Expansion unit, vehicle-mounted unit, and vehicle system

Abstract

An expansion unit (2B) is configured to be detachably mountable to an onboard device (2A) that is communicable with a cloud server managing vehicle data via a communication device. The expansion unit includes: at least one input line (152C to 152H) provided for each communication protocol for input data that is data transmitted from equipment of a vehicle, from which the input data is input; at least one output line (151A to 151F) provided for each communication protocol for output data, from which the output data is output; at least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the onboard device; and a processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to subject the input data to processing, and to output the output data based on the input data from the output line.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-110909 filed with the Japan Patent Office on July 2, 2021, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-110909 are incorporated by reference into this international application. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an expansion unit configured to be detachable from an on-board device mounted in a vehicle, an on-board device unit including an on-board device and an expansion unit, and a vehicle system. [Background technology]

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for an on-board device that is mounted on a vehicle and collects data related to the vehicle from within the vehicle and uploads the data to a predetermined server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-060520 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, as a result of detailed consideration by the inventors, it has been found that it is difficult to expand the functions or performance of the above-mentioned in-vehicle device beyond the current state. Therefore, when trying to expand the functions or performance of the in-vehicle device, it is necessary to replace the in-vehicle device itself, and a problem has been found that the development burden for developing a new in-vehicle device is large.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is to enable the function or performance of an on-board device to be expanded with low development load in a technology for collecting vehicle data.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is an expansion unit that is detachably configured for an in-vehicle device that can communicate with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device. The expansion unit includes at least one input line, at least one output line, at least one connector, and a processing unit.

[0008] The input line is provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from a device in the vehicle, and the input data is inputted through the input line. The output line is provided for each communication protocol of output data, and the output data is outputted through the output line. The connector is configured to connect the output line to the vehicle-mounted device.

[0009] The processing unit is configured to perform processing on the input data and to cause output data based on the input data to be output from an output line.

[0010] With this configuration, the expansion unit can process input data and send output data to the vehicle-mounted device via the connector, so that new functions can be added to the vehicle-mounted device simply by connecting the expansion unit to the vehicle-mounted device with a connector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobility IoT system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data collection device. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an extension unit and a vehicle-side device. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management center. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the data collection device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a management center. [Figure 7] A functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the main body and the vehicle extension unit. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a filtering table. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a CAN frame. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a data conversion table. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first layer of standardized vehicle data and a data format. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of standardized vehicle data. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a first creation procedure of the standardized vehicle data. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a second creation procedure of the standardized vehicle data. [Figure 15] 2 is a block diagram showing a connection state of ECUs mounted on a vehicle. FIG. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing a data creation process executed by a vehicle extension unit. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing a data creation process executed by the main body unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [1. Embodiment] [1-1. Relationship between the configuration of the embodiment and the configuration of the present disclosure] The data collecting device 2 in the embodiment corresponds to the vehicle-mounted device unit in the present disclosure, and the main body unit 2A in the embodiment corresponds to the vehicle-mounted device in the present disclosure. The determination unit 156A, the filtering unit 156B, and the standardization unit 156C in the embodiment correspond to the processing unit in the present disclosure. The network expansion unit 190 in the embodiment corresponds to the first expansion unit in the present disclosure, and the vehicle expansion unit 150, the sensor expansion unit 160, and the USB expansion unit 180 in the embodiment correspond to the second expansion unit in the present disclosure. Note that USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. Among the functions realized by the data collecting device 2, the functions of the filtering units 20B and 156B correspond to the first processing in the present disclosure, and the functions of the standardization units 20C and 156C correspond to the second processing in the present disclosure. The communication unit 213 corresponds to the relay unit in the present disclosure.

[0014] [1-2. Configuration] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] 1, a mobility IoT system 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of data collection devices 2, a management center 3, and a service providing server 4. IoT is an abbreviation for Internet of Things.

[0016] The data collection device 2 is mounted on a vehicle and has a function of performing data communication with a management center 3 via a wide area wireless communication network NW.

[0017] The management center 3 is a device that manages the mobility IoT system 1. The management center 3 has a function of performing data communication between the multiple data collection devices 2 and the service providing server 4 via the wide area wireless communication network NW.

[0018] The service providing server 4 is, for example, a server installed to provide a service for managing vehicle operation. Note that the mobility IoT system 1 may include multiple service providing servers each providing different service contents.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the data collection device 2 includes a main body 2A, which is the main body of the vehicle-mounted device, and an expansion unit 2B that is configured to be freely attached to and detached from the main body 2A. Although one expansion unit 2B is illustrated in Fig. 2, multiple expansion units 2B may be provided as shown in Fig. 3. The expansion unit 2B is configured to be electrically connectable to and detachable from the main body 2A mounted on the vehicle using connectors 150A to 190A.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 2A includes a microcomputer 11, a vehicle interface (hereinafter, vehicle I / F) 12, a communication unit 13, and a storage unit .

[0021] The microcomputer 11 includes a first core 21, a second core 22, a ROM 23, a RAM 24, a flash memory 25, an input / output unit 26, and a bus 27.

[0022] Various functions of the microcomputer 11 are realized by the first core 21 and the second core 22 executing a program stored in a non-transient real recording medium. In this example, the ROM 23 corresponds to the non-transient real recording medium storing the program. Furthermore, the execution of this program executes a method corresponding to the program. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the first core 21 and the second core 22 may be configured in hardware using one or more ICs, etc.

[0023] The flash memory 25 is a rewritable non-volatile memory and includes a standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A for storing standardized vehicle data, which will be described later.

[0024] The input / output unit 26 is a circuit for inputting and outputting data between the outside of the microcomputer 11 and the first core 21 and second core 22.

[0025] The bus 27 connects the first core 21, the second core 22, the ROM 23, the RAM 24, the flash memory 25 and the input / output unit 26 so as to enable data input / output between them.

[0026] The communication unit 13 performs data communication with the management center 3 via the wide area wireless communication network NW.

[0027] The storage unit 14 is a storage device for storing various data.

[0028] The vehicle I / F 12 is an input / output circuit for inputting and outputting signals between the vehicle and electronic control devices and sensors, etc., mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle I / F 12 includes a power supply voltage input port, a general-purpose input / output port, a CAN communication port, and an Ethernet communication port. The CAN communication port is a port for transmitting and receiving data according to the CAN communication protocol. The Ethernet communication port is a port for transmitting and receiving data based on the Ethernet communication protocol. CAN is an abbreviation for Controller Area Network. CAN is a registered trademark. Ethernet is a registered trademark.

[0029] As described below, an expansion unit 2B is connected to the CAN communication port and the Ethernet communication port, and other electronic control devices mounted on the vehicle are connected via the expansion unit 2B. This allows the main body 2A of the data collection device 2 to transmit and receive communication frames to and from the other electronic control devices.

[0030] 3, each port of the vehicle I / F 12 includes a plurality of connectors 125A-125G that can be connected to an expansion unit 2B. Different expansion units 2B can be connected to the plurality of connectors 125A-125G. The vehicle I / F 12 is configured to be able to communicate with each of the connectors 125A-125G using a communication protocol that is preset for each of the connectors 125A-125G.

[0031] The expansion unit 2B has a function for expanding or enhancing the functions and performance of the main body part 2 A. For example, the expansion unit 2B has a function that the main body part 2 A does not have, or a function for taking on part of the processing performed by the main body part 2 A to provide a margin in the resources of the main body part 2 A and increase the speed, etc.

[0032] The extension unit 2B is electrically disposed between the vehicle I / F 12 and the vehicle side device 2C. The vehicle I / F 12 can acquire data from the vehicle side device 2C via the extension unit 2B, and in particular, can collect data to be transmitted to the management center 3 via the extension unit 2B. The vehicle I / F 12 can also transmit data to the vehicle side device 2C via the extension unit 2B.

[0033] In detail, as shown in Fig. 3, the data collection device 2 includes a vehicle expansion unit 150, a sensor expansion unit 160, a display expansion unit 170, a USB expansion unit 180, and a network expansion unit 190 as expansion units 2B. In the example shown in Fig. 3, many expansion units 150-190 are included, but the number and types of the expansion units 150-190 can be set arbitrarily depending on the type and grade of the vehicle. Therefore, the main body 2A can function as the data collection device 2 even if it does not include the expansion units 2B.

[0034] The vehicle extension unit 150 includes vehicle-mounted device connectors 150A, 150B and device-side connectors 150C-150H. The vehicle-mounted device connectors 150A, 150B are connectors connected to the main body 2A, and the device-side connectors 150C-150H are connectors connected to the vehicle-side device 2C. The vehicle extension unit 150 communicates with other electronic control devices arranged in the vehicle via the device-side connectors 150C-150H, and uses data obtained from the vehicle-side device 2C located inside the vehicle as input data. That is, the vehicle extension unit 150 uses vehicle data for controlling the vehicle as input data.

[0035] The vehicle expansion unit 150 also has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the main body 2A via the vehicle-mounted device connectors 150A and 150B. The vehicle-mounted device connector 150A is a connector that supports the Ethernet communication protocol and is configured to be connectable to the connector 125A on the vehicle I / F 12 side. The vehicle-mounted device connector 150B is a connector that supports the CAN, GPIO, and UART communication protocols and is configured to be connectable to the connector 125B on the vehicle I / F 12 side.

[0036] GPIO stands for General Purpose Input / Output, and UART stands for Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter.

[0037] The device side connector 150C is a connector compatible with the UART communication protocol. The device side connector 150D is a connector compatible with the Ethernet communication protocol. The device side connector 150E is a connector compatible with the GPIO communication protocol. The device side connector 150F is a connector compatible with the CAN communication protocol. The device side connector 150G is a connector compatible with the CAN FD communication protocol. The device side connector 150H is a connector compatible with the LIN communication protocol. These device side connectors 150C to 150H may be configured to be housed in a single connector case.

[0038] CAN FD is an abbreviation for CAN with Flexible Data Rate, and LIN is an abbreviation for Local Interconnect Network.

[0039] The sensor expansion unit 160 includes an in-vehicle device side connector 160A and device side connectors 160B to 160E. The sensor expansion unit 160 is connected to the vehicle I / F 12 via the in-vehicle device side connector 160A. The sensor expansion unit 160 is connected to a radar 165, a camera 166, a microphone 167, and an acceleration sensor 168 via the device side connectors 160B to 160E. The device side connector 160A is a connector compatible with communication protocols such as UART, Ethernet, and USB. The sensor expansion unit 160 receives sensing data for detecting an object or an event as input data.

[0040] The vehicle-mounted device connector 160A of the sensor expansion unit 160 is a connector compatible with UART and Ethernet communication protocols, and is configured to be connectable to the connector 125C on the vehicle I / F 12 side.

[0041] The sensor expansion unit 160 acquires data obtained from the radar 165, the camera 166, the microphone 167, and the acceleration sensor 168 via the device side connectors 160B to 160E, and performs predetermined processing. Then, the processed data is transmitted to the vehicle I / F 12 via the vehicle-mounted device side connectors 150A and 150B.

[0042] The display extension unit 170 includes an in-vehicle device side connector 170A and an equipment side connector 170B. The display extension unit 170 is connected to the vehicle I / F 12 via the in-vehicle device side connector 170A. The display extension unit 170 is connected to a display 175 via the equipment side connector 170B. The display extension unit 170 receives display data such as video as input data.

[0043] The in-vehicle connector 170A is compatible with, for example, LVDS format video data, and the device connector 170B is compatible with, for example, HDMI format video data. HDMI is a registered trademark. The display extension unit 170 converts the format of the video data sent from the vehicle I / F 12 and outputs it to the display 175. That is, like the display extension unit 170, the extension unit 2B may have a function of converting data or a function of converting communication protocols.

[0044] The USB expansion unit 180 includes an in-vehicle connector 180A and device connectors 180B to 180F. The USB expansion unit 180 is connected to the vehicle I / F 12 via the in-vehicle connector 180A. The USB expansion unit 180 is connected to a camera 185, a GPS antenna 186, a microphone 187, a touch panel 188, and a speaker 189 via the device connectors 180B to 180F. The USB expansion unit 180 receives data that complies with the USB standard as input data.

[0045] The vehicle-mounted device connector 180A of the USB expansion unit 180 is a connector compatible with the USB standard communication protocol, and is configured to be connectable to the connector 125E or 125F on the vehicle I / F 12 side. In the example of Fig. 3, the vehicle-mounted device connector 180A is connected to the connector 125F, and the connector 125E is in an unconnected state, that is, not connected to any of the expansion units 150 to 190.

[0046] Other expansion units having USB standard connectors can be connected to connector 125E.

[0047] The USB expansion unit 180 acquires data obtained from the camera 185, the GPS antenna 186, the microphone 187, the touch panel 188, and the speaker 189 via the device-side connectors 180B to 180F, and performs a predetermined process on the data. Then, the USB expansion unit 180 transmits the processed data to the vehicle I / F 12 via the vehicle-side device in-vehicle-side connector 180A.

[0048] The network extension unit 190 includes an in-vehicle connector 190A, a Bluetooth antenna 195A, a WiFi antenna 195B, and a cellular antenna 195C. Bluetooth and WiFi are registered trademarks. The in-vehicle connector 190A is a connector compatible with communication protocols such as PCIexpress (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), USB, and UART. The in-vehicle connector 190A may include a plurality of output lines corresponding to data received from the antennas 195A, 195B, and 195C. Alternatively, a single output line may be provided for outputting data received from the antennas 195A, 195B, and 195C.

[0049] The network expansion unit 190 is configured to be able to communicate with a predetermined server or the like located outside the vehicle, and receives data obtained from a communication device outside the vehicle as input data. The network expansion unit 190 performs a predetermined process on the input data, and transmits the processed data to the vehicle I / F 12 via the vehicle-mounted device connector 190A.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, the management center 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, and a storage unit 33.

[0051] The control unit 31 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer including a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, etc. Various functions of the microcomputer are realized by the CPU 41 executing a program stored in a non-transitive substantial recording medium. In this example, the ROM 42 corresponds to the non-transitive substantial recording medium storing the program. Furthermore, the execution of this program executes a method corresponding to the program. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the CPU 41 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs, etc. Also, the number of microcomputers constituting the control unit 31 may be one or more.

[0052] The communication unit 32 performs data communication between the multiple data collection devices 2 and the service providing server 4 via the wide area wireless communication network NW.

[0053] The storage unit 33 is a storage device for storing various data.

[0054] 5, the main body 2A of the data collection device 2 includes a first unit 101 as a functional block realized by the first core 21 executing a program stored in the ROM 23. The main body 2A includes a second unit 102 as a functional block realized by the second core 22 executing a program stored in the ROM 23.

[0055] The first unit 101 includes a real-time operating system (hereinafter, referred to as RTOS) 103 and a first application 104 .

[0056] The first application 104 executes various processes for controlling the vehicle. In order to execute various processes for controlling the vehicle, the first application 104 is configured to be able to access the standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A of the flash memory 25 and refer to the standardized vehicle data.

[0057] The RTOS 103 manages the first application 104 so as to ensure real-time processing by the first application 104. The second unit 102 includes a general purpose operating system (hereinafter, GPOS) 105 and a second application 106.

[0058] The second application 106 executes processing related to the service provided by the service providing server 4. The second application 106 is configured to be able to access the standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A of the flash memory 25 and refer to the standardized vehicle data in order to execute processing related to the service.

[0059] The GPOS 105 is basic software installed in the data collection device 2 for running various applications, and manages the second application 106 .

[0060] The management center 3 includes a vehicle side unit 110 and a service side unit 120 as functional blocks realized by the CPU 41 executing a program stored in the ROM 42, as shown in FIG.

[0061] The method of realizing these elements constituting the management center 3 is not limited to software, and some or all of the elements may be realized using one or more pieces of hardware. For example, when the above functions are realized by electronic circuits that are hardware, the electronic circuits may be realized by digital circuits including multiple logic circuits, or analog circuits, or a combination of these.

[0062] The vehicle-side unit 110 manages access to the vehicle and data received from the vehicle. The vehicle-side unit 110 includes a mobility gateway (hereinafter, mobility GW) 111. The mobility GW 111 has a function of relaying a request to access the vehicle to the vehicle, as well as a function of managing data received from the vehicle.

[0063] The mobility GW 111 includes a shadow storage unit 112 and a vehicle control unit 113. The shadow storage unit 112 stores a shadow 114 that contains data for each vehicle equipped with the data collection device 2. The shadow 114 indicates a vehicle data group for a certain vehicle. The vehicle control unit 113 has a function of controlling the vehicle equipped with the data collection device 2 based on an instruction from the service providing server 4.

[0064] The service side unit 120 receives requests from the service providing server and provides vehicle data. The service side unit 120 includes a data management unit 121 and an access API 122. API is an abbreviation for Application Programming Interface.

[0065] The data management unit 121 has a function of managing a digital twin 123, which is a virtual space for providing vehicle access independent of changes in the connection state of the vehicle. The data management unit 121 manages data required for accessing vehicle data managed by the vehicle-side unit 110. The access API 122 is a standard interface for the service providing server 4 to access the mobility GW 111 and the data management unit 121. The access API 122 provides the service providing server 4 with an API for accessing the vehicle and acquiring vehicle data.

[0066] [1-3. Functions of the main unit and expansion unit] Next, the processes executed by the main body 2A and the expansion unit 2B will be described. As for the expansion unit 2B, the vehicle expansion unit 150 will be described as a representative of the expansion unit 2B. As for the other expansion units 160 to 190, since they have roughly the same configuration and function, only the differences will be described.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle expansion unit 150 is an electronic control device mainly configured with a microcomputer including a CPU 153 and a memory 154 such as a ROM and a RAM. Various functions of the microcomputer are realized by the CPU 153 executing a program stored in a non-transitive real recording medium. In this example, the memory 154 corresponds to the non-transitive real recording medium storing the program. Furthermore, the execution of this program executes a method corresponding to the program. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the CPU 153 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs or the like. Furthermore, the number of microcomputers provided in the vehicle expansion unit 150 may be one or more.

[0068] The functions executed by the CPU 153 include an input I / F 155A, an output I / F 155B, a determination unit 156A, a filtering unit 156B, and a standardization unit 156C.

[0069] The vehicle extension unit 150 includes a plurality of input lines 152C to 152H, a plurality of output lines 151A to 151F, and at least one connector 150A to 190A.

[0070] The input lines 152C to 152H are provided for each communication protocol of the data to be handled, and data is input. In this embodiment, even if multiple wirings are required for one communication protocol, the multiple wirings are expressed as one input line. The same applies to the output lines.

[0071] Here, the input lines 152C to 152H are wirings connected to the device side connectors 150C to 150H. In particular, the input line 152C is a wiring corresponding to UART. Furthermore, the input line 152D is a wiring corresponding to Ethernet. Furthermore, the input line 152E is a wiring corresponding to GPIO. Furthermore, the input line 152F is a wiring corresponding to CAN. Furthermore, the input line 152G is a wiring corresponding to CAN FD. Furthermore, the input line 152H is a wiring corresponding to LIN.

[0072] The output lines 151A to 151F are configured as power lines or communication lines provided for each communication protocol of the output data. Data is output from the communication lines. Here, the output line 151A is a wiring connected to the connector 150A. In particular, the input line 152D is a wiring corresponding to the Ethernet, and is connected to the vehicle I / F 12 at the connector 150A. Here, the input data on the input line 152D is output to the output line 151A without being processed by the vehicle extension unit 150.

[0073] The output lines 151B to 151F are wires that are collectively connected to the vehicle-mounted device connector 150B. The output line 151B is a wire for a battery power source. The output line 151C is a wire for an ignition power source. The output line 151D is a communication line for communicating by CAN. The output line 151E is a communication line for communicating by GPIO. The output line 151F is a communication line for communicating by UART. Note that the vehicle-mounted device connector 150B may be provided for each of the output lines 151A to 151F. Also, any of the output lines 151B to 151F may be unconnected.

[0074] 7, the vehicle expansion unit 150 is connected to the vehicle I / F 12 by both the connectors 150A and 150B. As a result, the number of input lines 152C-152H through which data is transmitted is set to be less than the number of output lines 151A, 151D-151F through which data is transmitted. The vehicle expansion unit 150 may be connected to the vehicle I / F 12 by only one of the connectors 150A and 150B. The vehicle expansion unit 150 may also include only one of the connectors 150A and 150B.

[0075] Here, for example, when different types of image data, JPEG and GIF, are input to the extension unit 2B such as the vehicle extension unit 150, two input lines may be arranged for each protocol or type of data, for example, one for JPEG and one for GIF. Note that data of the same communication protocol does not need to be transmitted through one communication line. For example, the input lines may be divided for each type of data, and two lines may be arranged, for example, one USB connection line for JPEG and one USB connection line for GIF. On the other hand, when the extension unit 2B performs image recognition on JPEG and GIF image data and forms it into a standard format of target information, the output data is only target information, so that one output line can be used. In other words, the number of output lines is less than the number of input lines for the same type of input data. Here, the communication protocol used in this one output line is arbitrary.

[0076] Data input from one or more input lines using different communication protocols may be configured to be output from one output line. For example, if there is a CAN input line and a CAN FD input line, data received via the CAN FD input line may be converted to CAN format and output from the CAN output line. In this case, the CAN input data and the CAN FD input data can be output from the same CAN output line, and the number of output lines is less than the number of input lines.

[0077] On the other hand, when MPEG image data is input to the extension unit 2B, only one input line for MPEG can be arranged. In the extension unit 2B, this input line can be branched into two. One of the output lines can be used to output the MPEG image data itself from the output line. The other output line can be used to perform image recognition in the extension unit 2B and output target information in a standard format. In other words, there will be more output lines than input lines for the same type of input data.

[0078] Data input from one communication protocol may be branched and output from two output lines. For example, if there is a CAN input line, one of the output lines can be used to output the CAN input data itself. The other output line can be used to normalize the input data in the expansion unit 2B and output the normalized data.

[0079] The input I / F 155A acquires data input from the input lines 152C to 152H, and stores the data in the memory 154. The output I / F 155B provides the vehicle I / F 12 with data that it is instructed to output.

[0080] 7, the main body 2A of the data collecting device 2 includes a determination unit 20A, a filtering unit 20B, a standardization unit 20C, a normalization unit 20D, and a structuring unit 20E as functions executed by the first unit 101 or the second unit 102. These functions may be executed by either the first unit 101 or the second unit 102.

[0081] The determination unit 156A, filtering unit 156B, and standardization unit 156C of the vehicle extension unit 150 are configured to perform a predetermined process on the input data and output data based on the input data from the output lines 151A to 151F. The output data may be data processed by the filtering unit 156B or the like, or may be the input data itself.

[0082] In addition, the judgment unit 20A, filtering unit 20B, and standardization unit 20C provided in the main body unit 2A have similar functions to the judgment unit 156A, filtering unit 156B, and standardization unit 156C provided in the vehicle expansion unit 150, and therefore will be described together below.

[0083] [1-3-1. Judgment section] When the determination unit 20A, 156A receives data from the vehicle I / F 12 or the input I / F 155A, the determination unit 20A, 156A recognizes the communication protocol of the data based on the communication port through which the data was received, that is, the connectors 150C to 150H. Specifically, when the determination unit 20A, 156A receives data through a CAN communication port (for example, the input line 152F), the determination unit 20A, 156A recognizes that the communication protocol of the received data is CAN. Also, when the determination unit 20A, 156A receives data through an Ethernet communication port (for example, the input line 152D), the determination unit 20A, 156A recognizes that the communication protocol of the received data is Ethernet.

[0084] In particular, the determination unit 156A of the vehicle expansion unit 150 determines the capabilities of the main body part 2A, i.e., the processes that the main body part 2A can execute, based on the communication protocol and the types of the connectors 150A to 190A, etc. This is to set whether the process should be executed by the vehicle expansion unit 150 or the main body part 2A depending on whether the main body part 2A has sufficient capabilities.

[0085] When the judgment unit 156A of the vehicle expansion unit 150 determines that the main body unit 2A has the preset capability, it transfers the received data to the output I / F 155B so that it is sent to the main body unit 2A as is, without performing any thinning or protocol conversion on the data.

[0086] More specifically, the determination unit 156A of the vehicle extension unit 150 determines what kind of processing to perform on the input data based on a filtering table 8 as shown in Fig. 8. When the vehicle extension unit 150 receives data from connectors 150C-E, 150G-H having a communication protocol other than CAN, in other words, a communication port other than CAN, the processing is performed by the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C described later. However, when the vehicle extension unit 150 receives data from a connector 150F having a CAN communication protocol, in other words, a CAN communication port, the processing is not performed by the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C described later.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 9, a CAN frame is composed of a start of frame, an arbitration field, a control field, a data field, a CRC field, an ACK field, and an end of frame. The arbitration field is composed of an 11-bit or 29-bit identifier (i.e., ID) and a 1-bit RTR bit.

[0088] The 11-bit identifier used in CAN communication is called the CANID. The CANID is preset based on the contents of the data included in the CAN frame, the sender of the CAN frame, the destination of the CAN frame, etc.

[0089] The data field is composed of first data, second data, third data, fourth data, fifth data, sixth data, seventh data, and eighth data, each of which is 8 bits (i.e., 1 byte). Hereinafter, each of the first to eighth data in the data field is also referred to as CAN data.

[0090] In the expansion unit 2B other than the vehicle expansion unit 150, for example, processing is performed as follows. When the sensor expansion unit 160 receives data from a connector having a UART communication protocol, in other words, a UART communication port, processing is performed by the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C described later. However, when the sensor expansion unit 160 receives data from a connector having an Ethernet communication protocol, in other words, an Ethernet communication port, processing is not performed by the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C described later. In other words, data input from the Ethernet input line is output from the output line as it is. Note that, in the sensor expansion unit 160, even if data is received using the UART communication protocol, if the type of image is a preset type, processing by the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C described later may be omitted. In other words, image data of a specific type input from the UART input line may be configured to be output from the output line as it is.

[0091] Furthermore, the display extension unit 170 and the USB extension unit 180 do not perform processing in a filtering unit 156B and a standardization unit 156C, which will be described later, regardless of the type of data they handle. In other words, data input from an input line is output from an output line as is.

[0092] Furthermore, the network extension unit 190 performs processing in a filtering unit 156B and a standardization unit 156C, which will be described later, regardless of the type of data being handled.

[0093] The data for which it has been determined that no processing is to be performed in the filtering unit 156B and the standardization unit 156C is sent to the output I / F 155B.

[0094] In addition, even if an arbitrary expansion unit 2B is configured so that input data is output as is from an output line, the input line and the output line are not directly connected. The input line and the output line are connected via a microcomputer provided in the expansion unit 2B, and when input data is output as is from an output line, the microcomputer outputs the data obtained from the input line to the output line as is without processing (changing) it.

[0095] The determination unit 20A of the main body 2A recognizes what kind of processing should be performed in the expansion unit 2B according to the type of data. For example, the determination unit 20A sets the filtering unit 20B and standardization unit 20C of the main body 2A to process data that has not been processed by the filtering unit 156B and standardization unit 156C of the expansion unit 2B. That is, in the configuration of this embodiment, each process is performed by the filtering units 20B and 156B, the standardization units 20C and 156C, the normalization unit 20D, and the structuring unit 20E in either the main body 2A or the expansion unit 2B.

[0096] [1-3-2. Filtering section] The filtering units 20B and 156B perform filtering on the input data. Here, in this embodiment, filtering refers to processing the input data so as to reduce the amount of data.

[0097] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the filtering unit 156B of the vehicle extension unit 150 extracts only data corresponding to the necessary type specified by the CANID from data received by a communication protocol other than CAN. That is, even if a communication protocol other than CAN is used, a communication frame equivalent to a CAN frame is input as input data, so that the filtering unit 156B extracts the CAN frame equivalent corresponding to the necessary type specified by the CANID. For example, vehicle data specified by the CANID, such as vehicle speed, position information, and engine RPM, is transmitted by a communication protocol such as CAN FD or Ethernet. The filtering unit 156B extracts only data corresponding to the necessary CANID (equivalent to a CAN frame) from the vehicle data specified by these CANIDs. Note that when the vehicle extension unit 150 receives data by the CAN communication protocol, it does not perform filtering. In this case, since the CAN data has already been received, the standardization unit 156C does not perform conversion to CAN data. However, the filtering unit 156B may perform a process of extracting only CAN data of a preset type from the input data.

[0098] When the filtering section of the sensor expansion unit 160 (hereinafter also referred to as the sensor expansion unit 160) receives data via the UART communication protocol, it performs processing set according to the data type. When image data or video data is received, the sensor expansion unit 160 performs image recognition based on the input data and extracts target information as the recognition result. Specifically, for example, from binary data containing only 0 and 1, edges that are the boundaries of brightness on the image are extracted, and from the shape, size, etc. of the edges, it is recognized that the objects in the image are people, objects, vehicles, signs, etc. Note that the sensor expansion unit 160 may only perform conversion to lower the resolution of the image, for example, conversion to reduce the number of pixels per frame.

[0099] When the sensor expansion unit 160 receives voice data, it performs voice recognition based on the input data and extracts text data as the recognition result. Note that the sensor expansion unit 160 may only perform conversion to lower the resolution of the voice, for example, the bit rate.

[0100] When the sensor expansion unit 160 acquires sensing data from an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles around the vehicle, it extracts the recognition result of the obstacle. The sensor expansion unit 160 recognizes at least the position of the obstacle (e.g., the shape and type of the obstacle) from the obstacle data. For example, when the obstacle sensor is a millimeter wave radar 165, it can acquire sensing data (e.g., raw data such as reflected waves) and recognize targets (e.g., recognize the coordinates of an object).

[0101] The filtering unit 156B of the network expansion unit 190 (hereinafter also referred to as the network expansion unit 190) acquires device data obtained from a short-range device such as a smartphone connected by wireless communication such as Bluetooth or WiFi. The network expansion unit 190 extracts only device data obtained from a preset device (e.g., the vehicle owner's smartphone) from the obtained device data. In other words, when there are multiple devices that can be paired with the vehicle, the network expansion unit 190 relays only the data obtained from the preset device and discards the data obtained from the other devices.

[0102] The network expansion unit 190 acquires cloud data obtained from a cloud server via a short-range device or a cellular line, and extracts only cloud data obtained from a preset cloud server from the obtained data. In other words, if there are multiple cloud servers that can communicate with the vehicle, the network expansion unit 190 relays only the data obtained from the preset cloud server, and discards the data obtained from the other cloud servers. The cloud server may include the management center 3. In other words, the cloud server may be a server different from the management center 3.

[0103] [1-3-3. Standardization Department] The standardization unit 20C, 156C performs standardization, which is a process of converting the data processed by the filtering unit 20B, 156B into data in a preset format. Standardization is also called formatting.

[0104] The standardization unit 20C, 156C converts the data into a format that can be handled by the main body unit 2A. In this embodiment, the data processed by the filtering unit 20B, 156B is converted into a data format conforming to the CAN frame. The data format conforming to the CAN frame means, for example, data in the same order as the CAN frame, excluding the header, footer, etc., from the CAN frame.

[0105] The standardized data includes, for example, an ID indicating a data type, information on a data length, actual data (i.e., payload), and an error correction code, and each data has a common data format. For example, target information, which is a result of recognition, is stored in the payload. When the standardization section 156C of the expansion unit 2B such as the vehicle expansion unit 150 finishes standardization, the output I / F 155B sends the standardized data to the vehicle I / F 12.

[0106] In addition, the output to output line 151D may be converted to a data format conforming to the CAN frame, the output to output line 151E may be converted to a GPIO format, and the output to output line 151F may be converted to a UART format.

[0107] [1-3-4. Normalization part] The normalization unit 20D and the structuring unit 20E described below are functions provided in the main unit 2A. The normalization unit 20D generates normalized data by normalizing the standardized data using normalization information. Then, the normalization unit 20D uses the normalized data to perform semantic processing, which is a process of converting the normalized data into data whose meaning can be understood without comparing it with other data.

[0108] The normalization unit 20D performs processing using the normalization information and the semantic information. The vehicle data conversion table 23A shown in FIG. 2 includes normalization information and semantic information. The normalization information is information for normalizing extracted data so that the same physical quantity has the same value regardless of the vehicle model and vehicle manufacturer. The semantic information is information (e.g., an arithmetic expression, a conversion table) for converting the normalized data into meaningful data. The vehicle data before normalization may be used. Semanticization includes newly generating information that was not in the payload of the communication frame by using an arithmetic expression or the like.

[0109] The normalization information includes, for example, "CANID", "ECU", "position", "DLC", "unique label", "resolution", "offset", and "unit" as setting items, as shown in Fig. 10. "Unique label" and "ECU" are as described above. "Data type", "Data size", and "Data unit" indicate the type, size, and unit of the numerical value indicated by "Data value".

[0110] "ECU" is identification information that indicates the ECU that is the source of the CAN frame. For example, "ENG" indicates the engine ECU.

[0111] "Position" is information that indicates the position of the CAN data in the data field (e.g., bit position). "DLC" is information that indicates the data length. DLC is an abbreviation for Data Length Code. In other words, "DLC" bits of data are extracted from the "position" of the data field.

[0112] "Unique label" is information that indicates the control label. For example, "ETHA" indicates the intake air temperature and "NE1" indicates the engine RPM. "Resolution" is information that indicates the numerical value per bit. "Offset" indicates the offset amount of the numerical value of the data. "Unit" indicates the unit of the data.

[0113] Therefore, data corresponding to the "unique label" is extracted from the standard format data using the "CANID", "ECU", "position", "DLC" and "unique label". The extracted data is then converted into data represented by the "resolution", "offset" and "unit".

[0114] Also, the semantic information is, for example, a conversion formula for converting a "steering movement angle" with a control label of "SSA" into a "steering angle" by subtracting a "steering zero point" with a control label of "SSAZ" as shown in FIG. 10. As a result, data representing the "steering movement angle" and data representing the "steering zero point" are converted into data representing a "steering angle" having the meaning of "steering amount from a reference position". A "unique label", "unit", etc. are assigned to the vehicle data newly generated by semanticization. In other words, the meaning of the semanticized data can be understood without comparing it with other data.

[0115] [1-3-5. Structuring part] The structuring unit 20E performs data structuring, which is a process of associating the semantic data with each classification that has been hierarchically organized in advance. At this time, the structuring unit 20E hierarchically organizes the semantic data and stores it in the flash memory 25. Specifically, the structuring unit 20E stores the converted data in a corresponding area of ​​the standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A provided in the flash memory 25. As a result, the standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A stores the standardized vehicle data that is configured by hierarchically arranging the data.

[0116] The standardized vehicle data is created for each vehicle (i.e., for each data collection device 2) and has a multi-layered structure. In the standardized vehicle data, one or more items are set for each of the multiple layers. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the standardized vehicle data includes "attribute information," "powertrain," "energy," "ADAS / AD," "body," "multimedia," and "other" as items set in the top first layer. ADAS is an abbreviation for Advanced Driver Assistance System. AD ​​is an abbreviation for Autonomous Driving. These "attribute information," "powertrain," and "energy" correspond to categories.

[0117] Each data item has the following items: "unique label", "ECU", "data type", "data size", "data value", and "data unit".

[0118] As shown in Fig. 12, the standardized vehicle data has at least a second layer and a third layer in addition to the first layer. The second layer is a layer immediately below the first layer, and the third layer is a layer immediately below the second layer. The standardized vehicle data has a hierarchical data structure.

[0119] For example, "attribute information," an item at the first level, includes, as items at the second level, "vehicle identification information," "vehicle attributes," "transmission configuration," and "firmware version." "Vehicle identification information" is a category name indicating information that can uniquely identify a vehicle. "Vehicle attributes" is a category name indicating the type of vehicle. "Transmission information" is a category name indicating information related to the transmission. "Firmware version" is a category name indicating information related to the vehicle's firmware.

[0120] In addition, the first hierarchical level item "Powertrain" is a category name indicating powertrain information, and the second hierarchical level items include "Accelerator pedal," "Engine," and "Engine oil," etc.

[0121] Moreover, the first-level item "energy" is a category name indicating energy information, and the second-level items include "battery state," "battery configuration," and "fuel."

[0122] In addition, the second-level item "vehicle identification information" has third-level items "vehicle identification number," "vehicle body number," and "license plate."

[0123] In addition, the "vehicle attribute" which is an item at the second level has items at the third level such as "brand name," "model," and "year of manufacture."

[0124] In addition, the second-level item "transmission configuration" has a third-level item "transmission type."

[0125] For example, when the control label of the converted data is "vehicle identification information", the second core 22 stores the converted data in a predetermined storage area. The predetermined storage area is, for example, a storage area in the standardized vehicle data storage unit 25A in which the first layer is "attribute information", the second layer is "vehicle identification information", and the third layer is "vehicle identification number".

[0126] [1-4. Data creation procedure] Next, a procedure for the data collection device 2 to create standardized vehicle data will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in Fig. 13. This procedure is performed, for example, at predetermined intervals, and as a result, the data collection device 2 can transmit data to the management center 3 periodically.

[0127] As shown by the arrow L11, when the expansion unit 2B acquires data from the vehicle, the determination unit 156A of the expansion unit 2B performs various determinations as shown by the arrow L12. The various determinations include a process of determining whether or not to perform filtering based on the filtering table 8. A determination is also made here when no processing is required, such as for a CAN frame.

[0128] When the expansion unit 2B refers to the filtering table 8 and determines to perform filtering on the data, as shown by the arrow L13, the filtering section 156B performs a predetermined filtering set in the filtering table 8. Note that, when the expansion unit 2B determines not to perform filtering on the data, the filtering is omitted.

[0129] Next, the standardization section 156C of the expansion unit 2B converts the data into a standard format as shown by arrow L14, and the output I / F 155B outputs the converted data to the main body section 2A as shown by arrow L15.

[0130] When the vehicle I / F 12 of the main body 2A acquires the data converted into the standard format from the extension unit 2B, the determination unit 20A performs various determinations on the acquired data, as shown by arrow L21. Next, the normalization unit 20D of the main body 2A performs normalization, as shown by arrow L24. Furthermore, the structuring unit 20E of the main body 2A structures the converted data to create structured vehicle data, as shown by arrow L25.

[0131] Thereafter, the main body 2A transmits the structured vehicle data to the management center 3, as indicated by an arrow L31.

[0132] However, if the result of the judgment at arrow L12 is that the expansion unit 2B does not process the data, the filtering at arrow L13 and the standard format conversion at arrow L14 are omitted. In this case, as shown in Fig. 14, the output I / F 155B of the expansion unit 2B sends the data directly to the main body 2A.

[0133] In this case, after the main body 2A performs various determinations indicated by arrow L21, the filtering unit 20B performs filtering indicated by arrow L22. Next, the standardization unit 20C performs standard format conversion indicated by arrow L23. Next, the normalization unit 20D performs normalization indicated by arrow L24. Next, the structuring unit 20E performs data structuring indicated by arrow L25.

[0134] The filtering performed by the main body 2A at arrow L22 is equivalent to the filtering performed by the expansion unit 2B at arrow L13. The standard format conversion performed by the main body 2A at arrow L23 is equivalent to the standard format conversion performed by the expansion unit 2B at arrow L13. If the main body 2A determines that the expansion unit 2B will perform filtering on the data, it omits filtering.

[0135] As shown by the dashed line in Fig. 13, the expansion unit 2B may perform normalization as indicated by arrow L16. In this case, the normalized data is sent to the main unit 2A as indicated by arrow L17. The expansion unit 2B may also perform data structuring as indicated by arrow L18. In this case, the structuring data is sent to the main unit 2A as indicated by arrow L19.

[0136] [1-5. Effects] According to the first embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved.

[0137] (1a) One aspect of the present disclosure is an expansion unit 2B that is detachably configured with respect to a main body 2A that can communicate with a cloud server via a communication device. The expansion unit 2B includes at least one input line 152C-152H, at least one output line 151A-151F, and at least one connector 150A-190A. The expansion unit 2B also includes a determination unit 156A, a filtering unit 156B, and a standardization unit 156C as processing units.

[0138] The input lines 152C-152H are provided for each communication protocol of the input data, and the input data is input to the input lines 152C-152H. The output lines 151A-151F are provided for each communication protocol of the output data, and the output data is output to the output lines 151A-151F. The connectors 150A-190A are configured to connect the output lines 151A-151F to the main body 2A. The processing unit is configured to perform processing on the input data, and to output output data based on the input data from the output lines 151A-151F.

[0139] According to such a configuration, the expansion unit 2B processes the input data and can send the output data to the main body 2A via the connectors 150A to 190A. Therefore, a new function can be added to the main body 2A simply by connecting the expansion unit 2B to the main body 2A via the connectors 150A to 190A.

[0140] Furthermore, with this configuration, the expansion unit can absorb the difference in the functions of the hardware for each vehicle. For example, when there are vehicles equipped with only a camera and vehicles equipped with a camera and a millimeter wave radar, the main body 2A can be configured to receive target information. In this case, if the expansion unit 2B processes the camera signal and the millimeter wave signal and outputs the target information, the main body 2A can obtain and process only the target information, regardless of whether the vehicle is equipped with a millimeter wave radar or not. In other words, the main body 2A can be made less susceptible to the difference in equipment for each vehicle.

[0141] (1b) In one aspect of the present disclosure, a data collection device 2 including a main body 2A mounted on a vehicle and a plurality of expansion units 2B configured to be freely attached and detached to the main body 2A executes a data processing method. In the data processing method, input data is acquired from a data providing source device that is a source of the input data. Then, a first process is executed on the input data, which is a process that reduces the amount of data. Furthermore, a second process is executed to convert the data after the first process into data in a preset format.

[0142] Furthermore, the data after the second process is subjected to a third process of converting the data into data whose meaning can be understood without comparison with other data. Furthermore, the data after the third process is provided to the management center 3.

[0143] According to this method, data that has been converted into understandable data through the first process, the second process, and the third process can be provided to the management center 3. Therefore, the processing load on the management center 3 can be reduced compared to when the management center 3 performs the first process through the third process. In addition, since the expansion unit 2B is provided, new functions can be added to the main body 2A simply by connecting the expansion unit 2B to the main body 2A.

[0144] (1c) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the extension unit 2B acquires input data from a source device and performs a first process and a second process. The main body 2A acquires data after the second process, performs a third process, and provides the data after the third process to the management center 3. The source device indicates, for example, any of another ECU, the radar 165, the cameras 166 and 185, the microphones 167 and 187, the acceleration sensor 168, the display 175, the GPS antenna 186, the touch panel 188, the speaker 189, and the antennas 195A to 195C.

[0145] According to this method, the expansion unit 2B performs the first process and the second process, reduces the amount of data, and then provides the data to the main body 2A, thereby reducing the processing load on the main body 2A.

[0146] (1d) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the expansion unit 2B determines the capabilities of the main body 2A based on the communication protocol, the types of connectors 150A-190A, etc. If the expansion unit 2B determines that the main body 2A has the preset capabilities, it transmits unprocessed data, which does not undergo the first and second processes on the input data, to the main body 2A. If the expansion unit 2B determines that the main body 2A does not have the preset capabilities, it performs the first and second processes on the input data and transmits the data after the second process to the main body 2A.

[0147] When the main body 2A receives the unprocessed data, it performs a first process, a second process, and a third process, and provides the data after the third process to the management center 3. Furthermore, when the main body 2A receives the data after the second process, it performs a third process, and provides the data after the third process to the management center 3.

[0148] According to this method, the expansion unit 2B can select which process to perform depending on the capacity of the main body 2A.

[0149] (1e) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the expansion unit 2B may omit the first process depending on the type of input data.

[0150] According to such a method, when there is no need to reduce the amount of data, or when it is better not to reduce the amount of data, the first process can be omitted.

[0151] (1f) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the expansion unit 2B omits the first process when the communication protocol used for communication with the main body part 2A is a preset protocol.

[0152] According to this method, the first process can be omitted depending on the communication protocol. When the expansion unit 2B uses a predetermined communication protocol, the expansion unit 2B can determine that the capability of the main body 2A is high.

[0153] (1g) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the expansion unit 2B omits the first process when the type of the connectors 150A to 190A used for connection to the main body part 2A is a preset type.

[0154] According to this method, the first process can be omitted depending on the type of the connectors 150A to 190A. The extension unit 2B can determine the capacity of the main body part 2A depending on the type of the connectors 150A to 190A.

[0155] (1h) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the extension unit 2B omits the first process when the type of image included in the input data is a preset type.

[0156] According to such a method, the first process can be omitted depending on the type of image. Depending on the type of image, there may be cases where it is not necessary to reduce the amount of data, making it possible to omit the process.

[0157] (1i) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a fourth process is performed on the data after the third process to structure the data. Then, the data after the fourth process is provided to the management center 3.

[0158] According to this method, the structured data can be provided to the management center 3.

[0159] (1j) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the data after the fourth process is provided to the management center 3 periodically.

[0160] According to this method, the structured data can be repeatedly provided to the management center 3 on a regular basis.

[0161] (1k) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B performs a first process on the input data, which is a process that reduces the amount of data.

[0162] According to such a configuration, since the filtering unit 156B performs the first processing, it is possible to reduce the amount of data transmitted to the main body part 2A, and thus it is possible to reduce the processing load on the main body part 2A.

[0163] (1l) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires, as input data, image data captured by the cameras 166 and 185, and performs, as the first process, a process of recognizing an object from the image data.

[0164] According to such a configuration, the captured image data can be converted into an object recognition result and then output to the main body unit 2A. Therefore, the processing load of the main body unit 2A can be reduced compared to when the processing is performed by the main body unit 2A.

[0165] (1m) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires voice data as input data, and performs a process of recognizing the contents of the voice from the voice data as the first process.

[0166] According to this configuration, the voice data can be converted into a voice recognition result and then output to the main body unit 2A. Therefore, the processing load of the main body unit 2A can be reduced compared to when the processing is performed by the main body unit 2A.

[0167] (1n) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires, as input data, obstacle data from an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles around the vehicle, and performs, as a first process, a process of recognizing at least the position of the obstacle from the obstacle data.

[0168] According to such a configuration, the obstacle data can be converted into an obstacle recognition result and then output to the main body part 2A, which reduces the processing load of the main body part 2A compared to a case where the processing is performed by the main body part 2A.

[0169] (1o) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires device data obtained from a short-range device as input data, and performs, as a first process, a process of extracting device data obtained from a predetermined short-range device from the input data.

[0170] According to this configuration, it is possible to extract device data obtained from a preset short-distance device and output it to the main body part 2A, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of data communication transmitted to the main body part 2A.

[0171] (1p) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires cloud data obtained from a cloud server as input data, and performs a first process of extracting cloud data obtained from a preset cloud server from the input data.

[0172] According to this configuration, cloud data obtained from a preset cloud server can be extracted and output to the main body part 2A, so that the amount of data communication transmitted to the main body part 2A can be reduced.

[0173] (1q) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the filtering unit 156B acquires, as input data, CAN data according to the communication protocol CAN, and performs, as a first process, a CAN data extraction process of extracting a preset type of CAN data from the input data.

[0174] According to this configuration, it is possible to extract CAN data of a preset type and output it to the main body 2A, thereby reducing the amount of data communication transmitted to the main body 2A.

[0175] (1r) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the standardization unit 156C performs a second process to convert the data after the first process into data of a preset format that can be handled by the main body unit 2A, and the output I / F 155B sends the data after the second process to the output lines 151A to 151F as output data.

[0176] According to such a configuration, the second processing is performed to adjust the format of the data after the first processing before it is transmitted to the main body part 2A, so that the output data can be easily handled by the main body part 2A.

[0177] (1s) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the standardization unit 156C performs, as the second processing, a process of converting the data after the first processing into a data format conforming to CAN data.

[0178] According to such a configuration, the data is converted into a data format conforming to CAN data which can be widely handled by the main body 2A, so that the data can be easily handled by the main body 2A.

[0179] (1t) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the standardization unit 156C performs, as the second processing, a process of converting the data after the first processing into data including an ID indicating a data type, information on the amount of data, actual data, and an error correction code.

[0180] According to such a configuration, data including information required by the main body part 2A in advance is sent, so that the data can be easily handled by the main body part 2A.

[0181] (1u) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the number of input lines 152C to 152H is set to be less than the number of output lines 151A to 151F.

[0182] With this configuration, even if the number of interfaces of the main body 2A, that is, the number of output lines 151A to 151F, is small, output data based on many types of input data can be sent to the main body 2A.

[0183] (1v) One aspect of the present disclosure is a data collection device 2. The data collection device 2 includes a main body 2A and a plurality of expansion units 2B. The main body 2A is mounted on a vehicle. The plurality of expansion units 2B include at least a network expansion unit 190 and a vehicle expansion unit 150. The network expansion unit 190 receives input data from a communication device located outside the vehicle. The vehicle expansion unit 150 receives input data from a vehicle-side device 2C located inside the vehicle. The network expansion unit 190 and the vehicle expansion unit 150 each include a processing unit configured to process the input data and output output data based on the input data to the main body 2A.

[0184] According to such a configuration, a plurality of extension units 150, 190, etc. for inputting data from outside the vehicle and data from inside the vehicle, respectively, can be connected to the main body 2A.

[0185] 2. Other embodiments Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various modified forms.

[0186] (2a) In the above embodiment, the number of input lines 152C to 152H is configured to be greater than the number of output lines 151A to 151F, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the number of input lines 152C to 152H may be configured to be less than the number of output lines 151A to 151F.

[0187] According to this configuration, since many output lines 151A are prepared, more communication protocols can be supported. Therefore, even if the number of types of communication protocols that can be supported by the interface of the main body part 2A is small, it is easy to select a protocol with which the main body part 2A can communicate in the expansion unit 2B.

[0188] (2b) In the above embodiment, the main body 2A and the extension unit 2B are provided with the determination units 20A and 156A, the filtering units 20B and 156B, and the standardization units 20C and 156C as functions that are partially overlapping, but this is not limited to the configuration. For example, the determination units 20A and 156A, the filtering units 20B and 156B, and the standardization units 20C and 156C may be provided only in the extension unit 2B.

[0189] For example, if the main body part 2A does not have software for object recognition, an expansion unit 2B equipped with object recognition software can be attached to the main body part 2A, and the expansion unit 2B can be used to transmit the recognition results to the main body part 2A.

[0190] (2c) In the above embodiment, the determination unit 20A, 156A determines the process that can be performed by the expansion unit 2B and sets the process to be performed, but this is not limited to the configuration. For example, the determination unit 20A, 156A may refer to a table (such as the table shown in FIG. 8) prepared in advance taking into account the software installed in the expansion unit 2B, and perform the process according to this table (i.e., the configuration).

[0191] In other words, the expansion unit 2B may set whether or not to process the input data by referring to a preset table, and if it is set not to process the input data, it may transmit unprocessed data in which the first and second processes are not performed on the input data to the main body 2A. Also, if it is set to process the input data, the expansion unit 2B may perform the first and second processes on the input data and transmit the data after the second process to the main body 2A.

[0192] (2d) As shown in Fig. 15, the vehicle may be provided with a data collection device 200 instead of the data collection device 2. The data collection device 200 may include one ECU 210, multiple ECUs 220, multiple ECUs 230, an external vehicle communication device 240, and an internal vehicle communication network 250. The data collection device 200 may be communicatively connected to a main body 200A similar to the above-described main body 2A via a vehicle extension unit 250A similar to the above-described extension unit 2B.

[0193] The ECU 210 realizes coordinated control of the entire vehicle by controlling a plurality of ECUs 220. The ECU 210 also realizes a function of processing data received from other electronic control devices, or outputting the data directly to the vehicle extension unit 250A.

[0194] An ECU 220 is provided for each domain divided according to the vehicle's functions, and mainly controls a plurality of ECUs 230 present in the domain. Each ECU 220 is connected to the subordinate ECUs 230 via a lower-layer network (e.g., CAN) provided individually for each ECU 220. The ECU 220 has a function of centrally managing access rights to the subordinate ECUs 230 and authenticating users. The domains are, for example, a power train, a body, a chassis, and a cockpit.

[0195] The ECUs 230 connected to the ECU 220 belonging to the powertrain domain include, for example, an ECU 230 that controls an engine, an ECU 230 that controls a motor, and an ECU 230 that controls a battery.

[0196] The ECUs 230 connected to the ECU 220 belonging to the body domain include, for example, an ECU 230 that controls an air conditioner, an ECU 230 that controls doors, and the like.

[0197] The ECUs 230 connected to the ECU 220 belonging to the chassis domain include, for example, an ECU 230 that controls braking, and an ECU 230 that controls steering.

[0198] The ECUs 230 connected to the ECU 220 belonging to the cockpit domain include, for example, an ECU 230 that controls the display of meters and navigation, and an ECU 230 that controls an input device operated by a vehicle occupant.

[0199] The external vehicle communication device 240 performs data communication with a communication device (eg, a cloud server) outside the vehicle via the wide area wireless communication network NW.

[0200] The in-vehicle communication network 250 includes CAN FD and Ethernet. The CAN FD connects the ECU 210 to each ECU 220 and the outside-vehicle communication device 240 via a bus. The Ethernet connects the ECU 210 to each ECU 220 and the outside-vehicle communication device 240 individually.

[0201] The ECU 210 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer including a CPU 210a, a ROM 210b, a RAM 210c, etc. Various functions of the microcomputer are realized by the CPU 210a executing a program stored in a non-transient real recording medium. In this example, the ROM 210b corresponds to the non-transient real recording medium storing the program. Furthermore, the execution of this program executes a method corresponding to the program. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the CPU 210a may be configured in hardware form using one or more ICs, etc. Also, the number of microcomputers constituting the ECU 210 may be one or more.

[0202] The ECU 210 further includes a communication unit 213. The communication unit 213 is configured to relay data received from other electronic control units (for example, the ECUs 220, 230, etc.) to the vehicle extension unit 250A.

[0203] Like the ECU 210, the ECU 220, the ECU 230, and the exterior communication device 240 are all electronic control devices mainly configured with a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. Also, the number of microcomputers constituting the ECU 220, the ECU 230, and the exterior communication device 240 may be one or more. The ECU 220 is an ECU that controls one or more ECUs 230, and the ECU 210 is an ECU that controls one or more ECUs 220 or controls the ECUs 220, 230 of the entire vehicle including the exterior communication device 240.

[0204] The data collection device 2 is connected to the ECU 210 so as to be able to communicate data with the ECU 210. That is, the data collection device 2 receives information from the ECUs 210, 220, and 230 via the ECU 210. The data collection device 2 also transmits requests related to vehicle control to the ECU 210 and to the ECUs 220 and 230 via the ECU 210.

[0205] With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as (1a) above.

[0206] (2e) The procedure for the data collection device 2 to create the standardized vehicle data described in FIG. 13 may be realized as shown in the flowcharts in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the data creation process executed by the extension unit 2B (e.g., the vehicle extension unit 150, etc.), and FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the data creation process executed by the main body unit 2A. Note that FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 explain the case where the main body unit 2A and the extension unit 2B can each execute all of the procedures L11 to L15, L21 to L25, and L31 shown in FIG. 13. Among the processes illustrated in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, for functions that the main body unit 2A and the extension unit 2B do not have, the corresponding process may be omitted or may be configured to be negatively determined in the judgment process (i.e., S130, S150, S170, S190).

[0207] In addition, regarding whether normalization and data structuring should be performed by the main body part 2A or the vehicle extension unit 150, a table of setting values ​​equivalent to that shown in FIG. 8 may be provided in advance in the vehicle extension unit 150, and the vehicle extension unit 150 may refer to the table to determine whether to perform processing. This table of setting values ​​may be stored in advance in the memory of the extension unit 2B. Alternatively, the extension unit 2B may obtain the presence or absence of the capabilities (functions) of the main body part 2A by communicating with the main body part 2A, and create a table so that processing that the main body part 2A does not have the capabilities of is performed by the extension unit 2B.

[0208] As in the case of FIG. 8, the table of setting values ​​may determine whether each process is to be performed by the extension unit depending on the communication protocol type and data type.

[0209] In addition, in Fig. 13, the standard format conversion is performed before normalization and data structuring, but in Fig. 16 and Fig. 17, the standard format conversion is performed after normalization and data structuring. In this way, the processing order of various processes can be set arbitrarily. Also, if no processing is performed on the received data and it is simply relayed, all the determinations in Fig. 16 and Fig. 17 will be negative.

[0210] 16, the extension unit 2B (for example, the CPU 153 of the vehicle extension unit 150) refers to a table equivalent to the filtering table 8 (hereinafter, the extension table) in S110, and receives the vehicle data in S120 (L11). Next, the vehicle extension unit 150 determines whether filtering is required for the vehicle data based on the extension table in S130 (L12).

[0211] If filtering is required, the vehicle extension unit 150 proceeds to S140, performs a filtering process (L13), and then proceeds to S150. If filtering is not required, the vehicle extension unit 150 proceeds to S150. In S150, the vehicle extension unit 150 determines whether normalization is required for the vehicle data based on the extension table. If normalization is required, the vehicle extension unit 150 proceeds to S160, where the vehicle extension unit 150 performs a normalization process (L16, L24), and then proceeds to S170. If normalization is not required, the vehicle extension unit 150 proceeds to S170.

[0212] Next, in S170, the vehicle extension unit 150 determines whether data structuring is required for the vehicle data based on the extension table. If data structuring is required, the process proceeds to S180, where the vehicle extension unit 150 executes data structuring processing (L18, L25), and proceeds to S190. If data structuring is not required, the vehicle extension unit 150 proceeds to S190.

[0213] Next, in S190, the vehicle expansion unit 150 determines whether standard format conversion is required for the vehicle data based on the expansion table. If standard format conversion is required, the process proceeds to S200, where the vehicle expansion unit 150 executes processing related to standard format conversion (L14), and proceeds to S210. If standard format conversion is not required, the vehicle expansion unit 150 proceeds to S210.

[0214] Next, in S210, the vehicle expansion unit 150 transmits the data to the main body 2A (L15), and ends this process.

[0215] The data creation process executed by the main body 2A shown in Fig. 17 is substantially the same as the data creation process executed by the vehicle extension unit 150 shown in Fig. 16. However, when making a judgment, the filtering table 8 shown in Fig. 8 is referenced instead of the extension table. Also, instead of the process of S210, the process of S260 described later is performed.

[0216] That is, the main body part 2A is configured to transmit data to the service providing server 4 (L31) in S260.

[0217] (2f) The data collection device 2 (i.e., the main body 2A and the expansion unit 2B) and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the data collection device 2 and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the data collection device 2 and the method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer. The method for realizing the functions of each unit included in the data collection device 2 does not necessarily need to include software, and all of the functions may be realized using one or more hardware.

[0218] (2g) Multiple functions possessed by one component in the above embodiments may be realized by multiple components, or one function possessed by one component may be realized by multiple components. Also, multiple functions possessed by multiple components may be realized by one component, or one function realized by multiple components may be realized by one component. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. Also, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments.

[0219] (2h) In addition to the data collection device 2 described above, the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as a system including the data collection device 2 as a component, a program for causing a computer to function as the data collection device 2, a non-transient physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which the program is recorded, and a data processing method.

Claims

1. An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from an in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device, At least one input line (152C to 152H) is provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from a device in a vehicle, and through which the input data is input; At least one output line (151A to 151F) provided for each communication protocol of output data, through which the output data is output; At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; a processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; A table (8) in which it is determined whether the processing unit performs processing on the input data for each communication protocol or each data type; Equipped with The processing unit performs a process on the input data when the table specifies that the process is to be performed, and outputs the input data as the output data without performing the process on the input data when the table specifies that the process is to be performed. An expansion unit configured as follows.

2. An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from an in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device, A plurality of input lines (152C to 152H) are provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from a device in a vehicle, and through which the input data is input; At least one output line (151A to 151F) provided for each communication protocol of output data, through which the output data is output; at least one connector (150C-180F) for connecting said input lines to equipment in said vehicle; At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; a processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; Equipped with For homogeneous input data, the number of the output lines is configured to be less than the number of the plurality of input lines; The processing unit processes input data of the same type inputted from the plurality of input lines, and outputs the output data based on the input data of the same type from the output line. An expansion unit configured as follows.

3. An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from an in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device, At least one input line (152C to 152H) is provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from a device in a vehicle, and through which the input data is input; A plurality of output lines (151A to 151F) are provided for each communication protocol of the output data, and the output data is outputted from the output lines (151A to 151F); at least one connector (150C-180F) for connecting said input lines to equipment in said vehicle; At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; a processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; Equipped with For input data of the same type, the number of the plurality of output lines is configured to be greater than the number of the input lines; The input line is branched at the extension unit, The processing unit processes the input data input from one of the branched input lines, and outputs the output data based on the input data from one of the plurality of output lines. An expansion unit configured as follows.

4. The expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The processing unit performs a first process on the input data, the first process being a process that reduces the amount of data. An expansion unit configured as follows.

5. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit acquires image data captured by a camera as the input data, and performs a process of recognizing an object from the image data as the first process. An expansion unit configured as follows.

6. An expansion unit as claimed in claim 4, The processing unit acquires voice data as the input data, and performs a process of recognizing voice content from the voice data as the first process. An expansion unit configured as follows.

7. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit acquires, as the input data, obstacle data obtained by an obstacle sensor that detects obstacles around the vehicle, and performs, as the first process, a process of recognizing at least a position of the obstacle from the obstacle data. An expansion unit configured as follows.

8. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit acquires device data obtained from a short-range device as the input data, and performs a process of extracting device data obtained from a preset short-range device from the input data as the first process. An expansion unit configured as follows.

9. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit acquires cloud data obtained from a cloud server as the input data, and performs a process of extracting the cloud data obtained from a preset cloud server from the input data as the first process. An expansion unit configured as follows.

10. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit acquires CAN data according to a communication protocol CAN (registered trademark) as the input data, and performs a CAN data extraction process to extract a preset type of CAN data from the input data as the first process. An expansion unit configured as follows.

11. The expansion unit according to claim 4, The processing unit performs a second process of converting the data after the first process into data in a preset format that can be handled by the vehicle-mounted device, and transmits the data after the second process to the output line as the output data. An expansion unit configured as follows.

12. The expansion unit according to claim 11, The processing unit performs, as the second processing, a process of converting the data after the first processing into a common data format including at least a payload and identification information of the payload. An expansion unit configured as follows.

13. The expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, For the same type of input data, the number of output lines is greater than the number of input lines. An expansion unit configured as follows.

14. The expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The input line is provided for each data type of the input data. Expansion unit.

15. An in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device; A vehicle-mounted unit (2) including a plurality of extension units (2B), The plurality of expansion units are each configured as an expansion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Vehicle mounted unit.

16. The vehicle-mounted unit according to claim 15, The plurality of expansion units include: A first expansion unit (190) that receives data obtained from a communication device located outside the vehicle as input data; A second expansion unit (150, 160, 180) that receives as input data data obtained from a vehicle-side device located inside the vehicle; Equipped with The first expansion unit and the second expansion unit are A processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output output data based on the input data to the vehicle-mounted device; An in-vehicle unit (2).

17. An in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device; An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from the vehicle-mounted device; An electronic control device (210) that outputs data to the expansion unit, The expansion unit includes: At least one input line (152C to 152H) is provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from the electronic control device, and through which the input data is input; At least one output line (151A to 151F) provided for each communication protocol of output data, through which the output data is output; At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; a processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; A table (8) in which it is determined whether the processing unit performs processing on the input data for each communication protocol or each data type; Equipped with The processing unit performs a process on the input data when the table specifies that the process is to be performed, and outputs the input data as the output data without performing the process on the input data when the table specifies that the process is to be performed. It is configured as follows: The vehicle-mounted device includes: A control unit (11) configured to generate vehicle data based on the received output data; a communication unit (13) configured to transmit the vehicle data to the cloud server via a communication device; The electronic control device includes: A relay unit (213) configured to relay data received from another electronic control device to the expansion unit. Vehicle systems.

18. An in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device; An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from the vehicle-mounted device; An electronic control device (210) that outputs data to the expansion unit, The expansion unit includes: A plurality of input lines (152C to 152H) are provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from the electronic control device, and through which the input data is input; At least one output line (151A to 151F) provided for each communication protocol of output data, through which the output data is output; At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; A processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; For homogeneous input data, the number of the output lines is configured to be less than the number of the plurality of input lines; the processing unit is configured to process input data of the same type inputted from the plurality of input lines, and to output the output data based on the input data of the same type from the output line; The vehicle-mounted device includes: A control unit (11) configured to generate vehicle data based on the received output data; a communication unit (13) configured to transmit the vehicle data to the cloud server via a communication device; The electronic control device includes: A relay unit (213) configured to relay data received from another electronic control device to the expansion unit. Vehicle systems.

19. An in-vehicle device (2A) capable of communicating with a cloud server that manages vehicle data via a communication device; An expansion unit (2B) configured to be freely attached to and detached from the vehicle-mounted device; An electronic control device (210) that outputs data to the expansion unit, The expansion unit includes: At least one input line (152C to 152H) is provided for each communication protocol of input data, which is data transmitted from the electronic control device, and through which the input data is input; A plurality of output lines (151A to 151F) are provided for each communication protocol of the output data, and the output data is outputted from the output lines (151A to 151F); At least one connector (150A to 190A) for connecting the output line to the vehicle-mounted device; A processing unit (156A to 156C) configured to perform processing on the input data and output the output data based on the input data from the output line; For input data of the same type, the number of the plurality of output lines is configured to be greater than the number of the input lines; The input line is branched at the extension unit, the processing unit is configured to perform processing on the input data input from one of the branched input lines, and to output the output data based on the input data from one of the plurality of output lines; The vehicle-mounted device includes: A control unit (11) configured to generate vehicle data based on the received output data; a communication unit (13) configured to transmit the vehicle data to the cloud server via a communication device; The electronic control device includes: A relay unit (213) configured to relay data received from another electronic control device to the expansion unit. Vehicle systems.

Images