JP2003216220A - Vehicle manufacturing method, program collating device and program setting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle manufacturing method capable of improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing facility costs. <P>SOLUTION: A first ECU (electrical control unit) 1 holding information on manufacturing specification is attached, a second ECU 2 for receiving program setting is attached, a program setting device is connected to the second ECU 2 through a connection cable, the program setting device selects a program for the second ECU 2 conforming to the manufacturing specification, and the selected program for the second ECU 2 is transmitted to the second ECU 2. The second ECU 2 receives the program, then acquires information on the manufacturing specification held by the first ECU 1, verifies the consistency of the received program to the manufacturing specification, and flickers an alarm lamp 3 if there is no consistency. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a vehicle having a control unit for electronic control, a program collating device and a program setting device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent vehicles, an ECU (Electronic Controller) is used as a control unit for electronically controlling the respective units.
ol Unit) is used. The ECU has a memory, and a program to be executed by the ECU is set in the memory. The ECU operates according to the set program.

In the manufacturing process of a vehicle, first, the ECU is installed in the vehicle in a state where the program is not set, then the ECU and an external program setting device are connected by a connection cable, and then the program setting device ECU
Write the program to and set. At this time, the program to be written differs depending on the vehicle's manufacturing specifications, so the person in charge of manufacturing must select and write the program after confirming the conditions such as the destination, the type of engine, the transmission, etc. There is.

In order to prevent human error in the selection of the person in charge of manufacturing, a program written in the ECU is used by using an inspection device for inspecting whether the written program matches the manufacturing specifications. Through the process of identifying and confirming
The program setting to the CU is completed.

[0005]

As described above, the conventional method for setting a program in the manufacturing process of a vehicle has the following problems because it has a step of performing only an inspection. First, if there is an error in the selection of the program set in the ECU, the process is returned to the step of setting the program in the ECU and the work is performed again, which is a problem in terms of vehicle manufacturing efficiency. The second problem is that an inspection device is required to inspect the conformity with the manufacturing specifications, and the equipment cost for manufacturing the vehicle increases.

Further, in the conventional program setting method,
In order to write the program, the program setting device and the ECU to be set must be connected to each other with a connection cable, and the manufacturing efficiency of the vehicle is low.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle manufacturing method capable of improving vehicle manufacturing efficiency and reducing equipment costs.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art is a method of manufacturing a vehicle, in which a first control unit for holding identification information regarding vehicle manufacturing specifications is installed in the vehicle. The setting of the program includes a step of attaching the second control section to the vehicle in a state of being communicable with the first control section, and a step of setting a program for the second control section. At the time of execution, the second control unit acquires the identification information from the first control unit and verifies the consistency of the program based on the identification information.

Here, it is also preferable that the second control unit notifies the result of the verification of the program consistency by using a device attached to the vehicle.

Further, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a method for manufacturing a vehicle in which each part is program-controlled by a plurality of control parts, and at least one of the plurality of control parts. One is the attention control unit, and the data for the other control unit is stored in the attention control unit together with the data for the attention control unit, and communication with the other control unit is enabled. At this time, a program for transferring the data for the other control unit stored in the storage means to the corresponding control unit is written, and the program of the other control unit is transferred from the target control unit, and the program of each control unit is transferred. It is characterized by setting.

The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art is a method of manufacturing a vehicle in which each part is program-controlled by a plurality of control parts, and at least one of the plurality of control parts is provided. One is the attention control unit, and it becomes possible for the attention control unit to communicate with the other control unit and a program for acquiring the data for the other control unit together with the data for the attention control unit. At this time, a program for transferring the acquired data for another control unit to the corresponding control unit is written, and the attention control unit is made to obtain the program for each control unit from the outside, It is characterized in that the programs of the control units are transferred and the programs of the respective control units are set.

Further, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a program collating device incorporated in a vehicle at the time of manufacturing the vehicle, which is a first control for holding identification information relating to vehicle manufacturing specifications. A second control unit that is communicatively connected to the first control unit and that receives and holds a program from the outside, the first control unit after the second control unit receives the program. It is characterized in that the identification information is acquired from a copy and the consistency of the program is verified based on the identification information.

Further, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a program setting device for a vehicle having a plurality of control units and program-controlling the respective units, wherein the plurality of control units are provided. When at least one of the storage means for storing the data for other control units together with the data for self and the communication between the other control units become possible,
And a transfer unit that transfers the data for another control unit stored in the storage unit to the corresponding control unit.

Furthermore, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example is a program setting device for a vehicle having a plurality of control units and program-controlling the respective units, wherein the plurality of control units are provided. When at least one of the acquisition means for acquiring the data for the other control unit together with the data for its own use and the communication between the other control unit become possible,
A transfer unit that transfers the acquired data for another control unit to a corresponding control unit.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the vehicle manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, in order to simplify the inspection process, the program collating device is formed in the vehicle manufacturing process, and the consistency is confirmed when the program is transferred. As shown in FIG. 1, this program matching device is installed in a vehicle, and includes a first ECU 1 as a first controller, a second ECU 2 as a second controller,
A warning light 3 attached to the vehicle is included. Also,
The first ECU 1 and the second ECU 2 are communicably connected to each other via an in-vehicle network NET.

Information (specification identification information) relating to vehicle manufacturing specifications is written in advance in the first ECU 1 (information holding ECU). Here, the specification identification information includes, for example, information regarding destinations, information regarding types of engines and transmissions, and the like. At the vehicle manufacturing site, multiple types of 1st EC in which specification identification information for each manufacturing specification is written in advance.
U1 is prepared, and the person in charge of manufacturing selects the first ECU 1 in which the specification identification information that matches the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle to be manufactured is written, and assembles it into the vehicle.

The second ECU 2 (setting target ECU) is installed in the vehicle in a state where the program is not held in its memory, is connected to a program setting device outside the vehicle via a connection cable, and the program is connected via this connection cable. The program is acquired from the setting device and the program is set. A characteristic of the present embodiment is that the second ECU 2 receives the specification from the outside and sets the program, and thereafter acquires the specification identification information from the first ECU 1.
It is to verify the consistency between the received program and the specification identification information. Specifically, the second ECU 2
Program name (file name) of the program received via the program transfer cable
Also, by referring to the version number (recorded in the header information portion of the program, etc.) or the like, it is checked whether or not it matches the specification identification information. Also, the second ECU 2
If the received program and the specification identification information do not match, the warning lamp 3 is instructed to notify that they do not match.

The warning light 3 is, for example, an engine check lamp, an indicator lamp, or the like, which is instructed to notify that the program received from the second ECU 2 does not match the specification identification information. Flashes to notify manufacturing personnel of inconsistencies.

Now, how the program collating apparatus according to the present embodiment operates in the vehicle manufacturing process will be described. For each vehicle flowing through the line, the manufacturing staff refers to the instruction regarding the manufacturing specification, and selects from among the plurality of first ECUs 1 classified according to each manufacturing specification.
The first ECU 1 that conforms to the instructed manufacturing specifications is selected and installed in the vehicle.

Next, the second ECU 2 is mounted on the vehicle,
The second ECU 2 and the program setting device are connected by a connecting cable, and the program setting device is operated to instruct writing of a program that conforms to the instructed manufacturing specifications.
The program setting device sends the instructed program to the second E
Send to CU2. The second ECU 2 accepts this program and sets it.

When the manufacturing person turns on the power, the second ECU 2 causes the first ECU 1 through the in-vehicle network NET.
The specification identification information is acquired from CU1 and the process of verifying the consistency with the accepted program is started. Here, if the accepted program is suitable for the manufacturing specification indicated by the specification identification information and if the programs match, the second ECU 2 determines that
The verification process ends as it is. On the other hand, if the received program is not suitable for the manufacturing specification indicated by the specification identification information and there is a mismatch, the second ECU 2 blinks the warning light 3 to notify the mismatch. When the warning light 3 blinks, the person in charge of manufacturing again operates the program setting device to instruct to write a program that conforms to the instructed manufacturing specifications.

According to the present embodiment, since the second ECU 2 verifies the consistency of the program only by turning on the power after writing the program, a dedicated inspection process becomes unnecessary, and the selection of the program set in the second ECU 2 is erroneous. Even if there is, the error is verified in the program setting process, and an opportunity to select and set the correct program again on the spot is provided, so that the vehicle manufacturing efficiency is improved. Further, an inspection device for inspecting the conformity with the manufacturing specification is not required, and the equipment cost for manufacturing the vehicle can be reduced.

Here, the case where only one first ECU 1 is mounted on the vehicle has been described as an example.
A plurality of CU1s may be assembled. In this case, it is preferable that the specification identification information held by each first ECU 1 is compared between the first ECUs 1 and if all of them do not match, the fact is notified. At this time, which 1E
It is also preferable to notify whether the information of CU1 does not match. Further, the first ECU 1 may not only hold the specification identification information, but may also hold a program suitable for the specification identification information and control at least a part of the vehicle.

Further, although the program inconsistency is notified here by blinking a warning light, if an information display such as so-called multi-vision is attached to the vehicle, the information display will be displayed. You may make it display that it was inconsistent. Further, instead of the device attached to the vehicle, the inconsistency may be displayed on the vehicle manufacturing device side, for example, the display of the program setting device.

[Second Embodiment] The second embodiment of the present invention
A method of manufacturing a vehicle according to the embodiment will be described.
In the vehicle manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the program setting device is formed in the manufacturing process. That is, among a plurality of ECUs mounted on the vehicle, at least one representative ECU (focused ECU) is manufactured in accordance with the manufacturing specifications.
A program to be set in each ECU is held, and a corresponding program is transferred from the target ECU to each ECU after assembly is completed to prevent program inconsistency, and a dedicated inspection process is substantially unnecessary. To do.

As shown in FIG. 2, the program setting device is configured to include a first ECU 11 as an attention control unit and a second ECU 12 that receives the setting of the program. The first ECU 11 and the second ECU 12 are in-vehicle network. Connected via NET.

The first ECU 11 has a memory MEM as a storage means. For this memory MEM,
Before being installed in a vehicle, a self-use program executed by the first ECU 11 itself, a program executed by the second ECU 12, and a transfer program for transferring the program executed by the second ECU 12 are written. . Also, this first ECU 11
When it becomes possible to communicate with the second ECU 12 via the in-vehicle network NET after being mounted on the vehicle, the second ECU 12 executes the transfer program to execute communication.
The program executed by the second ECU 12 may be transferred to the second ECU 12, and when the transfer is completed, the program executed by the second ECU 12 may be deleted.

The second ECU 12 is connected to the first ECU 11 after being installed in the vehicle, and is connected to the in-vehicle network NE.
When communication becomes possible via T, the first ECU 11
Receives the transfer of the program from, and stores and sets the transferred program. It should be noted that the second ECU 12 may be prewritten with a program portion that does not depend on the manufacturing specifications. Furthermore, information such as control parameters may be written in advance.

Next, a method of manufacturing the vehicle of this embodiment will be described. In the following description, the first ECU 11
Is the ECU for car navigation, and the second EC
U12 is a transmission (T / M) control ECU
Suppose Also, the transmission control ECU
Requires a transmission control program, a transmission adjustment program, and adjustment parameters to be set.The transmission control program is different for each manufacturing specification. It is assumed that it does not depend.

First, the first ECU 11 includes a car navigation control program (first EC) that conforms to manufacturing specifications.
U11 itself), a transmission control program conforming to the manufacturing specifications and a transfer program are written. Then, the first ECU 11 after the program writing is classified according to the manufacturing specifications and is deployed at the manufacturing site.

On the other hand, a program for adjusting the transmission is written in the second ECU 12, and is further attached to a transmission component (a component to be controlled by the second ECU 12). Here, the adjustment parameter is adjusted according to the state peculiar to the transmission component. Is written. In this way, the second ECU is installed at the manufacturing site while being attached to the transmission component.

The person in charge of manufacturing confirms the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle, selects one of the first ECUs 11 that matches the manufacturing specifications, and assembles the same to the vehicle, and assembles the second ECU 12 together with the transmission parts to the vehicle. Then, the power supplies of the first ECU 11 and the second ECU 12 are turned on. Then, the first ECU 11 recognizes that communication with the second ECU 12 is possible via the in-vehicle network NET, starts execution of the transfer program, and transfers the transmission control program to the second ECU 12. The second ECU 12 stores the transferred transmission control program. Thus the second ECU
In 12, a transmission control program and adjustment parameters required for transmission control are set. The first ECU 11 may delete the transfer program and the transmission control program after the transfer is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to select and write a program, and vehicle manufacturing efficiency is improved. Further, the work of connecting the connection cable to the ECU for writing the program is not necessary, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

[Third Embodiment] In addition, in the second embodiment, the second ECU is previously set to the first ECU 11.
Although the program for the CU12 was to be written, when the noted ECU has a wireless communication interface with the outside and communication with another ECU becomes possible, it is possible to use the program for another ECU from the outside via the wireless communication interface. The program may be acquired and the acquired program may be transferred to the other ECU 12.

Specifically, in the vehicle manufacturing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention, a program setting device as shown in FIG. 3 is formed in the manufacturing process. This program setting device includes a program database 21 and an attention E
It includes a first ECU 22 as a CU and a second ECU 23 that is an ECU that receives a program setting. Here, the first ECU 22 and the second ECU 23, when assembled in the vehicle, are in a state of being able to communicate with each other via the in-vehicle network NET. Also, program database 2
1 is provided as a manufacturing facility outside the vehicle.

The program database 21 is basically composed of a program storage unit 31, a control unit 32, and a wireless communication unit 33. The program storage unit 31 identifies vehicle manufacturing specifications as shown in FIG. A plurality of programs (B) for the second ECU 23 are stored in association with the information (A). When the control unit 32 receives, through the wireless communication unit 33, the information for identifying the vehicle manufacturing specifications and the instruction for requesting the program, the control unit 32 identifies the vehicle manufacturing specifications that match the received information. In association with the information, the program stored in the program storage unit 31 is read out and transmitted via the wireless communication unit 33. Wireless communication unit 3
Reference numeral 3 wirelessly transmits / receives data to / from the outside using a predetermined protocol such as Bluetooth.

The first ECU 22 has a wireless communication section,
Data is wirelessly transmitted to and received from the wireless communication unit 33 of the program database 21. The first ECU 22 includes information for identifying the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle and the first ECU.
A program to be executed by 22 and a transfer program for acquiring and transferring the program are installed in the manufacturing site in a state of being stored in advance. Also, this first ECU 22
When communication with the second ECU 23 becomes possible, the program executes the transfer program, and wirelessly transmits an instruction for requesting the program together with information for identifying the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle. Then, the program database 21 wirelessly receives the data of the program transmitted in accordance with the instruction,
The received program is transferred to the second ECU 23.
Upon receiving the transfer of the program from the first ECU 22, the second ECU 23 stores the program.

Now, a method of manufacturing the vehicle according to the present embodiment will be described. In the following description, the first EC
U22 is a car navigation ECU, and the second ECU 23 is a transmission (T / M) control ECU. The transmission control ECU includes a transmission control program,
The transmission adjustment program and the adjustment parameters need to be set, and the transmission control program is different for each manufacturing specification.
The transmission adjustment program does not depend on the manufacturing specifications.

First, the first ECU 22 includes a car navigation control program (first EC) that conforms to manufacturing specifications.
U22 itself), information identifying manufacturing specifications, and a transfer program are written. Then, the first ECU 22 after the program writing is classified according to the manufacturing specifications and is installed at the manufacturing site.

On the other hand, a program for adjusting the transmission is written in the second ECU 23, and is attached to a transmission component (a component to be controlled by the second ECU 23). Here, the adjustment parameter is adjusted according to the state peculiar to the transmission component. Is written. In this way, the second ECU 23 is installed at the manufacturing site while being attached to the transmission component.

The person in charge of manufacturing confirms the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle, selects one of the first ECUs 22 that matches the manufacturing specifications, and assembles it to the vehicle, and assembles the second ECU 23 together with the transmission parts to the vehicle. Then, the power supplies of the first ECU 22 and the second ECU 23 are turned on. Then, the first ECU 22 recognizes that it is possible to communicate with the second ECU 23 via the in-vehicle network NET, starts the execution of the transfer program, and identifies the manufacturing specification to the program database 21. And wirelessly send an instruction to request the program. When a transmission control program that meets the manufacturing specifications is wirelessly received from the program database 21, the first ECU 22 transfers the received program to the second ECU 23 via the in-vehicle network NET.

The second ECU 23 stores the transferred transmission control program. Thus, in the second ECU 23, the transmission control program and the adjustment parameters necessary for controlling the transmission are set. After the transfer is completed, the first ECU 22 may delete the transfer program.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to select and write a program, and vehicle manufacturing efficiency is improved. Further, the work of connecting the connection cable to the ECU for writing the program is not necessary, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

[Modification] In the second and third embodiments, the example in which the number of the first ECUs 11 and 22 as the attention ECU is only one has been described, but there may be a plurality of attention ECUs. Further, there may be a plurality of second ECUs 12 and 23 to which the program is transferred. In this case, the program to be transferred is provided with information indicating which second ECU should be transferred to the first ECU.
The ECU refers to the information and transfers each program to the corresponding second ECU.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first control unit that holds the identification information regarding the manufacturing specifications of the vehicle is assembled to the vehicle, and the second control unit is in a state where it can communicate with the first control unit. Installed in the vehicle, set the program for the second control unit,
When this program is set, the second control unit
Since the identification information is acquired from the first control unit and the consistency of the program is verified based on the identification information, the consistency of the program can be verified by writing the program and then turning on the power source. The inspection process of 1 is unnecessary, and the manufacturing efficiency of vehicles is improved. Further, an inspection device for inspecting the conformity with the manufacturing specification is not required, and the equipment cost for manufacturing the vehicle can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, when manufacturing a vehicle in which the respective units are program-controlled by the plurality of control units, at least one of the plurality of control units is set as the attention control unit, and the attention control is performed. In addition to the data for the attention control unit, the data for the other control unit is stored in the storage unit, and stored in the storage unit when communication with the other control unit becomes possible. Write a program to transfer the data for the control unit to the corresponding control unit, transfer the program of the other control unit from the target control unit, and set the program of each control unit, so select and write the program There is no need, and the efficiency of vehicle manufacturing is improved. Further, the work of connecting the connection cable to the ECU for writing the program is not necessary, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, at least one of the plurality of control units is set as the attention control unit, and the attention control unit acquires the data for the attention control unit and the data for other control units. And a program for transferring the acquired data for another control unit to the corresponding control unit when communication between the other control unit and the control unit becomes possible. The program for each control unit is acquired from the control unit, the program for the other control unit is transferred from the target control unit, and the program for each control unit is set, so there is no need to select and write the program, and the vehicle manufacturing Efficiency is improved. Further, the work of connecting the connection cable to the ECU for writing the program is not necessary, and the manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a program matching device formed in a vehicle manufacturing process using a vehicle manufacturing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a program setting device formed in a vehicle manufacturing process using a vehicle manufacturing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of a program setting device formed in a vehicle manufacturing process using a vehicle manufacturing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a table in which information for identifying vehicle manufacturing specifications is associated with a program conforming to the manufacturing specifications.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,11,22 1st ECU, 2,12,23 2E
CU, 3 warning lights, 21 program database, 3
1 program storage unit, 32 control unit, 33 wireless communication unit.

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kunio Nishimura             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaaki Murao             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Manabe Zheno             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3C100 AA56 CC11 CC14 DD22 DD24                       EE02                 3D044 BA20 BA27 BB01 BD01 BD13                 5B076 AA01 AA02 AB17 EB02                 5H223 AA05 AA10 CC08 CC09 DD03                       DD05 DD07 DD09 EE19

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a vehicle, comprising a step of assembling a first control section, which holds identification information relating to vehicle manufacturing specifications, into a vehicle; Assembling the control unit to the vehicle, setting a program for the second control unit,
And when the setting of the program is performed, the second control unit,
A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: acquiring the identification information from the first control unit and verifying the consistency of the program based on the identification information. 2. The method for manufacturing a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second control unit displays a result of verification of program consistency,
A method for manufacturing a vehicle, which comprises notifying using a device attached to the vehicle. 3. A method of manufacturing a vehicle in which each part is program-controlled by a plurality of control parts, wherein at least one of the plurality of control parts is a target control part, and , Another control unit stored in the storage unit when data for another control unit is stored together with the data for the attention control unit and communication with the other control unit becomes possible. A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: writing a program for transferring data for use in a corresponding control unit, causing a focused control unit to transfer a program for another control unit, and setting the program for each control unit. 4. A method of manufacturing a vehicle in which each part is program-controlled by a plurality of control parts, wherein at least one of the plurality of control parts is a target control part,
A program for acquiring data for other control units together with the data for the attention control unit,
When a communication with another control unit becomes possible, a program for transferring the acquired data for the other control unit to the corresponding control unit is written, and each control is performed from the outside to the attention control unit. A method for manufacturing a vehicle, characterized in that a program for a control unit is acquired, a program for another control unit is transferred from a target control unit, and a program for each control unit is set. 5. A program collating device incorporated in a vehicle at the time of manufacturing the vehicle, the first controller holding identification information about vehicle manufacturing specifications, and being communicably connected to the first controller. A second control unit that receives and holds a program from the outside, the second control unit acquires the identification information from the first control unit after receiving the program, and based on the identification information. A program collating apparatus for verifying the consistency of the program. 6. A program setting device for a vehicle, which has a plurality of control units and program-controls each of the units, wherein at least one of the plurality of control units includes another control unit together with its own data. When the communication between the storage unit for storing the data for the control and the other control unit becomes possible, the data for the other control unit stored in the storage unit is transferred to the corresponding control unit. A program setting device comprising: a transfer unit. 7. A program setting device for a vehicle, which has a plurality of control units and program-controls the respective units, wherein at least one of the plurality of control units includes other data and its own control unit. Acquisition means for acquiring the data for use, and transfer means for transferring the acquired data for the other control section to the corresponding control section when communication between the other control section becomes possible, A program setting device comprising: