Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

Abstract

A vehicle control system (1) comprises an input unit (7, 71), an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20), a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150), and an output unit (S20, S130, S160). The acceptance determination unit is configured to determine whether a first command is acceptable in terms of an object of control. The determination transmission unit is configured to transmit a determination result to an application. The output unit is configured to output a second command based on the first command to an activation control unit when the first command is determined to be acceptable.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-032029, filed with the Japan Patent Office on March 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program for a vehicle control device to control a controlled object. [Background technology]

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle control system as described above, in which, when one request is received, another request is rejected for a certain period of time, and a rejection notice is sent at that time. In this configuration, when a request is accepted, after the processing of the request is completed, a processing result indicating that the processing has been carried out is sent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-074017 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, after detailed consideration by the inventors, it was found that the above vehicle control system does not notify the processing result when it accepts a request until the processing is completed, which makes it impossible to perform feedback control during the processing, resulting in poor convenience.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is to improve convenience in a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program for a vehicle control device to control a controlled object.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control system including at least one vehicle control device and an actuation control device. The actuation control device is a device having an actuation control unit for controlling a controlled object, and is a device separate from the vehicle control device. The vehicle control system includes an input unit, a reception / determination unit, a determination / transmission unit, and an output unit.

[0008] The input unit is configured to receive commands from a plurality of applications.

[0009] The acceptance determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the first command can be accepted for the controlled object when the first command is input from the application to the input unit. The determination transmission unit is configured to transmit a determination result by the acceptance determination unit to the application.

[0010] The output unit is configured to output a second command based on the first command to the operation control unit when the acceptance determination unit determines that the command is acceptable.

[0011] With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the first command can be received, and the application can quickly recognize the determination result, thereby enabling the application to quickly perform processing based on the determination result, thereby improving convenience.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the acceptance determination unit may realize the function of a first determination unit configured to determine whether or not the first command can be accepted based on at least one of the vehicle equipment, the vehicle state, and the syntax of the command included in the first command.

[0013] With this configuration, the determination result based on at least one of the vehicle equipment, the vehicle state, and the command syntax can be immediately sent to the application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control system. [Figure 2] 3 is a ladder chart showing basic operations executed in the vehicle control system in the embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a ladder chart showing an example of operation when multiple requests to open and close a sliding door are received. [Figure 4] 10 is a ladder chart showing an example of an operation when a sliding door open request and an air conditioner start request conflict with each other. [Figure 5] 10 is a ladder chart showing a setting example for transmitting operation results. [Figure 6] 10 is a ladder chart illustrating basic operations performed in a vehicle control system according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [1. Embodiment] [1-1. Correspondence between the configuration of the embodiment and the configuration of the present disclosure] In the above embodiment, any one of ECUA10, ECUC20, ECUD25, and ECUE30 (hereinafter referred to as ECU10-30) corresponds to a vehicle control device in the present disclosure. Memories 12, 22, 27, and 32 correspond to storage units in the present disclosure. Among the functions executed by any one of ECU10-30, the functions of the vehicle service unit 7 and the state management unit 8 are realized by a vehicle control program in the present disclosure. The vehicle service unit 7 corresponds to a first management unit in the present disclosure, the state management unit 8 corresponds to a second management unit in the present disclosure, and the equipment management unit 9 corresponds to a third management unit in the present disclosure.

[0017] Among the processes executed by any one of ECUs 10 to 30, the processes of S10 and S20 correspond to the function of the reception determination unit in the present disclosure, the process of S10 corresponds to the function of the first determination unit in the present disclosure, and the process of S20 corresponds to the function of the second determination unit in the present disclosure. Also, the processes of S20, S110, and S160 in the embodiment correspond to the function of the output unit in the present disclosure, and the processes of S120, S140, and S150 correspond to the function of the determination transmission unit in the present disclosure.

[0018] Furthermore, the processing of S120 in the embodiment corresponds to the function of the first transmission unit in the present disclosure, the processing of S140 and S150 corresponds to the function of the second transmission unit in the present disclosure, and the processing of S40, S170 to S190 corresponds to the function of the operation transmission unit in the present disclosure.

[0019] [1-2.Configuration] 1 is mounted on a vehicle such as a passenger car, and includes a plurality of ECUs 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 41 to 48 (hereinafter referred to as multiple ECUs 10, etc.). The vehicle control system 1 may include a center 35 outside the vehicle.

[0020] The center 35 is configured as a server that can provide functions to vehicles. For example, the center 35 can provide functions related to automatic driving and the like to vehicles.

[0021] The numerous ECUs 10, etc., and the center 35 are each configured around a well-known microcomputer having CPUs 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 36 (hereinafter referred to as CPUs 11-36) and semiconductor memories 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 37 (hereinafter referred to as memories 12-37), such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory. The ECUs 41-48 also have a CPU and memory, but these are not shown. Furthermore, ECU stands for electronic control unit.

[0022] The numerous ECUs 10 and the center 35 are configured to control controlled objects mounted on the vehicle. The controlled objects include, for example, the engine, brakes, motors, various lights, display devices, air conditioners, seats, horns, generators, etc. The controlled objects are not shown in the drawings.

[0023] The controlled objects are individually controlled by ECUs 41 to 48, which are operation control devices. The ECUs 41 to 48 include an ECUF 41 having a camera control unit 91, an ECUG 42 having a millimeter wave control unit 92, an ECUH 43 having a brake control unit 93, and an ECUI 44 having a steering control unit 94. The ECUs 41 to 48 also include an ECUJ 45 having a display control unit 95, an ECUK 46 having a sound control unit 96, an ECUL 47 having an HVAC control unit 98, and an ECUM 48 having a seat control unit 99.

[0024] Each of the control units 91 to 99 has an operation control program for operating the controlled object. The camera control unit 91 acquires images captured by the vehicle-mounted camera and controls the exposure of the vehicle-mounted camera. The millimeter-wave control unit 92 controls the millimeter-wave radar installed in the vehicle and acquires the detection results obtained by the millimeter-wave radar.

[0025] The brake control unit 93 controls the brakes. The steering control unit 94 controls the steering. The display control unit 95 controls indicators such as meters and warning lights. The sound control unit 96 controls sounds such as warning sounds and voices emitted from speakers. The light control unit 97 controls various lights mounted on the vehicle. The light control unit 97 is provided in the ECUE 30.

[0026] The HVAC control unit 98 controls the vehicle air conditioner. HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning. The seat control unit 99 controls the vehicle's electric power seats.

[0027] The various functions of the multiple ECUs 10, etc. and the center 35 are realized by the CPUs 11-31 executing programs stored in non-transitory tangible recording media. In this example, memories 12-32 correspond to non-transitory tangible recording media storing the programs. Execution of these programs results in the execution of methods corresponding to the programs. Note that the term "non-transitory tangible recording media" refers to recording media excluding electromagnetic waves. The number of microcomputers constituting the multiple ECUs 10, etc. and the center 35 may be one or more.

[0028] Among the many ECUs 10, the ECU A 10 executes a program to realize functions as applications (hereinafter referred to as apps) 61 and 62, a vehicle API 71, and a motor vehicle equipment control unit 82. The ECUB 15 realizes a function as an app 63. The center 35 realizes a function as an app 64.

[0029] The applications 61 to 64 are programs for providing services to the vehicle user. The applications 61 to 64 indirectly send commands to controlled objects and operate the controlled objects to provide the user with useful functions. These applications 61 to 64 may be installed in the ECU A 10, the ECUB 15, or the center 35.

[0030] More specifically, the applications 61 to 64 are configured to generate a first command, which is a command that does not specify any of the control units 91 to 99 described below, for the vehicle API 71. Note that the "command" includes, among the data used by the vehicle API 71, commands such as operation requests, commands such as arguments, function calls, etc. The "command" may also include priority information indicating which command should be given priority in processing.

[0031] The apps 61-64 are not programs created specifically for a particular vehicle model, grade, etc., but are general-purpose programs that can be used with many vehicle models, grades, etc. Therefore, the apps 61-64 cannot specify how the vehicle in which they are installed will control the controlled object. For this reason, the apps 61-64 output commands that do not specify the control amount of a specific controlled object, in other words, the control units 91-99 used by the vehicle API 71. On the other hand, the apps 61-64 generate desired abstract operation content. For example, the apps 61-64 only issue a command to turn on the lights, but do not include in the operation content which specific lights to turn on. The vehicle API 71 provides an API that can issue commands for abstract operation content.

[0032] In the following description, at least one of the applications 61 to 64 will also be referred to as a service application 6.

[0033] Unlike the apps 61 to 64, the vehicle API 71 is a program created specifically for a vehicle model, grade, etc. In other words, the vehicle API 71 is a program that absorbs differences in vehicle model, grade, etc. so that the apps 61 to 64 do not need to be aware of differences in vehicle model, grade, etc. The vehicle API 71 is a program that functions as an API for adapting commands handled by the apps 61 to 64 to commands handled by the state management unit 8 and the equipment management unit 9, which will be described later. Note that API is an abbreviation for Application Programming Interface.

[0034] The vehicle API 71 is mounted on the ECU A 10. The vehicle API 71 receives commands from the ECU A 10 itself, the ECUB 15 which is another ECU, and a plurality of applications 61 to 64 mounted on the center .

[0035] Hereinafter, at least one of the vehicle APIs 71 will also be referred to as a vehicle service unit 7. Note that the vehicle service unit 7 may be provided with a plurality of vehicle APIs.

[0036] Here, ECUC 20 realizes the function of a state recognition unit 81. ECUD 25 realizes the function of an HMI system state recognition unit 83. ECUE 30 realizes the function of a body system control unit 84. Hereinafter, at least one of the state recognition unit 81, the motor system equipment control unit 82, the HMI system state recognition unit 83, and the body system control unit 84 will also be referred to as a state management unit 8.

[0037] The state management unit 8 is one of the programs for controlling the controlled object. For example, the state management unit 8 calculates the amount of operation of an actuator that is the controlled object, and sends a command including the amount of operation to the various control units 91 to 99. In other words, when an abstracted first command is input, the state management unit 8 has a function of generating a second command that embodies the first command. Note that the function of generating the second command that embodies the first command may be provided in the vehicle service unit 7.

[0038] The status management unit 8 is also a program for sending data obtained from sensors, etc. to the service application 6. In other words, the status management unit 8 realizes the functions of "status recognition" and "equipment control." In the status recognition function, the unit converts sensor data obtained from the equipment management unit 9 (each of the control units 91 to 99 described later) into a format suitable for the vehicle service unit 7, and transmits the converted data to the vehicle service unit 7. In the equipment control function, the unit distributes driving instructions from the vehicle service unit 7 to the equipment management unit 9.

[0039] The state management unit 8 may be mounted in the same ECU A10 as the vehicle API 71, or may be mounted in a separate ECU, such as the ECUC 20, the ECUD 25, or the ECUE 30. The state management unit 8, which includes the state recognition unit 81, the motor system equipment control unit 82, the HMI system state recognition unit 83, and the body system control unit 84, may all be mounted in the same ECU A10 as the vehicle API 71, or may be distributed and mounted in the respective ECUs that control the respective domains.

[0040] The status recognition function realizes a function to classify the individual raw sensor data acquired by the equipment management unit 9 from the vehicle sensors into data by sensing target that is easy to use by the service application 6. It also realizes a function to integrate the data, convert it into more abstract information, and transmit it to the vehicle service unit 7.

[0041] For example, in the state recognition function, each of the control units 91 to 99 constituting the equipment management unit 9 acquires individual information such as the vehicle speed of 0 km / h, the shift position P, and the driver not being present in the vehicle, and based on this information outputs that the vehicle is in a parked state. This information is further transmitted to the service application 6 via the vehicle service unit 7.

[0042] For example, when the service application 6 makes a request regarding the car finder, the vehicle service unit 7 may combine an ack from the light and an ack from the horn, which are responses to the light and horn control request, into a single operation result and respond to the service application 6. The car finder is a function of an application that notifies the user of the vehicle's location in a parking lot or the like in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0043] The equipment control function selects each of the control units 91-99 in the equipment management unit 9 that are optimal for implementing the vehicle operation request from the service application 6 (for example, a control unit for the engine, steering, shift, doors, windows, air conditioner, etc., which are the controlled objects).Then, the data is converted into a format that each of the control units 91-99 can accept, and the data is distributed taking into consideration the order in which it is to be transmitted.

[0044] For example, if the vehicle operation request from the service application 6 is "Turn the vehicle left with a radius of 200 m and accelerate at 0.3 G," the equipment control function outputs "a request to output 1000 Nm to the engine and a request to output -0.1 rad to the steering."

[0045] For example, suppose the vehicle operation request from the service application 6 is to "transition to parking state." In this case, the equipment control function outputs "a request to shift the shift to P, a request to turn off the air conditioner, a request to fully close the windows, and when the above requests are completed and there are no occupants, a request to lock the doors and transition to parking state."

[0046] The state management unit 8 is divided into a plurality of programs for each type of vehicle operation corresponding to the type of first command. The types of vehicle operation include, for example, a driving system for turning, running, stopping, etc. of the vehicle, an HMI system for presenting information to the user, and a body system for changing the state of the body. In this way, the state management unit 8 is provided with management functions 81 to 84 according to the type of domain, and each program of the management function is stored in the memory 22 of the ECUC20, which is a domain control unit, the memory 27 of the ECUD25, the memory 32 of the ECUE30, or the memory 12 of the ECUA10, which is a central unit.

[0047] In other words, the state management unit 8 is classified according to vehicle operations that the service application 6 is likely to request, rather than according to implementation means that are likely to depend on vehicle variations (for example, the control units 91 to 99).

[0048] The state recognition unit 81 acquires information from the camera control unit 91 and millimeter wave control unit 92, converts it into information on the positions of vehicles and pedestrians, and outputs it to the vehicle service unit 7.

[0049] The motion system equipment control unit 82 converts the vehicle operation request into control amounts for the brake control unit 93 and the steering control unit 94 and outputs them.

[0050] Upon receiving a command such as an alarm, the HMI system state recognition unit 83 determines whether or not to issue a notification using the display control unit 95 and the sound control unit 96, and outputs a control amount.

[0051] For example, the body system control unit 84 receives a command related to the vehicle environment, determines which of the light control unit 97, HVAC control unit 98, seat control unit 99, etc. to operate, converts it into an appropriate command, and outputs it.

[0052] As described above, the architecture within the vehicle network is configured so that the first layer is the equipment management unit 9, the second layer is the status management unit 8, the third layer is the vehicle service unit 7, and the fourth layer is the service application 6.

[0053] [1-3. Processing] Next, the basic processing executed by the vehicle control system 1 will be described with reference to the ladder chart of FIG.

[0054] In S110, the service application 6 transmits an operation request (i.e., a first command in the present disclosure) to the vehicle service unit 7. Then, in S10, the vehicle service unit 7 performs an operation request reception determination. The operation request reception determination is a process of determining whether each of the control units 91 to 99 can receive the first command.

[0055] In S10, the vehicle service unit 7 is configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of the vehicle equipment, the vehicle state, and the syntax of the command included in the first command. Note that the vehicle equipment and the vehicle state indicate the equipment and state of the vehicle in which the vehicle control system 1 is installed.

[0056] In S10, the vehicle service unit 7 determines whether or not the operation request from the service application 6 can be accepted based on, for example, the following six items.

[0057] ≪1≫ Syntax: Is there an error in the API syntax in the program? ≪2≫ Equipment information: Whether or not the vehicle is equipped with the controlled object you want to operate ≪3≫ Operational level: Whether the equipment you want to operate can currently accept an operation request <4> Authentication and authorization: whether the service application 6 that is the requesting party is authenticated or not, and whether it has access rights to the vehicle service unit 7 or not <5> Abnormality in the vehicle service unit 7: Whether or not an abnormality (for example, data or communication abnormality, non-normal operation, etc.) has occurred in the vehicle service unit 7 <6> Cache status: Whether or not a time has passed since the status management unit 8 determined that the command cannot be accepted and that the command can be accepted. In <3>, "equipment can accept" means that the range of operation requests and the number of requests that can be made within a certain period of time are within a certain range. However, the number of requests that can be made within a certain period of time refers to the number of requests received within a certain period of time. In <3>, an operation request that does not match the vehicle state is rejected. For example, a request to open a door while traveling at 100 km / h is rejected.

[0058] In <5>, whether the non-acceptance information is cached for each request source or cached regardless of the request source is changed depending on the combination of the vehicle API 71 and the non-acceptance content.

[0059] Note that a determination item may be set for each vehicle API 71 in the vehicle service unit 7. In other words, there may be items for which determination is not performed. Here, information on equipment equipped in the vehicle, the authentication status and access rights of the service app 6, the current vehicle status related to the equipment, and abnormality information on the vehicle and both service units are stored in the memory 12. Information such as cache status information that the vehicle service unit 7 refers to when determining whether to accept the request is also stored in the memory 12.

[0060] In S120, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the determination result as to whether or not the first command can be accepted to the service application 6. That is, in S160, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the determination result to the service application 6 before the equipment management unit 9 receives the operation instruction.

[0061] Next, in S130, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits an operation request to the status management unit 8. The operation request in S130 is transmitted only when the first command can be accepted. The operation request here corresponds to the management command in this disclosure.

[0062] When the state management unit 8 receives an operation request from the vehicle service unit 7, it performs operation request arbitration in S20. In the operation request arbitration, the state management unit 8 determines whether the first command can be accepted, taking into consideration conflicts between the first command and other commands different from the first and second commands. The state management unit 8 may determine whether the first command can be accepted, taking into consideration conflicts with requests received by other APIs (e.g., other vehicle APIs) different from the API that received the request (e.g., vehicle API 71).

[0063] That is, while the above-mentioned operation request acceptance determination refers to the vehicle state and the like and determines whether or not an operation request can be accepted regardless of other commands, the operation request arbitration in this process determines whether or not an operation request can be accepted taking into account conflicts with other commands, etc. If the operation request can be accepted, the state management unit 8 generates a second command that embodies the abstracted first command as an operation instruction.

[0064] The state management unit 8 determines whether or not an operation request can be accepted based on, for example, the following five items.

[0065] ≪1≫ Request priority arbitration: Whether the first command has a higher priority than requests based on other applications or user operations <2> Requester cancellation request: Whether the requester has requested a request cancellation and whether the request is currently being processed <3> User cancellation request: Whether or not a user request to interrupt an operation has occurred <4> Request processing load overload: Whether the controlled object is receiving more requests than it can process <5> Abnormality in the status management unit 8 and the equipment management unit 9: Whether an abnormality (for example, data or communication abnormality, non-normal operation) has occurred in the status management unit 8 or the equipment management unit 9 In the case of (1), the priority is specified by the application, and the operation based on the priority is determined by the receiving side. However, the receiving side may ignore the priority specified by the application and perform processing.

[0066] For example, when the state management unit 8 receives a request to turn on the air conditioner and a request to turn on the lights, if accepting both requests would cause the voltage to fall below the threshold allowed in terms of power, the state management unit 8 determines that the requests are unacceptable. Furthermore, when the state management unit 8 receives a request regarding acceleration and a request regarding steering, if a vehicle drive control amount that satisfies both requests would result in the vehicle running off the road, the state management unit 8 determines that the requests are unacceptable. Here, priority information for the requests, information regarding requester cancellation, information regarding user cancellation, and thresholds that can be processed by the controlled object (e.g., number of requests, control amount, processing load, etc.) are stored in the memory 12 or memories 22, 27, and 32. Furthermore, information referenced by the state management unit 8 when determining whether to accept a request, such as abnormality information from the state management unit 8 and the equipment management unit 9, is also stored in the memory 12 or memories 22, 27, and 32.

[0067] The threshold value that can be processed by the controlled object may be changeable depending on the situation. Specifically, the service application 6 or the state management unit 8 may update the threshold value stored in the memory 12 or the memories 22, 27, and 32 according to data obtained from the vehicle or data (e.g., a new threshold value) obtained from a device outside the vehicle.

[0068] Furthermore, the state management unit 8 may determine whether or not the first command can be accepted, taking into consideration whether the processing amount related to the first command and the other commands is tolerable. More specifically, the state management unit 8 may determine whether or not the first command can be accepted by comparing the processing amount related to the first command and the other commands with a threshold value stored in the memory 12 or the memory 22, 27, or 32.

[0069] For example, when the operation control programs constituting the control units 91 to 99 are updated by OTA or the like, the service application 6 and the state management unit 8 may receive new thresholds from the center 35 and update the thresholds stored in the memory 12 or the memories 22, 27, and 32. OTA is an abbreviation for Over The Air.

[0070] Furthermore, for example, when battery degradation is detected in a vehicle, the allowable remaining battery capacity may be updated. More specifically, when battery degradation is detected, the allowable remaining battery capacity may be updated to a value higher than the normal value (e.g., 20%) (e.g., 25%).

[0071] Next, in S140, the state management unit 8 transmits the determination result in S20 (i.e., the arbitration result) to the service application 6 before transmitting the second command to each of the control units 91 to 99 (i.e., the equipment management unit 9). The vehicle service unit 7 relays the arbitration result transmitted from the state management unit 8, and in S150, sends the arbitration result to the service application 6. In addition, in S160, the state management unit 8 outputs a second command (i.e., an operation instruction) based on the first command to each of the control units 91 to 99 of the equipment management unit 9.

[0072] Each control unit 91-99 is equipped with an operation control program for operating the controlled object, and upon receiving an operation instruction, each control unit 91-99 of the equipment management unit 9 executes the operation control program. That is, the operation control program constituting each control unit 91-99 is stored in the memory of each ECU 41-48, which is each operation control device, and the program is executed by the CPU.

[0073] Each of the control units 91 to 99 executes operational control of the controlled object based on the second command (S30). Then, in S170, each of the control units 91 to 99 sequentially and repeatedly transmits the operational status of the controlled object onto the communication line. For example, the operational status is transmitted as CAN (registered trademark) data.

[0074] The operating status is received by the vehicle service unit 7 and the status management unit 8. The status management unit 8 may relay the received operating status to the vehicle service unit 7 in S180.

[0075] In S40, the vehicle service unit 7 receives the operation status transmitted from each of the control units 91-99 of the equipment management unit 9, and recognizes the operation result based on the operation status. The operation result is data indicating whether the controlled object is operating normally. The vehicle service unit 7 transmits the operation result to the service application 6. The operation result is recognized based on data indicating the operation status of each of the control units 91-99 obtained from the communication line.

[0076] Specifically, the vehicle service unit 7 determines the operation result based on, for example, whether or not an alert is included in the operation status, whether or not values such as sensor values are within a normal range, whether or not the rate of change of values is within a normal range, etc. The operation result includes, for example, at least one of normal, abnormal, operating, stopped, etc.

[0077] The vehicle service unit 7 receives a plurality of operation states for the same data (predetermined data item) of a certain controlled object. Then, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the operation result to the service app 6 at regular intervals or when a difference (e.g., rate of change) between one operation state at a first time point and another operation state at a second time point satisfies a preset condition, in S190. For example, the vehicle service unit 7 may transmit vehicle speed data to the service app 6 every second, or may transmit vehicle speed data to the service app 6 when the vehicle speed data changes from a stopped state to a running state. Alternatively, the vehicle service unit 7 may transmit vehicle speed data to the service app 6 when the rate of change of the vehicle speed data while running is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0078] Here, the pre-set conditions are conditions that are set arbitrarily, and may include, for example, when the aforementioned operable level changes, when the operating state transitions from operating to stopped, or from stopped to operating, etc.

[0079] In this way, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the operation results to the service application 6 less frequently than it receives the operation statuses transmitted from the control units 91 to 99. In this configuration, the processing load on the service application 6 can be reduced.

[0080] Next, specific processing executed by the vehicle control system 1 will be described using the ladder chart of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 describes an example of operation when multiple requests to open and close a sliding door are received, as a specific example of the processing shown in Fig. 2.

[0081] In this example, two service applications 6A and 6B are provided as the service applications 6, and a processing example is shown in which different commands are received from these service applications 6A and 6B.

[0082] In S112, the service application 6A transmits an opening request to open the sliding door to the vehicle service unit 7. Then, in S12, the vehicle service unit 7 determines whether or not the operation request has been received.

[0083] The vehicle service unit 7 performs the same determination as in S10 and determines that the request can be accepted here. Therefore, in S122, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits to the service application 6A a notification that the first command can be accepted. Subsequently, in S132, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits a sliding door open request to the status management unit 8.

[0084] When the state management unit 8 receives a sliding door open request from the vehicle service unit 7, it performs operation request arbitration in S22. Here, the state management unit 8 determines that the sliding door open request can be accepted. In S142, the state management unit 8 transmits to the service app 6A a message that the sliding door open request can be accepted. The vehicle service unit 7 relays the message that the request can be accepted, and in S152 sends the message that the request can be accepted to the service app 6A. In addition, in S162, the state management unit 8 outputs a second command (i.e., a sliding door open command) based on the first command to the equipment management unit 9.

[0085] Then, in S172, the equipment management unit 9 sequentially and repeatedly transmits the operation status of the sliding door onto the communication line. The operation status here includes, for example, the position of the sliding door, whether it is opening, closing, stopped, etc.

[0086] The operating status is received by the vehicle service unit 7 and the status management unit 8. The status management unit 8 may relay the received operating status to the vehicle service unit 7 in S182.

[0087] In S42, the vehicle service unit 7 receives the operation status transmitted from the equipment management unit 9 and recognizes the operation result based on the operation status. In S192, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits, for example, a message to the service application 6A indicating that the sliding door is normally opening.

[0088] Now, it is assumed that another command is received while the sliding door is in the opening operation.

[0089] For example, in S116, the service application 6B transmits a stop request to stop the sliding door to the vehicle service unit 7. Then, in S26, the vehicle service unit 7 performs an operation request reception determination.

[0090] The vehicle service unit 7 performs the same determination as in S10 and determines that the request can be accepted here. Therefore, in S126, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits to the service application 6B a notification that the first command can be accepted. Subsequently, in S136, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits a sliding door stop request to the status management unit 8.

[0091] When the state management unit 8 receives a sliding door stop request from the vehicle service unit 7, it performs operation request arbitration in S26. Here, the state management unit 8 determines that the sliding door stop request cannot be accepted because the already accepted sliding door open request has a higher priority.

[0092] In S146, the state management unit 8 transmits to the service application 6B a message that the sliding door stop request cannot be accepted. The vehicle service unit 7 relays the message that the request cannot be accepted, and in S156 sends a message that the request can be accepted to the service application 6. In this case, the state management unit 8 does not output a second command (i.e., a sliding door stop command) to the equipment management unit 9. In other words, the sliding door is not stopped midway during the opening operation, but continues to operate until it is fully open.

[0093] The vehicle service unit 7 repeatedly receives the operation status transmitted from the equipment management unit 9 in S43 and S44, and recognizes the operation result based on the operation status each time. In S193, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits to the service app 6A, for example, a message that the sliding door is opening normally, and when the opening operation of the sliding door is completed, in S194, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits to the service app 6A, for example, a message that the opening operation of the sliding door has completed normally.

[0094] Next, an example of the operation when the service application 6B makes an air conditioner start request to start the air conditioner will be described using the ladder chart of Fig. 4. In this example, the operation in response to a sliding door open request by the service application 6A is the same as that in Fig. 3.

[0095] 4, for example, in S117, the service application 6B transmits an air conditioner start request to the vehicle service unit 7. Then, in S27, the vehicle service unit 7 determines whether or not the operation request has been accepted.

[0096] The vehicle service unit 7 performs the same determination as in S10 and determines that the request can be accepted here. Therefore, in S127, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits to the service application 6B a notification that the first command can be accepted. Next, in S137, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits an air conditioner start request to the status management unit 8.

[0097] When the status management unit 8 receives an air conditioner start request from the vehicle service unit 7, it performs operation request arbitration in S27. Here, the status management unit 8 determines that the air conditioner start request cannot be accepted because the sum of the power required for the already accepted sliding door open request and the power required for the air conditioner start request exceeds the allowable power.

[0098] In S147, the status management unit 8 transmits to the service application 6B a message that the air conditioner start request cannot be accepted. The vehicle service unit 7 relays the message that the request cannot be accepted, and in S157 sends a message that the request can be accepted to the service application 6. In this case, the status management unit 8 does not output the second command (i.e., an air conditioner start command) to the equipment management unit 9.

[0099] [1-4.Effects] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved.

[0100] (1a) One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control program executed by at least one ECU 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 to control each of control units 91 to 99, such as actuators, lights, sound devices, and display devices related to driving. The vehicle control program is arranged as a vehicle service unit 7 and a status management unit 8.

[0101] When a first command is input from the service application 6 in S110, the vehicle service unit 7 and the state management unit 8 realize a function of outputting a second command based on the first command in S160 to each of the control units 91 to 99. When an abstracted first command is input in S20, the state management unit 8 generates a second command that embodies the first command.

[0102] Each of the control units 91 to 99 is configured as a separate device from the ECUs 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30, and an operation control program is installed in each of the control units 91 to 99. The operation control program is a program for controlling each of the control units 91 to 99.

[0103] At S10 and S20, the vehicle service unit 7 and the status management unit 8 realize a function of determining whether each of the control units 91 to 99 can accept the first command. At S120, S140, and S150, the vehicle service unit 7 and the status management unit 8 realize a function of transmitting a determination result as to whether the first command can be accepted to the service app 6 before the second command is sent to each of the control units 91 to 99.

[0104] According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the first command can be accepted, and to make the service application 6 aware of the determination result at an early stage. Therefore, the service application 6 can perform processing based on the determination result at an early stage, thereby improving convenience.

[0105] (1b) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle service unit 7 is configured to determine, at S10, whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of the vehicle equipment, the vehicle state, and the syntax of the command included in the first command.

[0106] According to this configuration, the determination result based on at least one of the vehicle equipment, the vehicle state, and the command syntax can be immediately transmitted to the service application 6.

[0107] (1c) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the state management unit 8 is configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted in S20, taking into consideration a conflict between the first command and another command different from the first command and the second command. The state management unit 8 may make the determination, taking into consideration a conflict with a request received by the state management unit 8 of another API.

[0108] According to this configuration, it is possible to determine whether the first command can be accepted or not in consideration of the conflict between other commands and the first command, and the result of this determination can be immediately transmitted to the service application 6.

[0109] (1d) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the determination result of S10 to the service application 6 in S120 before the calculation of the determination result in S20 is completed. Also, the state management unit 8 transmits the determination result of S20 to the service application 6 in S140.

[0110] According to this configuration, the service application 6 can recognize the determination results in S10 and S20.

[0111] (1e) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle service unit 7 is configured to recognize an operation result indicating whether each of the control units 91 to 99 is operating normally in S40 and S170 to S190, and transmit the operation result to the service application 6. The operation result is recognized based on data indicating the operating status of each of the control units 91 to 99 obtained from the communication line.

[0112] According to this configuration, the operation results of the control units 91 to 99 are transmitted to the service application 6, so the service application 6 does not need to calculate the operation results from the operation state, and can recognize the operation results with a simple configuration.

[0113] (1f) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle service unit 7 is configured in S40 to transmit the operation result to the service app 6 at regular intervals or when the difference (e.g., rate of change) between one operating state and another operating state satisfies a preset condition.

[0114] According to this configuration, the operation results can be thinned out before transmission, thereby reducing the processing load on the service application 6 when processing the operation results.

[0115] (1g) In one aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle service unit 7 and the state management unit 8 realize a function of outputting a plurality of second commands corresponding to a plurality of first commands to each of the control units 91 to 99. At least a portion of the vehicle service unit 7 and the state management unit 8 is configured by being divided into a plurality of programs for each type of vehicle operation corresponding to the type of first command.

[0116] According to this configuration, the vehicle operation type corresponding to the type of the first command is divided into a plurality of programs, so that management such as maintenance of the programs can be facilitated.

[0117] 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.

[0118] (2a) In the above embodiment, the vehicle service unit 7 is configured to transmit the operation result to the service app 6 under preset conditions in S40, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the service app 6 may be configured to set how the vehicle service unit 7 transmits the operation result. Note that in FIG. 5, the operation result in FIG. 2 is expressed as availability. Availability generally refers to the resilience of a system, but here it is a concept that includes the determination result of a failure, etc., the operation result described above, etc.

[0119] The vehicle service unit 7 can employ either a Pub / Sub (Publish-Subscribe) type or a Req / Res (Request-Response) type. The Pub / Sub type is a transmission method in which data is transmitted according to settings once transmission parameters such as the availability transmission cycle and number of transmissions are registered. On the other hand, the Req / Res type is a transmission method in which data is transmitted only when a request is received.

[0120] In the case of Pub / Sub, the service application 6 sets transmission parameters in advance before S40. For example, the service application 6 transmits an availability distribution registration request to the vehicle service unit 7 in S210. The vehicle service unit 7 receives the availability distribution registration request and transmits the availability to the service application 6 in S240 according to the settings of the transmission parameters included in the request. The vehicle service unit 7 generates the availability based on the multiple operating states transmitted by the equipment management unit 9 and the state management unit 8 in S220 and S230. At this time, the vehicle service unit 7 may determine the operable level (i.e., whether or not the first command can be received) from the operating state and change the setting of the operable level. The vehicle service unit 7 may transmit the availability when changing the setting of the operable level.

[0121] Next, in the case of the Req / Res type, for example, the service application 6 transmits an availability distribution registration request to the vehicle service unit 7 in S310. The vehicle service unit 7 receives the availability distribution registration request and transmits the requested availability to the service application 6 in S240. The vehicle service unit 7 generates availability upon receiving at least one of the operation states transmitted by the equipment management unit 9 and the state management unit 8 in S225 and S235. At this time, the vehicle service unit 7 may determine an operation availability level from the operation state and transmit availability including the operation availability level.

[0122] (2b) In the above embodiment, the state management unit 8 is configured to respond with the arbitration result requested by the vehicle service unit 7. However, this is not a limitation. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , if the state management unit 8 is configured to be unable to respond with the arbitration result requested by the vehicle service unit 7 in S20, the vehicle service unit 7 may be configured to execute the functions of the state management unit 8 in place of the state management unit 8 in S11. In this case, in S11A, the vehicle service unit 7 acquires a portion of the arbitration result transmitted from the state management unit 8, the operating status of the state management unit 8, and the operating status transmitted from the equipment management unit 9. The vehicle service unit 7 may then perform some or all of the action request arbitration (e.g., the processing of S20) using these arbitration results and operating statuses. For example, the state management unit 8 may be configured to notify the vehicle service unit 7 of the acceptance result for the action request transmitted from the vehicle service unit 7, the operating status of the state management unit 8 itself, and the operating status of the controlled object transmitted from the equipment management unit 9. In this configuration, the above-described action request arbitration (S20, S22) may be performed by the vehicle service unit 7.

[0123] (2c) The functions of the acceptance determination unit, the determination transmission unit, the output unit, and the operation execution unit in the present disclosure may be performed by at least one of the first management unit, the second management unit, and the third management unit. For example, one management unit may realize all of the functions of the acceptance determination unit, the determination transmission unit, the output unit, and the operation execution unit, or multiple management units may cooperate to realize the functions as in the present embodiment. When multiple management units cooperate to realize the functions, each function may be realized by any management unit.

[0124] (2d) The multiple ECUs 10 and the associated methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor and memory programmed to implement one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the multiple ECUs 10 and the associated methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the multiple ECUs 10 and the associated methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor and memory programmed to implement one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions to be executed by a computer. The methods for implementing the functions of each unit included in the multiple ECUs 10 do not necessarily need to include software; all of the functions may be implemented using one or more hardware components.

[0125] (2e) 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.

[0126] (2f) In addition to the vehicle control system 1 described above, the present disclosure can also be realized in various forms, such as an ECU 10 or the like that is a component of the vehicle control system 1, a vehicle control program for causing a computer to function as the ECU 10 or the like, a non-transient physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which this program is recorded, and a vehicle control method.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system (1) comprising at least one vehicle control device (10, 15, 20, 25, 30) and an operation control device (41-48) that is a device separate from the vehicle control device and has an operation control unit (91-99) for controlling a controlled object, an input unit (7, 71) into which commands from a plurality of applications are input; an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20) configured to, when a first command is input from an application to the input unit, determine whether or not the first command can be accepted with respect to the controlled object; a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the reception determination unit to the application; an output unit (S20, S130, S160) configured to output a second command based on the first command to the operation control unit when the acceptance determination unit determines that the command is acceptable; A vehicle control system comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, The reception determination unit a first determination unit (S10) configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, a vehicle state, and a syntax of a command included in the first command; A vehicle control system comprising:

3. 3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, The reception determination unit a second determination unit (S20) configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted in consideration of a conflict between the first command and a third command from an application, the third command being different from the first command and the second command; A vehicle control system comprising:

4. 4. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, The second determination unit determines whether the first command can be accepted in consideration of whether a processing amount related to the first command and the third command is allowable. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

5. 5. The vehicle control system according to claim 4, a storage unit (12, 22, 27, 32) for storing the threshold value of the processing amount; The second determination unit updates the threshold stored in the storage unit, and determines whether the first command can be accepted by comparing the processing amount related to the first command and the third command with the threshold stored in the storage unit. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

6. A vehicle control system according to claim 3 which relies on claim 2, The determination transmission unit a first transmitting unit (S120) configured to transmit a determination result by the first determining unit to the application; a second transmission unit (S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the second determination unit to the application; A vehicle control system comprising:

7. 3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, an operation sending unit (S40, S170 to S190) configured to recognize an operation result indicating whether the controlled object is operating normally or not and to send the operation result to the application; The vehicle control system further comprises:

8. 8. The vehicle control system according to claim 7, The operation transmission unit transmits the operation result to the application at regular intervals or when a difference between one operation state at a first time point and another operation state at a second time point satisfies a preset condition with respect to a predetermined data item for the predetermined controlled object. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

9. 3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, the output unit is configured to output a plurality of second commands corresponding to the plurality of first commands to the operation control unit, At least a part of the output unit is divided into a plurality of parts for each type of vehicle operation corresponding to the type of the first command. Vehicle control system.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, The second determination unit determines that the first command cannot be accepted when the battery voltage falls below an allowable threshold if both the first command and the third command are accepted. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

11. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, The second determination unit determines that the first command cannot be accepted when accepting both the first command and the third command would cause the vehicle to deviate from the road. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

12. A vehicle control system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The acceptance determination unit recognizes an operation result indicating whether the controlled object is operating normally, and determines whether the first command can be accepted based on the operation result. A vehicle control system configured as follows.

13. A vehicle control method implemented by a vehicle control system (1) including at least one vehicle control device (10, 15, 20, 25, 30) and an operation control device (41-48) that is a device separate from the vehicle control device and has an operation control unit (91-99) for controlling a controlled object, Inputting commands from multiple applications (7, 71); When a first command is input from an application, determining whether or not the first command can be accepted for the controlled object (S10, S20); Sending the determination result to the application (S120, S140, S150); If it is determined that the command can be accepted, outputting a second command based on the first command to the operation control unit (S20, S130, S160); A vehicle control method comprising:

14. A vehicle control program (7, 8) executed by at least one vehicle control device to control a controlled object, an output unit that, when a first command is input from an application, outputs a second command based on the first command to an operation control program for controlling the controlled object (S20, S110, S160); an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20) that determines whether the first command can be accepted for the controlled object; a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150) that transmits the determination result by the reception determination unit to the application; It realizes the function as In the reception determination unit, a first determination unit (S10) that determines whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, vehicle state, and syntax of a command included in the first command; A vehicle control program that realizes the functions as follows.

15. A vehicle control method executed by at least one vehicle control device for controlling a controlled object, comprising: When a first command is input from an application, a second command based on the first command is output to an operation control program for controlling the controlled object (S20, S110, S160); Determining whether the first command can be accepted for the controlled object (S10, S20); Sending the determination result to the application (S120, S140, S150); When determining whether the first command can be accepted, determining whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, vehicle state, and syntax of a command included in the first command (S10); A vehicle control method comprising:

16. A vehicle control system (1) comprising at least one vehicle control device, an input unit (7, 71) into which commands from a plurality of applications are input; an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20) configured to, when a first command is input from an application, determine whether or not the first command can be accepted with respect to the controlled object; a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the reception determination unit to the application; an output unit (S20, S130, S160) configured to output a second command based on the first command to an operation control unit for controlling the controlled object when the acceptance determination unit determines that the command can be accepted; Equipped with The reception determination unit a first determination unit (S10) configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, a vehicle state, and a syntax of a command included in the first command; A vehicle control system comprising:

17. 1. A vehicle control method implemented by at least one vehicle control device, comprising: Inputting commands from multiple applications (7, 71); When a first command is input from an application, it is determined whether or not the first command can be accepted for the controlled object (S10, S20); Sending the determination result to the application (S120, S140, S150); When it is determined that the first command can be received, outputting a second command based on the first command to an operation control unit for controlling the controlled object (S20, S130, S160); When determining whether the first command can be accepted, determining whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, vehicle state, and syntax of a command included in the first command (S10); A vehicle control method comprising:

18. A vehicle control program executed by at least one vehicle control device, an input unit (7, 71) into which commands from a plurality of applications are input; an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20) configured to, when a first command is input from an application, determine whether or not the first command can be accepted with respect to the controlled object; a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the reception determination unit to the application; an output unit configured to output a second command based on the first command to an operation control unit for controlling the controlled object when the acceptance determination unit determines that the command can be accepted (S20, S130, S160); It realizes the function as In the reception determination unit, a first determination unit (S10) configured to determine whether the first command can be accepted based on at least one of vehicle equipment, a vehicle state, and a syntax of a command included in the first command; A vehicle control program that realizes the functions as follows.

19. A vehicle control system (1) comprising at least one vehicle control device (10, 15, 20, 25, 30) and an operation control device (41 to 48) that is a device separate from the vehicle control device and controls a controlled object, a first management unit (7) configured to receive a first command transmitted from an application and transmit a second command determined based on the first command; a second management unit (8) configured to receive the management command transmitted from the first management unit and transmit a second command determined based on the management command; a third management unit (9) configured to receive the second command transmitted from the second management unit and control the controlled object based on the second command; Equipped with At least one function of the first management unit, the second management unit, and the third management unit is an acceptance determination unit (S10, S20) configured to determine whether the first command or the second command related to the controlled object can be accepted; a determination transmission unit (S120, S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the reception determination unit to the application; an output unit (S130, S160) configured to transmit a command determined based on an input command; an operation execution unit (S30) configured to control a controlled object based on an input command; A vehicle control system comprising:

20. 20. The vehicle control system of claim 19, The at least one vehicle control device includes a first vehicle control device (10) and a second vehicle control device (20, 25, 30) that is a device separate from the first vehicle control device, the first vehicle control device has the first management unit, the second vehicle control device has the second management unit, The operation control device has the third management unit. Vehicle control system.

21. 21. A vehicle control system according to claim 19 or claim 20, The first management unit a first reception determination unit (S10) configured to determine whether the first command related to the control target can be received; a first determination transmission unit (S120) configured to transmit a determination result by the first reception / determination unit to the application; The second management unit a second reception determination unit (S20) configured to determine whether the second command related to the control target can be received; a second determination transmission unit (S140, S150) configured to transmit a determination result by the second reception determination unit to the application via the first management unit; Vehicle control system.

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