In-vehicle control device

Abstract

To address, by means of software of a single first ECU, both a case where only the first ECU that is not capable of communicating with an update server is mounted on a vehicle and a case where the first ECU and a second ECU that is capable of communicating with the update server are mounted on the vehicle.SOLUTION: A control signal selection unit 24 receives a first control signal for controlling a target on-vehicle device TE from a first processor 20 included in a first ECU 12, and receives a second control signal for controlling the target on-vehicle device TE from a second processor 22 included in a second ECU 14. If receiving the first control signal and the second control signal within a prescribed time period, the control signal selection unit 24 does not send the first signal to the target on-vehicle device TE but sends the second signal to the target on-vehicle device TE.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This specification discloses an improvement to an on-board control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a power management device in which, when there are multiple power management devices managing electronic devices, a parent power management device collects control signals for controlling the electronic devices from multiple child devices, and selects the most common type of control signal from the collected control signals and transmits it to the electronic device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-152022 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, vehicles are provided with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling in-vehicle devices. Specifically, the ECU includes a processor, and the processor transmits control signals to the in-vehicle devices to control the in-vehicle devices.

[0005] Consider a case where a vehicle is equipped with multiple ECUs that control the same on-board devices, particularly a first ECU that cannot communicate with an update server for updating software executed by a processor in the ECU (for convenience, referred to as "ECU software" in this specification) and a second ECU that can communicate with the update server and automatically update its own software.

[0006] The second ECU may be installed in the vehicle depending on the destination of the vehicle or user selection (functions selected as options by the user). For example, a second ECU is not installed in a vehicle intended for a region without an update server or a region where software updates via an update server are prohibited by law. Alternatively, if the processor of the second ECU controls a function added as an option by the user, the vehicle will not be equipped with a second ECU if the user does not add the function as an option. The first ECU may be permanently attached to the vehicle. If the second ECU is installed in such a vehicle, both the first ECU and the second ECU will be installed in the vehicle.

[0007] In this way, there may be cases where a vehicle includes only the first ECU and a vehicle includes both the first ECU and the second ECU.

[0008] In the case where there are vehicles equipped with only the first ECU and vehicles equipped with the first ECU and the second ECU, it is expected that the developer of the software for the first ECU will have to prepare not only first ECU software for vehicles equipped with only the first ECU, but also first ECU software for vehicles equipped with the first ECU and the second ECU (for example, software that takes into account the control of on-board devices by the second ECU). In this case, there may be problems such as the cost and man-hours required for developing multiple pieces of software, and the need to manage multiple pieces of software.

[0009] The purpose of the in-vehicle control device disclosed in this specification is to be able to accommodate both a case where only a first ECU that cannot communicate with an update server is installed in a vehicle, and a case where a second ECU that can communicate with both the first ECU and the update server is installed in a vehicle, using software for a single first ECU. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The vehicle control device disclosed in this specification is characterized by comprising: a first ECU having a first processor that controls a target vehicle equipment installed in a vehicle and that is unable to communicate with an update server for updating software executed by a processor within the ECU; a second ECU having a second processor that controls the target vehicle equipment and that is able to communicate with the update server; and a control signal selection unit that transmits a first control signal for controlling the target vehicle equipment received from the first processor and a second control signal for controlling the target vehicle equipment received from the second processor to the target vehicle equipment, wherein if both the first control signal and the second control signal are received within a predetermined time, the control signal selection unit does not transmit the first control signal to the target vehicle equipment and transmits the second control signal to the target vehicle equipment.

[0011] According to this configuration, the first processor only needs to send a first control signal to the control signal selection unit regardless of whether a second ECU is present. When a second ECU is not present, the target in-vehicle device is controlled by the first control signal. On the other hand, when a second ECU is present in the vehicle and the control signal selection unit receives both the first control signal and the second control signal within a predetermined time, the second control signal, not the first control signal, is sent to the target in-vehicle device. This allows the target in-vehicle device to be controlled based on the software of the second ECU updated by the update server. That is, according to this configuration, it is not necessary to change the software of the first ECU depending on whether a second ECU is present. The single software of the first ECU can be used in both cases, where only the first ECU is present in the vehicle and where both the first ECU and the second ECU are present in the vehicle. Specifically, according to this configuration, when only the first ECU is present in the vehicle, the target in-vehicle device can be controlled based on the first control signal from the first processor. When both the first ECU and the second ECU are present in the vehicle, the target in-vehicle device can be controlled based on the second control signal from the second processor.

[0012] The first control signal and the second control signal may be signals for controlling the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device in accordance with the power consumption of other in-vehicle devices provided in the vehicle.

[0013] According to this configuration, when the power consumption of the other in-vehicle device changes, the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device TE can be controlled based on the power consumption after the change.

[0014] The control signal selection unit may be provided in the first ECU.

[0015] According to this configuration, the control signal selection unit can be operated by the software of the first ECU without preparing software for operating the control signal selection unit separately from the software of the first ECU, thereby reducing the number of types of software to be managed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the on-board control device disclosed in this specification, the software of a single first ECU can handle both a case where only a first ECU that cannot communicate with an update server is installed in a vehicle, and a case where a second ECU that can communicate with both the first ECU and the update server is installed in a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an on-board control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of the on-board control device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of an on-board control device 10 according to this embodiment. The on-board control device 10 and target on-board devices TE, which are on-board devices to be controlled by the on-board control device 10, are installed in a vehicle. The target on-board devices TE are, but are not limited to, in-vehicle devices that operate by consuming power. Examples of the target on-board devices TE include audio equipment, an air conditioner, a seat heater, and a power seat.

[0019] The on-vehicle control device 10 includes a first ECU 12 and a second ECU 14. The ECUs are electronic circuits that include a processor, a memory, and their peripheral circuits. Fig. 1 illustrates a first processor 20 included in the first ECU 12 and a second processor 22 included in the second ECU 14.

[0020] The first processor 20 and the second processor 22 are each configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), etc. The first processor 20 and the second processor 22 may each be configured not by a single processing device, but by the cooperation of multiple processing devices located at physically separate locations.

[0021] The first processor 20 and the second processor 22 both control the same target in-vehicle device TE. Specifically, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 control the target in-vehicle device TE in response to an instruction from a vehicle occupant, the state of the vehicle, etc. For example, if the target in-vehicle device TE is an air conditioner, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 control the target in-vehicle device TE in response to an instruction from the user to turn on the power or an instruction to change the temperature or airflow rate, or the temperature inside the vehicle cabin, etc.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 control the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device TE according to the power consumption of other in-vehicle devices provided in the vehicle. For example, when the power consumption of the other in-vehicle devices is large (for example, when an audio device or a seat heater that consumes a lot of power is operating), the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 control the operation of the target in-vehicle device TE so as to reduce the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device TE. Note that the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 can obtain the power consumption of the other in-vehicle devices by using a power consumption sensor provided in the other in-vehicle devices or by obtaining information indicating the operating status of the other in-vehicle devices from the other in-vehicle devices.

[0023] The control method of the target in-vehicle equipment TE by the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 will be described in detail below together with the control signal selection unit 24.

[0024] The first ECU 12 is an ECU that cannot communicate with an update server US for updating ECU software. In other words, the first ECU 12 is not placed in an environment where the update server US can automatically update the software. Therefore, the first processor 20 controls the target in-vehicle device TE by executing software that has already been written to the memory of the first ECU 12 when the vehicle is manufactured. The first ECU 12 is an ECU that is always provided in a vehicle in which the target in-vehicle device TE is provided.

[0025] The second ECU 14 is an ECU that can communicate with the update server US. In other words, the second ECU 14 is placed in an environment where automatic software updates by the update server US are possible. The software stored in the memory of the second ECU 14 is updated to the latest software by the update server US. Therefore, the second processor 22 controls the target in-vehicle device TE by executing the updated (e.g., latest) software by the update server US. The second ECU 14 is not necessarily provided in the vehicle. As described above, the second ECU 14 is provided in the vehicle depending on the destination of the vehicle, functions selected as options by the user, etc.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first ECU 12 has a control signal selection unit 24. The control signal selection unit 24 is also configured by a processor such as a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a CPLD.

[0027] The control signal selection unit 24 receives a first control signal for controlling the target in-vehicle equipment TE from the first processor 20. Furthermore, if a second ECU 14 is provided, the control signal selection unit 24 receives a second control signal for controlling the target in-vehicle equipment TE from the second processor 22. Then, the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the received first control signal or second control signal to the target in-vehicle equipment TE. This controls the target in-vehicle equipment TE.

[0028] As described above, in this embodiment, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 control the power consumption of the target on-board equipment TE in accordance with the power consumption of other on-board equipment installed in the vehicle, and therefore the first control signal and the second control signal can be said to be signals for controlling the power consumption of the target on-board equipment TE in accordance with the power consumption of other on-board equipment installed in the vehicle.

[0029] When the control signal selection unit 24 receives both the first control signal and the second control signal within a predetermined time, the control signal selection unit 24 does not transmit the first control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE, but transmits the second control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE. In other words, the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the second control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE with priority over the first control signal.

[0030] As described above, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 output the first control signal or the second control signal to the control signal selection unit 24 in response to instructions from the occupant, the state of the vehicle, etc. Therefore, when the second ECU 14 is provided, the first processor 20 and the second processor 22 often output the first control signal and the second control signal related to the same (same type of) instructions at the same timing. Under such a premise, the reason why the second control signal is given priority over the first control signal is that the software of the second ECU 14, which is updated by the update server US, is newer than the software of the first ECU 12, which is not updated by the update server US, and therefore the second control signal is often a control signal more suited to the current state of the vehicle than the first control signal.

[0031] For example, consider a case where the power consumption of another in-vehicle device installed in the vehicle changes (increases or decreases) due to the addition of a new function to the other in-vehicle device. After the power consumption of the other in-vehicle device changes, the update server US updates the software of the second ECU 14, and the second processor 22 can control the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device TE based on the power consumption of the other in-vehicle device after the change.

[0032] In this case, the software of the first ECU 12 does not take into account any changes in the power consumption of the other in-vehicle equipment, so the first processor 20 still outputs to the control signal selection unit 24 a first control signal for controlling the power consumption of the target in-vehicle equipment TE based on the power consumption of the other in-vehicle equipment before the change. On the other hand, the second processor 22 outputs to the control signal selection unit 24 a second control signal for controlling the power consumption of the target in-vehicle equipment TE based on the power consumption of the other in-vehicle equipment after the change. In this case, since the second control signal is more appropriate than the first control signal, the control signal selection unit 24 does not transmit the first control signal to the target in-vehicle equipment TE, but transmits the second control signal to the target in-vehicle equipment TE. As a result, the target in-vehicle equipment TE is controlled by the second control signal based on the power consumption of the other in-vehicle equipment after the change, and as a result, the power consumption is controlled at least more appropriately than when controlled by the first control signal.

[0033] For example, when the second ECU 14 is not provided, if the control signal selection unit 24 receives only the first control signal but does not receive the second control signal within a predetermined time, the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the first control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE. Note that if the control signal selection unit 24 receives only the second control signal but does not receive the first control signal within the predetermined time, the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the second control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE.

[0034] The predetermined time is set to a range from several milliseconds to several tens of milliseconds, and may be appropriately determined by the designer of the on-board control device 10 or the like.

[0035] In this embodiment, the control signal selection unit 24 is provided in the first ECU 12. However, the control signal selection unit 24 may be provided in a device other than the first ECU 12, as long as the control signal selection unit 24 is always provided in a vehicle in which the target in-vehicle device TE is provided. For example, the in-vehicle control device 10 may have a third ECU in addition to the first ECU 12 and the second ECU 14, and the control signal selection unit 24 may be provided in the third ECU. However, in this case, it becomes necessary to manage the software of the third ECU separately from the software of the first ECU 12, so it is preferable to provide the control signal selection unit 24 in the first ECU 12. In other words, by including the control signal selection unit 24 in the first ECU 12, the control signal selection unit 24 can be operated by the software of the first ECU 12, thereby reducing the number of types of software to be managed.

[0036] The above is an overview of the on-board control device 10 according to this embodiment. According to the on-board control device 10, the first processor 20 only needs to transmit the first control signal to the control signal selection unit 24, regardless of whether the second ECU 14 is present. If the second ECU 14 is not present, the target on-board device TE is controlled by the first control signal. On the other hand, if the second ECU 14 is present in the vehicle and the control signal selection unit 24 receives both the first control signal and the second control signal within a predetermined time, the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the second control signal, not the first control signal, to the target on-board device TE, so that the target on-board device TE can be controlled based on the software updated by the update server US (i.e., the software of the second ECU 14). In other words, according to this embodiment, there is no need to change the software of the first ECU 12 depending on whether or not the second ECU 14 is present, and when only the first ECU 12 is installed in the vehicle, the software of the single first ECU 12 can control the target vehicle equipment TE based on a first control signal from the first processor 20, and when the first ECU 12 and the second ECU 14 are installed in the vehicle, the software of the single first ECU 12 can control the target vehicle equipment TE based on a second control signal from the second processor 22.

[0037] The flow of processing by the on-board control device 10 (particularly the control signal selection unit 24) according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0038] In step S10, the control signal selection unit 24 determines whether or not either the first control signal from the first processor 20 or the second control signal from the second processor 22 has been received.

[0039] If the second control signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S12, where the control signal selector 24 transmits the received second control signal to the target in-vehicle equipment TE.

[0040] If the first control signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S14, where the control signal selector 24 determines whether or not the second control signal has been received within a predetermined time period since the first control signal was received.

[0041] If the second control signal is received within a predetermined time after receiving the first control signal, the process proceeds to step S12, where the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the received second control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE. If the second control signal is not received within a predetermined time after receiving the first control signal, the process proceeds to step S16, where the control signal selection unit 24 transmits the received first control signal to the target in-vehicle device TE.

[0042] The above describes an embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present disclosure, but the vehicle control device according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible as long as they do not deviate from the spirit thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 in-vehicle control device, 12 first ECU, 14 second ECU, 20 first processor, 22 second processor, 24 control signal selection unit, TE in-vehicle device, US update server.

Claims

1. a first ECU having a first processor that controls a target in-vehicle device provided in a vehicle, the first ECU being unable to communicate with an update server for updating software executed by the processor in the ECU; a second ECU having a second processor that controls the target in-vehicle device and that is capable of communicating with the update server; a control signal selection unit that transmits to the target in-vehicle device a first control signal for controlling the target in-vehicle device received from the first processor and a second control signal for controlling the target in-vehicle device received from the second processor, and when both the first control signal and the second control signal are received within a predetermined time, the control signal selection unit does not transmit the first control signal to the target in-vehicle device and transmits the second control signal to the target in-vehicle device; An in-vehicle control device comprising:

2. the first control signal and the second control signal are signals for controlling the power consumption of the target in-vehicle device in accordance with the power consumption of other in-vehicle devices provided in the vehicle; 2. The on-board control device according to claim 1.

3. The control signal selection unit is provided in the first ECU.

2. The on-board control device according to claim 1.

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