JP2010274783A - Control device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device and a computer program which, even in the case of carrying a plurality of application programs having different operating cycles, surely perform communication processing related to each application program without causing an increase of processing load, difficulties of design, deterioration of operating reliability, or the like. <P>SOLUTION: An integrated ECU 10 includes the plurality of application programs such as a body control AP 32 and an AFS control AP 34 performing control processing at different cycles. The integrated ECU 10 also includes a plurality of communication modules 21a and 21b performing communication processing at different cycles. Each application program sends and receives data to and from the communication modules 21a and 21b having a communication cycle corresponding to the cycle of the control processing, thereby performing communication with other ECUs such as a meter ECU 3 and a navigation ECU 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device and a computer program that perform control processing of a plurality of controlled devices mounted on a vehicle or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the functions of vehicles have been enhanced, and a variety of devices are mounted on the vehicle, and many control devices for controlling these on-vehicle devices, so-called ECUs (Electronic Control Units), are mounted. For example, a body ECU for controlling opening / closing of a door, locking / unlocking of a door lock, turning on / off of a light, and turning on / off of a wiper according to a user's switch operation, etc. Meter ECU for controlling operation of meters, navigation ECU for controlling car navigation system, airbag ECU for controlling operation of airbag, ABS-ECU for controlling operation of ABS (Anti-lock Brake System), and front Various ECUs such as an AFS-ECU that controls the operation of an AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System) that automatically adjusts the optical axis of the light are mounted on the vehicle. In order to perform more advanced processing, a plurality of ECUs mounted on a vehicle are connected to each other via a network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), and information is transmitted and received between ECUs. It is carried out.

  In Patent Document 1, a vehicle headlamp device that is capable of appropriately adjusting an irradiation area and having excellent visibility even when a vehicle bends out of a place without a road data or a planned course. Proposed. This vehicle headlamp apparatus obtains information such as a direction indication signal, a steering angle signal, map information, and current position information, and adjusts the angle of the headlamp. That is, the vehicle headlamp device adjusts the angle of the headlamp according to the instructed direction and the rudder angle when the direction indication signal is output by the operation of the blinker lever, and the current position is determined from the map information. If it is not on the road data or the rudder angle exceeds the specified range, the headlight angle is adjusted according to the rudder angle. Adjust the lighting angle.

  The ECU mounted on the vehicle provides information to the user, such as a control system ECU that performs vehicle travel control or vehicle body control, such as an ABS-ECU, an airbag ECU, and a body ECU, and a navigation ECU. It is classified into an information system ECU that controls equipment. The control system ECU is often equipped with a real-time OS (Operating System) because real-time performance and high reliability of control processing are required. Control system ECUs, such as airbag ECUs and ABS-ECUs, that perform control related to occupant safety or vehicle travel are required to have particularly high-speed control processing.

  In Patent Document 2, there is a vehicle control system having a platform that achieves both real-time performance and high reliability required for a control system electronic control device and flexibility and expandability required for an information system electronic control device. Proposed. This vehicle control system includes a control system ECU having a processor in which a real-time OS is disposed, and an information system ECU having a processor in which the real-time OS is disposed and a plurality of processors in which multimedia OSs are respectively disposed. Communication between the control system ECU and the information system ECU is performed by a processor of the control system ECU and a processor in which a real-time OS of the information system ECU is arranged. Communication in the information system ECU is performed by the inter-core communication function of each processor.

In addition, the mounting space for the device in the vehicle is limited. As the number of ECUs increases, the number of cables such as communication cables for connecting ECUs and power cables for supplying power to each ECU also increases. Is running out of space.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-192673 JP 2008-174098 A

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle equipped with a plurality of conventional ECUs. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of a conventional ECU mounted on a vehicle. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a plurality of ECUs such as a body ECU 2, a meter ECU 3, an AFS-ECU 4, and a navigation ECU 5. The plurality of ECUs are connected via a communication cable 7 and can exchange data with each other.

  The body ECU 2 is equipped with a real-time OS 11, and the real-time OS 11 performs execution management of programs such as the communication module 21, the virtual bus 15, and the body control AP (application program) 32 of the body ECU 2. The communication module 21 is a program for performing communication processing with another ECU connected to the body ECU 2 via the communication cable 7. When data is received from another ECU, the body control AP 32 is transmitted via the virtual bus 15. Received data is sent to the other ECU, and data given from the body control AP 32 via the virtual bus 15 is transmitted to another ECU. The virtual bus 15 is a storage area for the communication module 21 and the body control AP 32 (and other programs) to exchange data. The body control AP 32 performs processing for controlling the operation of equipment attached to the vehicle body such as the door, wiper, and light of the vehicle 1 based on data given from inside and outside of the body ECU 2.

  The meter ECU 3 has substantially the same configuration as the body ECU 2 and includes a real-time OS 11, a communication module 21, and a virtual bus 15, and a meter control AP 33 that controls the operation of the meter mounted on the vehicle. The AFS-ECU 4 has substantially the same configuration as the body ECU 2 and includes a real-time OS 11, a communication module 21, and a virtual bus 15, and an AFS control AP 34 that automatically adjusts the optical axis of the front light mounted on the vehicle 1. ing. The navigation ECU 5 does not have a real-time OS, but instead includes a multimedia OS 12, which manages the operation of the communication module 21, virtual bus 15, navigation control AP 35, and the like. .

  For example, when the meter ECU 3 transmits data related to the vehicle meter at a cycle of 20 ms, and the body control AP 32 of the body ECU 2 that requires this data operates at a cycle of 10 ms, the communication module 21 of the body ECU 2 The process of receiving data from is performed at a cycle of 10 ms. Further, the navigation ECU 5 transmits data such as the position information of the vehicle 1 at a cycle of 0.5 ms. When the AFS control AP 34 of the AFS-ECU 4 that requires this data operates at a cycle of 0.5 ms, the AFS-ECU 4 The communication module 21 performs a process of receiving data from the navigation ECU 5 at a cycle of 0.5 ms.

As described above, in recent years, there is a lack of space for arranging ECUs and cables, and as a solution to this problem, the number of ECUs and cables can be reduced by integrating multiple ECUs into one ECU. Can be considered. For example, in the example shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the body ECU 2 turns on / off the front lamp of the vehicle 1 according to the user's switch operation, and the AFS-ECU 4 moves the front lamp according to the steering angle of the vehicle 1. Adjust the optical axis of the lamp. That is, since the body ECU 2 and the AFS-ECU 4 both have a function of controlling the front lamp of the vehicle 1, it can be considered that these two ECUs are integrated.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration when the body ECU 2 and the AFS-ECU 4 are integrated. The integrated ECU 110 that integrates the functions of the body ECU 2 and the AFS-ECU 4 has a real-time OS 11, a communication module 21, and a virtual bus 15, and has a body control AP 32 and an AFS control AP 34. In other words, the integrated ECU 110 has a configuration in which the AFS control AP 34 is added to the body ECU 2 (or a configuration in which the body control AP 32 is added to the AFS-ECU 4). Even with this configuration, the body control AP 32 only needs to operate at a cycle of 10 ms and the AFS control AP 34 only needs to operate at a cycle of 0.5 ms. However, the communication module 21 performs communication processing of the body control AP 32 and communication processing of the AFS control AP 34. In order to do so, it is necessary to operate with a period of 0.5 m.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a change in processing of the communication module 21 due to integration of the ECU, where (a) shows processing of the communication module 21 of the body ECU 2 and (b) shows communication module of the AFS-ECU 4. The process of 21 is shown, and the process of the communication module 21 of the integrated ECU 110 is shown in (c). As described above, the communication module 21 of the body ECU 2 performs communication processing at a cycle of 10 ms, and the communication module 21 of the AFS-ECU 4 performs communication processing at a cycle of 0.5 ms. When the body ECU 2 and the AFS-ECU 4 are integrated, the communication module 21 of the integrated ECU 110 is changed to perform both the communication process related to the body control AP 32 and the communication process related to the AFS control AP 34. Therefore, when the communication module 21 of the integrated ECU 110 is operated at a cycle of 0.5 ms in accordance with the operation cycle of the AFS control AP 34, the communication processing related to the body control AP 32 and the communication processing related to the AFS control AP 34 are performed at a cycle of 0.5 ms. Done. In this case, there is a problem that the processing load of the integrated ECU 110 increases because the communication processing related to the body control AP 32 that should be performed in a cycle of 10 ms is performed in a cycle of 0.5 ms.

  Further, since the communication module 21 of the integrated ECU 110 must always complete the communication process related to the body control AP 32 and the communication process related to the AFS control AP 34 within 0.5 ms, the design of the communication module 21 is not easy. There is. Further, for example, when an error occurs in the process of the AFS control AP 34 and the process of the communication module 21 is stopped, the process of the body control AP 32 may be stopped, and the reliability of the operation of the integrated ECU 110 is reduced. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to increase the processing load and make the design difficult even when a plurality of application programs having different operation cycles are installed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a control device and a computer program that can reliably perform communication processing related to each application program without causing a decrease in operational reliability.

  The control device according to the present invention includes a plurality of control processing means for performing control processing for one or a plurality of controlled devices at different periods, a communication means for transmitting / receiving information to / from an external device, and the plurality of controls. A plurality of communication information processing means that intervene between the processing means and the communication means and perform processing for exchanging information transmitted / received by the communication means to / from the control processing means at different periods, respectively, The means is characterized in that the information is exchanged with the communication information processing means that performs processing in a cycle corresponding to the cycle of the control processing.

The control device according to the present invention further includes a storage unit that stores information received by the communication unit, and a reception information distribution unit that distributes the information stored in the storage unit to the plurality of communication information processing units. It is characterized by providing.

  In the control device according to the present invention, an identifier indicating a type of information is attached to information transmitted and received by the communication unit with an external device, and the storage unit has an address corresponding to the identifier. Information is stored, and the received information distribution means has correspondence information between the communication information processing means and the address of the storage means, and performs information distribution according to the correspondence information. It is characterized by being.

  In the control device according to the present invention, an identifier indicating a type of information is attached to information transmitted and received by the communication unit with an external device, and the storage unit has an address corresponding to the identifier. Information is stored, and the received information distribution means has correspondence information between the identifier and the address of the storage means, and provides the correspondence information to the communication information processing means. Features.

  In the control device according to the present invention, the plurality of control processing means includes a control processing means for performing a process of adjusting an irradiation direction of a front light mounted on a vehicle according to a traveling direction, and the control processing means. And a control processing unit that operates in a cycle longer than the operation cycle and performs a process of operating the in-vehicle device in accordance with a user operation.

  In the control device according to the present invention, the plurality of control processing means includes a control processing means for performing a process of operating an airbag mounted on a vehicle, and operates at a cycle longer than an operation cycle of the control processing means. And control processing means for performing processing for operating the in-vehicle device in accordance with the user's operation.

  In the control device according to the present invention, the plurality of control processing means include a control processing means for performing a process for operating an antilock brake system mounted on a vehicle, and a cycle longer than an operation cycle of the control processing means. And control processing means for performing a process of operating the in-vehicle device in accordance with a user's operation.

  The computer program according to the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer having communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device to control the operation of a controlled device. A plurality of control processing program modules for performing control processing for devices at different periods, and causing the computer to perform processing for transmitting / receiving information transmitted / received by the communication means to / from the control processing program modules at different periods. A communication information processing program module, wherein the control processing program module exchanges the information with a communication information processing program module that performs processing at a cycle corresponding to the cycle of the control processing.

In the present invention, for example, a plurality of control processing means (control processing program modules) such as an application program of a control device are controlled at different periods with respect to a controlled device such as a vehicle front lamp, airbag, or ABS. Process. The control device can transmit and receive information to and from an external device, and includes a plurality of communication information processing means (communication information processing program modules) that perform information processing related to transmission and reception. The plurality of communication information processing means perform information processing related to communication at different periods. The plurality of control processing means perform control processing by exchanging information with the communication information processing means having a cycle corresponding to the control processing cycle, such as a communication information processing unit having the same or similar operation cycle.
As a result, each communication information processing unit needs only to transmit and receive information suitable for its own processing cycle, and therefore it is possible to prevent an increase in the load on the control device due to unnecessary processing performed by the communication information processing unit. Further, for example, even when a control processing unit is added to the control device due to the integration of the control device, it can be handled by adding a communication information processing unit suitable for the control device. There is no need to change the means, and the design is easy. In addition, even if the processing of any communication information processing means stops due to the occurrence of an error, the processing of other communication information processing means does not stop, so all the processing of the control device does not stop, The reliability of the operation of the control device can be increased.

  In the present invention, storage means (so-called communication buffer) for temporarily storing information received from the external device is provided in the control device. The information stored in the storage means is appropriately distributed to the communication information processing means that requires this information by the received information distribution means, and the distributed information is given from each communication information processing means to the corresponding control processing means. .

  In the present invention, an identifier such as an ID (IDentifier) is attached to information transmitted to and received from an external device, and the identifier and a storage address are associated in advance. When the information is received from the external device, the control device checks the address associated with the received information and stores the received information at the corresponding address of the storage means. Further, the address of the storage means and the communication information processing means are associated in advance, and the received information distribution means distributes the information stored in the storage means to the corresponding communication information processing means based on the correspondence information. Thereby, the information received from the external device can be easily and reliably distributed to each communication information processing means.

  In the present invention, an identifier is attached to information transmitted to and received from an external device, and the identifier and the storage address are associated in advance. When the information is received from the external device, the control device checks the address associated with the received information and stores the received information at the corresponding address of the storage means. Further, the address of the storage means is associated with the communication information processing means in advance, and the reception information distribution means assigns this correspondence information (that is, the address where the reception information is stored) to the communication information processing means. Each communication information processing unit obtains reception information from the storage unit based on the given address. Thereby, the information received from the external device can be easily and reliably distributed to each communication information processing means.

  In the present invention, the function of adjusting the irradiation direction of the front light of the vehicle according to the traveling direction (AFS) and the function of operating on-vehicle equipment such as a door, a wiper, or a light according to the operation of the user. Each is performed by different control processing means. Since the control processing means for performing the AFS processing needs to be performed as the vehicle travels, it must perform high-speed processing, and in contrast to this, the control for operating the in-vehicle device according to the user's operation. The processing means may be low speed processing. The control device including the two control processing units includes two communication information processing units having different communication processing cycles, and each communication information processing unit may perform communication processing according to the operation cycle of each control processing unit. . Therefore, as the plurality of control processing means provided in the control device of the present invention, a control processing means for performing AFS processing and a control processing means for operating the in-vehicle device in accordance with a user operation are suitable.

  In the present invention, the function of operating the airbag of the vehicle and the function of operating the vehicle equipment such as a door, wiper, or light according to the operation of the user are performed by different control processing means. Since the operation process of the airbag is a process related to the safety of the user, the control processing means for performing this process must perform a high-speed process, and on the other hand, the vehicle-mounted device is operated according to the user's operation. The control processing means may be low speed processing. The control device including the two control processing units includes two communication information processing units having different communication processing cycles, and each communication information processing unit may perform communication processing according to the operation cycle of each control processing unit. . Therefore, as the plurality of control processing means provided in the control device of the present invention, a control processing means for performing the operation processing of the airbag and a control processing means for operating the in-vehicle device according to the user's operation are preferable.

Further, in the present invention, a function for operating an anti-lock brake system (ABS) that prevents the tire from being locked by a brake operation of the vehicle, and an in-vehicle device such as a door, a wiper, or a light are operated according to a user operation. Functions are performed by different control processing means. Since the ABS operation process is a process related to the safety of the user, the control processing means for performing this process must perform a high-speed process, and in contrast to this, the control for operating the in-vehicle device according to the user's operation. The processing means may be low speed processing. The control device including the two control processing units includes two communication information processing units having different communication processing cycles, and each communication information processing unit may perform communication processing according to the operation cycle of each control processing unit. . Therefore, as a plurality of control processing means provided in the control device of the present invention, a control processing means for performing an ABS operation process and a control processing means for operating an in-vehicle device in accordance with a user operation are suitable.

  In the case of the present invention, when a plurality of control processing means (control processing program modules) for performing control processing at different cycles are provided, a plurality of communication information processing means (communication information processing program modules) having different communication processing cycles are controlled. In the apparatus, each control processing unit exchanges information with the communication information processing unit according to the operation cycle, thereby increasing the processing load due to the unnecessary processing performed by the communication information processing unit. And the communication information processing means can be easily designed, and the reliability of the operation of the control device can be improved. Therefore, a plurality of control devices each having different control processing means can be integrated into one control device without causing an increase in processing load, difficulty in design, and a decrease in operation reliability. In a vehicle or the like equipped with the control device, it is possible to solve the shortage of the space for arranging the control device and the cable connecting them.

It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the vehicle carrying the control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the software structure of the control apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the communication process performed between integrated ECU and other ECU. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the distribution process of the received data which integrated ECU which concerns on the modification 1 performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the correspondence information which a received data distribution module has. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the distribution process of the received data which integrated ECU which concerns on the modification 2 performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the correspondence information which a received data distribution module has. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of an integrated ECU according to Modification 3. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows one structural example of the vehicle carrying multiple conventional ECUs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the software structure of the conventional ECU mounted in the vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which shows the software structure at the time of integrating body ECU and AFS-ECU. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the change of the process of the communication module by integration of ECU.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a vehicle equipped with a control device according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle. The vehicle 1 is equipped with a plurality of ECUs such as a meter ECU 3 and a navigation ECU 5 and an integrated ECU 10 which is a control device according to the present invention. These ECUs mounted on the vehicle 1 are connected via a communication cable 7 and can communicate with each other by a protocol such as CAN to exchange data. The integrated ECU 10 is an ECU that integrates the functions of the body ECU 2 and the AFS-ECU 4 shown in FIG. As a result, in the configuration of the present invention, the number of ECUs mounted on the vehicle 1 can be reduced and the communication cables connecting a plurality of ECUs can be reduced as compared with the conventional configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device according to the present invention, and shows the configuration of the integrated ECU 10. The integrated ECU 10 is an ECU that controls in-vehicle devices such as the headlight 61, the headlight actuator 62, the wiper 63, and the door lock mechanism 64 that are mounted on the vehicle 1. That is, the integrated ECU 10 receives the user's operation, controls the turning on / off of the headlight 61, controls the wiper 63 on / off, and controls the locking / unlocking of the door lock mechanism 64. In addition, the headlight actuator 62 is driven in accordance with the rudder angle, and the function of the AFS-ECU that adjusts the irradiation direction of the headlight 61 is also provided.

The integrated ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51 and a RAM (Random Access).
Memory 52, ROM (Read Only Memory) 53, communication unit 54, input / output I / F (interface) unit 55, and the like. In-vehicle devices such as the headlight 61 to the door lock mechanism 64 are connected to the input / output I / F unit 55 of the integrated ECU 10 via a cable or the like. The input / output I / F unit 55 can input / output signals to / from these in-vehicle devices, and outputs an operation command or the like given from the CPU 51 to each in-vehicle device and is input from each in-vehicle device. The information is given to the CPU 51.

  The CPU 51 reads out and executes an in-vehicle device control program (computer program) 90 stored in advance in the ROM 53, thereby performing control processing for the in-vehicle device connected to the input / output I / F unit 55. Further, the CPU 51 advances the process while storing temporary data generated in the calculation of the process of performing the control process in the RAM 52. The ROM 53 is configured by a non-volatile memory element such as a mask ROM or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), for example, and stores in-vehicle device control program 90 and data (not shown) necessary for executing this program in advance. ing. The RAM 52 is composed of a memory element such as SRAM (Static RAM) or DRAM (Dynamic RAM), and temporarily stores various data generated in the process of the CPU 51.

  The communication unit 54 is connected to other ECUs such as the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5 mounted on the vehicle 1 via the communication cable 7 and transmits / receives data to / from other ECUs according to a protocol such as CAN. The communication unit 54 transmits data given from the CPU 51 and gives data received from other ECUs to the CPU 51. As a result, the integrated ECU 10 can acquire information obtained from the in-vehicle device connected to the other ECU by communication of the communication unit 54, and transmits an operation command to the in-vehicle device connected to the other ECU. Can be controlled. In FIG. 2, only the integrated ECU 10 is shown in detail, and the detailed configurations of the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5 are not shown. However, the hardware configurations of the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5 are substantially the same as those of the integrated ECU 10. The processing contents of the in-vehicle device connected to the input / output I / F unit 55 and the in-vehicle device control program 90 stored in the ROM 53 are different.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the control device according to the present invention, and shows a configuration when the CPU 51 of the integrated ECU 10 executes the in-vehicle device control program 90 stored in the ROM 53. The integrated ECU 10 that has executed the in-vehicle device control program 90 includes a plurality of application programs such as a real-time OS 11, a virtual bus 15, a communication management unit 16, an ECU state management unit 17, communication modules 21a and 21b, and a body control AP 32 and an AFS control AP 34. Including a plurality of functional blocks (program modules) by software such as the application layer 30.

  The real-time OS 11 is a program for performing processing such as hardware resource management processing and program execution schedule management processing of the integrated ECU 10, and in particular by guaranteeing program startup within a certain time in the schedule management processing. , Has a function to realize real-time processing of the program. The execution schedule of programs (program modules) included in the in-vehicle device control program 90 of the integrated ECU 10 is managed by the real-time OS 11. In the hardware resource management process, the real-time OS 11 stores / reads data to / from the RAM 52, transmits / receives data via the communication unit 54, and exchanges information with an in-vehicle device via the input / output I / F unit 55. Whether or not to use the hardware resources of the integrated ECU 10 by the program being executed is restricted.

  The communication management unit 16 and the ECU state management unit 17 both perform management processing related to switching of the operation state of the integrated ECU 10. The integrated ECU can switch between a low power consumption state such as a sleep mode or a standby mode and a normal operation state. The communication management unit 16 prohibits the integrated ECU 10 from switching to the low power consumption state when communication processing is performed in the communication module 21a or 21b. Similarly, when the program of the application layer 30 is processing, the ECU state management unit 17 prohibits the integrated ECU 10 from switching to the low power consumption state.

  The communication modules 21 a and 21 b are program modules that perform processing related to communication between the integrated ECU 10 and other ECUs such as the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5. Each of the communication modules 21a and 21b includes a transmission unit 22 that performs processing related to transmission, a reception unit 23 that performs processing related to reception, and a storage unit 24 that stores data related to transmission and reception. The communication modules 21a and 21b are realized as, for example, different tasks of the real-time OS 11, and can perform communication processing at different periods. Furthermore, the transmission unit 22 and the reception unit 23 can perform transmission processing and reception processing at different periods. The storage unit 24 is realized by using a part of the RAM 52 of the integrated ECU 10.

  Data from other ECUs received by the communication unit 54 of the integrated ECU 10 is stored by the communication unit 54 or the real-time OS 11 in the storage unit 24 of the communication modules 21a and 21b that require this data. The receiving unit 23 of the communication modules 21 a and 21 b gives the received data stored in the storage unit 24 to the virtual bus 15, and then the program of the application layer 30 that requires the received data acquires the received data from the virtual bus 15. As a result, the received data is exchanged between the communication modules 21a and 21b and the application layer 30 program.

  When transmitting data, the program of the application layer 30 gives the transmission data to the virtual bus 15, and any one of the corresponding communication modules 21 a and 21 b acquires the transmission data from the virtual bus 15 and stores it in the storage unit 24. Store transmission data. The communication modules 21a and 21b that have acquired the transmission data give the transmission data stored in the storage unit 24 to the real-time OS or the communication unit 54 at an appropriate timing, and perform transmission to other ECUs.

  The virtual bus 15 is interposed between programs of the application layer 30 such as the body control AP 32 and the AFS control AP 34 and other programs such as the communication modules 21a and 21b, and is used to exchange data between these programs. This is a temporary data storage area and is realized by using the RAM 52 of the integrated ECU 10.

The application layer 30 includes a plurality of application programs. In the present embodiment, the application layer 30 includes a body control AP 32 and an AFS control AP 34.
The body control AP 32 is an application program that performs control processing of in-vehicle devices mounted on the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 such as the headlight 61, the wiper 63, and the door lock mechanism 64. The body control AP 32 acquires user operation information for a switch or the like disposed at an appropriate position in the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle 1 from another ECU by communication of the communication unit 54 or from the operation device by the input / output I / F unit 55. Then, the control processing of the in-vehicle device is performed according to the user's operation. For example, the body control AP 32 controls turning on / off of the headlight 61 according to a user's operation on a switch for turning on / off the headlight 61, and wiper 63 according to a user's operation on a switch for turning on / off the wiper 63. And the operation speed of the wiper 63 is controlled, and the door lock mechanism 64 is operated in accordance with a radio signal from a portable communication device possessed by the user to control locking / unlocking of the door of the vehicle 1. Process.

  The AFS control AP 34 acquires information on the travel position of the vehicle 1 from the navigation ECU 5 by communication of the communication unit 54 from the ECU having the steering angle information detected by the steering angle sensor mounted on the vehicle 1, In accordance with the acquired information, the headlight actuator 62 of the vehicle 1 is operated to perform a control process for adjusting the irradiation direction of the headlight 61 according to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining communication processing performed between the integrated ECU 10 and other ECUs. The body control AP 32 of the integrated ECU 10 performs the operation of the in-vehicle device in response to a user's switch operation or the like, and therefore does not require high-speed processing. . On the other hand, since the AFS control AP 34 of the integrated ECU 10 adjusts the headlight 61 as the vehicle 1 travels, it needs to perform high-speed processing. For example, the AFS control AP 34 is activated by the real-time OS 11 at a cycle of 0.5 ms. Then, the headlight 61 is adjusted.

  The meter ECU 3 connected to the integrated ECU 10 via the communication line 7 transmits data at a cycle of 20 ms, and the integrated ECU 10 performs reception processing of data transmitted from the meter ECU 3 by the communication module 21a. The communication module 21a is activated by the real-time OS 11 at a cycle of 10 ms, performs a data reception process from the meter ECU 3 at a cycle of 10 ms, and gives the received data to the virtual bus 15. The body control AP 32 operates at a cycle of 10 ms to acquire received data from the virtual bus 15 and performs control processing based on this data. In other words, the body control AP 32 that operates at a cycle of 10 ms exchanges data with the communication module 21 a that performs reception processing of data from the meter ECU 3 at a cycle of 10 ms.

  The navigation ECU 5 connected to the integrated ECU 10 via the communication line 7 transmits data at a cycle of 0.5 ms, and the integrated ECU 10 performs reception processing of data transmitted from the navigation ECU 5 by the communication module 21b. . The communication module 21b is activated by the real-time OS 11 at a cycle of 0.5 ms, performs data reception processing from the navigation ECU 5 at a cycle of 0.5 ms, and gives the received data to the virtual bus 15. The AFS control AP 34 operates at a cycle of 0.5 m to acquire received data from the virtual bus 15 and performs control processing based on this data. In other words, the AFS control AP 34 that operates at a cycle of 0.5 ms exchanges data with the communication module 21 b that performs a process of receiving data from the navigation ECU 5 at a cycle of 0.5 ms.

As described above, application programs such as the body control AP 32 and the AFS control AP 34 included in the application layer 30 of the integrated ECU 10 are activated by the real-time OS 11 at different periods to perform control processing, and a plurality of communication programs provided in the integrated ECU 10 are provided. The modules 21a and 21b are also activated by the real-time OS 11 at different periods to perform communication processing. Which communication module 21a and 21b is used for communication by each application program in the application layer 30 is determined in advance according to its operation cycle (such as those having the same or similar cycles). .

  Data transmitted from other ECUs such as the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5 is received as hardware by the communication unit 54 of the integrated ECU 10. Each ECU connected via the communication line 7 performs transmission by attaching an ID corresponding to the type of data when transmitting data, and the communication unit 54 (or communication unit 54) of the integrated ECU 10. The real-time OS 11 or other program that controls the operation of the data distribution of the plurality of communication modules 21a and 21b according to the ID attached to the received data. The communication unit 54 has correspondence information between the ID attached to the data and the communication modules 21a and 21b, checks the ID of the received data, selects the corresponding communication module 21a or 21b, and selects the selected communication module. Data is stored in the storage unit 24 of 21a or 21b.

  The same applies to data transmission from the integrated ECU 10 to other ECUs. The body control AP 32 operating at a cycle of 10 ms transmits data to other ECUs via the communication module 21a that performs transmission processing at a cycle of 10 ms. The AFS control AP 34 that operates at a cycle of 0.5 ms transmits data to other ECUs via the communication module 21b that performs transmission processing at a cycle of 0.5 ms.

  The integrated ECU 10 (control device) and the in-vehicle device control program 90 (computer program) configured as described above include a plurality of application programs (control processing means, control processing program module) such as the body control AP 32 and the AFS control AP 34 included in the application layer 30. ) Perform control processing at different cycles, each of the application programs includes a plurality of communication modules 21a and 21b (communication information processing means, communication information processing program modules) that perform communication processing at different cycles. In this configuration, data is exchanged between the communication modules 21a and 21b having a communication period corresponding to the period of the communication, and communication with other ECUs is performed. Thereby, each communication module 21a and 21b should just perform transmission / reception of the data suitable for an own processing cycle, and does not increase the processing load of CPU51 of integrated ECU10. In addition, when a new application program that operates in a different cycle is added to the integrated ECU 10, it can be handled by adding a new communication module corresponding to this operation cycle. There is no need to modify or change 21b, and the design of the integrated ECU 10 can be facilitated. For example, even if the processing of the corresponding communication module is stopped due to an error caused by one of the application programs, the processing of the other communication module is not stopped and the processing of the other application program is not stopped. All processes of the integrated ECU 10 do not stop, and the reliability of the operation of the integrated ECU 10 can be improved.

  Further, when a person having a resource protection function as the real-time OS 11 is installed in the integrated ECU 10, it is possible to use the protection function of the real-time OS 11 by realizing the communication modules 21a and 21b as tasks of the real-time OS 11. Because this protects access to resources by each task, the independence and reliability of the communication modules 21a and 21b can be ensured, and the independence and reliability of the application program for communication using this can be ensured. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the control device and the computer program of the present invention have been described by taking the ECU mounted on the vehicle 1 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the control device mounted on a robot. A similar configuration may be applied, and a similar configuration may be applied to a control device mounted on another device. The control device and computer program of the present invention are suitable for a control device that requires real-time performance.

In addition, the operation cycles of the body control AP 32, the AFS control AP 34, and the communication modules 21a and 21b are merely examples, and are not limited thereto. Similarly, the communication cycle of the meter ECU 3 and the navigation ECU 5 is an example and is not limited to this. In addition, the integrated ECU 10 is configured to include the communication management unit 16 and the ECU state management unit 17, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the configuration may not include the communication management unit 16 and the ECU state management unit 17. Moreover, although integrated ECU10 was set as the structure provided with the two communication modules 21a and 21b, it is not restricted to this, The structure provided with three or more communication modules may be sufficient.

  In addition, the integrated ECU 10 is configured such that the communication unit 54 or the real-time OS 11 distributes the received data to the communication modules 21a or 21b according to the ID attached to the received data. The received data may be sorted by the methods shown in 1 and 2, and may be sorted by another method.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a distribution process of received data performed by the integrated ECU 10 according to the first modification, and shows a software configuration of the integrated ECU 10 according to the first modification. The integrated ECU 10 according to the first modification includes a reception buffer 41 and a reception data distribution module 42. The reception buffer 41 is realized by using a part of the RAM 52 of the integrated ECU 10, and data received from other ECUs is accumulated in the reception buffer 41 by the communication unit 54 or the real-time OS 11 of the integrated ECU 10. At this time, the communication unit 54 and the real-time OS 11 determine the storage destination address in the reception buffer 41 according to the ID attached to the reception data.

  The reception data distribution module 42 is activated by the real-time OS 11 and performs a process of distributing the reception data stored in the reception buffer 41 to the communication modules 21a or 21b. The reception data distribution module 42 stores in advance correspondence information between the address of the reception buffer 41 and the communication module 21a or 21b as the distribution destination, and performs distribution processing according to the correspondence information. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of correspondence information included in the reception data distribution module 42. In the illustrated correspondence information, the address “000000”, “00001F” or “00111F” (hexadecimal number) of the reception buffer 41 is associated with “communication module 21b”, and the address “00011F” is associated with “communication module 21a”. It has been. Therefore, for example, the reception data distribution module 42 reads the reception data from the address 000000 of the reception buffer 41 and stores it in the storage unit 24 of the communication module 21b, and reads the reception data from the address 0101F of the reception buffer 41 and stores it in the communication module 21a. By storing the data in the unit 24, the received data is distributed. The operation cycle of the received data distribution module 42 is set so as to be the same as or faster than the communication modules 21a and 21b that operate at the highest speed.

  The integrated ECU 10 according to Modification 1 having the above configuration receives data from other ECUs by the communication unit 54 and accumulates it in the reception buffer 41, and receives the reception buffer based on the correspondence information stored in advance by the reception data distribution module 42. Since the reception data stored in 41 is distributed to the communication modules 21a or 21b, when a communication module is added by adding an application program, it is only necessary to change the reception data distribution module 42 and the correspondence information. Therefore, the design of the integrated ECU 10 can be facilitated.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a distribution process of received data performed by the integrated ECU 10 according to the second modification, and illustrates a software configuration of the integrated ECU 10 according to the second modification. The integrated ECU 10 according to the second modification includes a reception buffer 41 and a reception data distribution module 43. The reception buffer 41 is the same as that of the first modification, and the communication unit 54 or the real-time OS 11 of the integrated ECU 10 stores reception data from other ECUs. At this time, the communication unit 54 and the real-time OS 11 determine the storage destination address in the reception buffer 41 according to the ID attached to the reception data.

  The received data distribution module 43 of Modification 2 stores correspondence information between the address of the receiving buffer 41 and the ID attached to the received data. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of correspondence information that the received data distribution module 43 has. In the correspondence information shown, the address “000000” of the reception buffer 41 is associated with the ID “0” of the reception data, the address “00001F” is associated with the ID “1”, and the address “00011F” is the ID “2”. And address “00111F” is associated with ID “3”.

  The reception data distribution module 43 gives correspondence information stored in response to inquiries from the communication modules 21a and 21b. For example, when the communication module 21a performs reception processing of data with ID “0”, the communication module 21a acquires the address of the reception buffer 41 corresponding to ID “0” by inquiring the reception data distribution module 43, The reception data stored at this address is acquired from the reception buffer 41. Therefore, the reception data distribution module 43 of the modification 2 does not directly distribute the reception data stored in the reception buffer 41 to the communication modules 21a and 21b, but notifies the communication modules 21a and 21b of the storage destination of the reception data. As a result, the received data can be indirectly distributed.

  The integrated ECU 10 according to the modified example 2 having the above configuration receives data from other ECUs by the communication unit 54 and accumulates it in the reception buffer 41, and based on the correspondence information stored in the reception data distribution module 43. Even if a communication module is added by adding an application program, it is possible to notify the communication module 21a or 21b of the storage address of the received data stored in the communication module and sort the received data. There is no need to change the data distribution module 42 and the correspondence information, and the design of the integrated ECU 10 can be facilitated. The received data distribution module 43 may be configured to dynamically update the contents of the correspondence information illustrated in FIG.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a software configuration of the integrated ECU 10 according to the third modification. The integrated ECU 10 according to the modification 3 has a configuration in which the application layer 30 further includes an airbag control AP 36 and an ABS control AP 37. That is, the integrated ECU 10 has a configuration in which an ECU that controls the airbag and an ECU that controls the ABS are further integrated. In this example, the body control AP 32 operates at a cycle of 10 ms, the AFS control AP 34 operates at a cycle of 2 ms, the airbag control AP 36 operates at a cycle of 1 ms, and the ABS control AP 37 operates at a cycle of 0.1 ms. And

  The airbag control AP 36 performs control processing for operating the airbag in accordance with vibration or acceleration applied to the vehicle 1. For this reason, the airbag control AP 36 receives a detection result of a sensor that detects vibration or acceleration from another ECU, and performs control processing of the airbag according to the reception result. The ABS control AP 37 controls the brake according to the speed of the vehicle 1 or the rotational speed of the wheels. For this reason, the ABS control AP 37 receives the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor or the wheel rotation speed sensor of the vehicle 1 from another ECU, and performs a brake control process according to the reception result.

Further, the integrated ECU 10 according to the modified example 3 includes three communication modules 21a to 21c. The three communication modules 21a to 21c have different operation cycles. In this example, the communication module 21a operates at a 10 ms cycle, the communication module 21b operates at a 1 ms cycle, and the communication module 21c operates at a 0.1 ms cycle. Shall. The body control AP 32 that operates at a cycle of 10 ms exchanges data with the communication module 21 a that operates at a cycle of 10 ms, and communicates with other ECUs. The AFS control AP 34 that operates at a 2 ms cycle and the airbag control AP 36 that operates at a 1 ms cycle exchange data with the communication module 21 b that operates at a 1 ms cycle, and communicate with other ECUs. The ABS control AP 37 that operates at a cycle of 0.1 ms exchanges data with the communication module 21c that operates at a cycle of 0.1 ms, and communicates with other ECUs.

  As described above, the application program of the application layer 30 and the communication modules 21a to 21c do not need to correspond one-to-one, and one communication module 21a to 21c transmits and receives data to and from a plurality of application programs. It can be. Also, the application program that exchanges data and the communication modules 21a to 21c do not have to have the same operation cycle, and the application program exchanges data with the communication modules 21a to 21c that have a similar operation cycle. What is necessary is just composition. However, it is desirable that the operation cycle of the communication modules 21a to 21c that exchange data is shorter than the operation cycle of the application program.

  Even when the integrated ECU 10 according to the third modification having the above-described configuration includes application programs that operate at different periods such as the body control AP 32, the AFS control AP 34, the airbag control AP 36, and the ABS control AP 37, Each communication module 21a to 21c only performs data transmission / reception processing suitable for its own operation cycle by appropriately including a plurality of communication modules 21a to 21c having different operation cycles according to the operation cycle of the application program. And the processing load on the CPU 51 of the integrated ECU 10 is not increased.

  In the modified example 3, the integrated ECU 10 is configured to include four application programs of the body control AP 32, the AFS control AP 34, the airbag control AP 36, and the ABS control AP 37. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other applications that perform control are provided. The configuration may include a program. However, in the ECU mounted on the vehicle 1, the configuration of the control device according to the present invention may be applied to an ECU including the body control AP 32 and at least one of the AFS control AP 34, the airbag control AP 36, or the ABS control AP 37. Is preferred. This is because the body control AP 32 that operates the vehicle-mounted device in response to the user's operation does not need to be operated at high speed, and the AFS control AP 34, the airbag control AP 36, and the ABS control AP 37 that perform processing related to the traveling of the vehicle 1 or the user's safety. Because it is necessary to operate at a high speed, a common communication module is likely to cause a problem that the processing load of the CPU 51 increases due to processing unnecessary for the communication module.

  In addition, the integrated ECU 10 of the third modification is configured to include the three communication modules 21a to 21c. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration including a communication module that operates at a cycle of 2 ms is provided. Data can be exchanged with the module. Further, for example, the integrated ECU 10 includes two communication modules 21a and 21c, and three application programs of the AFS control AP 34, the airbag AP 36, and the ABS control AP 37 perform data transfer with the communication module 21c that operates at a cycle of 0.1 ms. It is good also as composition which gives and receives. However, when the operation cycle of the application program and the operation cycle of the communication module differ by about 10 times, it is desirable to provide a communication module suitable for the operation cycle of the application program.

1 vehicle 2 body ECU
3 Meter ECU
4 AFS-ECU
5 Navi ECU
7 Communication cable 10 Integrated ECU (control device)
11 Real-time OS
15 Virtual bus 21, 21a-21c Communication module (communication information processing means, communication information processing module)
32 Body control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
33 Meter control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
34 AFS control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
35 Navigation control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
36 Airbag control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
37 ABS control AP (control processing means, control processing program module)
41 Receive buffer (storage means)
42, 43 Reception data distribution module (Reception information distribution means)
54 Communication unit (communication means)
61 Headlight (controlled device)
62 Headlight actuator (controlled device)
63 Wiper (controlled equipment)
64 Door lock mechanism (controlled equipment)
90 In-vehicle device control program (computer program)

Claims (8)

A plurality of control processing means for performing control processing for one or a plurality of controlled devices at different periods, and
A communication means for transmitting / receiving information to / from an external device;
A plurality of communication information processing means which are interposed between the plurality of control processing means and the communication means and which perform processing for exchanging information transmitted / received by the communication means to / from the control processing means at different periods. ,
The control apparatus, wherein the control processing means exchanges the information with a communication information processing means that performs processing in a cycle corresponding to a control processing cycle. Storage means for storing information received by the communication means;
The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception information distribution unit that distributes information stored in the storage unit to the plurality of communication information processing units. The information transmitted and received by the communication means with the external device is attached with an identifier indicating the type of information,
The storage means stores information at an address corresponding to the identifier,
3. The reception information distribution unit has correspondence information between the communication information processing unit and the address of the storage unit, and performs information distribution according to the correspondence information. The control device described in 1. The information transmitted and received by the communication means with the external device is attached with an identifier indicating the type of information,
The storage means stores information at an address corresponding to the identifier,
The reception information distribution unit has correspondence information between the identifier and the address of the storage unit, and provides the correspondence information to the communication information processing unit. Control device. In the plurality of control processing means,
Control processing means for performing processing for adjusting the irradiation direction of the front light mounted on the vehicle according to the traveling direction;
5. A control processing unit that operates at a cycle longer than the operation cycle of the control processing unit, and performs processing for operating the in-vehicle device according to a user's operation. The control apparatus as described in any one. In the plurality of control processing means,
Control processing means for performing processing for operating the airbag mounted on the vehicle;
6. Control processing means that operates at a cycle longer than the operation cycle of the control processing means, and performs processing for operating the in-vehicle device in response to a user's operation. The control apparatus as described in any one. In the plurality of control processing means,
Control processing means for performing processing for operating an antilock brake system mounted on the vehicle;
7. Control processing means that operates at a cycle longer than the operation cycle of the control processing means and performs processing for operating the in-vehicle device in response to a user's operation. The control apparatus as described in any one. In a computer program for causing a computer having communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from an external device to control the operation of a controlled device,
A plurality of control processing program modules for causing the computer to perform control processing for one or a plurality of controlled devices at different periods; and
A communication information processing program module for causing the computer to perform processing for exchanging information transmitted and received by the communication means to and from the control processing program module at different periods,
The computer program characterized in that the control processing program module exchanges the information with a communication information processing program module that performs processing in a cycle corresponding to a cycle of control processing.

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