In-vehicle device, program, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle device and others which can efficiently perform handling based on diagnostic processing by the device.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle device is mounted on a vehicle and includes a driving part, and comprises a control part that controls the driving part, and a communication part that performs communication with an on-vehicle ECU mounted on the vehicle. When performing diagnostic processing for the driving part, the control part, when detecting an inhibition event that inhibits the diagnostic processing, outputs a detection result notification showing that the inhibition event is detected to the on-vehicle ECU through the communication part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device, a program, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] A vehicle is equipped with a body ECU, which is an on-board ECU that controls body-related devices such as a wiper drive device, interior and exterior lighting devices, door lock devices, and power windows (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The wiper drive device of Patent Document 1 includes an on-board ECU (body ECU) and is driven by a control program applied to the on-board ECU. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-224926 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the drive device of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that no consideration is given to diagnostic processing of the drive parts included in the device itself.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an in-vehicle device or the like that can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An in-vehicle device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and including a drive unit, and is equipped with a control unit that controls the drive unit and a communication unit for communicating with an in-vehicle ECU mounted on the vehicle, and when the control unit detects an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic processing of the drive unit, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU via the communication unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle device or the like that can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an in-vehicle system including an in-vehicle device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of an in-vehicle device. [Figure 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a processing sequence performed by an in-vehicle device and an in-vehicle ECU; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing by a control unit of an in-vehicle device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of a control unit of an in-vehicle device according to the second embodiment (communication outage). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. At least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any desired manner.

[0010] (1) An in-vehicle device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and including a drive unit, and is equipped with a control unit that controls the drive unit and a communication unit for communicating with an in-vehicle ECU mounted on the vehicle, and when the control unit detects an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic processing of the drive unit, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU via the communication unit.

[0011] In this aspect, the on-board device includes a drive unit, a control unit, and a communication unit, and communicates with an on-board ECU (electronic control unit) mounted on the vehicle via the communication unit. The control unit performs a diagnostic process on the drive unit and outputs (transmits) a diagnostic result, such as whether the drive unit is normal or abnormal, to the on-board ECU via the communication unit. Furthermore, if the control unit detects an obstruction event that inhibits the diagnostic process during the diagnostic process, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the on-board ECU via the communication unit. Therefore, even if an obstruction event that inhibits the diagnostic process occurs due to various factors, causing the diagnostic process of the drive unit mounted on the on-board device to be interrupted or unable to be started, the control unit can output a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the on-board ECU based on the detection of the obstruction event. As a result, even if a state occurs or continues in which the diagnostic process for the drive unit is not yet performed, the on-board device (controller) can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic process of the on-board device by outputting a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected to the on-board ECU.

[0012] (2) In an on-board device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the inhibiting event includes an event in which the diagnostic process is interrupted.

[0013] In this embodiment, the obstruction events detected by the control unit include events in which the diagnostic processing is interrupted. Therefore, even if the diagnostic processing is interrupted after the diagnostic processing has started, a detection result notification indicating that the processing has been interrupted can be output to the vehicle ECU, thereby enabling efficient response based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself.

[0014] (3) In an in-vehicle device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the diagnostic process is interrupted consecutively a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit outputs a detection result notification to the in-vehicle ECU indicating that the obstruction event has been detected.

[0015] In this aspect, when the diagnostic process is interrupted, the control unit counts the number of consecutive interruptions, for example, by incrementing a counter value indicating the interruption, and stores the count (counter value) in an accessible storage area, such as a storage unit, installed in the device. When the count (counter value) reaches a predetermined number or more, such as 100, i.e., when the predetermined number of times is reached, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected to the vehicle-mounted ECU. When counting the number of consecutive interruptions of the diagnostic process, if the diagnostic process is completed without interruption, the control unit may reset the counter value, which has been incremented by one according to the number of interruptions, to an initial value, for example, 0. Even if consecutive interruptions of the diagnostic process occur and the diagnostic process for the drive unit continues to be unperformed, when the number of consecutive interruptions of the diagnostic process reaches the predetermined number, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected to the vehicle-mounted ECU, thereby efficiently taking measures based on the diagnostic process of the device. Furthermore, even if there are consecutive events that cause the diagnostic processing to be interrupted, the control unit will not output a detection result notification to the vehicle ECU until the number of consecutive interruptions reaches a predetermined number, i.e., if it is less than the predetermined number, thereby preventing the detection result notification from being output excessively.

[0016] (4) In an in-vehicle device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit performs diagnostic processing of the drive unit when the ignition power of the vehicle is turned off, and interrupts the ongoing diagnostic processing when the ignition power is turned on.

[0017] In this aspect, the vehicle is provided with an ignition switch (IG switch) for starting and stopping the vehicle. Pressing the IG switch switches the vehicle's ignition power from off to on or from on to off. When the vehicle's ignition power is turned off, the control unit receives an off signal (sleep signal) from the vehicle-mounted ECU via the communication unit, indicating that the ignition power has been turned off, and starts diagnostic processing of the drive unit in response to the off signal. During diagnostic processing of the drive unit, for example, if the vehicle operator presses the IG switch to turn on the ignition power and the control unit receives an on signal (wakeup signal) from the vehicle-mounted ECU via the communication unit indicating that the ignition power has been turned on, the control unit interrupts the diagnostic processing of the drive unit in response to the on signal. Thus, the control unit executes and interrupts the diagnostic processing in response to the operation of the IG switch, which starts and stops the vehicle. When the interruption occurs, the control unit outputs a detection result notification to the vehicle-mounted ECU, indicating that an obstruction event has been detected, thereby efficiently taking action based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself.

[0018] (5) In an on-board device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the obstruction event includes an event in which communication between the control unit and the on-board ECU is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0019] In this aspect, the diagnostic sequence of the drive unit by the control unit includes a diagnostic process for the drive unit in the vehicle-mounted device and a transmission process for outputting (transmitting) the results of the diagnostic process (diagnostic process results) to the vehicle-mounted ECU. For example, when outputting (transmitting) the diagnostic process to the vehicle-mounted ECU, a state in which communication with the vehicle-mounted ECU is impossible (disconnected state) may continue. Alternatively, when the vehicle-mounted ECU outputs a signal indicating the start of diagnostic process to the vehicle-mounted device, communication between the vehicle-mounted ECU and the vehicle-mounted device may be disconnected, and the vehicle-mounted device may not be able to acquire (receive) the signal. Therefore, even in such a disconnected state, the event (disconnected event) may be included in the obstruction event, and a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected may be output to the vehicle-mounted ECU via the communication unit, thereby enabling efficient response based on the diagnostic process of the vehicle-mounted device.

[0020] (6) In an on-board device according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the on-board ECU as a failure notification of the drive unit.

[0021] In this aspect, the control unit performs diagnostic processing on the drive unit included in the device based on a predetermined trigger, such as when the IG switch is turned off, and if the diagnostic processing results in the drive unit being diagnosed as having an abnormality due to, for example, an on-failure, the control unit outputs (transmits) a fault notification to the in-vehicle ECU via the communication unit. The control unit also outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected in the diagnostic processing on the drive unit to the in-vehicle ECU as a drive unit fault notification. This makes it possible to output a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected in the diagnostic processing to the in-vehicle ECU, similar to a fault notification based on diagnostic processing that is regularly performed with, for example, the IG switch being turned off, thereby simplifying the communication form between the in-vehicle device and the in-vehicle ECU and enabling efficient communication processing.

[0022] (7) In one embodiment of the in-vehicle device of the present disclosure, the fault notification output to the in-vehicle ECU includes an error code, and the control unit differentiates the error code when an inhibiting event that inhibits the diagnostic process is detected from the error code detected when the diagnostic process is completed without being inhibited.

[0023] In this aspect, the control unit, for example, uses different error codes included in the failure notification when issuing a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event such as an interruption of diagnostic processing has been detected consecutively and when issuing a detection result notification indicating an actual failure such as an ON failure of the drive unit. By differentiating the error codes included in the failure notification in this way depending on the reason for outputting the failure notification (detection result notification), it is possible to notify the on-board ECU according to the failure state of the on-board device.

[0024] (8) A program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer that controls a drive unit to execute a process in which, when performing diagnostic processing on the drive unit, an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic processing is detected, and the program outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected to an on-board ECU that is communicatively connected to the computer.

[0025] In this aspect, the computer can be operated as an in-vehicle device that can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself.

[0026] (9) An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer that controls a drive unit, and when performing diagnostic processing of the drive unit, causes the computer to execute a process of outputting a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to an on-board ECU that is communicatively connected to the computer.

[0027] In this aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing method that causes a computer to operate as an in-vehicle device that can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic processing of the device itself.

[0028] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the in-vehicle device 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0029] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an in-vehicle system S including an in-vehicle device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle system S includes the in-vehicle device 1 and an in-vehicle ECU 2 that are communicatively connected to each other via a communication line 5, and the in-vehicle device 1 is connected to a power supply device 4 and an in-vehicle load 3 via a power supply line 41. The in-vehicle device 1 controls the on- or off-state of a drive unit 14 included in the in-vehicle device 1 based on, for example, a control signal output (transmitted) from the in-vehicle ECU 2, and supplies or cuts off power output from the power supply device 4 to the in-vehicle load 3 connected to the in-vehicle device 1.

[0030] The in-vehicle ECU 2 is communicatively connected to an IG switch 21 (ignition switch) that starts or stops the vehicle C, and based on a signal output from the IG switch 21, outputs (transmits) to the in-vehicle device 1 a signal (start: sleep signal, interrupt: wakeup signal) instructing the in-vehicle device 1 to start or interrupt diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 included in the in-vehicle device 1. In the in-vehicle system S configured in this manner, the in-vehicle ECU 2 may correspond to a master ECU, and the in-vehicle device 1 may correspond to a slave ECU.

[0031] The power supply device 4 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lead battery, an alternator, or a lithium battery, and is a power source for an in-vehicle load 3 mounted on the vehicle C. The in-vehicle load 3 is, for example, an actuator such as a lamp device or a motor, and is driven by power supplied from the power supply device 4 via a drive unit 14 of the in-vehicle device 1.

[0032] The in-vehicle device 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and a drive unit 14. The control unit 11 is configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), etc., and reads and executes programs and data stored in the storage unit 12 to perform various control processes including on / off control of the drive unit 14 and diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may be configured with an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an SoC (System-on-a-Chip), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0033] The storage unit 12 is a volatile memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM. The storage unit 12 is configured with non-volatile memory elements such as a Read Only Memory (EEPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The storage unit 12 stores programs and data for executing the programs. These programs may be stored as programs read from a recording medium readable by the in-vehicle ECU 2. Alternatively, these programs may be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 stores counter values, which will be described later.

[0034] The communication unit 13 is a communication interface compatible with protocols such as LIN (Local Interconnect Network), CAN (Controller Area Network), or Ethernet (registered trademark). The control unit 11 communicates with the in-vehicle ECU 2 via the communication unit 13 using a predetermined protocol such as LIN.

[0035] The drive unit 14 is a semiconductor switch such as a FET (Field Effect Transistor) or an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor), and is turned on or off based on a drive signal from the control unit 11. When the drive unit 14 is turned on, the power output from the power supply device 4 is supplied to the in-vehicle load 3. When the drive unit 14 is turned off, the power output from the power supply device 4 is cut off and not supplied to the in-vehicle load 3. Although the drive unit 14 is described as a semiconductor switch such as a FET, the drive unit 14 is not limited to this and may be a mechanical relay, a drive circuit, a motor mechanism, or the like. In the illustrations and the like of this embodiment, the drive unit 14 will be described as a semiconductor switch (FET), which is an example of such a switch.

[0036] The control unit 11 executes a program stored in the storage unit 12, thereby functioning as a diagnostic processing unit that performs diagnostic processing (diagnosis processing) of the drive unit 14. The control unit 11 functioning as the diagnostic processing unit starts diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 in response to, for example, a sleep signal transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 2. The diagnostic processing detects, for example, an on-failure (short-circuit failure) or an off-failure (open-circuit failure) of the drive unit 14, and determines whether or not an abnormality exists in the drive unit 14 based on the detection result. If the control unit 11 determines that the drive unit 14 is abnormal based on the result of the diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14, it outputs a failure notification to the in-vehicle ECU 2. Furthermore, if the control unit 11 detects an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic processing, such as an interruption of the diagnostic processing due to some factor, it outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstructing event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU 2 via the communication unit 13. Details of the detection result notification processing will be described later.

[0037] The in-vehicle ECU 2 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit (not shown), and a communication unit (not shown) similar to the in-vehicle device 1, and the configuration of these hardware functional units is the same as that of the in-vehicle device 1. The in-vehicle ECU 2 is, for example, a body ECU that controls the entire vehicle C, or an engine ECU that controls actuators such as an engine or a motor.

[0038] The in-vehicle ECU 2 is communicatively connected to the IG switch 21, and when the IG switch 21 is pressed and the ignition power of the vehicle C is turned on from off, the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs a wakeup signal to the in-vehicle device 1, causing the in-vehicle device 1 to transition from a sleep state to an active state. When the IG switch 21 is pressed and the ignition power of the vehicle C is turned off from on, the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs a sleep signal to the in-vehicle device 1, causing the in-vehicle device 1 to transition from an active state to a sleep state.

[0039] The in-vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle device 1 periodically perform polling communication, and the in-vehicle device 1 determines the communication state between the in-vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle device 1, i.e., whether the communication is normal or abnormal.

[0040] 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a processing sequence by the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2. In this embodiment, the processing by the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is triggered by, for example, the IG switch 21 being turned on or off.

[0041] The in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 periodically perform, for example, polling communication, and the in-vehicle device 1 detects whether the communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is normal or has an abnormality that causes a communication interruption based on, for example, a response to the polling communication from the in-vehicle ECU 2. The in-vehicle device 1 may determine that the communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is in a communication interruption state when the communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 becomes impossible for a predetermined period of time, such as one second.

[0042] The in-vehicle ECU 2 acquires an off signal (turning off the ignition power) output from the IG switch 21 (S01). Based on the acquired off signal, the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs (transmits) a sleep signal to the in-vehicle device 1 (S02). The in-vehicle ECU 2 acquires the off signal output from the IG switch 21, which is directly or indirectly communicatively connected to its own ECU, i.e., a signal that turns off the ignition power, and outputs (transmits) a sleep signal generated in response to the off signal to the in-vehicle device 1.

[0043] The in-vehicle device 1 starts diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 based on the acquired sleep signal (S03). The in-vehicle device 1 starts diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 included in the device itself based on the sleep signal acquired from the in-vehicle ECU 2 via the communication unit 13. If the diagnostic processing ends (completes) normally, the in-vehicle device 1 outputs (transmits) the result of the diagnostic processing (diagnostic processing result) to the in-vehicle ECU 2 (S04). A series of processes from the start of the diagnostic processing to the output of the result of the diagnostic processing (diagnostic processing result) to the in-vehicle ECU 2 is performed by the in-vehicle device 1 as a diagnostic processing sequence.

[0044] When the diagnostic process and the output of the diagnostic process result to the in-vehicle ECU 2 (diagnostic process sequence) are normally completed, the in-vehicle device 1 sets (initializes) to 0 a counter value that is counted (incremented) when an obstruction event is detected (S05). The counter value is stored in a storage area accessible by the control unit 11, such as the storage unit 12 mounted in the in-vehicle device 1, and is a value that is counted (incremented) and increased when an obstruction event is detected. As described above, when the diagnostic process sequence is normally completed, the counter value is initialized (resets) to a value such as 0. By performing such incrementing and initialization processes on the counter value, the counter value indicates the number of consecutive interruptions of the diagnostic process (number of consecutive interruptions), i.e., the number of consecutive detections of obstruction events that obstruct the diagnostic process (number of consecutive occurrences of obstruction events).

[0045] The processes from S01 to S05 are performed when the diagnostic process has been completed normally. The processes from S06 onwards are performed when the diagnostic process has been interrupted.

[0046] The in-vehicle ECU 2 acquires an OFF signal (turning off the ignition power) output from the IG switch 21 (S06). Based on the acquired OFF signal, the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs (transmits) a sleep signal to the in-vehicle device 1 (S07). Based on the acquired sleep signal, the in-vehicle device 1 starts a diagnostic process for the drive unit 14 (S08). The processes from S06 to S08 are the same as the processes from S01 to S03.

[0047] The in-vehicle ECU 2 acquires an ON signal (turning on the ignition power) output from the IG switch 21 (S09). Based on the acquired ON signal, the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs (transmits) a wakeup signal to the in-vehicle device 1 (S10). The in-vehicle ECU 2 acquires the ON signal output from the IG switch 21, which is directly or indirectly communicatively connected to its own ECU, i.e., a signal that turns on the ignition power, and outputs (transmits) a wakeup signal generated in response to the ON signal to the in-vehicle device 1.

[0048] The in-vehicle device 1 suspends the diagnostic process of the drive unit 14 based on the acquired wakeup signal. (S11) When the in-vehicle device 1 acquires (receives) a wakeup signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2 during the execution of the diagnostic process for the drive unit 14, the in-vehicle device 1 suspends the diagnostic process being executed.

[0049] When the diagnostic process is interrupted, the in-vehicle device 1 increments by one (increment process) a counter value indicating the number of consecutive occurrences of an obstruction event (S12). The execution of the process of incrementing the counter value by one (increment process) is not limited to when the diagnostic process is interrupted, and the increment process may be executed even when it is determined that communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is interrupted. In other words, the obstruction event that interrupts the diagnostic process may include an interruption of the diagnostic process and a communication interruption state between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2.

[0050] When the counter value reaches the predetermined number of times, the in-vehicle device 1 outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected consecutively to the in-vehicle ECU 2 as a malfunction notification of the drive unit 14 (S13). The predetermined number of times, which serves as a threshold for the counter value, is stored in the storage unit 12 of the in-vehicle device 1, for example, as 100 times. When the counter value reaches the predetermined number of times, i.e., when the counter value is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times, the in-vehicle device 1 outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected consecutively to the in-vehicle ECU 2. The in-vehicle device 1 may output the detection result notification to the in-vehicle ECU 2 as a malfunction notification of the drive unit 14.

[0051] The fault notification may include different error codes, for example, in a case where the detection result notification (failure notification) indicates that an obstructing event, such as an interruption of the diagnostic process, has been detected consecutively and in a case where the detection result notification indicates an actual fault, such as an ON fault of the drive unit 14. That is, when the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 starts a diagnostic process for the drive unit 14 and the diagnostic process is completed without obstruction, the control unit 11 sets the error code, for example, to 01 if an actual fault, such as an ON fault of the drive unit 14, is detected as the diagnostic result. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 sets the error code, for example, to 99 if an obstructing event, such as an interruption of the started diagnostic process, is detected consecutively. By thus differentiating the error code included in the detection result notification (failure notification) depending on the reason for outputting the detection result notification (failure notification), the in-vehicle ECU 2 can take appropriate action according to the error code.

[0052] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs the following processing based on a signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2 in response to an operation on an IG switch 21 (ignition switch) that starts or stops the vehicle C, for example.

[0053] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether or not it has received a signal instructing the start of diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 (S101). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether or not it has received a signal instructing the start of diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14, such as a sleep signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2. If it has not received a signal instructing the start of diagnostic processing (sleep signal) (S101: NO), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 continues waiting for a signal output from the in-vehicle device 1 by performing loop processing to execute the processing of S101 again.

[0054] When a signal (sleep signal) instructing the start of diagnostic processing is received (S101: YES), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 executes diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 (S102). When a signal instructing the start of diagnostic processing, such as a sleep signal, is output from the in-vehicle ECU 2, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 starts diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 in response to the sleep signal. This puts the in-vehicle device 1 in a state where diagnostic processing of the drive unit 14 is being executed.

[0055] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic process has occurred. (S103) The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether or not an inhibiting event that inhibits the diagnostic process has occurred while the diagnostic process is being executed for the drive unit 14. An inhibiting event that inhibits the diagnostic process is, for example, an interruption of the diagnostic process due to a wakeup signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2.

[0056] If an obstruction event has not occurred (S103: NO), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the diagnostic process has been completed (S1031). The diagnostic process includes, for example, a predetermined process sequence for diagnosing the presence or absence of an ON failure or an OFF failure in the drive unit 14, such as a FET. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines that the diagnostic process has been completed when the process sequence has been executed to the end. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 may monitor the progress of the process sequence at a predetermined interval and determine that the diagnostic process has been completed by detecting a completion signal or the like that is output when the process sequence has been executed to the end. If the diagnostic process has not been completed (S1031: NO), the diagnostic process is being executed, and the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 continues to execute the diagnostic process (S102). That is, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 continues the process of periodically determining whether a wakeup signal has been output from the in-vehicle ECU 2 while the diagnostic process of the drive unit 14 is being executed.

[0057] In the illustration of this embodiment, the processes of S103 and S1031 are performed sequentially, and if an obstruction event has not occurred (S103: NO) and the diagnostic process has not been completed (S1031: NO), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs loop processing to execute the process of S102 again, but this is not limiting. If the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 acquires (receives) a signal, such as a wakeup signal, from the in-vehicle ECU 2 during execution of the diagnostic process (S102), instructing the diagnostic process to be interrupted, the control unit 11 may generate an interrupt signal based on the signal and output the interrupt signal to the process performing the diagnostic process, thereby interrupting the diagnostic process.

[0058] If the diagnostic process is completed (S1031: YES), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 outputs the diagnostic process result to the in-vehicle ECU 2 (S1032). If the diagnostic process for the drive unit 14 is completed normally and the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines that the drive unit 14 is abnormal based on the result of the diagnostic process, the control unit 11 outputs a failure notification (diagnostic process result) to the in-vehicle ECU 2.

[0059] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 initializes a counter value indicating the number of consecutive occurrences of an obstruction event (S1033). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 initializes the counter value stored in the storage unit 12 to, for example, "0." That is, the counter value is reset when the diagnostic process is completed normally.

[0060] If an obstruction event occurs (S103: YES), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 suspends the diagnostic process (S104). As described above, an obstruction event is, for example, suspension of the diagnostic process due to a wakeup signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2, and when the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 acquires (receives) the wakeup signal, it suspends the diagnostic process being executed.

[0061] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 increments the counter value, which indicates the number of consecutive occurrences of the obstruction event, by one (increment process) (S105). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 increments the counter value stored in the storage unit 12 by one (increment process).

[0062] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the counter value is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times (S106). The predetermined number of times, which serves as a threshold for the counter value, is stored in the storage unit 12 of the in-vehicle device 1, for example, as 100 times, and the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the counter value is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times, i.e., whether the counter value has reached the predetermined number of times.

[0063] If the counter value is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (S106: YES), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 outputs a detection result notification to the in-vehicle ECU 2 indicating that an obstruction event has been detected consecutively (S107). If the counter value is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 outputs a detection result notification to the in-vehicle ECU 2 indicating that the diagnostic process has been interrupted consecutively a predetermined number of times or more, which is an obstruction event. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 may output the detection result notification to the in-vehicle ECU 2 as a malfunction notification of the drive unit 14. In this way, even if events that interrupt the diagnostic process are consecutive and a state in which the diagnostic process for the drive unit 14 is not performed continues, if the number of consecutive interruptions of the diagnostic process reaches the predetermined number of times, a malfunction notification is output to the in-vehicle ECU 2, thereby enabling efficient response based on the diagnostic process of the in-vehicle device 1.

[0064] If the counter value is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (S106: NO), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 ends the series of processes in this flowchart after executing S107 or S1033. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 may perform a loop process to execute the process of S101 again after executing these processes.

[0065] (Embodiment 2) 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 according to the second embodiment (communication outage). As in the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs the following processing based on a signal output from the in-vehicle ECU 2 in response to an operation on an IG switch 21 (ignition switch) that starts or stops the vehicle C. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs the processing from S201 to S206 or S2033 in the same manner as the processing from S101 to S106 or S1033 in the first embodiment.

[0066] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether communication with the in-vehicle ECU 2 has been interrupted (S2011). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs, for example, periodic polling communication with the in-vehicle ECU 2 via the communication unit 13. Based on a response from the in-vehicle ECU 2 to the polling communication, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is normal or abnormal (disconnected). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 may determine that communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 has been interrupted if the communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 has been interrupted for a predetermined period of time, such as one second or more. The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 may execute the processes of S201 and S2011 as parallel processing by, for example, generating a subprocess or using multithreading.

[0067] If communication with the in-vehicle ECU 2 is not interrupted (S2011: NO), that is, if communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is normal, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs loop processing to execute the processing of S2011 again. That is, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 continues to determine whether communication between the in-vehicle device 1 and the in-vehicle ECU 2 is successful or not by using polling communication with the in-vehicle ECU 2.

[0068] If communication with the in-vehicle ECU 2 is interrupted (S2011: YES), the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 increments (increments) the counter value indicating the number of consecutive occurrences of the obstruction event by one (S2012). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 increments (increments) the counter value stored in the storage unit 12 by one, similar to the process S105 (S205) of the first embodiment. That is, the counter value incremented in S205 and the counter value incremented in S2012 are the same counter value (counter values ​​defined by the same variable).

[0069] The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 determines whether the counter value is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times (S2013). The control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs the process of S2013, similar to the process of S106 (S206) in embodiment 1. If the counter value is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (S2013: NO), that is, if the counter value is less than the predetermined number of times, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 performs loop processing to execute the process of S2011 again.

[0070] If the counter value is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (S2013: YES), or after S206 is executed, the control unit 11 of the in-vehicle device 1 outputs a detection result notification indicating that an obstruction event has been detected consecutively to the in-vehicle ECU 2 (S207). The control unit 11 performs the process of S207 in the same manner as the process of S107 in the first embodiment.

[0071] When the in-vehicle ECU 2 outputs a signal (sleep signal) indicating the start of diagnostic processing to the in-vehicle device 1, it is possible that communication between the in-vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle device 1 is interrupted, and the in-vehicle device 1 is unable to acquire (receive) the signal. In response to this, by outputting to the in-vehicle ECU 2 a detection result notification (fault notification) indicating that the in-vehicle device 1 has successively detected an obstruction event, including a communication interruption state between the in-vehicle ECU 2 and the in-vehicle device 1, in addition to the interruption of diagnostic processing as an obstruction event for incrementing the counter value, the in-vehicle device 1 can efficiently take action based on the diagnostic processing.

[0072] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] C vehicle S In-vehicle system 1 In-vehicle device 11 Control section 12 Storage section 13 Communications Department 14 Drive unit 2 In-vehicle ECU 21 IG switch 3 On-vehicle load 4 Power supply 41 Power line 5. Communication lines

Claims

1. An in-vehicle device that is mounted on a vehicle and includes a drive unit, a control unit that controls the drive unit; a communication unit for communicating with an on-board ECU mounted on the vehicle; When the control unit detects an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic process of the drive unit, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU via the communication unit; The inhibiting event includes an event in which communication between the control unit and the on-board ECU that outputs a signal instructing the start of the diagnostic process is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer. The signal output from the vehicle-mounted ECU to instruct the start of the diagnostic process includes a sleep signal. In-vehicle device.

2. The inhibiting event includes an event in which the diagnostic process is interrupted. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1 .

3. When the diagnostic process is interrupted a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU. The in-vehicle device according to claim 2 .

4. The control unit When an ignition power supply of the vehicle is turned off, a diagnostic process is performed on the drive unit. When the ignition power is turned on, the ongoing diagnostic process is interrupted. The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU as a failure notification of the drive unit. The in-vehicle device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The failure notification output to the vehicle-mounted ECU includes an error code, The control unit differentiates an error code when an inhibiting event that inhibits the diagnostic process from an error code detected when the diagnostic process is completed without being inhibited. The in-vehicle device according to claim 5 .

7. The computer that controls the drive unit when an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic process is detected during the diagnostic process of the drive unit, a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected is output to an in-vehicle ECU that is communicably connected to the computer; The inhibiting event includes an event in which communication between the computer and the on-board ECU that outputs a signal instructing the start of the diagnostic process is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer, The signal output from the vehicle-mounted ECU to instruct the start of the diagnostic process includes a sleep signal. A program that executes a process.

8. An information processing method executed by a computer that controls a drive unit, when an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic process is detected during the diagnostic process of the drive unit, a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected is output to an in-vehicle ECU that is communicably connected to the computer; The inhibiting event includes an event in which communication between the computer and the on-board ECU that outputs a signal instructing the start of the diagnostic process is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer, The signal output from the vehicle-mounted ECU to instruct the start of the diagnostic process includes a sleep signal. An information processing method that causes a computer to execute a process.

9. An in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and including a drive unit, a control unit that controls the drive unit; a communication unit for communicating with an on-board ECU mounted on the vehicle; When the control unit detects an obstructing event that obstructs the diagnostic process of the drive unit, the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstructing event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU via the communication unit; The inhibiting event includes an event in which communication between the control unit and the on-board ECU that outputs a signal instructing the start of the diagnostic process is interrupted for a predetermined period of time or longer. the control unit outputs a detection result notification indicating that the obstruction event has been detected to the in-vehicle ECU as a failure notification of the drive unit; The failure notification output to the vehicle-mounted ECU includes an error code, The control unit differentiates an error code when an inhibiting event that inhibits the diagnostic process from an error code detected when the diagnostic process is completed without being inhibited. In-vehicle device.

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