Method and information processing device

Abstract

To improve a technology for specifying an element of a battery abnormality in a vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10 counts the first number of occurrence of delay in the case that sleep transition time from when an ECU 20 mounted on a vehicle 1 enters a non-sleep state until the ECU enters a sleep state exceeds a first specified time. Then, the information processing device 10 outputs information about the ECU 20 in the case that the first number of occurrence of delay reaches the first specified number of times.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for detecting the behavior of ECUs. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for storing node information, including the activation cause and timestamp of each ECU, in chronological order, so that when an abnormality in an on-board battery is detected, the cause of the battery abnormality can be identified from the transition of the ECU's operating status based on the stored node information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2014-088150 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was room for improvement in the technology for ECU behavior detection.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the technology relating to ECU behavior detection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method comprises: A method executed by an information processing device mounted on a vehicle, When a sleep transition time from when the ECU mounted on the vehicle goes into a non-sleep state until it goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time, counting a first delay occurrence number; and When the number of occurrences of the first delay is equal to or greater than a first specified number of times, information about the ECU is output. Includes.

[0007] An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: An information processing device mounted on a vehicle, the information processing device including a control unit, The control unit counting a first delay occurrence count when a sleep transition time from when the ECU mounted on the vehicle goes into a non-sleep state until it goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time; When the number of occurrences of the first delay is equal to or greater than a first specified number, information about the ECU is output. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, techniques for ECU behavior detection are improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing device mounted on a vehicle; [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a terminal device mounted on a vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The vehicle 1 includes an information processing device 10 and a plurality of ECUs 20. The information processing device 10 is connected to the plurality of ECUs 20 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0012] The information processing device 10 is, for example, a central ECU. The information processing device 10 may be capable of communicating with a center that manages the vehicle 1 via a network (not shown).

[0013] First, an outline of this embodiment will be described, and details will be described later. When the sleep transition time from when the ECU 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 goes into a non-sleep state until it goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time, the information processing device 10 counts a first delay occurrence count. When the first delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than the first specified count, the information processing device 10 outputs information about the ECU 20.

[0014] If the sleep transition time of the ECU 20 becomes longer than expected, this may result in increased vehicle power consumption and battery drain. However, according to this embodiment, information about the ECU 20 is output when the number of sleep delay occurrences of the ECU 20 exceeds a specified number, so that behavior of the ECU 20 that increases vehicle power consumption can be detected early. Therefore, this embodiment improves technology related to detecting the behavior of the ECU 20. Furthermore, the information about the ECU 20 output by this embodiment may be useful, for example, for analyzing the cause of the sleep delay in the ECU 20 and determining countermeasures.

[0015] Next, each component of the vehicle 1 will be described in detail.

[0016] (Configuration of information processing device) As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0017] The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication interfaces for an in-vehicle network that connect to the multiple ECUs 20, and one or more communication interfaces for the Internet that connect to an external network. The communication interface for the in-vehicle network corresponds to an in-vehicle network communication standard such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or Ethernet (registered trademark), but is not limited to these. The communication interface for the Internet corresponds to a mobile communication standard such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), but is not limited to these. In this embodiment, the information processing device 10 communicates with the multiple ECUs 20 via the communication unit 11.

[0018] The storage unit 12 includes one or more memories. The memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, optical memories, etc., but are not limited to these. Each memory included in the storage unit 12 may function as, for example, a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores any information used in the operation of the information processing device 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store system programs, application programs, embedded software, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updatable with information acquired via the communication unit 11, for example.

[0019] The control unit 13 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or a combination thereof. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these. The programmable circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The dedicated circuit may be, for example, but is not limited to, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 13 controls the overall operation of the information processing device 10.

[0020] (Operation flow of information processing device) The operation of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0021] Step S100: The control unit 13 of the information processing device 10 determines whether the sleep transition time from when each ECU 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 goes into a non-sleep state until it goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time. If it is determined that the first specified time has been exceeded (step S100-Yes), the process proceeds to step S101, and if it is determined that the first specified time has not been exceeded (step S100-No), the process returns to step S100.

[0022] Here, the "first specified time" is a time that is specified in advance as a normal value for the sleep transition time from when the ECU 20 enters a communication state (non-sleep state) until it enters a sleep state. For example, if a situation occurs repeatedly in which the sleep transition time exceeds the specified time, there is a high possibility that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the ECU 20, and the battery consumption is greater than expected, increasing the probability of the battery running out. Note that the first specified time may be different for each ECU 20, and may be changeable.

[0023] Specifically, the control unit 13 starts monitoring time when any ECU 20 enters a non-sleep state in which it starts communicating with the information processing device 10. The control unit 13 continues monitoring time while the ECU 20 is communicating with the information processing device 10, and determines whether the time since the ECU 20 entered the non-sleep state has exceeded a first specified time. If the first specified time has been exceeded (Yes in step S100), the control unit 13 determines that a sleep delay has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S101. If the first specified time has not been exceeded (No in step S100), the control unit 13 determines that a sleep delay has not occurred, and the process returns to step S100.

[0024] Here, "sleep delay" refers to the sleep transition time exceeding the first specified time.

[0025] Step S101: If it is determined in step S100 that the first specified time has been exceeded (step S100-Yes), the control unit 13 determines that a sleep delay has occurred and counts the number of occurrences of the first delay.

[0026] Step S102: The control unit 13 determines whether the first delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than a first specified count. If it is determined that the first delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than the first specified count (step S102-Yes), the process proceeds to step S103, and if it is determined that the first delay occurrence count is not equal to or greater than the first specified count (step S102-No), the process returns to step S100.

[0027] Specifically, if the number of times the first delay occurs is equal to or greater than the first specified number (step S102-Yes), the control unit 13 determines that some abnormality has occurred in the ECU 20, and the process proceeds to step S101; if the number of times the first delay occurs is less than the first specified number (step S100-No), the control unit 13 determines that it is too early to determine that some abnormality has occurred in the ECU 20, and the process returns to step S100.

[0028] Here, the first specified number of times may be different for each ECU 20, and may be changeable.

[0029] Step S103: If it is determined in step S102 that the first delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than the first specified count (step S100-Yes), the control unit 13 outputs information related to the ECU 20.

[0030] Specifically, the control unit 13 transmits the information about the ECU 20 to a server (not shown) at a center that manages the vehicle 1 and that can communicate with the ECU 20 via a network. However, the information processing device 10 can employ a method of outputting the information by any method, not limited to the above example, such as storing the information about the ECU 20 in the storage unit 12 and storing it in the center server using a portable medium.

[0031] The "information about the ECU 20" may include identification information of the ECU 20, the time when the delay occurred, the sleep transition time, and the number of times the first delay occurred, but is not limited to these and may include any information about the ECU 20.

[0032] As described above, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment counts the number of first delay occurrences that exceed the first specified time after the ECU 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 goes into a non-sleep state. When the number of first delay occurrences reaches or exceeds the first specified number, the information processing device 10 outputs information related to the ECU 20.

[0033] According to this configuration, information about the ECU 20 is output when the number of sleep delay occurrences of the ECU 20 exceeds a predetermined number, so that behavior of the ECU 20 that increases vehicle power consumption can be detected early. Therefore, according to this embodiment, technology related to detecting the behavior of the ECU 20 is improved. Furthermore, the information about the ECU 20 output by this embodiment can be useful, for example, for analyzing the cause of the sleep delay in the ECU 20 and determining countermeasures.

[0034] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0035] For example, in the above-described embodiment, an embodiment is also possible in which the configuration and operation of the information processing device 10 are distributed among multiple computers that can communicate with each other. Also, for example, an embodiment is also possible in which some or all of the components of the information processing device 10 are provided in a server (not shown) at a center that manages vehicles 1 that can communicate via a network. For example, a server (not shown) at a center that manages vehicles 1 that can communicate via a network may include some or all of the components of the information processing device 10.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the first delay occurrence count of ECU 20 becomes equal to or greater than a first specified count, control unit 13 may switch the operation mode of ECU 20 from a first mode in which the ECU 20 executes a predetermined plurality of processes before transitioning to a sleep state to a second mode in which the ECU 20 executes only some of the processes before transitioning to a sleep state. Specifically, for example, priorities are set in advance for the processes executed by each ECU 20, and when the first delay occurrence count of ECU 20 becomes equal to or greater than a first specified count, control unit 13 switches from the first mode in which the ECU 20 executes a predetermined plurality of processes before transitioning to a sleep state to a second mode in which the ECU 20 executes only some of the processes selected based on the priorities before transitioning to a sleep state.

[0037] In addition, if a delay still occurs even after switching the operating mode of the ECU 20 to the second mode, the control unit 13 may switch to a third mode in which only a portion of the processing selected based on the priority is executed before transitioning to a sleep state.

[0038] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the number of times the first delay occurs in ECU 20 becomes equal to or greater than a first specified number, the control unit 13 may control the ECU 20 to supply power from a spare battery provided in another ECU 20.

[0039] Also, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the sleep transition time exceeds a second specified time that is longer than the first specified time, the control unit 13 may count the second number of delay occurrences, and when the second number of delay occurrences becomes equal to or greater than a second specified number that is smaller than the first specified number, output information about the ECU 20.

[0040] The second specified time is longer than the first specified time, and therefore has a relatively large impact on the battery. Therefore, it is desirable to output information about the ECU 20 earlier by setting the second specified number of times to be smaller than the first specified number of times. A sleep delay exceeding the second specified time is more likely to indicate some kind of abnormality in the ECU 20 than a sleep delay exceeding only the first specified time, and the longer the battery is used, the higher the probability of the battery running out. Therefore, by further acquiring such information, it is possible to further analyze the cause of the sleep delay in the ECU 20 and determine countermeasures. The second specified time may be different for each ECU 20 or may be configurable. The second specified number of times may also be different for each ECU 20 or may be configurable.

[0041] Furthermore, for example, the control unit 13 may implement the above-described embodiment in a situation where the ECU 20 is driven only by power supplied from the vehicle battery.

[0042] Also, for example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the information processing device 10 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the information processing device 10 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 vehicle 10. Information processing equipment 11 Communications Department 12 Output section 13 Input section 14 Storage section 15 Control Unit 20 ECU

Claims

1. A method executed by an information processing device mounted on a vehicle, counting a first delay occurrence number when a sleep transition time from when the ECU mounted on the vehicle goes into a non-sleep state until when the ECU goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time; When the first delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than a first specified count, outputting information related to the ECU; and When the first delay occurrence count of the ECU becomes equal to or greater than the first specified count, switching the operation mode of the ECU from a first mode in which a predetermined plurality of processes is executed and then the ECU transitions to a second mode in which only some of the plurality of processes are executed and then the ECU transitions to the sleep state; A method comprising:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, When the number of occurrences of the first delay of the ECU becomes equal to or greater than the first specified number of times, control is performed so that power is supplied to the ECU from a spare battery provided in another ECU. The method further comprises:

3. 10. The method of claim 1, counting a second delay occurrence count when the sleep transition time exceeds a second specified time that is longer than the first specified time; and When the second delay occurrence count is equal to or greater than a second specified count that is smaller than the first specified count, information about the ECU is output. The method further comprises:

4. An information processing device mounted on a vehicle, the information processing device including a control unit, The control unit When a sleep transition time from when the ECU mounted on the vehicle goes into a non-sleep state until it goes into a sleep state again exceeds a first specified time, a first delay occurrence count is counted; When the number of occurrences of the first delay is equal to or greater than a first specified number, information relating to the ECU is output; When the number of occurrences of the first delay of the ECU becomes equal to or greater than the first specified number, the information processing device controls the ECU so that power is supplied to the ECU from a spare battery provided in another ECU.

5. An information processing device according to claim 4, The control unit When the number of times the first delay occurs in the ECU becomes equal to or greater than the first specified number, the information processing device switches the operation mode of the ECU from a first mode in which a predetermined number of processes are executed and then transitions to a sleep state to a second mode in which only some of the plurality of processes are executed and then transitions to the sleep state.

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