Relay device, communication control method, and communication control program

Abstract

To suppress an increase in design patterns of an in-vehicle network in a configuration in which settings of the in-vehicle network are changed.SOLUTION: A relay device is used in an in-vehicle network that includes a plurality of functional units. The in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network. The relay device includes: a relay unit that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional units in the first network and the functional units in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between the plurality of functional units in the second network; and a proxy processing unit that acts on behalf of the plurality of functional units in the second network, by operating as a communication partner with the functional units in the first network of information regarding setting processing for communicating in the in-vehicle network.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a relay device, a communication control method, and a communication control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Technologies for changing the configuration of an in-vehicle network have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 145334) discloses the following technology. That is, a vehicle control device controls a plurality of repeaters based on a control scenario that associates the state of a vehicle in which a vehicle network made up of a plurality of repeaters is built with control content to be set for each of the plurality of repeaters. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 145334 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-163244 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2020 / 179123 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2020 / 27182 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, in a configuration where settings of a relay device or the like in an in-vehicle network are dynamically changed, the settings must be designed in advance. If variations are to be added to the application configuration or device configuration in the in-vehicle network, the number of design patterns becomes enormous as the scale of the in-vehicle network increases.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a relay device, a communication control method, and a communication control program that can suppress an increase in the design patterns of an in-vehicle network in a configuration in which settings of the in-vehicle network are changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The relay device disclosed herein is a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network including a first network and a second network, and is equipped with a relay unit that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between the plurality of functional units in the second network, and a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network for information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy processing unit for the plurality of functional units in the second network.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements part or all of a relay device, or as a system including a relay device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, in a configuration in which settings of an in-vehicle network are changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns of the in-vehicle network. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication performed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by a relay device that changes network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional unit information in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the functional unit information in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by a relay device including a proxy processing unit in an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional unit information transmitted by a proxy processing unit in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information used to change network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information used by the proxy processing unit in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure for the process of replacing the setting information. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) A relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network including a first network and a second network, and includes a relay unit that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between the plurality of functional units in the second network, and a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to communicate information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy processing unit for the plurality of functional units in the second network.

[0011] With this configuration, the in-vehicle network can be divided and managed, and therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of relay devices and the like in the in-vehicle network are dynamically changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns that accompanies an increase in the variations in the application configuration or the device configuration in the in-vehicle network. Therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of the in-vehicle network are changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns of the in-vehicle network.

[0012] (2) In the above (1), the proxy processing unit may acquire functional unit information of each functional unit in the second network, and based on the acquired functional unit information, generate aggregated information which is functional unit information of one functional unit, and transmit it to the first network as functional unit information of the relay device.

[0013] With this configuration, the relay device can aggregate the functional unit information of each functional unit in the second network and behave like a single functional unit when viewed from the first network, making it easy to divide an in-vehicle network using a relay device.

[0014] (3) In (2) above, the proxy processing unit may select, from the acquired functional unit information, the functional unit information of the functional unit in the second network that communicates with the functional unit in the first network, and generate the aggregated information including the selected functional unit information.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to selectively provide to the first network the functional unit information of each functional unit in the second network that is necessary for generating configuration information on the first network side, thereby simplifying processing on the first network side.

[0016] (4) In the above (3), the relay device may further include a memory unit that stores information indicating the correspondence between the functional unit in the second network and the presence or absence of communication with the functional unit in the first network.

[0017] With this configuration, it is possible to easily select functional unit information using pre-registered information.

[0018] (5) In any of (1) to (4) above, the proxy processing unit may generate setting information for each of the functional units that are the target of the setting process in the second network based on setting information received from the functional unit in the first network, and transmit the generated setting information to the functional unit corresponding to the setting information.

[0019] With this configuration, the relay device can expand the setting information of one functional unit provided from the first network and configure each functional unit in the second network, so that the relay device behaves like a single functional unit from the perspective of the first network. This makes it easy to divide an in-vehicle network using relay devices.

[0020] (6) In (5) above, the proxy processing unit may generate configuration information for the relay device, which is the functional unit that is the target of the configuration processing, based on the configuration information received from the functional unit in the first network, and the relay device may further include a configuration unit that performs the configuration processing of the relay device based on the configuration information of the relay device generated by the proxy processing unit.

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to configure each functional unit in the second network, including the configuration of the relay device itself, and therefore it is possible to accommodate a wider variety of design patterns in the in-vehicle network.

[0022] (7) A communication control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a communication control method in a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network including a first network and a second network, and includes a step of performing relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between the plurality of functional units in the second network, and a step of acting as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to represent the plurality of functional units in the second network for information regarding configuration processing for communication in the in-vehicle network.

[0023] With this configuration, the in-vehicle network can be divided and managed, and therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of relay devices and the like in the in-vehicle network are dynamically changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns that accompanies an increase in the variations in the application configuration or the device configuration in the in-vehicle network. Therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of the in-vehicle network are changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns of the in-vehicle network.

[0024] (8) A communication control program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a communication control program for a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network including a first network and a second network, and causes a computer to function as a relay unit that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between the plurality of functional units in the second network, and as a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to communicate information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy processing unit that acts as a proxy for the plurality of functional units in the second network.

[0025] With this configuration, the in-vehicle network can be divided and managed, and therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of relay devices and the like in the in-vehicle network are dynamically changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns that accompanies an increase in the variations in the application configuration or the device configuration in the in-vehicle network. Therefore, in a configuration in which the settings of the in-vehicle network are changed, it is possible to suppress an increase in design patterns of the in-vehicle network.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[0027] [In-vehicle communication system] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, an in-vehicle communication system 301 includes a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 202 and a plurality of relay devices 101.

[0028] 1, the in-vehicle communication system 301 includes in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, 202E, and 202F that are in-vehicle ECUs 202, and relay devices 101A and 101B that are relay devices 101. The in-vehicle communication system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 501. The in-vehicle ECUs 202 and the relay devices 101 are examples of functional units.

[0029] The in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101 configure an in-vehicle network 401. More specifically, the in-vehicle network 401 includes networks N1 and N2. The in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, and 202C and the relay device 101A configure a network N1. The in-vehicle ECUs 202D, 202E, and 202F and the relay device 101B configure a network N2.

[0030] The in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, 202E, and 202F respectively include applications A, B, C, D, E, and F. The relay device 101A includes an application X, and the relay device 101B includes an application Y.

[0031] In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable.

[0032] More specifically, the relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51. The communication ports 51 are terminals to which, for example, Ethernet cables can be connected. Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to another relay device 101 or in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication ports 51 and the Ethernet cables. Note that the communication ports 51 are not limited to physical communication ports, and may be logical communication ports defined by, for example, a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network).

[0033] The relay device 101 is used in an in-vehicle network 401 including a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202. The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device, and is capable of relaying data between the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected thereto. The relay device 101 is capable of performing relay processing according to, for example, Layer 2 and Layer 3, which is higher than Layer 2.

[0034] More specifically, the relay device 101 performs relay processing of frames exchanged between the in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected via an Ethernet cable in accordance with, for example, the Ethernet communication standard.

[0035] In addition, the in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which frames are relayed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, but may be a configuration in which frames are relayed in accordance with communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network) (registered trademark), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) (registered trademark), and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0036] The in-vehicle ECU 202 is, for example, an autonomous driving ECU, an engine ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0037] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 generates a frame including various information, which will be described later, and transmits the frame to another in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101 .

[0038] As will be described later, when a predetermined event occurs, the relay device 101A changes the settings of the in-vehicle network 401 (hereinafter also referred to as a network setting change). Hereinafter, the in-vehicle network 401 after the network setting change is reflected will also be referred to as a new network.

[0039] The relay device 101A acquires functional unit information including information on the network configuration of a layer lower than the application layer, for example, for each of a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network.

[0040] More specifically, when a predetermined event that triggers a change in network settings occurs, relay device 101A acquires functional unit information of each functional unit, for example, each in-vehicle ECU 202. Note that relay device 101A may be configured to acquire functional unit information of at least one of relay device 101A and relay device 101B in addition to or instead of the functional unit information of each in-vehicle ECU 202.

[0041] The relay device 101B operates as a proxy for each in-vehicle ECU 202 in the network N2. Therefore, the relay device 101A does not recognize the existence of the network N2, but recognizes the relay device 101B as one functional unit and performs various processes.

[0042] The event may be, for example, a case where a user performs a predetermined operation on the in-vehicle ECU 202, which is a navigation device. The event may also be a case where a new functional unit is added to the in-vehicle network 401, specifically, a case where an in-vehicle ECU 202 is added to the in-vehicle network 401, or a case where a new application is installed in an existing in-vehicle ECU 202 in the in-vehicle network 401. In this way, the functional unit may be hardware or software.

[0043] For example, the relay device 101A acquires, as functional unit information, information that can recognize the specifications of hardware devices such as the on-board ECU 202 and the relay device 101 in the new network, as well as information that can recognize the topology of the new network, and information that can recognize at least one of constraints on the placement of applications in hardware devices in the new network and constraints on the communication method in the new network.

[0044] The relay device 101A acquires at least one type of information from among the following as information that enables the specification of the hardware device and the topology of the new network to be recognized: the device type indicating the identifier, name, sensor type, etc. of the hardware device, memory size, the number of physical ports provided for each communication protocol, the identifier of the physical port, power supply configuration, power consumption, VLAN ID, subnet address and functional domain; information regarding the specifications of the CPU or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) installed in the hardware device; information regarding the connection relationship between the hardware devices; information regarding the bandwidth of communication between the hardware devices; and information regarding the specification of the relay device 101.

[0045] The relay device 101A acquires at least one type of information from the in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101, such as information on the processing speed required for execution of the application, memory usage, constraints on the OS (Operating System) environment, and constraints on communication protocols such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol), as information that can identify constraints on the placement of applications in hardware devices.

[0046] The relay device 101A acquires at least one of the following types of information, as information that can be used to recognize the constraints of the communication method in the new network: communication data size, communication frequency, whether burst transmission is required, allowable delay time, allowable loss amount, required security level, operation timing, communication type, for example, indicating periodic or irregular communication, identifier of the application with which communication is to be performed, and messaging method, indicating request-response type or publish-subscribe type, etc., and information regarding the priority of communication by the application, for the applications in the on-board ECU 202 and the relay device 101.

[0047] For example, the relay device 101A identifies one or more types of functional unit information required for generating setting information for a new network from among the types of functional unit information described above.

[0048] The relay device 101A transmits an information request notification indicating that the specified type of function unit information should be transmitted to, for example, each function unit in the network N1 and the relay device 101B.

[0049] In response to the information request notification received from the relay device 101A, each functional unit in the network N1 transmits its own functional unit information of the type specified in the information request notification to the relay device 101A.

[0050] Furthermore, in response to the information request notification received from the relay device 101A, the relay device 101B transmits to the relay device 101A the type of functional part information designated in the information request notification.

[0051] Furthermore, for example, the relay device 101A refers to a storage unit in the relay device 101A and acquires the identified type of functional unit information of the relay device 101A from the storage unit.

[0052] [Relay device 101B] 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and shows the configuration of relay device 101B shown in FIG.

[0053] 2, relay device 101B includes a relay unit 1, a proxy processing unit 2, a function unit information management unit 3, a setting unit 4, and a storage unit 5. Some or all of relay unit 1, proxy processing unit 2, function unit information management unit 3, and setting unit 4 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. Storage unit 5 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0054] The relay unit 1 performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between functional units. That is, the relay unit 1 performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between a functional unit in network N1 and a functional unit in network N2, and frames transmitted and received between multiple functional units in network N2. Specifically, when the relay unit 1 receives a frame from a certain in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101A, it transmits the received frame to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101A.

[0055] The proxy processing unit 2 acts as a communication partner with the functional units in the network N1 for information relating to setting processing for performing communication in the in-vehicle network 401, thereby acting as a proxy for a plurality of functional units in the network N2.

[0056] The proxy processing unit 2 acquires functional unit information of each functional unit in the network N2. For example, the proxy processing unit 2 acquires functional unit information for each of the multiple functional units in the network N2, the functional unit information including information about the network configuration of a layer lower than the application layer.

[0057] More specifically, the proxy processing unit 2 receives an information request notification for the relay device 101B from the relay device 101A, generates an information request notification for each functional unit in the network N2, for example, each in-vehicle ECU 202, and transmits the information request notification to each in-vehicle ECU 202 via the relay unit 1. The information request notification indicates that the type of functional unit information identified by the relay device 101A should be transmitted.

[0058] In response to the information request notice received from the relay device 101B, each in-vehicle ECU 202 transmits its own functional unit information of the type specified in the information request notice to the relay device 101B.

[0059] The proxy processing unit 2 may be configured to acquire functional unit information of the relay device 101B, which is an example of a functional unit, in addition to or instead of the functional unit information of each in-vehicle ECU 202. In this case, the proxy processing unit 2 outputs an information request notice to the functional unit information management unit 3.

[0060] When the functional part information management unit 3 receives an information request notification from the proxy processing unit 2, it refers to the memory unit 5, obtains from the memory unit 5 the functional part information of the relay device 101B of the type specified in the information request notification, and outputs it to the proxy processing unit 2.

[0061] In response to the information request notice received from the relay device 101A, the proxy processing unit 2 transmits to the relay device 101A the type of function unit information designated in the information request notice.

[0062] More specifically, the proxy processing unit 2 generates aggregated information, which is the functional unit information of one functional unit, based on the acquired functional unit information, and transmits it to the network N1 as the functional unit information of the relay device 101B. Specifically, for example, the proxy processing unit 2 aggregates the functional unit information corresponding to communication requests from the functional units in the network N2, and notifies the network N1 of the aggregated information.

[0063] The relay device 101A generates setting information for each functional unit in the new network based on the acquired information for each functional unit.

[0064] More specifically, the relay device 101A determines a target functional unit to be subject to a setting change for communication in the new network. In this example, the target functional unit is at least one of the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202. The relay device 101A then transmits the generated setting information to the target functional unit. If the relay device 101A is the target functional unit, the relay device 101A changes its own settings in accordance with the generated setting information.

[0065] For example, based on the acquired information about each functional unit, the relay device 101A generates setting information including the setting contents of the target functional units for communication between the in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay devices 101A and 101B in the new network, such as filtering, communication bandwidth, frame priority, and VLAN setting in the relay device 101, and the VLAN setting and frame data size in the in-vehicle ECU 202. That is, the setting information includes at least one of filtering, communication bandwidth, frame priority, and VLAN setting in the relay device 101, and the VLAN setting and frame data size in the in-vehicle ECU 202, which is a functional unit.

[0066] Based on the setting information received from the functional units in the network N1, the proxy processing unit 2 generates setting information for each functional unit that is the target of setting processing in the network N2, and transmits the generated setting information to the corresponding functional unit.

[0067] That is, the proxy processing unit 2 receives a setting change request from the network N1 side, converts the setting change request into a setting change request to a functional unit in the network N2, and issues the setting change request to the functional unit.

[0068] When the setting information received from the relay device 101A includes the setting contents of the in-vehicle ECU 202, the proxy processing unit 2 transmits a frame including the setting information indicating the setting contents to the in-vehicle ECU 202, which is the corresponding target functional unit.

[0069] In-vehicle ECU 202 receives the setting information from relay device 101A or relay device 101B and changes various settings in accordance with the setting information. When the setting changes are completed, in-vehicle ECU 202 transmits a completion response to relay device 101A or relay device 101B.

[0070] Furthermore, for example, when the setting information received from relay device 101A includes the setting contents of relay device 101B, that is, when relay device 101B is the target functional unit, proxy processing unit 2 generates setting information for relay device 101B based on the setting information received from the functional unit in network N1. Proxy processing unit 2 outputs the generated setting information for relay device 101B to setting unit 4.

[0071] The setting unit 4 performs setting processing for the relay device 101B based on the setting information for the relay device 101B generated by the proxy processing unit 2. That is, the setting unit 4 changes various settings of the relay device 101B in accordance with the setting information received from the proxy processing unit 2. When the setting changes are completed, the setting unit 4 outputs a completion response to the proxy processing unit 2.

[0072] Each in-vehicle ECU 202 and each relay device 101A, 101B in the new network communicates with each other according to the changed settings.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication performed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 3, in the in-vehicle communication system 301, applications A, B, and C function as information transmitters, and application X functions as an information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 100 milliseconds and communication priorities of "high," "high," and "low," respectively. Application Y functions as an information transmitter, and application B functions as an information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 100 milliseconds and communication priority of "low." Application D functions as an information transmitter, and application Y functions as an information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 1000 milliseconds and communication priority of "low." Application E functions as an information transmitter, and applications X, D, and F function as information receivers, with a transmission cycle of 1000 milliseconds and communication priority of "high," "high," and "low," respectively. Application F functions as an information transmitter, and application Y functions as an information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 1000 milliseconds and communication priority of "low."

[0075] For example, the communications in lines 1 to 9 are performed independently. In this way, when a pair of a transmitting function and a receiving function exists in the in-vehicle network, function unit information corresponding to a communication request is transmitted from each function unit.

[0076] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by a relay device that changes network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 4, relay device 101A holds a communication management table T1 that indicates the contents of communications that are active in the in-vehicle network.

[0078] In the communication management table T1, communications with row numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 shown in Fig. 3 are registered. In addition, communications in which application X functions as the information sender and application Z (not shown) functions as the information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 100 milliseconds and a communication priority of "high" are also registered. In addition, communications in which application Z functions as the information sender and application A functions as the information receiver, with a transmission cycle of 1000 milliseconds and a communication priority of "low" are also registered.

[0079] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional unit information in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, which shows functional unit information from each functional unit in the network N1.

[0080] 5, the relay device 101A acquires, from its own storage unit, function part information whose transmission source is the relay device 101A and whose application running on the device is application X. The relay device 101A also acquires function part information whose transmission source is in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, and 202C and whose applications running on the device are applications A, B, and C, respectively.

[0081] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the functional unit information in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, Fig. 6 shows the functional unit information from each functional unit in the network N2.

[0082] 6, the proxy processing unit 2 in the relay device 101B acquires, from the function unit information management unit 3, function unit information whose sender is the relay device 101B and whose application running on the device is application Y. The proxy processing unit 2 also acquires function unit information whose sender is in-vehicle ECUs 202D, 202E, and 202F and whose applications running on the function units are applications D, E, and F, respectively.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of information held by a relay device including a proxy processing unit in an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 7, storage unit 5 stores information indicating a correspondence relationship between a functional unit in network N2 and whether or not the functional unit communicates with a functional unit in network N1.

[0085] Specifically, in the communication presence / absence table T2, among the applications installed in the network N2, applications Y, E, and G are applications that communicate with networks other than the network N2 (here, network N1), and applications D, F, and H are applications that do not communicate with networks other than the network N2. Applications G and H are not implemented in the example of the in-vehicle communication system 301 shown in Fig. 1, and are applications that are registered in advance in the communication presence / absence table T2.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional unit information transmitted by a proxy processing unit in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 8, the proxy processing unit 2 selects, from the acquired functional unit information, functional unit information of a functional unit in the network N2 that communicates with a functional unit in the network N1, and generates aggregated information including the selected functional unit information.

[0088] More specifically, when the proxy processing unit 2 receives each piece of functional unit information shown in FIG. 6, it refers to the communication presence / absence table T2 shown in FIG. 7 to select applications Y and E that communicate with network N1 from among the applications Y, D, E, and F indicated by the functional unit information, generates aggregated information regarding applications Y and E, and transmits it to relay device 101A as functional unit information of relay device 101B.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of information used to change network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0090] Referring to Figure 9, relay device 101A generates configuration information for each functional unit in the new network based on functional unit information for applications A, B, C, and X obtained from each functional unit in network N1, and functional unit information for applications Y and E obtained from relay device 101B.

[0091] More specifically, by referring to the communication management table T1, the relay device 101A confirms that the communication partners of the applications Y and E are the applications B and X, respectively. Then, the relay device 101A generates setting information including the setting contents of each functional unit for the applications Y and E to communicate with the applications B and X, respectively, transmits the information to the in-vehicle ECU 202B and the relay device 101B, and also changes the setting of the relay device 101A.

[0092] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information used by the proxy processing unit in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure for the process of replacing the setting information.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 10, proxy processing unit 2 performs a conversion process to convert the setting information of relay device 101B received from relay device 101A into setting contents on network N2.

[0094] Specifically, based on the setting information including the setting contents for applications Y and E received from relay device 101A and the function unit information acquired from each function unit in network N2, proxy processing unit 2 identifies in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101B on which applications B and X in network N1 and applications D, E, F, and Y in network N2, which are communication partners of applications Y and E, are installed, as shown in Fig. 10. Then, proxy processing unit 2 transmits a frame including the setting information for application E extracted from the setting information received from relay device 101A to in-vehicle ECU 202E, and outputs the setting information for application Y to setting unit 4.

[0095] [Operation flow]

[0096] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 11, first, when a predetermined event that triggers a change of network settings occurs, relay device 101A starts changing the network settings (step S1).

[0098] Next, the relay device 101A transmits an information request notification to each functional unit in the network N1. The functional unit may be the in-vehicle ECU 202 or the relay device 101A (step S2).

[0099] Next, each functional unit in the network N1 receives the information request notification and transmits functional unit information to the relay device 101A. Note that the relay device 101A may obtain its own functional unit information from a storage unit (not shown) (step S3).

[0100] Furthermore, relay device 101A transmits an information request notification to relay device 101B. This information request notification is a notification to relay device 101B (step S4).

[0101] Next, the proxy processing unit 2 in the relay device 101B receives the information request notification and transmits the information request notification to each functional unit in the network N2. The functional unit may be the in-vehicle ECU 202 or the relay device 101B (step S5).

[0102] Next, each functional unit in network N2 receives the information request notification and transmits functional unit information to relay device 101B. Note that relay device 101B may obtain its own functional unit information from functional unit information manager 3 (step S6).

[0103] Next, based on the functional unit information received from each functional unit, the relay device 101B generates aggregated information, for example, by selecting and aggregating the functional unit information (step S7), and transmits the generated aggregated information to the relay device 101A as the functional unit information of the relay device 101B (step S8).

[0104] Next, the relay device 101A determines the target functional unit based on, for example, the functional unit information received from each functional unit in the network N1 and the functional unit information of the relay device 101B, and generates configuration information for each functional unit in the new network (step S9).

[0105] 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence for changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0106] 12, next, relay device 101A transmits setting information for each functional unit to each functional unit in network N1. The functional unit may be in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101A (step S21).

[0107] Next, each functional unit in the network N1 changes various settings in accordance with the setting information received from the relay device 101A (step S22), and when the setting changes are complete, transmits a completion response to the relay device 101A (step S23).

[0108] Next, relay device 101A transmits the setting information of relay device 101B to relay device 101B (step S24).

[0109] Next, the relay device 101B performs a conversion process to convert the setting information received from the relay device 101A into setting contents on the network N2, and generates setting information for each functional unit that is the target of the setting process on the network N2 (step S25).

[0110] Next, the relay device 101B transmits the generated setting information to a corresponding functional unit in the network N2. The functional unit may be the in-vehicle ECU 202 or the relay device 101B (step S26).

[0111] Next, each functional unit in network N2 changes various settings in accordance with the setting information received from relay device 101B (step S27), and when the setting changes are complete, transmits a completion response to relay device 101B (step S28).

[0112] Next, when relay device 101B receives completion responses from all target functional units in network N2, relay device 101B transmits a completion response as relay device 101B to relay device 101A (step S29). Then, relay devices 101A, 101B and each functional unit communicate with each other according to the changed setting contents.

[0113] Although the proxy processing unit 2 is configured to select, from the acquired functional unit information, functional unit information of a functional unit in network N2 that communicates with a functional unit in network N1 and generate aggregated information including the selected functional unit information, this is not limiting. The proxy processing unit 2 may also be configured to generate aggregated information including the acquired functional unit information without performing such selection. In this case, for example, the relay device 101A selects part of the information included in the functional unit information received from the relay device 101B and generates setting information.

[0114] Furthermore, the storage unit 5 may be configured not to store the communication presence / absence table T2 shown in Fig. 7. In this case, for example, the proxy processing unit 2 determines the presence / absence of communication between a functional unit in network N2 and a functional unit in the first network by using the functional unit information received from each functional unit or information on the application of the communication destination included in the frame.

[0115] Furthermore, although the relay device 101A according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described as having a function of collecting functional unit information and generating setting information for each functional unit in a new network, this is not limiting, and some or all of the functions may be included in a device other than the relay device 101A in the network N1.

[0116] Furthermore, although the in-vehicle communication system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described as having a configuration in which the in-vehicle network 401 is divided into two, this is not limiting. The in-vehicle communication system 301 may be configured to include multiple relay devices 101B and to divide the in-vehicle network 401 into three or more parts. For example, the in-vehicle communication system 301 can divide the in-vehicle network 401 into a number obtained by adding one to the number of relay devices 101B.

[0117] However, in a configuration where the settings of a relay device or the like in an in-vehicle network are dynamically changed, the settings must be designed in advance. If variations in the application configuration or device configuration in the in-vehicle network are to be added, the number of design patterns becomes enormous as the scale of the in-vehicle network increases.

[0118] For example, even if the same network is connected to the same in-vehicle ECU, different network designs may be required depending on the destination. Also, as the number of relay devices increases, the transmission delay between the in-vehicle ECUs increases, making the settings for priority control, delay control, etc. more complex, and increasing the number of design patterns.

[0119] In contrast, in the in-vehicle communication system 301, for example, the relay device 101B behaves as a single functional unit by bundling communication requests from functional units in network N2 to functional units in network N1 in network N1 to which its own specific communication port 51 is connected. Also, for example, in network N2 connecting functional units via one or more communication ports 51 other than the relay device 101B, the relay device 101B behaves as an SDN (Software Defined Network) controller that collects functional unit information and dynamically changes network settings by notifying the setting contents.

[0120] With this configuration, the in-vehicle network can be divided and managed. That is, a specific relay device in the in-vehicle network is provided with a function to make the network beyond the relay device appear as a single functional unit including the relay device, and a function to manage the network beyond the relay device. This allows the in-vehicle network to be divided and managed into multiple networks in the in-vehicle communication system. Generally speaking, for example, by dividing the in-vehicle network into two, the number of design patterns can be reduced from 2 to the power of 10 to twice the number of 2 to the power of 5. In the example shown in FIG. 1, it is sufficient to register 2 to the power of 5 design patterns in relay device 101A and 2 to the power of 5 design patterns in relay device 101B.

[0121] Each process (each function) in the above-described embodiments is realized by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The processing circuit may be configured as an integrated circuit or the like that combines one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits in addition to the one or more processors. The one or more memories store programs (instructions) that cause the one or more processors to execute each of the processes. The one or more processors may execute each of the processes according to the program read from the one or more memories, or according to a logic circuit pre-designed to execute each of the processes. The processor may be various processors suitable for computer control, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Note that the physically separate processors may cooperate with each other to execute each of the processes. For example, the processors mounted on a plurality of physically separated computers may cooperate with each other to execute the above processes via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, etc. The program may be installed into the memory from an external server device or the like via the network, or may be distributed in a state stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a semiconductor memory, and installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0122] The above-described embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0123] The above description includes the following additional features. [Appendix 1] A relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network; a relay unit that performs a relay process to relay frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between a plurality of the functional units in the second network; a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to communicate information related to a setting process for performing communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy for the plurality of functional units in the second network; the proxy processing unit acquires functional unit information of each of the functional units in the second network, generates aggregated information that is functional unit information of one functional unit based on the acquired functional unit information of each of the functional units, and transmits the aggregated information to the first network as functional unit information of the relay device; the proxy processing unit generates setting information for each of the functional units that are to be subjected to the setting process in the second network based on the setting information received from the functional unit in the first network, and transmits the generated setting information to the functional unit that corresponds to the setting information; A relay device, wherein the setting information includes at least one of filtering, communication bandwidth, frame priority, and VLAN setting in the relay device, which is the functional unit, and VLAN setting and frame data size in the automotive ECU, which is the functional unit.

[0124] [Appendix 2] A relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, a processing circuit; the in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network; The processing circuitry relaying frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received among a plurality of the functional units in the second network; A relay device that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network for information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy for the multiple functional units in the second network. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 1 Relay section 2. Proxy Processing Unit 3 Functional Department Information Management Department 4. Settings 5 Storage section 51 communication port 101, 101A, 101B Repeater 202,202A,202B,202C,202D,202E,202F Vehicle ECU 301 In-Vehicle Communication System 401 In-Vehicle Network 501 vehicles

Claims

1. A relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network; a relay unit that performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between a plurality of the functional units in the second network; A relay device comprising: a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to communicate information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby representing multiple functional units in the second network.

2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the proxy processing unit acquires functional unit information of each of the functional units in the second network, generates aggregated information which is functional unit information of one functional unit based on the acquired functional unit information, and transmits the aggregated information to the first network as functional unit information of the relay device.

3. The relay device according to claim 2, wherein the proxy processing unit selects, from the acquired functional unit information, the functional unit information of the functional unit in the second network that communicates with the functional unit in the first network, and generates the aggregated information including the selected functional unit information.

4. The relay device further The relay device according to claim 3 , further comprising a storage unit that stores information indicating a correspondence relationship between the functional unit in the second network and the functional unit in the first network, and whether or not there is communication between the functional unit in the second network and the functional unit in the first network.

5. A relay device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the proxy processing unit generates setting information for each functional unit that is the target of the setting process in the second network based on setting information received from the functional unit in the first network, and transmits the generated setting information to the functional unit corresponding to the setting information.

6. the proxy processing unit generates setting information for the relay device, which is the functional unit that is the target of the setting process, based on the setting information received from the functional unit in the first network; The relay device further The relay device according to claim 5 , further comprising a setting unit that performs the setting process for the relay device based on the setting information for the relay device generated by the proxy processing unit.

7. A communication control method in a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network; performing a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received among a plurality of the functional units in the second network; A communication control method including a step of acting as a communication partner with the functional units in the first network to represent the plurality of functional units in the second network for information regarding setting processing for communication in the in-vehicle network.

8. A communication control program for a relay device used in an in-vehicle network including a plurality of functional units, the in-vehicle network includes a first network and a second network; Computer, a relay unit that performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between the functional unit in the first network and the functional unit in the second network, and frames transmitted and received between a plurality of the functional units in the second network; a proxy processing unit that acts as a communication partner with the functional unit in the first network to communicate information related to a setting process for performing communication in the in-vehicle network, thereby acting as a proxy for the plurality of functional units in the second network; A communication control program that functions as a

Images