JP2012106593A - Control device and updating method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device of a vehicle capable of performing re-programming of software including an image in a shorter time than the conventional art, and to provide an updating method of the control device.SOLUTION: In the re-programming processing of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle, a program for updating is transmitted as digital data using CAN communication or the like in the re-programming of the program. In the re-programming of a still image 5b (including an image 210e of the vehicle displayed on a display device in a cabin, and a character image 212b of a message) or the like, an NTSC (National Television System Committee) encoder circuit 45 converts the still image 5b for updating into an NTSC format signal, the NTSC system being one of moving image transmission system used by television broadcast, and then transmits it through a communication line of a camera image mounted in the vehicle.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device and a control device update method.

  Various types of electronic control units (ECUs) are mounted on the vehicle of an automobile to execute various types of control of the vehicle and provision of information for supporting the driver. The ECU includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executes a predetermined process by executing a predetermined program.

  Therefore, there is a case where it is desired to update (update, reprogram, abbreviate) a program provided in the ECU and various data (image data, etc.) used when the program is executed. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses an automobile control unit that can rewrite control software installed in a nonvolatile memory in a shorter time.

JP 2006-301960 A

  In the case of replogging of various ECUs in a vehicle, since an external storage medium mounting unit is not usually provided in an ECU, it is necessary to execute replogging of programs and images by serial communication or CAN communication. However, in the case of serial communication or CAN communication, there is a problem that it takes time to re-program the image (for example, in the case of 500 kbps serial communication or CAN communication, it takes about 10 minutes to re-program the image of 900 kilobytes). Therefore, it is desired to develop a system that can re-progress images in a shorter time.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a control device updating method capable of reprogramming software including an image in a shorter time than conventional methods.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to achieve the above object, a control device according to the present invention is a non-volatile storage that stores a program for controlling an electric device mounted on a vehicle and a still image used when the program is executed. A storage means, a first communication line for performing digital data communication, a second communication line for communicating a moving image by a moving image transmission method, and a program stored in the storage means are transmitted through the first communication line. First update means for updating to the updated update program, and reception means for receiving the moving image converted from the update still image for updating the still image stored in the storage means via the second communication line A converting means for converting the moving image received by the receiving means into the still image for update, and a still image for update converted by the converting means from the still image stored in the storage means Second updating means for updating to, characterized by comprising a.

  Thus, in the control device according to the present invention, in the so-called re-prog processing of the program for controlling the electric equipment mounted on the vehicle and the still image, the program is transmitted as a digital signal through one communication line, and the still image is transmitted from another communication line. The video is converted to video through the video transmission method. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the long time required for reprogramming by transmitting still images as digital signals as in the prior art, and it is possible to avoid reprogress processing in a short time by transmitting images in a short time using the video transmission method. A control device that can complete the process can be realized.

  In addition, the apparatus includes an imaging unit that is mounted on the vehicle and captures a moving image, and a third communication line that transmits the moving image captured by the imaging unit, and the second communication line and the third communication line are at least partially Is shared, and the second update unit does not transmit the moving image shot by the shooting unit to the second communication line during the period in which the process of updating the still image stored in the storage unit is performed, Control means for controlling to transmit the moving picture taken by the photographing means to the second communication line during a period when the second updating means is not executing the process of updating the still image stored in the storage means. May be provided.

  According to the present invention, the image capturing unit is provided, and the communication line for transmitting the moving image from the image capturing unit is also used as the communication line for reprogress. During reprogress, the communication line is used for communication from the image capture unit. Therefore, it is possible to execute high-speed reprogression of an image using a configuration including a pre-installed imaging unit, and to simplify the overall configuration by sharing the configuration related to imaging and the configuration related to reprologue. be able to. Therefore, for example, if the present invention is applied to an ECU that captures images of the periphery of a vehicle or the interior of a vehicle and performs various controls, the image can be reprogrammed at high speed using a communication line that transmits a moving image captured by the camera. A control device can be realized.

  The third communication line is a communication line arranged to branch from the middle of the second communication line to the photographing unit, and the control unit is a stationary unit in which the second update unit is stored in the storage unit. A power control unit that controls power supply to the imaging unit so that a moving image is not output from the imaging unit to the second communication line may be provided during a period in which the process of updating the image is performed.

  According to the present invention, as a simple configuration in which the communication line to the imaging unit branches from the communication line for reprogramming, control is performed so that power is not supplied to the imaging unit during reprogramming. The inside can be controlled not to use a communication line for photographing means. Therefore, in a simple configuration, for example, an ECU that performs various controls by capturing images of the periphery of the vehicle and the interior of the vehicle interior, the control device can also re-progress images at high speed using a communication line that transmits a moving image captured by the camera. Can be realized.

  Further, it may not include a mounting portion for mounting the external storage medium.

  According to the present invention, in a vehicle-mounted control device to which an external storage medium cannot be mounted, a high-speed reprogram from the external storage medium cannot be used, and only a reprogram by CAN communication or the like can be overcome. Can be realized as a moving image under the moving image transmission method, thereby realizing a control device capable of re-progressing images at high speed.

  The moving image transmission method may be a moving image transmission method in television broadcasting.

  According to the present invention, since a moving image transmission format in a widely used television broadcast is used, a known image can be effectively used to transmit a still image as a moving image under a moving image transmission method, thereby re-progressing the image at high speed. It is possible to realize a control device that can

  The moving picture transmission method may be the NTSC method.

  According to the present invention, since the NTSC moving image transmission format widely used in television broadcasting is used, a still image is transmitted as a moving image under the moving image transmission method by effectively using the well-known NTSC method. As a result, a control device capable of re-progressing images at high speed can be realized.

  Further, the update method of the control device according to the present invention includes a non-volatile storage unit that stores a program that controls the electric device mounted on the vehicle, and a still image that is used when the program is executed, An update method of a control device comprising a first communication line for performing digital data communication and a second communication line for communicating moving images by a moving image transmission method, the program stored in the storage means , A first update step for updating to an update program transmitted through the first communication line, and a moving image obtained by converting an update still image for updating a still image stored in the storage means, (2) a receiving step for receiving through a communication line, a converting step for converting the moving image received in the receiving step into the still image for update, and a still image stored in the storage means according to the converting step. And having a second updating step of updating to the converted update still image Te.

  Thus, in the control device update method according to the present invention, in the so-called re-prog processing of the program for controlling the electrical equipment mounted on the vehicle and the still image, the program is transmitted as a digital signal through one communication line, and the still image is separated. The video is converted to video through the communication line and transmitted using the video transmission method. Therefore, it can be avoided that it takes a long time to re-program the still image as a digital signal as in the prior art, and the re-program processing can be performed in a short time by transmitting the image in a short time by the video transmission method. A control device update method that can be completed can be realized.

The block diagram of the electronic controller mounted in the vehicle in the Example of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence example of a reprogram. The figure which shows the example of conversion to an NTSC signal. FIG. 14 shows a display example in a display device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is an apparatus configuration diagram of a control system 1 (system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 includes a periphery monitoring ECU 3 mounted on the automobile vehicle 2. The system 1 includes a tool 4 (a factory tool and a dealer tool) and a storage medium 5.

  The vehicle 2 includes a battery 20, a display device 21, four cameras 22, 23, 24, 25 and communication lines 26, 27, 28. The battery 20 supplies electric power to various devices of the vehicle, such as a cell motor for starting the engine. In this embodiment, power is supplied to the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25. The display device 21 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, and is provided in the vehicle interior of the vehicle 2 to display an image around the vehicle 2.

  The cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 are disposed, for example, at the front, left side, right side, and rear of the vehicle 2, and take images of the surroundings of the vehicle 2. Images taken by the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 are transmitted to the periphery monitoring ECU 3 as moving images, for example, analog moving image signals.

  The type of the analog moving image signal may be a composite moving image signal (hereinafter referred to as NTSC signal) of the NTSC (National Television System Committee) method used in television broadcasting, for example.

  As is well known, in the case of a color moving image, in a composite moving image signal, information on R (red), G (green), and B (blue) components of points on a scanning line in each frame of the moving image includes luminance (Y) and two color differences ( Cb, Cr) information is converted, and the carrier wave is modulated by luminance and color difference. Specifically, the direct current component of the carrier wave is modulated by luminance, and the amplitude of the two phase components of the carrier wave is modulated by two color differences. Further, the horizontal synchronizing signal is superimposed on the scanning line break and the vertical synchronizing signal is superimposed on the frame break to form a composite moving image signal.

  There are three types of composite video signals used in television broadcasting: NTSC, PAL (Phase Alternation by Line), and SECAM (Sequential couleur memory). There are differences such as 625 scanning lines and 25 frames per second in the PAL system and the SECAM system (modulation methods differ in the PAL system and the SECAM system).

  As will be described later, the communication lines 26 and 27 are communication for transmitting the update program 5a and the still image 5b transmitted from the tool 4 when the program 32a and the still image 32b used in the periphery monitoring ECU 3 are updated. Is a line.

  In the present embodiment, an image for updating a still image used in the periphery monitoring ECU 3 is transmitted using a communication line 28 that transmits a moving image from one of the four cameras (camera 25 in the example of FIG. 1). To do. Therefore, the communication line 28 is branched from the branch point 37 and connected to the communication line 27 that transmits the moving image. The communication line 26 may be a communication line adapted to digital data communication, and may be a communication line compatible with serial communication or CAN communication, for example. The communication lines 27 and 28 may be communication lines compatible with analog moving image transmission. The communication lines 26 and 27 have terminals 26a and 27a, respectively, to which a cable from the tool 4 side is connected.

  The periphery monitoring ECU 3 includes a CPU 30, a RAM 31, a nonvolatile memory 32 (flash memory or EEPROM), a drawing IC 33, a power supply circuit 34, and an input / output circuit 35 (I / O). The periphery monitoring ECU 3 is an ECU for providing a driver with an image of the periphery of the vehicle 2 for the purpose of contributing to driving assistance during parking, for example. The CPU 30 executes various calculations and commands for such purposes. The RAM 31 is a temporary storage unit as a work area for the CPU 30.

  The non-volatile memory 32 is a non-volatile storage unit capable of rewriting stored contents, and stores a program 32a for managing various processes for peripheral monitoring and a still image 32b. The still image 32b is a still image that is required when the program 32a is executed. The drawing IC 33 deforms the images transmitted from the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 by coordinate conversion or the like to form an image displayed on the display device 21.

  The power supply circuit 34 is a circuit that controls a process of sending the power sent from the battery 20 to the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25. The input / output circuit 35 (I / O) is a circuit that controls input / output between the periphery monitoring ECU 3 and various devices, and is specifically connected to the display device 21 and the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 described above. The information is exchanged.

  The I / O 35 includes an NTSC decoder 36. The NTSC decoder 36 converts the analog NTSC signal transmitted from the cameras 22, 23, 24, 25 (or from the tool through the communication line 27) into a digital signal so that the drawing IC 33 can process it.

  The tool 4 (factory tool, dealer tool) includes a CPU 40, a RAM 41, a ROM 42, an operation input unit 43, a data output unit 44, an NTSC encoder 45, and a media control unit 46. In general, the tool 4 performs failure diagnosis of various devices installed in the vehicle 2 at a factory or a dealer. In this embodiment, the tool 4 is a reprogram in the peripheral monitoring ECU 3, that is, a program 32a for peripheral monitoring processing, and The update process of the still image 32b used at the time of execution of the program 32a is performed.

  The CPU 40 executes various calculations for the reprogram processing. The RAM 41 is a temporary storage unit that functions as a work area for the CPU 40. The ROM 42 stores a program for executing the reprogram processing. The operation input unit 43 includes a numeric keypad, various buttons, and the like, and accepts an operation input from an operator (operator) in a factory or a dealer during re-logging.

  The tool 4 outputs the update program 5a and the still image 5b from the data output unit 44 and the NTSC encoder 45, respectively, at the time of replogging, and transmits them to the periphery monitoring ECU 3. The update program 5a and the still image 5b are stored in the storage medium 5 as digital information.

  The still image 5b may be digital still image information in, for example, a bitmap format or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. The media control unit 46 controls the storage medium 5 mounted in the slot, assuming that the storage medium 5 includes a slot that can be detachably mounted.

  In response to a command from the CPU 40, the data output unit 44 transmits the update program 5a acquired from the storage medium 5 by the media control unit 46 in the form of digital data. The NTSC encoder 45 converts the digital still image 5b acquired from the storage medium 5 by the media control unit 46 into an analog NTSC video signal in response to a command from the CPU 40, and outputs the analog NTSC video signal.

  Specifically, for example, the still image 5b is regarded as a moving image of only one frame, and converted into an analog NTSC moving image signal. Since a method for converting a digital image into an analog NTSC video signal is known, a description thereof will be omitted.

  The tool includes a cable for transmitting the program 5a and a cable for transmitting the NTSC signal obtained by converting the image 5b, and the tool 4 is connected with the terminals 47 and 48 of the respective cables being connected to the terminals 26a and 27a. The peripheral monitoring ECU 3 transmits the program 5a and the NTSC signal obtained by converting the image 5b.

  With the above configuration, the periphery monitoring ECU 3 captures the periphery of the vehicle 2 with the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25, displays the captured moving image on the display device 21, for example, driving assistance during parking I do. A display example on the display device 21 at that time is shown in FIG.

  The display area of the display device 21 is divided into three display areas, that is, a left area 210, an upper right area 211, and a lower right area 212. The left area 210 is an area in which an image of the vehicle 2 as viewed from above is displayed. The front area 210a, the left area 210b, the right area 210c, and the rear area of the vehicle 2 are centered on the image 210e of the vehicle 2. It is divided into 210d.

  A moving image shot by the camera 22 is displayed in the front area 210a. A moving image shot by the camera 23 is displayed in the left area 210b. A moving image shot by the camera 24 is displayed in the right region 210c. A moving image captured by the camera 25 is displayed in the rear area 210d.

  At that time, as shown in FIG. 4, the front area 210a, the left area 210b, the right area 210c, and the rear area 210d are all substantially trapezoidal, so that the moving images shot by the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 are captured. On the other hand, unnecessary parts are deleted or coordinate conversion is performed by the drawing IC 33 to convert the image into an image suitable for the shapes of the front area 210a, the left area 210b, the right area 210c, and the rear area 210d. Then, the converted image is displayed.

  Note that the image 210e of the vehicle 2 is not an image photographed by the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25, but an image stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 32. The image 210e may be a photographic image or an illustration image.

  In the upper right area 211, the moving image itself captured by the camera 25 is displayed. The lower right area 212 is an area for displaying a message for the driver. In the example of FIG. 4, a character image 212a “Please confirm the vehicle periphery directly” is displayed in a predetermined font. In this system, the character image 212a is also stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 32 as image information.

  In the present embodiment, the character image 212a may not be a character created using a pre-made font, and may be a combination of a pattern, a design, and the like. The character image 212a is not limited to the example of FIG. 4 and may be a parking assistance message for the driver. The above display processing is executed by the program 32 a stored in the nonvolatile memory 32.

  As described above, the nonvolatile memory 32 stores the program 32a that controls display processing in the display device 32 and the image 32b that is used when the program 32a is executed. Examples of the image 32b are the vehicle image 210e and the character image 212a described above. The program 32a and the image 32b are digital information.

  These programs 32a and images 32b may be desired to be updated (reprogrammed, reprogrammed for short). In the prior art, the replog of the program 32a and the replog of the image 32b are sequentially transmitted as digital information in the same manner. However, in the case of serial communication or CAN communication installed in the vehicle, it takes time to reprogress the image. It was hanging. Therefore, in this embodiment, image reprogress is transmitted by the moving image transmission method used in television broadcasting.

  The reprolog processing procedure is shown in FIG. The processing in FIG. 2 may be started by an operator command to the operation input unit 43 of the tool 4 and automatically processed by the CPUs 40 and 30, for example. Various commands in the replog process may be transmitted and received as digital information between the tool 4 and the peripheral monitoring ECU 3 (or between the CPU 40 and the CPU 30), for example, through the data output unit 44 and the communication line 26.

  The processing procedure of FIG. 2 may be programmed in advance and stored in the ROM 42 or the like. 2 may be executed in a state where the terminals 47 and 48 are connected to the terminals 26a and 27a and the storage medium 5 is attached to the media control unit 46.

  In the process of FIG. 2, first, in S10, the CPU 40 detects that a reprogram command has been received. This command may be given by an operator using the operation input unit 43, for example.

  Next, in S20, the CPU 30 instructs the power supply circuit 34 to stop supplying power to the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 when the reprogram processing is started. If power is not already supplied to the cameras 22, 23, 24, and 25 at this time, the process of S20 may be skipped.

  Next, in S <b> 30, the CPU 40 instructs the data output unit 44 to transmit the update program 5 a in the storage medium 5. In response to this, the data output unit 44 executes transmission of the program 5a. In S40, the periphery monitoring ECU 3 receives the program 5a through the I / O 35, and rewrites the program 32a in the nonvolatile memory 32 into the program 5a.

  Next, in S50, the CPU 40 instructs the NTSC encoder 45 to convert the still image 5b for update in the storage medium 5 into an NTSC signal. In step S60, the transmission of the created NTSC signal is instructed. In response to this, the NTSC encoder 45 regards the update still image 5b in the storage medium 5 as a moving image of only one frame, for example, converts it into an NTSC signal and transmits it as described above.

  An example is shown in FIG. The update digital still image data 5b may be, for example, the vehicle image 210e or the character image 212a as described above. The NTSC encoder circuit 45 converts these digital images into NTSC signals.

  Returning to FIG. 2, in step S <b> 70, the periphery monitoring ECU 3 receives the NTSC signal at the I / O 35, and converts the received analog NTSC signal into a digital signal by the NTSC decoder 36. In S80, the CPU 30 rewrites the image 32b in the nonvolatile memory 32 with the digital still image formed in S70. The above is the processing procedure of FIG.

  The above embodiments may be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, in the above description, the updated still image to be reprogrammed is converted to the NTSC signal, but this may be changed to another moving image transmission method such as PAL or SECAM. In the above description, the still image is regarded as a moving image of only one frame. However, the still image may be changed to be regarded as a moving image in which the same image is continued in a predetermined number (a plurality of) frames. In this case, in re-conversion from a moving image to a still image, image degradation due to transmission can be avoided by taking an average (majority decision) of a plurality of frames, for example.

  Moreover, although the example of the periphery monitoring ECU was shown above, this invention is not limited to this, It can use also for other ECU which uses a camera. For example, an ECU (remote security ECU) that controls a process of taking a picture of a person who has illegally entered the vehicle by equipping a camera that captures the interior of the vehicle and breaking a window glass or the like may be used. Or ECU which controls the process which images the vehicle interior and detects the thing misplaced in the vehicle interior may be used. Alternatively, a driver's face image is taken, and image analysis (image recognition) processing is performed on the photographed image to calculate the driver's sleepiness level and the level of looking aside. ECU which controls the process which issues a warning to a driver may be used.

1 Control System 2 Vehicle 3 Perimeter Monitoring ECU (Control Device)
4 Tools 5 External storage media

Claims (7)

Non-volatile storage means for storing a program that controls the electrical equipment mounted on the vehicle, and a still image used when executing the program,
A first communication line for performing digital data communication;
A second communication line for communicating video by a video transmission method;
First update means for updating the program stored in the storage means to an update program transmitted through the first communication line;
Receiving means for receiving, via the second communication line, a moving image obtained by converting an update still image for updating the still image stored in the storage means;
Conversion means for converting the moving image received by the receiving means into the update still image;
Second update means for updating the still image stored in the storage means to an update still image converted by the conversion means;
A control device comprising: A shooting means mounted on the vehicle to shoot a video;
A third communication line for transmitting a moving image shot by the shooting means;
With
The second communication line and the third communication line are at least partially shared,
During the period in which the second update unit executes the process of updating the still image stored in the storage unit, the second update is not performed without transmitting the moving image shot by the shooting unit to the second communication line. And a control unit configured to control to transmit the moving image captured by the imaging unit to the second communication line during a period in which the unit does not execute the process of updating the still image stored in the storage unit. Item 2. The control device according to Item 1. The third communication line is a communication line arranged so as to branch from the middle of the second communication line to the photographing means;
The control unit is configured to capture the moving image so that a moving image is not output from the photographing unit to the second communication line during a period in which the second updating unit performs a process of updating the still image stored in the storage unit. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising power control means for controlling power supply to the means.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is not provided with a mounting portion for mounting an external storage medium.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving image transmission method is a moving image transmission method in television broadcasting.   The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving image transmission method is an NTSC method. Non-volatile storage means for storing a program that controls the electrical equipment mounted on the vehicle, and a still image used when executing the program,
A first communication line for performing digital data communication;
A second communication line for communicating video by a video transmission method;
A method for updating a control device comprising:
A first update step of updating the program stored in the storage means to an update program transmitted through the first communication line;
A receiving step of receiving, via the second communication line, a moving image obtained by converting an update still image for updating a still image stored in the storage unit;
A conversion step of converting the moving image received in the reception step into the update still image;
A second update step of updating the still image stored in the storage means to the update still image converted by the conversion step;
A method for updating a control device, comprising: