JP2009301497A - Controller and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller capable of predicting the wear degree of consumables provided in a device provided with the consumables as a control object while suppressing the increase of the capacity of a storage device as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: The controller is provided with an application execution information database indicating "the number of times of application activation" and "application total operation time" for each application controlling the device provided with the consumables. Then, when activating the application, an API for updating "the number of times of application activation" corresponding to the application in the application execution information database is called from the application. Also, when ending the application, an API for updating "the application total operation time" corresponding to the application in the application execution information database is called from the application. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a control device that controls a device having consumable parts.

  For example, since a headlight mounted on a vehicle deteriorates with use, it is necessary to replace it after it has been used for a certain period. Further, regarding the wiper mounted on the vehicle, the wiper blade that is in contact with the glass surface is worn by the use of the wiper and needs to be replaced. In addition, it goes without saying that the washer liquid used for cleaning the windshield with the wiper must be replenished when all the washer liquid is used. As described above, various consumable parts are used in the vehicle, and the user must specify the state of each consumable part and perform replacement or replenishment according to the state of the consumable part.

Here, Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle information management device that can accurately grasp the state of each vehicle for a plurality of vehicles. The vehicle information management device described in Patent Literature 1 is a vehicle information terminal mounted on each vehicle, and is capable of specifying a DTC code indicating an abnormality that has occurred in each vehicle and the current state of each vehicle component. Vehicle status information including a data monitor list is collected. The vehicle information management device stores vehicle state information collected from each vehicle and maintenance information, which is a history of maintenance performed on each vehicle, in the vehicle information database. By referring to the vehicle state information and maintenance information stored in the vehicle information database, the state of each vehicle can be accurately grasped. Therefore, it is possible to specify the state of the consumable parts of the vehicle, and to specify the timing for exchanging or replenishing the consumable parts.
JP 2005-162148 A

  However, since in-vehicle devices are not necessarily equipped with high-performance hardware, the processing in the in-vehicle devices is a RAM capacity required for processing, a ROM for storing a program for performing processing, It is required that the capacity of the storage device such as the capacity of the HDD is small. On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes how to perform a process of detecting an abnormality in each vehicle and how to perform a process of specifying the current state of the components of the vehicle. The point is not described.

  The present invention relates to a control device for controlling a device mounted on a vehicle and having consumable parts such as a headlight, a wiper, and a washer of the vehicle. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and predicts the degree of wear of consumable parts used in a device having a consumable part to be controlled while minimizing an increase in the capacity of a necessary storage device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device that can do this.

  The control device according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, is a control device for controlling a device having a consumable part, and a computer program included in the control device has functions that each program has. There is a platform layer that is a layer to which a program for controlling a plurality of applications for controlling a device having a consumable part belongs as one of the layers. Further, for each application controlled by a program belonging to the platform layer, an information storage means for storing the number of times this application is activated as application execution information, and a means controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, When the application is activated, an update control unit that updates the number of activations stored as application execution information in the information storage unit for the activated application is provided.

Here, the platform layer is specifically a layer to which a real-time OS, middleware, or the like belongs.
In addition, the update control means controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer is specifically stored in the information storage means with respect to an application that is activated by the computer executing a process prepared as an API, for example. The configuration may be such that the number of activations is updated. The API may be called from an application, for example.

  One method for predicting the degree of consumption of a consumable part used in a device having a consumable part is a method of predicting the degree of consumption of the consumable part based on history information relating to the operation of this apparatus. However, if history information regarding the detailed operation of a device having a consumable part is generated and stored, complicated processing is required to specify the detailed operation of the device, and the degree of consumption of the consumable part is further determined. The capacity of history information necessary for prediction becomes large.

  Therefore, in the control device according to the first aspect, the number of activations of the application that controls the device having the consumable part is stored, and the activation number is updated every time the application is activated. In this way, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of a consumable part used in a device having a consumable part based on the number of times the application is started, and to predict the degree of consumption of a consumable part without performing complicated processing. it can. For this reason, the increase in the capacity of the storage device such as the amount of RAM used for executing the process for predicting the degree of wear of the consumable parts and the capacity of the ROM, HDD, etc. for storing the program for performing the above process is suppressed as much as possible. Meanwhile, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts.

  Furthermore, for the same reason, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the processing load of the CPU by performing processing for predicting the degree of consumption of consumable parts. Further, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the capacity of data necessary for predicting the degree of consumption of consumable parts, and a rewritable nonvolatile storage medium (hereinafter simply referred to as storage medium) required for storing this data. Increase in capacity) can be suppressed as much as possible.

  The update control means is controlled by a program belonging to the platform layer. By having such a configuration, an increase in the capacity of the program can be suppressed as compared with a case where each application is provided with a function of updating the number of activations. Accordingly, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts while suppressing the increase in the capacity of the storage device as much as possible.

By the way, the control apparatus may use the following data in order to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts to be controlled.
That is, as described in claim 2, the computer program included in the control device is classified into a plurality of layers according to the function of each program, and is used to control a device having a consumable part as one of the layers. There may be a platform layer that is a layer to which a program for controlling a plurality of applications belongs. The control device includes, for each application controlled by a program belonging to the platform layer, an information storage unit that stores, as application execution information, a total operation time that is a total time during which the application was operating, and a platform layer When the application is started, the operation time that is the time from the start of the application to the stop of the application is specified, and the application is started based on the specified operation time. Regarding the application, an update control means for updating the total operation time stored as application effective information in the information storage means may be provided.

  In this way, the degree of consumption of consumable parts used in a device having consumable parts can be predicted based on the total operation time of the application, and the degree of consumption of consumable parts can be predicted without performing complicated processing. Can do. For this reason, an increase in the capacity of a storage device such as the amount of RAM used for executing a process for predicting the degree of wear of consumable parts, and the capacity of a ROM, HDD, etc. for storing a program for performing the above process is increased. It is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts while suppressing as much as possible.

  Furthermore, for the same reason, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the processing load of the CPU by performing processing for predicting the degree of consumption of consumable parts. Further, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the capacity of data necessary for predicting the degree of consumption of the consumable parts, and it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the capacity of the storage medium necessary for storing this data.

  Further, similarly to the control device according to the first aspect, the update control means is controlled by a program belonging to the platform layer. By having such a configuration, an increase in the capacity of the program can be suppressed as compared with a case where each application is provided with a function of updating the number of activations. Accordingly, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts while suppressing the increase in the capacity of the storage device as much as possible.

Further, based on the number of activations of the application and the total operation time, the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts controlled by the application may be predicted.
That is, as described in claim 3, the information storage means is the number of times this application is started and the total time during which this application has been operating for each application controlled by a program belonging to the platform layer. The total operation time may be stored as application execution information. Then, when the application is started, the update control means specifies an operation time that is a time from the start of the application until the application is stopped, and stores information on the started application based on the specified operation time. The total operation time stored as application execution information in the means may be further updated.

  By doing so, it is possible to predict the degree of wear more accurately as compared to the case where the degree of wear of the consumable parts used in the control device is specified based only on the number of times the application is started and the total operation time. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of consumable parts without performing complicated processing, compared to the case where history information relating to detailed operation of a device having consumable parts is generated and stored. I can say that. Therefore, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts while suppressing the increase in the capacity of the storage device and the increase in the processing load of the CPU as much as possible. Further, it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the capacity of data necessary for predicting the degree of consumption of the consumable parts, and it is possible to suppress as much as possible the increase in the capacity of the storage medium necessary for storing this data.

The control device may have the following functions.
That is, as described in claim 4, the control device may further include application execution information transmitting means for transmitting the application execution information stored in the information storage means to the external device.

  By doing this, it is possible to check the content of the application execution information by the external device and to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts controlled by the control device.

In addition, a rewritable storage medium such as an EEPROM is limited in the number of times of writing.
Therefore, in the control device according to the fifth aspect, the information storage means has a storage area composed of one or more storage units. Then, the control device, regarding the storage unit possessed by the information storage means, writes the number of times of writing information to the storage unit, and writes information to any storage unit possessed by the information storage means. When it is performed, the storage unit in which information is written further includes a write number update control unit that updates the write number stored in the write number storage unit.

  By doing so, for example, when an EEPROM or the like is used as the information storage means, it is possible to specify the number of times of writing for each storage unit and determine whether or not the number of times of writing has reached the limit.

Further, the write count storage means may have the following configuration.
That is, as described in claim 6, the write count storage means may be a predetermined storage area in the information storage means.

By doing so, the number of times of writing for each storage unit can be stored in a part of the storage area in the information storage means.
Further, the write count update control means may have the following configuration.

That is, as described in claim 7, the write count update control means may be a means controlled by a program included in the platform layer.
By doing so, an increase in the capacity of the program can be suppressed as compared with a case where each application is provided with a function of updating the number of times of writing for a predetermined storage unit of the information storage means.

The control device may have the following functions.
That is, as described in claim 8, the control device may further include a write count transmission unit that transmits the write count related to the storage unit stored in the write count storage unit to the external device.

By doing so, it is possible to check the number of times of writing to the information storage means by the external device.
Further, as described above, the processing in the in-vehicle device is required to have a small memory capacity necessary for performing the processing and a small processing load on the CPU.

Therefore, a control device according to a ninth aspect is mounted on a vehicle.
By doing so, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts mounted on the vehicle while suppressing an increase in the capacity of the storage device as much as possible.

  In addition, as described in claim 10, a program for causing the control device according to claims 1 to 9 to function as update control means of the control device is executed by a computer built in the control device. May be.

  Further, as described in claim 11, a program for causing the control device according to claims 5 to 9 to function as a write count update control means is executed by a computer built in the control device. It may be.

  By having such a configuration, for example, a program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, hard disk, ROM, RAM, etc., and the program is loaded into the computer as necessary. Can be made to function as a relay device. Further, since the program can be distributed using a network, the function of the control device can be easily improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments, and various forms can be adopted as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Description of configuration]
(1) Configuration of Control Device FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100 mounted on a vehicle. The control device 100 is a device that controls a device having consumable parts such as a wiper, a washer, a headlight, and a brake lamp. In addition, the control device 100 is connected to the in-vehicle network 300 and can communicate with the diagnosis tool 200 via the in-vehicle network 300. The control device 100 receives power from a + B power source (a power source that constantly supplies power) and also receives power from an IG power source (a power source that supplies power only when the ignition switch is on). . The control device 100 has a microcontroller 110, an EEPROM 120, a communication transceiver 130, a power supply circuit 140, and an input / output circuit 150.

  The microcontroller 110 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, a communication controller 114, an I / O (not shown), a bus line (not shown) for connecting them, and the like. The microcontroller 110 controls each part of the control device 100 according to a program stored in the ROM 112. The microcontroller 110 has a clock function that can specify the current time.

  The EEPROM 120 is connected to the microcontroller 110 via a serial bus, and the microcontroller 110 can write various information to the EEPROM 120 and read various information stored in the EEPROM 120. The EEPROM 120 stores an application execution information database. The storage area of the EEPROM 120 is composed of a plurality of storage units, and the EEPROM 120 stores an EEPROM write count table that is a table indicating the number of writes to each storage unit. Details of the application execution information database and the EEPROM write count table will be described later.

The communication transceiver 130 is a circuit for the microcontroller 110 to communicate with a device connected to the in-vehicle network 300.
The power supply circuit 140 is a circuit for supplying power to each part of the control device 100. The power supply circuit 140 converts the voltage input from the + B power supply and the IG power supply, and inputs the converted voltage to each part of the control device 100.

  The input / output circuit 150 receives input signals from various sensors and switches connected to the control device 100, and supplies consumable parts such as wipers, washers, headlights, and brake lamps that are controlled by the control device 100. It is a circuit for transmitting a control signal to a device having the same.

  The diagnostic tool 200 is a device for detecting an abnormality of a device connected to the in-vehicle network 300. The diagnostic tool 200 requests the control device 100 to transmit the application usage status and the EEPROM usage status.

(2) About the structure of the program used for a control apparatus Next, the structure of the control program of the control apparatus 100 is demonstrated. The block diagram of FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the control program 10 and the hardware related to the processing performed by each program constituting the control program 10. The control program 10 is stored in a ROM 112 that the microcontroller 110 has. The control program 10 includes an application layer 11 to which an application for controlling a device having a consumable part to be controlled by the control device 100 belongs, and a platform layer 12 to which basic software for controlling the application belongs. Yes. Hereinafter, the application is simply referred to as an application.

  For example, applications such as A application 11a, B application 11b, and C application 11c belong to the application layer 11. These applications are applications that perform processing for controlling a device having a consumable part such as a wiper, a washer, a headlight, and a brake lamp that are controlled by the control device 100.

Further, the platform layer 12 includes modules such as a recording unit 12a, a collection unit 12b, and a communication unit 12c.
The recording unit 12a includes a program for updating the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113, and this program can be used as an API by each application. In addition to this, the recording unit 12a includes a program for updating the application execution information database and the EEPROM writing frequency table stored in the EEPROM 120. Details of the application execution information database 20 and the EEPROM write count table will be described later.

  The collection unit 12b communicates with the diagnosis tool 200 connected to the in-vehicle network 300 via the communication unit 12c, generates an application usage status based on the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113, and generates the diagnosis tool 200. A module including a program for performing processing to be transmitted to

  The communication unit 12c is a module including a program for performing processing for receiving information transmitted from a device connected to the in-vehicle network 300 and processing for transmitting information to the device.

  Next, the configuration of the application execution information database 20 will be described. The table in FIG. 3A shows the application execution information database 20. The application execution information database 20 has items of “application ID”, “application activation count”, and “application total operation time”.

  “Application ID” is an item in which an ID for specifying an application belonging to the application layer 11 is set. In the table of FIG. 3A, as an example, IDs of A application 11a, B application 11b, and C application 11c are set in this item.

  The “application activation count” is an item in which the number of times the application indicated by the “application ID” is activated by the basic software belonging to the platform layer 12 is set.

The “total application operation time” is an item in which the total time during which the platform layer 12 has been operating for the application indicated by the “application ID” is set.
Next, the configuration of the EEPROM write count table will be described. The table in FIG. 3B shows an EEPROM write count table. The EEPROM write count table has items of “storage unit” and “EEPROM write count”.

  The “storage unit” is an item in which an ID for specifying a storage unit constituting a storage area in the EEPROM 120 is set. In the table of FIG. 3B, IDs A, B, and C are set as an example of this item.

The “EEPROM write count” is an item in which the number of times the microcontroller 110 has written to the storage unit indicated by the “storage unit” is set.
[Description of operation]
Next, the operation of the control device 100 will be described.

(1) Initial Read Process First, an initial read process, which is a process executed when the operation of the host vehicle is started and the control device 100 is activated, is described using the flowchart shown in FIG. explain. This process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the recording unit 12a in the platform layer 12.

  In S105, the microcontroller 110 of the control device 100 reads the application execution information database 20 from the EEPROM 120, stores it in the RAM 113, and shifts the processing to S110.

  In S110, the microcontroller 110 sets 0 for the application use start count and the application use end count for each application belonging to the application layer 11, and associates the application use start count and the application use end count with the application ID. The data is stored in the RAM 113, and the process proceeds to S115.

In S115, the microcontroller 110 reads the EEPROM write count table from the EEPROM 120, stores it in the RAM 113, and ends this process.
(2) Application Use Start Processing Next, application use start processing executed when an application is activated will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the recording unit 12a in the platform layer 12. This application is called as an API from the application with its application ID as an argument when the application is activated.

  In S205, the microcontroller 110 specifies the current time using the clock function, stores the specified current time in the RAM 113 in association with the application ID as an argument, as the application use start time, and shifts the processing to S210.

  In S210, the microcontroller 110 adds 1 to the “application activation count” corresponding to the application ID as an argument in the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113, and proceeds to S215.

In S215, the microcontroller 110 adds 1 to the application use start count of the application corresponding to the application ID that is the argument, and ends this processing.
(3) Application Use End Process Next, the application use end process executed when the application is completed will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the recording unit 12a in the platform layer 12. When the application is terminated, this program is called as an API from the application with its own application ID as an argument.

In S305, the microcontroller 110 specifies the current time using the clock function, sets the specified current time as the application use end time, and shifts the processing to S310.
In S <b> 310, the microcontroller 110 updates the “total application operation time” corresponding to the application ID as an argument in the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113. Specifically, the operation time of the application is calculated based on the application use start time corresponding to the application ID that is an argument and the application use end time specified in S305. Then, the “total application operation time” is updated by adding the calculated application operation time to the “total application operation time” corresponding to the application ID as an argument. Then, the microcontroller 110 shifts the process to S315.

In S <b> 315, the microcontroller 110 adds 1 to the application use end count corresponding to the application ID that is the argument, and ends this processing.
(4) EEPROM Write Count Update Process Next, the EEPROM write count update process executed when the application writes information to the EEPROM will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the recording unit 12a in the platform layer 12. When the application writes information to the EEPROM, this program is called as an API by using the ID of the storage unit to be written out of the storage units constituting the storage area of the EEPROM as an argument.

  In step S <b> 405, the microcontroller 110 adds 1 to “EEPROM write count” corresponding to the storage unit ID as an argument in the EEPROM write count table stored in the RAM 113, and ends this processing.

(5) Termination Processing Next, termination processing that is executed when the operation of the host vehicle is terminated and the control device 100 is stopped will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the recording unit 12a in the platform layer 12.

  In S505, the microcontroller 110 refers to the application usage start count and the application usage end count for each application stored in the RAM 113, and the presence / absence of an application whose corresponding application usage start count and application usage end count do not match. Determine. If there is an application whose corresponding application use start count and application use end count do not match (S505: Yes), the microcontroller 110 shifts the processing to S510. If there is no application whose corresponding application use start count and application use end count do not match (S505: No), the microcontroller 110 shifts the processing to S520.

In S510, the microcontroller 110 specifies the current time, and shifts the processing to S515 with the specified current time as the application use end time.
In S515, the “total application operation time” in the application execution information database 20 is updated for an application whose corresponding application use start count and application use end count do not match. Specifically, based on the application use start time corresponding to each application for which the corresponding application use start count and the app use end count do not match, and the application use end time specified in S510, the operation time for each application Is calculated. Then, by adding the calculated operation time to the “total application operation time” corresponding to the application ID of each application for which the corresponding application use start count and application use end count do not match, the application execution information database 20 Update “total application operating time”. Then, the microcontroller 110 shifts the process to S520.

  In S520, the microcontroller 110 stores the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113 in the EEPROM 120, and proceeds to S525.

  In S525, the microcontroller 110 stores, in the RAM 113, the storage unit corresponding to the area where the application execution information database 20 is stored in the EEPROM 120 and the storage unit corresponding to the area where the EEPROM write count table is stored. 1 is added to “EEPROM write count” in the EEPROM write count table, and the process proceeds to S530.

In S530, the microcontroller 110 stores the EEPROM write count table stored in the RAM 113 in the EEPROM 120, and ends this process.
(6) Application Usage Status Transmission Processing Next, application usage status transmission processing, which is processing for transmitting the application activation count and the total application operation time to the diagnosis tool for applications belonging to the application layer 11, will be described. This process is a process performed when the control device 100 receives an instruction to request transmission of the application usage status from the diagnosis tool 200 via the in-vehicle network 300. In addition, this process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the collection unit 12b in the platform layer 12.

  In S605, the microcontroller 110 generates an application usage status indicating the number of times the application is activated and the total application execution time for each application based on the application execution information database 20 stored in the RAM 113, and the process proceeds to S610. .

  In S610, the microcontroller 110 transmits the application usage status generated in S605 to the diagnosis tool 200 via the in-vehicle network 300, and ends this process. The CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 transmits the application usage status to the diagnosis tool 200 by executing a program included in the communication unit 12c.

(7) Regarding EEPROM Usage Status Transmission Processing Next, the EEPROM usage status transmission processing, which is processing for transmitting the number of times of writing to the EEPROM 120 to the diagnostic tool, will be described. This process is a process performed when the control device 100 receives an instruction to request transmission of the EEPROM usage status from the diagnosis tool 200 via the in-vehicle network 300. In addition, this process is a process performed by the CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 executing a program included in the collection unit 12b in the platform layer 12.

  In step S <b> 705, the microcontroller 110 generates an EEPROM usage status indicating the number of writes for each storage unit in the EEPROM 120 based on the EEPROM write count table stored in the RAM 113, and proceeds to step S <b> 710.

  In S710, the microcontroller 110 transmits the EEPROM use status generated in S705 to the diagnosis tool 200 via the in-vehicle network 300, and ends this process. The CPU 111 of the microcontroller 110 transmits the EEPROM usage status to the diagnostic tool 200 by executing a program included in the communication unit 12c.

[effect]
The control device 100 according to the present embodiment has an application execution information database 20 indicating “application activation count” and “total application operation time” for each application, and each time the application is activated or terminated, the application execution is performed. The information database 20 is updated (S210, S310). In this way, a device having consumable parts such as wipers, washers, headlights, brake lamps, and the like that are controlled by the control device 100 based on the “application activation count” and the “total application operation time” in the application execution information database 20. It is possible to predict the wear level of consumable parts used in the product (for example, the degree of wear of the wiper blades of the wiper, the remaining amount of washer fluid, and the degree of lamp wear), so that consumable parts can be used without complicated processing. Can be predicted. For this reason, the consumption of RAM is suppressed while minimizing the increase in the capacity of the storage device such as the amount of RAM used to execute the process for predicting the degree of consumption of the consumable parts and the capacity of the ROM for storing the program for performing the above process It is possible to predict the degree of consumption of consumable parts used in an apparatus having parts.

  Further, for the same reason, an increase in the processing load of the CPU 111 due to the process for predicting the degree of wear of the consumable parts can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, an increase in the capacity of data necessary for predicting the degree of consumption of the consumable parts can be suppressed as much as possible, and an increase in the capacity of the EEPROM 120 required for storing this data can be suppressed as much as possible.

  In the control device 100, the application execution information database is updated when each application calls an API belonging to the platform layer 12. Therefore, an increase in the program capacity can be suppressed as compared with a case where each application is provided with a function of updating the number of activations. Accordingly, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts while suppressing the increase in the capacity of the storage device as much as possible.

  Further, in response to an instruction from the diagnosis tool 200, the control device 100 generates an application usage status indicating the number of times the application is activated and the total application execution time for each application based on the application execution information database 20 (S605). It transmits to the tool 200 (S610). Therefore, it is possible to check the number of times the application is started up and the total operation time via the diagnostic tool 200, and to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts.

  In addition, the control device 100 stores an EEPROM write count table indicating the write count for each storage unit of the EEPROM 120, and updates the EEPROM write count table each time the application writes to the EEPROM 120 (S405). . By doing so, it can be determined whether or not the number of writes to the EEPROM 120 has reached the limit.

  Further, in the control device 100, the number of times of writing to the EEPROM is updated when each application calls an API belonging to the platform layer 12. Therefore, an increase in the program capacity can be suppressed as compared with the case where each application is provided with a function for updating the number of times of writing to the EEPROM.

  Further, in response to an instruction from the diagnostic tool 200, the control device 100 generates an EEPROM usage status indicating the number of times of writing for each storage unit based on the EEPROM writing frequency table (S705) and transmits it to the diagnostic tool 200 (S705). S710). Therefore, the number of times of writing to the EEPROM 120 can be confirmed via the diagnostic tool 200.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) In the control device 100 of the present embodiment, the application belonging to the application layer 11 is controlled by the basic software belonging to the platform layer 12, but this basic software may be a real-time OS, for example. By having such a configuration, the microcontroller 110 can perform processing efficiently.

  (2) In the control device 100 of the present embodiment, the application execution information database 20 has items of “application activation count” and “application total operation time”, but the application execution information database 20 includes these items. It may be configured to have only one of them. Even in such a case, it is possible to predict the degree of consumption of the consumable parts used in the apparatus having the consumable parts.

[Correspondence with Claims]
The correspondence between the terms used in the description of the above embodiment and the terms used in the description of the claims is shown.

  The microcontroller 110 corresponds to update control means and write count update control means, the EEPROM 120 corresponds to information storage means and write count storage means, and the communication transceiver 130 corresponds to application execution information transmission means and write count transmission means. To do.

Further, the application activation count corresponds to the activation count, and the total application operation time corresponds to the total operation time.
In the application execution information database 20, the “application activation count” and the “total application operation time” corresponding to each “application ID” correspond to the application execution information for the application specified by the “application ID”.

  Further, the wiper, the washer, the headlight, and the brake lamp correspond to a device having consumable parts, and the wiper blade, the washer liquid, the headlight, and the brake lamp lamp of the wiper correspond to consumable parts.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device 100. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control program 10 of the control device 100. FIG. It is a table | surface which shows an application execution information database and an EEPROM write frequency table. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an initial reading process and an application utilization start process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an application utilization end process and an EEPROM write frequency update process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating completion | finish processing. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an application utilization condition transmission process and an EEPROM utilization condition transmission process.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Control program, 11 ... Application layer, 11a ... A application, 11b ... B application, 11c ... C application, 12 ... Platform layer, 12a ... Recording part, 12b ... Collection part, 12c ... Communication part, 20 ... Application execution information Database, 100 ... Control device, 110 ... Microcontroller, 111 ... CPU, 112 ... ROM, 113 ... RAM, 114 ... Communication controller, 120 ... EEPROM, 130 ... Communication transceiver, 140 ... Power supply circuit, 150 ... Input / output circuit, 200 ... diagnostic tool, 300 ... in-vehicle network.

Claims (11)

A control device for controlling a device having consumable parts,
The computer program provided in the control device is classified into a plurality of layers according to the function of each program, and a program for controlling a plurality of applications for controlling the device having the consumable part as one of the layers. There is a platform layer that belongs to
For each of the applications controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, information storage means for storing the number of activations of this application as application execution information;
The means controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, and when the application is activated, the activation count stored as the application execution information in the information storage means is updated for the activated application Update control means to
Providing
A control device characterized by. A control device for controlling a device having consumable parts,
The computer program provided in the control device is classified into a plurality of layers according to the function of each program, and a program for controlling a plurality of applications for controlling the device having the consumable part as one of the layers. There is a platform layer that belongs to
For each of the applications controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, an information storage unit that stores, as application execution information, a total operation time that is a total time during which the application was operating,
The means that is controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, and when the application is activated, specifies an operation time that is a time from the activation of the application until the application is stopped, and the identified Update control means for updating the total operation time stored as the application execution information in the information storage means for the activated application based on the operation time;
Providing
A control device characterized by. The control device according to claim 1,
The information storage means, for each of the applications controlled by the program belonging to the platform layer, executes the application with the number of activations of the application and a total operation time that is a total time during which the application has been operating. Remember it as information,
When the application is started, the update control unit specifies an operation time that is a time from the start of the application to the stop of the application, and the application started based on the specified operation time Further updating the total operation time stored as the application execution information in the information storage means,
A control device characterized by. In the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control device further comprises application execution information transmitting means for transmitting the application execution information stored in the information storage means to an external device;
A control device characterized by. In the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The information storage means has a storage area composed of one or more storage units,
The controller is
With respect to the storage unit possessed by the information storage unit, a write number storage unit that stores the number of times information is written to the storage unit;
When writing of information to any of the storage units of the information storage unit is performed, writing for updating the number of writes stored in the write number storage unit with respect to the storage unit in which the information is written Frequency update control means;
Further comprising
A control device characterized by. The control device according to claim 5,
The write count storage means is a predetermined storage area in the information storage means,
A control device characterized by. In the control device according to claim 5 or 6,
The write count update control means is a means controlled by a program of the platform layer;
A control device characterized by. In the control device according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
The control device further includes a write count transmission unit that transmits the write count related to the storage unit stored in the write count storage unit to an external device;
A control device characterized by.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus is mounted on a vehicle.   The program for functioning a computer as the said update control means with which the control apparatus in any one of Claims 1-9 is provided.   A program for causing a computer to function as the writing number update control means provided in the control device according to any one of claims 5 to 9.

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