Communication control device, vehicle comprising same, and method

Abstract

A communication control device, according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document, comprises a main control unit, an auxiliary control unit, and an end device, wherein the auxiliary control unit, upon receiving data from the main control unit or the end device, may determine a target communication unit from among a plurality of communication units on the basis of at least one among the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of the data, and may transmit the data to the destination through the target communication unit.

Description

Communication control device, vehicle including same, and method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority from Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2024-0089433, filed July 8, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a communication control device and method, and a vehicle including the communication control device.

[0005] As electric vehicles (EVs) proliferate, research and development on new vehicle architectures are actively underway. For example, electric vehicles can be powered by secondary batteries, which are rechargeable and include both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of having a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured in a compact and lightweight form, making them a power source for mobile devices. Recently, their use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0006] Battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, or battery racks like these can be utilized in a variety of devices. For example, batteries can be used in mobile devices such as cell phones, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, as well as in electric vehicles (EVs, HEVs, PHEVs) and large-capacity energy storage systems (ESS).

[0007] These batteries can have their status and operation managed and controlled by a battery management system (BMS). The BMS can be included with the batteries in a single device.

[0008] Meanwhile, as the automotive industry evolves, concepts of future mobility, such as Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and Purpose-Built Vehicles (PBVs), are becoming increasingly concrete. For example, SDVs refer to cars where hardware is controlled and managed by software. Software within SDVs can define not only driving performance but also convenience and safety features, emotional quality, and brand identity. SDV-based architectures can reduce vehicle development costs by sharing ECUs and internalizing software. Furthermore, high-performance computers and networks based on electronic architectures can advance autonomous driving technology.

[0009] As autonomous vehicle control is implemented, managing and storing data related to autonomous driving is becoming increasingly important. In vehicles with an SDV architecture, specific control units (e.g., auxiliary control units or zonal controllers) can act as gateways or network switches, performing signal-to-data frame-based format conversion or executing response logic based on various data management methods in critical environments, such as accident detection.

[0010] One object of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a communication control device and method for slicing data according to the type, purpose, source, destination, etc. of data transmitted to a control device (e.g., a zoning controller) corresponding to each of a plurality of zones in a vehicle including an SDV structure, allocating the sliced ​​data to a plurality of communication units for communication, and transmitting the data to other devices based on different methods, and a vehicle including the communication control device.

[0011] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the descriptions below.

[0012] According to an embodiment disclosed in this document, a communication control device may include a main control unit, an auxiliary control unit connected to the main control unit and including a plurality of communication units, and a terminal device connected to the main control unit and the auxiliary control unit.

[0013] According to an embodiment, when the auxiliary control unit receives data from the main control unit or the terminal device, the auxiliary control unit may be configured to determine a target communication unit among the plurality of communication units based on at least one of a characteristic, a kind, a type, a source, a destination, or any combination thereof of the data, and transmit the data to the destination through the target communication unit.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the auxiliary control unit may be configured to slice the data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit, the priority of a task, the priority of a message queue, the resource and memory allocation result of a hypervisor, or any combination thereof, and determine the target communication unit based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each of the sliced ​​data.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the auxiliary control unit may be configured to transmit first data including control data among the sliced ​​data to a first destination via a first communication unit supporting a first bandwidth, or transmit second data including control data among the sliced ​​data to a second destination via a second communication unit supporting a second bandwidth, or transmit third data including media data among the sliced ​​data to a third destination via a third communication unit supporting a third bandwidth.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the auxiliary control unit may be configured to transmit the first data to the first destination based on a first speed through the first communication unit, or to transmit the second data to the second destination based on a second speed higher than the first speed through the second communication unit, or to transmit the third data to the third destination based on a third speed higher than the second speed through the third communication unit.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the first bandwidth may be smaller than the second bandwidth, and the second bandwidth may be smaller than the third bandwidth.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the auxiliary control unit may be configured to transmit the first data to the first destination through the first communication unit that operates based on an RTOS (Real Time Operating System).

[0019] According to an embodiment, the first destination may include a first control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for operating the vehicle, the second destination may include a second control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for diagnosing and determining the status of the vehicle, and the third destination may include a third control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the data may include information regarding at least one of voltage, current, temperature, or any combination thereof of a battery included in the vehicle.

[0021] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, a vehicle including any one of the above-described communication control devices may be provided.

[0022] According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a communication control method may include a step of an auxiliary control unit receiving data from a main control unit or an end device, a step of the auxiliary control unit determining a target communication unit among a plurality of communication units based on at least one of a characteristic, a kind, a type, a source, a destination, or any combination thereof of the data, and a step of the auxiliary control unit transmitting the data to the destination through the target communication unit.

[0023] According to an embodiment, the communication control method may further include a step of the auxiliary control unit slicing the data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit, the priority of the task, the priority of the message queue, the resource and memory allocation result of the hypervisor, or any combination thereof, and a step of the auxiliary control unit determining the target communication unit based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each of the sliced ​​data.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the communication control method may further include a step in which the auxiliary control unit transmits first data including control data among the sliced ​​data to a first destination through a first communication unit supporting a first bandwidth, transmits second data including control data to a second destination through a second communication unit supporting a second bandwidth, or transmits third data including media data to a third destination through a third communication unit supporting a third bandwidth.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the communication control method may further include a step in which the auxiliary control unit transmits the first data to the first destination based on a first speed through the first communication unit, transmits the second data to the second destination based on a second speed higher than the first speed through the second communication unit, or transmits the third data to the third destination based on a third speed higher than the second speed through the third communication unit.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the first bandwidth may be smaller than the second bandwidth, and the second bandwidth may be smaller than the third bandwidth.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the communication control method may further include a step in which the auxiliary control unit transmits the first data to the first destination through the first communication unit that operates based on an RTOS (Real Time Operating System).

[0028] According to an embodiment, the first destination may include a first control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for operating the vehicle, the second destination may include a second control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for diagnosing and determining the status of the vehicle, and the third destination may include a third control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle.

[0029] According to an embodiment, the data may include information regarding at least one of voltage, current, temperature, or any combination thereof of a battery included in the vehicle.

[0030] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, in a vehicle including an SDV structure, as the amount of data required for vehicle operation such as autonomous driving increases, a communication control device and method for a vehicle can be provided that performs an intuitive and rapid communication operation by slicing data based on the characteristics of the data, efficiently transmitting the sliced ​​data to other devices based on different methods, thereby reducing the load on the network, and minimizing the impact between data having different characteristics.

[0031] In addition, various effects may be provided directly or indirectly through this document.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a communication control device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a communication control device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication control device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an auxiliary control unit according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method by which a communication control device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document transmits data.

[0037] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication control method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operation method of a communication control device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0039] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments.

[0040] In this document, the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding element from other corresponding elements, and do not limit the corresponding elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0041] Each component (e.g., a module or a program) described in this document may include one or more entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0042] The term "module" or "part" used in this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0043] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program or an application) including one or more instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., memory). For example, a processor of the device may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0044]

[0045] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a communication control device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0046] According to one embodiment, a communication control device (e.g., a communication control device (300) of FIG. 3) may include at least some of the components included in a vehicle (110) according to the SDV architecture. The communication control device may, for example, manage power and / or data transmitted and received between components of the vehicle (110).

[0047] For example, the vehicle (110) may include at least one of a first zone controller (121), a second zone controller (122), a third zone controller (123), a fourth zone controller (124), a first terminal device (131), a second terminal device (132), a third terminal device (133), a fourth terminal device (134), a first actuator (141), a second actuator (142), a high performance computer (HPC) (150), a transmission / reception path (160), an additional element (170), or any combination thereof. A communication control device for data management of the vehicle (110) may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle (110).

[0048] For example, components according to the SDV architecture may include a hierarchy of HPC (150), zoning controller, and end device order.

[0049] For example, the HPC (150) is connected to the first zoning controller (121), the second zoning controller (122), the third zoning controller (123), and the fourth zoning controller (124), and can transmit and receive various types of data with each zoning controller.

[0050] For example, the first zoning controller (121), the second zoning controller (122), the third zoning controller (123), and the fourth zoning controller (124) may control the first terminal device (131), the second terminal device (132), the third terminal device (133), and the fourth terminal device (134), respectively. The terminal devices may include, for example, at least one of a sensor for controlling the vehicle (110), a battery (or BMS) for driving the vehicle (110), or any combination thereof. For example, if one of the second terminal devices (132) is a BMS, the additional element (170) may be defined as a battery pack.

[0051] For example, the first zone controller (121) and the second zone controller (122) may control the first actuator (141) and the second actuator (142), respectively. The actuator may include, for example, at least one driving device for driving the vehicle (110).

[0052] For example, the components described above can perform communication based on a specified path (e.g., a transmission / reception path (160)) via automotive Ethernet.

[0053] A communication control device according to one embodiment of the present document can control and manage a communication process of power and / or data transmitted and received between the above-described components.

[0054]

[0055] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a communication control device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0056] In Fig. 2, the description of components defined with the same names as in Fig. 1 may be replaced with the description of Fig. 1 described above.

[0057] For example, the self-vehicle (210) may include at least one of a first terminal device (231), a second terminal device (232), a third terminal device (233), a fourth terminal device (234), a first actuator (241), a second actuator (242), a high performance computer (HPC) (250), a transmission / reception path (260), an additional element (270), or any combination thereof. A communication control device for data management of the self-vehicle (210) may include at least some of the components included in the self-vehicle (210).

[0058] For example, the self-vehicle (210) according to FIG. 2 does not include a zoning controller compared to FIG. 1. That is, even if the SDV architecture is adopted, the self-vehicle (210) may be implemented with a structure in which the HPC (250) directly controls at least one terminal device, as in FIG. 2.

[0059]

[0060] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication control device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, the communication control device (300) may include a main control unit (310), an auxiliary control unit (320), and / or a terminal device (330).

[0062] According to one embodiment, the communication control device (300) may perform power and / or data management between components for controlling the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may be operated by components according to the SDV architecture. For example, the SDV may include a hierarchical structure in the order of a high performance computer (HPC), a zone, an end device, and a sensor / actuator. At this time, the vehicle according to the SDV may be divided into multiple zones, and each zone may include a control unit (e.g., a zone controller) for controlling components of a lower layer included in the zone. The zone control unit is electrically connected to the HPC and can transmit and receive various signals. The above-described contents are exemplary, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, according to another embodiment according to the SDV architecture (e.g., the SDV architecture embodiment according to FIG. 2), the HPC and the end device may be operatively connected, and the zone may be omitted. For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) may include a zoning controller corresponding to each of a plurality of zones within the vehicle (e.g., a front zone, a rear zone, a left zone, and a right zone).

[0063] The communication control device (300) can transmit and receive at least one of power, data (e.g., wake-up packet), control signal, or any combination thereof to and from components included in the electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a smart pad), an electric vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid EV (HEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a fuel cell EV (FCEV)), an energy storage system (ESS), or a battery swapping system (BSS). In one embodiment, the electronic device may include a vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc.) and a moving body driven based on electrical energy. In other words, for example, the communication control device (300) may be included in a vehicle and configured to manage data for operation of the vehicle (e.g., operation for autonomous driving control).

[0064] The operation of the communication control device (300) below can be performed by a BMS (Battery management system) within a vehicle, a battery BMS provided within a battery pack, and can also be performed in various devices such as a server, cloud, charger, or charger / discharger.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the main control unit (310) is electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit (320) and / or the terminal device (330) to transmit, receive, and manage various data.

[0066] For example, the main control unit (310) may include at least one HPC. The main control unit (310) may include, for example, at least one HPC for controlling a multimedia device (e.g., a display) included in the vehicle, a diagnostic device for diagnosing the vehicle, a control device for a battery (or BMS), a data processing device, etc.

[0067] For example, in FIG. 3, the main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) are illustrated as physically distinct separate components, but this is merely exemplary, and the main control unit (310) may be implemented as a single chip with the auxiliary control unit (320). In this case, as in the embodiment of FIG. 2, at least one main control unit (310) (or HPC) may also perform the role of the auxiliary control unit (320).

[0068] According to one embodiment, the auxiliary control unit (320) is operatively connected to the main control unit (310) and may include a plurality of communication units.

[0069] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) may include a plurality of zoning controllers corresponding to each of a plurality of zones of the vehicle. Each of the plurality of zoning controllers may include a plurality of communication units.

[0070] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can control data transmission and reception operations between a plurality of zoning controllers using at least some of the plurality of communication units.

[0071] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can transmit and receive data with other devices (e.g., the main control unit (310) and / or the terminal device (330)) using at least some of the plurality of communication units.

[0072] For example, when the auxiliary control unit (320) receives data from the main control unit (310) or the terminal device (330), it can determine a target communication unit corresponding to the received data and transmit the data to the destination through the target communication unit. The data can include, for example, information (e.g., voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery) regarding components of the vehicle including the communication control unit (300) (e.g., battery, driving and braking devices, sensors, multimedia devices, etc.).

[0073] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can determine a target communication unit among a plurality of communication units based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of data.

[0074] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice data into multiple data based on a specified criterion. For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit (320), the priority of a task, the priority of a message queue, the resource and memory allocation results of a hypervisor, or any combination thereof.

[0075] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can determine the number of slices based on the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit (320).

[0076] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice data whose task priorities are the same or within a specified range into one data.

[0077] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice data having the same priority in the message queue or within a specified range into one data.

[0078] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice data using the resource and memory allocation results of the hypervisor.

[0079] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can determine a target communication unit corresponding to each sliced ​​data based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each sliced ​​data.

[0080] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can transmit first data including control data among the sliced ​​data to the first destination through the first communication unit supporting the first bandwidth. In other words, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice control data as the first data among data received from other devices. The control data may be, for example, data provided for driving the vehicle and / or operating the communication control device (300). The first communication unit can transmit the first data to the first destination based on, for example, the first speed.

[0081] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) can transmit second data including sensor data among the sliced ​​data to the second destination through the second communication unit supporting the second bandwidth. In other words, the auxiliary control unit (320) can slice sensor data as the second data among data received from other devices. The sensor data can include, for example, vehicle operation information (e.g., driving speed, acceleration, indoor temperature, outdoor temperature, operation history, etc.), battery information (e.g., temperature, pressure, current, voltage), status information of components included in the communication control device (300), etc. The second communication unit can transmit the second data to the second destination based on, for example, a second speed that is higher than the first speed.

[0082] For example, the auxiliary control unit (320) may transmit third data including media data among the sliced ​​data to a third destination through a third communication unit supporting a third bandwidth. In other words, the auxiliary control unit (320) may slice media data as the third data among data received from other devices. The media data may include, for example, at least one image, video, audio, haptic data, etc. The third communication unit may transmit the third data to the third destination based on, for example, a third speed that is higher than the second speed.

[0083] For example, the first bandwidth may be smaller than the second bandwidth, and the second bandwidth may be smaller than the third bandwidth. The auxiliary control unit (320) may, for example, transmit the first data to the first destination using the first communication unit supporting the smallest bandwidth, and transmit the third data to the third destination using the third communication unit supporting the largest bandwidth.

[0084] For example, the first communication unit may operate based on an RTOS (Real Time Operating System).

[0085] For example, the first destination may include a first control device included in the main control unit (310) or the terminal device (330) and provided for the operation of the vehicle. The first destination may include, for example, a control terminal device (Ctrl End Device) for driving control of the vehicle.

[0086] For example, the second destination may include a second control device included in the main control unit (310) or the terminal device (330) and provided for diagnosing and assessing the status of the vehicle. The second destination may include, for example, an HPC that operates for diagnosing components included in the vehicle (e.g., a battery) or for data processing.

[0087] For example, the third destination may include a third control device included in the main control unit (310) or the terminal device (330) and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle. The third destination may include, for example, an HPC and / or a display terminal device for controlling a display included in the vehicle.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the terminal device (330) may be electrically connected to the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320).

[0089] For example, the terminal device (330) may include a plurality of control devices for controlling components of the vehicle (e.g., sensors, cameras, battery packs, actuators, displays, etc.).

[0090] For example, the terminal device (330) may be a BMS including a battery pack, but this is exemplary and the embodiments of the present document are not limited thereto.

[0091]

[0092] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an auxiliary control unit according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0093] According to one embodiment, a communication control device (e.g., a communication control device (300) of FIG. 3) may include an auxiliary control unit (400) (e.g., an auxiliary control unit (320) of FIG. 3).

[0094] According to one embodiment, the auxiliary control unit (400) may include a memory (410), a processor (420), and / or a communication unit (430). The configuration of the auxiliary control unit (400) illustrated in FIG. 4 is exemplary, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, the auxiliary control unit (400) may further include components not illustrated in FIG. 4 (e.g., at least one of a display unit, a notification unit, a sensor unit, a plurality of zoning controllers, or any combination thereof). For example, the auxiliary control unit (400) may include a plurality of zoning controllers. Each of the plurality of zoning controllers may include a memory (410), a processor (420), and a communication unit (430).

[0095] According to one embodiment, the memory (410) may store commands or data. For example, the memory (410) may store one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor (420), cause the auxiliary control unit (400) to perform various operations.

[0096] For example, the memory (410) may be implemented as a single chipset with the processor (420). The processor (420) may include at least one of a communication processor or a modem.

[0097] For example, the memory (410) can store various pieces of information related to the communication control device (or battery pack). For example, the memory (410) can store information regarding the operation history of the processor (420). For example, the memory (410) can store information related to the status and / or operation of components of the auxiliary control unit (400) (or battery pack).

[0098] For example, the memory (410) may include a plurality of storage devices of different types. For example, the memory (410) may include at least one of random-access memory (RAM), embedded multi-media card (eMMC), or any combination thereof.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the processor (420) may be operatively connected to the memory (410) and / or the communication unit (430). For example, the processor (420) may control the operation of the memory (410).

[0100] For example, the processor (420) may be implemented as any one of a micro controller unit (MCU), a domain controller unit (DCU), or a zone control unit (ZCU).

[0101] For example, the processor (420) can receive various data from the main control unit (e.g., the main control unit (310) of FIG. 3) and / or the terminal device (e.g., the terminal device (330) of FIG. 3). The processor (420) can, for example, slice the received data based on a specified criterion.

[0102] For example, the processor (420) can transmit sliced ​​data to a destination using the communication unit (430).

[0103] According to one embodiment, the communication unit (430) may support the establishment of a communication channel between the auxiliary control unit (400) and an external device (e.g., an external device within the vehicle connected to the main control unit, the auxiliary control unit, and the communication control device), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication unit (430) may operate independently from the processor (420) (e.g., an application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication.

[0104] For example, although the communication unit (430) is illustrated as being divided into multiple communication units, the multiple communication units may be implemented to be integrated into one component (e.g., a single chip) and logically divided.

[0105] For example, the processor (420) can assign control data to the first communication unit (431), sensor data to the second communication unit (432), and media data to the third communication unit (433).

[0106] For example, the first communication unit (431) may operate based on a Real Time Operating System (RTOS). The first communication unit (431) may transmit and receive data, for example, through a communication protocol with relatively few network resources (e.g., 10-based-T1S and / or CAN (Controller Area Network)).

[0107] For example, the second communication unit (432) can support a second communication speed (e.g., 100 Mbps) that is higher than the first communication speed (e.g., 10 Mbps) of the first communication unit (431). The second communication unit (432) can, for example, transmit data required for diagnosis or processing to the outside. The second communication unit (432) can, for example, process and transmit / receive data that does not require real-time performance. The second communication unit (432) can, for example, transmit / receive data via a communication protocol with medium network resources (e.g., 100based-T1).

[0108] For example, the third communication unit (433) can support a third communication speed (e.g., 10 Gbps) that is higher than the first communication unit (431) and the second communication unit (432). The third communication unit (433) can, for example, transmit media data output through a multimedia device to the outside. The third communication unit (433) can, for example, transmit and receive data through a communication protocol with relatively large network resources (e.g., 10 Gbps Ethernet communication).

[0109]

[0110] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a communication control device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0111] According to one embodiment, FIG. 5 may be a structural diagram showing the software structure of an auxiliary control unit (500). The auxiliary control unit (500) (e.g., the auxiliary control unit (320) of FIG. 3) may include a PHY (510), a hypervisor (520), a network manager (530), a first communication unit (531) (e.g., the first communication unit (431) of FIG. 4), a second communication unit (532) (e.g., the second communication unit (532) of FIG. 4), and a third communication unit (533) (e.g., the third communication unit (433) of FIG. 4). The structure of the auxiliary control unit (500) illustrated in FIG. 5 is exemplary, and some of the illustrated components (e.g., the hypervisor (520)) may be omitted or additional components (e.g., a memory and a processor) that are not illustrated may be included.

[0112] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can transmit and receive data with the first control unit (541) and / or the second control unit (542). The first control unit (541) and the second control unit (542) can include a main control unit (e.g., the main control unit (310) of FIG. 3) or a terminal device (e.g., the terminal device (330) of FIG. 3). The first control unit (541) and the second control unit (542) can also be a single external device.

[0113] For example, the communication control device may further include at least one other auxiliary control unit. In this case, the communication control device may control data transmission and reception between the auxiliary control unit (500) and at least one other auxiliary control unit.

[0114] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can receive data from the first control device (541). The received data can be transmitted to the network manager (530) through the PHY (510) layer and the hypervisor (520) layer.

[0115] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can slice data using the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) and allocate it to at least one communication unit.

[0116] For example, the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) may slice data based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination of the data, the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit (500), the priority of the task, the priority of the message queue, the resource and memory allocation results of the hypervisor (520), or any combination thereof.

[0117] For example, the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) may determine a target communication unit to which to allocate the sliced ​​data based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each sliced ​​data.

[0118] For example, the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) may allocate first data including control data to a first communication unit (531) supporting a first bandwidth.

[0119] For example, the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) may allocate second data including sensor data to a second communication unit (532) that supports a second bandwidth greater than the first bandwidth.

[0120] For example, the hypervisor (520) and / or the network manager (530) may allocate third data including media data to a third communication unit (533) that supports a third bandwidth greater than the second bandwidth.

[0121] For example, the first communication unit (531) can transmit data at a first communication speed, the second communication unit (532) can transmit data at a second communication speed greater than the first communication speed, and the third communication unit (533) can transmit data at a third communication speed greater than the second communication speed.

[0122] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can transmit sliced ​​data to the second control device (542) using a plurality of communication units. The second control device (542) can include, for example, a plurality of control devices.

[0123] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can transmit the first data to the first destination via the first communication unit (531). The first destination may include, for example, control devices included in the main control unit or terminal device and provided for the operation of the vehicle.

[0124] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) can transmit second data to a second destination via the second communication unit (532). The second destination may include, for example, control devices included in the main control unit or terminal device and provided for diagnosing and determining the status of the vehicle.

[0125] For example, the auxiliary control unit (500) may transmit third data to a third destination via a third communication unit. The third destination may include, for example, control devices included in the main control unit or terminal device and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle.

[0126]

[0127] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication control method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0128] According to one embodiment, a communication control device (e.g., a communication control device (300) of FIG. 3) can perform the operations disclosed in FIG. 6. For example, at least some of the components included in the communication control device (e.g., a main control unit (310), an auxiliary control unit (320), and / or a terminal device (330) of FIG. 3) can be configured to perform the operations of FIG. 6.

[0129] In the following embodiments, operations S610 to S630 may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, any content corresponding to or overlapping with the content described above with respect to FIG. 6 may be briefly described or omitted.

[0130] Referring to FIG. 6, the communication control method may include a step (S610) in which the auxiliary control unit receives data from the main control unit or the terminal device, a step (S620) in which the auxiliary control unit determines a target communication unit among a plurality of communication units based on at least one of the characteristics, types, types, sources, destinations, or any combination thereof of the data, and a step (S630) in which the data is transmitted to the destination through the target communication unit.

[0131] At step S620, the auxiliary control unit slices the data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit, the priority of the task, the priority of the message queue, the resource and memory allocation result of the hypervisor, or any combination thereof, and determines a target communication unit for each sliced ​​data among the plurality of communication units based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each sliced ​​data.

[0132]

[0133] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operation method of a communication control device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 7, a computing system (3000) according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document may include an MCU (1010), a memory (1020), an input / output I / F (1030), and a communication I / F (1040).

[0135] The MCU (1010) may be a processor that executes various programs stored in the memory (1020), processes various information including battery data through these programs, and performs the functions of the processor (or control unit) included in the communication control device shown in the aforementioned FIG. 3.

[0136] The memory (1020) can store various programs for performing functions of the communication control device. In addition, the memory (1020) can store various information including battery data (voltage data, capacity data, etc.), differential capacity data, etc., and can include an established database.

[0137] Such memories (1020) may be provided in multiple numbers as needed. The memories (1020) may be volatile memories or non-volatile memories. As volatile memories (1020), RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As non-volatile memories (1020), ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memories, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories (1020) listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0138] The input / output I / F (1030) can provide an interface that enables data transmission and reception between an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and an output device (not shown) such as a display and the MCU (1010).

[0139] The communication I / F (1040) is a component capable of transmitting and receiving various data with the server, and may be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, the communication control device can transmit and receive various information, including battery data, from a separately provided external server, etc., via the communication I / F (1040).

[0140] In this way, a computer program according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may be implemented as a module that is recorded in a memory (1020) and processed by an MCU (1010) to perform each function illustrated in FIG. 1, for example.

[0141]

[0142] In the above, although all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all of the components may be selectively combined and operated one or more times.

[0143] In addition, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated to the contrary, should be interpreted to imply the inclusion of the corresponding component, and thus should not be interpreted to exclude other components, but rather to include other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0144] The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not intended to limit the technical ideas of the embodiments disclosed in this document, but to explain them, and the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed in this document should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

Claims

1. Main control unit; An auxiliary control unit connected to the main control unit and including a plurality of communication units; and A terminal device connected to the main control unit and the auxiliary control unit; The above auxiliary control unit: When receiving data from the main control unit or the terminal device, a target communication unit among the plurality of communication units is determined based on at least one of the characteristics, types, types, sources, destinations, or any combination thereof of the data, configured to transmit the data to the destination through the target communication unit, Communication control device.

2. In paragraph 1, The above auxiliary control unit: Slice the data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit, the priority of the task, the priority of the message queue, the resource and memory allocation result of the hypervisor, or any combination thereof; configured to determine the target communication unit based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each of the sliced ​​data; Communication control device.

3. In paragraph 2, The above auxiliary control unit: Transmitting first data including control data among the above sliced ​​data to the first destination through the first communication unit supporting the first bandwidth, or Transmitting second data including sensor data among the above sliced ​​data to a second destination through a second communication unit supporting a second bandwidth, or It is configured to transmit third data including media data among the above sliced ​​data to a third destination through a third communication unit supporting a third bandwidth. Communication control device.

4. In paragraph 3, The above auxiliary control unit: Through the first communication unit, the first data is transmitted to the first destination based on the first speed, or Through the second communication unit, the second data is transmitted to the second destination based on a second speed higher than the first speed, or configured to transmit the third data to the third destination based on a third speed higher than the second speed through the third communication unit; Communication control device.

5. In paragraph 3, The first bandwidth is smaller than the second bandwidth, The second bandwidth is characterized in that it is smaller than the third bandwidth. Communication control device.

6. In paragraph 3, The above auxiliary control unit: It is configured to transmit the first data to the first destination through the first communication unit that operates based on RTOS (Real Time Operating System). Communication control device.

7. In paragraph 3, The first destination is included in the main control unit or the terminal device and includes a first control device provided for the operation of the vehicle, The second destination includes a second control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for diagnosis and status judgment of the vehicle, The third destination includes a third control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle. Communication control device.

8. In paragraph 1, The above data is, Contains information about at least one of the voltage, current, temperature, or any combination thereof of the battery included in the vehicle; Communication control device.

9. Comprising any one of the communication control devices of claims 1 to 8, vehicle.

10. A step in which the auxiliary control unit receives data from the main control unit or the terminal device; A step in which the auxiliary control unit determines a target communication unit among a plurality of communication units based on at least one of the characteristics, types, types, sources, destinations, or any combination thereof of the data; and The auxiliary control unit, comprising a step of transmitting the data to the destination through the target communication unit; Communication control method.

11. In paragraph 10, The above communication control method is, A step in which the auxiliary control unit slices the data based on at least one of the number of cores of the auxiliary control unit, the priority of the task, the priority of the message queue, the resource and memory allocation result of the hypervisor, or any combination thereof; and The step of determining the target communication unit based on at least one of the characteristics, kind, type, source, destination, or any combination thereof of each of the sliced ​​data, wherein the auxiliary control unit further comprises; Communication control method.

12. In paragraph 11, The above communication control method is, The step of the auxiliary control unit transmitting first data including control data among the sliced ​​data to a first destination through a first communication unit supporting a first bandwidth, transmitting second data including control data to a second destination through a second communication unit supporting a second bandwidth, or transmitting third data including media data to a third destination through a third communication unit supporting a third bandwidth; further comprising; Communication control method.

13. In paragraph 12, The above communication control method is, The auxiliary control unit further comprises a step of transmitting the first data to the first destination based on a first speed through the first communication unit, transmitting the second data to the second destination based on a second speed higher than the first speed through the second communication unit, or transmitting the third data to the third destination based on a third speed higher than the second speed through the third communication unit; Communication control method.

14. In paragraph 12, The first bandwidth is smaller than the second bandwidth, The second bandwidth is characterized in that it is smaller than the third bandwidth. Communication control method.

15. In paragraph 12, The above communication control method is, The auxiliary control unit further includes a step of transmitting the first data to the first destination through the first communication unit that operates based on an RTOS (Real Time Operating System); Communication control method.

16. In paragraph 12, The first destination is included in the main control unit or the terminal device and includes a first control device provided for the operation of the vehicle, The second destination includes a second control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for diagnosis and status judgment of the vehicle, The third destination includes a third control device included in the main control unit or the terminal device and provided for controlling an entertainment device included in the vehicle. Communication control method.

17. In paragraph 10, The above data is, Contains information about at least one of the voltage, current, temperature, or any combination thereof of the battery included in the vehicle; Communication control method.

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