Vehicle management system and vehicle management method

Abstract

A vehicle management system according to the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that performs acquisition processing that acquires device information that makes it possible to identify an onboard device on an onboard network, a conversion unit that performs conversion processing that converts the device information acquired by the acquisition unit to setting information needed for setting performed by a centralized network configuration that conforms to the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, and a reporting unit that reports the setting information produced by the conversion at the conversion unit to a centralized user configuration that conforms to the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard.

Description

Vehicle management system and vehicle management method

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-214357, filed December 20, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0002] Patent Document 1 (WO 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 vehicle management system of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network, a conversion unit that performs a conversion process to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information required for setting by a Centralized Network Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies a Centralized User Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure may be realized not only as a vehicle management system including such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of such characteristic processing, or as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the vehicle management system.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a new network in a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a fully centralized model defined in the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of device information stored in an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the contents of UNI information defined in IEEE 802.1Qcc. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence table stored in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a flowchart defining an operation procedure when a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure performs conversion processing and notification processing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing sequence of a relay device and an in-vehicle device in a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence table stored in a modified example of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] Technologies for changing the configuration of in-vehicle networks have been developed.

[0008] [Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure] In recent years, development of vehicles that can dynamically change the configuration of an in-vehicle network using SDN (Software Defined Network) technology has been progressing. Here, the IEEE (registered trademark) 802.1Qcc standard specifies a method for dynamically changing the configuration.

[0009] When dynamically changing the settings of an in-vehicle network in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, there is a possibility that the in-vehicle network may include a device that cannot communicate in accordance with the standard, which poses a problem that it is difficult to change the settings of the in-vehicle network.

[0010] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle management system and a vehicle management method that can more reliably change the settings of an in-vehicle network.

[0011] [Effects of the Present Disclosure] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to more reliably change the settings of an in-vehicle network.

[0012] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) A vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network, a conversion unit that performs a conversion process to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information required for setting by a Centralized Network Configuration that complies with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies a Centralized User Configuration that complies with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit.

[0013] The IEEE 802.1Qcc standard specifies a method in which a Centralized Network Configuration (hereinafter also referred to as "CNC") configures a network. In this method, a Centralized User Configuration (hereinafter also referred to as "CUC") collects various information indicating the contents of a message from the device or device that sent the message and creates configuration information necessary for the CNC to configure the network based on the various information. As described above, by converting the acquired device information into configuration information and notifying the CUC of the configuration information, even if the device or device that sent the message does not have the ability to communicate with the CUC in accordance with the standard, the configuration information can be provided to the CNC, allowing the in-vehicle network configuration to be changed in accordance with the configuration information. This allows for more reliable configuration changes to the in-vehicle network.

[0014] (2) In the above (1), the vehicle management system may further include a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network, and the acquisition unit may perform the acquisition process when the change is detected by the detection unit.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to easily grasp the timing at which device information should be acquired.

[0016] (3) In (1) or (2) above, the device information may indicate a combination of identification information for identifying the software installed in the vehicle-mounted device, the serial number of the vehicle-mounted device, and the version of the software.

[0017] With this configuration, the acquired device information can be converted into appropriate setting information according to the combination of the software identification information, the in-vehicle device serial number, and the software version indicated by the device information.

[0018] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the setting information may be User Network Interface information used between the Centralized User Configuration and the Centralized Network Configuration.

[0019] The IEEE 802.1Qcc standard specifies that the CNC configures the relay device that relays messages exchanged between the Talker and the Listener using management information based on User Network Interface information (hereinafter also referred to as "UNI information"). With the above configuration, the CNC does not need to convert the configuration information provided by the CUC into UNI information, making it easy to change the settings of the relay device.

[0020] (5) In the above (4), the in-vehicle network may include a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, and the acquisition unit may acquire a plurality of pieces of device information corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices in the acquisition process, and the conversion unit may determine a configuration type of the in-vehicle network based on the plurality of pieces of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the conversion unit may identify the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined configuration type of the in-vehicle network in the conversion process, using correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the configuration type of the in-vehicle network and the User Network Interface information.

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to determine an in-vehicle network including multiple in-vehicle devices based on device information obtained from each of the multiple in-vehicle devices, and it is also possible to easily identify UNI information corresponding to the configuration of the determined in-vehicle network using correspondence information.

[0022] (6) In the above (4), the conversion unit may determine the type of the in-vehicle device based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and in the conversion process, the conversion unit may specify the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device by using correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the type of the in-vehicle device and the User Network Interface information.

[0023] With this configuration, the type of an on-board device can be determined based on device information obtained from the on-board device, and the correspondence information can be used to easily identify the UNI information corresponding to the determined type of on-board device.

[0024] (7) A vehicle management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a vehicle management method in a vehicle management system, and includes the steps of: performing an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network; performing a conversion process to convert the acquired device information into setting information required for setting performed by a Centralized Network Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard; and notifying a Centralized User Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the converted setting information.

[0025] The IEEE 802.1Qcc standard specifies a method by which a CNC configures a network. In this method, the CUC collects various information indicating the contents of a message from the device that sent the message and creates the configuration information necessary for the CNC to configure the network based on the various information. As described above, by converting the acquired information that can identify an in-vehicle device into configuration information and notifying the CUC of the configuration information, even if the device that sent the message does not have the function to communicate with the CUC in accordance with the standard, the configuration information can be provided to the CNC, allowing the in-vehicle network configuration to be changed in accordance with the configuration information. This allows for more reliable configuration changes to the in-vehicle network.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle management system 301 includes a plurality of relay devices 101 and a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202.

[0028] 1 , the vehicle management system 301 includes relay devices 101A, 101B, and 101C that are relay devices 101, and in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C that are in-vehicle devices 202. The relay devices 101 and the in-vehicle devices 202 configure an in-vehicle network 401.

[0029] The in-vehicle device 202 is, for example, an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Specifically, the in-vehicle device 202 is a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit), an engine ECU, an autonomous driving ECU, a body control ECU, a steering control ECU, a brake control ECU, etc. Note that the in-vehicle device 202 is not limited to an in-vehicle ECU, and may also be an OTA (Over The Air) master, a sensor, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, a camera, etc.

[0030] In the in-vehicle network 401, the in-vehicle device 202 is connected to the relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11.

[0031] More specifically, each relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 51. The communication ports 51 are terminals to which, for example, Ethernet cables 11 can be connected. Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 is connected to other relay devices 101 or in-vehicle devices 202 via the communication ports 51 and the Ethernet cables 11.

[0032] 1 , on-board device 202A, on-board device 202B, and on-board device 202C are connected to relay device 101A, relay device 101B, and relay device 101C, respectively, via Ethernet cables 11A, 11B, and 11C, which are Ethernet cables 11. Relay device 101A is connected to relay device 101B via Ethernet cable 11D, which is also Ethernet cable 11. Relay device 101B is connected to relay device 101C via Ethernet cable 11E, which is also Ethernet cable 11.

[0033] The relay device 101 is, for example, a switch device. More specifically, the relay device 101 relays information exchanged between the in-vehicle devices 202 connected via the Ethernet cable 11 in accordance with, for example, the Ethernet communication standard.

[0034] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 generates a frame including various information described later, and transmits it to another in-vehicle device 202 or another relay device 101 .

[0035] Each relay device 101 and each in-vehicle device 202 communicates with each other to provide various services in the in-vehicle network 401 .

[0036] Specifically, the in-vehicle network 401 executes a lighting control service that controls the timing of turning on the headlights of the vehicle 1, a surrounding monitoring service that monitors the surroundings of the vehicle 1, and a software update service that updates various software used in the in-vehicle network 401 via OTA.

[0037] Note that the vehicle management system 301 is not limited to a configuration in which frames are relayed in accordance with the Ethernet communication standard, and may be configured to relay frames 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 System Transport) (registered trademark), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and CXPI (Clock Extension Peripheral Interface) (registered trademark).

[0038] Furthermore, the vehicle management system 301 is not limited to a configuration including a plurality of relay devices 101 , and may be a configuration including a single relay device 101 .

[0039] [Relay Device] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates the configuration of the relay device 101B illustrated in Fig. 1 .

[0040] 2, relay device 101B includes relay unit 21, detection unit 22, conversion unit 23, notification unit 24, management unit 25, setting unit 26, and storage unit 27. Some or all of relay unit 21, detection unit 22, conversion unit 23, notification unit 24, management unit 25, and setting unit 26 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit including one or more processors. Storage unit 27 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit. Relay unit 21 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0041] The relay unit 21 performs a relay process of relaying frames transmitted and received between the in-vehicle devices 202. More specifically, for example, the storage unit 27 stores an address table indicating the correspondence between the source MAC (Media Access Control) address and the destination MAC address included in the frame and the port number of the communication port 51.

[0042] When relay unit 21 receives a frame from in-vehicle device 202B or relay device 101A, 101C, relay unit 21 identifies the port number corresponding to the source MAC address and destination MAC address included in the received frame by referring to the address table in storage unit 27. Then, relay unit 21 transmits the frame to in-vehicle device 202B or relay device 101A, 101C connected to communication port 51 of the identified port number.

[0043] [Description of the Problem] In recent years, development of vehicles called SDVs (Software Defined Vehicles) has been progressing. Specifically, SDVs are vehicles that can dynamically change the configuration of their in-vehicle networks using SDN technology.

[0044] For example, an in-vehicle device 202 may be added to the in-vehicle network 401 shown in Fig. 1 . Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 202 newly added to the in-vehicle network 401 will also be referred to as a "new device." The in-vehicle network 401 including the new device will also be referred to as a "new network." The in-vehicle device 202 included in the in-vehicle network 401 before the new device is added will also be referred to as an "existing device."

[0045] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a new network in a vehicle management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a new in-vehicle device 202D is added to the in-vehicle network 401 illustrated in FIG.

[0046] 3, the in-vehicle device 202D is connected to the relay device 101B via, for example, an Ethernet cable 11F, which is the Ethernet cable 11. When the in-vehicle device 202D is added in this way, it is necessary to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401. The IEEE 802.1Qcc standard defines a "fully centralized model" as an example of a method for dynamically changing the settings.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fully centralized model defined in the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard.

[0048] 4, a Bridge 601 is a device that relays messages exchanged between a Talker 602 and a Listener 603. The Talker 602 is a device that transmits messages. The Listener 603 is a device that receives messages. The CUC 605 configures each of the Talker 602 and the Listener 603.

[0049] The CNC 604 configures the Bridge 601. Specifically, the CUC 605 creates UNI information required for the configuration performed by the CNC 604 by collecting information for identifying each of the Talker 602 and the Listener 603, and information indicating the contents of messages from the Talker 602 and the Listener 603.

[0050] Then, the CUC 605 notifies the CNC 604 of the created UNI information. The CNC 604 creates management information for changing the settings of the Bridge 601. Specifically, for example, the CNC 604 creates the management information based on the UNI information notified by the CUC 605.

[0051] The CNC 604 then performs the process indicated by arrow F3, specifically, creates a frame that complies with a protocol such as SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) or NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol), and transmits the created management information included in the frame to each Bridge 601. Each Bridge 601 changes various settings in accordance with the management information received from the CNC 604. Specifically, each Bridge 601 changes settings such as the allowable delay time for messages to be relayed in accordance with the management information.

[0052] The IEEE 802.1Qcc standard does not prescribe the process indicated by arrow F1, specifically, the process method by which the CUC 605 collects various information from the Talker 602 and the Listener 603. Furthermore, the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard does not prescribe the process indicated by arrow F2, specifically, the process method by which the CUC 605 configures the Talker 602 and the Listener 603.

[0053] In the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a method is considered in which the Talker 602 and the Listener 603 transmit various information to the CUC 605 in response to a request from the CUC 605.

[0054] In the in-vehicle network 401 shown in FIG. 3, that is, the new network, the in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, 202C, and 202D correspond to the Talker 602 or the Listener 603.

[0055] Here, in the transitional period of the spread of SDV, there is a possibility that the in-vehicle devices 202 constituting the in-vehicle network 401 may include an in-vehicle device 202 that cannot respond to a request from the CUC 605. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0056] Therefore, the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure solves the above problem by the following configuration and operation.

[0057] [Relay Device] Referring back to FIG. 2, for example, the detection unit 22 detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 .

[0058] For example, the detection unit 22 detects the addition of the in-vehicle device 202 to the in-vehicle network 401. Here, the detection unit 22 detects the addition of the in-vehicle device 202D shown in FIG.

[0059] More specifically, for example, when the in-vehicle device 202D is connected to the communication port 51 of the relay device 101B, the in-vehicle device 202D transmits connection request information for requesting a communication connection in the in-vehicle network 401 to the relay device 101B.

[0060] When the detection unit 22 receives connection request information from the in-vehicle device 202D via the relay unit 21, the detection unit 22 performs authentication processing of the in-vehicle device 202D using an ID (Identifier) ​​and an authentication password included in the connection request information.

[0061] For example, when the detection unit 22 succeeds in authenticating the in-vehicle device 202D, the detection unit 22 outputs authentication success information indicating that the authentication has succeeded to the relay unit 21.

[0062] When the relay unit 21 receives the authentication success information from the detection unit 22, the relay unit 21 transmits the authentication success information to the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0063] The detection unit 22 may be configured to periodically broadcast a search message for detecting the addition of an in-vehicle device 202 via the relay unit 21. In this case, the in-vehicle device 202 added to the in-vehicle network 401 receives the search message and transmits connection request information in response to the received search message.

[0064] The relay unit 21 performs an acquisition process to acquire device information D that can identify the in-vehicle device 202 in the in-vehicle network 401. For example, in the acquisition process, the relay unit 21 acquires a plurality of pieces of device information D that respectively correspond to a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 included in the in-vehicle network 401.

[0065] More specifically, for example, when the detection unit 22 detects a change in the in-vehicle network 401, the relay unit 21 performs the acquisition process.

[0066] Specifically, for example, when the relay unit 21 receives authentication success information from the detection unit 22, it transmits request information R to each in-vehicle device 202 in the new network to request device information D. Furthermore, when the relay unit 21 transmits the request information R to each in-vehicle device 202, it starts a timer (not shown).

[0067] [In-Vehicle Device] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 5, in-vehicle device 202 includes a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, and a storage unit 33. One or both of communication unit 31 and processing unit 32 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit including one or more processors. Storage unit 33 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0068] When the communication unit 31 receives the request information R from the relay device 101B, the communication unit 31 outputs the received request information R to the processing unit 32 .

[0069] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of device information stored in the in-vehicle device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] 3 and 6 , the storage unit 33 stores the device information D. If the in-vehicle device 202 is an existing device, the device information D is registered in the storage unit 33 by the manufacturer of the vehicle 1, for example, at the time of shipping the vehicle 1. If the in-vehicle device 202 is a new device, the device information D is registered in the storage unit 33 by the dealer, for example, after shipping the vehicle 1.

[0071] For example, device information D indicates a combination of identification information for identifying software incorporated into the in-vehicle device 202 (hereinafter also referred to as "software ID"), the serial number of the in-vehicle device 202, and the version of the software (hereinafter also referred to as "version information").

[0072] In the device information D shown in FIG. 6, the software ID is "S001", the serial number of the in-vehicle device 202 is "AAA", and the version of the software installed in the in-vehicle device 202 is "1.01".

[0073] When processing unit 32 receives request information R from communication unit 31, it acquires device information D from storage unit 33. Then, processing unit 32 creates a frame that includes the acquired device information D and is addressed to relay device 101B, and transmits the created frame to relay device 101B via communication unit 31.

[0074] Referring back to FIG. 2, in the relay device 101B, when the relay unit 21 receives the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202, the relay unit 21 stores the received device information D in the storage unit 27.

[0075] For example, when a predetermined time has elapsed since starting a timer, relay unit 21 outputs a plurality of pieces of device information D (hereinafter also referred to as a “device information group”) stored in storage unit 27 to conversion unit 23. Then, relay unit 21 deletes the device information group stored in storage unit 27.

[0076] (Conversion Unit) For example, the conversion unit 23 performs a determination process to determine the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of pieces of device information D acquired by the relay unit 21 .

[0077] For example, the conversion unit 23 determines a group (hereinafter also referred to as a "device group") including a plurality of on-board devices 202 that configure the on-board network 401 based on a plurality of pieces of device information D. In this example, determining the device group corresponds to determining the type of configuration of the on-board network 401.

[0078] More specifically, for example, storage unit 27 stores a discrimination table indicating the correspondence between a plurality of software IDs, a plurality of serial numbers, and a plurality of version information and device groups. The discrimination table is registered in storage unit 27 by the manufacturer of vehicle 1, for example, at the time of shipping vehicle 1.

[0079] When the conversion unit 23 receives the device information group from the relay unit 21, it reads out the discrimination table in the storage unit 27. Then, by referring to the discrimination table, the conversion unit 23 identifies a device group corresponding to the multiple software IDs, multiple serial numbers, and multiple pieces of version information included in the device information group.

[0080] The conversion unit 23 is not limited to a configuration that distinguishes device groups, but may be configured to distinguish services provided in the in-vehicle network 401, for example, based on the plurality of pieces of device information D. In this case, the distinction table indicates the correspondence between the plurality of software IDs, the plurality of serial numbers, and the plurality of pieces of version information and the corresponding services.

[0081] The conversion unit 23 performs a conversion process to convert the device information D acquired by the relay unit 21 into setting information required for setting by the CNC 604 in accordance with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard.

[0082] For example, the setting information is UNI information used between the CUC 605 and the CNC 604 .

[0083] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the contents of the UNI information defined in IEEE 802.1Qcc.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 7, the UNI information includes a message ID, a message rank, an end station I / F, a data frame specification, and a traffic specification as parameters.

[0085] The message ID indicates identification information for identifying UNI information. The message rank indicates the importance of the message. The end station I / F (interface) indicates the I / F between the Talker 602 and the Listener 603, for example, the port number of the communication port 51 to which the Listener 603 is connected. The data frame specifications indicate the source MAC address, the destination MAC address, etc. The traffic specifications indicate the interval at which messages are sent, the frame size, etc.

[0086] 7, the message ID, message rank, data frame specification, and traffic specification are information relating to the Talker 602. The message ID and end station I / F are information relating to the Listener 603.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence table stored in a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] 3 and 8, for example, storage unit 27 further stores a correspondence table Tb1 indicating the correspondence between the configuration types of in-vehicle network 401 and the UNI information. Correspondence table Tb1 is registered in storage unit 27 by the manufacturer of vehicle 1, for example, at the time of shipping vehicle 1. Correspondence table Tb1 is an example of correspondence information.

[0089] 8 shows the correspondence relationship between device groups and UNI information. The UNI information corresponding to device group "Group A" is UNI information U1. The UNI information corresponding to device group "Group B" is UNI information U2. The UNI information corresponding to device group "Group C" is UNI information U3.

[0090] At least one of the message ID, message rank, end station I / F, data frame specification, and traffic specification shown in FIG. 7 is different between the UNI information U1, UNI information U2, and UNI information U3.

[0091] For example, the conversion unit 23 performs the conversion process using the correspondence table Tb1. More specifically, for example, the conversion unit 23 uses the correspondence table Tb1 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the device group determined in the determination process.

[0092] Specifically, for example, when the converter 23 identifies a device group in the identification process, the converter 23 reads out the correspondence table Tb1 from the storage unit 27. Then, the converter 23 identifies the UNI information corresponding to the device group by referring to the correspondence table Tb1.

[0093] When the conversion unit 23 identifies the UNI information, it outputs the identified UNI information to the notification unit 24 .

[0094] (Notification Unit) Referring back to FIG. 2, the notification unit 24 notifies the setting information converted by the conversion unit 23 to the CUC 605 conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, that is, the management unit 25 .

[0095] More specifically, for example, when the notification unit 24 receives the UNI information from the conversion unit 23 , it outputs the UNI information to the management unit 25 which corresponds to the CUC 605 .

[0096] The management unit 25, functioning as the CUC 605, outputs the UNI information notified by the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26, which corresponds to the CNC 604. Furthermore, the management unit 25, functioning as the CUC 605, performs a transmission process S1 in which the management unit 25 transmits the UNI information to each in-vehicle device 202, which corresponds to the Talker 602 or the Listener 603 shown in Fig. 4, via the relay unit 21. The transmission process S1 is indicated by an arrow F2 in Fig. 4.

[0097] When each in-vehicle device 202 receives the UNI information from the relay device 101B, it changes various settings in accordance with the UNI information.

[0098] (Setting Unit) When the setting unit 26 receives UNI information from the management unit 25, it creates management information as the CNC 604 based on the UNI information to change various settings of each relay device 101. Then, the setting unit 26 changes various settings of its own relay device 101B in accordance with the created management information. When the setting changes are complete, the setting unit 26 outputs a completion response to the management unit 25. When the setting changes are complete, the setting unit 26 outputs a completion response to the management unit 25.

[0099] After creating the management information, the setting unit 26 performs a transmission process S2 as the CNC 604 to transmit the management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C via the relay unit 21. The transmission process S2 is indicated by an arrow F3 in FIG.

[0100] When the relay devices 101A and 101C receive the management information from the relay device 101B, they change various settings in accordance with the management information.

[0101] As described above, the method of processing by the CUC 605 to collect various types of information from the Talker 602 and the Listener 603, as indicated by the arrow F1 in FIG. 4, is not specified in IEEE 802.1Qcc.

[0102] On the other hand, in the vehicle management system 301, the relay unit 21 acquires the device information D from each in-vehicle device 202, and the notification unit 24 performs the notification process, so that even if each in-vehicle device 202 does not have the Talker 602 or Listener 603 function, the setting unit 26 can change various settings of the relay device 101B. Furthermore, the management unit 25 performs the transmission process S1, and the setting unit 26 performs the transmission process S2, so that various settings can be changed in each in-vehicle device 202 and the relay devices 101A and 101C. Therefore, the setting change of the in-vehicle network 401 can be more reliably performed.

[0103] [Operation Flow] FIG. 9 is a flowchart defining an operation procedure when a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure performs conversion processing and notification processing.

[0104] Referring to Figure 9, first, the relay device 101B waits for the addition of a new device to the in-vehicle network 401 (NO in step S101), and when it detects the addition of a new device (YES in step S101), it transmits request information R to each in-vehicle device 202 in the new network to request device information D (step S102).

[0105] Next, the relay device 101B acquires device information D from the in-vehicle device 202. Here, the relay device 101B acquires device information D from each of the multiple in-vehicle devices 202 that form the new network (step S103).

[0106] Next, the relay device 101B determines the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the acquired plurality of pieces of device information D. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B determines a device group including the plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that configure the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of pieces of device information D (step S104).

[0107] Next, the relay device 101B performs a conversion process to convert the acquired plurality of pieces of device information D into UNI information required for setting by the CNC 604 in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B uses the correspondence table Tb1 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the identified device group (step S105).

[0108] Next, the relay device 101B performs a notification process to notify the converted UNI information to the CUC 605 that complies with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, in the relay device 101B, the notification unit 24 notifies the management unit 25, which corresponds to the CUC 605, of the UNI information converted by the conversion unit 23 (step S106).

[0109] Next, the management unit 25, functioning as the CUC 605, outputs the UNI information from the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26, which corresponds to the CNC 604 (step S107).

[0110] Next, the setting unit 26, as the CNC 604, creates management information for changing various settings of each relay device 101. For example, as described above, the setting unit 26 creates the management information based on the UNI information received from the management unit 25 (step S108).

[0111] Next, the setting unit 26 changes various settings of the relay device 101B itself in accordance with the created management information (step S109).

[0112] Next, the setting unit 26, functioning as the CNC 604, transmits the management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C via the relay unit 21 (step S110).

[0113] Next, the management unit 25 transmits the UNI information as the CUC 605 to each in-vehicle device 202 via the relay unit 21 (step S111). Then, the relay device 101B waits for the addition of a new device (NO in step S101). Note that the processing from step S108 to step S111 may be executed in a reverse order or in parallel.

[0114] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing sequence of the relay device and the in-vehicle device in the vehicle management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] Referring to FIG. 10, first, a new device added to the in-vehicle network 401 transmits connection request information to the relay device 101B (step S201).

[0116] Next, the relay device 101B receives connection request information from the new device and detects the addition of the new device (step S202).

[0117] Next, the relay device 101B performs authentication processing for the new device (step S203), and if the authentication of the new device is successful, transmits authentication success information to the new device (step S204).

[0118] Next, the relay device 101B transmits request information R to the new device to request device information D (step S205).

[0119] Next, the relay device 101B transmits the request information R to the pre-existing device (step S206). Note that the processing of steps S205 and S206 may be executed in reverse order or in parallel.

[0120] Next, the new device transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B (step S207).

[0121] Next, the existing device transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B (step S208). Note that the processing of steps S207 and S208 may be executed in reverse order or in parallel.

[0122] Next, the relay device 101B determines the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of pieces of device information D acquired from the new device and the existing devices. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B determines a device group including the plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 that configure the in-vehicle network 401 based on the plurality of pieces of device information D (step S209).

[0123] Next, the relay device 101B performs a conversion process to convert the acquired device information D into UNI information required for setting by the CNC 604 in accordance with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, the relay device 101B uses the correspondence table Tb1 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the identified device group (step S210).

[0124] Next, the relay device 101B performs a notification process to notify the converted UNI information to the CUC 605 that complies with the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard. For example, as described above, in the relay device 101B, the notification unit 24 notifies the management unit 25, which corresponds to the CUC 605, of the UNI information converted by the conversion unit 23 (step S211).

[0125] Next, the management unit 25, functioning as the CUC 605, outputs the UNI information from the notification unit 24 to the setting unit 26, which corresponds to the CNC 604 (step S212).

[0126] Next, the setting unit 26, as the CNC 604, creates management information for changing various settings of each relay device 101. For example, as described above, the setting unit 26 creates the management information based on the UNI information received from the management unit 25 (step S213).

[0127] Next, the setting unit 26 changes various settings of the relay device 101B itself in accordance with the created management information (step S214).

[0128] Next, the setting unit 26, functioning as the CNC 604, transmits the created management information to the relay devices 101A and 101C (step S215).

[0129] Next, the management unit 25 transmits the UNI information to the new device as the CUC 605 (step S216).

[0130] Next, the management unit 25 transmits the UNI information to the existing device as the CUC 605 (step S217). Note that the processing from step S214 to step S217 may be executed in a reverse order or in parallel.

[0131] Next, the relay devices 101A and 101C change various settings in accordance with the management information received from the relay device 101B (step S218).

[0132] Next, the new device changes various settings in accordance with the UNI information received from the relay device 101B (step S219).

[0133] Next, the existing device changes various settings in accordance with the UNI information received from the relay device 101B (step S220). Note that the processing from step S218 to step S220 may be executed in a different order or in parallel.

[0134] In the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101B is configured to perform an acquisition process to acquire the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202 when it detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, but this is not limited to this. The relay device 101B may be configured not to detect changes in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401. In this case, for example, each in-vehicle device 202 transmits the device information D to the relay device 101B periodically or irregularly.

[0135] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the device information D acquired by the relay device 101B from the on-board device 202 indicates a combination of the software ID, the serial number of the on-board device 202, and version information, but this is not limited to this. The device information D may indicate a combination of the software ID and the serial number of the on-board device 202 without including version information. Alternatively, the device information D may indicate any one of the software ID, the serial number of the on-board device 202, and the version information.

[0136] In the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the converter 23 in the relay device 101B is configured to convert the device information D from the on-board device 202 into UNI information defined in the IEEE 802.1Qcc standard during the conversion process, but this is not limited to this. The converter 23 may also be configured to convert the device information D into related information that is the source of the UNI information during the conversion process. In this case, for example, a unit other than the converter 23 converts the related information into UNI information.

[0137] In the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101B is configured to change the settings of the in-vehicle network 401 when an in-vehicle device 202 is added to the in-vehicle network 401, but this is not limiting. The relay device 101B may also be configured to change the settings when another event occurs, such as when an in-vehicle device 202 is removed from the in-vehicle network 401 or when various software used in the in-vehicle network 401 is updated.

[0138] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101B is configured to transmit request information R for requesting device information D to each in-vehicle device 202 when it detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, but this is not limited to this. When the new device receives authentication success information from the relay device 101B, the new device may transmit its own device information D to the relay device 101B and also transmit request information R to the existing device in response to the authentication success information. In this case, when the existing device receives request information R from the new device, it transmits its own device information D to the relay device 101B.

[0139] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 301 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the relay device 101B is configured to include the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26, but this is not limited to this. A device other than the relay device 101B in the in-vehicle network 401 may be configured to include some or all of the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26. Furthermore, some or all of the detection unit 22, the conversion unit 23, the notification unit 24, the management unit 25, and the setting unit 26 may be provided in an external device, such as a server, outside the vehicle 1. In this case, the vehicle management system 301 includes the server.

[0140] [Modification] Although the relay device 101B is configured to determine the type of configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the acquired plurality of pieces of device information D, the present invention is not limited to this. The relay device 101B may be configured to determine the type of an in-vehicle device 202 based on the device information D acquired from the in-vehicle device 202. An example in which the relay device 101B determines the type of a new device based on the device information D acquired from the new device will be described below.

[0141] Referring again to Figures 2 and 3, in the modified example, when the relay unit 21 receives authentication success information from the detection unit 22, it transmits request information R for requesting device information D to the new device, i.e., the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0142] In response to the request information R, the in-vehicle device 202D transmits the device information D stored in the storage unit 33 shown in FIG. 5 to the relay device 101B.

[0143] Then, when the relay unit 21 receives the device information D from the in-vehicle device 202D, it outputs the received device information D to the conversion unit 23.

[0144] In this example, the discrimination table in the storage unit 27 indicates the correspondence between the software ID, serial number, and version information and the type of the in-vehicle device 202 .

[0145] For example, the conversion unit 23 determines the type of the in-vehicle device 202 based on the device information D acquired by the relay unit 21 .

[0146] Specifically, for example, when the conversion unit 23 receives the device information D of the in-vehicle device 202D from the relay unit 21, the conversion unit 23 reads out the discrimination table in the storage unit 27. Then, by referring to the discrimination table, the conversion unit 23 identifies the type of the in-vehicle device 202D that corresponds to the software ID, serial number, and version information included in the device information D from the relay unit 21.

[0147] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence table stored in a modified example of a relay device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0148] 11, the storage unit 27 stores a correspondence table Tb2 indicating the correspondence between the type of the in-vehicle device 202 and the UNI information. The correspondence table Tb2 is an example of correspondence information.

[0149] In the correspondence table Tb2 shown in Fig. 11, the UNI information corresponding to the autonomous driving ECU is UNI information U1, the UNI information corresponding to the body control ECU is UNI information U2, and the UNI information corresponding to the TCU is UNI information U3.

[0150] 2, in the modified example, the conversion unit 23 performs the conversion process using the correspondence table Tb2. More specifically, for example, the conversion unit 23 uses the correspondence table Tb2 to identify UNI information corresponding to the type of the new device determined in the determination process.

[0151] Specifically, for example, when the conversion unit 23 determines the type of the in-vehicle device 202D, it reads out the correspondence table Tb2 in the storage unit 27. Then, the conversion unit 23 refers to the correspondence table Tb2 to identify the UNI information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0152] When the conversion unit 23 identifies the UNI information, it outputs the identified UNI information to the notification unit 24 .

[0153] 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.

[0154] 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 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 memory, and then installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0155] The above description includes the following additional features: [Supplementary Note 1] An in-vehicle network includes an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process to acquire device information that can identify an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network, a conversion unit that performs a conversion process to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information required for setting by a Centralized Network Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and a notification unit that notifies a Centralized User Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit, wherein the in-vehicle network includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices, the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of device information corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices in the acquisition process, and the conversion unit performs a determination process to determine a type of configuration of the in-vehicle network based on the plurality of pieces of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, In the determination process, the conversion unit determines a group including the plurality of in-vehicle devices or a service provided in the in-vehicle network as a configuration type of the in-vehicle network.

[0156] [Supplementary Note 2] A vehicle management system comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit performs an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network, performs a conversion process to convert the acquired device information into setting information required for setting performed by a Centralized Network Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard, and notifies a Centralized User Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the converted setting information.

[0157] [Supplementary Note 3] A vehicle management program used in a vehicle management system, causing a computer to function as: an acquisition unit that performs acquisition processing to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network; a conversion unit that performs conversion processing to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information required for setting by a Centralized Network Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard; and a notification unit that notifies a Centralized User Configuration that complies with the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit.

[0158] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vehicle 11, 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F Ethernet cable 21 Relay unit 22 Detection unit 23 Conversion unit 24 Notification unit 25 Management unit 26 Setting unit 27, 33 Storage unit 31 Communication unit 32 Processing unit 51 Communication port 101, 101A, 101B, 101C Relay device 202, 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D In-vehicle device 301 Vehicle management system 401 In-vehicle network 601 Bridge 602 Talker 603 Listener 604 CNC 605 CUC D Device information Tb1, Tb2 Correspondence table

Claims

1. A vehicle management system comprising: an acquisition unit that performs an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an in-vehicle device in an in-vehicle network; a conversion unit that performs a conversion process to convert the device information acquired by the acquisition unit into setting information required for settings performed by a Centralized Network Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard; and a notification unit that notifies a Centralized User Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the setting information converted by the conversion unit.

2. The vehicle management system of claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network, and the acquisition unit performs the acquisition process when the change is detected by the detection unit.

3. A vehicle management system as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the device information indicates a combination of identification information for identifying software embedded in the vehicle-mounted device, a serial number of the vehicle-mounted device, and a version of the software.

4. The vehicle management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the setting information is User Network Interface information used between the Centralized User Configuration and the Centralized Network Configuration.

5. The vehicle management system according to claim 4, wherein the in-vehicle network includes a plurality of the in-vehicle devices, the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of device information corresponding to the plurality of in-vehicle devices in the acquisition process, the conversion unit determines a configuration type of the in-vehicle network based on the plurality of pieces of device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the conversion unit identifies the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined configuration type of the in-vehicle network using correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the configuration type of the in-vehicle network and the User Network Interface information in the conversion process.

6. The vehicle management system according to claim 4, wherein the conversion unit determines a type of the in-vehicle device based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the conversion unit, in the conversion process, specifies the User Network Interface information corresponding to the determined type of the in-vehicle device using correspondence information indicating a correspondence relationship between the type of the in-vehicle device and the User Network Interface information.

7. A vehicle management method in a vehicle management system, comprising: a step of performing an acquisition process to acquire device information capable of identifying an on-board device in an on-board network; a step of performing a conversion process to convert the acquired device information into setting information required for settings performed by a Centralized Network Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard; and a step of notifying a Centralized User Configuration conforming to the IEEE802.1Qcc standard of the converted setting information.

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