JP2018120438A - Electronic control device and program rewriting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make is possible to shorten the time required for reprogramming while reducing labor without limiting a reprogrammable range of an on-vehicle electronic control device.SOLUTION: A target ECU 2 connected to an on-vehicle network includes: a control unit 24 configured to perform reprogramming for rewriting a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory 22 to a rewriting target control program to be received from a Tester 5; and a communication unit 21 configured to perform communication by switching between a normal mode for communicating with a non-target ECU connected to the on-vehicle network in accordance with a common standard and a special mode for performing communication with an upper-grade standard having a communication speed higher than that in the common standard. The communication unit 21, when it receives information that designates reprogramming of the own device via the on-vehicle network, switches from the normal mode to the special mode and receives a computer program to be rewritten.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle electronic control device capable of rewriting a program and a program rewriting system including the electronic control device.

  Conventionally, it is known that many functions of a vehicle are realized by an on-vehicle electronic control device (hereinafter referred to as ECU). In addition, it is known that the improvement of functions realized by the ECU can be dealt with by rewriting the ECU program (hereinafter, reprogramming). In order to perform reprogramming of the ECU, electrical connection with the target ECU is required, but the ECU is installed in the structure of each part of the vehicle and cannot be easily accessed. Therefore, usually, by reprogramming the ECU using the transmission path of the in-vehicle network already connected to each ECU, the functions realized by the ECU are improved without the trouble of disassembling the vehicle. However, in recent years, the time required for reprogramming has become longer due to the increase in the program size as the functionality of ECUs increases.

  Therefore, techniques for reducing the time required for ECU reprogramming have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for limiting a reprogrammable program among ECU programs in advance and reducing the rewritten program size to reduce the program size.

JP 2011-133974 A

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the ECU program cannot be rewritten beyond a predetermined range. It is also conceivable to reduce the time required for reprogramming by changing the communication protocol itself used in the in-vehicle network to one having a higher communication speed. However, when the communication protocol itself used in the in-vehicle network is changed, in order to make all the ECUs connected to the in-vehicle network available, it is necessary to make all the ECUs correspond to the new communication protocol.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and its purpose is to reduce the time required for reprogramming by reducing the time and effort without limiting the reprogrammable range of the in-vehicle electronic control device. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control device and a program rewriting system that make it possible.

  The above object is achieved by a combination of the features described in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the invention. Reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate a correspondence relationship with specific means described in the embodiments described later as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic control device of the present invention is an in-vehicle electronic control device connected to an in-vehicle network to which a plurality of electronic control devices are connected, and stores a computer program stored in the own device. A reprogramming unit (24) that performs reprogramming to rewrite a computer program to be rewritten that is received via an in-vehicle network, and a normal mode that communicates with other electronic control units connected to the in-vehicle network, A communication unit (21) that can communicate by switching to a special mode in which communication is performed at a higher standard that is faster than communication in the standard, and the communication unit reprograms its own device via an in-vehicle network. When the specified information is received, the normal mode is switched to the special mode, and the computer program to be rewritten To receive.

  In order to achieve the above object, the program rewriting system of the present invention includes a target electronic control device (2) which is the above-described electronic control device, and an on-vehicle electronic control connected to an on-vehicle network in addition to the electronic control device. A non-target electronic control device (3) which is a device.

  According to these, it communicates with a higher standard whose communication speed is faster than when communicating with other electronic control units connected to the in-vehicle network, receives the computer program to be rewritten, and reprograms it. Therefore, the time required for reprogramming can be shortened without limiting the reprogrammable range of the electronic control unit. In addition, communication is possible by switching between the normal mode that communicates with a common standard and the special mode that communicates with a higher standard communication speed that is faster than that standard communication. Since communication can be performed in the special mode, it is not necessary to make all other electronic control devices connected to the in-vehicle network compliant with the higher standard. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the trouble of making all other electronic control devices connected to the in-vehicle network compatible with the higher standard. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for reprogramming while reducing labor without limiting the reprogrammable range of the on-vehicle electronic control device.

It is a figure which shows an example of a schematic structure of the program rewriting system. It is a figure which shows an example of a schematic structure of object ECU2. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the self-repro related process in object ECU2. It is a figure which shows an example of a schematic structure of non-target ECU3. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the other repro related process in non-target ECU3.

  A plurality of embodiments for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, among the embodiments, parts having the same functions as those shown in the drawings used in the explanation so far may be given the same reference numerals and explanation thereof may be omitted. is there. For the parts denoted by the same reference numerals, the description in other embodiments can be referred to.

(Embodiment 1)
<Schematic configuration of program rewriting system 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the program rewriting system 1 includes a target ECU 2, a non-target ECU 3, an in-vehicle network signal line 4, and a Tester 5.

  The target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 are electronic control devices that are mounted on a vehicle and that control devices mounted on the vehicle. A vehicle equipped with the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 is hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle. In the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3, a control unit 24 described later controls devices mounted on the host vehicle based on a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory 22 described later. This control program corresponds to the computer program of the claims.

  In the present embodiment, the target ECU 2 is an ECU that is a target of reprogramming, and the non-target ECU 3 is an ECU that is not a target of reprogramming. The target ECU 2 corresponds to the target electronic control device in the claims, and the non-target ECU 3 corresponds to the non-target electronic control device in the claims. The target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 are connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4, respectively. The on / off of the power of the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 is switched according to the on / off of the ignition power of the own vehicle. In other words, the on / off of the power source of the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 is switched according to the on / off of the ignition switch of the own vehicle. More detailed configurations of the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 will be described later.

  The in-vehicle network signal line 4 is a signal line used for the in-vehicle network. In the in-vehicle network, communication is performed according to the CAN (registered trademark) protocol. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the target ECU 2 is compatible with both the Classic CAN and CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate) standards. Classic CAN is a conventional standard, and the data length carried in one data frame is 8 bytes. On the other hand, CAN FD is a higher standard with a higher communication speed than Classic CAN, and the data length carried in one data frame is 64 bytes. The non-target ECU 3 is assumed to be compatible only with Classic CAN out of Classic CAN and CAN FD. The target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 perform communication in accordance with a common standard, Classic CAN, when controlling devices mounted on the vehicle.

  The Tester 5 is a device for causing the target ECU 2 to perform reprogramming. The Tester 5 transmits a repro start notification specifying a target (that is, the target ECU 2) to be reprogrammed. As an example, a configuration in which identification information such as an ID to be rewritten is included in a repro start notification to designate a target for reprogramming. The repro start notification command is transmitted by communication according to Classic CAN. When there is a response from the target ECU 2 to the repro start notification, the control program to be rewritten is transmitted to the target ECU 2 by communication according to CAN FD. The Tester 5 is not normally connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4 and is temporarily connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4 when rewriting (that is, reprogramming) the control program of the target ECU 2. .

  Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the two target ECUs 3 are connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration in which a number other than the two target ECUs 3 is connected. May be.

<Schematic configuration of target ECU 2>
Next, a schematic configuration of the target ECU 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the target ECU 2 includes a communication unit 21, a nonvolatile memory 22, a volatile memory 23, and a control unit 24.

  The communication unit 21 includes a communication controller 211 that performs communication according to the CAN protocol. The communication controller 211 creates a data frame and performs transmission control to send the created data frame to the in-vehicle network signal line 4 via the transceiver. The communication controller 211 also performs reception control for extracting data and messages from the data frame received by the transceiver. In addition, the communication controller 211 conforms to the CAN protocol, such as arbitration control of transmission right when a data frame collides on the in-vehicle network signal line 4, and detection and notification of an error associated with transmission / reception of the data frame. The communication control is executed accordingly.

  Furthermore, the communication controller 211 performs communication by switching between a normal mode in which communication is performed in accordance with Classic CAN and a special mode in which communication is performed in accordance with CAN FD. This switching is preferably performed by software switching instead of hardware switching such as switching between a communication controller that performs communication according to Classic CAN and a communication controller that performs communication according to CAN FD. This is because the cost of providing a plurality of communication controllers can be reduced.

  The communication controller 211 performs communication in the normal mode until the transceiver 5 receives a repro start notification designating its own device from the Tester 5. On the other hand, when the repro start notification specifying the own device is received from the Tester 5 by the transceiver, the communication is performed by switching from the normal mode to the special mode.

  The non-volatile memory 22 is a non-volatile memory such as an electrically rewritable flash memory, and stores a control program for controlling a device mounted on the own vehicle. The volatile memory 23 is a volatile memory such as a RAM, and temporarily stores information generated by the operation of the control unit 24, various information read from the nonvolatile memory 22, a control program, and the like.

  The control unit 24 is, for example, a processor, and transmits / receives information to / from the non-target ECU 3 connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4 via the communication unit 21. The control unit 24 reads the control program stored in the nonvolatile memory 22 and executes the control program based on information received from the non-target ECU 3 or the like connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4. Control the equipment installed in the vehicle. When the control unit 24 acquires the rewrite target program transmitted from the Tester 5 via the communication unit 21, the control unit 24 performs reprogramming to rewrite the control program stored in the nonvolatile memory 22 to the acquired rewrite target program. Do. Therefore, the control unit 24 corresponds to a reprogramming unit in claims.

  Note that the switching between the normal mode and the special mode in the communication unit 21 may be performed by the control unit 24 instructing based on the fact that the repro start notification designating the own device is received from the Tester 5 by the transceiver. .

<Self repro-related processing in the target ECU 2>
Here, an example of the flow of processing related to reprogramming in the target ECU 2 (hereinafter referred to as self-repro related processing) will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 3 may be configured to be started when, for example, the ignition power of the own vehicle is turned on and the power of the target ECU 2 is turned on.

  In step S1, the communication unit 21 performs communication in a normal mode in which communication according to Classic CAN is performed. The term “communication” here means that information is transmitted and received at a timing as necessary. In step S2, when the communication unit 21 receives a repro start notification designating its own device from Tester 5 (YES in S2), the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, when the communication unit 21 has not received a repro start notification for designating its own device from the Tester 5 (NO in S2), the process proceeds to Step S3.

  In step S3, if it is the end timing of the repro related process (YES in S3), the self repro related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the own repro related process (NO in S3), the process returns to S1 and the process is repeated. Examples of the end timing of the own repro-related process include a case where the ignition power of the own vehicle is turned off and the power of the target ECU 2 is turned off.

  In step S4, which is a process performed when the communication unit 21 receives a repro start notification specifying its own device, the communication unit 21 performs communication in the special mode in which communication is performed in accordance with CAN FD from communication in the normal mode. Switch to communication. In step S <b> 5, the communication unit 21 receives the rewrite target control program transmitted from the Tester 5 through communication according to CAN FD, and outputs the control program to the control unit 24. In step S6, the control unit 24 performs reprogramming to rewrite the control program stored in the non-volatile memory 22 with the control program to be rewritten acquired in S5.

  In step S7, if it is the end timing of the own repro related process (YES in S7), the own repro related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the own repro related process (NO in S7), the process of S7 is repeated. The target ECU 2 may be configured to return to the normal mode when the reprogramming is completed after switching from the normal mode to the special mode, or to return to the normal mode when the power of the target ECU 2 is turned on again. It is good also as a structure.

<Schematic configuration of non-target ECU 3>
Subsequently, a schematic configuration of the non-target ECU 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the non-target ECU 3 includes a communication unit 31, a nonvolatile memory 32, a volatile memory 33, and a control unit 34.

  The communication unit 31 includes a communication controller 311 that performs communication according to the CAN protocol. The communication controller 311 communicates with the communication controller 211 of the target ECU 2 except that communication is performed only in the normal mode of the normal mode in which communication is performed in accordance with Classic CAN and the special mode in which communication is performed in accordance with CAN FD. It is the same.

  The communication controller 311 performs communication in the normal mode until the transceiver receives a repro start notification specifying another device from the Tester 5. On the other hand, when the transceiver 5 receives a repro start notification designating another device from the Tester 5, the communication is stopped. That is, the non-target ECU 3 stops communication via the in-vehicle network when receiving information designating reprogramming other than its own device through the in-vehicle network.

  Even when communication is stopped, the non-target ECU 3 resumes communication in the normal mode when the non-target ECU 3 is turned on again after the power is turned off. Thereby, it is possible to easily return the communication of the stopped non-target ECU 3. Details are as follows. When the communication via the in-vehicle network is switched to the communication in the special mode for reprogramming in the target ECU 2, it is impossible to resume the communication of the non-target ECU 3 by the instruction by the communication in the special mode. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to resume communication in the normal mode only by turning on the power again after the non-target ECU 3 is turned off. Can be easily restored.

  The control unit 34 is the same as the control unit 24 of the target ECU 2 except that reprogramming is not performed by the rewrite target control program transmitted in the special mode. The control unit 34 may be configured not to perform reprogramming itself, or may be configured to perform reprogramming using a control program to be rewritten that is transmitted in the normal mode.

  The non-volatile memory 32 and the volatile memory 33 may be the same as the non-volatile memory 22 and the volatile memory 23 of the target ECU 2. When the control unit 34 is configured not to perform reprogramming itself, the nonvolatile memory 32 may be configured to use a non-electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a ROM.

<Repro-related processing in the excluded ECU 3>
Here, an example of a flow of processing related to processing in the non-target ECU 3 (hereinafter, other repro-related processing) when reprogramming is performed in the target ECU 2 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart in FIG. 5 may be configured to be started when, for example, the ignition power source of the host vehicle is turned on and the power source of the non-target ECU 3 is turned on.

  In step S <b> 21, the communication unit 31 performs communication in a normal mode in which communication is performed according to Classic CAN. The term “communication” here means that information is transmitted and received at a timing as necessary. In step S22, when the communication unit 21 receives a repro start notification designating another device from Tester 5 (YES in S22), the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if the communication unit 31 has not received a repro start notification designating another device from the Tester 5 (NO in S22), the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S23, when it is the end timing of the other repro related process (YES in S23), the other repro related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the other repro-related process (NO in S23), the process returns to S21 and is repeated. Examples of the end timing of the other repro-related processing include a case where the ignition power of the host vehicle is turned off and the power of the non-target ECU 3 is turned off.

  In step S24, which is a process performed when the communication unit 31 receives a repro start notification specifying another device, the communication unit 31 stops communication. When communication is stopped, no error message is returned. In step S25, if it is the end timing of the other repro related processing (YES in S25), the other repro related processing is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the other repro-related process (NO in S25), the process of S25 is repeated.

<Summary of Embodiment 1>
According to the configuration of the first embodiment, the target ECU 2 communicates with the non-target ECU 3 in the normal mode according to a common standard. Therefore, the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 communicate with each other to cooperate with each other, and the vehicle device Can be controlled. On the other hand, when performing reprogramming, the target ECU 2 switches to the special mode, communicates with a higher standard having a higher communication speed than the standard common to the non-target ECU 3, and receives a rewrite target control program from the Tester 5. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for reprogramming as compared with the case where reprogramming is performed by communication with a non-target ECU3 in accordance with a standard, without limiting the reprogrammable range of the target ECU2.

  Further, the switching to the special mode in the target ECU 2 is temporary when reprogramming is performed, and normally, the target ECU 2 can communicate with the non-target ECU 3 in accordance with the same standard. Therefore, it is not essential to make the non-target ECU 3 compatible with a higher standard. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the trouble of making all the non-target ECUs 3 connected to the in-vehicle network compatible with the higher standard.

  Further, the non-target ECU 3 that has received information specifying reprogramming other than its own device stops communication including the return of the error message, so that when the target ECU 2 is communicating with the Tester 5 in the special mode, a message collision occurs. Can be prevented from occurring. Therefore, also in this respect, the time required for reprogramming can be shortened.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, a configuration is shown in which one target ECU 2 is connected to the in-vehicle network signal line 4 as an ECU capable of reprogramming. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more ECUs that can be reprogrammed are connected. The configuration (hereinafter, Embodiment 2) may be used.

  When the second embodiment is adopted, the self-repro related processing in the target ECU 2 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 may be changed as follows. Specifically, if the communication unit 21 has not received the repro start notification specifying the own device from the Tester 5 in S2, the process proceeds to S3 if the repro start notification itself has not been received, and the repro start notification specifying the other device is received. Is received, communication may be stopped and the process may proceed to S7. After the communication is stopped in the target ECU 2, for example, the communication in the normal mode may be started when the power of the target ECU 2 is turned on again after the power is turned off.

(Embodiment 3)
In the special mode, a configuration has been shown in which the data length carried in one data frame is extended compared to the normal mode. However, in the special mode, communication controllers having different communication speeds are switched.

(Embodiment 4)
Note that the switching between the normal mode and the special mode may be performed by hardware switching such as switching between a communication controller that performs communication according to Classic CAN and a communication controller that performs communication according to CAN FD.

(Embodiment 5)
In the special mode, the configuration in which the data length carried in one data frame is extended as compared with the normal mode is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. The special mode may be configured to make the communication speed faster than the normal mode by other means.

(Embodiment 6)
In the first embodiment, the configuration in which the communication in the special mode is performed according to CAN FD and the communication in the normal mode is performed according to Classic CAN is shown, but the configuration is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the communication protocol is not limited to the CAN protocol, and other communication protocols may be used as long as the communication protocol includes a higher standard with a higher communication speed with respect to a standard with a lower communication speed.

(Embodiment 7)
In the first embodiment, the power on / off of the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 is switched according to the on / off of the ignition power of the host vehicle. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the power supply of the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3 may be switched on and off according to the on / off of a battery that supplies power to the target ECU 2 and the non-target ECU 3.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the technical means disclosed in different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 program rewriting system, 2 target ECU (electronic control device, target electronic control device), 3 non-target ECU (other electronic control device, non-target electronic control device), 4 signal line for in-vehicle network, 5 Tester, 21 communication unit , 22 Non-volatile memory, 23 Volatile memory, 24 Control unit (reprogramming unit), 31 Communication unit, 32 Non-volatile memory, 33 Volatile memory, 34 Control unit

Claims (6)

An in-vehicle electronic control device connected to an in-vehicle network to which a plurality of electronic control devices are connected,
A reprogramming unit (24) for performing reprogramming to rewrite a computer program stored in the own device into a computer program to be rewritten received via the in-vehicle network;
Communication is possible by switching between a normal mode in which communication is performed with a common standard with other electronic control devices connected to the in-vehicle network, and a special mode in which communication is performed with a higher standard having a higher communication speed than communication with the standard. A communication unit (21),
When the communication unit receives information specifying reprogramming of its own device via the in-vehicle network, the communication unit switches from the normal mode to the special mode and receives the computer program to be rewritten . In claim 1,
The electronic control device, wherein the communication unit performs switching between the normal mode and the special mode by switching software instead of switching hardware. In claim 1 or 2,
In the special mode, an electronic control device in which a data length carried in one data frame is extended as compared with the normal mode. A target electronic control device (2) which is the electronic control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A program rewriting system including a non-target electronic control device (3) which is an in-vehicle electronic control device connected to the in-vehicle network in addition to the electronic control device. In claim 4,
The non-target electronic control device is a program rewriting system that stops communication when receiving information specifying reprogramming other than its own device via the in-vehicle network. In claim 5,
Even if the non-target electronic control device receives information specifying reprogramming other than its own device via the in-vehicle network and stops communication, the non-target electronic control device again after powering off the non-target electronic control device. Program rewriting system that resumes communication when the power is turned on.

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