vehicle

Abstract

To restrain diagnosis time from being increased.SOLUTION: A vehicle 10 comprises a vehicle control ECU 12 which is provided with a recording part 18 which records result or the like of self-diagnosis as diagnosis data, and a gateway ECU 13. The gateway ECU 13 includes function which outputs diagnosis data to a diagnostic tool 21 of on the outside of the vehicle when diagnosing the vehicle 10, function which measures communication speed when outputting the diagnosis data to the diagnostic tool 21, function which determines whether or not to execute prior transmission of the diagnosis data on the basis of measured result of the communication speed and function which transmits the diagnosis data to a management server 19 on the outside of the vehicle through radio communication in advance when it is determined to execute the prior transmission.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, various diagnostic data are collected and recorded in vehicles in order to promptly respond to breakdowns that occur. A mechanic at a dealer or the like reads out the diagnostic data recorded in the vehicle into a diagnostic tool outside the vehicle to diagnose the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-028238 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a large amount of diagnostic data is stored in a vehicle, it takes a long time to read the diagnostic data from the vehicle to the diagnostic tool, which may result in a long diagnostic time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle that solves the above problem includes a recording unit that records diagnostic data used to diagnose the vehicle, an output unit that outputs the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit to a diagnostic tool outside the vehicle, a measurement unit that measures the communication speed when the output unit outputs the diagnostic data to the diagnostic tool, a judgment unit that determines whether to perform pre-transmission based on the measurement result of the communication speed by the measurement unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit to the outside of the vehicle via wireless communication when the judgment unit determines that the pre-transmission should be performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The vehicle has the effect of suppressing an increase in diagnostic time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a process flow when diagnosing the vehicle. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a pre-processing executed in the vehicle. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a communication speed measurement process executed in the vehicle. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart of a diagnostic data read process executed by a diagnostic tool used to diagnose the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of a vehicle will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. <Configuration of Vehicle 10> First, the configuration of a vehicle 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0009] The vehicle 10 is equipped with an in-vehicle network 11. Various electronic control units for vehicle control are installed in the in-vehicle network 11. Examples of electronic control units for vehicle control include an electronic control unit for engine control, an electronic control unit for brake control, and an electronic control unit for gear shift control. In the following description, such an electronic control unit for vehicle control will be referred to as a vehicle control ECU 12. FIG. 1 shows only one of the multiple vehicle control ECUs 12 installed in the vehicle 10. The vehicle control ECU 12 has a self-diagnosis function. The vehicle control ECU 12 is equipped with a recording unit 18, which is data storage for recording diagnostic data used to diagnose the vehicle 10. The diagnostic data includes the results of the self-diagnosis of the vehicle control ECU 12 and various data indicating the operating status of the vehicle 10.

[0010] A gateway ECU 13, which is an electronic control unit for managing communications, is installed in the in-vehicle network 11. The gateway ECU 13 includes a memory 14 that stores programs and data for managing communications, and a processing circuit 15 that executes programs read from the memory 14.

[0011] A communication module 16 for wirelessly connecting to a wireless LAN and a mobile communication network is connected to the gateway ECU 13. The communication module 16 enables wireless communication between the gateway ECU 13 and a management server 19 outside the vehicle. The management server 19 is a server device for managing information about each vehicle 10 under its management. The management server 19 includes a database 20 for recording information about each vehicle 10.

[0012] In addition, a DLC (Data Link Connector) 17, which is a connector for wired connection with devices outside the vehicle, is connected to the gateway ECU 13. At a dealer or the like, a diagnostic tool 21 outside the vehicle is connected to the DLC 17 to diagnose the vehicle 10. The diagnostic tool 21 has a function of reading data necessary for diagnosing the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 and displaying it. In addition, the diagnostic tool 21 is configured to be able to communicate with a management server 19 via a wide area information communication network such as the Internet.

[0013] In the case of the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the communication speed between the gateway ECU 13 and the vehicle control ECU 12 via the in-vehicle network 11 is lower than the communication speed between the management server 19 and the diagnostic tool 21 via the wide area information communication network. Also, the communication speed between the gateway ECU 13 and the vehicle control ECU 12 via the in-vehicle network 11 is lower than the communication speed between the gateway ECU 13 and the diagnostic tool 21 via the DLC 17.

[0014] <About Vehicle 10 Diagnosis> Fig. 2 shows the flow of processing when diagnosing the vehicle 10. In the following description, a worker who diagnoses the vehicle 10 at a dealer or the like will be referred to as a mechanic. Fig. 2 shows a case where the user brings the vehicle 10 to the dealer for diagnosis on a date and time previously agreed upon between the mechanic and the user.

[0015] When a mechanic decides to schedule a diagnosis of the vehicle 10, he / she registers the date and time in the management server 19. Once the date and time of the diagnosis are registered, the management server 19 issues a command to the vehicle 10 to be diagnosed to perform pre-processing. In response to this command, the gateway ECU 13 of the vehicle 10 executes the pre-processing. The timing of issuing the command and executing such pre-processing is determined based on the date and time of the diagnosis so that it occurs before that time.

[0016] 3 shows a flowchart of the pre-processing. In the pre-processing, first in step S100, the gateway ECU 13 calculates the data size A of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 of the vehicle control ECU 12. Next, in step S110, the gateway ECU 13 checks whether the measurement result of the communication speed B has been recorded. If the measurement result has been recorded (YES), the gateway ECU 13 reads out the recorded measurement result of the communication speed B in step S120. If the measurement result has not been recorded (NO), the gateway ECU 13 measures the communication speed B in step S130. Details of the processing related to this measurement will be described later.

[0017] Thereafter, in step S140, the gateway ECU 13 divides the data size A by the communication speed B, and calculates the divided value as the value of the diagnostic data read time C. The read time C represents a predicted value of the time required for reading the diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 to the diagnostic tool 21.

[0018] Next, in step S150, the gateway ECU 13 determines whether the read time C is equal to or greater than a predetermined determination value D. The determination value D is set as an upper limit value of the allowable time for the read time C of diagnostic data during diagnosis. If the read time C is less than the determination value D (NO), the gateway ECU 13 ends the pre-processing. On the other hand, if the read time C is equal to or greater than the determination value D (YES), the gateway ECU 13 performs pre-transmission of diagnostic data to the management server 19 in step S160. Then, in step S170, the gateway ECU 13 records a pre-transmission history and ends the pre-processing. The pre-transmission history is history information indicating that diagnostic data has been pre-transmitted to the management server 19.

[0019] 4 shows a flowchart of the process of measuring the communication speed B performed by the gateway ECU 13 in the vehicle 10. The gateway ECU 13 also performs the same process when reading out diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 to the diagnostic tool 21, in addition to step S110 in FIG.

[0020] During the measurement process, the gateway ECU 13 first calculates the data size E of the diagnostic data to be read from the vehicle control ECU 12 in step S200. In the following step S210, the gateway ECU 13 starts reading the diagnostic data from the vehicle control ECU 12. Then, in the next step S220, the gateway ECU 13 records the start time F of reading the diagnostic data. At this time, the diagnostic data read by the gateway ECU 13 may be all or part of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 of the vehicle control ECU 12. Furthermore, dummy diagnostic data for measuring the communication speed B may be read instead of the actual diagnostic data.

[0021] When the reading of the diagnostic data is completed (S230: YES), the gateway ECU 13 records the end time G of the reading in step S240. Then, in step S250, the gateway ECU 13 calculates the communication speed B based on the data size E, the start time F, and the end time G. Specifically, the gateway ECU 13 first obtains the time required to read the diagnostic data (=GF) from the start time F and the end time G. Then, the gateway ECU 13 divides the data size E by the required time and calculates the divided value as the value of the communication speed B. Thereafter, the gateway ECU 13 records the calculation result of the communication speed B in step S260 and then ends the measurement process.

[0022] 3, the measurement process is performed without the diagnostic tool 21 being connected. In general, the communication speed between the gateway ECU 13 and the vehicle control ECU 12 via the in-vehicle network 11 is slower than the communication speed between the gateway ECU 13 and the diagnostic tool 21 via the DLC 17. Therefore, the communication speed B measured in step S130 in FIG. 3 can be considered to be approximately equal to the communication speed of the output of diagnostic data from the gateway ECU 13 to the diagnostic tool 21.

[0023] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, a process that is performed after the vehicle 10 is brought into a dealer or the like will be described. When a diagnosis is performed at a dealer or the like, a mechanic connects the diagnostic tool 21 to the DLC 17 of the vehicle 10. In response to the mechanic's operation to start the diagnosis, the diagnostic tool 21 requests the vehicle 10 to send vehicle information. In response to this request, the gateway ECU 13 of the vehicle 10 sends the vehicle information to the diagnostic tool 21. The gateway ECU 13 includes the read time C calculated in pre-processing in the vehicle information sent to the diagnostic tool 21 at this time. Furthermore, if the gateway ECU 13 has sent diagnostic data to the management server 19 in pre-processing, the gateway ECU 13 includes the pre-transmission history in the vehicle information sent to the diagnostic tool 21.

[0024] When the vehicle information is received, the diagnostic tool 21 displays a diagnostic data read permission screen. The permission screen displays a button for operating to permit reading, as well as the read time C read from the vehicle 10. When the mechanic operates to permit reading, the diagnostic tool 21 executes the diagnostic data read process.

[0025] 5 shows a flowchart of the diagnostic data read process. In this process, the diagnostic tool 21 first determines in step S300 whether the vehicle information read from the vehicle 10 includes a pre-transmission history. If the pre-transmission history is included (S300: YES), the diagnostic tool 21 acquires diagnostic data from the management server 19 (S310). On the other hand, if the pre-transmission history is not included (S300: NO), the diagnostic tool 21 reads diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 (S320).

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, when the diagnostic tool 21 reads diagnostic data from the vehicle 10, the gateway ECU 13 measures the communication speed B. Then, the gateway ECU 13 updates the recorded measurement value of the communication speed B. The measurement at this time is performed through the process of Figure 4. The measurement of the communication speed B in this case is performed while the diagnostic tool 21 is actually connected to the vehicle 10. Therefore, in this measurement, there is a possibility that the communication speed B can be measured more accurately than in the measurement in the pre-processing that is performed while the diagnostic tool 21 is not actually connected.

[0027] <Effects of the embodiment> The operation and effects of this embodiment will be described. The vehicle control ECU 12 performs a self-diagnosis while the vehicle 10 is in operation. The vehicle control ECU 12 then records the results of the self-diagnosis and the like in the recording unit 18 as diagnostic data to be used for diagnosing the vehicle 10. The time C required for the diagnostic tool 21 to read the diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 is determined by the data size E of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 and the communication speed B between the vehicle control ECU 12 and the diagnostic tool 21.

[0028] On the other hand, even if the model of the vehicle 10 is the same, the device configuration of the in-vehicle network 11 may be different. The communication speed B of the in-vehicle network 11 may change depending on the device configuration. When the communication speed B is low, depending on the data size E of the diagnostic data, the diagnostic data read time C of the diagnostic tool 21 may become longer than the allowable upper limit.

[0029] In response to this, the gateway ECU 13 measures the communication speed B in pre-processing. Furthermore, the gateway ECU 13 calculates the diagnostic data read time C based on the communication speed B and the data size E. Then, if the read time C exceeds a certain time, the gateway ECU 13 transmits the diagnostic data to the management server 19. The management server 19 stores the received diagnostic data in the database 20.

[0030] In subsequent diagnoses, the diagnostic tool 21 checks whether or not diagnostic data has been transmitted in advance based on the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle 10. If the diagnostic data has been transmitted in advance, the diagnostic tool 21 acquires the diagnostic data from the management server 19. If the diagnostic data has not been transmitted in advance, the diagnostic tool 21 acquires the diagnostic data from the vehicle 10. Therefore, if the diagnostic data is predicted to take up more than a certain time, the diagnostic tool 21 acquires the diagnostic data from the management server 19. Acquiring diagnostic data from the management server 19 via a wide-area information and communication network can be performed faster than reading the diagnostic data from the vehicle 10. Therefore, when acquiring the diagnostic data from the management server 19, the diagnostic data can be taken into the diagnostic tool 21 in a shorter time than when reading the diagnostic data directly from the vehicle 10. Therefore, the vehicle 10 of this embodiment has the effect of suppressing an increase in the diagnostic time due to reading the diagnostic data.

[0031] In the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the gateway ECU 13 corresponds to an output unit that outputs the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 to the diagnostic tool 21 outside the vehicle. The gateway ECU 13 also corresponds to a measurement unit that measures a communication speed B when the output unit outputs the diagnostic data to the diagnostic tool 21, and a determination unit that determines whether to perform pre-transmission based on the measurement result of the communication speed B by the measurement unit. The gateway ECU 13 also corresponds to a transmission unit that transmits the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 to the outside of the vehicle via wireless communication when the determination unit determines to perform pre-transmission.

[0032] According to the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. (1) The vehicle 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a recording unit 18 that records diagnostic data used to diagnose the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 further includes a gateway ECU 13 that corresponds to the output unit, measurement unit, determination unit, and transmission unit described above. As described above, the vehicle 10 configured in this manner has the effect of suppressing an increase in diagnostic time.

[0033] (2) The gateway ECU 13 calculates the readout time C of the diagnostic data by the diagnostic tool 21 based on the measurement result of the communication speed B and the data size A of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18. Then, when the readout time C is equal to or greater than a predetermined judgment value D, the gateway ECU 13 determines to transmit the diagnostic data in advance to the management server 19. Therefore, the gateway ECU 13 can accurately determine whether or not to transmit the diagnostic data in advance to the management server 19 based on the predicted readout time C.

[0034] (3) When the diagnostic tool 21 is connected to the vehicle 10, the gateway ECU 13 outputs the calculation result of the read time C to the diagnostic tool 21. The diagnostic tool 21 displays the received read time C to the mechanic. Therefore, the mechanic can perform work while knowing the read time C of the diagnostic data to the diagnostic tool 21.

[0035] (4) In pre-processing, the gateway ECU 13 measures the read speed of diagnostic data from the recording unit 18 to the gateway ECU 13 as the communication speed B. The read speed of diagnostic data from the recording unit 18 to the gateway ECU 13 via the in-vehicle network 11 is lower than the transmission speed of diagnostic data from the gateway ECU 13 to the diagnostic tool 21. Therefore, even when the diagnostic tool 21 is not connected, by measuring the read speed, the communication speed B when the gateway ECU 13 outputs diagnostic data to the diagnostic tool 21 can be found.

[0036] (5) The gateway ECU 13 notifies the diagnostic tool 21 whether or not the diagnostic data is to be transmitted in advance to the management server 19. This allows the diagnostic tool 21 to check whether the diagnostic data exists in the management server 19. Therefore, the diagnostic tool 21 can appropriately determine whether to acquire the diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 or the management server 19.

[0037] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0038] In the vehicle 10 of the above embodiment, preliminary processing is performed in response to the registration of a diagnosis schedule. However, the gateway ECU 13 may be configured to periodically perform preliminary processing. In this case, the gateway ECU 13 pre-transmits the diagnostic data to the management server 19 when the data size A of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 increases to the point where the read time C is equal to or greater than the determination value D.

[0039] 3, the gateway ECU 13 may be configured to pre-transmit a portion of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit 18 to the management server 19. In this case, it is desirable to configure the diagnostic tool 21 to obtain a portion of the pre-transmitted diagnostic data from the management server 19 and read the remaining diagnostic data from the vehicle 10 in step S310 of the read processing in FIG.

[0040] The diagnostic data that has already been sent to the management server 19 in the pre-processing may be deleted from the recording unit 18. When reading diagnostic data, if there is a history of prior transmission, the diagnostic tool 21 may be configured to display the read time C and then prompt the mechanic to select from the management server 19 or the vehicle 10 the diagnostic data will be obtained from.

[0041] In the vehicle 10 of the above embodiment, the gateway ECU 13 is configured to correspond to the output unit, the measurement unit, the determination unit, and the transmission unit. The vehicle 10 may be configured so that an in-vehicle device other than the gateway ECU 13 connected to the in-vehicle network 11, such as the vehicle control ECU 12, corresponds to one or more of the output unit, the measurement unit, the determination unit, and the transmission unit.

[0042] The gateway ECU 13 measures the communication speed B only when the measurement result has not been recorded in the pre-processing of Fig. 3 (S110: NO). Regardless of whether the measurement result has been recorded, the gateway ECU 13 may measure the communication speed B in the pre-processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 vehicles 11 In-vehicle network 12 Vehicle control ECU 13 Gateway ECU 14 Processing circuit 15 memory 16 Communication Module 17 DLC 18 Recording Section 19 Management Server 20 databases 21 Diagnostic Tools

Claims

1. A vehicle, a recording unit that records diagnostic data used in diagnosing the vehicle; an output unit that outputs the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit to a diagnostic tool outside the vehicle; a measurement unit that measures a communication speed when the output unit outputs the diagnostic data to the diagnostic tool; a determination unit that determines whether to perform pre-transmission based on a measurement result of the communication speed by the measurement unit; a transmitter that transmits the diagnostic data recorded in the recorder to an outside of the vehicle via wireless communication when the determiner determines that the advance transmission is to be performed; A vehicle equipped with:

2. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit calculates a time required for the diagnostic tool to read the diagnostic data based on the measurement result of the communication speed and the data size of the diagnostic data recorded in the recording unit, and determines to perform the pre-transmission if the required time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the output unit outputs the calculation result of the required time to the diagnostic tool when the diagnostic tool is connected to the vehicle.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement unit measures a read speed of the diagnostic data from the recording unit to the output unit as the communication speed.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit notifies the diagnostic tool whether or not the transmission unit will transmit the diagnostic data when the diagnostic tool is connected.

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