Vehicle Notification System

Abstract

To provide a vehicle notification system that is able to securely give a notification to a driver while restricting of an increase in the number of wiring.SOLUTION: A vehicle notification system 1 includes: a driving control ECU 2 that controls automatic driving of a vehicle; and a display control ECU 3 that controls display of a meter of an instrument panel and display on a TFT 14. The display control ECU 3 includes an LED 15 that gives a notification to a driver, with a light on, and the LED 15 is driven by the driving control ECU 2. When the display control ECU 3 detects that the LED 15 is turned on by the driving control ECU 2, it gives the notification to the driver by performing display on the TFT 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] At Level 3 and above of autonomous driving in vehicles, the autonomous driving system is the primary driver in driving operations. If the system determines that Level 3 cannot be maintained under unforeseen circumstances, it will request a handover of driving so that the driver can respond appropriately. This request to take over driving must be made under all circumstances, so measures such as duplication of control systems are basically implemented so that the request can be executed even if the vehicle's onboard ECU (Electronic Control Unit) fails or loses power.

[0003] ECUs that control vehicle behavior include the driving control ECU, which performs autonomous driving, and the camera ECU, which captures images of the surrounding area using a camera, while ECUs with notification functions include the driving control ECU and the meter ECU, which controls the meter display on the instrument panel. Notifications when a driver takes over driving are required to be made both by sound that the driver can hear no matter where they are looking, and by displays that can be recognized by deaf people. These notifications are often made by, for example, a buzzer or LED driven by the driving control ECU, or a buzzer or LCD panel driven by the meter ECU. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-18836 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If the ECU that controls the vehicle behavior and the ECU that notifies the vehicle are separate, inter-ECU communication is necessary. For example, in communication between multiple ECUs, such as with CAN (registered trademark), there is a high possibility that communication will be interrupted if an ECU fails, so one-to-one direct communication is ideal. However, if direct communication between ECUs increases, the number of communication drivers, connectors, and wiring will increase, leading to increased costs and weight.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a vehicle notification system that can reliably notify the driver while suppressing an increase in wiring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to claim 1, the vehicle notification system includes a driving control ECU that controls automatic driving of the vehicle, and a display control ECU that controls the display of meters on the instrument panel and the display of a drawing display unit. The display control ECU includes a lighting display unit that notifies the driver by lighting the lighting display unit, and the lighting display unit is driven by the driving control ECU. When the display control ECU detects that the lighting display unit has been turned on by the driving control ECU, the display control ECU notifies the driver by displaying a message on the drawing display unit.

[0008] With this configuration, the display control ECU can notify the driver by displaying a message on the drawing display unit when the driving control ECU turns on the lighting display unit as a trigger. Therefore, the notification from the driving control ECU can be made more easily understandable to the driver by displaying a message on the drawing display unit.

[0009] According to the vehicle notification system of claim 1, the lighting display unit is driven to a high level by the driving control ECU. It lights up when The driving control ECU outputs the following at the output port that drives the lighting display unit: Higher than the low level, which is the ground level, andThe ECU is configured to be able to output an intermediate level voltage that keeps the lighting display unit in an off state. The driving control ECU outputs an intermediate level voltage to the output port while the driving control ECU is operating normally. The display control ECU also displays on the drawing display unit when it detects that the voltage of the output port has fallen below the intermediate level.

[0010] With this configuration, when the display control ECU determines that some abnormality has occurred in the driving control ECU and that it is no longer able to operate normally, it can notify the driver of this by displaying a message on the graphic display unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle notification system according to a first embodiment, showing a state in which a first power source is lost. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a state in which the second power supply is lost. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle notification system according to a second embodiment, showing a state in which a first power source is lost. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a state in which the second power supply is lost. [Figure 5] A diagram showing the change in voltage level at the output port of a microcontroller that drives an LED [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle notification system according to a third embodiment, showing a state in which a first power source is lost. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a state in which the second power supply is lost. [Figure 8] Flowchart showing the processing contents of the driving control ECU [Figure 9] Flowchart showing the processing contents of the meter ECU [Figure 10] Sequence diagram showing the processing between the driving control ECU, H / U, and meter ECU when CAN communication is used [Figure 11]Sequence diagram showing the processing between the driving control ECU, H / U, and meter ECU when there is no CAN communication [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle notification system according to a fourth embodiment, showing a state in which a first power source is lost. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a state in which the second power supply is lost. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle notification system according to a fifth embodiment, showing a state in which a first power source is lost. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a state in which the second power supply is lost. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a variation of the functional arrangement in the meter ECU and the H / U according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 17] Sequence diagram showing the processing between the driving control ECU, H / U, and meter ECU when CAN communication is used [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a variation of the functional layout in the meter ECU and H / U according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 19] Sequence diagram showing the processing between the driving control ECU, H / U, and meter ECU when CAN communication is used [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an eighth embodiment and illustrating variations in the functional layout of the meter ECU and H / U. [Figure 21] Sequence diagram showing the processing between the driving control ECU and the meter ECU when CAN communication is used [Figure 22] FIG. 10 shows notification modes in the sixth to eighth embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (First embodiment) 1, the vehicle notification system 1 of this embodiment includes a driving control ECU 2, a meter ECU 3, an H / U (Head Unit) 4, a camera ECU 5, and a central ECU (C-ECU) 6. The driving control ECU 2 is an ECU that controls automatic driving of the vehicle via a vehicle control unit 7, and includes a microcomputer 8 and a buzzer 9. The buzzer 9 is driven by the microcomputer 8.

[0013] The meter ECU 3 is an ECU that controls the meter display etc. of the vehicle's instrument panel, and includes a microcomputer 10, a buzzer 11, an LED (Light Emission Display) 12, an OSD 13, a TFT 14 etc. The buzzer 11 and the LED 12 are driven by the microcomputer 10. The TFT 14 is a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) liquid crystal display, and the graphic display of the TFT 14 is controlled by the microcomputer 10 via the OSD 13. The OSD (On Screen Display) 13 is an IC for controlling the TFT 14.

[0014] The meter ECU 3 also includes an LED 15, which corresponds to a lighting display unit, and this LED 15 is driven by the drive control ECU 2 via direct wiring 16. The LED 15 is turned on when the drive control ECU 2 determines that the vehicle is in an automatic driving state and that the driver should take over the driving control. The LED 15 is turned on when the anode side is driven to a high level. The microcomputer 10 of the meter ECU 3 then references the potential of the anode of the LED 15 to detect that the drive control ECU 2 has turned on the LED 15.

[0015] The H / U 4 controls the display of graphics on a TFT 19 provided in a center display (CID) 18 using a microcomputer 17. The microcomputer 17 also directly controls the display of graphics on a TFT 14 provided in the meter ECU 3, and in this case, it is possible to display richer content with more information than the graphics display by the OSD 13. Communication between the H / U 4, the meter ECU 3, and the center display 18 is performed by LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling). Hereinafter, this will be referred to as CID 18.

[0016] The camera ECU 5 is an ECU that controls, via the microcomputer 20, a camera that captures images of the vehicle's surroundings so that the driving control ECU 2 can automatically drive the vehicle. The camera ECU 5 communicates with the driving control ECU 2 and the vehicle control unit 7 via CAN (registered trademark). The C-ECU 6 communicates with the driving control ECU 2, meter ECU 3, and H / U 4 via CAN, and controls these ECUs in an integrated manner.

[0017] The above components are supplied with operating power in two separate systems. A first power supply 21 supplies power to the drive control ECU 2, H / U 4, C-ECU 6, and vehicle control unit 7, while a second power supply 22 supplies power to the drive control ECU 2, meter ECU 3, camera ECU 5, and vehicle control unit 7. In other words, both power supplies are supplied to the drive control ECU 2 and vehicle control unit 7.

[0018] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, when the first power source 21 is lost, the H / U 4 and C-ECU 6 cease to function. The driving control ECU 2 is still able to control the vehicle control unit 7 because power is also supplied from the second power source 22, but when the first power source 21 is lost, the driving control ECU 2 determines that the driver should take over driving control. Therefore, the LED 15 of the meter ECU 3 is turned on. When the microcomputer 10 of the meter ECU 3 detects that the LED 15 is turned on, it displays a graphic on the TFT 14 via the OSD 13, indicating that the vehicle is notifying the driver that the driver should take over driving control.

[0019] At this time, the operation control ECU 2 may drive the buzzer 9 to sound, and the meter ECU 3 may also sound the buzzer 11 to provide a redundant notification. The "tell tale" shown in the figure means notification by the LED 15, and the "whistle" means sounding.

[0020] 2, if the second power supply 22 is lost, the meter ECU 3 and the camera ECU 5 will stop functioning. When the driving control ECU 2 detects the loss of the second power supply 22, it determines that the driver should take over the driving control, and turns on the LED 15 of the meter ECU 3.

[0021] Regardless of whether or not there is a power loss as described above, when the meter ECU 3 detects that the CAN communication with the operation control ECU 2 has been interrupted, the LED 12 may be turned on to notify the driver.

[0022] As described above, according to this embodiment, the vehicle notification system 1 includes the driving control ECU 2 that controls automatic driving of the vehicle, and the display control ECU 3 that controls the display of the meters on the instrument panel and the display on the TFT 14. The display control ECU 3 includes the LED 15 that notifies the driver when it is lit, and the LED 15 is driven by the driving control ECU 2. When the display control ECU 3 detects that the LED 15 has been lit by the driving control ECU 2, it notifies the driver by displaying on the TFT 14.

[0023] With this configuration, the display control ECU 3 can notify the driver by displaying on the TFT 14, triggered by the lighting of the LED 15 by the drive control ECU 2. Therefore, the notification from the drive control ECU 2 can be made more easily understandable to the driver not only by lighting up the LED 15 but also by displaying on the TFT 14.

[0024] (Second embodiment) Hereinafter, the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted, and only the different parts will be explained. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in a vehicle notification system 1A of the second embodiment, power is supplied to a driving control ECU 2A only from a first power source 21. Also, as shown in Figure 5, a microcomputer 8A of the driving control ECU 2A can control the voltage of an output port that drives an LED 15 to three levels: a high level that turns on the LED 15, a low level that is the ground level, and a middle level that is higher than the low level but turns off the LED 15.

[0025] The microcomputer 8A maintains the level of the output port at the middle level while the LED 15 is off. The microcomputer 10A of the meter ECU 3A is then able to determine that the anode potential of the LED 15 is at the middle level.

[0026] Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, when the first power supply 21 is lost, the operation control ECU 2, H / U 4, and C-ECU 6 stop functioning. As a result, the anode potential of the LED 15 changes from a middle level to a low level. When the microcomputer 10A of the meter ECU 3A detects that the anode potential has changed to a low level, it displays a graphic on the TFT 14 via the OSD 13, indicating that the vehicle is notifying the driver to take over driving control. At this time, the meter ECU 3A may also sound the buzzer 11 to provide a redundant notification. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the second power supply 22 is lost, the same state as the case shown in FIG. 2 occurs.

[0027] (Third embodiment) In the vehicle notification system 1B of the third embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the configuration of the first embodiment, power is supplied to the H / U 4 from the second power source 22 instead of the first power source 21. In this case, compared to the case shown in Figure 1, the display of the TFT 14 of the meter ECU 3 can be controlled by the microcomputer 17 of the H / U 4. This makes it possible to display richer content than when using the OSD 13 of the meter ECU 3, thereby making the notification more appealing to the driver. When the second power source 22 shown in Figure 7 is lost, the situation becomes the same as the case shown in Figure 2.

[0028] The processing performed by the drive control ECU 2 and the meter ECU 3 is shown in the form of a flowchart. As shown in Fig. 8, the drive control ECU 2 detects vehicle behavior from information collected from various sensors, etc. (S1). Then, it determines whether or not a handover of driving is necessary to the driver (S2). If a handover is not necessary, the vehicle is controlled by the vehicle control unit 7 (S3) and the process returns to step S1. On the other hand, if a handover is determined to be necessary in step 2, the process of turning on the LED 15 (S4), sounding the buzzer 9 (S5), notifying the C-ECU 6 and the meter ECU 3 of the occurrence of an abnormality via CAN communication (S6), and controlling the vehicle (S7) are performed in parallel.

[0029] 9, the meter ECU 3 determines whether or not there is a notification of an abnormality through CAN communication (S11). If there is no notification, it determines whether or not the LED 15 has been turned on by the operation control ECU 2 (S15), and if not, returns to step S11. If the LED 15 is turned on, it determines whether or not the LVDS communication with the H / U 4 has been interrupted (S16), and if not interrupted, the H / U 4 issues a driving takeover notification using the TFT 14 (S18). If the LVDS communication has been interrupted, the OSD 13 issues a driving takeover notification using the TFT 14 (S17). On the other hand, if there is a notification of an abnormality through CAN communication in step S11, the same processes as steps S16 to S18 are performed in steps S12 to S14.

[0030] 10, the drive control ECU 2 notifies the H / U 4 and the meter ECU 3 of the driving handover in sequence, and turns on the LED 15. When the meter ECU 3 detects that the LED 15 is turned on, it requests the H / U 4 via LVDS communication to display a video for notifying the handover. This request may be triggered by the driving handover notification from the drive control ECU 2.

[0031] The H / U 4 creates video data for the handover notification in response to the request. Note that the creation of the video may also be triggered by the driving handover notification from the driving control ECU 2. The created video data is then output to the meter ECU 3 and displayed on the TFT 14.

[0032] In the process of step S18 shown in Fig. 11, the operation control ECU 2 turns on the LED 15, and when the meter ECU 3 detects this lighting, it requests the H / U 4 via LVDS communication to display a video for notifying the handover. The subsequent process is the same as that shown in Fig. 10.

[0033] (Fourth embodiment) 12 and 13, a vehicle notification system 1C of a fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, but power is supplied to the meter ECU 3 from the first power source 21 instead of the second power source 22. In this case, in the case shown in Fig. 12 where the first power source 21 is lost, unlike the case shown in Fig. 1, the image display on the TFT 14 and the sounding of the buzzer 11 are not performed, and only the lighting of the LED 15 by the operation control ECU 2 and the sounding of the buzzer 9 are performed.

[0034] 13 is lost, the operation control ECU 2 turns on the LED 15 and sounds the buzzer 9, the meter ECU 3 sounds the buzzer 11, and the H / U 4 displays on the TFT 14.

[0035] (Fifth embodiment) In the vehicle notification system 1D of the fifth embodiment shown in Figures 14 and 15, in the configuration of the second embodiment, power is supplied to the H / U4 from the second power source 22 instead of the first power source 21. In this case, in the case where the first power source 21 is lost as shown in Figure 14, the difference from the case shown in Figure 3 is that the image display on the TFT 14 is performed by the H / U4. In addition, in the case where the second power source 22 is lost as shown in Figure 15, the situation is the same as the case shown in Figure 4.

[0036] (Sixth embodiment) The sixth to eighth embodiments shown below show variations in functional arrangements in the meter ECU and H / U. In the sixth embodiment shown in Figs. 16 and 17, a microcomputer 17 is mounted in the H / U 31. On the microcomputer 17, multiple operating systems (OSs) (not shown) run in parallel via a virtual environment (hypervisor) (not shown). One of the multiple OSs is mounted with a meter 32, which is an application that controls the display of a meter. Another OS is mounted with a CID 33, which is an application that controls the display of infotainment functions and is displayed on a CID 18. Information such as vehicle speed and telltales required for meter display control is input to the meter ECU 3 via CAN communication and processed by the microcomputer 10. Then, information for rendering on the TFT 14 is sent from the microcomputer 10 to the H / U 21 via LVDS communication. The H / U 31 creates video data based on that information and sends it to the meter ECU 3 via LVDS communication.

[0037] The above sequence is performed in the same manner as in Fig. 10 or 11. However, if the LVDS communication with the H / U 31 is interrupted, the meter ECU 3 controls the display of the TFT 14 via the OSD 13.

[0038] Seventh embodiment In the seventh embodiment shown in Figures 18 and 19, the microcomputer 10B of the meter ECU 3B does not perform CAN communication. Information necessary for meter display control is input to the microcomputer 17A of the H / U 31A via CAN communication and processed by the microcomputer 17A. After that, video data is created based on the input information and transmitted to the meter ECU 3B via LVDS communication. As shown in Figure 19, if CAN communication is enabled, the operation control ECU 2 notifies the H / U 31A of operation handover. The subsequent processing is the same as that shown in Figure 17.

[0039] (Eighth embodiment) In the eighth embodiment shown in Fig. 20, the meter ECU 34 does not include the OSD 13. The H / U 35 includes only a microcomputer 17 and a display 33. Information required for meter display control is input to the microcomputer 17 of the H / U 35 via CAN communication and processed by the microcomputer 17. The H / U 35 then generates video data based on the input information and transmits it to the center display 18 via LVDS communication, where it is displayed on the TFT 19.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 21, the driving takeover notification is performed between the vehicle control ECU 2 and the meter ECU 34. When the vehicle control ECU 2 notifies the meter ECU 34 of the driving takeover via CAN communication and turns on the LED 15, the meter ECU 34 detects the lighting and generates video data for the driving takeover notification. Fig. 22 collectively shows the notification modes of the sixth to eighth embodiments.

[0041] (Other embodiments) The supply of operating power to each component does not necessarily have to be divided into two systems. The lighting display section is not limited to LEDs, and the drawing display section is not limited to TFTs. The H / U and camera ECU can be installed as needed. The protocol used for communication between ECUs is not limited to CAN or LVDS, and any protocol that can be used for communication between ECUs may be used. Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] In the drawing, 1 indicates a vehicle notification system, 2 indicates a driving control ECU, 3 indicates a meter ECU, 4 indicates a H / U, 5 indicates a camera ECU, 6 indicates a central ECU, 12 indicates an LED, and 14 indicates a TFT.

Claims

1. a driving control ECU (2, 2A) that controls automatic driving of a vehicle; a display control ECU (3) that controls the display of the meters on the instrument panel and the display of the drawing display unit (14); The display control ECU includes a lighting display unit (15) that notifies the driver when the lighting state is on. The lighting display unit is driven by the operation control ECU, When the display control ECU detects that the lighting display unit has been turned on by the driving control ECU, the display control ECU notifies the driver by displaying a message on the drawing display unit. The lighting indicator is turned on when driven to a high level by the operation control ECU, the operation control ECU (2A) is capable of outputting, to an output port that drives the lighting indicator, a voltage of an intermediate level that is higher than a low level that is a ground level and that maintains the lighting indicator in an off state, and outputs the voltage of the intermediate level to the output port while the operation control ECU (2A) itself is operating normally; The vehicle notification system, wherein the display control ECU also displays a message on the graphic display unit when it detects that the voltage of the output port has fallen below the intermediate level.

2. The display control ECU includes a lighting display unit (12) that notifies the driver when the lighting state is on, 2. The vehicle notification system according to claim 1, wherein when the driving control ECU detects that the driving control ECU is not operating normally, the driving control ECU lights up a lighting indicator provided in the driving control ECU.

3. a host display control ECU (4) that communicates with the display control ECU and is capable of controlling the display of the graphics on the graphics display unit with a larger amount of information; 3. A vehicle notification system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the display control ECU detects that the lighting display unit (15) has been lit by the driving control ECU, if communication with the higher-level display control ECU is possible, the display control ECU controls the display on the drawing display unit.

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