In-vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a control device which can easily optimize the effect and cost of power consumption suppression.SOLUTION: A control device which controls a first type of device that has a function of switching between a normal mode and a limited mode that suppresses power consumption than the normal mode, and a second type of device that does not have the mode switching function, includes: a specification unit which specifies a device that releases suppression of the power consumption on the basis of first information acquired from another device when there is a device that suppresses power consumption; a mode control unit which transmits an instruction of transition to the normal mode via a communication line to the specified device that releases suppression of the power consumption on the basis of such a condition that the device specified by the specification unit is the first type of device; a relay which supplies power to the specified device on the basis of such a condition that the device specified by the specification unit is the second type of device; an acquisition unit which acquires the second information on whether or not switching of the power supply state to the first type of device or the second type of device has been successfully performed; and a transmission unit which transmits the second information acquired by the acquisition unit to the other device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device mounted on a vehicle or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with multiple devices such as on-board devices called ECUs (Electronic Control Units) and electrical components. Because there are so many of these devices, they are categorized into several groups, and the power supply to each group is controlled using relays and other devices.

[0003] In recent years, to improve services in vehicles, there has been a demand for advanced functions, such as multiple devices operating in cooperation with each other while communicating wirelessly with servers outside the vehicle, even while the vehicle is parked. This has resulted in a tendency for the power consumption of each device to increase. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce power consumption by not operating unnecessary functions as much as possible. However, there are limits to how much unnecessary functions can be suppressed when controlling power supply on a group basis.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that, upon receiving a signal from another device via a communication line instructing the device to switch its operating mode, switches its own operating mode in response to the signal, independently of the operating modes of other devices connected to the same bus. The operating mode can be switched between a normal mode (wake-up state) in which the device can function without any particular restrictions, and a power-saving mode (sleep state) in which functions are more limited than in the normal mode to reduce power consumption. By employing such a device, even if there are a large number of devices, functions can be restricted for each device, rather than for a group. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-106724 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Compared to devices without such a function, devices with a communication-based operation mode switching function have higher component costs due to the need to comply with communication standards and control operation mode switching. Also, because a certain amount of standby power is consumed even in power-saving mode, there is a limit to the effectiveness of reducing power consumption over a relatively long period of time. Therefore, even if all devices installed in a vehicle are replaced with devices with a communication-based operation mode switching function, it is not necessarily optimal in terms of reducing costs and power consumption.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a control device that can easily optimize the effect of reducing power consumption and costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls a first type of device that has the function of switching between a normal mode and a restricted mode that reduces power consumption more than the normal mode, and a second type of device that does not have the function of switching between the normal mode and the restricted mode, and the control device includes: an identification unit that, when there is a device that reduces power consumption, identifies the device for which power consumption reduction is to be lifted based on first information acquired from the other device; a mode control unit that, on condition that the device identified by the identification unit is a first type of device, sends an instruction to the identified device for which power consumption reduction is to be lifted via a communication line to transition to normal mode; a relay that supplies power to the identified device on condition that the device identified by the identification unit is a second type of device; an acquisition unit that acquires second information regarding whether the power supply state to the first type of device or the second type of device has been switched successfully; and a transmission unit that transmits the second information acquired by the acquisition unit to the other device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the control device is capable of power control compatible with two types of devices, and therefore various types of devices can be used in combination, making it easy to optimize the effect of reducing power consumption and costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a control device and its peripheral components according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart showing the processing of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, for a first type of first device that has a communication-based operation mode switching function, the control device reduces power consumption by transitioning the device to a power-saving mode using that function. Furthermore, for a second type of second device that does not have a communication-based operation mode switching function, the control device reduces power consumption by stopping the power supply. In this way, the control device is capable of reducing power consumption corresponding to two types of devices. Therefore, by using the control device, it is possible to combine various types of devices and design a network system that optimally balances power consumption reduction and cost reduction.

[0012] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Configuration> FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a control device 20 according to this embodiment and its peripheral components.

[0014] In this embodiment, as an example, the control device 20 is provided in a network system 1. The control device 20 is an intermediate node (intermediate device) under the control of the upper node, the upper device 10. Under the control of the control device 20, there are a first device (lower device) 30 and a second device (lower device) 40, which are lower nodes. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one control device 20 and one subordinate first device 30 and one subordinate second device 40 are shown, but typically, there are multiple control devices 20 distributed at various parts of a vehicle, and each control device 20 has multiple subordinate first devices 30 and second devices 40 in the vicinity thereof.

[0015] The host device 10 is, for example, a relatively sophisticated ECU that centrally executes calculations for various vehicle control functions.

[0016] The lower-level devices, the first device 30 and the second device 40, are, for example, sensors or actuators, or ECUs with relatively specialized functions for individually controlling these. When the first device 30 receives a signal via a communication line instructing it to switch its operating mode, it switches its own operating mode between a normal mode and a power-saving mode in which functions are more limited than in the normal mode to reduce power consumption. The second device 40 does not have such a function. Here, devices that have the operating mode switching function, such as the first device 30, are referred to as "first-type devices," and devices that do not have the operating mode switching function, such as the second device 40, are referred to as "second-type devices."

[0017] The control device 20, which is an intermediate device, is, for example, an ECU that functions as a gateway between the higher-level device 10 and the first and second devices 30 and 40. The control device 20 is connected to the higher-level device 10 via a communication line 101, and is connected to the subordinate first device 30 via a communication line 102.

[0018] In this example, the host device 10 collects information about the vehicle and its surroundings from the first device 30 and the second device 40 that control sensors via the control device 20, which serves as a gateway. This information may include, for example, the operating status of actuators, driving conditions such as the vehicle's speed and acceleration, environmental conditions such as roads and landmarks around the vehicle, the seating status of occupants, and operations performed on various parts of the vehicle. Note that some switches and sensors, such as the start switch, may be directly connected to the host device 10, and the host device 10 may acquire information from these switches and sensors without going through the control device 20. The host device 10 performs calculations based on this information and generates control data. The control data is data for various vehicle controls, such as an automatic driving function, an automatic parking function, driving assistance functions such as collision avoidance, lane keeping, following the vehicle ahead, and speed maintenance, operation control of the engine, transmission, cooler, and air conditioner, battery charge / discharge control, headlamp illumination according to illuminance, door unlock permission by authenticating a portable device (electronic key), and information presentation to the user. The host device 10 transmits control data to the control device 20, causing the control device 20 to operate in accordance with the control data. The host device 10 also transmits the control data to the first device 30 and the second device 40 via the control device 20, which serves as a gateway, causing the control device 20 to operate in accordance with the control data. The host device 10 also generates scene information, which will be described later, as a type of control data. In such a network system 1, by consolidating various control functions of the vehicle in the highly functional host device 10, the configurations of the control device 20, the first device 30, and the second device 40 can be relatively simplified, thereby reducing overall costs.

[0019] Each of the above devices typically includes a control unit such as a processor or microcomputer and memory, but some of the lower-level devices may include sensors and actuators but not a control unit or memory.

[0020] Power is supplied to the upper device 10, the control device 20, the first device 30, and the second device 40 from a battery. FIG. 1 shows a power line 51, which is a power supply path to the second device 40, but does not show the power lines that are the power supply paths to the upper device 10, the control device 20, and the first device 30. A relay 52 is provided on the power line 51, and the power supply to the second device 40 is controlled by opening and closing the relay 52. ​​Typically, in consideration of the costs of components such as the relay and the power line, it is permitted to control the power supply to two or more second devices 40 via the same relay 52 from one power line 51. In this case, the two or more second devices 40 belong to the same control unit group, as in the conventional system. The opening and closing of the relay 52 is controlled from the control device 20 via a control line 61. A control signal from the control line 61 to the relay 52 is controlled by a general-purpose semiconductor relay provided in the control device 20. In this way, if the power supply relay 52, which needs to take into account the characteristics such as power consumption of the second device 40, is provided separately from the control device 20, the design of the control device 20 can be made more versatile. However, the relay 52 may also be provided integrally with the control device 20.

[0021] The second device 40 may be connected to the control device 20 via a communication line. For example, if the second device 40 has a communication function and is an ECU or the like that performs control by communication in addition to control of power supply using the relay 52 as control from the control device 20, the second device 40 is connected to the control device 20 via a communication line.

[0022] The control device 20 includes a control unit 21 that functions as a gateway as described above. The control unit 21 also includes, in particular, an identification unit 22, a power control unit 23, and a mode control unit 24, and controls power consumption, as described below. The identification unit 22 identifies a device to be controlled from among the subordinate first device 30 and second device 40 based on information acquired from the higher-level device 10. The mode control unit 24 transmits an instruction to switch the operation mode via a communication line to the first device 30 (a first type device) among the devices identified by the identification unit 22. The power control unit 23 controls a relay 52 for the second device 40 (a second type device) among the devices identified by the identification unit 22 to control the power supply to the device. Note that the connection topology of the network system 1 is not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate as long as the control device 20 can perform such control.

[0023] <Processing> The processing of the network system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0024] (Step S101): The control unit 21 of the control device 20 starts processing by acquiring scene information from the higher-level device 10. The scene information is information that can identify the details of power control by the first device 30 and the second device 40. For example, the scene information is generated based on various information including the operation details of each vehicle component, the operating status of each component, the service usage status, the vehicle driving environment, and other information related to the vehicle usage (scene), and reflects the scene. The higher-level device 10 can generate the scene information based on information acquired from the first device 30 and the second device 40 in operation, as well as directly connected sensors, switches, etc., and on predetermined generation rules. The generation rules are set in advance according to the functional configurations of the first device 30 and the second device 40 and the vehicle control specifications by the higher-level device 10 so that required functions can be executed for each scene and power consumption can be suitably reduced. For example, the scene information can be generated based on the service usage status while the vehicle is parked, thereby enabling suitable power control while the vehicle is parked.

[0025] (Step S102): Identification unit 22 of control unit 21 of control device 20 identifies, based on the scene information, one of subordinate first device 30 and second device 40 as a target device for reducing power consumption and for which the function may be restricted. Identification unit 22 holds, for example, a table that defines target devices for the contents of scene information, and identifies the target devices based on this table. This table can be generated, for example, by higher-level device 10 and received by control device 20.

[0026] (Step S103): The control unit 21 of the control device 20 sequentially selects one of the devices identified in step S102, and if the selected device is the first device 30, which is a first type of device, proceeds to step S104, and if the selected device is the second device 40, which is a second type of device, proceeds to step S105.

[0027] (Step S104): Mode control unit 24 of control unit 21 of control device 20 transmits an instruction to first device 30 selected in step S103 to transition the operation mode to the power saving mode via communication line 102. Upon receiving the instruction, first device 30 transitions the operation mode to the power saving mode, and at least partially stops functions to reduce power consumption.

[0028] (Step S105): Power control unit 23 of control unit 21 of control device 20 stops the power supply to second device 40 selected in step S103. The power supply is stopped by controlling relay 52 connected to power line 51 of second device 40 via control line 61 to open it. When the power supply is stopped, second device 40 stops functioning and reduces power consumption (ideally, no power consumption occurs).

[0029] The processing of steps S103 to S105 is repeated until it has been performed for all of the devices identified in step S102, and then the processing proceeds to the subsequent steps.

[0030] (Step S106): Based on the scene information, identification unit 22 of control unit 21 of control device 20 identifies, from among subordinate first device 30 and second device 40, a device for which power consumption suppression is to be cancelled in order to enable the device to function. Identification unit 22 holds, for example, a table that defines the target device for each piece of scene information, and identifies the target device based on this table.

[0031] (Step S107): The control unit 21 of the control device 20 sequentially selects one of the devices identified in step S106, and if the selected device is the first device 30, which is a first type of device, proceeds to step S108, and if the selected device is the second device 40, which is a second type of device, proceeds to step S109.

[0032] (Step S108): Mode control unit 24 of control unit 21 of control device 20 transmits, via communication line 102, to first device 30 selected in step S107, an instruction to transition the operation mode to a normal mode in which no particular functions are restricted. Even in the power saving mode, first device 30 continues to operate with a minimum level of communication function in order to wait for instructions, and is therefore able to receive this instruction. Upon receiving this instruction, first device 30 transitions the operation mode to the normal mode, appropriately starts the stopped functions as needed, and does not reduce power consumption as much as in the power saving mode.

[0033] (Step S109): Power control unit 23 of control unit 21 of control device 20 starts supplying power to second device 40 selected in step S107. Power supply is started by controlling relay 52 connected to power line 51 of second device 40 via control line 61 to close the relay. When power supply starts, second device 40 starts the stopped functions as needed.

[0034] The processing of steps S106 to S109 is repeated until it has been performed for all of the devices identified in step S105.

[0035] This completes the process, but the order of steps is not limited to the above, as long as the power consumption of each device can be reduced and released in accordance with the scene information. For example, the higher-level device 10 transmits scene information to the control device 20 each time the scene information changes, and the control device 20 executes the above-described steps S101 to S109 each time it acquires the scene information. Even if the first device 30 receives an instruction to change its operating mode, the first device 30 may not comply with the instruction, depending on the processing being performed at that time. Furthermore, a malfunction may occur in the opening and closing control of the relay 52. ​​The higher-level device 10 may appropriately confirm whether the switching of the operating mode of the first device 30 or the switching of the power supply state to the second device 40 was performed as planned by acquiring the actual status of the first device 30 and the relay 52 via the control device 20, and reflect this in subsequent control to improve the accuracy of the control.

[0036] (effect) In this embodiment, the control device 20 reduces power consumption by transitioning a first type of first device 30, which has a communication-based operation mode switching function, into a power-saving mode using that function. The control device 20 also reduces power consumption by halting the power supply to a second type of second device 40, which does not have a communication-based operation mode switching function. In this way, the control device 20 can reduce power consumption for two types of devices. Therefore, by using the control device 20, it is possible to compare and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the first device 30, which is relatively expensive and generates standby power but whose individual power consumption can be easily controlled through communication, and the second device 40, which is relatively inexpensive and does not generate standby power but can be controlled collectively in groups depending on the number of relays and power lines. This allows for a design that optimally balances power consumption reduction and cost reduction for the network system 1. For example, by using the first device 30 for some devices, unnecessary functions can be suppressed more, keeping maximum power consumption below an allowable value, while using the second device 40 for other devices, it is possible to reduce costs and power consumption during standby when functions are suppressed below their respective allowable values.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a new device such as an actuator is added to the network system 1, the new device can be provided as a first type first device 30 and connected to a communication line, eliminating the need to add new relays, wiring, etc., and thus facilitating design. Furthermore, when a new service is to be supported after the vehicle has been shipped, the above-mentioned generation rule can be updated in the upper device 10 to generate scene information corresponding to the new service. This allows the control device 20 to control the power of the first device 30 and the second device 40 to support the new service without having to change the wiring of the first device 30 and the second device 40, thereby facilitating subsequent support for the new service.

[0038] The present invention can be understood not only as a control device, but also as a network system including a control device, a control method executed by a control device having a processor and a memory, a control program, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a control program, a vehicle equipped with a network system, etc. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to devices other than control devices mounted on vehicles. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention is useful for control systems mounted on vehicles and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Network System 10 Upper device 20 Control device 30 1st device 40 Second device 51 Power line 52 Relay 61 Control Line 101, 102 communication lines

Claims

1. A control device is mounted on a vehicle and controls a first type of device having a function of switching between a normal mode and a restricted mode in which power consumption is reduced more than in the normal mode, and a second type of device not having a function of switching between the normal mode and the restricted mode, an acquisition unit that acquires, from another device, first information for continuing or canceling power consumption reduction of the first type device and the second type device, the first information being set for each of a plurality of scenes that indicate a situation related to use of the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies a device for which power consumption reduction is to be cancelled based on the first information acquired from the other device by the acquisition unit, when the other device is capable of reducing power consumption; a mode control unit that transmits, on condition that the device identified by the identification unit is the first type device, an instruction to transition to the normal mode via a communication line to the identified device for which suppression of power consumption is to be released; a relay that supplies power to the identified device on condition that the device identified by the identification unit is the second type device; an acquisition unit that acquires second information indicating whether a power supply state to the first type device or the second type device has been switched normally; a transmitting unit configured to transmit the second information acquired by the acquiring unit to the other device.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first information is generated based on at least one of a control state of the vehicle and a service usage status.

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