a server 401, via a wireless base station (not shown) or the like.

[0028] The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device, and is capable of relaying information between a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected thereto. More specifically, the relay device 101 is capable of performing relay processing in accordance with Layer 2 of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference model. Note that the relay device 101 may be configured to perform relay processing in accordance with Layer 3, which is higher than Layer 2, in addition to Layer 2.

[0029] The relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 configure an in-vehicle network 151. The in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101 are an example of an in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network 151. The connection relationship between the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network 151 is, for example, fixed.

[0030] In the in-vehicle network 151, the in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 81. More specifically, the relay device 101 includes communication ports 1A, 1B, and 1C which are a communication port 1. The communication ports 1A, 1B, and 1C are terminals to which, for example, the Ethernet cable 81 can be connected. The three in-vehicle ECUs 202 are connected to the communication ports 1A, 1B, and 1C in the relay device 101 via the corresponding Ethernet cables 81, respectively.

[0031] The relay device 101 relays Ethernet frames in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard. Specifically, the relay device 101 relays Ethernet frames exchanged between the in-vehicle ECUs 202, for example. An IP packet is stored in the Ethernet frame.

[0032] In addition, the in-vehicle system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which Ethernet frames are relayed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, but may be a configuration in which data is relayed in accordance with communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network) (registered trademark), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) (registered trademark), and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0033] Each device in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer including a memory, and an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in the computer reads out from the memory and executes a program including some or all of the steps in the following flowcharts and sequences. Each of the programs for the multiple devices can be installed from the outside. Each of the programs for the multiple devices is distributed in a state in which it is stored in a recording medium.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of a sleep process in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 2, first, when in-vehicle device A and in-vehicle device B are in an awake state (steps S51 and S52), in-vehicle device A transmits a sleep request to in-vehicle device B to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with in-vehicle device B (step S53).

[0036] Next, the in-vehicle device B receives the sleep request from the in-vehicle device A, transmits a sleep response to the in-vehicle device A (step S54), and transitions to a sleep state when a predetermined time TB has elapsed since transmitting the sleep response. In the sleep state, the in-vehicle device B stops the operation of, for example, some of the devices (step S56).

[0037] Furthermore, when the in-vehicle device A receives a sleep response from the in-vehicle device B, the in-vehicle device A transitions to a sleep state when a predetermined time TA has elapsed since the in-vehicle device A transmitted a sleep request to the in-vehicle device B. In the sleep state, the in-vehicle device A stops the operation of, for example, some of the devices (step S55). The predetermined times TA and TB are, for example, the same value of several tens of milliseconds.

[0038] After that, the in-vehicle device A transitions to an awake state (step S57), and transmits a wake-up request to the in-vehicle device B (step S58).

[0039] Next, the in-vehicle device B receives a wake-up request from the in-vehicle device A, transitions to an awake state (step S59), and transmits a wake-up response to the in-vehicle device A (step S60).

[0040] If the in-vehicle device A does not receive a sleep response from the in-vehicle device B even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the in-vehicle device A transmitted a sleep request to the in-vehicle device B, the sleep process fails.

[0041] In the in-vehicle system 301, as an example, a sleep request, a sleep response, a wake-up request, and a wake-up response are transmitted via the Ethernet cable 81. With such a configuration, a dedicated line for transmitting the above-mentioned control information in the sleep process is not required, and the configuration of the in-vehicle network 151 can be simplified. The sleep process described in Non-Patent Document 1 is an example of such a sleep process.

[0042] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a relay device in an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 3, relay device 101 includes a detection unit 12, a sleep processing unit 13, a storage unit 14, and one or more communication units 15. Fig. 3 shows, as an example, a case in which relay device 101 includes three communication units 15A, 15B, and 15C corresponding to communication ports 1A, 1B, and 1C, respectively. Note that storage unit 14 may be provided outside relay device 101.

[0043] The detection unit 12 and the sleep processing unit 13 are realized by a processor such as a CPU or a DSP (Digital Signal Processing). The communication unit 15 is realized by a communication circuit such as a communication IC (Integrated Circuit). The storage unit 14 is, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0044] Each communication unit 15 relays Ethernet frames between in-vehicle ECUs 202. More specifically, when each communication unit 15 receives an Ethernet frame from a certain in-vehicle ECU 202 via a corresponding Ethernet cable 81 and communication port 1, the communication unit 15 transmits the received Ethernet frame to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202 via the corresponding communication unit 15, communication port 1, and Ethernet cable 81.

[0045] [Sleep processing] The sleep processing unit 13 outputs the sleep request to the communication unit 15 corresponding to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202. The communication unit 15 stores the sleep request received from the sleep processing unit 13 in an Ethernet frame and transmits it to the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 1 and the Ethernet cable 81.

[0046] The communication unit 15 receives a sleep response to the sleep request transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the Ethernet cable 81 and the communication port 1.

[0047] The sleep processing unit 13 receives a sleep response to the sleep request transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication unit 15. When the sleep response is received, the sleep processing unit 13 transitions to a sleep state in which some of the units in the relay device 101 are stopped when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sleep request was transmitted to the in-vehicle ECU 202. Note that the communication unit 15 may be configured to transition to a sleep state in which some of its functions are stopped upon receiving the sleep response.

[0048] When returning from the sleep state to the active state, the sleep processing unit 13 outputs a wake-up request to the communication unit 15, and also resumes the operation of the units in the relay device 101 that were stopped, and transitions to the awake state.

[0049] The communication unit 15 stores the wake-up request received from the sleep processing unit 13 in an Ethernet frame and transmits it to the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 1 and the Ethernet cable 81. The communication unit 15 receives a wake-up response to the wake-up request transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the Ethernet cable 81 and the communication port 1 and outputs it to the sleep processing unit 13.

[0050] [Processing associated with the addition of new in-vehicle equipment] When a new in-vehicle device, which is an in-vehicle ECU 202 to be newly added to the in-vehicle network 151, is connected to its own relay device 101 via the corresponding communication port 1 and an Ethernet cable, the communication unit 15 establishes a communication connection by exchanging one or more pieces of communication information with the new in-vehicle device. When the communication connection with the new in-vehicle device is established, the communication unit 15 updates the value of its own register from "not connected" to "connected" or notifies the detection unit 12 that the communication connection has been established.

[0051] The detection unit 12 detects a new in-vehicle device newly added to the in-vehicle network 151. More specifically, the detection unit 12 periodically or irregularly reads the value of a register of the communication unit 15, or receives a notification from the communication unit 15 that a communication connection has been established, and detects that a new in-vehicle device has been connected to the communication port 1 corresponding to the communication unit 15. The detection unit 12 outputs, for example, to the sleep processing unit 13, detection information indicating that a new in-vehicle device has been connected and the corresponding communication port 1.

[0052] The sleep processing unit 13 receives the detection information from the detection unit 12, transitions the communication port 1 indicated by the received detection information from an undetected state to a detected state, and transmits a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the corresponding communication unit 15. For example, the sleep processing unit 13 stores in the storage unit 14 sleep function information indicating for each communication port 1 whether the communication unit 15 has received a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device in response to the sleep request transmitted in the detected state.

[0053] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of sleep function information in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the relay device 101 includes five communication ports 1, that is, communication ports A to E.

[0054] 4, the sleep function information indicates the correspondence between a communication port and the function of the in-vehicle ECU 202 connected to the communication port. Specifically, the in-vehicle ECU 202 connected to the communication ports A, B, and C have the sleep processing function shown in Fig. 2, the in-vehicle ECU 202 connected to the communication port D does not have the sleep processing function shown in Fig. 2, and no in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the communication port E.

[0055] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of forwarding information in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG 5 illustrates a case in which a relay device 101 includes five communication ports 1, that is, communication ports A to E.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 5, the forwarding information indicates the setting contents of a communication port to which a sleep request or a wakeup request received at a communication port on the transmitting side should be relayed.

[0057] When the sleep function information is as shown in Figure 4, communication port D to which an in-vehicle ECU 202 that does not have the sleep processing function shown in Figure 2 is connected, and communication port E to which an in-vehicle ECU 202 is not connected are excluded from the destination and source of sleep requests and wake-up requests in the transfer information.

[0058] For example, the sleep processing unit 13 creates or updates such forwarding information and stores it in the storage unit 14 .

[0059] Each communication unit 15 refers to the transfer information in the storage unit 14 and relays a sleep request and a wake-up request received from an in-vehicle ECU 202 to another in-vehicle ECU 202. Note that the communication unit 15 may be configured to transmit the sleep request and the wake-up request generated by the sleep processing unit 13 to the in-vehicle ECU 202 by referring to the transfer information.

[0060] In this way, by using the sleep function information, it is possible to know whether each in-vehicle ECU 202 has the function of performing the sleep processing shown in FIG. 2, so that detailed transfer settings for sleep requests and wake-up requests can be made.

[0061] In addition, by using the sleep function information, the sleep processing unit 13 can disable the sleep processing function of the in-vehicle ECU 202 that does not have the function shown in Figure 2, and transition only its own relay device 101 to the sleep state.

[0062] 3 again, for example, when the communication unit 15 receives a sleep response from a new in-vehicle device in the detection state, the sleep processing unit 13 performs control not to transition the communication unit 15 to the sleep state. Specifically, for example, even if the sleep processing unit 13 receives the sleep response from the communication unit 15, the sleep processing unit 13 continues the operation of each unit in the relay device 101. Alternatively, when the communication unit 15 is configured to transition to the sleep state by itself, the sleep processing unit 13 receives the sleep response from the communication unit 15 and outputs an awake maintenance request to the communication unit 15. When the communication unit 15 receives the awake maintenance request from the sleep processing unit 13, the communication unit 15 continues its own operation without transitioning to the sleep state.

[0063] Also, for example, when the communication unit 15 receives a sleep response from a new in-vehicle device in the detection state, the sleep processing unit 13 transmits a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device via the corresponding communication unit 15 to transition the in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network 151 from a sleep state to an awake state.

[0064] The new vehicle-mounted device receives a wake-up request from the relay device 101 within a predetermined time after transmitting the sleep response, and maintains the awake state.

[0065] Then, when the communication unit 15 receives a sleep response to a sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sleep request was sent to the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, the sleep processing unit 13 sets the new in-vehicle device as an existing in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network 151, and transitions the corresponding communication port 1 from the detection state to the normal state.

[0066] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of a process for adding a new in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the in-vehicle ECU 202 having the sleep processing function shown in FIG. 2 is newly added to the in-vehicle network 151.

[0067] 6, first, a communication connection is established between the communication unit 15 in the relay device 101 and the new vehicle-mounted device (step S1).

[0068] Next, the detection unit 12 detects the new in-vehicle device (step S2), and outputs detection information indicating the corresponding communication port 1 to the sleep processing unit 13 (step S3).

[0069] Next, the sleep processing unit 13 receives detection information from the detection unit 12, transitions the communication port 1 indicated by the received detection information from an undetected state to a detected state (step S4), and transmits a sleep request to the new vehicle-mounted device via the corresponding communication unit 15 (step S5).

[0070] Next, the new vehicle-mounted device receives the sleep request from the relay device 101 and transmits a sleep response to the relay device 101 (step S6).

[0071] Next, the sleep processing unit 13 receives a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit 15, and changes the sleep function information in the storage unit 14 for the corresponding communication port 1 from "unconnected" to "compatible" (step S7).

[0072] Next, the sleep processing unit 13 outputs a stay-awake request to the communication unit 15 (step S8).

[0073] Next, the communication unit 15 receives the wake-up maintenance request from the sleep processing unit 13 and continues its own operation without transitioning to the sleep state (step S9).

[0074] Next, the sleep processing unit 13 sends a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit 15 (step S10), transitions the corresponding communication port 1 to a normal state, and sets the new in-vehicle device as an existing in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network 151 (step S11).

[0075] Furthermore, the new vehicle-mounted device receives a wake-up request from the relay device 101 within a predetermined time after transmitting the sleep response, and maintains the awake state (step S12).

[0076] 7 is a diagram showing another example of a sequence of a process for adding a new in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 shows an example in which the in-vehicle ECU 202 not having the sleep processing function shown in Fig. 2 is newly added to the in-vehicle network 151.

[0077] 7, the operations in steps S21 to S25 are similar to those in steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG.

[0078] Next, since the new vehicle-mounted device does not have the sleep processing function shown in FIG. 2, even if the sleep request is transmitted from the relay device 101, the new vehicle-mounted device does not transmit a sleep response (step S26) and remains awake (step S27).

[0079] Next, since the sleep processing unit 13 has not received a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device even though a predetermined time has elapsed since sending a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device (step S28), the sleep processing unit 13 sets the new in-vehicle device as an existing in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network 151 (step S29) and transitions the corresponding communication port 1 to the normal state (step S30).

[0080] In the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101 is configured to create or update the sleep function information, but the present invention is not limited to this. A device other than the relay device 101 may be configured to monitor whether or not a sleep response to a sleep request in a detection state is received from a new in-vehicle device, and to create or update the sleep function information, for example.

[0081] In addition, in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep processing unit 13 is configured to control the communication unit 15 not to transition to the sleep state when the communication unit 15 receives a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, but this is not limited to this. The communication unit 15 may be configured to recognize the detection state by itself and not transition to the sleep state even if it receives a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device.

[0082] In addition, in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the sleep processing unit 13 is configured to transmit a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device when the communication unit 15 receives a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the new in-vehicle device has a function of not transitioning to a sleep state even when it receives the first sleep request after startup, the sleep processing unit 13 may be configured not to transmit a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device in the detection state.

[0083] In addition, in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101 is configured to include the detection unit 12 and the sleep processing unit 13, but this is not limited to the above. Another in-vehicle device, such as the in-vehicle ECU 202, that does not have a relay function may be configured to include the detection unit 12 and the sleep processing unit 13 and perform the above-mentioned processing for the new in-vehicle device. In this case, the in-vehicle system 301 may be configured not to include the relay device 101.

[0084] In addition, in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101 is configured to perform the above-mentioned processing for a new in-vehicle device directly connected to the in-vehicle system, but the present invention is not limited to this. An in-vehicle device may be configured to perform processing such as transmitting a sleep request in a detection state to a new in-vehicle device not directly connected to the in-vehicle system via the relay device 101 or the like.

[0085] However, if an in-vehicle device newly added to an in-vehicle network does not have the sleep function described in Non-Patent Document 1, for example, when a process is performed to transition the entire in-vehicle network to a sleep state due to abnormality processing or maintenance work, the process may fail unexpectedly.

[0086] In contrast, in the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication unit 15 communicates with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network 151. The detection unit 12 detects a new in-vehicle device that is a new in-vehicle device added to the in-vehicle network 151. In a detection state in which the detection unit 12 detects the new in-vehicle device, the sleep processing unit 13 transmits a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit 15 to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network 151.

[0087] Moreover, the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure first detects a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network 151. Next, in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device has been detected, a sleep request for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network 151 is transmitted to the new in-vehicle device.

[0088] With this configuration, it is possible to check in advance whether an in-vehicle device newly added to an in-vehicle network has a sleep function for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with other in-vehicle devices, and therefore it is possible to prevent the process from unexpectedly failing when, for example, a process for transitioning the entire in-vehicle network to a sleep state is performed for abnormality processing, maintenance work, etc. Therefore, with the in-vehicle device and the sleep control method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to more stably perform sleep control of each in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network.

[0089] It is also possible to combine some or all of the components and operations of each example of the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure as appropriate.

[0090] The above-described embodiments should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0091] The above description includes the following additional features. [Appendix 1] A communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network; a detection unit that detects a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network; a sleep processing unit configured to transmit a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device is detected by the detection unit, the sleep request being for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network; the sleep processing unit, when the communication unit receives a sleep response to the sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sleep request was transmitted to the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, sets the new in-vehicle device as an existing in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network, and transitions from the detection state to a normal state; Further, a plurality of communication ports; a plurality of communication units provided corresponding to the communication ports, each of which relays communication information received from another in-vehicle device via the corresponding communication port to another in-vehicle device via the corresponding communication port; The sleep processing unit stores the sleep function information for each of the communication ports in the storage unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1,1A,1B,1C communication ports 12 Detection unit 13 Sleep Processing Unit 14 Storage section 15,15A,15B,15C Communication department 101 Repeater 151 In-vehicle network 202 Automotive ECU 301 In-vehicle systems

Claims

1. A communication unit that communicates with an in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network; a detection unit that detects a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network; a sleep processing unit configured to transmit a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device is detected by the detection unit, the sleep request being for transitioning to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network; the sleep processing unit determines whether the new in-vehicle device has a sleep function according to whether the communication unit receives a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device in response to the sleep request transmitted in the detection state; The communication unit stops operating in the sleep state, The sleep processing unit performs control so as not to transition the communication unit to the sleep state when the communication unit receives a sleep response to the sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state.

2. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 , wherein the sleep processing unit stores in a storage unit sleep function information indicating whether or not the communication unit has received a sleep response from the new in-vehicle device in response to the sleep request transmitted in the detection state.

3. 3. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1, wherein when the communication unit receives a sleep response to the sleep request from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state, the sleep processing unit transmits a wake-up request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit to transition the in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network from a sleep state to an awake state.

4. A sleep control method for an in-vehicle device capable of communicating with other in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, comprising: detecting a new in-vehicle device that is a newly added in-vehicle device to the in-vehicle network; transmitting a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device in a detection state in which the new in-vehicle device is detected, in order to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle device in the in-vehicle network; determining whether the new in-vehicle device has a sleep function according to whether a sleep response to the sleep request transmitted in the detection state is received from the new in-vehicle device; the in-vehicle device includes a communication unit that communicates with the in-vehicle device and stops operating in the sleep state; The sleep control method further comprises: The sleep control method includes a step of performing control not to transition the communication unit to the sleep state when a sleep response to the sleep request is received from the new in-vehicle device in the detection state.

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