On-vehicle network management system, on-vehicle network management device, and on-vehicle network management program

Abstract

This on-vehicle network management system comprises: a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of an on-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle; an acquisition unit that acquires communication requirement information indicating at least a portion of communication requirements in the on-vehicle network when the change is detected by the detection unit; and a determination unit that performs, on the basis of the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit, determination processing for determining a setting pattern of the on-vehicle network.

Description

In-vehicle network management system, in-vehicle network management device, and in-vehicle network management program

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-151606, filed on September 3, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Patent Document 1 (JP 2024-6523 A) discloses the following technology: That is, a relay device relays frames from a plurality of control units connected to a network, and includes a receiving unit that receives the frames from the control units, a plurality of transmitting units that are individually connected to each of the control units and transmit the frames to their destinations using a weighted round robin method, a forwarding unit that forwards the frames to the destination transmitting units, and a control unit that calculates weight parameters used to determine the transmission order of the frames to be transmitted from the transmitting units based on data size information of the frames, and the transmitting units include a plurality of transmission buffers that have been prioritized to store the frames forwarded from the forwarding units, and a scheduler that determines the transmission order of the frames using the weight parameters calculated by the control unit and transmits the frames from the transmission buffers to the destination control units via transmission ports in accordance with the transmission order.

[0003] JP 2024-6523 A JP 2017-169044 A International Publication No. 2020 / 179124

[0004] The in-vehicle network management system of the present disclosure includes a detection unit that detects changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, an acquisition unit that, when the change is detected by the detection unit, acquires communication requirement information indicating at least a portion of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network, and a determination unit that performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern for the in-vehicle network based on the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit.

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

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure can be realized not only as an in-vehicle network management device equipped with such a characteristic processing unit, but also as a method having such characteristic processing as steps, or as a semiconductor integrated circuit that realizes part or all of the in-vehicle network management device.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a new network according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of topology information held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication requirement information transmitted from the in-vehicle equipment according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of communication requirement information transmitted from the in-vehicle equipment according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of specification information held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection configuration table held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message table held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network table held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting table held by the in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting information held by an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating upper limit values ​​of transfer rates set for each communication port of an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure performs a determination process. FIG. 15 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when an in-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure performs a determination process. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an in-vehicle relay device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 20 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when a server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure performs a determination process. FIG. 21 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when a server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure performs a determination process.FIG. 22 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure changes settings.

[0008] 2. Description of the Related Art Techniques for changing the settings of relay devices and the like in an in-vehicle network have been developed.

[0009] [Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure] For example, when the configuration of an in-vehicle network changes, messages that were not anticipated at the time of network design may be transmitted, which requires the network design to be performed again.

[0010] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an in-vehicle network management system, an in-vehicle network management device, and an in-vehicle network management program that enable easy network design in response to changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network.

[0011] [Effects of the Present Disclosure] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to easily perform network design in response to changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network.

[0012] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, the contents of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) An in-vehicle network management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires communication requirement information indicating at least a part of communication requirements for the in-vehicle network when the change is detected by the detection unit, and a determination unit that performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern for the in-vehicle network based on the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0013] With this configuration, when the configuration of the in-vehicle network is changed, the setting pattern of the in-vehicle network for the new configuration can be easily determined using the acquired communication requirement information, thereby facilitating network design in response to changes in the in-vehicle network configuration.

[0014] (2) In the above (1), messages are sent and received by a plurality of on-board devices in the on-board network, and the acquisition unit may acquire, as the communication requirement information, information indicating at least one of the bandwidth used in sending and receiving the messages, the size of the messages, the message transmission interval, the message priority, the functional safety level related to the safety of the vehicle possessed by the on-board devices, the transport layer protocol used in sending and receiving the messages, the message transmission conditions, the message transmission timing, the delay time allowed in sending and receiving the messages, and the loss rate allowed in sending and receiving the messages.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to acquire appropriate communication requirement information for determining a setting pattern for an in-vehicle network.

[0016] (3) In the above (2), the acquisition unit may acquire, as the communication requirement information, information indicating the transmission condition according to a state of the vehicle.

[0017] For example, the types of messages transmitted and received between in-vehicle devices may differ depending on the state of the vehicle. As described above, by acquiring the message transmission conditions according to the state of the vehicle as communication requirements, it is possible to determine an appropriate setting pattern corresponding to the transmission conditions.

[0018] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, the determination unit may select, in the determination process, from among a plurality of pre-designed setting patterns, the setting pattern corresponding to the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0019] With this configuration, it is possible to easily determine a setting pattern for a newly configured in-vehicle network.

[0020] (5) In the above (4), the determination unit may select from the plurality of setting patterns the setting pattern corresponding to the communication requirements indicated by the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit plus a margin.

[0021] This configuration can reduce the possibility of communication failure in the newly configured in-vehicle network.

[0022] (6) An in-vehicle network management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, and an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating at least a portion of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network when the change is detected by the detection unit.

[0023] With this configuration, when the configuration of the in-vehicle network is changed, the setting pattern of the in-vehicle network for the new configuration can be easily determined using the acquired communication requirement information, thereby facilitating network design in response to changes in the in-vehicle network configuration.

[0024] (7) An in-vehicle network management program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle network management program used in an in-vehicle network management device, and is a program for causing a computer to function as a detection unit that detects changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle, and an acquisition unit that, when the change is detected by the detection unit, acquires information indicating at least a portion of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network.

[0025] With this configuration, when the configuration of the in-vehicle network is changed, the setting pattern of the in-vehicle network for the new configuration can be easily determined using the acquired communication requirement information, thereby facilitating network design in response to changes in the in-vehicle network configuration.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[0027] <First embodiment> [In-vehicle system] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 1, the in-vehicle system 301 includes an in-vehicle relay device 101 and a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202. The in-vehicle system 301 is mounted on a vehicle 1. The in-vehicle relay device 101 is an example of an in-vehicle network management device.

[0028] The in-vehicle devices 202 include an in-vehicle Electronic Control Unit (ECU), an Over-The-Air (OTA) master, sensors, actuators, a navigation device, a human-machine interface, and a camera. The in-vehicle ECUs include a Telematics Communication Unit (TCU), an engine ECU, an autonomous driving ECU, a steering ECU, and a door lock ECU.

[0029] The vehicle-mounted relay device 101 and the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 202 constitute a vehicle-mounted network 401 .

[0030] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle system 301 includes the in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C.

[0031] The in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C are connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 via, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 51 .

[0032] More specifically, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes a plurality of communication ports 10. The communication ports 10 are connectors to which an Ethernet cable 51 can be connected. In the example shown in Fig. 1 , the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 includes communication ports 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, which are the communication ports 10.

[0033] Each of the in-vehicle devices 202 includes a communication port 20. The communication port 20 is a connector to which an Ethernet cable 51 can be connected.

[0034] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle devices 202A, 202B, and 202C are provided with communication ports 20A, 20B, and 20C, which are the communication ports 20, respectively.

[0035] The communication port 20A of the in-vehicle device 202A and the communication port 10B of the in-vehicle relay device 101 are connected via an Ethernet cable 51. The communication port 20B of the in-vehicle device 202B and the communication port 10A of the in-vehicle relay device 101 are connected via an Ethernet cable 51. The communication port 20C of the in-vehicle device 202C and the communication port 10C of the in-vehicle relay device 101 are connected via an Ethernet cable 51.

[0036] Each communication port 10 is assigned a unique port number P. In this example, the port numbers P of the communication ports 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are P1, P2, P3, and P4, respectively.

[0037] For example, in an in-vehicle network 401, a plurality of in-vehicle devices 202 transmit and receive messages.

[0038] More specifically, in the in-vehicle network 401, messages are transmitted and received in accordance with SOME / IP (Scalable service-oriented middleware over IP), which is a protocol of the application layer of the Ethernet protocol group.

[0039] Specifically, the in-vehicle device 202 stores a message including various information in one or more Ethernet frames, and transmits the Ethernet frames to other in-vehicle devices 202 via the in-vehicle relay device 101 in accordance with SOME / IP. For example, the message includes a service ID (Identifier).

[0040] Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 202 that is the source of a message and the in-vehicle device 202 that is the destination of a message will also be referred to as the "source device" and the "destination device", respectively.

[0041] The in-vehicle system 301 is not limited to a configuration including one in-vehicle repeater 101 , and may be a configuration including a plurality of in-vehicle repeaters 101 .

[0042] Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 202 is not limited to a configuration in which it is connected to the in-vehicle repeater 101 via an Ethernet cable 51, but may also be configured to be connected to the in-vehicle repeater 101 via a transmission line conforming to other communication standards such as CAN (Controller Area Network), CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), FlexRay (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented System Transport) (registered trademark), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), and CXPI (Clock Extension Peripheral Interface) (registered trademark).

[0043] [On-Vehicle Relay Device] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an on-vehicle relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 2, the on-vehicle relay device 101 includes a relay unit 11, a processing unit 12, and a storage unit 13. The processing unit 12 includes a detection unit 21, a network management unit 22, a determination unit 23, a verification unit 24, and a setting unit 25. One or both of the relay unit 11 and the processing unit 12 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 13 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit. The network management unit 22 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0044] (Relay Unit) The relay unit 11 performs a relay process to relay messages transmitted and received between the in-vehicle devices 202. More specifically, when the relay unit 11 receives an Ethernet frame storing a message from a certain in-vehicle device 202, it transmits the received Ethernet frame to the destination in-vehicle device 202.

[0045] The storage unit 13 stores an address table indicating the correspondence between the port number P of the communication port 10 and the MAC (Media Access Control) address of the in-vehicle device 202 connected to the communication port 10. The relay unit 11 performs relay processing using the address table in the storage unit 13.

[0046] Furthermore, when the relay unit 11 receives an Ethernet frame addressed to its own in-vehicle relay device 101 from an in-vehicle device 202 , it outputs the received Ethernet frame to the processing unit 12 .

[0047] The processing unit 12 creates an Ethernet frame addressed to the in-vehicle device 202 and outputs the created Ethernet frame to the relay unit 11. Upon receiving the Ethernet frame from the processing unit 12, the relay unit 11 transmits the Ethernet frame to the in-vehicle device 202 as the destination.

[0048] [New Network] In the in-vehicle network 401 shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle device 202 connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 may be changed to another in-vehicle device 202 .

[0049] Hereinafter, the in-vehicle device 202 newly connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 will also be referred to as a "new device," and the in-vehicle network 401 including the new device will also be referred to as a "new network." In addition, the in-vehicle devices 202 connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 in the new network, other than the new device, will also be referred to as an "existing device."

[0050] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a new network according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, which illustrates the configuration of an in-vehicle network 401 when the in-vehicle device 202 connected to the communication port 10A of the in-vehicle relay device 101 is changed from the in-vehicle device 202B to the in-vehicle device 202D.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 3, the in-vehicle device 202D is connected to the in-vehicle relay device 101 via an Ethernet cable 51, for example.

[0052] More specifically, the in-vehicle device 202D includes a communication port 20D, which is the communication port 20. The communication port 20D of the in-vehicle device 202D and the communication port 10A of the in-vehicle relay device 101 are connected via an Ethernet cable 51.

[0053] [In-Vehicle Relay Device] (Detection Unit) Referring back to FIG. 2, in the in-vehicle relay device 101, the detection unit 21 performs a detection process to detect a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401.

[0054] More specifically, for example, the detection unit 21 detects a change in the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 .

[0055] Specifically, for example, the detection unit 21 detects a change in the on-board device 202 connected to its own on-board relay device 101 as a change in the hardware configuration of the on-board network 401 .

[0056] Each in-vehicle device 202 transmits a predetermined Ethernet frame, for example, an Ethernet frame for alive monitoring (hereinafter also referred to as an “alive monitoring frame”) to the in-vehicle relay device 101 .

[0057] Specifically, each in-vehicle device 202 transmits a health check frame including identification information (also referred to as a "device ID") for identifying the in-vehicle device 202. Each in-vehicle device 202 transmits the health check frame to the in-vehicle relay device 101, for example, periodically.

[0058] Here, the device IDs of the in-vehicle device 202A, the in-vehicle device 202B, the in-vehicle device 202C, and the in-vehicle device 202D are "001", "002", "003", and "004", respectively.

[0059] In the in-vehicle relay device 101, every time the relay unit 11 receives an alive-or-dead monitoring frame from the in-vehicle device 202, the relay unit 11 stores the received alive-or-dead monitoring frame, including the port number of the communication port 10 that received the alive-or-dead monitoring frame and the reception time ta at which the alive-or-dead monitoring frame was received, in the storage unit 13. Then, the relay unit 11 outputs a reception notification indicating the port number and the reception time ta to the detection unit 21.

[0060] When the detection unit 21 receives a reception notification from the relay unit 11, it acquires health check frames F1 and F2 from among the multiple health check frames stored in the storage unit 13. Health check frame F1 is a health check frame that includes the same port number as the port number indicated in the reception notification received from the relay unit 11 and also includes the same reception time ta as the reception time ta indicated in the reception notification. Health check frame F2 is a health check frame that includes the same port number as the port number indicated in the reception notification received from the relay unit 11 and also includes a reception time immediately before the reception time ta indicated in the reception notification.

[0061] Then, the detection unit 21 compares the device ID included in the alive-or-dead detection frame F1 with the device ID included in the alive-or-dead detection frame F2.

[0062] If the device ID included in the health monitoring frame F1 is the same as the device ID included in the health monitoring frame F2, the detection unit 21 determines that the vehicle equipment 202 connected to the communication port 10 of the port number included in the health monitoring frames F1 and F2 has not been changed.

[0063] On the other hand, if the device ID included in the health monitoring frame F1 is different from the device ID included in the health monitoring frame F2, the detection unit 21 determines that the vehicle equipment 202 connected to the communication port 10 of the port number included in the health monitoring frames F1 and F2 has been changed.

[0064] Then, the detection unit 21 outputs detection information indicating that a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 has been detected to the network management unit 22, and deletes the alive-or-dead monitoring frame F2 from the storage unit 13.

[0065] In addition, the detection unit 21 is not limited to a configuration that detects changes in the on-board equipment 202 connected to its own on-board relay device 101 as changes in the hardware configuration of the on-board network 401, but may also be configured to detect addition of on-board equipment 202 to the on-board network 401, deletion of on-board equipment 202 from the on-board network 401, etc.

[0066] The detection unit 21 may be configured to detect not only changes in the hardware configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 but also changes in the software configuration of the in-vehicle network 401. In this case, for example, the detection unit 21 detects addition or deletion of an application installed in the in-vehicle device 202.

[0067] (Topology Information) FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of topology information held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] When the detection unit 21 detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, the network management unit 22 acquires topology information T1 that enables recognition of the topology of the new network.

[0069] For example, the topology information T1 is information indicating the port number of the communication port 10 to which the new device or the existing device is connected.

[0070] For example, the network management unit 22 creates topology information T1 using a plurality of alive-or-dead monitoring frames stored in the storage unit 13.

[0071] Specifically, when the network management unit 22 receives detection information from the detection unit 21, it checks the port numbers included in each alive monitoring frame stored in the storage unit 13. Then, the network management unit 22 creates topology information T1 indicating the checked port numbers and stores it in the storage unit 13.

[0072] In the topology information T1 shown in FIG. 4, the communication ports 10 to which new or existing devices are connected are a communication port 10A with port number P1, a communication port 10B with port number P2, and a communication port 10C with port number P3.

[0073] (Communication Requirement Information) When the detection unit 21 detects a change in the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401, the network management unit 22 performs an information acquisition process to acquire communication requirement information indicating at least a part of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network 401. The communication requirements are requirements for the in-vehicle device 202 to communicate messages.

[0074] Specifically, for example, the network management unit 22 acquires, as communication requirement information, information indicating at least one of the bandwidth used in sending and receiving messages (hereinafter also referred to as "required bandwidth"), the message size, the message transmission interval, the message priority, the functional safety level related to the safety of the vehicle 1 possessed by the on-board equipment 202, the transport layer protocol used in sending and receiving messages, the message transmission conditions, the message transmission timing, the allowable delay time in sending and receiving messages, and the allowable loss rate in sending and receiving messages.

[0075] For example, in the in-vehicle network 401, the types of messages exchanged between the in-vehicle devices 202 vary depending on the state of the vehicle 1. Specifically, there are messages exchanged when the vehicle 1 is running, messages exchanged when the engine of the vehicle 1 is stopped, and messages exchanged when the engine is started. As an example, the network management unit 22 acquires, as communication requirement information, information indicating transmission conditions according to the state of the vehicle 1.

[0076] In the following, an example will be described in which the network management unit 22 acquires information indicating a required bandwidth as communication requirement information.

[0077] For example, when the network management unit 22 receives detection information from the detection unit 21, it transmits an information request notification B1 requesting the transmission of communication requirement information to the new device and the existing device via the relay unit 11.

[0078] When the new device and the existing device receive the information request notification B1 from the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, they transmit their own communication requirement information to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in response to the information request notification B1.

[0079] Specifically, for example, new devices and existing devices transmit information indicating the type of message, the device ID of the destination device, and the required bandwidth for the message when their own vehicle-mounted device 202 is the source device to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 as communication requirement information.

[0080] On the other hand, if the new device and the existing device are not the source device, they transmit, as communication requirement information, information indicating that the in-vehicle device 202 will not transmit messages to other in-vehicle devices 202 to the in-vehicle relay device 101. In the example shown in Fig. 3, it is assumed that the in-vehicle device 202C is not the source device.

[0081] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication requirement information transmitted from the in-vehicle device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates communication requirement information R1 transmitted from the in-vehicle device 202A to the in-vehicle relay device 101.

[0082] 5, in the communication requirement information R1, the required bandwidth for a message M12 that the on-board device 202A transmits to the on-board device 202B with device ID "002" is "1 Mbps." The required bandwidth for a message M13 that the on-board device 202A transmits to the on-board device 202C with device ID "003" is "5 Mbps." The required bandwidth for a message M14 that the on-board device 202A transmits to the on-board device 202D with device ID "004" is "1 Mbps."

[0083] 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of communication requirement information transmitted from the on-board device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates communication requirement information R2 transmitted from the on-board device 202D to the on-board relay device 101.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 6, in the communication requirement information R2, the required bandwidth for the message M43 transmitted from the on-board device 202D to the on-board device 202C with the device ID "003" is "10 Mbps".

[0085] The network management unit 22 may be configured not to transmit the information request notification B1 to the existing device if the network management unit 22 has already acquired the communication requirement information of the existing device.

[0086] Referring again to Figure 2, in the vehicle-mounted relay device 101, when the relay unit 11 receives communication requirement information from the vehicle-mounted equipment 202, it outputs the received communication requirement information to the network management unit 22, including the port number of the communication port 10 that received the communication requirement information.

[0087] (Specification Information) FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of specification information held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0088] 2 and 7, the network management unit 22 acquires specification information T2 indicating the specification of a message corresponding to the communication requirement information received from the in-vehicle device 202.

[0089] For example, specification information T2 indicates the correspondence between a message requirement ID, the port number of communication port 10 to which a source device is connected (hereinafter also referred to as the "source port number"), the port number of communication port 10 to which a destination device is connected (hereinafter also referred to as the "destination port number"), and the required bandwidth. The message requirement ID is identification information for identifying the communication requirements of the message relayed by vehicle relay device 101. Specifically, for example, the message requirement ID is identification information for identifying a set of a source port number, a destination port number, and a required bandwidth.

[0090] In specification information T2 shown in Figure 7, the source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to message requirement ID "ID-Q21" are "P2," "P1," and "1 Mbps," respectively. The source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to message requirement ID "ID-Q23" are "P2," "P3," and "5 Mbps," respectively. The source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to message requirement ID "ID-Q13" are "P1," "P3," and "10 Mbps," respectively.

[0091] For example, the network management unit 22 creates specification information T2 based on the communication requirement information received from the new device and the existing device via the relay unit 11 .

[0092] Specifically, when the network management unit 22 receives communication requirement information from the relay unit 11, it acquires, from among the multiple health check frames stored in the storage unit 13, a health check frame that includes the same device ID as the device ID of the destination device included in the communication requirement information. Then, the network management unit 22 identifies the port number included in the acquired health check frame as the destination port number.

[0093] The network management unit 22 then creates specification information T2 using each piece of communication requirement information received from the relay unit 11 and the port numbers included in each piece of communication requirement information, i.e., the source port number and the identified destination port number. The network management unit 22 then stores the created specification information T2 in the storage unit 13.

[0094] (Connection Configuration Table) FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a connection configuration table held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] Referring to Figure 8, the memory unit 13 stores identification information (hereinafter also referred to as "connection configuration ID") for identifying the connection configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 and a connection configuration table Tb1 that shows the correspondence between the identification information and topology information T1.

[0096] The connection configuration IDs registered in the connection configuration table Tb1 shown in Fig. 8 are "ID-C1" and "ID-C2", etc. The topology information T1 corresponding to the connection configuration ID "ID-C1" is the topology information T1 shown in Fig. 4. The topology information T1 corresponding to the connection configuration ID "ID-C2" differs from the topology information T1 shown in Fig. 4 in that it includes the port number "P4" of the communication port 10D instead of the port number "P3" of the communication port 10C.

[0097] When the network management unit 22 creates the topology information T1, it refers to the connection configuration table Tb1 in the storage unit 13 to identify the connection configuration ID corresponding to the created topology information T1.

[0098] (Message Table) FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a message table held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0099] Referring to Figure 9, the memory unit 13 stores a message table Tb2 that shows the correspondence between identification information (hereinafter also referred to as "communication requirement ID") for identifying communication requirements in the in-vehicle network 401 and specification information T2.

[0100] The communication requirement IDs registered in the message table Tb2 shown in FIG. 9 are "ID-G1" and "ID-G2", etc. The specification information T2 corresponding to the communication requirement ID "ID-G1" is the specification information T2 shown in FIG. 7. The specification information T2 corresponding to the communication requirement ID "ID-G2" indicates the specifications of the message requirement IDs "ID-Q24", "ID-Q12", and "ID-Q41". The source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to the message requirement ID "ID-Q24" are "P2", "P4", and "1 Mbps", respectively. The source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to the message requirement ID "ID-Q12" are "P1", "P2", and "1 Mbps", respectively. The source port number, destination port number, and required bandwidth corresponding to the message requirement ID "ID-Q41" are "P4", "P1", and "10 Mbps", respectively.

[0101] After creating the specification information T2, the network management unit 22 refers to the message table Tb2 in the storage unit 13 to identify the communication requirement ID corresponding to the created specification information T2.

[0102] Then, the network management unit 22 outputs the identified connection configuration ID and communication requirement ID to the determination unit 23 .

[0103] (Network Table) FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network table held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0104] Referring to Figure 10, the memory unit 13 stores identification information for identifying the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 (hereinafter also referred to as "network configuration ID") and a network table Tb3 that shows the correspondence between a set of connection configuration ID and communication requirement ID.

[0105] 10, the network configuration ID corresponding to the pair of connection configuration ID "ID-C1" and communication requirement ID "ID-G1" is "ID-N1." The network configuration ID corresponding to the pair of connection configuration ID "ID-C1" and communication requirement ID "ID-G2" is "ID-N2." The network configuration ID corresponding to the pair of connection configuration ID "ID-C2" and communication requirement ID "ID-G1" is "ID-N3."

[0106] When the determination unit 23 receives a connection configuration ID and a communication requirement ID from the network management unit 22, it refers to the network table Tb3 in the memory unit 13 to identify the network configuration ID corresponding to the pair of the connection configuration ID and the communication requirement ID.

[0107] (Determining Unit) The determining unit 23 performs a determining process to determine a setting pattern S of the in-vehicle network 401 based on the communication requirement information acquired by the network management unit 22 .

[0108] More specifically, for example, in the determination process, the determination unit 23 selects a setting pattern S corresponding to the communication requirement information acquired by the network management unit 22 from a plurality of setting patterns S designed in advance.

[0109] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting table held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 11, setting table Tb4 stores therein setting table Tb4 indicating the correspondence between network configuration IDs and setting patterns S required for message-related settings.

[0111] 11, the setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID "ID-N1" and the setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID "ID-N2" are "setting pattern S1." The setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID "ID-N3" is "setting pattern S2."

[0112] When the determination unit 23 identifies the network configuration ID, it refers to the setting table Tb4 in the storage unit 13 to identify the setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID.

[0113] The in-vehicle relay device 101 may be configured to acquire data associated with communication requirements, such as the required bandwidth of a message transmitted in the in-vehicle network 401, as information used to select a setting pattern S, i.e., communication requirement information. The data may be, for example, a service ID included in the message. Specifically, the value of the lowest 8 bits of a service ID having a bit length of 16 bits may indicate the required bandwidth. In this case, the in-vehicle relay device 101 determines the required bandwidth of a message by checking the service ID included in the message received from a certain in-vehicle device 202.

[0114] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting information held by the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] 2 and 12, for example, storage unit 13 stores, for each setting pattern S, a plurality of pieces of setting information C indicating the setting contents of the setting pattern S. Fig. 12 shows the setting contents of setting pattern S1 shown in Fig. 11.

[0116] For example, the setting information C indicates the correspondence between the port number of the communication port 10 to be set and the upper limit value of the transfer rate W required to ensure the communication quality of the message.

[0117] 12, the upper limit of the transfer rate W set for messages sent from communication port 10A with port number P1 is "2 Mbps." The upper limit of the transfer rate W set for messages sent from communication port 10B with port number P2 and communication port 10D with port number P4 is "0 Mbps." The upper limit of the transfer rate W set for messages sent from communication port 10C with port number P3 is "20 Mbps."

[0118] When the determining unit 23 identifies the setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID, the determining unit 23 acquires the setting information C corresponding to the setting pattern S from the storage unit 13 .

[0119] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the upper limit value of the transfer rate set for each communication port of the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 13, the theoretical value E11 of the transfer rate W at the communication port 10A connected to the in-vehicle device 202D that is the destination device of the message M14 is the required bandwidth for the message M14, that is, "1 Mbps."

[0121] The theoretical value E12 of the transfer rate W at the communication port 10C to which the in-vehicle device 202C, which is the destination device of message M13 and the destination device of message M43, is connected is the sum of the required bandwidth for message M13 and the required bandwidth for message M43, i.e., "15 Mbps."

[0122] Since no message destination device is connected to the communication ports 10B and 10D, the theoretical value E13 of the transfer rate W at the communication port 10B and the theoretical value E14 of the transfer rate W at the communication port 10D are zero.

[0123] The upper limit of the transfer rate W for a communication port 10 is the theoretical value of the transfer rate W for that communication port 10 multiplied by a predetermined value A. The predetermined value A is, for example, a value greater than 1. In this embodiment, the predetermined value A is "1.2". If the value obtained by multiplying the theoretical value of the transfer rate W by the predetermined value A contains a decimal point, the value rounded up to the nearest whole number is set as the upper limit.

[0124] In the example shown in FIG. 13, the upper limit value K21 of the transfer rate W in the communication port 10A and the upper limit value K22 of the transfer rate W in the communication port 10C are "2 Mbps" and "18 Mbps", respectively.

[0125] The upper limit K23 of the transfer rate W for the communication port 10B is zero because the theoretical value E13 is zero. Also, the upper limit K24 of the transfer rate W for the communication port 10D is zero because the theoretical value E14 is zero.

[0126] Referring again to Figure 2, for example, the determination unit 23 selects, from among multiple setting patterns S, a setting pattern S that corresponds to the communication requirements indicated by the communication requirement information acquired by the network management unit 22 plus a margin.

[0127] More specifically, when the determining unit 23 acquires the setting information C from the storage unit 13 , it calculates the upper limit of the transfer rate W for each communication port 10 using the specification information T2 stored in the storage unit 13 .

[0128] Then, the determining unit 23 checks for each communication port 10 whether the upper limit value of the transfer rate W indicated in the acquired setting information C is equal to or greater than the calculated upper limit value.

[0129] If the upper limit value of the transfer rate W for each communication port 10 indicated by the acquired setting information C is equal to or greater than the calculated upper limit value, the determination unit 23 checks whether the total value D of the upper limit values ​​of the transfer rates W for the multiple communication ports 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined value N. In this embodiment, the predetermined value N is, for example, 100 Mbps.

[0130] If the total value D is equal to or less than a predetermined value N, the determination unit 23 selects the identified setting pattern S as the setting pattern S of the new network. Then, the determination unit 23 outputs the acquired setting information C to the verification unit 24. Note that the setting pattern S identified by the determination unit 23 may be the same as or different from the setting pattern S before the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 is changed.

[0131] On the other hand, if the upper limit value of the transfer rate W for at least one of the multiple communication ports 10 indicated by the acquired setting information C is less than the calculated upper limit value, or if the total value D is greater than a predetermined value N, the determination unit 23 does not select the identified setting pattern S as the setting pattern S for the new network.

[0132] Then, the determination unit 23 transmits selection-disabled information indicating that the setting pattern S was not selected to the navigation device (not shown) via the relay unit 11 .

[0133] When the navigation device receives the selection-disabled information from the in-vehicle relay device 101, the navigation device performs notification processing based on the received selection-disabled information. Specifically, for example, the navigation device displays a screen showing the content of the received selection-disabled information on its display unit.

[0134] 2 again, the verification unit 24 performs a verification process to verify the setting pattern S determined by the determination unit 23. More specifically, for example, upon receiving setting information C from the determination unit 23, the verification unit 24 simulates a new network using the topology information T1 and specification information T2 stored in the storage unit 13.

[0135] Then, the verification unit 24 makes various setting changes to the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in the simulated new network in accordance with the setting contents indicated in the setting information C received from the determination unit 23, and calculates the communication delay time for each message transmitted in the new network.

[0136] If the communication delay time of each message is equal to the threshold value Th, the verification unit 24 determines that the verification of the setting pattern S has been successful. Then, the verification unit 24 outputs the setting information C received from the determination unit 23 to the setting unit 25.

[0137] When the setting unit 25 receives the setting information C from the verification unit 24, it changes the setting of the transfer rate in each communication port 10 of its own vehicle-mounted relay device 101 in accordance with the setting contents indicated by the setting information C.

[0138] On the other hand, if the communication delay time of at least one of the multiple messages is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th, the verification unit 24 determines that the verification of the setting pattern S has failed. Then, the verification unit 24 transmits, for example, verification failure information indicating that the verification of the setting pattern S has failed to the navigation device via the relay unit 11.

[0139] When the navigation device receives the verification failure information from the in-vehicle relay device 101, the navigation device performs notification processing based on the received verification failure information. Specifically, for example, the navigation device displays a screen showing the contents of the received verification failure information on its display unit.

[0140] [Operation Flow] Next, the operation flow of the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0141] 14 and 15 are flowcharts defining an example of an operation procedure when the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure performs the determination process.

[0142] Referring to Figures 14 and 15, first, the vehicle relay device 101 waits for a change in the configuration of the vehicle network 401 (NO in step ST101), and when it detects the change (YES in step ST101), it creates topology information T1 that can recognize the topology in the new network (step ST102).

[0143] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 transmits an information request notification B1 indicating a request for transmission of communication requirement information to the new device and the existing device (step ST103). Note that steps ST102 and ST103 may be executed in reverse order or in parallel.

[0144] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 waits for reception of communication requirement information from the new device and the existing device (NO in step ST104).

[0145] Then, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 receives the communication requirement information from the new device and the existing device (YES in step ST104), it creates specification information T2 based on the received communication requirement information (step ST105).

[0146] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 uses the created topology information T1 and specification information T2 to identify the network configuration ID as described above (step ST106).

[0147] Next, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 identifies the network configuration ID, it performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern S of the new network using the setting table Tb4 in the storage unit 13 and the network configuration ID (step ST107).

[0148] Next, the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 performs a verification process to verify the setting pattern S (step ST108).

[0149] Next, if the verification of the setting pattern S is successful (YES in step ST109), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 changes the setting of the transfer rate W in each communication port 10 according to the setting pattern S (step ST110).

[0150] On the other hand, if the verification of the setting pattern S fails (NO in step ST109), the vehicle-mounted relay device 101 transmits verification failure information to the navigation device (step ST111).

[0151] In the in-vehicle system 301 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle relay device 101 is configured to include the detection unit 21, the network management unit 22, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24, but this is not limited to this. A device other than the in-vehicle relay device 101 in the in-vehicle network 401 may be configured to include the detection unit 21, the network management unit 22, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24 as an in-vehicle network management device. Furthermore, a plurality of devices may be configured to include the detection unit 21, the network management unit 22, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24 as an in-vehicle network management system. For example, the in-vehicle relay device 101 may be configured to include some of the units of the detection unit 21, the network management unit 22, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24, and other devices may be configured to include the remaining units.

[0152] In addition, in the in-vehicle system 301 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle relay device 101 is configured to acquire information indicating the required bandwidth, etc. as the communication requirement information, but this is not limited to this. The in-vehicle relay device 101 may be configured to acquire information indicating communication requirements other than those described above as the communication requirement information.

[0153] In the in-vehicle system 301 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle relay device 101 is configured to select a setting pattern S corresponding to the acquired communication requirement information from among a plurality of predesigned setting patterns S in the determination process, but this is not limited to this. The in-vehicle relay device 101 may also be configured to dynamically generate a setting pattern S corresponding to the acquired communication requirement information.

[0154] In addition, in the in-vehicle system 301 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle relay device 101 is configured to select the setting pattern S corresponding to the communication requirements indicated by the acquired communication requirement information plus a margin, but this is not limited to this. The in-vehicle relay device 101 may be configured to select the setting pattern S corresponding to the same communication requirements as the communication requirements indicated by the acquired communication requirement information.

[0155] Next, other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

[0156] Second Embodiment In the above-described first embodiment of the present disclosure, the in-vehicle relay device 101 performs detection processing, information acquisition processing, decision processing, and verification processing in the in-vehicle system 301. In contrast, in the second embodiment of the present disclosure, an external device outside the vehicle 1 performs detection processing, information acquisition processing, decision processing, and verification processing. Contents other than those described below are the same as those of the in-vehicle system 301 according to the first embodiment.

[0157] 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a communication system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 16, a communication system 501 includes a server 150, one or more in-vehicle systems 301, and a terminal device 181. The server 150 is provided outside the vehicle 1.

[0158] The server 150 and the terminal device 181 are used, for example, by a business operator or an individual (hereinafter collectively referred to as a user) that manages the operation of the vehicle 1. The server 150 and the terminal device 181 transmit and receive information via the external network 161.

[0159] [In-Vehicle System] Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an in-vehicle system according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 17, compared to the in-vehicle system 301 illustrated in Fig. 3, an in-vehicle system 302 includes an in-vehicle relay device 102 instead of the in-vehicle relay device 101. In the example illustrated in Fig. 17, the in-vehicle device 202A is a TCU. In the following description, the in-vehicle device 202A will also be referred to as the TCU 202A.

[0160] 16 and 17, TCU 202A communicates with server 150 via wireless base station device 171, for example.

[0161] More specifically, the TCU 202A performs wireless communication with the wireless base station device 171 in accordance with a communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) (registered trademark) or 5G.

[0162] Specifically, when the wireless base station device 171 receives an IP packet from the server 150 via the external network 161, the wireless base station device 171 transmits the received IP packet in a wireless signal to the TCU 202A.

[0163] When TCU202A receives a radio signal including an IP packet from server 150 from radio base station device 171, it acquires the IP packet from the received radio signal, stores the acquired IP packet in one or more Ethernet frames, and transmits it to vehicle relay device 102.

[0164] [Server] Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 18, the server 150 includes a communication unit 31, a monitoring unit 32, a determination unit 23, a verification unit 24, and a storage unit 35. Some or all of the communication unit 31, the monitoring unit 32, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 35 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit. The monitoring unit 32 is an example of a detection unit and an acquisition unit.

[0165] The communication unit 31 communicates with the TCU 202A by transmitting and receiving various information via the external network 161 and the wireless base station device 171, for example.

[0166] The storage unit 35 stores, for each identification information (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle ID") for identifying the vehicle 1, in-vehicle network information indicating the correspondence between the communication port 10 to which the in-vehicle device 202 is connected and the device ID of the in-vehicle device 202. The in-vehicle network information is updated by the user.

[0167] (Monitoring Unit) The monitoring unit 32 performs detection processing by, for example, periodically monitoring the storage unit 35. Specifically, for example, when the in-vehicle network information of a certain vehicle 1 is updated by a user, the monitoring unit 32 determines that the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 of the vehicle 1 has changed. Then, the monitoring unit 32 obtains the latest in-vehicle network information of the vehicle 1 from the storage unit 35.

[0168] The storage unit 35 stores a connection configuration table Tb11 that indicates the correspondence between connection configuration IDs and in-vehicle network information.

[0169] When the monitoring unit 32 acquires the latest in-vehicle network information, the monitoring unit 32 refers to the connection configuration table Tb11 in the storage unit 35 to identify the connection configuration ID corresponding to the acquired in-vehicle network information.

[0170] In addition, when the monitoring unit 32 determines that the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 of a certain vehicle 1 has changed, it sends an information request notification B2 to the terminal device 181 via the communication unit 31 and the external network 161, indicating a request for the transmission of communication requirement information for each in-vehicle device 202 in the in-vehicle network 401.

[0171] Specifically, for example, the monitoring unit 32 includes the vehicle ID corresponding to the in-vehicle network information acquired from the storage unit 35 in the information request notification B2 and transmits it to the terminal device 181.

[0172] In response to the information request notification B2 received from the server 150, the terminal device 181 transmits to the server 150 via the external network 161 the communication requirement information of each on-board device 202 in the on-board network 401 of the vehicle 1 corresponding to the vehicle ID included in the information request notification B2.

[0173] In the server 150, the monitoring unit 32 receives communication requirement information of each in-vehicle device 202 from the terminal device 181 via the external network 161 and the communication unit 31, and creates specification information T2 based on the received communication requirement information.

[0174] The storage unit 35 stores a message table Tb2 shown in FIG. 9, a network table Tb3 shown in FIG. 10, and a setting table Tb4 shown in FIG.

[0175] After creating the specification information T2, the monitoring unit 32 refers to the message table Tb2 in the storage unit 35 to identify the communication requirement ID corresponding to the created specification information T2.

[0176] Then, the monitoring unit 32 outputs the identified connection configuration ID and communication requirement ID, as well as the vehicle ID corresponding to the acquired latest in-vehicle network information, to the determination unit 23 .

[0177] When the determination unit 23 receives a connection configuration ID, a communication requirement ID, and a vehicle ID from the monitoring unit 32, it identifies the network configuration ID corresponding to the pair of the connection configuration ID and the communication requirement ID by referring to the network table Tb3 in the memory unit 35.

[0178] (Decision Unit) The decision unit 23 performs a decision process based on the communication requirement information acquired by the monitoring unit 32 .

[0179] More specifically, for example, when the determination unit 23 identifies a network configuration ID, it identifies a setting pattern S corresponding to the network configuration ID by referring to the setting table Tb4 in the storage unit 35. Then, the determination unit 23 acquires setting information C indicating the setting content of the identified setting pattern S from the storage unit 13, and outputs the setting information C to the verification unit 24, including the vehicle ID received from the monitoring unit 32.

[0180] 16 and 18 , the verification unit 24 performs a verification process upon receiving the setting information C from the determination unit 23. If the verification of the setting pattern S fails, the verification unit 24 outputs verification failure information indicating that the verification of the setting pattern S has failed to the communication unit 31.

[0181] The communication unit 31 transmits the verification failure information received from the verification unit 24 to the terminal device 181 via the external network 161 .

[0182] When the terminal device 181 receives the verification failure information from the server 150 via the external network 161, the terminal device 181 displays a screen indicating the contents of the received verification failure information on its own monitor, etc. For example, when a screen indicating that the verification of the setting pattern S has failed is displayed, the user changes the setting table Tb4, etc., stored in the server 150.

[0183] On the other hand, if the verification of the setting pattern S is successful, the verification unit 24 outputs the setting information C received from the determination unit 23 to the communication unit 31 .

[0184] When the communication unit 31 receives the setting information C from the verification unit 24 , it transmits an IP packet including the setting information C (hereinafter also referred to as a “setting packet”) to the vehicle-mounted relay device 102 .

[0185] Specifically, for example, communication unit 31 creates a setting packet including setting information C received from verification unit 24, the setting packet including, as a source IP address and a destination IP address, the IP address of its own server 150 and the IP address of vehicle 1 corresponding to the vehicle ID included in setting information C. Then, communication unit 31 transmits the created setting packet to TCU 202A via external network 161.

[0186] When the TCU 202A receives the setting packet from the server 150, it transmits the setting information C included in the received setting packet to the vehicle-mounted relay device 102.

[0187] [On-board relay device] Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an on-board relay device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 19, compared to the on-board relay device 101 shown in Fig. 2, the on-board relay device 102 includes a setting unit 41 instead of the processing unit 12. One or both of the relay unit 11 and the setting unit 41 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The storage unit 13 is, for example, a non-volatile memory included in the processing circuit.

[0188] When the setting unit 41 receives the setting information C from the TCU 202A via the relay unit 11, it changes the setting of the transfer rate for each communication port 10 in accordance with the setting contents indicated in the received setting information C.

[0189] [Operation Flow] FIGS. 20 and 21 are flowcharts defining an example of an operation procedure when the server according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure performs a decision process.

[0190] 20 and 21, first, server 150 monitors storage unit 35 (step ST201) and waits for an update of the in-vehicle network information (NO in step ST202).

[0191] When the in-vehicle network information of a certain vehicle 1 is updated (YES in step ST202), the server 150 determines that the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 of the vehicle 1 has changed (step ST203).

[0192] Next, when the server 150 determines that the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 of a certain vehicle 1 has changed, the server 150 acquires the latest in-vehicle network information of the vehicle 1 from the storage unit 35 (step ST204).

[0193] In addition, when the server 150 determines that the configuration of the in-vehicle network 401 of a certain vehicle 1 has changed, it sends an information request notification B2 to the terminal device 181 requesting the transmission of communication requirement information for each in-vehicle device 202 in the in-vehicle network 401 (step ST205).

[0194] Next, the server 150 waits for reception of communication requirement information of each in-vehicle device 202 from the terminal device 181 (NO in step ST206).

[0195] Then, when the server 150 receives the communication requirement information of each in-vehicle device 202 from the terminal device 181 (YES in step ST206), it creates specification information T2 based on the received communication requirement information (step ST207).

[0196] Next, the server 150 uses the acquired in-vehicle network information and the created specification information T2 to identify the network configuration ID as described above (step ST208).

[0197] Next, when the server 150 identifies the network configuration ID, it performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern S for the new network using the setting table Tb4 in the storage unit 35 and the network configuration ID (step ST209).

[0198] Next, the server 150 performs a verification process to verify the setting pattern S (step ST210).

[0199] Next, if the verification of the setting pattern S is successful (YES in step ST211), the server 150 transmits setting information C indicating the setting contents of the setting pattern S to the vehicle-mounted relay device 102 (step ST212).

[0200] On the other hand, if the verification of the setting pattern S fails (NO in step ST211), the server 150 transmits verification failure information to the terminal device 181 (step ST213).

[0201] FIG. 22 is a flowchart defining an example of an operation procedure when the vehicle-mounted relay device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure changes settings.

[0202] 22, first, vehicle-mounted relay device 102 waits for reception of setting information C from server 150 (NO in step ST301).

[0203] Then, when the vehicle-mounted relay device 102 receives setting information C from the server 150 (YES in step ST301), it changes the setting of the transfer rate W for each communication port 10 in accordance with the setting contents indicated in the received setting information C (step ST302), and waits to receive new setting information C from the server 150 (NO in step ST301).

[0204] In the communication system 501 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the server 150 is configured to include the monitoring unit 32, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24, but this is not limited to this. A plurality of devices may be configured to include the monitoring unit 32, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24 as an in-vehicle network management system. For example, the server 150 may be configured to include some of the units of the monitoring unit 32, the determination unit 23, and the verification unit 24, and the in-vehicle relay device 102 in the in-vehicle network 401 may be configured to include the remaining units.

[0205] Furthermore, in the communication system 501 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the server 150 is configured to transmit the information request notification B2 to the terminal device 181, but this is not limited to this. The server 150 may be configured to transmit the information request notification B2 to the on-board relay device 102 mounted on the target vehicle 1. In this case, the on-board relay device 102 transmits the communication requirement information collected from each on-board device 202 to the server 150 in response to the information request notification B2.

[0206] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the server 150 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided by cloud computing, i.e., the server 150 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure may be a cloud server configured by a plurality of servers.

[0207] The above-described embodiments should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0208] Each process (each function) in the above-described embodiments is realized by a processing circuit including one or more processors. The processing circuit may be configured as an integrated circuit or the like that combines one or more memories, various analog circuits, and various digital circuits in addition to the one or more processors. The one or more memories store programs (instructions) that cause the one or more processors to execute each of the processes. The one or more processors may execute each of the processes according to the program read from the one or more memories, or may execute each of the processes according to a logic circuit designed in advance to execute each of the processes. The processor may be any of various processors suitable for computer control, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Note that the physically separated processors may cooperate with each other to execute the processes. For example, the processors installed in the physically separated computers may cooperate with each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the Internet to execute the processes. The program may be installed into the memory from an external server device or the like via the network, or may be distributed in a state stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a semiconductor memory, and then installed into the memory from the recording medium.

[0209] The above description includes the following additional features: [Supplementary Note 1] An in-vehicle network management method in an in-vehicle network management system, comprising: a step of detecting a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle; a step of acquiring communication requirement information indicating at least a part of communication requirements for the in-vehicle network when the change is detected; and a step of performing a determination process of determining a setting pattern for the in-vehicle network based on the acquired communication requirement information.

[0210] [Supplementary Note 2] An in-vehicle network management system comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit detects a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network mounted in a vehicle, and when the change is detected, acquires communication requirement information indicating at least a part of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network, and performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern for the in-vehicle network based on the acquired communication requirement information.

[0211] [Supplementary Note 3] An in-vehicle network management method in an in-vehicle network management device, comprising: a step of detecting a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle; and a step of acquiring information indicating at least a part of the communication requirements of the in-vehicle network when the change is detected.

[0212] [Supplementary Note 4] An in-vehicle network management device comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit detecting a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network mounted on a vehicle, and, when the change is detected, acquiring communication requirement information indicating at least a part of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network.

[0213] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Vehicle 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 20, 20A, 20B, 20C Communication port 11 Relay unit 12 Processing unit 13, 35 Memory unit 21 Detection unit 22 Network management unit 23 Determination unit 24 Verification unit 25, 41 Setting unit 31 Communication unit 32 Monitoring unit 51 Ethernet cable 101, 102 Vehicle relay device 202, 202A, 202B, 202C, 202D Vehicle equipment 150 Server 161 External network 171 Wireless base station device 301, 302 Vehicle system 401 Vehicle network 501 Communication system

Claims

1. An in-vehicle network management system comprising: a detection unit that detects changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle; an acquisition unit that, when the change is detected by the detection unit, acquires communication requirement information indicating at least a portion of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network; and a determination unit that performs a determination process to determine a setting pattern for the in-vehicle network based on the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The in-vehicle network management system of claim 1, wherein messages are sent and received by a plurality of in-vehicle devices in the in-vehicle network, and the acquisition unit acquires, as the communication requirement information, information indicating at least one of the bandwidth used in sending and receiving the messages, the size of the messages, the message transmission interval, the message priority, the functional safety level related to the safety of the vehicle possessed by the in-vehicle devices, the transport layer protocol used in sending and receiving the messages, the message transmission conditions, the message transmission timing, the delay time allowed in sending and receiving the messages, and the loss rate allowed in sending and receiving the messages.

3. The in-vehicle network management system according to claim 2, wherein the acquisition unit acquires, as the communication requirement information, information indicating the transmission conditions according to the state of the vehicle.

4. An in-vehicle network management system as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the determination unit, in the determination process, selects the setting pattern corresponding to the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit from among a plurality of pre-designed setting patterns.

5. The in-vehicle network management system described in claim 4, wherein the determination unit selects from the plurality of setting patterns the setting pattern corresponding to the communication requirements indicated by the communication requirement information acquired by the acquisition unit plus a margin.

6. An in-vehicle network management device comprising: a detection unit that detects a change in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle; and an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating at least a portion of the communication requirements in the in-vehicle network when the change is detected by the detection unit.

7. An in-vehicle network management program used in an in-vehicle network management device, which causes a computer to function as: a detection unit that detects changes in the configuration of an in-vehicle network installed in a vehicle; and an acquisition unit that, when the change is detected by the detection unit, acquires information indicating at least part of the communication requirements for the in-vehicle network.

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