Relay device, sleep control method, and sleep control program

Abstract

To improve power-saving functions in in-vehicle systems.SOLUTION: A relay device is used in an in-vehicle system with three or more in-vehicle devices. The relay device includes a state transition unit that shifts the relay device, which is in a sleep state, to a wake-up state when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices; and a sleep control unit that selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device and sends a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to shift the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a relay device, a sleep control method, and a sleep control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Techniques have been developed to reduce power consumption by controlling the sleep state of in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle system. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2021-160472 A) discloses the following technique. That is, the in-vehicle device includes a communication unit that communicates with in-vehicle devices in an in-vehicle network, a detection unit that detects a new in-vehicle device that is an in-vehicle device newly added to the in-vehicle network, and a sleep processing unit that, in a detection state in which the detection unit has detected the new in-vehicle device, transmits a sleep request to the new in-vehicle device via the communication unit to transition to a sleep state in synchronization with the in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-160472 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for a technology that can improve power saving functions beyond the technology described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a relay device, a sleep control method, and a sleep control program that can improve power saving functions in an in-vehicle system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The relay device of the present disclosure is a relay device used in an in-vehicle system having three or more in-vehicle devices, and includes a state transition unit that, when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices, transitions the relay device, which is in a sleep state, to a wake-up state, and a sleep control unit that selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device, and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure can be realized not only as a relay device having such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the relay device, or as a system that includes the relay device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the power saving function of an in-vehicle system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame transmitted in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an address table held by a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of sleep processing in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of sleep control in an in-vehicle system according to a comparative example. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network table held by a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of sleep control in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a first modification of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the first modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second modified example of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the second modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a third modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the third modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0011] (1) A relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a relay device used in an in-vehicle system having three or more in-vehicle devices, and includes a state transition unit that, when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices, transitions the relay device, which is in a sleep state, to a wake-up state, and a sleep control unit that selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state.

[0012] In this way, when a wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device, the second in-vehicle device is selected as the destination of the wake-up request and the second in-vehicle device is transitioned from the sleep state to the wake-up state. This configuration allows the sleep state of other in-vehicle devices that are not communication partners of the first in-vehicle device to be maintained, thereby reducing power consumption in the other in-vehicle devices and improving the power saving function of the in-vehicle system.

[0013] (2) In the above (1), the relay device may further include three or more communication ports to which the three or more vehicle-mounted devices are respectively connected, and a memory unit that stores correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the communication ports and the networks to which the vehicle-mounted devices belong, and the sleep control unit may select the second vehicle-mounted device based on the correspondence information.

[0014] With this configuration, the second in-vehicle device can be easily selected from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device.

[0015] (3) In the above (2), the correspondence information may indicate a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network), and the sleep control unit may select, based on the correspondence information, as the second in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle device that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected.

[0016] With this configuration, an in-vehicle device that belongs to the same network as the network to which the first in-vehicle device belongs can be easily selected as the second in-vehicle device.

[0017] (4) In the above (2), the correspondence information may indicate the correspondence between the communication port and a PNC (Partial Network Cluster), and the sleep control unit may select, based on the correspondence information, as the second in-vehicle device, the in-vehicle device that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected.

[0018] With this configuration, an in-vehicle device that belongs to the same network as the network to which the first in-vehicle device belongs can be easily selected as the second in-vehicle device.

[0019] (5) In (2) above, the correspondence information may indicate the correspondence relationship between the communication port, VLAN, and PNC, and the sleep control unit may preferentially select as the second in-vehicle device an in-vehicle device that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected, over an in-vehicle device that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected.

[0020] With this configuration, when the first in-vehicle device belongs to a plurality of types of networks, an in-vehicle device that belongs to the PNC as a network with a high priority can be selected as the second in-vehicle device.

[0021] (6) A sleep control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a sleep control method in a relay device used in an in-vehicle system having three or more in-vehicle devices, and includes the steps of: when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices, transitioning the relay device, which is in a sleep state, to a wake-up state; and selecting a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device, and transmitting a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state.

[0022] In this way, when a wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device, the second in-vehicle device is selected as the destination of the wake-up request and the second in-vehicle device is transitioned from the sleep state to the wake-up state. This configuration allows the sleep state of other in-vehicle devices that are not communication partners of the first in-vehicle device to be maintained, thereby reducing power consumption in the other in-vehicle devices and improving the power saving function of the in-vehicle system.

[0023] (7) A sleep control program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a sleep control program used in a relay device used in an in-vehicle system having three or more in-vehicle devices, and is a program for causing a computer to function as a state transition unit that, when receiving a first wake-up request from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices, transitions the relay device, which is in a sleep state, to a wake-up state, and a sleep control unit that selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state.

[0024] In this way, when a wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device, the second in-vehicle device is selected as the destination of the wake-up request and the second in-vehicle device is transitioned from the sleep state to the wake-up state. This configuration allows the sleep state of other in-vehicle devices that are not communication partners of the first in-vehicle device to be maintained, thereby reducing power consumption in the other in-vehicle devices and improving the power saving function of the in-vehicle system.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[0026] [In-vehicle system] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, an in-vehicle system 301 includes, for example, one or more relay devices 101 and three or more in-vehicle ECUs 202.

[0028] 1, an in-vehicle system 301 includes one relay device 101 and four in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D. The relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECUs 202 configure an in-vehicle network 401. The in-vehicle system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 1. The in-vehicle ECU 202 is an example of an in-vehicle device.

[0029] The in-vehicle system 301 is not limited to a configuration including one relay device 101, but may be a configuration including multiple relay devices 101. The in-vehicle system 301 is also not limited to a configuration including four in-vehicle ECUs 202, but may be a configuration including three in-vehicle ECUs 202 or five or more in-vehicle ECUs 202.

[0030] The in-vehicle ECU 202 is, for example, a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), an autonomous driving ECU, a face authentication ECU, a door lock ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0031] In the in-vehicle network 401, for example, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B and the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong to different VLANs.

[0032] The ID of the VLAN to which the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B belong is "10," and the ID of the VLAN to which the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong is "20." In the following description, the VLAN ID may be referred to as a "VLAN-ID."

[0033] The relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 are devices that comply with a predetermined in-vehicle network management method. More specifically, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 are devices that comply with AUTOSAR (AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture) (registered trademark), which is an example of an in-vehicle network management method.

[0034] In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle ECUs 202 are connected to a relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11. Each in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to another in-vehicle ECU 202 via the Ethernet cable 11 and the relay device 101.

[0035] The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device, and is capable of performing relay processing according to, for example, Layer 2 and Layer 3, which is higher than Layer 2.

[0036] More specifically, the relay device 101 performs relay processing of Ethernet frames (hereinafter also simply referred to as "frames") exchanged between the in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected via the Ethernet cable 11 in accordance with, for example, the Ethernet communication standard.

[0037] The relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 generate frames including various information described later, and transmit the frames to other in-vehicle ECUs 202 or relay devices 101 .

[0038] In addition, the in-vehicle system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which frame relay processing is performed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, but may be a configuration in which frame relay is performed in accordance with communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented System Transport) (registered trademark), and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0039] [Repeater] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, relay device 101 includes a communication port 51, a switch unit 52, a processing unit 53, and a storage unit .

[0041] One or both of the switch unit 52 and the processing unit 53 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 54 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit. The processing unit 53 includes a determination unit 61, a state transition unit 62, and a sleep control unit 63.

[0042] More specifically, the relay device 101 includes three or more communication ports 51 to which three or more in-vehicle ECUs 202 are respectively connected. The communication ports 51 are terminals to which an Ethernet cable 11 can be connected, for example.

[0043] 2, the relay device 101 includes four communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D that are communication ports 51. In the relay device 101, the communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are connected to the in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D via Ethernet cables 11, respectively.

[0044] The switch unit 52 includes, for example, a plurality of terminals (not shown) that are connected to the plurality of communication ports 51, respectively. A unique port number is assigned to each terminal.

[0045] Here, the port numbers of the terminals connected to the communication ports 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are #1, #2, #3, and #4, respectively.

[0046] The switch unit 52 relays frames transmitted and received between the in-vehicle ECUs 202. More specifically, when the switch unit 52 receives a frame from one in-vehicle ECU 202 addressed to another in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 51, the switch unit 52 transmits the received frame to the in-vehicle ECU 202 of the destination.

[0047] Furthermore, when the switch unit 52 receives a frame addressed to the relay device 101 from the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 51 , the switch unit 52 outputs the received frame to the processing unit 53 .

[0048] Furthermore, the switch unit 52 transmits the frame received from the processing unit 53 to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 51 .

[0049] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame transmitted in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 3, a frame has fields for an address, a tag, a type, and a payload.

[0051] The address field stores, for example, a destination MAC address and a source MAC address. The tag field stores, for example, a VLAN-ID. The payload stores a destination IP address and various other information.

[0052] Here, the MAC addresses of the in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D are "MAC-A," "MAC-B," "MAC-C," and "MAC-D," respectively.

[0053] Referring back to FIG. 2, the storage unit 54 stores a MAC address table (hereinafter also referred to as “address table M”) indicating the correspondence between the MAC addresses of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 and the communication ports 51.

[0054] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an address table held by a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Referring to Figure 4, in address table M, MAC address "MAC-A" is associated with port number "#1" of communication port 51A, MAC address "MAC-B" is associated with port number "#2" of communication port 51B, MAC address "MAC-C" is associated with port number "#3" of communication port 51C, and MAC address "MAC-D" is associated with port number "#4" of communication port 51D.

[0056] (Sleep and wake-up states) The relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 transition from a wake-up state to a sleep state and from the sleep state to a wake-up state. In the wake-up state, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 communicate with other devices in the in-vehicle system 301, and in the sleep state, they stop communicating with other devices in the in-vehicle system 301. Here, the sleep state is a state in which power consumption is lower than in the wake-up state due to, for example, stopping some functions of the device, stopping the power supply to the device, or reducing the clock frequency of the device.

[0057] For example, in each of relay device 101 and in-vehicle ECU 202, a sleep condition, which is a condition for transitioning to a sleep state, and a wake-up condition, which is a condition for transitioning to a wake-up state, are set in advance.

[0058] For example, the sleep condition is that the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned off, that the vehicle 1 is parked, etc. Also, for example, the wake-up condition is that the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned on, that the vehicle 1 starts to move, etc.

[0059] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of sleep processing in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. “Device A” and “Device B” shown in FIG.

[0060] 5, first, in a wake-up state (steps S51 and S52), device A and device B transmit a frame storing an NM (Network Management) message conforming to AUTOSAR to each device in the in-vehicle system 301. Specifically, device A and device B broadcast a frame storing an NM message in the payload to each device for alive monitoring (steps S53 and S54).

[0061] Next, when device A's own sleep condition is met in the wake-up state (step S55), device A stops transmitting the NM message (step S56).

[0062] Furthermore, when device B's sleep condition is met in the wake-up state (step S57), device B stops transmitting the NM message (step S58).

[0063] Next, if device A and device B do not receive an NM message from another device in the in-vehicle system 301 until a predetermined time has elapsed since they stopped transmitting the NM message, they transition to a sleep state (step S59).

[0064] In this way, by switching the states of device A and device B from the wake-up state to the sleep state using the NM message, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of device A and device B.

[0065] In addition, when device A and device B are in the sleep state (step S59), if their own wake-up conditions are met, they transition to the wake-up state and start periodically transmitting NM messages. Also, when device A and device B are in the sleep state (step S59), if they receive a wake-up request from another device in the in-vehicle system 301, they transition to the wake-up state.

[0066] (Judgment Department) Referring back to FIG. 2, the determination unit 61 in the relay device 101 determines whether the sleep condition of the relay device 101 is met and whether the wake-up condition of the relay device 101 is met.

[0067] More specifically, the determination unit 61 monitors the state of the vehicle 1, and based on the monitoring result, performs a determination process to determine whether a sleep condition of the relay device 101 is met and whether a wake-up condition of the relay device 101 is met. The determination unit 61 performs the determination process, for example, periodically, and notifies the state transition unit 62 of the determination result.

[0068] (State transition section) The state transition unit 62 transitions the relay device 101 to a sleep state, and also transitions the relay device 101 to a wake-up state.

[0069] Here, the switch unit 52 includes a plurality of communication circuits corresponding to the plurality of communication ports 51, respectively. When the relay device 101 is in a sleep state, all communication circuits in the switch unit 52 are stopped from operating. When the relay device 101 is in a wake-up state, at least one of the plurality of communication circuits in the switch unit 52 is operating. Hereinafter, the state in which a communication circuit in the switch unit 52 is stopped from operating is also referred to as an "off state," and the state in which the communication circuit is operating is also referred to as an "on state."

[0070] More specifically, when the relay device 101 is in a wake-up state and the state transition unit 62 receives a notification from the determination unit 61 that the sleep condition has been met, the state transition unit 62 transitions the relay device 101 to a sleep state.

[0071] When the relay device 101 is in the sleep state and the state transition unit 62 receives a notification from the determination unit 61 that the wake-up condition has been met, the state transition unit 62 transitions the relay device 101 to the wake-up state.

[0072] Furthermore, when the state transition unit 62 receives a wake-up request from the in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 51 and the switch unit 52, it transitions the relay device 101 from the sleep state to the wake-up state. Hereinafter, the wake-up request transmitted from the in-vehicle ECU 202 to the relay device 101 is also referred to as a "wake-up request R1." The wake-up request R1 is an example of a first wake-up request. Note that the term "first" does not imply a priority.

[0073] More specifically, the in-vehicle ECU 202 transmits a wake-up request R1 to the relay device 101, which is directly connected to the in-vehicle ECU 202, via the Ethernet cable 11. As an example, the wake-up request R1 is a high-level pulse signal. The in-vehicle ECU 202 transmits the high-level pulse signal to the relay device 101 in accordance with, for example, the OPEN Alliance standard.

[0074] When the switch unit 52 receives a wake-up request R1 from the vehicle ECU 202 via the communication port 51, it outputs a reception notification to the state transition unit 62 and the sleep control unit 63, indicating that the wake-up request R1 has been received and the port number of the communication port 51 that received the wake-up request R1.

[0075] The state transition unit 62 receives the reception notification from the switch unit 52 and transitions the relay device 101 from the sleep state to the wake-up state. More specifically, the state transition unit 62 transitions the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51 that received the wake-up request R1 from the off state to the on state.

[0076] The relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202 then establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging frames containing various information.

[0077] (Sleep control unit) The sleep control unit 63 controls the in-vehicle ECU 202 to transition to a wake-up state.

[0078] More specifically, for example, when the in-vehicle ECU 202 is in a sleep state, the sleep control unit 63 transmits a wake-up request, such as a high-level pulse signal, to the in-vehicle ECU 202 to be woken up via the switch unit 52 and the communication port 51. Upon receiving the wake-up request, the in-vehicle ECU 202 transitions to a wake-up state. Hereinafter, the wake-up request transmitted by the relay device 101 to the in-vehicle ECU 202 is also referred to as a "wake-up request R2." The wake-up request R2 is an example of a second wake-up request. Note that the term "second" does not imply a priority order.

[0079] [Problem description] In an in-vehicle system 301 including a relay device 101 and three or more in-vehicle ECUs 202, the relay device 101 and each of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 may be in a sleep state. In this case, when one of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 transitions to a wakeup state due to the need to communicate with another in-vehicle ECU 202, the in-vehicle ECU 202 transmits a wakeup request R1 to the relay device 101. Here, an example will be described in which the in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to the wakeup state to communicate with the in-vehicle ECU 202B and transmits the wakeup request R1 to the relay device 101.

[0080] The relay device 101 receives the wake-up request R1 and transitions to the wake-up state. However, since the wake-up request R1 is a high-level pulse signal, it does not include information indicating the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A. Therefore, even when the relay device 101 receives the wake-up request R1, it cannot determine which of the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the in-vehicle ECU 202A should transition to the wake-up state. The following describes this problem in detail.

[0081] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of sleep control in an in-vehicle system according to a comparative example. The in-vehicle system according to the comparative example described below differs from the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure in that the above-mentioned problem occurs in sleep control. In the comparative example described below, the vehicle, the in-vehicle system, and each device in the in-vehicle system are assigned the same reference numerals as those in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Here, we assume an example in which the in-vehicle system 301 according to the comparative example is a system installed in a vehicle 1 capable of unlocking doors by facial recognition, the in-vehicle ECU 202A is an ECU for facial recognition, the in-vehicle ECU 202B is an ECU for door locking, and the relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 are in a sleep state while the vehicle 1 is parked.

[0083] 6, it is assumed that in a situation where relay device 101 and in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D are in a sleep state (step S1), in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to a wake-up state. Here, it is assumed that in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to a wake-up state because face authentication has been successful and it has become necessary to request in-vehicle ECU 202B to unlock the doors (step S2).

[0084] Next, the in-vehicle ECU 202A transmits a wake-up request R1 to the relay device 101 (step S3).

[0085] Next, the relay device 101 receives a wake-up request R1 from the in-vehicle ECU 202A and transitions to a wake-up state. More specifically, the state transition unit 62 in the relay device 101 transitions the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51A that received the wake-up request R1 from an off state to an on state (step S4).

[0086] Next, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202A establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging various information (step S5).

[0087] Next, the state transition unit 62 in the relay device 101 transitions the communication circuits corresponding to the communication ports 51B, 51C, and 51D other than the communication port 51A from the off state to the on state. As described above, even if the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle system 301 according to the comparative example establishes a communication connection with the in-vehicle ECU 202A, the relay device 101 cannot identify the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A because the wake-up request R1 does not include information indicating the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A (step S6).

[0088] Next, the relay device 101 transmits a wake-up request R2 to the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D (steps S7 and S8).

[0089] Next, the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D receive the wake-up request R2 from the relay device 101 and transition to a wake-up state (steps S9 and S10).

[0090] Next, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D exchange various types of information to establish communication connections with each other (step S11).

[0091] Next, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B communicate with each other. For example, when the relay device 101 receives a frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202B from the in-vehicle ECU 202A, the relay device 101 refers to the address table M and identifies "#2" as the port number corresponding to the frame. Then, the relay device 101 transmits the received frame to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202B from the communication port 51B corresponding to the identified port number "#2" (step S12).

[0092] Furthermore, after transitioning to the wake-up state (step S10), the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D that are not communication partners of the in-vehicle ECU 202A stop transmitting NM messages when their own sleep conditions are met if they are not communicating with other in-vehicle ECUs 202. Then, if the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D do not receive an NM message from another device in the in-vehicle system 301 within a predetermined time period after stopping transmission of the NM message, they transition to the sleep state (step S13).

[0093] In this way, in the in-vehicle system 301 according to the comparative example, when the relay device 101 receives a wake-up request from the in-vehicle ECU 202A, the relay device 101 transitions the other in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D from the sleep state to the wake-up state. Therefore, in the in-vehicle system 301 according to the comparative example, the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D, which are not communication partners of the in-vehicle ECU 202A, transition to the wake-up state, resulting in excessive power consumption.

[0094] In contrast, the relay device 101 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure solves this problem with the following configuration and operation.

[0095] [Repeater] 2, the storage unit 54 stores a table (hereinafter also referred to as a "network table T") indicating the correspondence between the communication port 51 and the network to which the in-vehicle ECU 202 belongs. The network table T is an example of correspondence information.

[0096] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network table held by a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] 7, network table T1 indicates the correspondence between communication ports 51 and VLANs. More specifically, network table T1 indicates the correspondence between the port numbers of communication ports 51 and the VLAN-IDs of in-vehicle ECUs 202.

[0098] 1, the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B is "10," and the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D is "20." Therefore, in the network table T1, the VLAN-ID "10" is associated with the port numbers "#1" and "#2," and the VLAN-ID "20" is associated with the port numbers "#3" and "#4."

[0099] Hereinafter, a process will be described in which relay device 101 transitions only in-vehicle ECU 202B to the wakeup state when in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to the wakeup state to communicate with in-vehicle ECU 202B. In-vehicle ECU 202A is an example of a first in-vehicle device, and in-vehicle ECU 202B is an example of a second in-vehicle device.

[0100] Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 7, when the sleep control unit 63 receives a wake-up request R1 from the vehicle-mounted ECU 202A and its own relay device 101 transitions to a wake-up state, it selects a destination for the wake-up request R2 from among the vehicle-mounted ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the vehicle-mounted ECU 202A based on the network table T1.

[0101] Here, the sleep control unit 63 selects, based on the network table T1, the in-vehicle ECU 202B that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected.

[0102] More specifically, the sleep control unit 63 determines that the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51 having the port number indicated in the reception notification received from the switch unit 52 has transitioned from the off state to the on state. Here, the switch unit 52 notifies the sleep control unit 63 of the port number "#1" of the communication port 51A that received the wake-up request R1, and the sleep control unit 63 determines that the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51A has transitioned to the on state.

[0103] The sleep control unit 63 then refers to the network table T1, identifies "10" as the same VLAN-ID as the VLAN-ID corresponding to the port number "#1" notified by the switch unit 52, and identifies "#2" as another port number corresponding to the VLAN-ID "10." As a result, the sleep control unit 63 identifies the in-vehicle ECU 202B connected to the communication port 51B of port number "#2" as the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A. That is, the sleep control unit 63 selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B from the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D as the destination of the wake-up request R2. The sleep control unit 63 then transitions the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51B from the off state to the on state.

[0104] The sleep control unit 63 transmits a wake-up request R2 to the in-vehicle ECU 202B to transition the in-vehicle ECU 202B to the wake-up state.

[0105] More specifically, the sleep control unit 63 transmits a wake-up request R2 to the in-vehicle ECU 202B via the switch unit 52 and the communication port 51B.

[0106] The in-vehicle ECU 202B receives the wake-up request R2 from the relay device 101 and transitions to a wake-up state.

[0107] When the in-vehicle ECU 202B transitions to the wake-up state, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202B establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging various information.

[0108] After the communication connection between the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202B is established, the in-vehicle ECU 202A transmits frames addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202B to the relay device 101 periodically or irregularly.

[0109] When the switch unit 52 in the relay device 101 receives a frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202B, i.e., a frame including the destination MAC address "MAC-B," the switch unit 52 refers to the address table M shown in FIG. 4 and identifies "#2" as the port number corresponding to the MAC address "MAC-B." The relay device 101 then transmits the frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202B from the communication port 51B. This allows the in-vehicle ECU 202A to communicate with the in-vehicle ECU 202B via the relay device 101.

[0110] For example, when the connection relationship between the relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 in the in-vehicle network 401 is fixed, the relay device 101 stores a pre-created network table T1 in the storage unit 54. The relay device 101 may acquire the VLAN-ID stored in the tag field of a frame received from each in-vehicle ECU 202, and create the network table T1 based on the acquired VLAN-ID and the port number of the communication port 51 that received the frame.

[0111] Furthermore, the sleep control unit 63 is not limited to the configuration in which it selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B to be the destination of the wake-up request R2 from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the in-vehicle ECU 202A based on the network table T1. The sleep control unit 63 may select a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202 that are part of the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the in-vehicle ECU 202A.

[0112] [Operation flow] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of sleep control in the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] Referring to FIG. 8, first, it is assumed that relay device 101 and in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D are in a sleep state (step S101), and in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to a wake-up state (step S102).

[0114] Next, the in-vehicle ECU 202A transmits a wake-up request R1 to the relay device 101 (step S103).

[0115] Next, the relay device 101 receives a wake-up request R1 from the in-vehicle ECU 202A and transitions to a wake-up state. More specifically, the state transition unit 62 in the relay device 101 transitions the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51A that received the wake-up request R1 from an off state to an on state (step S104).

[0116] Next, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202A establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging various information (step S105).

[0117] Next, the relay device 101 refers to the network table T1 in the storage unit 54 and selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the in-vehicle ECU 202A as the destination of the wake-up request R2. Specifically, as described above, the sleep control unit 63 in the relay device 101 selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B, which belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected, from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D, based on the network table T1. Then, the sleep control unit 63 transitions the communication circuit corresponding to the communication port 51B to which the in-vehicle ECU 202B is connected to the ON state (step S106).

[0118] Next, the relay device 101 transmits a wake-up request R2 to the in-vehicle ECU 202B (step S107).

[0119] Next, the in-vehicle ECU 202B receives the wake-up request R2 from the relay device 101 and transitions to a wake-up state (step S108).

[0120] Next, the relay device 101 and the in-vehicle ECU 202B establish a communication connection with each other by exchanging various information (step S109).

[0121] Next, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B communicate with each other. For example, when the relay device 101 receives a frame addressed to the in-vehicle ECU 202B from the in-vehicle ECU 202A, the relay device 101 refers to the address table M and identifies "#2" as the port number corresponding to the frame. Then, the relay device 101 transmits the received frame to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202B from the communication port 51B corresponding to the identified port number "#2" (step S110).

[0122] 8, when the in-vehicle ECU 202A transitions to the wakeup state, one of the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D may be in the sleep state and the other may be in the wakeup state. Even in this case, the relay device 101 does not cause the in-vehicle ECU 202 in the sleep state of the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D to transition to the wakeup state, thereby suppressing power consumption in the in-vehicle ECU 202.

[0123] <Variation 1> FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a first modification of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] 9, in the first modification, the VLAN-ID of each in-vehicle ECU 202 is "10." In this manner, in the first modification, it is assumed that each in-vehicle ECU 202 has the same VLAN-ID.

[0125] In the first modification, the in-vehicle ECUs 202 configure a PN (Partial Network) defined by AUTOSAR. Specifically, the multiple in-vehicle ECUs 202 form a PNC, which is an example of a network, according to AUTOSAR. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B and the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong to different PNCs. Each in-vehicle ECU 202 selects a communication partner from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202 that belong to the same PNC.

[0126] In the following description, the ID of the PNC to which the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B belong, that is, the PN information, is "1," and the PN information of the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D is "2." The PN information is stored in, for example, an NM message.

[0127] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the first modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0128] 2 and 10, the storage unit 54 stores a network table T2 indicating the correspondence between the communication port 51 and the PNC. More specifically, the network table T2 indicates the correspondence between the port number of the communication port 51 and the PN information of the in-vehicle ECU 202.

[0129] In the network table T2, PN information "1" is associated with port numbers "#1" and "#2," and PN information "2" is associated with port numbers "#3" and "#4." Note that the network table T2 may also indicate a VLAN-ID corresponding to each port number, i.e., a VLAN-ID "10."

[0130] The sleep control unit 63 selects, from the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D, the in-vehicle ECU 202B that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected, based on the network table T2.

[0131] More specifically, the sleep control unit 63 refers to the network table T2, identifies "1" as the same PN information as the PN information corresponding to the port number "#1" notified from the switch unit 52, and identifies "#2" as another port number corresponding to the PN information "1." As a result, the sleep control unit 63 identifies the in-vehicle ECU 202B connected to the communication port 51B of port number "#2" as the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A. That is, the sleep control unit 63 selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D as the destination of the wake-up request R2.

[0132] For example, when the connection relationship between the relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 in the in-vehicle network 401 is fixed, the relay device 101 stores a pre-created network table T2 in the storage unit 54. The relay device 101 may acquire PN information stored in an NM message received from each in-vehicle ECU 202, and create the network table T2 based on the acquired PN information and the port number of the communication port 51 that received the NM message.

[0133] <Variation 2> FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second modified example of an in-vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0134] 11, in Modification 2, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B and the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong to different VLANs, similar to the in-vehicle system 301 shown in Fig. 1. Also, in Modification 2, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B and the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong to different PNCs, similar to Modification 1.

[0135] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the second modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0136] 2 and 12, the storage unit 54 stores a network table T3 indicating the correspondence between the communication port 51, the VLAN, and the PNC. More specifically, the network table T3 indicates the correspondence between the port number of the communication port 51, the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECU 202, and the PN information of the in-vehicle ECU 202. In the network table T3, the PN information of each in-vehicle ECU 202 belonging to the same VLAN is the same.

[0137] More specifically, in network table T3, VLAN-ID "10" and PN information "1" are associated with port numbers "#1" and "#2," and VLAN-ID "20" and PN information "2" are associated with port numbers "#3" and "#4."

[0138] Based on the network table T3, the sleep control unit 63 preferentially selects an in-vehicle ECU 202 that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port 51A over an in-vehicle ECU 202 that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected.

[0139] More specifically, the sleep control unit 63 refers to the network table T3, identifies "1" as the same PN information as the PN information corresponding to the port number "#1" notified from the switch unit 52, and identifies "#2" as another port number corresponding to the PN information "1." As a result, the sleep control unit 63 identifies the in-vehicle ECU 202B connected to the communication port 51B of port number "#2" as the communication partner of the in-vehicle ECU 202A. In other words, the sleep control unit 63 selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D as the destination of the wake-up request R2.

[0140] <Variation 3> FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a third modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0141] 13, in Modification 3, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202C and the in-vehicle ECUs 202B and 202D belong to different VLANs. In the example shown in Fig. 13, the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202C is "10," and the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECUs 202B and 202D is "20." Furthermore, in Modification 3, similar to Modifications 1 and 2, the in-vehicle ECUs 202A and 202B and the in-vehicle ECUs 202C and 202D belong to different PNCs.

[0142] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a network table held by a relay device of the third modification of the in-vehicle system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0143] 2 and 14, the storage unit 54 stores a network table T4 indicating the correspondence between the communication port 51, the VLAN, and the PNC. More specifically, the network table T4 indicates the correspondence between the port number of the communication port 51, the VLAN-ID of the in-vehicle ECU 202, and the PN information of the in-vehicle ECU 202. In the network table T4, the PN information of the in-vehicle ECUs 202 belonging to the same VLAN is different from one another.

[0144] More specifically, in network table T4, VLAN-ID "10" and PN information "1" are associated with port number "#1," VLAN-ID "20" and PN information "1" are associated with port number "#2," VLAN-ID "10" and PN information "2" are associated with port number "#3," and VLAN-ID "20" and PN information "2" are associated with "#4."

[0145] Based on the network table T4, the sleep control unit 63 preferentially selects the in-vehicle ECU 202C that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port 51A over the in-vehicle ECU 202B that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected.

[0146] More specifically, the sleep control unit 63 refers to the network table T4, identifies "10" as the same VLAN-ID as the VLAN-ID corresponding to the port number "#1" notified by the switch unit 52, and identifies "#2" as another port number corresponding to the VLAN-ID "10." The sleep control unit 63 also refers to the network table T4, identifies "1" as the same PN information as the PN information corresponding to the port number "#1" notified by the switch unit 52, and identifies "#3" as another port number corresponding to the PN information "1."

[0147] Then, the sleep control unit 63 preferentially selects the in-vehicle ECU 202C connected to the communication port 51C with port number "#3" as the destination of the wake-up request R2 over the in-vehicle ECU 202B connected to the communication port 51B with port number "#2".

[0148] The network table T is not limited to the above-described network tables T1, T2, T3, and T4. The network table T may be a table showing the correspondence between the port number of the communication port 51, which is the port number of the physical port, and the number of the logical port.

[0149] For example, if the same logical port is assigned to the communication port 51A to which the in-vehicle ECU 202A is connected and the communication port 51B to which the in-vehicle ECU 202B is connected, and the in-vehicle ECU 202A sends a wake-up request R1 to the relay device 101, the sleep control unit 63 in the relay device 101 selects the in-vehicle ECU 202B from among the in-vehicle ECUs 202B, 202C, and 202D other than the in-vehicle ECU 202A as the destination for sending the wake-up request R2.

[0150] The above-described embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0151] Each process (each function) in the above-described embodiments is realized by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The processing circuit may be configured as an integrated circuit or the like that combines one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits in addition to the one or more processors. The one or more memories store programs (instructions) that cause the one or more processors to execute each of the processes. The one or more processors may execute each of the processes according to the programs read from the one or more memories, or according to logic circuits pre-designed to execute each of the processes. The processor may be various processors suitable for computer control, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Note that the physically separate processors may cooperate with each other to execute each of the processes. For example, the processors mounted on a plurality of physically separated computers may cooperate with each other to execute the above processes via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, etc. The program may be installed into the memory from an external server device or the like via the network, or may be distributed in a state stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a semiconductor memory, and installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0152] The above description includes the following additional features. [Appendix 1] A relay device used in an in-vehicle system including three or more in-vehicle devices, a processing circuit; The processing circuitry transitioning the relay device from a sleep state to a wake-up state when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices; a relay device that selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device, and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1 vehicle 11 Ethernet cable 51, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D communication ports 52 Switch section 53 Processing section 54 Memory section 61 Judgment Department 62 State transition section 63 Sleep control unit 101 Relay device 202,202A,202B,202C,202D Automotive ECU 301 In-Vehicle Systems 401 In-Vehicle Network

Claims

1. A relay device used in an in-vehicle system including three or more in-vehicle devices, a state transition unit that transitions the relay device from a sleep state to a wake-up state when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices; a sleep control unit that, when a communication partner of the first in-vehicle device is unknown, selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device, and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state; The relay device further three or more communication ports to which the three or more in-vehicle devices are respectively connected; a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a network to which the in-vehicle device belongs; A relay device in which the sleep control unit selects, based on the correspondence information, from among multiple in-vehicle devices belonging to different networks other than the first in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle device belonging to the same network as the network corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected, as the second in-vehicle device.

2. the correspondence information indicates a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network); The relay device described in claim 1, wherein the sleep control unit selects, based on the correspondence information, from among multiple on-board devices other than the first on-board device that belong to different VLANs, an on-board device that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port to which the first on-board device is connected as the second on-board device.

3. the correspondence information indicates a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a PNC (Partial Network Cluster), The relay device described in claim 1, wherein the sleep control unit selects, based on the correspondence information, from among multiple on-board devices other than the first on-board device that belong to different PNCs, an on-board device that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port to which the first on-board device is connected, as the second on-board device.

4. the correspondence information indicates a correspondence relationship between the communication port, the VLAN, and the PNC; The relay device described in claim 1, wherein the sleep control unit preferentially selects as the second vehicle-mounted device an on-board device that belongs to the same PNC as the PNC corresponding to the communication port to which the first vehicle-mounted device is connected, rather than an on-board device that belongs to the same VLAN as the VLAN corresponding to the communication port to which the first vehicle-mounted device is connected.

5. 1. A sleep control method for a relay device used in an in-vehicle system including three or more in-vehicle devices, comprising: transitioning the relay device from a sleep state to a wake-up state when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices; selecting a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device when a communication partner of the first in-vehicle device is unknown, and transmitting a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state; The relay device three or more communication ports to which the three or more in-vehicle devices are respectively connected; a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a network to which the in-vehicle device belongs; A sleep control method in which, in the step of sending the second wake-up request, based on the correspondence information, an in-vehicle device belonging to the same network as the network corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected is selected as the second in-vehicle device from among a plurality of in-vehicle devices belonging to different networks other than the first in-vehicle device.

6. 1. A sleep control program used in a relay device used in an in-vehicle system including three or more in-vehicle devices, Computer, a state transition unit that transitions the relay device from a sleep state to a wake-up state when a first wake-up request is received from a first in-vehicle device among the three or more in-vehicle devices; a sleep control unit that, when a communication partner of the first in-vehicle device is unknown, selects a second in-vehicle device from among the in-vehicle devices other than the first in-vehicle device, and transmits a second wake-up request to the second in-vehicle device to transition the second in-vehicle device to the wake-up state; It is a program to function as The relay device three or more communication ports to which the three or more in-vehicle devices are respectively connected; a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the communication port and a network to which the in-vehicle device belongs; A sleep control program in which the sleep control unit selects, based on the correspondence information, from among a plurality of in-vehicle devices belonging to different networks other than the first in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle device belonging to the same network as the network corresponding to the communication port to which the first in-vehicle device is connected, as the second in-vehicle device.

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