Vehicle control system and electronic control device

Abstract

This vehicle control system comprises: a first computation unit that acquires computation data and that is capable of performing computation processing; a second computation unit that is connected to a subsequent stage of the first computation unit via a network and that is capable of performing computation processing on the computation data which are input from the first computation unit via the network; a first measurement unit that measures a band load of the network; a second measurement unit that measures a processing load of the computation processing which is performed by the second computation unit; and a switching unit that causes part of the computation processing performed by the second computation unit to be performed by the first computation unit as a substitute in accordance with the processing load and that adjusts, in accordance with the band load, the amount of data of the computation data to be output from the first computation unit to the second computation unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system and an electronic control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, vehicles have been equipped with multiple electronic control units (ECUs). These ECUs are installed in various locations within the vehicle and work together to realize a single in-vehicle application. Data communication between the ECUs is necessary, and one method for achieving this is to connect the ECUs via communication lines to form an in-vehicle network. Zone architectures are becoming increasingly popular in next-generation in-vehicle network configurations. In these architectures, image processing is centralized in an integrated ECU, which acts as a network hub. Sensors, actuators, and other devices transmit and receive information and data to and from the integrated ECU via the zone ECU. Note that as the number of zone ECUs and the number of sensors connected to the zone ECUs increase, the load on the in-vehicle network increases, and the amount of image processing performed by the integrated ECU also increases. This increases the load on the central processing unit (CPU) of the integrated ECU. For example, when the resolution and frame rate of images detected by an image sensor such as a camera increase (see Patent Document 1), the load on the in-vehicle network and the load on the CPU of the integrated ECU increase. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 131064 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes an "image processing device having a determination unit that determines the image quality of an image for detecting an object outside a moving body based on the situation related to the movement of the moving body, and an output unit that outputs an image of the image quality determined by the determination unit." Note that with the technology described in Patent Document 1, when the resolution or frame rate of an image of a device that captures an image in a predetermined direction of the moving body is increased, the amount of data transmitted to the integrated ECU via an in-vehicle network increases. Therefore, in a vehicle control system that includes a first calculation unit and a second calculation unit connected via an in-vehicle network, where the second calculation unit has a CPU, there is a problem that the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network and the processing load of the second calculation unit (e.g., the CPU of the integrated ECU) also increase.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of this situation, and aims to reduce the bandwidth load on the network between the first calculation unit and the second calculation unit, and to reduce the processing load on the second calculation unit, in a vehicle control system equipped with a first calculation unit and a second calculation unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control system of the present invention comprises a first calculation unit capable of acquiring calculation data and performing calculation processing, a second calculation unit connected to a downstream stage of the first calculation unit via a network and capable of performing calculation processing of calculation data input from the first calculation unit via the network, a first measurement unit that measures the bandwidth load of the network, a second measurement unit that measures the processing load of the calculation processing by the second calculation unit, and a switching unit that has the first calculation unit perform part of the calculation processing performed by the second calculation unit depending on the processing load, and adjusts the amount of calculation data output from the first calculation unit to the second calculation unit depending on the bandwidth load. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention having the above configuration, in a vehicle control system equipped with a first calculation unit and a second calculation unit, the bandwidth load of the network between the first calculation unit and the second calculation unit can be reduced, and the processing load of the second calculation unit can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] 2 is a diagram for explaining the flow of each process in the electronic control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3B] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of each process in the electronic control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a switching process in the electronic control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a switching process in an electronic control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] First Embodiment [Vehicle control system configuration example] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system 1 includes a sensor 10a and a control device 10b, a sensor 20a and a control device 20b, a Zone ECU 30, a Zone ECU 40, a Switch 50, and an integrated ECU 60 (electronic control device). The sensor 10a and the control device 10b are connected to the Zone ECU 30, and the Zone ECU 30 is connected to the integrated ECU 60 via the Switch 50. The sensor 20a and the control device 20b are connected to the Zone ECU 40, and the Zone ECU 40 is connected to the integrated ECU 60 via the Switch 50.

[0011] The sensors 10a and 20a are, for example, imaging devices such as cameras that acquire image information. The control devices 10b and 20b are, for example, actuator control devices.

[0012] When the Zone ECU 30 receives information data from either the sensor 10a or the control device 10b connected thereto, it transmits the received information data to the integrated ECU 60 using a high-speed protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark). The Zone ECU 30 may periodically acquire information data from the sensor 10a and the control device 10b. The Zone ECU 30 also converts image data received from the sensor 10a into image frames, and converts control data received from the control device 10b into control frames. In the following description, the image frames and control frames are collectively referred to as "frames." The Zone ECU 30 also receives control data for the control device 10b from the integrated ECU 60 and outputs the control data to the control device 10b. The operation of the Zone ECU 40 is similar to that of the Zone ECU 30, and therefore a repeated description will be omitted.

[0013] The Switch 50 selects the information data received from the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 based on the pre-registered priorities and transmits the selected information data to the integrated ECU 60. For example, if the priority of the Zone ECU 30 is higher than the priority of the Zone ECU 40, the Switch 50 transmits the information data received from the Zone ECU 30 to the integrated ECU 60 first.

[0014] The integrated ECU 60 acquires information data received from the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 as calculation data and executes various calculation processes such as image processing and generating vehicle control information. The integrated ECU 60 has a first calculation unit 100 and a second calculation unit 200. The functions of the first calculation unit 100 and the second calculation unit 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, which will be described later.

[0015] 1 has been described as an example in which each Zone ECU is connected to one sensor and one control device, but the present invention is not limited to this, and multiple sensors and control devices may be connected to each Zone ECU. Also, while FIG. 1 has been described as an example in which two Zone ECUs are provided in the vehicle control system 1, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more Zone ECUs may be provided.

[0016] [Example of electronic control device configuration] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60) according to this embodiment. The integrated ECU 60 has a first calculation unit, a second calculation unit, a first measurement unit, and a second measurement unit. In the example configuration shown in FIG. 2, the integrated ECU 60 includes a first calculation unit 100 having a first measurement unit (band load measurement unit 109), a second calculation unit 200 having a second measurement unit (CPU load measurement unit 203), and switching units (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204). The first calculation unit 100 and the second calculation unit 200 are connected so as to be able to transmit and receive information data to and from each other.

[0017] The first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) is capable of acquiring calculation data from each Zone ECU and executing calculation processing. As shown in Fig. 2, the first calculation unit 100 includes a data receiving unit 101, a frame detecting unit 102, a temporary storage unit 103, a control input / output unit 104, a protocol converting unit 105, an image processing unit 106, an image output unit 107, a switching unit (first switching unit 108), a first measuring unit (band load measuring unit 109), a frame generating unit 110, and a data transmitting unit 111.

[0018] The input side of the data receiving unit 101 is connected to the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 via an external switch 50. The output side of the data receiving unit 101 is connected to the frame detection unit 102. The frame detection unit 102 is connected to each of a temporary storage unit 103 and a protocol conversion unit 105. The temporary storage unit 103 is connected to a control input / output unit 104. The control input / output unit 104 is connected to a main processing unit 202 of the second processing unit 200. The protocol conversion unit 105 is connected to an image processing unit 106. The image processing unit 106 is connected to an image output unit 107. The image output unit 107 is connected to the main processing unit 202 of the second processing unit 200. The first switching unit 108 is connected between the image processing unit 106 and the CPU load measurement unit 203 of the second processing unit 200. The bandwidth load measurement unit 109 is connected between the image output unit 107 and the second switching unit 204 of the second processing unit 200. The temporary storage unit 103, the frame generation unit 110, and the data transmission unit 111 are connected in this order, and the data transmission unit 111 is also connected to the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 via the external Switch 50.

[0019] The data receiving unit 101 receives image data, control data, and other calculation data from the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 using a high-speed protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark), and outputs the data to the frame detecting unit 102 .

[0020] The frame detection unit 102 identifies whether the frame input from the data receiving unit 101 is image data or control data. If the frame detection unit 102 identifies the frame as control data, it outputs the control data to the temporary storage unit 103. On the other hand, if the frame detection unit 102 identifies the frame as image data, it outputs the image data to the protocol conversion unit 105.

[0021] The temporary storage unit 103 temporarily stores the control data input from the frame detection unit 102, and then outputs the control data to the control input / output unit 104. Furthermore, when control data for the external control devices 10b and 20b is input from the control input / output unit 104, the temporary storage unit 103 temporarily stores the control data and then outputs the control data to the frame generation unit 110.

[0022] The control input / output unit 104 transmits the control data input from the temporary storage unit 103 to the main processing unit 202 of the second processing unit 200. In addition, the control input / output unit 104 receives control data for the external control devices 10b and 20b from the main processing unit 202 of the second processing unit 200 and outputs it to the temporary storage unit 103.

[0023] The protocol conversion unit 105 converts the image data input from the frame detection unit 102 from an input protocol to an output protocol and outputs the converted data to the image processing unit 106. The input protocol is, for example, a transfer protocol (such as Ethernet (registered trademark)) defined between the Zone ECU 30 and the Zone ECU 40 and the integrated ECU 60. The output protocol is a transfer protocol defined between the first calculation unit 100 (image output unit 107) and the second calculation unit 200 (main calculation unit 202). Here, the output protocol is assumed to be a protocol applied to an interface dedicated to images, such as MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface). The protocol conversion unit 105 also inputs and outputs image data to and from the temporary storage unit 103.

[0024] The image processing unit 106 performs image processing (arithmetic processing) such as converting the image data input from the protocol conversion unit 105 into an RGB image, and outputs the processed image data to the image output unit 107 and the first switching unit 108. Note that there are cases where the image processing unit 106 does not perform image processing. In this case, the image processing unit 106 outputs the image data input from the protocol conversion unit 105 to the image output unit 107 and the first switching unit 108 as is.

[0025] The image output unit 107 transmits the unprocessed or processed image data input from the image processing unit 106 to the first measurement unit (bandwidth load measurement unit 109) and the main calculation unit 202 of the second calculation unit 200. The image data is transferred between the first calculation unit 100 (image output unit 107) and the second calculation unit 200 (main calculation unit 202) via an interface dedicated to images, such as MIPI.

[0026] The switching unit (first switching unit 108) substitutes a part of the arithmetic processing (e.g., image processing) performed by the second arithmetic unit (second arithmetic unit 200) for the first arithmetic unit (first arithmetic unit 100) in accordance with the processing load measured by the second measuring unit (CPU load measuring unit 203) of the second arithmetic unit (second arithmetic unit 200). For example, when the CPU load (processing load) of the CPU 201 measured by the CPU load measuring unit 203 (described later) exceeds a predetermined upper processing load limit (e.g., 70%), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to the image processing unit 106 to execute image processing in the image processing unit 106. Note that the predetermined upper processing load limit is an upper processing load limit that is set in advance for the processing load of the CPU 201 of the second arithmetic unit 200.

[0027] Furthermore, the switching unit (first switching unit 108) adjusts the amount of calculation data output from the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) to the second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200) in accordance with the bandwidth load measured by the first measurement unit (bandwidth load measurement unit 109). The bandwidth load is the utilization rate of the network bandwidth. For example, when the bandwidth load measured by the bandwidth load measurement unit 109 exceeds a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit (e.g., 75%), the first switching unit 108 adjusts the amount of calculation data output to the second calculation unit 200 by outputting an instruction to the image processing unit 106 to execute an extraction process of image data. Note that the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit is an upper limit of the bandwidth load that is set in advance for the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network.

[0028] The first measurement unit (bandwidth load measurement unit 109) measures the bandwidth load, which is the bandwidth utilization rate of the network between the first calculation unit 100 and the second calculation unit 200, based on the data volume of image data input from the image output unit 107, and outputs the measurement result to the first switching unit 108. The bandwidth load measurement unit 109 also outputs the measurement result of the bandwidth load to the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200. Note that the bandwidth load is expressed, for example, as an occupation rate (e.g., 50%) of the bandwidth occupied by the amount of data to be transferred between the first calculation unit 100 (image output unit 107) and the second calculation unit 200 (main calculation unit 202) to the total bandwidth. Here, the total bandwidth refers to the total bandwidth of the communication path (network) between the first calculation unit 100 and the second calculation unit 200.

[0029] The frame generating unit 110 generates a frame for the control data for the external control devices 10 b and 20 b input from the temporary storage unit 103 , and outputs the frame to the data transmitting unit 111 .

[0030] The data transmission unit 111 transmits the control data input from the frame generation unit 110 to the external Zone ECU 30 or Zone ECU 40 using a high-speed protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0031] The second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200) is connected to the subsequent stage of the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) via a network, and is capable of executing calculation processing of calculation data input from the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) via the network. As shown in FIG. 2 , the second calculation unit 200 has a CPU 201. The CPU 201 has a main calculation unit 202, a second measurement unit (CPU load measurement unit 203), and a switching unit (second switching unit 204). The main calculation unit 202, the CPU load measurement unit 203, and the second switching unit 204 are connected to each other. The main calculation unit 202 is connected to the control input / output unit 104 and the image output unit 107 of the first calculation unit 100. The second measurement unit (CPU load measurement unit 203) is connected to the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100. The second switching unit 204 is connected to the bandwidth load measurement unit 109 of the first calculation unit 100.

[0032] The main calculation unit 202 performs image processing (arithmetic processing) on ​​image data (calculation data) received from the image output unit 107 of the first calculation unit 100, and performs processing (arithmetic processing) such as object detection and object recognition to generate control data. The main calculation unit 202 also transmits the generated control data to the control input / output unit 104 of the first calculation unit 100. Note that when an instruction to perform image processing is input from the second switching unit 204, the main calculation unit 202 performs image processing. On the other hand, when an instruction not to perform image processing is input from the second switching unit 204, the main calculation unit 202 does not perform image processing.

[0033] The second measurement unit (CPU load measurement unit 203) acquires information about the arithmetic processing to be executed by the main calculation unit 202 and measures the processing load when the arithmetic processing is performed. The processing load may be, for example, the utilization rate of the second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200, CPU 201) that generates vehicle control information based on calculation data input from the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100). Other examples of the processing load may include the amount of data to be processed by the arithmetic processing in the second calculation unit 200, or the processing time required for the arithmetic processing in the second calculation unit 200. In the following description, the utilization rate of the CPU 201 is an example of the processing load and is referred to as the "CPU load." The CPU load is, for example, expressed as the utilization rate of the CPU 201 (for example, 50%) of the processing to be executed by the main calculation unit 202 (partial processing of the CPU 201) relative to the overall processing of the CPU 201. Furthermore, the CPU load measuring unit 203 outputs the measured CPU load to the second switching unit 204 and also transmits it to the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 .

[0034] Similar to the first switching unit 108, the switching unit (second switching unit 204) controls the switching of arithmetic processing based on the processing load measured by the second measuring unit (CPU load measuring unit 203). For example, when the CPU load is less than a predetermined upper processing load limit (e.g., 70%), the second switching unit 204 outputs an instruction to the main processing unit 202 to execute image processing in the main processing unit 202. Furthermore, when execution of extraction processing on image data is set in the main processing unit 202, the second switching unit 204 outputs an instruction to the main processing unit 202 to execute extraction processing in the main processing unit 202.

[0035] [Example of processing order in an electronic control unit (integrated ECU)] FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating each process in an electronic control device (integrated ECU 60) according to this embodiment. Here, it is assumed that input data to the integrated ECU 60 is RAW image data. RAW images are unprocessed image data obtained from an imaging element. Each pixel contains only monochromatic color information. Because the amount of data information is smaller than that of RGB color representation, they are suitable for high-speed, large-capacity communication. In this embodiment, the RAW images are transferred to the integrated ECU 60 via Ethernet (registered trademark) at a predetermined size and at a predetermined interval. It is also assumed that the image processing performed on the image data is RGB conversion processing, which converts the RAW image into an RGB image, and that the extraction processing performed on the image data is area (X- and Y-axes) extraction processing or time-axis extraction processing. As shown in FIG. 3A, the processing performed by the first calculation unit 100 of the integrated ECU 60 includes a data input process 100a, an RGB conversion process 100b, and an extraction process 100c. The processing performed by the second calculation unit 200 of the integrated ECU 60 includes an RGB conversion process 200a, an extraction process 200b, and an output process 200c.

[0036] The data input process 100a of the first calculation unit 100 is an input process of image data performed in the image processing unit 106. The image data input to the image processing unit 106 is RAW image data output from the protocol conversion unit 105 after protocol conversion.

[0037] If the execution of the RGB conversion process 100b and / or the extraction process 100c is set in the image processing unit 106 after the data input process 100a, the RGB conversion process 100b and / or the extraction process 100c are executed (see processing examples P3 and P4 in FIG. 3B described later). Then, the image data after the image processing is output to the second calculation unit 200. On the other hand, if the execution of the RGB conversion process 100b and the extraction process 100c is set not to be executed, the RGB conversion process 100b and the extraction process 100c are not executed (see processing examples P1 and P2 in FIG. 3B described later). In this case, the RAW image data input in the data input process 100a is output as is to the second calculation unit 200. Whether or not to execute each of the RGB conversion process 100b and the extraction process 100c is set in advance.

[0038] When the main calculation unit 202 of the second calculation unit 200 is set to perform the RGB conversion process 200a and / or the extraction process 200b, the RGB conversion process 200a and / or the extraction process 200b are executed on the image data from the first calculation unit 100 (see processing examples P1 and P2 in FIG. 3B, which will be described later). On the other hand, when it is set not to perform the RGB conversion process 200a and the extraction process 200b, the RGB conversion process 200a and the extraction process 200b are not executed (see processing examples P3 and P4 in FIG. 3B, which will be described later). Note that whether or not to perform each of the RGB conversion process 200a and the extraction process 200b is set in advance.

[0039] In the output process 200c, the main calculation unit 202 outputs the image data after image processing (after RGB conversion process and extraction process) to a storage destination such as a storage device or a server on the Internet. Note that if the RGB conversion process 200a and the extraction process 200b are not executed, the main calculation unit 202 outputs the image data input from the first calculation unit 100 as is.

[0040] Fig. 3B is a diagram showing an example of the processing order of each process in the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60) described in Fig. 3A. Each column in Fig. 3B represents each process or data to be processed in the first calculation unit 100 and the second calculation unit 200. Each row in Fig. 3B represents the processing order from the data input process 100a in the first calculation unit 100 to the output process 200c in the second calculation unit 200.

[0041] Processing example P1 shows Example 1 of the processing order when the bandwidth load does not exceed a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit and the processing load does not exceed a predetermined processing load upper limit. Therefore, in the image processing unit 106 of the first calculation unit 100 shown in processing example P1, the RGB conversion processing (image processing) and extraction processing are set to not be performed ("Off"). The data transferred from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 is RAW image data. Then, in the main calculation unit 202 of the second calculation unit 200, the RGB conversion processing is set to be performed ("On") and the extraction processing is set to not be performed ("Off"). Therefore, the RGB conversion processing 200a is executed and the extraction processing 200b is not executed. In the output processing 200c, the RGB image data after the RGB conversion processing is output.

[0042] Processing example P2 also shows example 2 of the processing order when the bandwidth load does not exceed a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value and the processing load does not exceed a predetermined processing load upper limit value. In processing example P2, each process in the first calculation unit 100 is the same as in processing example P1, so duplicate explanations will be omitted. In the main calculation unit 202 of the second calculation unit 200, RGB conversion processing is set to be performed ("On") and extraction processing is set to be performed ("On"), so RGB conversion processing 200a and extraction processing 200b are executed. Therefore, in output processing 200c, RGB image data after RGB conversion processing and extraction processing is output.

[0043] Processing example P3 shows an example of a processing order when the bandwidth load does not exceed a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit, and the processing load exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit. Because the processing load exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit and image processing (RGB conversion processing) is switched to the first calculation unit 100, the RGB conversion processing is set to be performed ("On") in the image processing unit 106 of the first calculation unit 100. Furthermore, because the bandwidth load does not exceed the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit, the extraction processing is set to be not performed ("Off") in the first calculation unit 100.

[0044] As shown in processing example P3, RAW image data is input in the data input process 100a of the first calculation unit 100. In the image processing unit 106, the RGB conversion process is set to be performed ("On"), but the extraction process is not set to be performed ("Off"), so the RGB conversion process 100b is executed, but the extraction process 100c is not executed. Therefore, the data transferred from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 is RGB image data, and the data volume is larger than that of RAW image data. Then, in the main calculation unit 202 of the second calculation unit 200, the RGB conversion process and the extraction process are set to be not performed ("Off"), so in the output process 200c, the RGB image data input from the first calculation unit 100 is output as is. As shown in processing example P3, in this embodiment, when the bandwidth load does not exceed a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value and the processing load exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit value, the switching unit (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) adjusts the data amount so that the data amount of the calculation data on which the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) performs calculation processing increases.

[0045] Processing example P4 shows an example of a processing order when the bandwidth load exceeds a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit and the processing load also exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit. Because the processing load exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit and image processing (RGB conversion processing) is switched to the first calculation unit 100, the RGB conversion processing is set to be performed ("ON") in the image processing unit 106 of the first calculation unit 100. Also, because the bandwidth load exceeds the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit, the extraction processing is set to be performed ("ON") in the first calculation unit 100.

[0046] As shown in processing example P4, RAW image data is input in a data input process 100a of the first calculation unit 100. In the image processing unit 106, RGB conversion processing is set to be performed ("ON") and extraction processing is set to be performed ("ON"), so RGB conversion processing 100b and extraction processing 100c are executed. Therefore, the data transferred from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 is RGB image data after the RGB conversion processing. Then, in order to prevent an increase in the amount of calculation data transferred from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200, extraction processing of the time axis or XY axis (area) is executed in the first calculation unit 100. Note that in processing example P4, each process in the second calculation unit 200 is the same as in processing example P3, so repeated explanations will be omitted. As shown in processing example P4, in this embodiment, when the bandwidth load exceeds the bandwidth load upper limit value and the processing load exceeds the processing load upper limit value, the switching unit (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) adjusts the amount of data so that the amount of calculation data output by the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) to the second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200) does not increase.

[0047] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the switching process in the electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60) according to this embodiment. The process described below starts when the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 receives the CPU load measured by the second measurement unit (CPU load measurement unit 203) of the second calculation unit 200.

[0048] First, the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 determines whether or not the CPU load exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit (threshold) (step S101).

[0049] In the process of step S101, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the CPU load does not exceed a predetermined processing load upper limit (threshold) (NO in S101), the process of step S109, which will be described later, is performed.

[0050] On the other hand, in the process of step S101, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the CPU load exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit (threshold) (YES in S101), it determines whether or not the execution of image processing (RGB conversion processing, etc.) is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S102). In this process, the first switching unit 108 obtains execution setting information for image processing from the image processing unit 106 and makes the determination.

[0051] In the process of step S102, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of image processing is not set (NO in S102), the process of step S104, which will be described later, is performed.

[0052] On the other hand, in the process of step S102, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of image processing is set (YES in S102), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to execute image processing to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 executes image processing in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S103). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not execute image processing.

[0053] After processing step S103 or if the processing step S102 is judged as NO, the first switching unit 108 acquires the measured bandwidth load from the bandwidth load measuring unit 109 and judges whether the bandwidth load exceeds a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (step S104).

[0054] In the process of step S104, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the bandwidth load does not exceed the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (NO in S104), the process of step S109, which will be described later, is performed.

[0055] On the other hand, in the process of step S104, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the bandwidth load exceeds the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (YES in S104), it determines whether or not the execution of the time axis extraction process is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S105). In this process, the first switching unit 108 obtains execution setting information for the time axis extraction process from the image processing unit 106 and makes the determination.

[0056] In the process of step S105, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the time axis extraction process is not set (NO in S105), the process of step S107, which will be described later, is performed.

[0057] On the other hand, in the process of step S105, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the time axis extraction process is set (YES in S105), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to execute the time axis extraction process to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 executes the time axis extraction process in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S106). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not execute the time axis extraction process.

[0058] After the process of step S106 or if the determination in step S105 is NO, the first switching unit 108 determines whether or not the execution of area (XY axes) extraction processing is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S107).

[0059] In the process of step S107, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the area extraction process is not set (NO in S107), the process of step S109, which will be described later, is performed.

[0060] On the other hand, in the process of step S107, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the area extraction process is set to be performed (YES in S107), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to perform the area extraction process to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 performs the area extraction process in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S108). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not perform the area extraction process.

[0061] After the process of step S108, if the process of step S101 is a NO determination, if the process of step S104 is a NO determination, or if the process of step S107 is a NO determination, the image processing unit 106 outputs the image data to the image output unit 107 (step S109). After the process of step S109, the switching process in the integrated ECU 60 ends.

[0062] The integrated ECU 60 may dynamically switch the image processing modes during data transfer, or may statically switch the image processing modes by setting an initial value for the amount of data predicted based on the number of sensors and image quality settings at the initial time. When the integrated ECU 60 dynamically switches the image processing modes, data continuity must be taken into consideration. When the integrated ECU 60 handles image data from multiple sensors, it may switch image processing modes for all the sensors at once, or it may switch image processing modes for each sensor. When the amount of data information of image data from some of the multiple sensors increases, the integrated ECU 60 may switch image processing modes for the sensor with the increased amount of data, or it may switch image processing modes for all the sensors at once. When the amount of data information of all the sensors is increased based on, for example, the CPU load or the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network, the integrated ECU 60 eliminates the need for a configuration to control the sensors to increase the amount of data, thereby simplifying the system. Furthermore, when the MIPI protocol is applied to the in-vehicle network, the transferred data is tagged with a virtual number, so the first calculation unit 100 or the second calculation unit 200 may control image processing to be switched for each virtual number.

[0063] [effect] As described above, the electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60) according to the first embodiment measures the processing load of the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200, and when the measured processing load exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the image processing that was scheduled to be executed by the CPU 201 is switched to be executed by the image processing unit 106 of the first calculation unit 100. This makes it possible to reduce the processing load of the CPU 201 of the electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60) according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network is measured, and when the measured bandwidth load exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the bandwidth load, the first calculation unit 100 performs an image data extraction process or the like, thereby controlling the amount of image data transferred from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 to be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network.

[0064] Second Embodiment Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control device (integrated ECU 60a) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from a comparison of the configuration of the integrated ECU 60a shown in Fig. 5 with the configuration of the integrated ECU 60 shown in Fig. 2, the second calculation unit 200 of the integrated ECU 60a does not include a CPU load measurement unit as the second measurement unit, but instead includes a processing amount measurement unit 205.

[0065] The second measurement unit (processing amount measurement unit 205) measures the amount of data required for the calculation processing of the second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200, CPU 201), which generates vehicle control information based on the calculation data input from the first calculation unit 100, as the processing load (processing amount of CPU 201). Note that the processing load (processing amount of CPU 201) is not limited to the amount of data required for the calculation processing of the second calculation unit 200, and may be, for example, the amount of data that CPU 201 must process within a certain time period or the time required to process a certain amount of data. Furthermore, the processing amount measurement unit 205 outputs the measured processing amount of CPU 201 to the second switching unit 204, and also transmits it to the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100.

[0066] The switching units (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) substitute the first processing unit 100 for a part of the processing performed by the second processing unit 200 in accordance with the processing load of the CPU 201, and adjust the amount of processing data output from the first processing unit 100 to the second processing unit 200 in accordance with the bandwidth load. For example, when the amount of data required for the processing of the second processing unit that generates vehicle control information exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit, the switching units (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) adjust the data amount so that the amount of processing data that the first processing unit (first processing unit 100) executes processing on increases. Note that, when the processing load of the CPU 201 is the time required to process a certain amount of data, the predetermined processing load upper limit may be, for example, the processing time required for the image processing unit 106 of the first processing unit 100 to process the certain amount of data.

[0067] The components of the integrated ECU 60a other than the processed material amount measuring unit 205, the first switching unit 108, and the second switching unit 204 are the same as those described in FIG. 2, and therefore will not be described again.

[0068] [effect] As described above, in the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60a) according to the second embodiment, the processing load of the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200 is measured, and when the measured processing load (e.g., the amount of data required for the calculation processing of the second calculation unit 200) is equal to or greater than a predetermined processing load upper limit, the switching unit causes the first calculation unit 100 to perform part of the calculation processing (e.g., image processing) performed by the second calculation unit 200 instead. This reduces the processing load of the CPU 201 of the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60a) according to the second embodiment. Furthermore, by adjusting the amount of calculation data output from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 in accordance with the bandwidth load measured by the bandwidth load measurement unit 109, the switching unit not only reduces the load on the in-vehicle network but also reduces the processing load by reducing the processing load of the CPU 201.

[0069] Third Embodiment Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60b) according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from a comparison of the configuration of the integrated ECU 60b shown in Fig. 6 with the configuration of the integrated ECU 60 shown in Fig. 2, in the integrated ECU 60b, a CPU load measurement unit 203 (second measurement unit) is not provided inside the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200, and instead a CPU load prediction unit 113 is provided inside the first calculation unit 100 as the second measurement unit.

[0070] The CPU load prediction unit 113 is connected to the protocol conversion unit 105, and predicts the CPU load by inputting the RAW image data after protocol conversion from the protocol conversion unit 105. The CPU load prediction unit 113 also outputs the predicted CPU load to the first switching unit 108 and transmits it to the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200.

[0071] The switching units (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) substitute the first processing unit 100 for performing part of the processing performed by the second processing unit 200 in accordance with the predicted processing load of the CPU 201, and adjust the amount of processing data output from the first processing unit 100 to the second processing unit 200 in accordance with the bandwidth load. For example, when the predicted processing load exceeds a predetermined upper processing load limit, the switching units increase the amount of processing data for which the first processing unit (first processing unit 100) executes processing, and adjust the amount of processing data output from the first processing unit (first processing unit 100) to the second processing unit (second processing unit 200).

[0072] The components other than the CPU load prediction unit 113 of the integrated ECU 60b are the same as those described in FIG. 2, and therefore will not be described again.

[0073] Furthermore, this embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 6, and for example, the processing material amount measurement unit 205 (second measurement unit) shown in Figure 5 may be provided inside the first calculation unit 100 rather than inside the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200.

[0074] [effect] The electronic control device (integrated ECU 60b) of the third embodiment, in which the second measurement unit (CPU load prediction unit 113) is provided inside the first calculation unit 100, can obtain the same effects as the electronic control devices of the first and second embodiments.

[0075] <Fourth embodiment> Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device (integrated ECU 60c) according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from a comparison of the configuration of the integrated ECU 60c shown in Fig. 7 with the configuration of the integrated ECU 60b shown in Fig. 6, the integrated ECU 60c does not include a CPU load measurement unit 203 as a second measurement unit, and instead includes an object detection prediction unit 112 in the first calculation unit 100.

[0076] The object detection prediction unit 112 is connected to the protocol conversion unit 105, receives RAW image data after protocol conversion from the protocol conversion unit 105, and predicts areas in the image where objects are likely to be detected. Specifically, the object detection prediction unit 112 scans the input image and predicts areas (images or areas) where objects are likely to be detected, and images or areas where moving objects are likely to be present. For example, the object detection prediction unit 112 compares previous and subsequent input images, estimates areas where there is significant change as areas where acceleration is high, and predicts areas where objects or moving objects are likely to be present. That is, in this embodiment, the processing load of the second calculation unit (CPU 201) is calculated from the images or areas where detectable objects are predicted from the image data. Note that this embodiment is not limited to this, and any method can be applied as a method for predicting areas in an image where objects, moving objects, etc. are likely to be detected. Furthermore, the object detection prediction unit 112 outputs the number of objects likely to be detected from the input image data as a prediction result to the first switching unit 108 and also transmits it to the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200. In this case, the predetermined upper limit of the processing load on the second calculation unit 200 is an upper limit set for the number of objects included in the input image.

[0077] When the processing load predicted by the object detection prediction unit 112 exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the switching unit (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) causes the first calculation unit (first calculation unit 100) to perform calculation processing on the image data. For example, when the number of objects in the image data predicted as the processing load by the object detection prediction unit 112 exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the first switching unit 108 and the second switching unit 204 may cause the first calculation unit 100 to perform part of the calculation processing that is performed by the second calculation unit 200 instead. Then, the switching unit adjusts the amount of calculation data output from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 according to the bandwidth load.

[0078] 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the switching process in the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60c) according to this embodiment. The process described below starts when the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 receives the number of objects predicted from the object detection prediction unit 112.

[0079] First, the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 determines whether the predicted number of objects exceeds a predetermined upper limit of processing load (step S201).

[0080] In the process of step S201, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the number of detected objects does not exceed the predetermined processing load upper limit (NO in S201), the process of step S209, which will be described later, is performed.

[0081] On the other hand, in the process of step S201, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the number of predicted objects exceeds the predetermined upper processing load limit (YES in S201), it determines whether or not the execution of image processing (RGB conversion processing, etc.) is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S202). In this process, the first switching unit 108 obtains execution setting information for image processing from the image processing unit 106 and makes the determination.

[0082] In the process of step S202, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of image processing is not set (NO in S202), the process of step S204, which will be described later, is performed.

[0083] On the other hand, in the process of step S202, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of image processing is set (YES in S202), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to execute image processing to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 executes image processing in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S203). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not execute image processing.

[0084] After processing step S203 or if the result of processing step S202 is NO, the first switching unit 108 acquires the measured bandwidth load from the bandwidth load measuring unit 109 and determines whether the bandwidth load exceeds a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (step S204).

[0085] In the process of step S204, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the bandwidth load does not exceed the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (NO in S204), the process of step S209, which will be described later, is performed.

[0086] On the other hand, in the process of step S204, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the bandwidth load exceeds the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value (YES in S204), it determines whether or not the execution of the time axis extraction process is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S205). In this process, the first switching unit 108 obtains execution setting information for the time axis extraction process from the image processing unit 106 and makes the determination.

[0087] In the process of step S205, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the time axis extraction process is not set (NO in S205), the process of step S207, which will be described later, is performed.

[0088] On the other hand, in the process of step S205, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the time axis extraction process is set (YES in S205), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to execute the time axis extraction process to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 executes the time axis extraction process in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S206). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not execute the time axis extraction process.

[0089] After the process of step S206 or if the determination result of the process of step S205 is NO, the first switching unit 108 determines whether or not the execution of area (XY axes) extraction processing is set in the image processing unit 106 (step S207).

[0090] In the process of step S207, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the execution of the area extraction process is not set (NO in S207), the process of step S209, which will be described later, is performed.

[0091] On the other hand, in the process of step S207, if the first switching unit 108 determines that the area extraction process is set to be performed (YES in S207), the first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction to perform the area extraction process to the image processing unit 106. Then, the image processing unit 106 performs the area extraction process in accordance with the instruction from the first switching unit 108 (step S208). At this time, the main calculation unit 202 does not perform the area extraction process.

[0092] After the process of step S208, if the process of step S201 is a NO determination, if the process of step S204 is a NO determination, or if the process of step S207 is a NO determination, the image processing unit 106 outputs the image data to the image output unit 107 (step S209). After the process of step S209, the switching process in the integrated ECU 60c ends.

[0093] Note that this embodiment is not limited to the above-described switching process. For example, if the measured bandwidth load in the first calculation unit 100 of the integrated ECU 60c exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit, the frame rate of images in which a predicted object is likely to be detected may be reduced, and some images may not be output. Furthermore, when multiple sensor images are output, the first calculation unit 100 may prioritize images in which an object is likely to be detected over images in which an object is difficult to detect, and output the images with higher priority. As a method for outputting images with higher priority, the frame rate of image data in which an object is likely to be detected or the area may be reduced to reduce the amount of information, or image data in which an object is likely to be detected may be output. Another method for outputting images with higher priority may be to assign the lowest priority to images with errors such as missing lines during the image scanning process and not output them. Note that this embodiment is not limited to this, and factors for determining priority may be specified as appropriate. For example, image data from a specific sensor may be prioritized in advance as a default value, or image data from a sensor in a certain direction or from a sensor in a certain time period may be prioritized based on certain conditions. For example, if the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction, the priority of image data from a sensor installed in the front of the vehicle may be higher than that of image data from a sensor installed in the rear of the vehicle.

[0094] Furthermore, when image processing is performed in the second calculation unit 200, for example, image quality improvement processing may be performed on poor quality images that contain detected errors. Furthermore, image processing may be performed first on high priority images in the second calculation unit 200. Note that by reducing the amount of information on low priority images, it is possible to allocate the CPU to image processing of high priority images.

[0095] The components of the integrated ECU 60c other than the object detection prediction unit 112, the first switching unit 108, and the second switching unit 204 are the same as those described in FIG. 2, and therefore will not be described again.

[0096] [effect] As described above, in the first calculation unit 100 of the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60c) according to the fourth embodiment, the object detection prediction unit 112 predicts detectable objects from input image data. When the number of predicted objects exceeds a predetermined upper processing load limit, the switching unit causes the first calculation unit 100 to perform part of the calculation processing performed by the second calculation unit 200. Furthermore, in the integrated ECU 60c according to the fourth embodiment, when the measured bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network exceeds a predetermined upper bandwidth load limit, the switching unit adjusts the amount of data output from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 so as not to increase the amount of calculation data. Therefore, the integrated ECU 60c according to the fourth embodiment not only reduces the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network, but also reduces the amount of data for image processing by the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200, thereby reducing the processing load on the CPU 201. Furthermore, the second calculation unit 200 of the integrated ECU 60c adjusts the amount of image data to be processed according to the object detection result, thereby further reducing the processing load on the CPU 201.

[0097] Fifth Embodiment Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control device (integrated ECU 60d) according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen by comparing the configuration of the integrated ECU 60d shown in Fig. 9 with the configuration of the integrated ECU 60c shown in Fig. 7, the integrated ECU 60d does not include an object detection prediction unit 112 in the first calculation unit 100, but instead includes an object detection measurement unit 206 in the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200. In the fifth embodiment, calculation data to be subjected to calculation processing is image data.

[0098] The object detection and measurement unit 206 performs object detection on the image data input from the first calculation unit 100, and outputs the number of objects detected from the image data to the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 and the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200. Here, the processing load detected by the object detection and measurement unit 206 is measured as the number of objects detected from the image data.

[0099] When the number of objects (processing load) detected by the object detection and measurement unit 206 exceeds a predetermined upper processing load limit, the switching unit (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) causes the first calculation unit to perform calculation processing on the image data. For example, the first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204 cause the first calculation unit 100 to perform calculation processing on the image data in which objects are detected, which is performed by the second calculation unit (second calculation unit 200). Furthermore, the switching unit adjusts the amount of calculation data output from the first calculation unit 100 to the second calculation unit 200 according to the bandwidth load.

[0100] The components of the integrated ECU 60d other than the object detection and measurement unit 206 are the same as those described in FIG. 7, and therefore will not be described again.

[0101] [effect] In the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60d) according to the fifth embodiment, the image processing switching process based on the object detection result of the object detection measurement unit 206 is the same as the process described in FIG. 8, and the setting method for setting the image priority is also the same, so the electronic control device (integrated ECU 60d) according to the fifth embodiment can obtain the same effects as the electronic control device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0102] Sixth Embodiment FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle control system 2 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, in the vehicle control system 2, the Zone ECU 30 includes an image processing unit 106a and a Switch 31. Similarly, the Zone ECU 40 includes an image processing unit 106b and a Switch 41. Note that the image processing units 106a and 106b (image processing units) have the function of performing arithmetic processing on image data, similar to the image processing unit 106 described in FIG. 2. In the sixth embodiment, the arithmetic data to be processed is image data. The Switch 31 selects image data output from the image processing unit 106a and control data output from the control device 10b based on a pre-registered priority order and outputs the selected data to the Switch 50. For example, when image data and control data arrive simultaneously, the Switch 31 prioritizes and outputs the image data to the Switch 50, and then outputs the control data to the Switch 50. The Switch 41 operates in the same manner as the Switch 31, and therefore a redundant description will be omitted. Note that in the sixth embodiment, the sensors 10a and 20a each acquire image data.

[0103] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic control unit (integrated ECU 60e) according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen by comparing the configuration of the integrated ECU 60e shown in FIG. 11 with the configuration of the integrated ECU 60 shown in FIG. 2, the integrated ECU 60e does not include an image processing unit 106. In the integrated ECU 60e, a first switching unit 108 outputs an instruction as to whether or not to execute image processing to a frame generating unit 110. The instruction from the first switching unit 108 is transmitted to the image processing unit 106a of the Zone ECU 30 or the image processing unit 106b of the Zone ECU 40 via the frame generating unit 110 and a data transmitting unit 111. The image processing units (image processing units 106a, 106b) perform arithmetic processing on image data acquired by the sensors (sensors 10a, 20a).

[0104] In addition, in the integrated ECU 60e, the bandwidth load measurement unit 109 measures the bandwidth load of the communication path between each of the Zone ECUs 30, 40 and the integrated ECU 60e based on the amount of image data received by the data receiving unit 101.

[0105] When the processing load of the CPU 201 exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the switching units (first switching unit 108 and second switching unit 204) cause the image processing units (image processing units 106a, 106b) of the Zone ECUs 30, 40 to perform part of the arithmetic processing performed by the second arithmetic unit (second arithmetic unit 200). In this case, the image data transmitted from the Zone ECUs 30, 40 to the integrated ECU 60e is RGB image data after image processing. Therefore, when the bandwidth load of the communication path between each Zone ECU 30, 40 and the integrated ECU 60e becomes heavy and the bandwidth load measured by the bandwidth load measuring unit 109 exceeds a predetermined upper limit of the bandwidth load, the first switching unit 108 and the second switching unit 204 may instruct not to switch the image processing. In this case, the first switching unit 108 may instruct the image processing units 106a, 106b of the Zone ECUs 30, 40 to execute an extraction process of the image data. In this way, the amount of image data transmitted from the Zone ECUs 30 and 40 to the integrated ECU 60e is reduced, thereby reducing the bandwidth load.

[0106] 10 has described a configuration example in which the first arithmetic unit 100 does not have the image processing unit 106, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and an image processing unit may be provided in each of the first arithmetic unit 100 and each of the Zone ECUs 30 and 40. In this case, image processing is switched between the second arithmetic unit 200, the first arithmetic unit 100, and the Zone ECUs 30 and 40 based on the processing load of the CPU 201 of the second arithmetic unit 200 and the bandwidth load of the in-vehicle network.

[0107] 10 illustrates a configuration in which the image processing units 106a and 106b are provided in the Zone ECUs 30 and 40, respectively. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the first calculation unit 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be provided in each of the Zone ECUs 30 and 40.

[0108] 11 illustrates an example in which the image processing units 106a, 106b are provided in each of the Zone ECUs 30, 40, but this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, if each sensor is an imaging device or the like having an image processing unit capable of performing image processing, and the processing load measured by the second measurement unit exceeds a predetermined upper processing load limit, the image processing (arithmetic processing) may be switched to be performed in the image processing unit of each sensor.

[0109] [effect] In the sixth embodiment (integrated ECU 60e), the image processing unit is not provided in the integrated ECU 60e, but is provided inside each of the Zone ECUs 30 and 40. When a sensor having an image processing function is used, the image processing may be switched to the image processing function in the sensor. The vehicle control system 2 having such a configuration can obtain the same effects as the vehicle control systems having the electronic control devices of the above-described embodiments.

[0110] <Various modified examples> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various other applications and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have described in detail and specifically the configurations of the vehicle control system and electronic control device in order to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configurations of the embodiments described here with configurations of other embodiments, and it is also possible to add configurations of other embodiments to configurations of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configurations of each embodiment with other configurations. In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

[0111] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, RGB image conversion has been described as an example of image processing, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, image conversion between different formats may be included in the image processing. Furthermore, various processes, such as frame rate reduction, image area limitation, image quality correction, and image quality improvement, may be included in the image processing, and switching control may be performed in a similar configuration to the electronic control device according to the above-described embodiments.

[0112] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, switching control of image processing for image data has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, switching control may be performed for various types of arithmetic processing using control data.

[0113] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example configuration has been described in which an image processing unit is provided inside at least one of the first calculation unit 100 of the integrated ECU, each Zone ECU, and each sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if an image processing unit is not provided inside any of the first calculation unit of the integrated ECU, each Zone ECU, and each sensor, the image processing unit, i.e., a component that executes calculation processing, may be provided as an independent component in the vehicle control system.

[0114] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the integrated ECU includes the first calculation unit 100, the second calculation unit 200, the first measurement unit, the second measurement unit, and the switching unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if a vehicle control system includes multiple electronic control units (Zone ECUs and an integrated ECU) that can communicate with each other, at least one of the multiple electronic control units may include the first calculation unit, the second calculation unit, the first measurement unit, the second measurement unit, and the switching unit (the first switching unit 108 and the second switching unit 204) and acquire calculation data from the other electronic control units. For example, if a vehicle control system includes multiple electronic control units that can communicate with each other, at least one of the multiple electronic control units may include the second calculation unit, the first measurement unit, the second measurement unit, and the switching unit, and at least one of the other electronic control units may include an electronic control unit that includes the first calculation unit. In this way, the type and number of functional units that can be arranged in the electronic control unit can be changed as desired.

[0115] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration example has been described in which the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 and the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200 are integrated into a switching unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the functions of the first switching unit 108 of the first calculation unit 100 and the second switching unit 204 of the second calculation unit 200 may be combined into a single functional unit to form a switching unit. In this case, the switching unit is provided in the first calculation unit 100 or the second calculation unit 200. To further reduce the processing load on the CPU 201 of the second calculation unit 200, the switching unit may be provided in the first calculation unit 100.

[0116] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the switching control instruction information is illustrated as a dedicated line in each drawing, but an actual dedicated line need not be installed. For example, the switching control instruction information may be transmitted and received in a specific packet or frame. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1...vehicle control system, 100...first calculation unit, 10a, 20a...sensor, 10b, 20b...control device, 30, 40...Zone ECU, 50...Switch, 60...integrated ECU, 101...data receiving unit, 102...frame detection unit, 103...temporary storage unit, 104...control input / output unit, 105...protocol conversion unit, 106...image processing unit, 107...image output unit, 108...first switching unit, 109...bandwidth load measurement unit, 110...frame generation unit, 111...data transmission unit, 112...object detection prediction unit, 113...CPU load prediction unit, 200...second calculation unit, 201...CPU, 202...main calculation unit, 203...CPU load measurement unit, 204...second switching unit

Claims

1. a first calculation unit capable of acquiring calculation data and executing calculation processing; a second calculation unit connected to a subsequent stage of the first calculation unit via a network and capable of performing calculation processing of the calculation data input from the first calculation unit via the network; a first measurement unit that measures a bandwidth load of the network; a second measurement unit that measures a processing load of the calculation processing by the second calculation unit; a switching unit that causes the first calculation unit to perform a part of the calculation processing performed by the second calculation unit in accordance with the processing load, and adjusts the amount of the calculation data output from the first calculation unit to the second calculation unit in accordance with the bandwidth load. Vehicle control system.

2. When the bandwidth load does not exceed a predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value and the processing load exceeds a predetermined processing load upper limit value, the switching unit adjusts the amount of data so that the amount of the calculation data for which the first calculation unit executes calculation processing increases. The vehicle control system of claim 1 .

3. When the bandwidth load exceeds the predetermined bandwidth load upper limit value and the processing load exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit value, the switching unit adjusts the amount of data so that the amount of the calculation data output from the first calculation unit to the second calculation unit does not increase. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

4. the bandwidth load is a utilization rate of the bandwidth of the network; The processing load is a utilization rate of the second calculation unit that generates vehicle control information based on the calculation data input from the first calculation unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 3 .

5. the bandwidth load is a utilization rate of the bandwidth of the network; the processing load is a data amount required for the calculation processing of the second calculation unit that generates vehicle control information based on the calculation data input from the first calculation unit, When the data amount exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit, the switching unit adjusts the data amount so that the data amount of the calculation data for which the first calculation unit executes calculation processing increases. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

6. the second measurement unit predicts a processing load of the calculation processing by the second calculation unit, When the predicted processing load exceeds the predetermined processing load upper limit, the switching unit increases the amount of the calculation data that the first calculation unit executes calculation processing on, and adjusts the amount of the calculation data that the first calculation unit outputs to the second calculation unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

7. the calculation data is image data, The processing load is calculated from an image or area in which a detectable object is predicted from the image data, When the processing load exceeds the predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the switching unit causes the first calculation unit to perform calculation processing on the image data. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

8. the calculation data is image data, The processing load is measured as the number of objects detected from the image data; When the processing load exceeds the predetermined upper limit of the processing load, the switching unit causes the first calculation unit to perform calculation processing on the image data. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

9. the calculation data is image data, a sensor for acquiring the image data; an image processing unit that performs arithmetic processing on the image data acquired by the sensor, When the processing load exceeds the predetermined upper processing load limit, the switching unit causes the image processing unit to perform part of the calculation processing performed by the second calculation unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

10. a plurality of electronic control devices that can communicate with each other; At least one of the electronic control devices has the first calculation unit, the second calculation unit, the first measurement unit, the second measurement unit, and the switching unit, Acquire the calculation data from the other electronic control unit The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

11. a plurality of electronic control devices that can communicate with each other; At least one of the electronic control units includes the second calculation unit, the first measurement unit, the second measurement unit, and the switching unit, At least one of the other electronic control devices includes an electronic control device having the first calculation unit. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 .

12. a first calculation unit capable of acquiring calculation data and executing calculation processing; a second calculation unit connected to a subsequent stage of the first calculation unit via a network, receiving the calculation data transmitted from the first calculation unit via the network and performing calculation processing; a first measurement unit that measures a bandwidth load of the network; a second measurement unit that measures a processing load of the calculation processing by the second calculation unit; a switching unit that causes the first calculation unit to perform a part of the calculation processing performed by the second calculation unit in accordance with the processing load, and adjusts the amount of the calculation data output from the first calculation unit to the second calculation unit in accordance with the bandwidth load. Electronic control unit.

Images