State management system, state management device, and frame structure

Abstract

This state management system comprises a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices that is communicably connected via a vehicle-mounted network, and a state management device that is communicably connected to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices via the vehicle-mounted network, wherein: the state management device transmits an overall notification frame to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices, via the vehicle-mounted network, to notify which of the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices is in an activated state; the overall notification frame includes a plurality of state regions individually corresponding to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices; and the state region corresponding to the activated vehicle-mounted device, among the plurality of state regions, stores activated state information indicating that the vehicle-mounted device has been activated.

Description

State management system, state management device, and frame structure

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-120937, filed on July 26, 2024, and incorporates by reference the entire contents of said Japanese application.

[0002] A vehicle is equipped with a variety of on-board devices, such as control system ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that control the engine, transmission, etc., body system ECUs that control headlights, power windows, etc., and information system ECUs for navigation devices, multimedia devices, etc. Each on-board device is connected to an on-board network and can communicate with each other.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a network system in which a host ECU, first and second intermediate ECUs subordinate to the host ECU, multiple first subordinate ECUs subordinate to the first intermediate ECU, and multiple second subordinate ECUs subordinate to the second intermediate ECU are connected in a tree topology. In the network system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when starting the first subordinate ECU, the host ECU sends a message to the first intermediate ECU, and the first intermediate ECU enters an activated state upon receiving the message. The first intermediate ECU supplies power to the subordinate first subordinate ECU, which places the first subordinate ECU in a standby state. The first intermediate ECU sends a message to the subordinate first subordinate ECU, which transitions the first subordinate ECU from the standby state to the activated state.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-11228

[0005] A status management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of on-board devices communicatively connected via an on-board network, and a status management device communicatively connected to each of the plurality of on-board devices via the on-board network, wherein the status management device transmits an overall notification frame to each of the plurality of on-board devices via the on-board network to notify which of the plurality of on-board devices is in an activated state, the overall notification frame including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of on-board devices, and the status area corresponding to the activated on-board device among the plurality of status areas stores activation status information indicating that the on-board device has been activated.

[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a state management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a gateway device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functions of a gateway device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a CAN frame format. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state management table. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a first example of packaging of ECU activation state information in an entire notification frame. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a second example of packaging ECU activation state information in an entire notification frame. FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a third example of packaging ECU activation state information in an entire notification frame. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of state management operation in a state management system according to an embodiment.

[0007] In conventional vehicles, each ECU is connected to one of three types of power sources: an IG power source, an ACC power source, or a +B power source, and each ECU is activated in the vehicle state (IG on, ACC on, or stopped state) corresponding to the type of power source to which it is connected. Therefore, it was clear which ECU was activated and which ECU was stopped depending on whether the vehicle was in the IG on state, ACC on state, or stopped state. With the electrification and increasing functionality of vehicles, it is expected that in the future, each ECU will be activated in accordance with various states, as in the network system disclosed in Patent Document 1. Therefore, in an in-vehicle network system configured in this manner, unless each activated ECU recognizes which ECUs in the vehicle are activated and which are stopped, the entire system cannot operate normally.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an activated in-vehicle device can efficiently recognize the status of each in-vehicle device throughout the vehicle.

[0009] The following provides an outline of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] (1) A state management system according to this embodiment includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network, and a state management device communicatively connected to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network, wherein the state management device transmits a general notification frame to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network to notify each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices of an activated in-vehicle device, the general notification frame including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, and the status area corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device among the plurality of status areas stores activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated. By transmitting such a general notification frame to the entire vehicle, the activated in-vehicle devices can efficiently recognize the status of each in-vehicle device throughout the vehicle.

[0011] (2) In the above (1), the state management system may further include a power management device that manages the startup and shutdown of the in-vehicle device, and the power management device may transmit an individual notification frame to the state management device when the in-vehicle device is started, the individual notification frame notifying the startup state of the in-vehicle device, the individual notification frame including the startup state information indicating that the in-vehicle device has started up, and the startup state information stored in the status area may be the startup state information included in the individual notification frame transmitted from the power management device that manages the startup and shutdown of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the status area. In this way, the state management device may store the startup state information stored in the individual notification frame in an overall notification frame, thereby reducing the processing load on the state management device and enabling efficient transmission of overall notification frames.

[0012] (3) In the above (2), the status area may store, without processing, the startup state information included in the individual notification frame transmitted from the power management device that manages activation and shutdown of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the status area. This allows the status management device to store the startup state information stored in the individual notification frame in the overall notification frame without processing it, thereby reducing the processing load on the status management device and enabling efficient transmission of the overall notification frame.

[0013] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the activation status information stored in the status area may not include identification information of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the status area, thereby allowing each in-vehicle device that receives the general notification frame to efficiently check the activation status of each in-vehicle device without relying on the identification information.

[0014] (5) In any one of (1) to (4) above, the multiple in-vehicle devices may include one or more first in-vehicle devices belonging to a first group and one or more second in-vehicle devices belonging to a second group, the entire notification frame may include a first group region corresponding to the first group and a second group region corresponding to the second group, the first group region may include one or more first status regions corresponding to the one or more first in-vehicle devices, and the second group region may include one or more second status regions corresponding to the one or more second in-vehicle devices. This allows each in-vehicle device to collectively obtain activation status information for each group from the entire notification frame and efficiently check the activation status of each group.

[0015] (6) In the above (5), the in-vehicle network may include a first partial network to which the one or more first in-vehicle devices are connected and a second partial network to which the one or more second in-vehicle devices are connected, the first group may be a group of the one or more first in-vehicle devices connected to the first partial network, and the second group may be a group of the one or more second in-vehicle devices connected to the second partial network. This allows each in-vehicle device to collectively obtain startup status information for each partial network from the overall notification frame, and to efficiently check the startup status of each partial network.

[0016] (7) In the above (5), the one or more first in-vehicle devices may provide a first service, the one or more second in-vehicle devices may provide a second service, the first group may be a group of the one or more first in-vehicle devices that provide the first service, and the second group may be a group of the one or more second in-vehicle devices that provide the second service. This allows each in-vehicle device to collectively obtain activation status information for each service from the overall notification frame, and to efficiently check the provision status of each service.

[0017] (8) In any one of (1) to (7) above, the entire notification frame may include a spare area for storing activation status information of a new in-vehicle device that is newly connected to the in-vehicle network. This allows the activation status of the new in-vehicle device to be notified to the entire vehicle when the new in-vehicle device is connected to the in-vehicle network.

[0018] (9) In any one of (1) to (8) above, when the size of one of the whole notification frames is insufficient to ensure the status areas corresponding to all of the plurality of on-board devices, the state management device may transmit a first whole notification frame including the status areas corresponding to some of the plurality of on-board devices and a second whole notification frame including the status areas corresponding to the remaining of the plurality of on-board devices. This makes it possible to notify the entire vehicle of the startup states of all of the on-board devices by the first whole notification frame and the second whole notification frame.

[0019] (10) In the above (9), the first whole notification frame and the second whole notification frame may include the same frame identification information, thereby allowing each in-vehicle device to recognize the first whole notification frame and the second whole notification frame by the frame identification information.

[0020] (11) A state management device according to this embodiment is a state management device communicatively connected to each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices via an in-vehicle network, and transmits a general notification frame to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network to notify each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices of an activated in-vehicle device, the general notification frame including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, and activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated is stored in the status area corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device among the plurality of status areas. By transmitting such a general notification frame to the entire vehicle, the activated in-vehicle devices can efficiently recognize the status of each in-vehicle device throughout the vehicle.

[0021] (12) A frame structure according to the present embodiment is a frame structure of an overall notification frame for notifying each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices of an activated in-vehicle device, the frame structure including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, wherein the status area corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device among the plurality of status areas stores activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated, and the positions of the plurality of status areas in the overall notification frame are preset individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices. By transmitting the overall notification frame defined by such a frame structure to the entire vehicle, the activated in-vehicle devices can efficiently recognize the status of each in-vehicle device throughout the vehicle.

[0022] The present disclosure can be realized not only as a state management system having the above-described characteristic configuration, a state management device included in the state management system, and a frame structure used in the state management system, but also as a state management method including characteristic steps executed in the state management system, as a state management program for causing the state management device to execute characteristic processing, or as a semiconductor integrated circuit in which part or all of the state management device is implemented.

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, detailed descriptions of embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings. At least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any desired manner.

[0024] [1. In-Vehicle System] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a state management system according to an embodiment.

[0025] The state management system 10 is mounted on a vehicle and includes a gateway device (hereinafter referred to as "GW device") 100, a first power management device 200A, a second power management device 200B, and ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ....

[0026] The GW device 100 is connected to an in-vehicle network 250. The in-vehicle network 250 according to this embodiment is a Controller Area Network (CAN) network having a bus-type network topology. The in-vehicle network 250 includes buses 250A and 250B as sub-networks.

[0027] ECUs 310A, 310B, etc. are connected to bus 250A. ECUs 320A, 320B, etc. are connected to bus 250B. Each of ECUs 310A, 310B, etc., 320A, 320B, etc. is provided with a CAN interface and is capable of communication via CAN.

[0028] Each of the ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... is disposed in a respective part of the vehicle. Each of the ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... individually controls the hardware of each part of the vehicle and monitors the status of the hardware of each part of the vehicle. For example, each of the ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... is an ECU for a control system, a body system, or an information system. The ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... are examples of "on-vehicle devices."

[0029] ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... have the function of providing services. One service can be provided by one or more ECUs. For example, a smart entry service is provided by an ECU group including ECUs 310A and 320B. For example, a preceding vehicle tracking service is provided by an ECU group including ECUs 310B and 320A.

[0030] The GW device 100, the first power management device 200A, the second power management device 200B, and the ECUs 310A, 310B, ..., 320A, 320B, ... use a communication protocol for periodically or non-periodically transmitting and receiving messages. In this embodiment, the communication protocol is CAN or CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate).

[0031] The GW device 100 is connected to the buses 250A and 250B. The GW device 100 has a communication relay function. That is, the GW device 100 can relay communications (frames) between the buses 250A and 250B.

[0032] Furthermore, the GW device 100 is connected to a first power management device 200A via a communication line 150A, and to a second power management device 200B via a communication line 150B. For example, the first power management device 200A and the second power management device 200B each have a CAN interface, and are capable of communication via CAN. The GW device 100 can communicate with the first power management device 200A via the communication line 150A via the CAN, and can communicate with the second power management device 200B via the communication line 150B via the CAN.

[0033] The vehicle is equipped with an auxiliary battery 410, a high-voltage battery 420, and a DC / DC converter 430 as power sources. The auxiliary battery 410 is, for example, a battery with an output voltage of 12 V and is used to drive auxiliary devices such as an ECU. The high-voltage battery 420 is, for example, a battery with an output voltage of 400 V and is used to drive the vehicle. The DC / DC converter 430 is connected to the high-voltage battery 420 and reduces the output voltage from the high-voltage battery 420 to 12 V. The output side of the DC / DC converter 430 is connected to a power line 450 extending from the auxiliary battery 410, and the auxiliary battery 410 can be charged with the output power of the DC / DC converter 430.

[0034] A power line 450 extending from auxiliary battery 410 branches into power lines 451A, 452A, 451B, and 452B at multiple locations. Power line 451A is connected to ECU 310A, and a switch (hereinafter also referred to as "SW") 460A is provided midway along power line 451A. Power line 452A is connected to ECU 320A, and a SW 470A is provided midway along power line 452A. Power line 451B is connected to ECU 310B, and a SW 460B is provided midway along power line 451B. Power line 452B is connected to ECU 320B, and a SW 470B is provided midway along power line 452B.

[0035] The first power management device 200A manages the activation and deactivation of the ECUs 310A and 320A. In a specific example, the first power management device 200A controls the on / off of the SWs 460A and 470A. When the SW 460A is in the on state, power is supplied to the ECU 310A, and the ECU 310A is activated. When the SW 460A is in the off state, power supply to the ECU 310A is stopped, and the ECU 310A is deactivated. When the SW 470A is in the on state, power is supplied to the ECU 320A, and the ECU 320A is activated. When the SW 470A is in the off state, power supply to the ECU 320A is stopped, and the ECU 320A is deactivated.

[0036] The second power management device 200B manages the activation and deactivation of the ECUs 310B and 320B. In a specific example, the second power management device 200B controls the on / off of the SWs 460B and 470B. When the SW 460B is in the on state, power is supplied to the ECU 310B, and the ECU 310B is activated. When the SW 460B is in the off state, power supply to the ECU 310B is stopped, and the ECU 310B is deactivated. When the SW 470B is in the on state, power is supplied to the ECU 320B, and the ECU 320B is activated. When the SW 470B is in the off state, power supply to the ECU 320B is stopped, and the ECU 320B is deactivated.

[0037] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a GW device according to an embodiment. The GW device 100 includes a processor 101, a nonvolatile memory 102, a volatile memory 103, a relay circuit 104, and interfaces (hereinafter also referred to as "I / F") 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B. The processor 101 is connected to the nonvolatile memory 102, the volatile memory 103, and the relay circuit 104 via signal lines. Each of the I / Fs 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B is connected to the relay circuit 104 via a signal line.

[0038] The volatile memory 103 is, for example, a semiconductor memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The non-volatile memory 102 is, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk, or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The non-volatile memory 102 stores a state management program 110, which is a computer program, and a state management table 120 used to execute the state management program 110. The functions of the GW device 100, which will be described later, are realized when the processor 101 executes the state management program 110.

[0039] The processor 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the processor 101 is not limited to a CPU. The processor 101 may be a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In a specific example, the processor 101 is a multi-core processor. The processor 101 may be a single-core processor. The processor 101 is configured to be able to execute a computer program. However, the processor 101 may be, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). In this case, the ASIC or programmable logic device is configured to be able to execute the same function as the state management program 110.

[0040] I / Fs 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B are communication interfaces (CAN interfaces) that conform to CAN. Each of I / Fs 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B includes a transceiver that conforms to CAN. I / F 105A is connected to bus 250A, and I / F 105B is connected to bus 250B. I / F 106A is connected to communication line 150A that is connected to first power management device 200A, and I / F 106B is connected to communication line 150B that is connected to second power management device 200B.

[0041] The relay circuit 104 is a circuit for relaying CAN frames. For example, the relay circuit 104 determines whether a frame received from the bus 250A at the I / F 105A is a frame that should be transmitted to the bus 250B, and if the frame is to be transmitted to the bus 250B, outputs the frame to the I / F 105B. The relay circuit 104 determines whether a frame received from the bus 250B at the I / F 105B is a frame that should be transmitted to the bus 250A, and if the frame is to be transmitted to the bus 250A, outputs the frame to the I / F 105A.

[0042] The relay circuit 104 includes a communication circuit conforming to CAN. When transmitting specific data to at least one of the buses 250A, 250B, the first power management device 200A, and the second power management device 200B, the relay circuit 104 generates a CAN frame in response to an instruction from the processor 101, for example, and outputs the frame to at least one of the I / Fs 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B. The relay circuit 104 extracts data contained in the frame output from one of the I / Fs 105A, 105B, 106A, and 106B, and outputs the data to the processor 101. However, some or all of the functions of the relay circuit 104 may be executed by the processor 101.

[0043] 3. Functions of the GW Device FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of functions of the GW device according to the embodiment.

[0044] The GW device 100 is an example of a “state management device.” When the processor 101 of the GW device 100 executes the state management program 110, the functions of a receiving unit 111, a determining unit 112, an extracting unit 113, a managing unit 114, an acquiring unit 115, a creating unit 116, and a sending unit 117 are realized.

[0045] When the first power management device 200A switches at least one of the SWs 460A, 470A from an off state to an on state, at least one of the ECUs 310A, 320A, ... to be managed that corresponds to the SW that has been switched on transitions from a stopped state to an activated state. At this time, the first power management device 200A transmits an individual notification frame to the GW device 100 to notify the GW device 100 of the activated state of at least one of the ECUs 310A, 320A, .... When the second power management device 200B switches at least one of the SWs 460B, 470B from an off state to an on state, at least one of the ECUs 310B, 320B, ... to be managed that corresponds to the SW that has been switched on transitions from a stopped state to an activated state. At this time, the second power management device 200B transmits an individual notification frame to the GW device 100 to notify the GW device 100 of the activated state of at least one of the ECUs 310B, 320B, ....

[0046] Here, the CAN frame will be explained. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the CAN frame format. FIG. 4 shows the data frame structure of the standard CAN format. The upper line in the diagram indicates recessive, and the lower line indicates dominant. As shown in FIG. 4, a CAN data frame includes the following fields: SOF (Start of Frame), CAN ID, RTR (Remote Transmission Request), control field, data field, CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) sequence, CRC delimiter, ACK (Acknowledgement) slot, ACK delimiter, and EOF (End of Frame). SOF indicates the start of the frame. CAN ID is used to identify the ECU and the frame type. RTR is used to identify data frames and remote frames. In the case of data frames, RTR is dominant. The control field stores information used for communication control. The data field stores up to 8 bytes of actual data (payload). The CRC sequence and CRC delimiter are collectively called the CRC field, and a type of error detection code is stored in the CRC field. The ACK slot and ACK delimiter are collectively called the ACK field, and information indicating whether the CRC field portion was received correctly or not is stored in the ACK field. EOF indicates the end of the frame.

[0047] In CAN, a frame contains identification information called a CAN ID. The CAN ID indicates the type of frame. For example, the CAN ID of a frame containing data on "engine speed" is "0x100," and the CAN ID of a frame containing data on "accelerator opening" is "0x200."

[0048] For example, an individual notification frame transmitted from first power management device 200A stores a CAN ID that is specially assigned to the individual notification frame transmitted from first power management device 200A. An individual notification frame transmitted from second power management device 200B stores a CAN ID that is specially assigned to the individual notification frame transmitted from second power management device 200B. As another example, the same CAN ID may be stored in the individual notification frame transmitted from first power management device 200A and the individual notification frame transmitted from second power management device 200B.

[0049] The data field of the individual notification frame transmitted from the first power management device 200A stores state information of the ECUs 310A, 320A, ... that are the activation targets of the first power management device 200A. That is, when the ECU 310A is activated, the activation state information of the ECU 310A is stored in the individual notification frame, and when the ECU 320A is activated, the activation state information of the ECU 320A is stored in the individual notification frame. The data field of the individual notification frame transmitted from the second power management device 200B stores state information of the ECUs 310B, 320B, ... that are the activation targets of the second power management device 200B. That is, when the ECU 310B is activated, the activation state information of the ECU 310B is stored in the individual notification frame, and when the ECU 320B is activated, the activation state information of the ECU 320B is stored in the individual notification frame.

[0050] For example, the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted from the first power management device 200A stores ECU status data including status information of all ECUs 310A, 320A, ... that are managed by the first power management device 200A. That is, when the ECU 310A is in an activated state, the data field of the individual notification frame stores activated status information of the ECU 310A, and when the ECU 320A is in a stopped state, the data field of the individual notification frame stores stopped status information of the ECU 320A.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 3, the receiver 111 receives frames from the first power management device 200A, the second power management device 200B, and the buses 250A and 250B.

[0052] The determination unit 112 determines whether the received frame is an individual notification frame transmitted from the first power management device 200A, and determines whether the received frame is an individual notification frame transmitted from the second power management device 200B.

[0053] The extraction unit 113 extracts the state information (start-up state information, stop-down state information) of each ECU from the received individual notification frame.

[0054] The management unit 114 registers the extracted status information of each ECU in a status management table 120. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the status management table 120. The status management table 120 stores status information for each ECU in association with each other. That is, the status management table 120 stores identification information and status information for all ECUs in the vehicle in association with each other. In the diagram, the left column shows ECU identification information, and the right column shows status information.

[0055] 3, the acquisition unit 115 acquires the activation status information of activated ECUs. In a specific example, the acquisition unit 115 acquires the status information of all ECUs of the vehicle from the status management table 120.

[0056] The creation unit 116 creates an all-notification frame based on the status information (startup status information) acquired by the acquisition unit 115. The all-notification frame is a frame for notifying all ECUs of the status of each of the ECUs of the vehicle.

[0057] The transmission unit 117 transmits the entire notification frame created by the creation unit 116 to all ECUs connected to the in-vehicle network 250. Specifically, the transmission unit 117 broadcasts the entire notification frame to the in-vehicle network 250.

[0058] Here, packaging of activation status information in the entire notification frame will be described with reference to Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C. Figure 6A is a diagram illustrating a first example of packaging of activation status information of ECUs in the entire notification frame.

[0059] ECU status data is stored in the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A. This ECU status data stores status information for the ECUs 310A, 320A, ... whose activation and shutdown are managed by the first power management device 200A. For example, area X1 of the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A stores status information for the ECU 310A, and area X2 stores status information for the ECU 320A.

[0060] Area X1 is a storage area for state information dedicated to ECU 310A, and area X2 is a storage area for state information dedicated to ECU 320A. ECU identification information is not stored in each of areas X1, X2, X3, ... that store ECU state information. In other words, area X1 does not store identification information for ECU 310A, and area X2 does not store identification information for ECU 320A.

[0061] The positions of the areas X1, X2, X3, ... that store the ECU status information in the data field are preset. That is, the number of bits from the beginning of the data field to the first bit of area X1 is preset, and the data size of area X1 is also preset. The number of bits from the beginning of the data field to the first bit of area X2 is also preset, and the data size of area X2 is also preset. For example, the data sizes of the storage areas X1, X2, X3, ... for status information are the same.

[0062] ECU status data is stored in the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B. This ECU status data stores status information of the ECUs 310B, 320B, ... whose activation and shutdown are managed by the second power management device 200B. For example, the status information of the ECU 310B is stored in area Y1 of the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B, and the status information of the ECU 320B is stored in area Y2.

[0063] Area Y1 is a storage area for state information dedicated to ECU 310B, and area Y2 is a storage area for state information dedicated to ECU 320A. ECU identification information is not stored in each of areas Y1, Y2, Y3, ... that store ECU state information. That is, area Y1 does not store identification information of ECU 310B, and area Y2 does not store identification information of ECU 320B.

[0064] The positions of the areas Y1, Y2, Y3, ... that store the ECU status information are preset in the data field. The other configurations of the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B are the same as the configurations of the data field of the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A. By presetting the positions of the areas that store the status information of each ECU in the individual notification frame, it is possible to identify which ECU each piece of status information corresponds to by the position of the storage area for the status information, even without storing ECU identification information in the individual notification frame.

[0065] The data field of the all-vehicle notification frame stores status information for each ECU in the entire vehicle. In the example of Fig. 6A, areas A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ... are areas (status areas) that store status information for each ECU. In other words, the all-vehicle notification frame includes multiple status areas A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ..., each corresponding to a respective one of the multiple ECUs.

[0066] 6A, consecutive areas A1, A2, A3, ... are areas for storing status information of ECUs 310A, 320A, ... managed by first power management device 200A, and consecutive areas B1, B2, B3, ... are areas for storing status information of ECUs 310B, 320B, ... managed by second power management device 200B. That is, status information of ECU 310A is stored in area A1, and status information of ECU 320A is stored in area A2. Status information of ECU 310B is stored in area B1, and status information of ECU 320B is stored in area B2.

[0067] The areas A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ... that store the ECU status information do not store the identification information of the ECUs. That is, the area A1 does not store the identification information of ECU 310A, and the area A2 does not store the identification information of ECU 320A. The area B1 does not store the identification information of ECU 310B, and the area B2 does not store the identification information of ECU 320B.

[0068] The number of bits from the beginning of the data field to the first bit of area A1 is preset, and the data size of area A1 is also preset. The number of bits from the beginning of the data field to the first bit of area A2 is preset, and the data size of area A2 is also preset. The number of bits from the beginning of the data field to the first bit of area A3 is preset, and the data size of area A3 is also preset. The positions and sizes of the other areas B1, B2, B3, ... are similarly preset. For example, the data sizes of the status information storage areas A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ... are the same.

[0069] By setting in advance the location of the area in the overall notification frame where the status information of each ECU is stored, it is possible to identify which ECU each piece of status information corresponds to by the location of the storage area for the status information, without storing the ECU identification information in the overall notification frame.

[0070] In each of areas A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ..., the status information in areas X1, X2, X3, ... of the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A and areas Y1, Y2, Y3, ... of the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B is stored without being processed. That is, in the first example of Fig. 6A, the status information in area X1 is stored without being processed in area A1, and the status information in area X2 is stored without being processed in area A2. The status information in area Y1 is stored without being processed in area B1, and the status information in area Y2 is stored without being processed in area B2.

[0071] For example, the management unit 114 stores the state information extracted from the individual notification frame without processing it in the state management table 120. The creation unit 116 stores the state information obtained from the state management table 120 in the all notification frame without processing it.

[0072] In this first example, the objects managed by the power management device are grouped, and the status information of the ECUs is stored together for each group. That is, the ECUs 310A, 320A, etc. managed by the first power management device 200A are the first group, and the ECUs 310B, 320B, etc. managed by the second power management device 200B are the second group. The status information of the ECUs 310A, 320A, etc. managed by the first power management device 200A is stored in a group of areas A1, A2, A3, etc., and the status information of the ECUs 310B, 320B, etc. managed by the second group is stored in a group of areas B1, B2, B3, etc. The group of areas A1, A2, A3, etc. are an example of a "first group area," and the group of areas B1, B2, B3, etc. are an example of a "second group area."

[0073] More specifically, the order of the status information in the consecutive areas A1, A2, A3, ... is the same as the order of the status information in the areas X1, X2, X3, ... in the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A. That is, in areas A1, A2, A3, ..., ECU status data stored in the individual notification frame transmitted by the first power management device 200A may be copied from the individual notification frame to the entire notification frame. Similarly, the order of the status information in the consecutive areas B1, B2, B3, ... is the same as the order of the status information in areas Y1, Y2, Y3, ... in the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B. That is, in areas B1, B2, B3, ..., ECU status data stored in the individual notification frame transmitted by the second power management device 200B may be copied from the individual notification frame to the entire notification frame.

[0074] The in-vehicle device (including the ECU, the first power management device 200A, and the second power management device 200B) executes processes related to power management, and the ECU status information is used for the power management processes. Therefore, by grouping the ECUs by power management unit and storing the ECU status information for each group together in the overall notification frame, the in-vehicle device executing the power management processes can collectively obtain the group status information required for the processes from the overall notification frame. Therefore, the power management processes can be executed efficiently.

[0075] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a second example of packaging of ECU activation state information in a whole notification frame.

[0076] 6B , ECUs are grouped by bus, and the status information of the ECUs is stored collectively for each group. That is, ECUs 310A, 310B, etc. connected to bus 250A constitute a first group, and ECUs 320A, 320B, etc. connected to bus 250B constitute a second group. The status information of ECUs 310A, 310B, etc. in the first group is stored in a group of areas A1, A2, A3, etc., and the status information of ECUs 320A, 320B, etc. in the second group is stored in a group of areas B1, B2, B3, etc.

[0077] The in-vehicle device executes communication-related processing, and the ECU status information is used on a bus-by-bus basis for the communication-related processing. Therefore, by grouping the ECUs on a bus-by-bus basis and storing the ECU status information for each group together in the overall notification frame, the in-vehicle device executing the communication-related processing can collectively obtain the group status information required for the processing from the overall notification frame. Therefore, the communication-related processing can be executed efficiently.

[0078] FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a third example of packaging of ECU activation state information in a whole notification frame.

[0079] 6C , ECUs are grouped by service, and the status information of the ECUs for each group is stored together. For example, ECUs 310A, 320B, etc. that provide the smart entry service are in the first group, and ECUs 310B, 320A, etc. that provide the preceding vehicle tracking service are in the second group. The status information of ECUs 310A, 320B, etc. in the first group is stored in a group of areas A1, A2, A3, etc., and the status information of ECUs 310B, 320A, etc. in the second group is stored in a group of areas B1, B2, B3, etc.

[0080] The in-vehicle device executes a process related to a service, and the process uses ECU status information on a service-by-service basis. Therefore, by grouping ECUs on a service-by-service basis and storing ECU status information for each group collectively in the overall notification frame, the in-vehicle device executing the process related to the service can collectively obtain the group status information required for the service from the overall notification frame. Therefore, the process related to the service can be executed efficiently.

[0081] 6A, 6B, and 6C, the overall notification frame may include a spare area for storing activation status information of a new in-vehicle device that is newly connected to the in-vehicle network 250. Furthermore, the individual notification frame may also include a spare area for storing activation status information of the new in-vehicle device. For example, when a new ECU is connected to the in-vehicle network 250 and the activation and shutdown of the ECU is managed by the first power management device 200A, the first power management device 200A stores the status information of the new ECU in the spare area of ​​the individual notification frame.

[0082] 3 , when the status information of the new ECU is stored in the reserved area of ​​the individual notification frame received by the receiving unit 111, the creating unit 116 stores the status information of the new ECU in the reserved area of ​​the entire notification frame, thereby making it possible to notify each ECU connected to the in-vehicle network of the status of the new ECU.

[0083] The spare area is provided at a predetermined position in the overall notification frame, so that an ECU receiving the overall notification frame can recognize that the status information stored in the spare area in the overall notification frame corresponds to a new ECU.

[0084] The reserve area is also provided at a predetermined position in the individual notification frame. Therefore, the GW device 100 can recognize that the status information stored in the reserve area in the received individual notification frame corresponds to a new ECU.

[0085] For example, the above-described general notification frame stores a CAN ID that is specially assigned to the general notification frame, allowing the ECU to recognize the general notification frame by referencing the CAN ID in the frame.

[0086] If a single overall notification frame as described above cannot store the status information of all ECUs, i.e., if the size of a single overall notification frame is insufficient to provide status areas corresponding to all ECUs, the creation unit 116 stores the status information of all ECUs in multiple overall notification frames. For example, the first overall notification frame stores status information of ECUs 310A, 320A, etc. managed by the first power management device 200A, and the second overall notification frame stores status information of ECUs 310B, 320B, etc. managed by the second power management device 200B. In one example, a common CAN ID is assigned to the multiple overall notification frames. This allows the ECUs to recognize the overall notification frames by the CAN ID.

[0087] The transmitting unit 117 periodically creates and transmits a whole notification frame. The transmitting unit 117 may also irregularly create and transmit a whole notification frame when an event occurs in which the receiving unit 111 receives an individual notification frame.

[0088] [4. Operation of the State Management System] Next, the operation of the state management system 10 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of state management operation in the state management system according to the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the first power management device 200A transmits an individual notification frame.

[0089] For example, when a specific sensor detects a specific state of the vehicle, the user, or the surrounding environment, or when a command is output from a higher-level device, and it becomes necessary to start up the ECUs 310A, 320A, ..., the first power management device 200A switches the SWs 460A, 470A, ... from the OFF state to the ON state (step S1). This starts the supply of power to the ECUs 310A, 320A, ..., and starts up the ECUs 310A, 320A, ....

[0090] The first power management device 200A creates an individual notification frame storing the activation state information of the ECUs 310A, 320A, . . . , and transmits the created individual notification frame to the GW device 100 (step S2).

[0091] When the processor 101 of the GW device 100 receives the individual notification frame, the processor 101 determines that the received frame is an individual notification frame. Furthermore, the processor 101 extracts activation state information of the ECUs 310A, 320A, ... from the individual notification frame, and registers the extracted activation state information in the state management table 120 (step S3).

[0092] The processor 101 acquires the state information of all ECUs of the vehicle from the state management table 120 (step S4).

[0093] The processor 101 creates a general notification frame that stores the acquired state information of all ECUs (step S5).

[0094] The processor 101 transmits (broadcasts) the created overall notification frame to all ECUs in the vehicle (step S6). All ECUs in the vehicle can check the status of all ECUs by receiving the overall notification frame. This completes the status management operation.

[0095] 5. Modifications In the above-described embodiment, the in-vehicle network 250 is configured as a CAN network, but is not limited to this. The in-vehicle network may be configured as an Ethernet network ("Ethernet" is a registered trademark).

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the states of each ECU are defined as an "activated state" and a "stopped state," but this is not limiting. For example, an ECU may be in a "standby state" (or sleep state) immediately after activation, and transition from the standby state to the activated state upon receiving a frame (an NM frame, where "NM" stands for Network Management) commanding a transition from the standby state to the activated state. In this case, the state information of the ECU includes "activated state information," "stopped state information," and "standby state information."

[0097] [6. Supplementary Note] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above-described embodiments, and includes meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope thereof.

[0098] 10 Status management system 100 Gateway device (GW device, status management device) 101 Processor 102 Non-volatile memory 103 Volatile memory 104 Relay circuit 110 Status management program 111 Receiving unit 112 Determination unit 113 Extraction unit 114 Management unit 115 Acquisition unit 116 Creation unit 117 Transmission unit 120 Status management table 150A, 150B Communication line 200A First power management device 200B Second power management device 250 In-vehicle network 250A, 250B Bus 310A, 310B, 320A, 320B ECU (in-vehicle device) 410 Auxiliary battery 420 High-voltage battery 430 DC / DC converter 450 Power line 451A, 452A, 451B, 452B Power lines 460A, 460B, 470A, 470B Switches (SW) A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3 Status areas X1, X2, X3, Y1, Y2, Y3 Status areas

Claims

1. A status management system comprising: a plurality of in-vehicle devices communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network; and a status management device communicatively connected to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network, wherein the status management device transmits a general notification frame to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network to notify which of the plurality of in-vehicle devices is in an activated state, the general notification frame includes a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, and activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated is stored in the status area of ​​the plurality of status areas corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device.

2. The state management system of claim 1, further comprising a power management device that manages the startup and shutdown of the in-vehicle device, wherein the power management device transmits an individual notification frame to the state management device when the in-vehicle device is started up, notifying the startup state of the in-vehicle device, wherein the individual notification frame includes the startup state information indicating that the in-vehicle device has started up, and the startup state information stored in the state area is the startup state information included in the individual notification frame transmitted from the power management device that manages the startup and shutdown of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the state area.

3. A state management system as described in claim 2, wherein the state area stores, without processing, the startup state information contained in the individual notification frame transmitted from the power management device that manages the startup and shutdown of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the state area.

4. A state management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the startup state information stored in the state area does not include identification information of the in-vehicle device corresponding to the state area.

5. A state management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the multiple in-vehicle devices include one or more first in-vehicle devices belonging to a first group and one or more second in-vehicle devices belonging to a second group, the overall notification frame includes a first group area corresponding to the first group and a second group area corresponding to the second group, the first group area includes one or more first status areas corresponding to the one or more first in-vehicle devices, and the second group area includes one or more second status areas corresponding to the one or more second in-vehicle devices.

6. The state management system described in claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle network includes a first partial network to which the one or more first in-vehicle devices are connected and a second partial network to which the one or more second in-vehicle devices are connected, the first group is a group of the one or more first in-vehicle devices connected to the first partial network, and the second group is a group of the one or more second in-vehicle devices connected to the second partial network.

7. The state management system described in claim 5, wherein the one or more first in-vehicle devices provide a first service, the one or more second in-vehicle devices provide a second service, the first group is a group of the one or more first in-vehicle devices that provide the first service, and the second group is a group of the one or more second in-vehicle devices that provide the second service.

8. A state management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the entire notification frame includes a spare area for storing startup state information of a new in-vehicle device that is newly connected to the in-vehicle network.

9. A state management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, when the size of one whole notification frame is not enough to secure the status areas corresponding to all of the plurality of on-board devices, the state management device transmits a first whole notification frame including the status areas corresponding to some of the plurality of on-board devices and a second whole notification frame including the status areas corresponding to the rest of the plurality of on-board devices.

10. The state management system according to claim 9, wherein the first entire notification frame and the second entire notification frame include the same frame identification information.

11. A status management device communicatively connected to each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices via an in-vehicle network, the status management device transmitting a general notification frame to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices via the in-vehicle network to notify which of the plurality of in-vehicle devices is in an activated state, the general notification frame including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, and activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated is stored in the status area of ​​the plurality of status areas corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device.

12. A frame structure of an overall notification frame for notifying each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices of an in-vehicle device that is in an activated state, the frame structure including a plurality of status areas individually corresponding to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices, wherein the status area among the plurality of status areas corresponding to the activated in-vehicle device stores activation status information indicating that the in-vehicle device has been activated, and the positions of the plurality of status areas in the overall notification frame are preset to individually correspond to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices.

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