Master ECU Time Synchronization for Vehicle Log Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In connected vehicle systems, synchronizing the time information across multiple electronic control units (ECUs) is challenging due to individual device clocks, making it difficult to record and analyze log information based on common time, which is essential for accurate event occurrence order and cybersecurity management.
Innovation Solution
A master electronic control device manages and transmits a common vehicle time to slave ECUs, receives device log information, and converts device time into vehicle time when the slave ECU has not received the vehicle time, ensuring all log information is recorded based on a unified time standard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each electronic control device uses its own individual clock for time management, then each device can operate independently with its own timing, but it becomes difficult to synchronize time information across multiple devices and accurately determine the occurrence order of events in connected vehicle systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides time management into two segments: device time for independent local operations and vehicle time for synchronized event recording. Each ECU maintains its own device time for autonomous operation while separately recording vehicle time for centralized time-stamping of events, allowing both independent operation and time synchronization precision to coexist
Solution Approach 2:
The master ECU acts as an intermediary that generates and distributes vehicle time to all slave ECUs. This intermediary time reference enables synchronized time-stamping across the vehicle network without requiring all devices to continuously synchronize their clocks, resolving the contradiction between independent operation and time precision
2Ease of operation
If device time is used for recording events in each electronic control device, then each device can record events with its own time reference, but the log information cannot be accurately analyzed based on common time for cybersecurity and failure diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The solution nests vehicle time information within the device log data structure. Each log entry contains both the device time (for local operation context) and the vehicle time (for centralized analysis). This nested time reference structure allows simple event recording with device time while preserving synchronized vehicle time for accurate log analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The master ECU preliminarily generates and distributes vehicle time to all slave ECUs before events occur. This preliminary time distribution ensures that when events are recorded, both device time and vehicle time are already available in the log information, eliminating the need for complex post-processing time synchronization
Data Source
AI summary
A master electronic control device for a vehicle is provided as follows. A vehicle time, which is managed by the master electronic control device to be used in common with a slave electronic control device, is transmitted to the slave electronic control device. Device log information is received from the slave electronic control device, the device log information including (i) a content of an event in the slave electronic control device, (ii) a device time in the slave electronic control device when the event is detected, and (iii) information on vehicle time reception state. The device time included in the device log information is converted into the vehicle time that corresponds to the device time in response to that the information on vehicle time reception state indicates that, when the event is detected, the slave electronic control device has not received the vehicle time.