JP2012001020A - Vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control system that can flexibly change the motion status of a control means.SOLUTION: The vehicle control system includes: a plurality of control devices that control in-vehicle equipment; a vehicle information acquisition device that acquires vehicle information; and a motion status determination device that estimates future motion needs of the plurality of control devices based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition devices to decide the motion statuses of the plurality of control means based on the estimated result. With respect to the control devices of low needs in the future out of the plurality of control device, the motion status determination device suppresses the motions of the control devices by putting the control device into a sleeping status, dropping the motion frequency, or stopping the supply power.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control system that includes a plurality of control means for performing in-vehicle device control, and more particularly, to a vehicle control system that can dynamically change the operating state of each control means in accordance with the operation load of each control means. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various control devices are mounted on a vehicle, and each controls an in-vehicle device that it takes charge of. Although such a control apparatus is comprised by the microcomputer etc., the kind of control apparatus increases by diversification of vehicle equipment control, and it is a subject how to suppress these power consumption.

  As a solution to this problem, control is performed so that a control device that is unnecessary at that time is put into a sleep mode or stopped. For example, when the vehicle system is stopped (such as when parked), control is performed such that the door lock control device is stopped except for the door lock control device, and the door lock control device is set to sleep mode during high-speed driving. ing.

  Patent Document 1 includes a microcomputer that operates with power supplied from a vehicle-mounted battery. When the microcomputer executes a specific control process when a start condition is established while engine control is stopped, An engine control electronic control device that operates in a low power consumption mode that consumes less power than during control is described.

JP 2008-269487 A

  However, in the conventional vehicle control system including the device described in Patent Document 1, it is determined to enter the sleep mode or the stop state according to the load of the control operation at that time. May not be able to change the operating state. As a result, the power consumption cannot be more actively reduced.

  The present invention is for solving such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control system capable of changing the operation state of the control means more flexibly.

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides:
A plurality of control means for performing in-vehicle device control;
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information;
An operation state determination unit that estimates future operation needs of the plurality of control units based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and determines an operation state of the plurality of control units based on the estimation result;
Is a vehicle control system.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, future operation needs of the plurality of control units are estimated based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and the operation states of the plurality of control units are determined based on the estimation result. Since the operating state determining means for determining is provided, the operating states of the plurality of control means can be changed more flexibly.

  The “future” operation needs of the plurality of control means include current operation needs and future operation needs of the plurality of control means.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
The operation state determination unit is preferably a unit that suppresses the operation of the control unit when the future operation needs of any of the plurality of control units is low.

  By so doing, unnecessary operations of the plurality of control means can be suppressed to reduce power consumption.

In this case,
The operation state determination unit, for example, for the control unit having a low future operation needs among the plurality of control units, by setting the control unit to a sleep state, lowering the operation frequency, or stopping the power supply, It is means for suppressing the operation of the control means.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
The operation state determination means allocates the in-vehicle device control performed by the control means to other control means when the future operation needs of any of the plurality of control means are high, so that the control means It is preferable that it is a means for reducing the operation.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the processing load from being concentrated due to the concentrated control load on the specific control means.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
The operation state determination unit is a unit that monitors a history of vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit and estimates future operation needs of the plurality of control units based on the history of the vehicle information. If it is, it is suitable.

  In this way, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy as compared with the case of estimating the future operation needs of the control means based only on the vehicle information at that time.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
The operation state determination means may be means for determining current and / or future operation states of the plurality of control means based on the estimated future operation needs of the plurality of control means.

  In this way, the operation states of the plurality of control means can be determined more flexibly according to the timing when the operation needs of the plurality of control means change.

In the first aspect of the present invention,
The vehicle information acquisition means includes, for example, at least one of an in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle radar device, an in-vehicle sensor, a communication device that acquires information from an external facility, and an inter-vehicle communication device.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
A plurality of control means for performing in-vehicle device control;
Road shape acquisition means for acquiring the road shape in front of the vehicle;
Operating state determining means for determining operating states of the plurality of control means,
When the operation state determination means determines that a long straight line exists ahead of the vehicle based on the road shape in front of the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition means, the road ahead of the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition means Compared to the case where it is determined that there is no long straight line ahead of the vehicle based on the shape, the operation of the plurality of control means is suppressed,
It is a control system for vehicles.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that a long straight line exists ahead of the vehicle based on the road shape in front of the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition unit, the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition unit Compared to the case where it is determined that there is no long straight line ahead of the vehicle based on the road shape ahead, the operation of the plurality of control means is suppressed, and unnecessary operation of the plurality of control means is suppressed to reduce power consumption. Can be achieved.

in this case,
The road shape acquisition unit includes, for example, at least one of an in-vehicle camera and a communication device that acquires information from equipment outside the vehicle.

In a second aspect of the invention,
A preceding vehicle detection means for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle;
The operation state determination means is configured to control the plurality of controls when the presence of the preceding vehicle is not detected by the preceding vehicle detection means as compared to when the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detection means. It is good also as what is characterized by suppressing operation of a means.

  By so doing, unnecessary operations of the plurality of control means can be further suppressed to reduce power consumption.

  In this case, the preceding vehicle detection means includes at least one of an in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle radar device, and an inter-vehicle communication device, for example.

In the second aspect of the present invention,
An engine speed detecting means for detecting the engine speed;
The operating state determining means determines the degree of change in the engine speed detected by the engine speed detecting means when the degree of change in the engine speed detected by the engine speed detecting means is less than a specified level. The operation of the plurality of control units may be suppressed as compared with a case where the level is equal to or higher than a specified level.

  By so doing, unnecessary operations of the plurality of control means can be further suppressed to reduce power consumption.

In the first or second aspect of the present invention,
The plurality of control means are means for executing at least part of, for example, engine control, transmission control, and body control.

In the first or second aspect of the present invention,
The operation state determination means determines the risk level of the environment where the vehicle is placed, and if the risk level is determined to be higher than a predetermined level, the state of the control means that suppresses the operation is changed to the state before the suppression. It is suitable if it is characterized by returning.

  In this way, both reduction in power consumption and safe driving can be realized.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the control system for vehicles which can change the operation state of a control means more flexibly can be provided.

1 is a system configuration example of a vehicle control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the control performed by PE10 # 8 which concerns on 1st Example with a list. It is the figure which showed control of PE10 # 8 which concerns on 1st Example with the format of the flowchart. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the position of the obstruction (a preceding vehicle, a parked vehicle, a pedestrian, etc.) ahead of a vehicle, and a danger level. It is the figure which showed control of PE10 # 8 which concerns on 2nd Example by the format of the flowchart.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, a vehicle control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration example of a vehicle control system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control system 1 includes a plurality of PE (Processor Element) 10 # 1 to 10 # 8, a power supply device 20, a PSC (Power Supply Control) 30, and a vehicle information acquisition device group 40 as main components. .

  PEs 10 # 1 to 10 # 8 are processor cores in a multi-core processor, an instruction fetch unit that fetches instructions from a program memory (not shown) and stores them in an instruction buffer, a decoder that decodes fetched instructions, and a decoded An ALU (arithmetic processing unit) for executing instructions, an LSU (load / store unit), a dedicated register for storing arithmetic results, and the like are provided.

  Thus, the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment has a multi-core processor as a basic configuration, and a plurality of PEs correspond to “a plurality of control means” in the claims. The present invention is not limited to this, and the “plurality of control means” in the claims may be a plurality of microcomputers or a plurality of threads in a multithread processing apparatus.

  Further, although the number of PEs is exemplified as eight, there is no particular limitation on the number. In FIG. 1, PE 10 # 1 is represented as a management PE, PE 10 # 2 to 10 # 7 as a control PE, and PE 10 # 8 as a monitoring PE.

  The PE 10 # 1 mainly performs operation management of other PEs. Specifically, an instruction to turn on / off the power supply to the PSC 30 is given. Details will be described later.

  The PE 10 # 2 performs engine control, for example. Specifically, the throttle opening, the ignition timing of the igniter, etc. are determined so as to realize the target engine speed and target torque received from PE10 # 4. Further, the starter motor is driven in accordance with the ignition signal input from the ignition switch 41 to perform cranking control for starting the engine.

  The PE 10 # 3 performs control of ECT (Electric Controlled Transmission). In ECT, power mode, second start mode, etc. can be selected, and PE10 # 3 performs calculations based on engine speed, load, vehicle speed, accelerator opening, etc., and gears suitable for the situation at that time ECT is controlled to make a change.

  The PE 10 # 4 performs HV (hybrid) control. Specifically, the required torque to be output to the axle is calculated from the accelerator opening, the shift position at that time, the vehicle speed, and the like. When the required power derived from the required torque and vehicle speed, the power consumption of the non-driving device, the amount of battery storage (SOC), etc. is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the engine and the traveling motor are operated. If it is less than the threshold value, the engine is stopped and the vehicle is controlled to travel only by the traveling motor. As described above, the PE 10 # 4 instructs the target value to the PE 10 # 2 as described above, and regarding the control of the driving motor, the PE 10 # 4 generates a PWM signal or the like and performs voltage application control on the driving inverter. .

  PE10 # 5 performs body system control such as door lock. The PE 10 # 5 cooperates with the smart entry system and controls the door lock mechanism so that the door lock is released or the door is locked when the user ID verification is confirmed.

  PE10 # 6 controls the steering device. Specifically, the assist motor attached to the rack and pinion mechanism or the like is driven so that the steering wheel is directed in the direction of the torque transmitted by the steering wheel operation by the driver.

  PE10 # 7 controls the brake device. Specifically, each wheel control valve attached to the hydraulic system is controlled so as to output a braking force corresponding to the master cylinder pressure inside the master cylinder connected to the brake pedal. It also controls a stroke simulator that generates a natural braking stroke according to the driver's braking force.

[Determination of operating status]
PE10 # 8 monitors the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition device group 40, estimates future operation needs of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8, and PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 based on the estimation result. Determine the operating state.

  The vehicle information acquisition device group 40 includes an ignition switch 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, an in-vehicle sensor such as a crank angle sensor 43, an in-vehicle camera 44, an obstacle sensor 45 such as a radar device, and the like. In addition, a navigation system that holds map data, a communication device that acquires information from outside the vehicle, an inter-vehicle communication device, and the like may be included. The vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition device group 40 is supplied to each PE via the input terminal group 50.

  The PE 10 # 8 puts the PE into a sleep state or lowers the operating frequency when any of the future (current and future; hereinafter the same) operation needs are low among the PEs 10 # 1 to PE10 # 8. Alternatively, the operation of the PE is suppressed by stopping the power supply.

  Thereby, unnecessary operations can be suppressed and power consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, when the future operation needs of any of the plurality of PEs is high, the PE 10 # 8 reduces the operation of the PE by allocating the in-vehicle device control performed by the PE to another PE. In this case, the allocation destination of in-vehicle device control is preferably PE10 # 1.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing load from being concentrated due to the control load being concentrated on a specific PE.

  Among the controls performed by the PE 10 # 8, the stop control of the power supply to the PE is performed by instructing the PE 10 # 1 from the PE 10 # 8. Other sleep instructions and the like are notified to the target PE by inter-PE communication using software interrupts and the like.

  The PE 10 # 1 controls the PSC 30 according to the supply power supply stop instruction instructed by the PE 10 # 8. The PSC 30 includes, for example, a plurality of switches, and operates so as to connect or disconnect the power supply device 20 and each PE. The power supply device 20 includes, for example, a secondary battery that is charged by using a part of engine power, and a step-up / step-down device such as a DC / DC converter. Therefore, by reducing the power consumption of each PE, the energy consumption of the engine can be reduced, and energy saving can be realized.

  The PE 10 # 8 is connected to a memory 60 that stores vehicle data acquired by the vehicle information acquisition device group 40 and various data calculated based on the vehicle information and stores profile data 62. ing. The memory 60 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). By referencing the profile data 62, the PE 10 # 8 can more accurately estimate the future operation needs of the PEs 10 # 1 to PE10 # 8.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a list of controls executed by the PE 10 # 8 according to the first embodiment.

  (1) When the ignition switch 41 is outputting an ignition off signal (IGOFF signal), the PE 10 # 8 puts the PE 10 # 1 and PE 10 # 5 into the sleep state and puts the other PEs in the supply power off state.

  (2) Also, PE10 # 8 is PE10 # 1 when the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 42 is lower than a predetermined vehicle speed when the ignition switch 41 outputs an ignition ON signal (IGON signal). All of PE10 # 8 are turned on.

  (3) In addition, when the ignition switch 41 is outputting an ignition on signal (IGON signal), the PE 10 # 8 performs the following (when the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 42 is higher than a predetermined vehicle speed) Except for cases 4) to 6), only the PE 10 # 5 is set in the sleep state and the other PEs are set in the on state.

  As described above, (1) to (3) are determinations of operation states based on the current operation needs of the PEs 10 # 1 to PE10 # 8.

  On the other hand, when the ignition switch 41 outputs an ignition on signal (IGON signal) and the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 42 is high speed traveling at a predetermined vehicle speed or higher, PE10 # 1 to PE10 # in the following cases: 8 to determine the operation state of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8.

  (4) When a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle and a preceding vehicle exists in front of the vehicle (for example, within a predetermined distance in the same lane), PE10 # 5 is set to the supply power off state and PE10 # 6 is set to the sleep state. The other PEs are turned on. If a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle, the frequency of occurrence of steering operation and brake operation decreases, so the future operation needs of the PE that controls these operations are reduced. In addition, if there is a preceding vehicle, the frequency of brake operation increases when following the vehicle, so that the future operation needs of the PE 10 # 7 that performs the brake control are relatively high. Determine the current operating state of.

  Whether a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle can be determined by, for example, analyzing a captured image of the in-vehicle camera 44, recognizing a road marking line such as a white line, and calculating a curvature of the road marking line. Further, it may be determined that a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle when the state continues to some extent. In this case, the curvature of the road lane marking calculated from the captured image is accumulated as profile data 62, and when a state where the curvature of the road lane marking is equal to or less than a predetermined value continues for a predetermined period, a long straight line is ahead in the vehicle. It is preferable to determine that it exists.

  Further, whether or not a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle may be determined based on information obtained from the outside equipment via the communication device. Out-of-vehicle equipment refers to service equipment that transmits information using a radio wave network such as a beacon transmitter suspended on a road or a mobile phone. In this case, the information obtained from the outside facility via the communication device may include the presence / absence of a signal in front of the vehicle, traffic jam information, and the like, and the control content may be changed in consideration of the information.

  On the other hand, whether there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle is determined with reference to the output of the obstacle sensor 45. Also here, for example, whether or not a preceding object is recognized by the output of the obstacle sensor 45 is accumulated as profile data 62 about every second, and the preceding object is recognized by the output of the obstacle sensor 45 within 10 seconds. For example, if the number of times played is 7 or more, it may be determined that a preceding vehicle exists in front of the vehicle.

  Whether or not there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle may be determined by analyzing a captured image of the in-vehicle camera 44 or by the presence or absence of a signal transmitted from the preceding vehicle by inter-vehicle communication (vehicle state). (Including position and speed).

  If a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle and no preceding vehicle exists in front of the vehicle, whether or not the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) grasped by the output of the crank angle sensor 43 is more than a specified level. Determine. The case where the degree of change in the engine speed is greater than or equal to the specified level is, for example, the case where the number of changes in the engine speed greater than or equal to a specified value within a predetermined period is equal to or greater than the specified number. When the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) is greater than or equal to the specified level, it is a scene where acceleration / deceleration is frequently performed due to some factor, and it is considered that the future operation needs of the PE in the traveling system are high. Accordingly, as described below, when the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) is equal to or higher than the specified level, the degree of suppression of the operation of the PE is reduced as compared with the case where it is less than the specified level.

  (5) When there is a long straight line in front of the vehicle, no preceding vehicle is in front of the vehicle, and the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) is not less than a specified level, PE10 # 5 and PE10 # 6 are Supply power is off, PE10 # 7 is set to sleep, and other PEs are set to on.

  (6) When a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle, no preceding vehicle exists in front of the vehicle, and the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) is less than a specified level, PE10 # 5, PE10 # 6, And PE10 # 7 are in the supply power off state, PE10 # 3 is in the sleep state, and the other PEs are in the on state.

  As described above, in PE10 # 8, it is estimated that some future operation needs among PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 are low (4) to (6), and it is considered that the operation needs are low. The PEs are sequentially put into a sleep state or a supply power off state. As a result, the current operation needs of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 are considered to be low compared to those that suppress the operation of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 only in the scenes (1) to (3). It is possible to reduce power consumption.

  In addition, as a specific example of the operation suppression of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8, the sleep state and the supply power off state have been exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and control to lower the operation frequency may be performed.

  Furthermore, the operation state of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 may be arbitrarily determined at its activation timing. For example, it is known that there is a long straight line in front of the vehicle, but if the vehicle is still running on a curve, the need for PE operation is reduced when the vehicle enters the straight line through the curve. . In this case, it is preferable to suppress the operation of the PE when it enters the straight line, not at the timing when it is found that a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle. Therefore, when the change timing of the operation needs is known by some method, the operation may be performed at a desired timing in the future instead of immediately suppressing the operation or allocating to other PEs.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the control of the PE 10 # 8 according to the first embodiment described above in the form of a flowchart. This flow is started by the PE 10 # 8 when the ignition switch 41 outputs the ignition on signal, and is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals until the ignition switch 41 outputs the ignition off signal.

  First, PE10 # 8 determines whether or not the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 42 is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed (S100). If the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 42 is less than the predetermined vehicle speed, all of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 are turned on (S102).

  When the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 42 is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, it is determined whether or not a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle (S104). If there is no long straight line ahead of the vehicle, only the PE 10 # 5 is set in the sleep state and the other PEs are set in the on state (S106).

  When a long straight line exists in front of the vehicle, it is determined whether or not a preceding vehicle exists in front of the vehicle (S108). If there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle, the PE10 # 5 is set to the supply power OFF state, the PE10 # 6 is set to the sleep state, and the other PEs are set to the ON state (S110).

  If there is no preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle, it is determined whether or not the degree of change in the engine speed (NE) grasped by the output of the crank angle sensor 43 is not less than a specified level (S112). If the change in engine speed (NE) is greater than or equal to the specified level, PE10 # 5 and PE10 # 6 are in the supply power off state, PE10 # 7 is in the sleep state, and the other PEs are in the on state (S114). ).

  If the engine speed (NE) changes less than the specified level, PE10 # 5, PE10 # 6, and PE10 # 7 are set to the supply power off state, PE10 # 3 is set to the sleep state, and the other PEs are turned on. A state is set (S116).

[Summary]
According to the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment described above, when the future operation needs of any of the PEs 10 # 8 to PE10 # 8 are low, the PE 10 # 8 puts the PE into a sleep state, Alternatively, since the operation of the PE is suppressed by lowering the operating frequency or stopping the power supply, it is possible to suppress unnecessary operation of the PE and reduce power consumption.

  In addition, when the future operation needs of any one of a plurality of PEs is high, PE10 # 8 reduces the operation of the PE by allocating the in-vehicle device control performed by the PE to another PE. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the processing load from being concentrated due to the concentration of the control load on the specific PE.

  As a result, the operation state of each PE can be changed more flexibly.

  Also, the PE 10 # 8 refers to the profile data 62 in which the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition device group 40 and various data calculated based on the vehicle information are stored. The future operational needs of PE10 # 8 can be estimated more accurately.

<Second embodiment>
Hereinafter, a vehicle control system 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Constitution]
Since the vehicle control system 2 of the present embodiment is common to the first embodiment in the basic configuration, reference is made to FIG. 1, and the same reference numerals are given to the components common to the first embodiment, and the basic functions are described. Description is omitted.

[Determination of operating status]
In addition to the functions described in the first embodiment, the PE 10 # 8 according to the second embodiment determines the danger level of the environment in which the vehicle is placed, and if the danger level is high, the operation is suppressed such as a sleep state. Control is performed to restore the state of the designated PE.

  Further, the PE 10 # 8 according to the second embodiment is configured so that the automatic shift down control, the automatic steering control, the automatic brake control, and the like are performed when the risk of the environment where the vehicle is placed is higher. Instruct 10 # 6 and 10 # 7.

  Here, the danger level of the environment in which the vehicle is placed is determined with reference to the output of the obstacle sensor 45, for example. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the position of an obstacle in front of a vehicle (including a preceding vehicle, a parked vehicle, a pedestrian, and the like) and a risk level. As shown in the figure, for obstacles existing within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, it is determined that the degree of danger is higher as the azimuth angle of the obstacle viewed from the vehicle is smaller. Further, the present invention is not limited to this, and TTC (Time To Collision) or the like may be calculated and added to the determination of the degree of risk.

  The determination of the degree of risk is not limited to the recognition of obstacles. For example, when the siren sound of an emergency vehicle blown outside the vehicle is recognized by frequency analysis and the siren sound is recognized, The degree of danger may be determined based on a signal transmitted from another vehicle by a beacon or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the degree of risk is determined in three stages, for example, “low”, “medium”, and “high”. When the danger level is “low”, nothing is done, and when the danger level is “medium”, the PEs 10 # 5 that perform body system control such as door lock among the PEs whose operation is suppressed are turned on. return. If the degree of risk is “high”, the PEs 10 # 3, 10 # 6, and 10 # 7 are instructed to perform automatic downshift control, automatic steering control, automatic brake control, and the like as described above.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the control of the PE 10 # 8 according to the second embodiment in the form of a flowchart. This flow is started by the PE 10 # 8 when the ignition switch 41 outputs the ignition on signal, and is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals until the ignition switch 41 outputs the ignition off signal.

  First, PE10 # 8 determines whether or not the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 42 is equal to or higher than a predetermined vehicle speed (S200). If the vehicle speed output from the vehicle speed sensor 42 is less than the predetermined vehicle speed, all of PE10 # 1 to PE10 # 8 are turned on (S202).

  Here, the determination regarding the vehicle speed prior to the determination of the risk level is likely to be parked, paused, started, left / right turn, etc. during low-speed driving, and therefore the operation needs of all PEs Based on relatively high.

  If the vehicle speed output by the vehicle speed sensor 42 is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the degree of danger is determined based on the output of the obstacle sensor 45 and the like (S204). If it is determined that the degree of risk is “high”, all PEs except for PE10 # 5 are turned on, and each PE is instructed to perform automatic control as described above (S206).

  If it is determined that the degree of risk is “medium”, all the PEs except for PE10 # 5 are turned on (S208).

  When it is determined that the degree of risk is “low”, processing similar to that in S104 and subsequent steps in the flow of FIG. 3 in the first embodiment is executed (S210 to S222). Hereinafter, since only the step number is changed from the flow of FIG. 3, the description of the processing of each step is omitted.

[Summary]
As described above, according to the vehicle control system 2 of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects that the unnecessary operation of the PE can be suppressed and the power consumption can be reduced as in the first embodiment. Since safety compensation is added, both power consumption reduction and safe driving can be realized.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. And substitutions can be added.

1, 2 Vehicle control system 10 # 1-10 # 8 PE (Processor Element)
20 Power supply 30 PSC (Power Supply Control)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 Vehicle information acquisition equipment group 41 Ignition switch 42 Vehicle speed sensor 43 Crank angle sensor 44 Car-mounted camera 45 Obstacle sensor 50 Input terminal group 60 Memory 62 Profile data

Claims (14)

A plurality of control means for performing in-vehicle device control;
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information;
An operation state determination unit that estimates future operation needs of the plurality of control units based on the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, and determines an operation state of the plurality of control units based on the estimation result;
A vehicle control system comprising: The vehicle control system according to claim 1,
The operation state determination unit is a unit that suppresses the operation of the control unit when the future operation needs of any of the plurality of control units is low.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to claim 2,
The operation state determination unit is configured to control the control unit having a low operation need among the plurality of control units by putting the control unit in a sleep state, reducing the operation frequency, or stopping the power supply. Means for suppressing the operation of the means,
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The operation state determination means allocates the in-vehicle device control performed by the control means to other control means when the future operation needs of any of the plurality of control means are high, so that the control means A means to reduce movement,
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The operation state determination unit is a unit that monitors a history of vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit and estimates future operation needs of the plurality of control units based on the history of the vehicle information. ,
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The operation state determination means is a means for determining current and / or future operation states of the plurality of control means based on the estimated future operation needs of the plurality of control means.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vehicle information acquisition means includes at least any one of an in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle radar device, an in-vehicle sensor, a communication device that acquires information from an external facility, and an inter-vehicle communication device
Vehicle control system. A plurality of control means for performing in-vehicle device control;
Road shape acquisition means for acquiring the road shape in front of the vehicle;
Operating state determining means for determining operating states of the plurality of control means,
When the operation state determination means determines that a long straight line exists ahead of the vehicle based on the road shape in front of the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition means, the road ahead of the vehicle acquired by the road shape acquisition means Compared to the case where it is determined that there is no long straight line ahead of the vehicle based on the shape, the operation of the plurality of control means is suppressed,
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to claim 8,
The road shape acquisition means includes at least one of an in-vehicle camera and a communication device that acquires information from equipment outside the vehicle.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein
A preceding vehicle detection means for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle;
The operation state determination means is configured to control the plurality of controls when the presence of the preceding vehicle is not detected by the preceding vehicle detection means as compared to when the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detection means. Characterized by suppressing the operation of the means,
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to claim 10,
The preceding vehicle detection means includes at least one of an in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle radar device, and an inter-vehicle communication device.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
An engine speed detecting means for detecting the engine speed;
The operating state determining means determines the degree of change in the engine speed detected by the engine speed detecting means when the degree of change in the engine speed detected by the engine speed detecting means is less than a specified level. The operation of the plurality of control means is suppressed as compared with a case where it is not less than a specified level.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The plurality of control means are means for executing at least part of engine control, transmission control, and body control, respectively.
Vehicle control system. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The operation state determination means determines the risk level of the environment where the vehicle is placed, and if the risk level is determined to be higher than a predetermined level, the state of the control means that suppresses the operation is changed to the state before the suppression. Characterized by returning,
Vehicle control system.

Images