JP2016110502A - Electronic controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic controller, capable of determining whether or not, abnormality of a calculation part is temporary abnormality or permanent abnormality, when a calculation result on any of the calculation parts is different from that of other calculation parts, and then properly coping with the abnormality.SOLUTION: An electronic controller 10 is configured so that: when a determination part 130 for determining whether or not, calculation results of respective calculation units are equal, determines that, a first calculation result and a second calculation result are not equal, the calculation unit 110 and calculation unit 120 execute a function corresponding to a function address stored in a second storage part 152, again, using input information PR stored in a first storage part 151.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic control device in which the same calculation is executed in parallel in a plurality of calculation units.

  Electronic control apparatuses for automobiles are required to always perform accurate control. Therefore, after having a configuration including a plurality of CPUs for controlling calculations, the same calculation is executed in parallel in each CPU, and control is performed while confirming that all the calculation results are the same. A system (lockstep system) electronic control device has been put into practical use (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

  In addition to the aspect in which a plurality of CPUs perform the same calculation as described above, the lockstep type electronic control device includes a mode in which a plurality of cores provided in a single CPU perform the same calculation. Sometimes it is done. Hereinafter, a plurality of CPUs or cores provided to perform the same calculation are collectively referred to as “calculation unit”.

  In the electronic control device described in Patent Document 1 below, when it is detected that the calculation results in some of the calculation units are different from the others, by causing the respective diagnostic units to execute self-diagnostic software, It is supposed to specify the generated calculation unit. If the diagnosis result (calculation result obtained by executing the self-diagnosis software) in some calculation units indicates an abnormality, it means that some abnormality has occurred in the calculation unit. Therefore, the use of the calculation result from the calculation unit is interrupted, and thereafter, control is performed using only the calculation result from the normal calculation unit.

  Moreover, when the diagnosis result in all the arithmetic units shows an abnormality, it means that some abnormality has occurred in all the arithmetic units. Therefore, fail safe software whose operation is guaranteed is executed in each arithmetic unit to ensure safety.

JP 2012-68788 A

  By the way, after it is detected that the calculation results in some calculation units are different from others, all the diagnosis results may be normal even though the self-diagnosis software is executed. One of the causes of such a phenomenon is that, for example, an abnormality that has occurred in the arithmetic unit is temporary due to the influence of noise or the like, and when the self-diagnosis software is executed, the abnormality has been resolved. It is possible that

  Another possible cause is that the abnormality was not detected by the self-diagnosis software although a permanent abnormality occurred in some or all of the arithmetic units.

  In the electronic control device described in Patent Document 1, if the diagnosis result by the self-diagnosis software is normal in all the arithmetic units, is the difference in the arithmetic result caused by a temporary abnormality in the arithmetic unit, or ( It cannot be distinguished whether the error occurred due to a permanent abnormality of the arithmetic unit (which cannot be detected by self-diagnosis software).

  For this reason, in the electronic control device described in Patent Document 1, when all the diagnosis results are normal, in view of the possibility that permanent abnormality has occurred in at least some of the arithmetic units, fail-safe Software is executed in all arithmetic units. Actually, there is no permanent abnormality in the computing unit, and even if only a temporary abnormality occurs, fail-safe software is always executed, so even if there is no abnormality in the software, fail-safe There is a problem that will work.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to temporarily detect abnormalities in the arithmetic units when it is detected that the arithmetic results in some of the arithmetic units differ from others. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic control device that can accurately discriminate whether it is a permanent one or a permanent one, and can appropriately take subsequent actions.

  In order to solve the above problems, the electronic control device according to the present invention is an electronic control device in which the same operation is executed in parallel in a plurality of operation units, and the operation results in each operation unit are always compared. A comparison determination unit that determines whether the calculation results are the same as each other, and a first storage unit and a second storage unit for temporarily storing information. When each arithmetic unit executes a function described to perform processing using the input information, the processing unit stores the input information in the first storage unit, the function address that is the function storage location, and the second function address. The process of storing in the storage unit is configured to be executed in advance immediately before executing the function. When the comparison determination unit determines that the respective calculation results are not the same as each other, the respective calculation units store the second storage unit using the input information stored in the first storage unit. The function corresponding to the function address being executed is executed again.

  In the electronic control device as described above, when it is determined that the calculation results of the plurality of calculation units are not the same as each other, the input information stored in the first storage unit is used to store the second storage unit. The function corresponding to the function address being executed is executed again. That is, the same calculation as that performed immediately before it is determined that the calculation results are not the same is re-executed in all the calculation units under the same conditions as the previous time.

  For example, when the calculation result after the function is executed again is the same in all the calculation units, it can be estimated that what has occurred in the calculation unit is a temporary abnormality. Moreover, when the calculation result after the function is executed again is not the same in all the calculation units, it can be estimated that a permanent abnormality has occurred in at least some of the calculation units.

  In other words, in the present invention, the abnormality that has occurred in the calculation unit is temporarily caused by the same calculation performed immediately before it is determined that the calculation results are not the same, not by the self-diagnosis software prepared in advance. It is determined whether it was a thing. When a permanent abnormality has occurred in the calculation unit, the result of the calculation is surely inconsistent, so that the above determination can be made accurately and the subsequent response can be taken appropriately.

  According to the present invention, when it is detected that the calculation results in some of the calculation units are different from the others, is the abnormality of the calculation units temporary or permanent? Therefore, it is possible to provide an electronic control device that can accurately discriminate between the above and appropriately take subsequent actions.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the electronic control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed by the electronic control apparatus shown by FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed by the electronic control apparatus shown by FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating input information and a function.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate the understanding of the description, the same constituent elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The electronic control device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device that is provided in a vehicle (not shown) and controls various operations (for example, fuel injection) of the vehicle. The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to such an electronic control device for a vehicle, and can be applied to all electronic control devices for controlling devices. In particular, it is desirable that the present invention be applied to an electronic control device for equipment that requires precise control for the safety of the user.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a computing unit 110, a computing unit 120, a determination unit 130, a nonvolatile memory 140, and a volatile memory 150. .

  The computing unit 110 and the computing unit 120 are central processing units (CPUs) having the same configuration. Calculations executed when the electronic control device 10 performs control are executed by the calculator 110 and the calculator 120. Specifically, different calculations are not performed by the calculator 110 and the calculator 120, but the same calculation is performed in parallel and synchronously. For this reason, if both the computing unit 110 and the computing unit 120 are operating normally, the respective computation results will always match. On the other hand, when an abnormality occurs in at least one of the computing units (110, 120), the respective computation results usually do not match.

  As will be described in detail later, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 110 is configured to always check that the calculation result matches the calculation result of the calculator 120 while performing the calculation as the main calculation unit. ing. If the calculation result of the calculation unit 110 is different from the calculation result of the calculation unit 120, is the cause a permanent abnormality generated in the calculation unit 110 or the calculation unit 120 or a temporary abnormality? Continue the determination.

  The determination unit 130 is a part that monitors the calculation results of the calculator 110 and the calculator 120 and determines whether or not they match each other. The determination unit 130 includes a register (hereinafter referred to as “comparison result register”) for storing the determination result. When the calculation result of the calculator 110 (hereinafter also referred to as “first calculation result”) matches the calculation result of the calculator 120 (hereinafter also referred to as “second calculation result”), that is, the calculator. When both 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 are operating normally, 0 is written in the comparison result register. When the first calculation result and the second calculation result do not match each other, that is, when an abnormality occurs in at least one of the calculator 110 and the calculator 120, 1 is written in the comparison result register.

  The nonvolatile memory 140 is a so-called ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a storage device in which a part of a program executed by the computing units 110 and 120, a control parameter set as a fixed value, and the like are stored. is there. Information stored in the nonvolatile memory 140 is referred to by both the computing unit 110 and the computing unit 120.

  The volatile memory 150 is a so-called RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a part of a program executed by the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120, and information (variable values, etc.) used when processing of the program is performed. ) Is temporarily stored. Information stored in the volatile memory 150 is referred to by both the computing unit 110 and the computing unit 120. Information is also written to the volatile memory 150 from both the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120.

  The volatile memory 150 includes a first storage unit 151 and a second storage unit 152 as a part for temporarily storing information. Note that the volatile memory 150 as a whole is for temporarily storing information, but for convenience of later explanation, a part of the volatile memory 150 is in particular the first storage unit 151 and the second storage unit 152. It is written. Information stored in each of these will be described later.

  A flow of processing when a program is executed in the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 will be described. The program is stored in the nonvolatile memory 140 and is described in a form including a plurality of functions. Here, the function is a group of instructions described to perform processing using various information (input information) stored in the volatile memory 150, for example.

  FIG. 4 shows a simple example of a function written in C language. When the function “example” is executed by passing two integer arguments (int a, int b), it returns the product (int a * b) of these arguments. In this example, when the function “example” is executed, an operation using the values of the variable a and the variable b as arguments is performed. Information (variable values) used for calculation processing within the function, such as the values of the variables a and b, will be collectively referred to as “input information PR” below. Note that the input information PR may include not only information that is passed to a function as an argument, but also the value of a global variable defined outside the function.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 shows the flow of processing performed each time in the electronic control device 10 when a function included in the program is executed. Specifically, the program is described so that a part of the processing (S101 to S103) shown in FIG. 2 is performed each time a function in the program is executed. Among the processes shown in FIG. 2, in the processes from step S101 to step S107, the arithmetic unit 110 performs the process as the control side, and the arithmetic unit 120 performs the process as the monitoring side. Of the processes shown in FIG. 2, the processes after step S <b> 104 are performed only by the computing unit 110.

  In the first step S101, all the values of the input information PR used for the function to be executed (executed in the subsequent step S103) are stored (copied) in the first storage unit 151. Specifically, for example, a structure having member variables corresponding to the variables included in the input information PR is prepared in advance, and the value of each member variable of the structure is matched with the value of the input information PR. The structure may be stored in the first storage unit 151. Since the type (type and size) and number of variables included in the input information PR vary depending on the function, the above-described structure may be prepared for each function.

  In step S <b> 102 following step S <b> 101, the storage location (address in the nonvolatile memory 140) of the function to be executed is stored in the second storage unit 152. The function storage location is information stored in a variable described in the program as a so-called “function pointer”.

  In step S103 following step S102, the function is executed. In step S104 following step S103, the value of the comparison result register is read. As already described, the comparison result register is a register provided in the determination unit 130. When the first calculation result and the second calculation result match, 0 is written, and the first calculation result and the first calculation result 2 is a register to which 1 is written when the operation result does not match. In the present embodiment, every time one instruction is executed by the calculator 110 and the calculator 120, the determination unit 130 compares the first calculation result and the second calculation result, and based on the comparison result. A value is written to the comparison result register.

  For this reason, the value of the comparison result register read in step S104 is a value indicating whether the result of the process (function execution) in step S103 matches between the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120.

  In step S105 following step S104, the value of the comparison result register read in step S104 is stored in a flash memory (not shown) provided in the electronic control unit 10.

  In step S106 following step S105, it is determined whether or not the value of the comparison result register read in step S104 is 0, that is, whether or not the first calculation result and the second calculation result match. When the value of the comparison result register is 0, the series of processes shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the next function is executed in the program, the processing shown in FIG. 2 is executed again. That is, in step S103, the next function following the previous function is executed.

  If the value of the comparison result register is 1 in step S106, the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, both the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 are simultaneously reset (restarted).

  Processing performed immediately after the computing units 110 and 120 are reset will be described with reference to FIG. In the series of processing shown in FIG. 3, the arithmetic unit 110 performs processing as the control side, and the arithmetic unit 120 performs processing as the monitoring side.

  In the first step S201, the value of the comparison result register is read from the flash memory. The value of the comparison result register read here is the value stored in the flash memory in step S105 shown in FIG. 2 immediately before the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 are reset.

  In step S202 following step S201, it is determined whether or not the value of the comparison result register read in step S201 is 0, that is, whether or not the first calculation result and the second calculation result before the reset match. Is done. If the value of the comparison result register is 0, the series of processes shown in FIG. Thereafter, a series of processes described with reference to FIG. 2 is executed.

  In step S202, when the value of the comparison result register is 1, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the value of the input information PR stored in the first storage unit 151 is read, and the value is substituted for all variables used in the function. The function here is a function executed by the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 immediately before the reset is executed. In other words, it is a function executed immediately before the first calculation result and the second calculation result do not match.

  In step S204 subsequent to step S203, the value stored in the second storage unit 152 (the value stored in the function pointer) is read.

  In step S205 following step S204, the function corresponding to the function pointer read in step S204 (the function stored at the address stored in the function pointer) is executed. In step S205, the function executed immediately before the first calculation result and the second calculation result do not coincide with each other again under the same condition as the previous time (immediately before the first calculation result and the second calculation result do not coincide). Executed.

  In step S206 following step S205, the value of the comparison result register is read in the same manner as in step S104 of FIG.

  In step S207 following step S206, it is determined whether or not the value of the comparison result register read in step S206 is 0, that is, whether or not the first calculation result and the second calculation result match. . If the value of the comparison result register is 0, the process proceeds to step S208.

  The transition to step S208 means that when a calculation in which the first calculation result and the second calculation result did not match in the previous time is executed again under the same condition (step S205), this time, the first calculation result and the second calculation result are the same. That is, the two operation results match. For this reason, the reason why the first calculation result and the second calculation result did not match in the previous time (before reset) is not due to a permanent abnormality occurring in the calculator 110 or 120. This is presumed to be caused by a temporary abnormality caused by the influence of noise or the like.

  For this reason, in step S208, what has occurred in either the computing unit 110 or the computing unit 120 is a temporary abnormality, and at present, both the computing unit 110 and the computing unit 120 are functioning normally. It is determined. Thereafter, a series of processing described with reference to FIG. 2 is executed (step S209).

  If the value of the comparison result register is 1 in step S207, the process proceeds to step S210.

  The transition to step S210 means that the first calculation result and the second calculation result that were not matched in the previous time are re-executed under the same conditions. Does not match. For this reason, the reason why the first calculation result and the second calculation result did not match in the previous time (before reset) is presumed to be due to a permanent abnormality occurring in the calculator 110 or 120. .

  For this reason, in step S210, it is a permanent abnormality that has occurred in either the computing unit 110 or the computing unit 120, and the computing unit 110 or the computing unit 120 (or both) functions normally even at the present time. It is determined that this is not possible.

  In step S211 following step S210, processing corresponding to the abnormality is appropriately executed as necessary. For example, when the control target is a vehicle as in the present embodiment, a series of processes necessary for safely stopping the vehicle, that is, fail-safe processes are executed.

  In addition, a process for inspecting the specific cause of the abnormality occurring in the computing unit 110 or the computing unit 120 in more detail may be performed. As a result of the processing, if it is found that the abnormality that has occurred in the computing unit 110 or the computing unit 120 is minor, even if processing that continues running of the vehicle is performed while limiting some functions. Good.

  As described above, in the electronic control device 10 according to the present embodiment, when it is determined that the calculation results of the two calculators (110, 120) are not the same as each other, they are stored in the first storage unit 151. The function corresponding to the function address stored in the second storage unit 152 is executed again using the input information PR stored (step S205). In other words, the same calculation as that executed immediately before it is determined that the calculation results are not identical to each other is executed again in all the calculators (110, 120) under the same conditions as the previous time.

  Thereafter, the respective computation results in the two computing units (110, 120) are compared again (step S207). When the first calculation result and the second calculation result match each other, it is determined that both the calculator 110 and the calculator 120 are normal (step S208). If the first calculation result and the second calculation result again do not coincide with each other, it is determined that a permanent abnormality has occurred in at least one of the calculator 110 or the calculator 120 (step S210), and the necessary countermeasures are taken. (Step S211).

  In other words, in the present embodiment, the arithmetic unit (110, 120) is caused not by the self-diagnostic software prepared in advance but by the same calculation as that performed immediately before it is determined that the calculation results are not the same. It is determined whether the abnormality was temporary. If a permanent abnormality has occurred, the result of the calculation will certainly be inconsistent, so that the above determination can be made accurately, and the subsequent response can be taken appropriately.

  In the present embodiment, both the arithmetic unit 110 and the arithmetic unit 120 are simultaneously reset (restarted) before the same function is executed again under the same conditions as the previous time. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the function from being re-executed while the computing unit 110 or the like is in an unstable state due to a temporary abnormality or the like. Since an abnormality is determined in a stable state after reset, it is accurately determined whether the abnormality that has occurred in the arithmetic unit 110 or the like is permanent.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. In other words, those specific examples that have been appropriately modified by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention. For example, the elements included in each of the specific examples described above and their arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, but can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

10: Electronic control device 110: Operation unit 120: Operation unit 130: Overall control unit 140: Non-volatile memory 150: Volatile memory 151 1: First storage unit 152: Second storage unit

Claims (5)

An electronic control device (10) in which the same calculation is executed in parallel in a plurality of calculation units (110, 120),
A comparison determination unit (130) that always compares the calculation results in the respective calculation units and determines whether or not the calculation results are the same;
A first storage unit (151) and a second storage unit (152) for temporarily storing information,
Each said calculation part is
When executing a function described to perform processing using input information (PR),
Processing for storing the input information in the first storage unit (S101);
A process of storing the function address, which is the storage location of the function, in the second storage unit (S102);
Is configured to be executed in advance immediately before executing the function,
When the comparison determination unit determines that the calculation results are not the same,
By each said calculation part,
The electronic control apparatus, wherein the function corresponding to the function address stored in the second storage unit is executed again using the input information stored in the first storage unit. After the function corresponding to the function address stored in the second storage unit is executed again using the input information stored in the first storage unit,
The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not an abnormality that has occurred in the arithmetic unit is permanent based on a determination result of the comparison determination unit. After the function corresponding to the function address stored in the second storage unit is executed again using the input information stored in the first storage unit,
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the comparison / determination unit determines that the calculation results are the same as each other, the abnormality generated in the calculation unit is determined to be temporary. The electronic control apparatus as described in.   When it is determined that the abnormality that has occurred in the arithmetic unit is permanent, fail-safe processing for safely stopping the operation is performed, and the abnormality that has occurred in the arithmetic unit is temporary. The electronic control device according to claim 3, wherein the fail-safe process is not executed when it is determined that the electronic control device is present.   Before the function corresponding to the function address stored in the second storage unit is executed again using the input information stored in the first storage unit, each of the arithmetic units The electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control device is reset.

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