JP2021178524A - Integrated ECU, program, output method of additional program and in-vehicle system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an integrated ECU or the like capable of performing a process of adding software according to a power supply specification defined in each in-vehicle ECU. SOLUTION: The integrated ECU is an integrated ECU mounted on a vehicle, and is a process of adding an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to at least one of a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs mounted on the vehicle. A control unit is provided, and the control unit determines an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, and outputs the additional program to the determined in-vehicle ECU. do. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to an integrated ECU, a program, an output method of an additional program, and an in-vehicle system.

The vehicle is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling in-vehicle devices such as a power train system such as engine control and a body system such as air conditioner control. A vehicle software allocation system including an arrangement means for arranging additional software for these plurality of ECUs is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The vehicle software allocation system of Patent Document 1 is arranged in an ECU having a lower first rank value indicating a higher probability of malfunction as the software has a higher second rank value indicating the higher importance. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-171114

However, the vehicle software allocation system of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the consistency between the power supply specification defined by the additional software and the power supply specification of the ECU to which the software is added is not considered.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when adding software to any of the in-vehicle ECUs, an integrated ECU capable of performing a process of adding the software according to the power supply specifications defined by each. Etc. are intended to be provided.

The integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an integrated ECU mounted on a vehicle, and an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle is added to at least one of a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs mounted on the vehicle. The control unit includes a control unit for performing the processing, determines an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, and adds the addition to the determined in-vehicle ECU. Output the program.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when adding software to any of the in-vehicle ECUs, it is possible to provide an integrated ECU or the like that performs a process of adding the software according to the power supply specifications defined in each.

It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the system configuration of the in-vehicle system (integrated ECU, individual ECU) which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which illustrates the internal structure of an integrated ECU and the like. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the individual ECU management table. It is a flowchart which illustrates the process of the control part of an integrated ECU. It is a flowchart which illustrates the process of the control part of the integrated ECU which concerns on Embodiment 2 (the number of programs).

[Explanation of Embodiment of the present invention]
First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. In addition, at least a part of the embodiments described below may be arbitrarily combined.

(1) The integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an integrated ECU mounted on a vehicle, and an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle is applied to at least one of a plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs mounted on the vehicle. A control unit that performs additional processing is provided, and the control unit determines an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, and the determined in-vehicle ECU is used. , The additional program is output.

In this embodiment, the control unit of the integrated ECU transfers the additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to any one of the in-vehicle ECUs (individual ECUs) mounted on the vehicle. When outputting (outputting) and adding (applying) an additional program to the in-vehicle ECU, one of the in-vehicle ECUs is determined based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program. Therefore, when adding software to any of the in-vehicle ECUs, it is possible to perform a process of adding the software according to the power supply specifications defined in each.

(2) In the integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the control unit has a first in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program among the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs. The first in-vehicle ECU is determined as an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added, and if there is no first in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, the first in-vehicle ECU is defined by the power supply specifications. The second in-vehicle ECU having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added.

In this embodiment, the control unit of the integrated ECU determines which in-vehicle ECU is based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program. When there is a first in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, the control unit of the integrated ECU determines the first in-vehicle ECU as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added. If there is no in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, that is, if there is no in-vehicle ECU corresponding to the first in-vehicle ECU, the control unit of the integrated ECU is defined by the power supply specifications. The second in-vehicle ECU having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of in-vehicle ECUs that are candidates when adding an additional program, and it is possible to improve the degree of freedom or the permissibility when adding an additional program.

(3) In the integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit is stored in the storage unit of each of the plurality of second vehicle-mounted ECUs when a plurality of the second vehicle-mounted ECUs are present in the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs. Depending on the number of stored programs, any second in-vehicle ECU is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added.

In this embodiment, the control unit of the integrated ECU is a program stored in the storage unit of the plurality of second vehicle-mounted ECUs when the first vehicle-mounted ECU does not exist and a plurality of second vehicle-mounted ECUs exist. Depending on the number, one of the second in-vehicle ECUs is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added. Where the processing load of the second in-vehicle ECU is determined according to the number of programs stored in the storage unit, the control unit of the integrated ECU may, for example, add an additional program to the second in-vehicle ECU having the smallest number of programs. By deciding as an in-vehicle ECU to be added, it is possible to equalize the load balance in these plurality of second in-vehicle ECUs.

(4) In the integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit determines the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program based on the sleep specifications of the additional program.

In this embodiment, the control unit of the integrated ECU determines the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program based on the sleep specifications of the additional program, so that the additional program is matched with the in-vehicle ECU to be added. Can be done properly.

(5) The integrated ECU according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a storage unit for storing information on the power supply specifications and programs of each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs, and the information on the power supply specifications includes information on the sleep period. The control unit refers to the information stored in the storage unit to determine an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added.

In this embodiment, the integrated ECU includes a storage unit, which has a power supply specification including information on the sleep period of each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs and a program applied to each of the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs (of the vehicle-mounted ECU). Information about the program stored in the storage unit) is stored. Therefore, the integrated ECU can efficiently acquire information for specifying the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added by referring to the storage unit. The storage unit of the integrated ECU is not limited to the storage unit housed in the housing of the integrated ECU, and may be included in an external storage device in which the integrated ECU can be accessed by wired communication or wireless communication.

(6) The program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle device that acquires an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to a computer and adds the additional program based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program. The ECU is determined, and the determined in-vehicle ECU is made to execute the process of outputting the additional program.

In this aspect, the computer can function as an integrated ECU.

(7) The output method of the additional program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is based on the power supply specifications required for acquiring the additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to the computer and executing the additional program. Is determined, and the determined vehicle-mounted ECU is made to execute the process of outputting the additional program.

In this aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing method for making a computer function as an integrated ECU.

(8) The in-vehicle system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an in-vehicle system including a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs mounted on a vehicle and an integrated ECU, and the integrated ECU is an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle. The control unit is provided with a control unit that performs a process of adding the additional program to at least one of the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs, and the control unit adds the additional program based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program. The ECU is determined, and the additional program is output to the determined in-vehicle ECU.

In this embodiment, when adding software to any of the in-vehicle ECUs, it is possible to provide an in-vehicle system including an integrated ECU capable of performing a process of adding the software according to the power supply specifications defined in each. ..

(9) In the vehicle-mounted system according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs include a first vehicle-mounted ECU and a second vehicle-mounted ECU having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period of the first vehicle-mounted ECU. 2 The number of in-vehicle ECUs is larger than the number of the first in-vehicle ECUs.

In this embodiment, since the sleep period of the second vehicle-mounted ECU is shorter than the sleep period of the first vehicle-mounted ECU, an additional program that can be added to the first vehicle-mounted ECU can be added to the second vehicle-mounted ECU as well. can. In addition, in the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs included in the in-vehicle system, the first in-vehicle ECU and the second in-vehicle ECU are mounted on the vehicle so that the number of the second in-vehicle ECU is larger than the number of the first in-vehicle ECU. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of candidates for the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added, and to improve the degree of freedom or the tolerance in adding the additional program.

[Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
The present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments thereof. The integrated ECU 6 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is indicated by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration of an in-vehicle system S (integrated ECU 6, individual ECU 2) according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the integrated ECU 6 and the like. The in-vehicle system S includes an integrated ECU 6 mounted on the vehicle C, a plurality of individual ECUs 2, and an in-vehicle device 3 directly connected to the individual ECU 2.

The individual ECU 2 is arranged in each area of the vehicle C, and is a gateway or a gateway that relays communication between a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 3 connected to the individual ECU 2 via the vehicle-mounted network 4, or communication between the vehicle-mounted device 3 and the integrated ECU 6. It is a relay control ECU that functions as an in-vehicle relay device such as an ether switch. The individual ECU 2 is a PLB (Power Lan Box) that functions as a power distribution device that distributes and relays the power output from the power storage device 5 and supplies it to the in-vehicle device 3 connected to the own ECU, in addition to relaying communication. May be

The integrated ECU 6 generates and outputs control signals to the individual vehicle-mounted devices 3 based on the data relayed from the vehicle-mounted devices 3 via the individual ECU 2, and is a central control device such as a vehicle computer. The integrated ECU 6 is communicably connected to an external server 100 located outside the vehicle C via the external communication device 1, outputs a program acquired from the external server 100 to any of the individual ECUs 2, and outputs the program to one of the individual ECUs 2. It corresponds to an additional program control device that controls processing for adding a program (additional program) to the individual ECU 2.

The in-vehicle device 3 includes various sensors 31 such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a light sensor, a CMOS camera, and an infrared sensor, switches such as door SW (switch) and lamp SW, lamps, door opening / closing devices, motor devices, and the like. Includes the actuator 30 of.

The external server 100 is a computer such as a server connected to an external network such as the Internet or a public network, and includes a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a hard disk. The integrated ECU 6 is communicably connected to the vehicle exterior communication device 1, communicates with the external server 100 connected via the vehicle exterior network via the vehicle exterior communication device 1, and communicates with the external server 100 and the individual ECU 2 mounted on the vehicle C. Alternatively, the communication with the in-vehicle device 3 may be relayed.

The out-of-vehicle communication device 1 includes an out-of-vehicle communication unit (not shown) and an input / output I / O (not shown) for communicating with the integrated ECU 6. The out-of-vehicle communication unit is a communication device for wireless communication using mobile communication protocols such as 4G, LTE (Long Term Evolution / registered trademark), 5G, and WiFi, and is an antenna 11 connected to the out-of-vehicle communication unit. Data is sent and received to and from the external server 100 via the above. Communication between the external communication device 1 and the external server 100 is performed via, for example, a public line network or an external network N such as the Internet. The input / output I / F is a communication interface for serial communication with the integrated ECU 6, for example. The out-of-vehicle communication device 1 and the integrated ECU 6 communicate with each other via a wire harness such as an input / output I / F and a serial cable connected to the input / output I / F. In the present embodiment, the out-of-vehicle communication device 1 is a separate device from the integrated ECU 6, and these devices are communicably connected by input / output I / F and the like, but the present invention is not limited to this. The out-of-vehicle communication device 1 may be built in the integrated ECU 6 as a component of the integrated ECU 6.

The integrated ECU 6 includes a control unit 60, a storage unit 61, an input / output I / F 62, and an in-vehicle communication unit 63. The control unit 60 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or the like, and various control processes and various control processes can be performed by reading and executing a control program and data stored in advance in the storage unit 61. It is designed to perform arithmetic processing and the like. The control unit 60 is not limited to a software processing unit that performs software processing such as a CPU, and includes a hardware processing unit that performs various control processing and arithmetic processing in hardware processing such as FPGA, ASIC, or SOC. May be.

The storage unit 61 is composed of a volatile memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a non-volatile memory element such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. The control program and the data to be referred to at the time of processing are stored in advance. The control program stored in the storage unit 61 may be one that stores the control program read from the recording medium that can be read by the integrated ECU 6. Further, the control program may be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) connected to a communication network (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 61. Information regarding the power supply specifications of the individual ECU 2 is stored in the storage unit 61 of the integrated ECU 6 in, for example, a table format (individual ECU management table). Information on the power supply specifications of the individual ECU 2 (individual ECU management table) will be described later.

The input / output I / F 62 is, for example, a communication interface for serial communication, like the input / output I / F of the external communication device 1. The integrated ECU 6 is communicably connected to the external communication device 1 via a wire harness such as an input / output I / F 62 and a serial cable.

The in-vehicle communication unit 63 is an input / output interface using, for example, a CAN (Control Area Network) or Ethernet (Ethernet / registered trademark) communication protocol, and the control unit 60 is connected to the in-vehicle network 4 via the in-vehicle communication unit 63. It communicates with each other with the individual ECU 2.

Like the integrated ECU 6, the individual ECU 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, an input / output I / F 22 and an in-vehicle communication unit 23, and corresponds to an in-vehicle ECU. The control unit 20, the storage unit 21, the input / output I / F 22, and the in-vehicle communication unit 23 of the individual ECU 2 may have the same configuration as the integrated ECU 6.

An in-vehicle device 3 such as an actuator 30 or a sensor 31 is directly connected to the input / output I / F 22 of the individual ECU 2 by a wire harness (direct wire) such as a serial cable.

The individual ECU 2 acquires a signal output from an in-vehicle device 3 such as a sensor 31 connected to the own ECU by executing a program stored in the storage unit 21 of the own ECU, and generates the signal based on the signal. The generated data is output to the integrated ECU 6. Further, the individual ECU 2 acquires the data output from the integrated ECU 6, outputs the signal generated based on the data to the vehicle-mounted device 3 such as the actuator 30 connected to the own ECU, and drives the vehicle-mounted device 3. Take control. The program executed by the control unit 20 of the individual ECU 2 is added by the integrated ECU 6 as described above.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the integrated ECU 6 and the plurality of individual ECUs 2 configured in this way are communicably connected in a star-shaped network topology. Further, adjacent individual ECUs 2 may be connected to each other to form a loop-shaped network topology, enabling bidirectional communication and achieving redundancy.

The integrated ECU 6 and the plurality of individual ECUs 2 are connected to a power storage device 5 such as a lead battery by a power line, and power is supplied from the power storage device 5. The plurality of individual ECUs 2 include individual ECUs 2 of a plurality of types having different power supply specifications.

The power supply specifications of the individual ECU 2 are, for example, a power supply specification based on the IG power supply (ignition power supply specification), a power supply specification based on the ACC power supply (accessory power supply specification), or a power supply specification based on the BAT power supply (+ B power supply) (constant power supply specification). include. Power is always supplied (rated output voltage is applied) from the power storage device 5 to the individual ECU 2 of the power supply specification (constant power supply specification) of the BAT power supply (+ B power supply). Power is supplied from the power storage device 5 to the individual ECU 2 of the power supply specification (accessory power supply specification) of the ACC power supply in a state where the accessory power supply is turned on. Power is supplied from the power storage device 5 to the individual ECU 2 of the power supply specification (ignition power supply specification) of the IG power supply in a state where the ignition switch is turned on.

During the period in which power is supplied from the power storage device 5 to the individual ECU 2 according to these various power supply specifications, the individual ECU 2 having the power supply specification of the BAT power supply (+ B power supply) is the most in the predetermined period including the start state and the stop state of the vehicle C. It is long, and the individual ECU 2 of the power supply specification of the IG power supply is the shortest. That is, in these three types of individual ECUs with power supply specifications, the period during which power is supplied from the power storage device 5 during the predetermined period is "BAT power supply specification individual ECU 2"> "ACC power supply specification individual ECU 2"> "IG". It is related to the individual ECU 2 of the power supply specification.

The program stored in the storage units 21 of the plurality of individual ECUs 2 and executed by the control unit 20 of the individual ECUs 2 determines the execution environment of the program based on the power supply specifications of the individual ECUs 2. That is, the power supply specifications based on the execution environment of the program are also defined for the program executed by the control unit 20 of the individual ECU 2, and the power supply specifications of the program are the BAT power supply (+ B power supply) as in the individual ECU 2. Includes power supply specifications for ACC power supplies, power supply specifications for IG power supplies, and power supply specifications for IG power supplies.

The program executed by the individual ECU 2 is configured to operate in the individual ECU 2 having the same power supply specifications as the power supply specification of the own program. Further, the program executed by the individual ECU 2 is configured to operate even in the individual ECU 2 having a power supply specification in which the power is supplied from the power storage device 5 for a longer period than the power supply specification of the own program as described above. ing. Therefore, for example, the program of the IG power supply specification operates not only in the individual ECU 2 of the IG power supply specification but also in the individual ECU 2 of the ACC power supply specification and the individual ECU 2 of the BAT power supply specification. For example, the individual ECU 2 of the ACC power supply specification operates not only in the individual ECU 2 of the ACC power supply specification but also in the individual ECU 2 of the BAT power supply specification. The individual ECU 2 of the BAT power supply specification operates only in the individual ECU 2 of the BAT power supply specification. That is, in the individual ECUs 2 having different power supply specifications, the implementation mode of the program may be standardized, and the upward compatibility of the power supply specifications in the operating environment may be guaranteed.

The sleep time of the individual ECU 2 may be determined based on these power supply specifications. The sleep time of the individual ECU 2 may be shortened as the period in which the electric power is supplied from the power storage device 5 in a predetermined period, which is determined based on the power supply specifications, becomes longer. That is, in these three types of individual ECUs with power supply specifications, the sleep time of these individual ECUs 2 is related to the relationship of "individual ECU 2 with BAT power supply specifications" <"individual ECU 2 with ACC power supply specifications" <"individual ECU 2 with IG power supply specifications". It may be.

The power supply specifications of the program may be determined based on the sleep specifications including the sleep period determined in executing the program. That is, the individual ECU 2 having the same sleep period as the sleep period included in the sleep specification of the program may be the individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specification of the program.

In the present embodiment, as illustrated in the figure, the individual ECU 2 (individual ECU 2 with BAT power supply specification) having the longest period of power supplied from the power storage device 5 in a predetermined period is another individual ECU 2 (ACC power supply specification). More than the individual ECU 2 and the individual ECU 2) with IG power supply specifications, they are mounted on the vehicle C. That is, the individual ECU 2 having the shortest sleep period (individual ECU 2 having a BAT power supply specification) is mounted on the vehicle C in a larger number than the other individual ECUs 2 (individual ECU 2 having an ACC power supply specification and an individual ECU 2 having an IG power supply specification).

As described above, in the plurality of individual ECUs 2 included in the in-vehicle system S, the number of individual ECUs 2 having BAT power supply specifications is mounted on the vehicle C so as to be larger than the number of other individual ECUs 2. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of candidates for the individual ECU 2 to which the additional program is added, and to improve the degree of freedom or the tolerance in adding the additional program.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an individual ECU management table. Information on the power supply specifications of the individual ECU 2 is stored in the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 in, for example, a table format (individual ECU management table). The individual ECU management table includes, for example, the serial number (serial number) of the individual ECU 2, the power supply specification, the sleep period, the MAC address, the IP address, the number of programs, and the applied program so that the individual ECU 2 does not overlap. It is managed in association with the ECU-ID by the serial number or the like set in.

The serial number (serial number) is a number assigned at the time of manufacturing the individual ECU 2, and is composed of a lot number indicating a production base, etc., a serial number at the time of manufacturing, etc., and is unique in that the ECU can be uniquely identified. It is a number.

The power supply specifications are power supply specifications determined based on the operating conditions of each individual ECU 2. For example, a power supply specification based on an IG power supply (ignition power supply specification), a power supply specification based on an ACC power supply (accessory power supply specification), or a BAT power supply. Includes power supply specifications (constant power supply specifications) based on (+ B power supply).

The sleep period is a sleep period determined based on the operating conditions of each individual ECU 2, and has transitioned to a sleep state based on a sleep period periodically set in the individual ECU 2 or, for example, a sleep request signal from the integrated ECU 6. The period of the case (sleep period). When the individual ECU 2 goes to sleep during the sleep period, the individual ECU 2 reduces the power consumption in the own ECU and reduces the dark current. The power supply specifications in each individual ECU 2 and the sleep period may have a correlation. As described above, the sleep time of the individual ECU 2 may be shortened as the period in which the electric power is supplied from the power storage device 5 in a predetermined period determined based on the power supply specifications becomes longer.

The MAC address is an address corresponding to the data ring layer when the in-vehicle communication unit 63 is a communication port corresponding to Ethernet. The IP address is an address corresponding to the network layer when communicating using TCP / IP when the in-vehicle communication unit 63 is a communication port corresponding to Ethernet.

The number of programs indicates information regarding the number of programs stored in the storage unit 21 of each individual ECU 2. Based on the number of the programs, the processing load assumed in each individual ECU 2 may be derived. The applied program indicates information regarding the name of the program stored in the storage unit 21 of each individual ECU 2.

By referring to the individual ECU management table, the integrated ECU 6 can efficiently grasp the power supply specifications, sleep period, number of programs, and the like of each individual ECU 2. Therefore, the integrated ECU 6 is a program acquired from the external server 100 or the like, and efficiently identifies (matches) the individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications or the sleep period of the program (additional program) to be added to the individual ECU 2. Can be done.

The integrated ECU 6 conforms to the power supply specification or sleep specification (sleep period) of the additional program, and when there are a plurality of candidate individual ECUs 2 to be added to the additional program, they are stored in the storage unit 21 of these candidate individual ECUs 2. The processing load of each individual ECU 2 is derived based on the number of programs. Then, the integrated ECU 6 may be intended to level the processing load in the plurality of individual ECUs 2 by, for example, specifying the individual ECU 2 having a small number of programs as the individual ECU 2 to which the additional program is added.

The individual ECU management table may include relay route information (routing table) for communication between the integrated ECU 6 and the individual ECU 2. By referring to the relay route information, the integrated ECU 6 is determined to be the in-vehicle communication unit 63 to which the individual ECU 2 which is the output destination of the additional program is connected, and at the output destination of the additional program via the in-vehicle communication unit 63. It may communicate with a certain individual ECU 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6. The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 constantly performs the following processing in a start state (ignition switch is on) or a stop state (ignition switch is off) of the vehicle C, for example.

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 determines whether or not there is an additional request for the program (S101). When there is no additional request for the program (S101: NO), the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 performs a loop process in order to execute the process of S101 again. That is, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 performs a standby process of waiting for an additional request for a program output from the external server 100 via the external communication device 1. The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 may periodically access the external server 100 to confirm whether or not there is a request for adding a program.

When there is a request to add a program (S101: YES), the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 acquires the program (additional program) from the external server 100 (S102).

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 acquires the power supply specifications of the acquired additional program (S103). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 has information on the power supply specification or sleep specification (sleep period) of the additional program based on the header information and file name of the acquired additional program, incidental information acquired from the external server 100 together with the additional program, and the like. It may be the one to acquire. The power supply specifications include, for example, a power supply specification based on an IG power supply (ignition power supply specification), a power supply specification based on an ACC power supply (accessory power supply specification), or a power supply specification based on a BAT power supply (+ B power supply) (constant power supply specification). Yes, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 acquires which power supply specification the power supply specification of the acquired additional program is.

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 identifies an individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications of the additional program (S104). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 refers to, for example, the individual ECU management table stored in the storage unit 61 of the integrated ECU 6, and identifies the individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications of the acquired additional program as the first individual ECU. .. For example, when the power supply specification of the additional program is the IG power supply, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 specifies the individual ECU 2 whose power supply specification is the IG power supply as the first individual ECU. Alternatively, the individual ECU 2 having the same sleep period as the sleep specification (sleep period) of the additional program may be specified as the first individual ECU.

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 determines whether or not an additional program can be added to the specified individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) (S105). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 confirms the number of programs currently applied to the specified first individual ECU, and adds to the specified individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) according to the number. When the additional program is applied (installed), it may be determined whether or not the additional program can be added based on the assumed processing load of the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU). Alternatively, when the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 applies (installs) the additional program to be added this time, the additional program can be added based on whether or not the processing speed or capacity required for the control of the vehicle C can be guaranteed. It may be used to determine whether or not it is possible. Alternatively, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 acquires an empty area in the storage unit 21 of the specified first individual ECU, and determines whether or not an additional program can be added based on the empty area. You may. When there are a plurality of individual ECUs 2 (first individual ECUs) that match the power supply specifications of the additional program, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 has the smallest number of programs stored in the storage unit 21 (first individual ECU 2). 1 individual ECU) may be specified as an individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) to which an additional program is added.

When an additional program can be added to the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) (S105: YES), the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 outputs the additional program to the specified individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) (S106). ). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 outputs the additional program to the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) that specifies the additional program, that is, the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) that has the same power supply specifications as the power supply specifications of the additional program. (Send. The individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) acquires (receives) an additional program output (transmitted) from the integrated ECU 6, and stores the acquired additional program in the storage unit 21 of its own ECU to add (apply) it. do. The individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) may transmit, for example, a completion notification to the integrated ECU 6 after the addition (application) of the additional program is completed. When the integrated ECU 6 receives the completion notification from the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU), the integrated ECU 6 is applied to the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) in the individual ECU management table stored in the storage unit 61 of the own ECU. It may change the number of programs in the system.

When it is not possible to add an additional program to the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) (S105: NO), the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) having a shorter sleep period than the first individual ECU is specified (S107). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 refers to, for example, the individual ECU management table stored in the storage unit 61 of the integrated ECU 6, and is an individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) having a shorter sleep period than the first individual ECU, that is, an additional unit. The individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) having a shorter sleep period than the sleep period of the individual ECU 2 having the same power supply specifications as the program is specified.

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 outputs the additional program to the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) that specifies the additional program (S108). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 has a sleep period longer than that of the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) that specifies the additional program, that is, the individual ECU 2 (first individual ECU) that has the same power supply specifications as the power supply specifications of the additional program. The additional program is output (transmitted) to the short individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU). The individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) acquires (receives) an additional program output (transmitted) from the integrated ECU 6, and stores the acquired additional program in the storage unit 21 of its own ECU to add (apply) it. do. The individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) may transmit, for example, a completion notification to the integrated ECU 6 after the addition (application) of the additional program is completed. When the integrated ECU 6 receives the completion notification from the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU), the integrated ECU 6 is applied to the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) in the individual ECU management table stored in the storage unit 61 of the own ECU. It may change the number of programs in the system.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 outputs an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle C to any one of the plurality of individual ECUs 2 mounted on the vehicle C, and outputs the additional program to the individual ECU 2. When adding (applying) an additional program to the ECU 2, one of the individual ECUs 2 is determined based on the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program. Therefore, when adding software to any of the individual ECUs 2, it is possible to perform a process of adding the software according to the power supply specifications defined in each.

According to the present embodiment, when there is an individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 determines the individual ECU 2 as the individual ECU 2 to which the additional program is added. .. If there is no individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 adds the individual ECU 2 having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period defined by the power supply specifications of the additional program. Determined as the individual ECU 2 to which the program is added. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of individual ECUs 2 that are candidates when adding an additional program, and it is possible to improve the degree of freedom or tolerance in adding the individual ECU 2.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 according to the second embodiment (number of programs). The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 performs the processes from S201 to S207 in the same manner as the processes S101 to S107 of the first embodiment.

The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 determines whether or not there are a plurality of specified individual ECUs 2 (second individual ECUs) (S208). When the specified individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) is not plural (S208: NO), that is, when the specified individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) is one, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 is the embodiment 1. The processing of S210 is performed in the same manner as in S108.

When there are a plurality of specified individual ECUs 2 (second individual ECUs) (S208: YES), the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 has the smallest number of programs stored in each storage unit 21 (second individual ECU 2). (ECU) is specified (S209). When there are a plurality of specified individual ECUs 2 (second individual ECUs), the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 refers to the individual ECU management table stored in the storage unit 61 of the own ECU, and each of the specified second individual ECUs. The number of programs stored in the storage unit 21 is acquired, and the second individual ECU having the smallest number is specified as the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) to which the additional program is added. The control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 outputs the additional program to the individual ECU 2 (second individual ECU) that specifies the additional program, as in the process S108 of the first embodiment (S210).

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 does not have an individual ECU 2 that matches the power supply specifications of the additional program, and has a plurality of individual ECUs 2 that have a shorter sleep period than the individual ECUs 2 that match the power supply specifications. If so, one of the individual ECUs 2 is determined as the individual ECU 2 to which the additional program is added according to the number of programs stored in the storage unit 21 of the individual ECU 2. Where the processing load of the individual ECU 2 is determined according to the number of programs stored in the storage unit 21, the control unit 60 of the integrated ECU 6 adds, for example, an additional program to the individual ECU 2 having the smallest number of programs. By deciding as the individual ECU 2, it is possible to equalize the processing load in these plurality of individual ECUs 2.

The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered to be exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims, not the above-mentioned meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

C vehicle
S In-vehicle system 100 External server 1 External communication device 11 Antenna 2 Individual ECU (in-vehicle ECU, first in-vehicle ECU, second in-vehicle ECU)
20 Control unit 21 Storage unit 22 Input / output I / O
23 In-vehicle communication unit 3 In-vehicle device 30 Actuator 31 Sensor 4 In-vehicle network 5 Power storage device 6 Integrated ECU
60 Control unit 61 Storage unit 62 I / O I / F
63 In-car communication department

Claims (9)

An integrated ECU mounted on a vehicle
A control unit that performs a process of adding an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to at least one of a plurality of in-vehicle ECUs mounted on the vehicle is provided.
The control unit
Based on the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added is determined.
An integrated ECU that outputs the additional program to the determined in-vehicle ECU. The control unit
When there is a first in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required for executing the additional program among the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs, the first in-vehicle ECU is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added.
If there is no first in-vehicle ECU that matches the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the additional program is added to the second in-vehicle ECU having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period specified in the power supply specifications. The integrated ECU according to claim 1, which is determined as an in-vehicle ECU. When a plurality of the second vehicle-mounted ECUs are present in the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs, the control unit may be used according to the number of programs stored in the storage units of the plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs. The integrated ECU according to claim 2, wherein the second in-vehicle ECU is determined as the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added. The integrated ECU according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit determines a power supply specification required for executing the additional program based on the sleep specification of the additional program. A storage unit for storing information on the power supply specifications and programs of each of the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs is provided.
The information regarding the power supply specifications includes information regarding the sleep period.
The integrated ECU according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit refers to the information stored in the storage unit to determine an in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added. On the computer
Get additional programs sent from outside the vehicle,
Based on the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added is determined.
A program that causes the determined in-vehicle ECU to execute a process of outputting the additional program. On the computer
Get additional programs sent from outside the vehicle,
Based on the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added is determined.
A method of outputting an additional program that causes the determined in-vehicle ECU to execute a process of outputting the additional program. Multiple in-vehicle ECUs mounted on the vehicle and
An in-vehicle system equipped with an integrated ECU,
The integrated ECU includes a control unit that performs a process of adding an additional program transmitted from outside the vehicle to at least one of the plurality of in-vehicle ECUs.
The control unit
Based on the power supply specifications required to execute the additional program, the in-vehicle ECU to which the additional program is added is determined.
An in-vehicle system that outputs the additional program to the determined in-vehicle ECU. The plurality of vehicle-mounted ECUs include a first vehicle-mounted ECU and a second vehicle-mounted ECU having a sleep period shorter than the sleep period of the first vehicle-mounted ECU.
The vehicle-mounted system according to claim 8, wherein the number of the second vehicle-mounted ECU is larger than the number of the first vehicle-mounted ECU.

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