Management device, vehicle communication management method, and vehicle communication management program

Abstract

A device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, the management device comprising an degree-of-importance determining unit determining the degree of importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing of relaying a frame transmitted and received between a plurality of function units in the in-vehicle network, the relay device being a target of a setting change, and an execution determining unit determining whether to execute the setting change on the basis of a determination result from the degree-of-importance determining unit.

Description

Management device, vehicle communication management method, and vehicle communication management program

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-114250 filed on July 15, 2022, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of that application.

[0002] Technologies for changing the configuration of an in-vehicle network have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2020 / 145334) discloses the following technology. That is, a vehicle control device controls a plurality of repeaters based on a control scenario that associates the state of a vehicle in which a vehicle network made up of a plurality of repeaters is built with control content to be set for each of the plurality of repeaters.

[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 145334

[0004] The management device disclosed herein is a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, and includes an importance judgment unit that judges the importance of frames relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network and is the target of a setting change, and an execution feasibility judgment unit that judges whether to make the setting change based on the judgment result of the importance judgment unit.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure may be realized as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements part or all of the management device, and may also be realized as a system that includes the management device.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message relayed in the in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message importance table in the relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second variant of the relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure when the relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure changes network settings. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure when the second variant of the relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure changes network settings. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] <Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure> When dynamically changing the settings of an in-vehicle network as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the setting changes may affect communication in the in-vehicle network.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a management device, a vehicle communication management method, and a vehicle communication management program that are capable of changing the settings of an in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation of the in-vehicle network.

[0009] <Effects of the Present Disclosure> According to the present disclosure, it is possible to change the settings of an in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation of the in-vehicle network.

[0010] <Outline of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> The following describes the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure: (1) A management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, and includes an importance determination unit that determines the importance of frames relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of a setting change, and an execution feasibility determination unit that determines whether to change the setting based on a determination result of the importance determination unit.

[0011] In this way, by determining whether to change the settings of a relay device by taking into account the importance of frames relayed in the in-vehicle network, it is possible to prevent messages exchanged between ECUs in the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the change in settings, thereby reducing the possibility that control system communications will be affected and affect vehicle operation. Therefore, it is possible to change the settings of the in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation of the in-vehicle network.

[0012] (2) In the above (1), the management device may further include a generation unit that generates configuration information for a new network based on device information acquired from the plurality of functional units, thereby determining the relay devices that are to be subject to configuration changes for communication in the new network, and notifying the determined relay devices of the configuration contents, and the generation unit may be configured not to notify at least one of the plurality of relay devices of the configuration contents when the execution feasibility determination unit determines that the configuration change will not be made to at least one of the plurality of relay devices.

[0013] With this configuration, when multiple relay devices are provided in an in-vehicle network and the setting changes are targeted at multiple relay devices, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies from occurring throughout the system, which would occur if relay devices in which the setting changes are not reflected coexist with relay devices in which the setting changes are reflected.

[0014] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the management device may further include a memory unit that stores correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the identification information of the relay device and the importance of the frame relayed by the relay device, and the importance determination unit may determine the importance based on the correspondence information.

[0015] With this configuration, the importance of a frame can be determined by simple processing using the correspondence information.

[0016] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, the management device may further include a relay status determination unit that determines whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is relaying a frame of a specific importance level, and the execution feasibility determination unit may determine whether to make the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit and the determination result of the relay status determination unit.

[0017] With this configuration, even if a relay device that relays frames of high importance is subject to a setting change, the setting change can be waited for and executed at the appropriate time, thereby enabling the setting change of the in-vehicle network to be executed more reliably.

[0018] (5) In the above (4), the management device may further include a vehicle status acquisition unit that acquires vehicle status information regarding the status of the vehicle, and the relay status determination unit may determine whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is in a state where it is relaying frames of a particular importance level based on the vehicle status information acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit.

[0019] With this configuration, it is possible to change the settings during standby at an appropriate timing, such as when the vehicle is stopped, when it is highly likely that frames of high importance are not being relayed.

[0020] (6) In the above (4), the relay status determination unit may inquire of a specific function unit as to whether or not the specific function unit is in a state of transmitting a frame of the specific importance.

[0021] This configuration makes it possible to more reliably grasp the state in which a highly important frame is not being relayed, and to implement standby setting changes at an appropriate timing.

[0022] (7) In any of (1) to (6) above, the management device may further include a device information acquisition unit that acquires device information of the functional unit, and the importance determination unit may determine the importance based on the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit.

[0023] With this configuration, the importance of a frame can be determined more accurately using information from the functional units in the in-vehicle network.

[0024] (8) A vehicle communication management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle communication management method in a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, and includes a step of determining the importance of frames relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network and is subject to a setting change, and a step of determining whether to make the setting change based on the result of the importance determination.

[0025] In this way, by determining whether to change the settings of a relay device by taking into account the importance of frames relayed in the in-vehicle network, it is possible to prevent messages exchanged between ECUs in the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the change in settings, thereby reducing the possibility that control system communications will be affected and affect vehicle operation. Therefore, it is possible to change the settings of the in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation of the in-vehicle network.

[0026] (9) A vehicle communication management program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle communication management program used in a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, and is a program for causing a computer to function as an importance judgment unit that judges the importance of frames relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between multiple functional units in the in-vehicle network and is the target of a setting change, and an execution feasibility judgment unit that determines whether to make the setting change based on the judgment result of the importance judgment unit.

[0027] In this way, by determining whether to change the settings of a relay device by taking into account the importance of frames relayed in the in-vehicle network, it is possible to prevent messages exchanged between ECUs in the control system from being delayed or discarded due to the change in settings, thereby reducing the possibility that control system communications will be affected and affect vehicle operation. Therefore, it is possible to change the settings of the in-vehicle network while maintaining stable operation of the in-vehicle network.

[0028] <Details of the Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. In addition, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[0029] [In-Vehicle Communication System] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 1, the in-vehicle communication system 301 includes a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 202 and one or more relay devices 101.

[0030] 1 , the in-vehicle communication system 301 includes in-vehicle ECUs 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, and 202E, which are in-vehicle ECUs 202, and relay devices 101A and 101B, which are relay devices 101. The in-vehicle communication system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 501. The in-vehicle ECUs 202 and the relay devices 101 configure an in-vehicle network 401. The in-vehicle ECU 202 is an example of a functional unit. The relay device 101A includes a management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] The in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration including five in-vehicle ECUs 202, but may be a configuration including a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202. The in-vehicle communication system 301 is also not limited to a configuration including two relay devices 101, but may be a configuration including one relay device 101 or three or more relay devices 101.

[0032] In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable.

[0033] More specifically, the relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51. The communication ports 51 are terminals to which, for example, Ethernet cables can be connected. Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 is connected to another relay device 101 or in-vehicle ECU 202 via the communication ports 51 and the Ethernet cables.

[0034] The relay device 101 is used in an in-vehicle network 401 including a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202. The relay device 101 is, for example, a gateway device, and is capable of relaying data between the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected thereto. The relay device 101 is capable of performing relay processing according to, for example, Layer 2 and Layer 3, which is higher than Layer 2.

[0035] More specifically, the relay device 101 performs relay processing of frames exchanged between the in-vehicle ECUs 202 connected via an Ethernet cable in accordance with, for example, the Ethernet communication standard.

[0036] Note that the in-vehicle communication system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which frames are relayed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, and may be a configuration in which frames are relayed in accordance with a communication standard such as CAN (Controller Area Network), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport) (registered trademark), and LIN (Local Interconnect Network).

[0037] The in-vehicle ECU 202 is, for example, an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, and the like.

[0038] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle ECU 202 generates a frame including various information described later, and transmits it to another in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101 .

[0039] As will be described later, when a predetermined event occurs, the relay device 101A changes the settings of the in-vehicle network 401 (hereinafter also referred to as a network setting change). Hereinafter, the in-vehicle network 401 after the network setting change is reflected will also be referred to as a new network.

[0040] [Relay Device 101A] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 shows the configuration of the relay device 101A shown in Fig. 1.

[0041] 2 , relay device 101A includes a relay unit 1, a generation unit 2, a setting unit 3, an importance determination unit 4, an execution feasibility determination unit 5, and a storage unit 8. Some or all of relay unit 1, generation unit 2, setting unit 3, importance determination unit 4, and execution feasibility determination unit 5 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. Storage unit 8 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0042] The relay unit 1 performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between the in-vehicle ECUs 202. More specifically, when the relay unit 1 receives a frame from a certain in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101B, the relay unit 1 transmits the received frame to the destination in-vehicle ECU 202 or relay device 101B.

[0043] The generating unit 2 serves as a device information acquiring unit and acquires device information including information on the network configuration of a layer lower than the application layer, for example, for each of a plurality of functional units.

[0044] More specifically, when a predetermined event that triggers a change in the network settings occurs, generation unit 2 acquires device information of each functional unit, for example, each in-vehicle ECU 202. Note that generation unit 2 may be configured to acquire device information of relay devices 101A and 101B in addition to the device information of each functional unit.

[0045] The event may be, for example, a case where a user performs a predetermined operation on the in-vehicle ECU 202, which is a navigation device. Note that the event may also be a case where a new functional unit is added to the in-vehicle network 401, specifically, a case where an in-vehicle ECU 202 is added to the in-vehicle network 401, or a case where a new application is installed in an existing in-vehicle ECU 202 in the in-vehicle network 401. In this way, the functional unit may be hardware or software.

[0046] For example, the generation unit 2 acquires, as equipment information, information that can recognize the specifications of hardware devices such as the onboard ECU 202 and relay device 101 in the new network, as well as information that can recognize the topology of the new network, constraints regarding the placement of applications on hardware devices in the new network, and constraints on the communication method in the new network.

[0047] The generation unit 2 acquires, as information that enables the specifications of the hardware devices and the topology of the new network to be recognized, at least one type of information from the following: the identifier, name, device type indicating the sensor type, etc. of the hardware device, memory size, the number of physical ports provided for each communication protocol, the physical port identifier, power supply configuration, power consumption, VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) ID, subnet address, and functional domain; information on the specifications of the CPU or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) installed in the hardware device; information on the connection relationships between the hardware devices; information on the bandwidth of communication between the hardware devices; and information on the specifications of the relay device 101.

[0048] The generation unit 2 acquires at least one type of information from among the information that can recognize constraints on the placement of applications in hardware devices, such as the calculation speed required to execute an application in the in-vehicle ECU 202, memory usage, constraints on the OS (Operating System) environment, and constraints on communication protocols such as TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).

[0049] The generation unit 2 acquires at least one of the following types of information as information that can recognize the constraints of the communication method in the new network: the communication data size, communication frequency, whether burst transmission is required, the allowable delay time, the allowable amount of loss, the required security level, the operation timing, the communication type, for example, indicating whether the communication is periodic or irregular, the identifier of the application with which the communication is to be performed, and the messaging method, which indicates a request-response type or a publish-subscribe type, etc., as well as information regarding the priority of communication by the application, of the application in the onboard ECU 202.

[0050] For example, the generating unit 2 identifies one or more types of device information required to generate setting information for a new network from among the types of device information described above.

[0051] The generation unit 2 transmits an information request notification indicating that the specified type of device information should be transmitted to each functional unit and the relay device 101B via the relay unit 1, for example.

[0052] In response to the information request notice received from the generation unit 2, each functional unit and the relay device 101B transmits to the generation unit 2, for example, its own device information of the type specified in the information request notice.

[0053] Furthermore, for example, the generation unit 2 refers to the storage unit 8 and acquires from the storage unit 8 the device information of the relay device 101A of the identified type.

[0054] The generating unit 2 generates setting information for the new network based on the acquired device information.

[0055] More specifically, by generating the setting information, the generator 2 determines one or more relay devices 101 (hereinafter also referred to as target relay devices) that are to be subject to setting changes for communication in the new network. Then, the generator 2 notifies the target relay devices of the setting contents based on the generated setting information.

[0056] For example, based on the acquired device information, the generation unit 2 generates setting information including the setting contents of the target relay device for communication between the respective functional units and the relay devices 101A and 101B in the new network, such as filtering, communication bandwidth, and VLAN settings in the relay device 101. The generation unit 2 notifies the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information of the target relay device.

[0057] On the other hand, if there is no relay device 101 in the new network that needs to have its settings changed, the generation unit 2 does not notify the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information.

[0058] The importance determining unit 4 determines the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device notified by the generating unit 2 .

[0059] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message relayed in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] 3, the on-board ECUs 202A and 202B are control ECUs that exchange information related to the running of the vehicle 501, such as an automatic driving ECU, an engine ECU, sensors, and cameras. The on-board ECUs 202C, 202D, and 202E are infotainment ECUs, such as a navigation device.

[0061] In the in-vehicle communication system 301, a frame containing a message M1 exchanged between the in-vehicle ECU 202A and the in-vehicle ECU 202B is relayed by the relay device 101A, a frame containing a message M2 exchanged between the in-vehicle ECU 202C and the in-vehicle ECU 202D is relayed by the relay devices 101A and 101B, and a frame containing a message M3 exchanged between the in-vehicle ECU 202D and the in-vehicle ECU 202E is relayed by the relay device 101B.

[0062] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message importance table in the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] The storage unit 8 stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the identification information of the relay device 101 and the importance of one or more types of frames relayed by the relay device 101 .

[0064] Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, a message importance table, which is an example of correspondence information, indicates the correspondence between the ID of the relay device 101, the name of the relay device, the type of message to be relayed, and the importance of the message.

[0065] In the message importance table, the relay device 101A with ID "001" relays a message M1 with an importance level of "important" and a message M2 with an importance level of "normal." The relay device 101B with ID "002" relays messages M2 and M3 with an importance level of "normal."

[0066] In this way, in the in-vehicle communication system 301, messages exchanged between control system ECUs are set to have a level of importance of "important" because they are messages that affect the running of the vehicle 501. On the other hand, messages exchanged between infotainment system ECUs are messages that are unlikely to affect the running of the vehicle 501, so their level of importance is set to "normal."

[0067] The importance determination unit 4 determines the importance based on the correspondence information. More specifically, the importance determination unit 4 refers to the message importance table, and if the ID of the target relay device notified by the generation unit 2 is "001", the importance determination unit 4 notifies the executability determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "important". On the other hand, the importance determination unit 4 refers to the message importance table, and if the ID of the target relay device notified by the generation unit 2 is "002", the importance determination unit 4 notifies the executability determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "normal".

[0068] The message importance table may indicate three or more levels of importance, not limited to "important" and "normal." In this case, the importance determination unit 4 comprehensively determines the importance of each message to be relayed by the relay device 101, and notifies the execution feasibility determination unit 5 of the determination result.

[0069] Referring back to FIG. 2, execution possibility determination unit 5 determines whether or not to change the settings of the target relay device based on the determination result of importance determination unit 4.

[0070] More specifically, when the execution possibility determination unit 5 is notified of the determination result of "important" by the importance determination unit 4, it notifies the generation unit 2 that the setting change of the target relay device is "not executable." On the other hand, when the execution possibility determination unit 5 is notified of the determination result of "normal" by the importance determination unit 4, it notifies the generation unit 2 that the setting change of the target relay device is "executable."

[0071] That is, for example, if message M1 with an importance level of "important" is delayed or discarded due to the setting change during the period from when relay device 101A starts to when it completes its setting change, execution feasibility determination unit 5 determines not to perform the setting change because this could affect communication in the control system and affect the running of vehicle 501. On the other hand, if the setting change of relay device 101B is performed, even if messages M2 and M3 with an importance level of "normal" are delayed or discarded due to the setting change, execution feasibility determination unit 5 determines that the setting change can be performed because it is unlikely to affect communication in the control system.

[0072] When generation unit 2 is notified of "executable" by execution feasibility determination unit 5, it cancels or suspends changing the settings of the target relay device, i.e., notifying the target relay device of the setting contents. On the other hand, when generation unit 2 is notified of "executable" by execution feasibility determination unit 5, it notifies at least one of relay devices 101A and 101B, the setting of which needs to be changed, of the setting contents for communication in the new network, based on the generated setting information.

[0073] Also, for example, when the generation unit 2 determines that multiple relay devices 101 are to be subject to a setting change, if the execution feasibility determination unit 5 determines that the setting change will not be made to at least one of the multiple relay devices 101, the generation unit 2 does not notify the multiple relay devices 101 of the setting contents.

[0074] More specifically, when the importance determination unit 4 is notified of the IDs of both relay devices 101A and 101B by the generation unit 2, it notifies the execution feasibility determination unit 5 that the importance of the frame relayed by relay device 101A is "important" and that the importance of the frame relayed by relay device 101B is "normal."

[0075] The execution possibility determination unit 5 receives a determination result of "important" from the importance determination unit 4 for the relay device 101A, and therefore notifies the generation unit 2 that the setting change of the target relay device is "impossible to execute."

[0076] When notifying relay device 101A of the setting contents, generation unit 2 notifies setting unit 3 of the setting contents. When notifying relay device 101B of the setting contents, generation unit 2 transmits a frame including the setting contents to relay device 101B via relay unit 1.

[0077] When the setting unit 3 in the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B are notified of the setting contents from the generation unit 2, they change various settings in accordance with the notified setting contents.

[0078] In addition, the generation unit 2 may be configured to generate setting information that further includes the setting contents of the functional unit, and based on the setting information, notify the functional unit of the setting contents for communication in the new network in addition to the relay device 101.

[0079] The functional units and relay devices 101A and 101B in the new network communicate with each other according to the changed settings.

[0080] [Variation 1] The storage unit 8 may be configured not to store a message importance table. In this case, the importance determination unit 4 may be configured to determine the importance of a frame relayed by a target relay device based on the device information acquired by the generation unit 2.

[0081] More specifically, the generation unit 2 notifies the importance determination unit 4 of the identification information of the target relay device, and outputs the acquired device information to the importance determination unit 4 .

[0082] The importance determination unit 4 determines whether the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "important" or "normal" based on information regarding the application in the in-vehicle ECU 202 indicated by the equipment information received from the generation unit 2, or the specifications of the relay device 101, etc.

[0083] [Modification 2] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay device according to a modification 2 of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 illustrates a configuration of a modification of the relay device 101A shown in Fig. 1 .

[0084] 5, compared to relay device 101A shown in FIG. 2, variant 2 of relay device 101A further includes a relay status determination unit 6 and a vehicle status acquisition unit 7. Some or all of relay unit 1, generation unit 2, setting unit 3, importance determination unit 4, executability determination unit 5, relay status determination unit 6, and vehicle status acquisition unit 7 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit including one or more processors. Storage unit 8 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0085] The relay state determination unit 6 determines whether the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is relaying a frame of a specific importance level.

[0086] The execution possibility determination unit 5 determines whether or not to change the settings of the target relay device based on the determination results of the importance determination unit 4 and the determination results of the relay status determination unit 6 .

[0087] For example, the vehicle state acquisition unit 7 acquires vehicle state information relating to the state of the vehicle 501 and outputs the information to the relay state determination unit 6. The vehicle state information indicates the state of the vehicle 501 relating to its running, the state of the battery, the state of the air conditioner, the state of the driver, and the like.

[0088] The relay state determination unit 6 determines whether the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is relaying a frame of a specific importance level based on the vehicle state information acquired by the vehicle state acquisition unit.

[0089] Specifically, the vehicle state acquisition unit receives vehicle state information regarding the state of the vehicle 501, which is transmitted periodically or irregularly from a specific in-vehicle ECU 202, via the relay unit 1, and outputs the information to the relay state determination unit 6. Here, the vehicle state information indicates whether the vehicle 501 is traveling or whether the vehicle 501 is stopped.

[0090] When the relay state determination unit 6 receives vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is moving from the vehicle state acquisition unit, it notifies the execution feasibility determination unit 5 that the relay state is 1, in which the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is relaying frames with an importance level of "important." On the other hand, when the relay state determination unit 6 receives vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is stopped from the vehicle state acquisition unit, it notifies the execution feasibility determination unit 5 that the relay state is 2, in which the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is not relaying frames with an importance level of "important."

[0091] When the execution possibility determination unit 5 is notified of the determination result of "important" by the importance determination unit 4 and is notified by the relay status determination unit 6 that the relay status is 1, the execution possibility determination unit 5 notifies the generation unit 2 that the setting change of the target relay device is "not executable." On the other hand, when the execution possibility determination unit 5 is notified of the determination result of "normal" by the importance determination unit 4 or is notified by the relay status determination unit 6 that the relay status is 2, the execution possibility determination unit 5 notifies the generation unit 2 that the setting change of the target relay device is "executable."

[0092] In addition, the relay status determination unit 6 is not limited to a configuration that determines the relay status using vehicle status information, but may also be configured to inquire of a specific functional unit as to whether or not a frame of a specific importance level is being transmitted.

[0093] Specifically, for example, relay status determination unit 6 transmits a transmission status inquiry to on-board ECU 202 of the control system via relay unit 1, and determines the relay status based on a transmission status response from on-board ECU 202 indicating whether message M1 is being transmitted. In this configuration, for example, when on-board ECU 202 transmits a transmission status response to relay device 101A indicating that message M1 is not being transmitted, on-board ECU 202 suspends transmission of message M1 until a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the transmission status response.

[0094] [Operation Flow] FIG. 6 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure changes network settings.

[0095] 6, when a predetermined event that triggers a change in network settings occurs (YES in step S1), relay device 101A acquires, for example, device information of each functional unit and each relay device 101 (step S2).

[0096] Next, the relay device 101A generates setting information based on the acquired device information, thereby determining a target relay device (step S3).

[0097] Next, if the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "important" (YES in step S4), the relay device 101A cancels the change of the setting of the target relay device (step S5).

[0098] On the other hand, if the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "normal" (NO in step S4), the relay device 101A notifies the target relay device of the setting contents (step S6).

[0099] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure when the second modification of the relay device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure changes the network settings.

[0100] 7, the processes in steps S11 to S13 are similar to those in steps S1 to S3 in FIG.

[0101] Next, if the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is "normal" (NO in step S14), the relay device 101A notifies the target relay device of the setting contents (step S17).

[0102] On the other hand, if the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device is “important” (YES in step S4) and the relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 is in relay state 1 relaying a frame with an importance of “important” (YES in step S15), the relay device 101A suspends the setting change of the target relay device (step S16), and if the relay device 101A transitions to relay state 2 in which the frame is not relayed (NO in step S15), it notifies the target relay device of the setting contents (step S17).

[0103] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence for changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 8, first, when a predetermined event that triggers a change in network settings occurs, relay device 101A starts changing the network settings (step S21).

[0105] Next, the relay device 101A transmits an information request notice to each in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101B (steps S22, S23, S24).

[0106] Next, each in-vehicle ECU 202 and the relay device 101B receives the information request notification and transmits the device information to the relay device 101A (steps S25, S26, S27).

[0107] Next, the relay device 101A determines a target relay device by generating setting information based on the received device information and the device information of the relay device 101A (step S28).

[0108] Next, the relay device 101A determines the importance of the frame relayed by the target relay device, and determines that the importance is "important," for example (step S29).

[0109] Next, the relay device 101A transmits a transmission status inquiry to the in-vehicle ECU 202 of the control system (step S30).

[0110] Next, the in-vehicle ECU 202 of the control system receives the transmission status inquiry and transmits a transmission status response indicating that the message M1 is not currently being transmitted to the relay device 101A (step S31).

[0111] Next, relay device 101A receives the transmission status response, determines whether the setting change of the target relay device is "executable" (step S32), and notifies, for example, setting unit 3 of relay device 101A and relay device 101B of the setting contents (step S33).

[0112] Next, the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B change various settings in accordance with the setting contents notified from the relay device 101A (steps S34 and S35).

[0113] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101B and the respective functional units communicate with each other in accordance with the changed settings (step S36).

[0114] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of changing network settings in the in-vehicle communication system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] 9, the processes from step S41 to step S49 are similar to those from step S21 to step S29 in FIG.

[0116] Next, the relay device 101A acquires, as information relating to the state of the vehicle 501, for example, vehicle state information indicating that the vehicle 501 is stopped (step S50).

[0117] Next, the relay device 101A determines whether the setting change of the target relay device is "executable" (step S51), and notifies the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B of the setting contents (step S52).

[0118] Next, the setting unit 3 of the relay device 101A and the relay device 101B change various settings in accordance with the setting contents notified from the relay device 101A (steps S53 and S54).

[0119] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101B and the respective functional units communicate with each other in accordance with the changed settings (step S55).

[0120] Note that the in-vehicle communication system 301 may be configured to include only one relay device 101A, without including the relay device 101B. In this case, the execution feasibility determination unit 5 in the relay device 101A is notified of the fixed determination result of “important” by the importance determination unit 4, and therefore notifies the generation unit 2 of “executable” or “unexecutable” for the setting change of the relay device 101A, which is the target relay device, according to the relay state notified by the relay state determination unit 6.

[0121] Furthermore, although the management device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described as being included in the relay device 101A in the in-vehicle communication system 301, this is not limiting. Some or all of the units in the relay device 101A other than the relay unit 1 may be included in a device other than the relay device 101A in the in-vehicle communication system 301, or may be provided outside the in-vehicle communication system 301.

[0122] Furthermore, the management device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be realized by a server (not shown) that is capable of communicating with the in-vehicle communication system 301. In this case, some or all of the functions of the management device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided by cloud computing. That is, the management device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured by multiple cloud servers, etc.

[0123] Each process (each function) in the above-described embodiments is realized by a processing circuit (circuitry) 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 program read from the one or more memories, or may execute each of the processes according to a logic circuit designed in advance to execute each of the processes. The processor may be any of various processors suitable for computer control, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Note that the physically separated processors may cooperate with each other to execute the processes. For example, the processors installed in the physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the Internet to execute the processes. 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 essential memory, and then installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0124] 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.

[0125] The above description includes the following additional features. [Supplementary Note 1] A management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, comprising: an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network, the relay device being a target of a setting change; and an execution feasibility determination unit that determines whether to make the setting change based on a determination result of the importance determination unit; wherein the management device further comprises a relay state determination unit that determines whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is in a first relay state in which it is relaying frames of a specific importance, or in a second relay state in which it is not relaying frames of the specific importance, the execution feasibility determination unit determines whether to make the setting change based on the determination result of the importance determination unit and the determination result of the relay state determination unit; and wherein the execution feasibility determination unit determines not to make the setting change if the frame relayed by the relay device being a target of a setting change is a frame of the specific importance and is determined by the relay state determination unit to be in the first relay state, and determines to make the setting change if the frame is in the second relay state.

[0126] [Supplementary Note 2] A management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs relay processing to relay frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of a setting change, and determines whether or not to change the setting based on the determination result.

[0127] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Relay unit 2 Generation unit 3 Setting unit 4 Importance determination unit 5 Execution feasibility determination unit 6 Relay status determination unit 7 Vehicle status acquisition unit 8 Storage unit 51 Communication port 101, 101A, 101B Relay device 202, 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D, 202E In-vehicle ECU 301 In-vehicle communication system 401 In-vehicle network 501 Vehicle

Claims

1. A management device for use in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of a setting change; an execution possibility determination unit that determines whether or not to change the setting based on a determination result of the importance determination unit.

2. The management device further comprises: a generation unit that generates setting information for a new network based on device information acquired from the plurality of functional units, thereby determining the relay device that is to be subject to a setting change for communication in the new network, and notifying the determined relay device of setting contents; 2. The management device according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit does not notify at least one of the plurality of relay devices of the setting contents when the execution feasibility determination unit determines that the setting change will not be made to at least one of the plurality of relay devices.

3. The management device further comprises: a storage unit that stores correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between identification information of the relay device and an importance level of a frame relayed by the relay device; The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the importance determining unit determines the importance based on the correspondence information.

4. The management device further comprises: a relay state determination unit that determines whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is relaying a frame of a specific importance; The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the execution possibility determination unit determines whether or not to change the setting based on a determination result of the importance determination unit and a determination result of the relay status determination unit.

5. The management device further comprises: a vehicle state acquisition unit that acquires vehicle state information relating to a state of the vehicle; The management device according to claim 4 , wherein the relay status determination unit determines whether the relay device in the in-vehicle network is in a state of relaying a frame of a specific importance based on the vehicle status information acquired by the vehicle status acquisition unit.

6. The management device according to claim 4 , wherein the relay status determination unit inquires of a specific functional unit as to whether or not the specific functional unit is in a state in which it is transmitting a frame of the specific importance.

7. The management device further comprises: a device information acquisition unit that acquires device information of the functional unit; The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the importance determining unit determines the importance based on the device information acquired by the device information acquiring unit.

8. A vehicle communication management method in a management device used in an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, comprising: determining the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of a setting change; and determining whether or not to change the setting based on a result of the importance determination.

9. A vehicle communication management program for use in a management device for an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, comprising: Computer, an importance determination unit that determines the importance of a frame relayed by a relay device that performs a relay process for relaying frames transmitted and received between a plurality of functional units in the in-vehicle network and is a target of a setting change; an execution possibility determination unit that determines whether or not to change the setting based on a result of the determination by the importance determination unit; A vehicle communication management program to function as a