JP2007163218A - Drive recorder system, electronic control unit, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent data on a vehicle-mounted drive recorder from being entirely lost caused by an accident or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The drive recorder system comprises an in-vehicle communications network (200) and a plurality of electronic control units (100) which are connected to different devices (400) in the vehicle, respectively. Each electronic control unit comprises a memory (102) for storing data, a recording means (105) for storing measured data which has been input with respect to the behavior of the vehicle in the memory, a control means (103) for determining whether the device is allowed to operate or not on the basis of the measured data, and a notification means (104) for deciding whether the vehicle is in a specific state or not on the basis of the determination by the control means and for notifying the recording means and other electronic control units of the decision result indicating that the vehicle is in the specific state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive recorder system using an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted to electronically control the operation of a vehicle.

  In recent years, awareness of vehicle safety is increasing from the viewpoint of improving the added value of vehicles. As part of this, many ECUs for automatic vehicle control are mounted inside the vehicle. One example is a drive recorder that records an image of the surroundings of the vehicle and the vehicle state at the time of the accident.

  Drive recorders are expected to spread for the purpose of assisting safe driving and analyzing the cause of traffic accidents, but have problems such as price reduction of drive recorder ECUs and reliable collection of drive recorder information. Therefore, conventionally, various methods have been proposed to solve these problems.

As a conventionally proposed technique, for example, in Patent Document 1 described later, a plurality of vehicle control devices that control a vehicle based on input information from sensors, and these vehicle control devices via an in-vehicle LAN. A system is described which comprises a recording device for recording the running data supplied. Further, in Patent Document 2, vehicle behavior data and operation data such as an accelerator and a brake of a vehicle are sent to a sensor device arranged near the center of the vehicle, and these are collectively recorded in a memory of the sensor device. The method is described.
JP 2002-330149 A JP 2004-291673 A

  In the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the recorder is prevented from being damaged by installing the drive recorder at a location where the influence of the collision is relatively small in the vehicle. However, since all data relating to the vehicle is recorded in the drive recorder, in the unlikely event that the drive recorder fails, all data necessary for the cause analysis of the collision may be lost. Furthermore, the subsequent recording itself may be impossible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the cost of mounting a drive recorder in a vehicle and maintaining recorded data.

  A drive recorder system according to the present invention includes a plurality of electronic control units connected to a communication network in a vehicle and different devices in the vehicle, each electronic control unit including a memory for storing data, a vehicle Recording means for storing the measurement data input regarding the operation in the memory, and control means for determining whether to activate the device based on the measurement data.

  An electronic control unit according to the present invention is an electronic control unit connected to a communication network in a vehicle and a specific device in the vehicle, the memory storing data, and the measurement data input regarding the operation of the vehicle Recording means for storing in the memory, and control means for determining whether or not to activate the device based on the measurement data.

  The program according to the present invention is a program that causes a computer to function as the electronic control unit.

  According to the present invention, since the function of the drive recorder is provided in the plurality of electronic control units, data relating to the vehicle can be distributed and stored. Thereby, it is possible to avoid losing all recorded data when an accident occurs. Further, it is not necessary to separately prepare an electronic control unit dedicated to the drive recorder and its installation location, so that the system can be easily introduced.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 100 according to the embodiment includes a CPU 101 that is a control device and a storage device 102 that includes a ROM and a RAM, and is a CAN (Controller Area Network) provided in the vehicle. It is connected to such an in-vehicle LAN 200.

  In the vehicle, this system is configured to connect a plurality of ECUs 100 to a plurality of devices of the vehicle as shown in FIG. Specifically, one ECU 100 acquires measurement data indicating the brake operation or traveling speed of the vehicle from a specific measurement target device 300, and based on the measurement data, an ABS (Air Bag System) or an engine system In this configuration, the operation of the specific device 400 to be controlled is controlled. Note that the measurement target device 300 and the control target device 400 corresponding to one ECU 100 may be the same device.

  The ECU 100 has a functional configuration indicated by a chain line in the CPU 101 of FIG. That is, the control unit 103, the notification unit 104, and the recording unit 105. These functional configurations correspond to operations realized by the CPU 101 executing the program stored in the storage device 102.

  The recording unit 105 stores data related to the measurement target device 300 and the control target device 400 in a predetermined memory area of the storage device 102. The control means 103 determines whether or not to operate the control target device 400 based on the measurement data of the measurement target device 300.

  The notification unit 104 determines whether or not the vehicle is in a singular state based on the determination content of the control unit 103, and when it is in the singular state, instructs the recording unit 105 to record that fact in the storage device 102. The notification unit 104 also notifies other ECUs 100 connected to the in-vehicle LAN 200 so as to record that a singular state has occurred. The recording means 105 of each ECU 100 that has received the notification from the notification means 104 records that fact in the storage device 102 of its own unit.

  Here, the singular state of the vehicle means a state in which the measurement target device 300 is out of a preset range in consideration of safety and the control target device 400 is activated. For example, it means that a situation that leads to an accident has occurred, such as when the ABS is actuated by sudden braking while traveling or when automatic deceleration control is performed by excessively high speed driving.

  FIG. 2 shows a more specific system configuration. The illustrated system 110 has a configuration in which an ECU 100_1 responsible for engine control, an ECU 100_2 responsible for ABS control, and a plurality of ECUs 100_n responsible for control of other vehicle devices are connected to the in-vehicle LAN 200.

  In the system 110, the ECU 100_2 has the same configuration as that of the ECU 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ECU 100_2 includes an ECU control program 103_2 as the control means 103, a virtual drive recorder program (hereinafter referred to as “VDR”) 104_2 as the notification means 104, and a drive recorder as the recording means 105. An information recording program (hereinafter referred to as “DRIR”) 105_2 and a drive recorder information recording memory (hereinafter referred to as “DRIFM”) 102_2, which is a predetermined memory area of the storage device 102, are provided.

  On the other hand, the ECU (100) other than the ECU 100_2 does not include the notification unit 104 as a functional configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the ECU 100_1 includes an ECU control program 103_1, a DRIR 105_1, and a DRIFM 102_1.

  The system 110 is provided with a notification means 104 in an ECU (100) that is most closely related to the occurrence of a vehicle accident. In other words, in the illustrated example, the control most highly relevant to the determination of the occurrence of an accident is the ABS control, and the ECU 100_2 responsible for the ABS control is provided with the VDR 104_2 as the notification means 104.

  The operation procedure of the system 110 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, the operation of the ECU 100_2 having the VDR 104_2 will be mainly described.

  Each time the ECU 100_2 receives measurement data such as wheel speed, brake depression amount, vehicle speed, and engine speed necessary for ABS control from the measurement target device (300) (step S1), the ECU 100_2 stores it in the DRIFM 102_2 by the DRIR 105_2. Thereby, measurement data is recorded along a time series. Further, the ECU control program 103_2 determines whether or not to operate the ABS based on the measurement data, and transmits control data representing the result to the VDR 104_2 (step S3).

  When the VDR 104_2 recognizes the control data, the VDR 104_2 determines whether or not the content represents a singular state. Specifically, when the content of the control data represents the operation of the ABS (step S4: Yes), it is determined that the state is a singular state in which a situation leading to an accident has occurred. Further, when the ABS is not operated (step S4: No), it is determined that the ABS is in a normal state, and the process regarding the control data is ended.

  When the ABS is activated, the VDR 104_2 transmits a command for recording that it is a singular state to the ECUs 100_1 to ECU_n via the in-vehicle LAN 200 (step S5). Thereby, it is possible to synchronize the timing for recording the singular state between the ECUs (100) connected to the in-vehicle LAN 200.

  Receiving the command from the ECU 100_2, the ECUs 100_1 to 100_n start recording the singular state with respect to their DRIFM (102) by the DRIR (105).

  As the recording method, for example, it is conceivable to record a value indicating whether or not a singular state has occurred for each measurement data stored in the DRIFM (102). In that case, an invalid value indicating a normal state is set as a default, and when the command is received, an effective value is recorded for the measurement data. Thereby, the time of a singular state can be recorded.

  In parallel with the transmission of the command, the ECU 100_2 starts recording the singular state as well as the other ECUs (100) (step S6). During this time, the VDR 104_2 monitors the elapse of a preset period (step S7), and records that the current state is singular together with the received measurement data until it expires.

  Thereafter, when the expiration of the period is recognized, the VDR 104_2 transmits a command for instructing to end the recording of the singular state to the ECUs 100_1 to ECU100_n (step S8), and the recording of the own unit is also ended (step S9).

  According to the system 110 described above, since a plurality of ECUs responsible for ABS and engine control have the function of a drive recorder, data can be distributed and stored. Thereby, it is possible to avoid losing all data related to the vehicle when an accident occurs.

  Further, it is not necessary to separately prepare an ECU dedicated to the drive recorder and its installation location, so that the system can be easily introduced. Furthermore, by adopting a system configuration in which the notification unit 104 is provided only in the ECU 100_2, it is possible to suppress the introduction cost of the system.

  Based on the data recorded in each ECU (100) by the above procedure, an integrated analysis regarding the operation of the vehicle can be performed. A system environment for this purpose is shown in FIG. In the illustrated environment, a personal computer 500 in which an analysis program 500A is installed is connected to an integrated analysis network 200 ′ via an in-vehicle LAN interface 501. The integrated analysis network 200 ′ is a network including a part of the above-described in-vehicle LAN 200 or the in-vehicle LAN 200.

  In such an environment, the personal computer 500 captures data of each ECU (100) and analyzes the operation of the vehicle by the analysis program 500A. Thus, the vehicle data can be centrally managed by the personal computer 500. Further, as described above, the information recorded in each ECU (100) regarding the occurrence of the singular state is synchronized with the recording timing among the ECUs (100), so that the analysis process can be performed smoothly. it can.

  FIG. 5 shows a system configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described system 110 shown in FIG. 2, the notification unit 104 is provided only in the ECU 100_2. However, the system 120 according to the present embodiment provides all the ECUs 100_1 to 100_n connected to the in-vehicle LAN 200 as the notification unit 104. With VDR. The processing procedure by the VDR (104) is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description is omitted.

  Each ECU (100) of the system 120 shown in FIG. 5 notifies each other of the occurrence of a singular state detected by its own unit. For example, when the ECU 100_1 detects a singular state due to an engine trouble, a command for instructing recording of the singular state is transmitted to another ECU (100). Then, for example, the ECU 100_2 receiving this information records information indicating the occurrence of a singular state together with the measurement data of the own unit relating to the ABS control.

  By adopting a configuration like the system 120, the timing for recording the singular state is not limited to one base of the vehicle, but can be transmitted from a plurality of bases. Therefore, it is possible to record data necessary for the analysis of the accident from various angles.

  Note that it is conceivable that a command by the VDR (104) is simultaneously transmitted from a plurality of ECUs (100) depending on the operation state of the vehicle. Therefore, when implementing the system 120, it is desirable to give priority to commands. FIG. 6 schematically shows the method.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the command format 31 has a configuration in which priority information 32 indicating the priority of processing is added to a command body 33 for instructing recording of a singular state. As the priority information 32, information that can identify the relative priority order among the plurality of ECUs 100_1 to ECU 100_n and identify the ECU (100) that transmits the command is set. For example, the priority information 32 of the command transmitted from the ECU 100_1 is set to “1”, and that of the ECU 100_2 is set to “2”.

  Each ECU (100) temporarily stores commands received from a plurality of ECUs (100) simultaneously or within a predetermined period in a command queue 34 handled by the VDR (104). Then, the one with the highest priority is processed, and the other commands are discarded. As illustrated in FIG. 6, for example, when the command 30 a with priority information 32 is “2”, the command 30 b with “1”, and the command 30 c with “3” are in the command queue 34, the command 30 b with priority “1”. Are processed and others are discarded.

  Therefore, it is desirable that the priority order set in the priority information 32 is given a higher priority order to the ECU (100) that is considered to be closely related to the analysis of the occurrence of an accident. Thereby, the accuracy of recording related to the accident can be increased.

It is a block diagram which shows the basic composition of ECU of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of embodiment. It is explanatory drawing regarding the data analysis in embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of other embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing regarding the command in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 ECU
101 CPU
102 Storage device
103 Control means
104 Notification means
105 Recording means
200 in-car LAN
300 Device to be measured
400 Device to be controlled

Claims (8)

A plurality of electronic control units connected to a communication network in the vehicle and different devices in the vehicle;
Each electronic control unit is
A memory for storing data; a recording means for storing measurement data input regarding the operation of the vehicle in the memory; and a control means for determining whether to activate the device based on the measurement data. Drive recorder system. Any one of the plurality of electronic control units is
Determining whether the vehicle is in a singular state based on the determination of the control means, and having a notification means for notifying the recording means and the other electronic control unit of the determination result that is in a singular state,
2. The drive recorder system according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit of each electronic control unit stores a determination result from the notification unit in the memory. Each electronic control unit is
Determining whether or not the vehicle is in a singular state based on the determination of the control means, and having a notification means for notifying the recording means and other units of the determination result that the vehicle is in a singular state;
2. The drive recorder system according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit stores the determination result from the notification unit in the memory. When notifying the determination result that the notification unit is in a singular state, the notification means adds an identifier of a priority order assigned to the unit in advance to the determination result, and notifies the determination result,
4. The drive recorder system according to claim 3, wherein the recording unit stores the notified determination result and identifier in the memory based on the priority order. An electronic control unit connected to a communication network in the vehicle and a specific device in the vehicle,
A memory for storing data; a recording means for storing measurement data input regarding the operation of the vehicle in the memory; and a control means for determining whether to activate the device based on the measurement data. An electronic control unit. Further, based on the determination of the control means, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in a singular state, and the determination result that the vehicle is in a singular state is notified to the recording means and other electronic control units connected to the communication network. Having a notification means,
6. The electronic control unit according to claim 5, wherein the recording unit stores a determination result from the notification unit in the memory. When notifying the determination result that the notification unit is in a singular state, the notification means adds an identifier of a priority order assigned to the unit in advance to the determination result, and notifies the determination result,
The electronic control unit according to claim 6, wherein the recording unit stores the notified determination result and identifier in the memory based on the priority order.   A program for causing a computer to function as the electronic control unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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