JP2019009639A - On-vehicle communication system, on-vehicle relay device, and relay program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle communication system, an on-vehicle relay device and a relay program, which can reduce a processing load of the on-vehicle relay device.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle communication system includes: a plurality of on-vehicle relay devices which relay communication between communication branch lines; one or a plurality of communication trunk lines which connects the plurality of on-vehicle relay devices; a plurality of communication branch lines connected to the on-vehicle relay devices; and one or a plurality of on-vehicle control devices connected to the communication branch lines. When a message, received from the on-vehicle control device through the self-communication branch line, is a message to be transmitted to an on-vehicle control device connected to a communication branch line other than the self-communication branch line, each on-vehicle relay device transmits the message to the other on-vehicle relay device through the communication trunk line. Further, the on-vehicle relay device transmits an update program or data, received from an update device which is connected to a vehicle connector, to the on-vehicle control device of an update target.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle communication system in which an in-vehicle relay device relays communication between a plurality of in-vehicle control devices, and an in-vehicle relay device and a relay program used in this system.

  The vehicle is equipped with a large number of on-board control devices such as an electronic control unit (ECU), and these devices are connected via a communication line, and operate cooperatively by exchanging information by transmitting and receiving messages. When the number of control devices mounted on a vehicle increases, there is an upper limit on the number of devices that can be connected to one communication line. Therefore, a plurality of communication lines are provided in a vehicle and a plurality of communication lines are connected to a gateway. In many cases, the in-vehicle relay device is configured to relay a message between communication lines.

  In addition, the in-vehicle control device performs various processes by a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) executing a program. For example, it may be necessary to update the program due to version upgrade or defect correction. For example, the update of the program is performed by connecting an update device storing an update program to a connector provided in the vehicle, transmitting the update program from the update device to the in-vehicle relay device, and the in-vehicle relay device being updated. An update program is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device that receives the update program rewrites the program stored in its own memory or the like.

  In Patent Document 1, in a network configuration in which a rewrite device and a plurality of rewrite target ECUs are connected by the same bus, the rewrite device uses a specific ID that is determined in advance to simultaneously transmit data to all rewrite target ECUs. A program rewriting method has been proposed in which the program is rewritten in parallel to reduce the rewriting time.

JP 2014-194688 A

  In recent years, the number of in-vehicle control devices mounted on a vehicle has further increased, and there is a problem that the processing load of message relay by the in-vehicle relay device increases. Further, when rewriting the program of the in-vehicle control device, the processing load of the in-vehicle relay device further increases, and there is a possibility that a long time is required for the program rewrite processing.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an in-vehicle communication system, an in-vehicle relay device, and a relay program that can reduce the processing load of the in-vehicle relay device. .

  An in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention includes a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices connected to a plurality of communication branch lines to which one or a plurality of in-vehicle control devices are connected, and relaying communication between the plurality of communication branch lines, The plurality of in-vehicle relay devices are connected via one or a plurality of communication trunk lines, each of the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices has a message transmission processing unit, and the message transmission processing unit is connected to its own communication branch line. When the message received from the in-vehicle control device is a message to be transmitted to the in-vehicle control device connected to a communication branch line other than its own communication branch line, the other in-vehicle device to which the in-vehicle control device to receive the message is connected The message is transmitted to the relay apparatus via the communication trunk line.

  In addition, an in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention is provided in a vehicle and is stored in the in-vehicle control device via a data exchanging unit that exchanges data with an apparatus outside the vehicle, and the data exchanging unit. An update device that transmits a program or data for updating the program or data to the in-vehicle relay device, and the in-vehicle relay device updates the program or data for update received from the update device. And an update program transmission processing unit for transmitting to.

  In the in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention, the data transfer unit is a connector to which the update device is detachably connected by wire.

  In the in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention, the data exchange unit is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with the update device.

  In addition, an in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention includes a communication line that connects the data transmission / reception unit and the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices, and the update device includes the plurality of the communication units via the data transmission / reception unit and the communication line. An update program or data is transmitted to the in-vehicle relay device.

  Further, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention, the update program transmission processing unit of each in-vehicle relay device updates the update program or data for updating the in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch line. When received from the device via the data transfer unit and the communication line, the received update program or data is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device to be updated, and other than the in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch line When an update program or data to be updated is received, the received update program or data is discarded.

  The in-vehicle relay device according to the present invention receives a program or data for updating the program or data stored in the in-vehicle control device from the update device in the in-vehicle relay device that relays communication between a plurality of communication lines. And an update program transmission processing unit that transmits the update program or data received by the reception unit to the in-vehicle control device to be updated via the communication line, and the update program transmission process When the receiving unit receives an update program or data for updating the in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line, the unit transmits the received update program or data to the in-vehicle control device to be updated. When the update program or data for update other than the in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line is received, the received update Characterized by discarding programs or data.

  The relay program according to the present invention receives from the update device a program or data for updating the program or data stored in the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle relay device that relays communication between a plurality of communication lines. When the update program or data for updating the vehicle-mounted control device connected to the communication line is received, the received update program or data is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted control device for update, and the communication line When an update program or data that is an update target other than the vehicle-mounted control device connected to the PC is received, a process of discarding the received update program or data is executed.

  In the present invention, the in-vehicle communication system includes a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices. A plurality of in-vehicle relay devices are connected via one or a plurality of communication trunk lines, a plurality of communication branch lines are connected to each in-vehicle relay device, and one or a plurality of in-vehicle control devices are connected to each communication branch line. The in-vehicle relay device receives a message from the in-vehicle control device through one communication branch line connected to itself, and the received message should be transmitted to the in-vehicle control device connected to another communication branch line connected to itself. If so, the message is relayed to another communication branch line. The in-vehicle relay device receives a message from the in-vehicle control device through one communication branch line connected to itself, and the received message is a communication branch line other than the communication branch line connected to itself (that is, another in-vehicle relay device). If the message is to be transmitted to the in-vehicle control device connected to the communication branch line connected to), this message is transmitted to the other in-vehicle relay device via the communication trunk line. Thereby, the processing load concerning message relay can be distributed to a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices, and the processing load of each in-vehicle relay device can be reduced.

In the present invention, the vehicle is provided with a data transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving data to / from a device outside the vehicle, and the update device having an update program or data for the in-vehicle control device is mounted on the vehicle via the data transmission / reception unit. An update program or data is transmitted to the relay device. The data transmission / reception unit may be, for example, a connector for connecting the update device by wire, or a wireless communication device for performing wireless communication with the update device.
The in-vehicle relay device that has received the update program or data from the update device performs update processing by transmitting it to the in-vehicle control device to be updated. Thus, the in-vehicle control device can update the program or data by receiving the update program or data from the in-vehicle relay device and rewriting the stored contents of the memory.

When the data exchange unit and any one of a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices are connected via a communication line, the in-vehicle control device to be updated is directly connected to one in-vehicle relay device connected to the data exchange unit. If not connected via a communication branch line, one in-vehicle relay device needs to relay an update program or data to another in-vehicle relay device to which the in-vehicle control device to be updated is connected. As the number of in-vehicle relay devices interposed from the update device to the in-vehicle control device to be updated increases, the time required for the update process may increase.
Therefore, in the in-vehicle communication system of the present invention including a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices, a communication line for connecting the data transfer unit and the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices is provided. The update program or data transmitted from the update device is directly given to the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices via the data transfer unit and the communication line. Even if the in-vehicle control device to be updated is connected to any in-vehicle relay device, an update program or data is directly given to the in-vehicle relay device from the update device. It is possible to reduce the number of apparatuses intervening until the update processing time is increased.

  In the present invention, when the in-vehicle relay device receives an update program or data from the update device via the data transfer unit and the communication line, the update program or data is connected to the communication branch line connected to itself. It is determined whether or not the connected in-vehicle control device is to be updated. When an in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch is an update target, the in-vehicle relay device transmits the update program or data received from the update device to the update-target in-vehicle control device via the communication branch. . On the other hand, when an in-vehicle controller connected to a communication branch other than its own communication branch (that is, a communication branch connected to another in-vehicle relay device) is an update target, the in-vehicle relay device is an update program. Alternatively, the data is discarded without transmitting the other in-vehicle relay device. Accordingly, each in-vehicle relay device only needs to set the in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch line as the target of the update process, and thus can reduce the load related to the update process.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices are provided, and a message load between the in-vehicle control devices is configured to be transmitted and received through the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices, so that the processing load related to message relay is increased. It can be distributed to the devices, and the processing load of each in-vehicle relay device can be reduced.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a gateway. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of ECU. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the relay process which a gateway performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the update process which a gateway performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system which concerns on the modification 2. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system which concerns on the modification 3.

<System overview>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a plurality of ECUs 2 mounted on a vehicle 1 transmit and receive messages via a communication trunk line 1a, a communication branch line 1b, and a gateway 4. Specifically, two gateways 4 are mounted on the vehicle 1, and the two gateways 4 are connected via the communication trunk line 1a and can transmit and receive messages to and from each other. Each communication branch line 1b is connected to each gateway 4, and a plurality of ECUs 2 are connected to each communication branch line 1b. Each ECU 2 can directly transmit / receive a message to / from another ECU 2 connected to the common communication branch line 1b via the communication branch line 1b. Further, the ECU 2 can perform indirect message transmission / reception via the gateway 4 with another ECU 2 that is not connected to the common communication branch line 1b and connected to another communication branch line 1b.

  When the gateway 4 receives a message from the ECU 2 via the communication branch line 1b connected to the gateway 4, the gateway 4 determines whether or not the received message needs to be relayed based on, for example, a relay table stored in advance, and the message that needs to be relayed. Determine the relay destination. The message relay destination may include one or a plurality of communication branch lines 1 b connected to itself and a communication trunk line 1 a connected between the other gateways 4. When the received message is a message to be transmitted to the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, the gateway 4 transmits the message to the communication branch line 1b. When the gateway 4 is a message to be transmitted to the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b of the other gateway 4, the gateway 4 transmits a message to the communication trunk line 1a. The message relay destination by the gateway 4 does not have to be one, and the message may be transmitted to both the communication trunk line 1a and the communication branch line 1b.

  In addition, the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a connector 6 for detachably connecting an external device, for example, in an appropriate place such as in the vicinity of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment or in the engine room. The connector 6 can exchange data with a connected external device. The connector 6 can be called by a name such as a diagnostic connector, for example. For example, the updating device 7 can be detachably connected to the connector 6 via a communication cable 7a. In the vehicle 1, the connector 6 is connected to two gateways 4 via update communication lines 1 c. Thus, when the update device 7 is connected to the connector, the message transmitted by the update device 7 is received by the two gateways 4 via the connector 6 and the update communication line 1c.

  In the present embodiment, the ECU 2 can perform various processes such as travel control of the vehicle 1 by causing the processor to execute a program stored in, for example, a flash memory. The program stored in the ECU 2 and the data associated therewith may need to be updated, for example, for the purpose of version upgrade or defect correction. The update device 7 is a device for performing a process of updating a program or data stored in the ECU 2. The update device 7 is a device provided in, for example, a dealer of the vehicle 1 or a maintenance factory, and is a device that can be carried by an operator who performs maintenance of the vehicle 1 or the like. The update device 7 downloads and stores an update program or data (hereinafter simply referred to as an update program) of the ECU 2 from, for example, a server device (not shown), and the communication cable is connected to the connector 6 of the vehicle 1. After being connected via 7a, the stored update program is transmitted to the vehicle 1.

  The update program transmitted from the update device 7 is received by the two gateways 4 via the communication cable 7a, the connector 6, and the update communication line 1c. The gateway 4 determines whether or not the received update program is used for updating the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b. For example, the update device 7 transmits the identification information of the ECU 2 to be updated using the update program. The gateway 4 stores, for example, the identification information of all ECUs 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, and the identification information attached to the update program received from the update device 7 in the stored identification information It can be determined whether or not the received update program is used for updating the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b depending on whether or not there is a match.

  When the gateway 4 determines that the update program received from the update device 7 is used to update the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, the gateway 4 updates the communication branch line 1b to which this ECU 2 is connected. Send. The ECU 2 that has received the update program from the gateway 4 updates the program by rewriting the program stored in its own memory with the received update program. When the gateway 4 determines that the update program received from the update device 7 is not used for updating the ECU 2 connected to its communication branch line 1b, the gateway 4 discards the update program.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of ECUs 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 have different functions, perform different processes, and are different devices both in terms of hardware and software. On the other hand, the two gateways 4 mounted on the vehicle 1 may be the same device in terms of hardware, and information related to the operation (for example, the message relay destination and the connected ECU 2 of the ECU 2). Information such as identification information) can be set appropriately. However, the two gateways 4 may employ apparatuses having different hardware configurations.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the gateway 4. The gateway 4 according to the present embodiment includes a processing unit 41, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 43, a first communication unit 44, a second communication unit 45, an update communication unit 46, and the like. Configured. The processing unit (processor) 41 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or MPU, for example, and performs various arithmetic processing and control processing by reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 42. Can do. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 41 reads and executes the relay program 42a stored in the ROM 42, thereby performing message relay processing, ECU 2 update processing, and the like.

  The ROM (storage) 42 is configured by using a non-volatile memory element that can rewrite data, such as a flash memory or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The ROM 42 stores a program executed by the processing unit 41, data necessary for executing the program, and the like. In the present embodiment, the ROM 42 sets the relay program 42a executed by the processing unit 41, the relay table 42b in which information necessary for the relay processing of the processing unit 41 is set, and information necessary for the update processing of the processing unit 41. ECU information 42c is stored. The relay table 42b stores, for example, identification information attached to a message transmitted / received between the ECUs 2 and a communication line (communication trunk line 1a and / or communication branch line 1b) to which the message having the identification information is to be relayed. It is a thing. The ECU information 42c stores the communication branch line 1b connected to the gateway 4 and the identification information of the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b in association with each other. The ECU information 42c may further store, for example, program version information of the ECU 2.

  The RAM 43 is configured by using a data rewritable memory element such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The processing unit 41 can temporarily store, for example, a message to be relayed received from the ECU 2 in the RAM 43. The processing unit 41 can temporarily store the update program received from the update device 7 in the RAM 43.

  The first communication unit 44 is connected to the communication trunk line 1 a and transmits and receives messages to and from other gateways 4. The first communication unit 44 communicates with another gateway 4 according to a communication protocol such as CAN (Controller Area Network) or Ethernet (registered trademark). For example, when a CAN communication protocol is employed, the first communication unit 44 can be configured using a transceiver IC (Integrated Circuit) such as a CAN controller. The 1st communication part 44 transmits a message by converting the message for transmission given as digital data from the process part 41 into an electrical signal, and outputting it to the communication trunk line 1a. The first communication unit 44 receives a message by sampling and acquiring the potential of the communication trunk line 1 a, and gives the received message to the processing unit 41.

  A plurality of (three in the illustrated example) second communication units 45 are provided in the gateway 4. The 2nd communication part 45 is connected to the communication branch line 1b, respectively, and transmits / receives a message between one or some ECU2 connected to the communication branch line 1b. The second communication unit 45 performs communication according to a communication protocol such as CAN or Ethernet. The 2nd communication part 45 transmits a message by converting the message for transmission given as digital data from the processing part 41 into an electric signal, and outputting it to the communication branch line 1b. Further, the second communication unit 45 receives a message by sampling and acquiring the potential of the communication branch line 1 b, and gives the received message to the processing unit 41.

  The update communication unit 46 is connected to the update communication line 1 c and transmits / receives a message to / from an external device such as the update device 7 connected to the connector 6. The update communication unit 46 communicates with an external device according to a communication protocol such as CAN, Ethernet, or USB (Universal Serial Bus). The update communication unit 46 transmits the message by converting the message for transmission given as digital data from the processing unit 41 into an electrical signal and outputting it to the update communication line 1c. Further, the update communication unit 46 receives a message by sampling and acquiring the potential of the update communication line 1c, and gives the received message to the processing unit 41.

  Note that the first communication unit 44, the second communication unit 45, and the update communication unit 46 may have the same configuration as long as the same communication protocol is adopted, and need not be distinguished. For example, if all communication is performed using a CAN communication protocol, each of the first communication unit 44, the second communication unit 45, and the update communication unit 46 may be configured using a CAN controller or the like. In the case of this configuration, the gateway 4 is equipped with five CAN controllers, which do not need to be distinguished from each other, and are considered to be the first communication unit 44 connected to the communication trunk line 1a and connected to the communication branch line 1b. May be regarded as the second communication unit 45, and the update communication unit 46 connected to the update communication line 1c.

  In the gateway 4 according to the present embodiment, the processing unit 41 reads and executes the relay program 42a stored in the ROM 42, so that the relay processing unit 41a, the update processing unit 41b, etc. Realized as a block. The relay processing unit 41a performs processing for relaying message transmission / reception between the ECUs 2. When the relay processing unit 41a receives a message from the ECU 2 at the second communication unit 45 via the communication branch line 1b, the relay processing unit 41a determines whether or not to relay the received message, and determines a relay destination if relaying is necessary. Perform the process. When the relay processing unit 41a receives a message from another gateway 4 at the first communication unit 44 via the communication trunk line 1a, the relay processing unit 41a performs processing for determining a relay destination.

  At this time, the relay processing unit 41a refers to the relay table 42b stored in the ROM 42 based on the identification information included in the received message. In the relay table 42b, the identification information attached to the message is stored in association with the communication trunk line 1a and / or the communication branch line 1b that is the transmission destination of the message having the identification information. For example, the relay processing unit 41a can determine that relaying is not necessary when the identification information of the received message is not registered in the relay table 42b, and can determine that relaying is necessary when it is registered in the relay table 42b. When it is necessary to relay the received message, the relay processing unit 41a acquires information about the communication trunk line 1a and / or the communication branch line 1b of the relay destination associated with the identification information of the received message from the relay table 42b. The relay processing unit 41a transmits this message by giving a received message to the first communication unit 44 and / or the second communication unit 45 to which the communication trunk line 1a and / or the communication branch line 1b of the relay destination is connected, Relay.

  The update processing unit 41b performs processing for updating the program of the ECU 2. When the update device 7 is connected to the connector 6 via the communication cable 7a, the update processing unit 41b communicates with the update device 7 in the update communication unit 46, and the update device 7 is a valid device. Authentication processing is performed to determine whether or not. After determining that the update device 7 is a valid device, the update processing unit 41 b receives the update program transmitted by the update device 7 at the update communication unit 46 and temporarily stores the received update program in the RAM 43. To remember. At this time, the updating device 7 transmits to the gateway 4 identification information of the ECU 2 whose program is to be updated using the updating program together with the updating program. The identification information of the ECU 2 can be, for example, information such as the model number or manufacturing number of the ECU 2, and is not necessarily identification information uniquely given to each ECU 2, and the same value is set for the same device. It may be information. The ECU information 42c stored in the ROM 42 of the gateway 4 includes the identification information of the ECU 2 and the communication branch 1b to which the ECU 2 is connected for the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch 1b connected to the gateway 4. Information is stored in association with each other. The update processing unit 41b refers to the ECU information 42c in the ROM 42 based on the identification information of the ECU 2 to be updated given together with the update program, and determines the transmission destination of the update program. The update processing unit 41b reads the update program from the RAM 43, and gives the update program to the second communication unit 45 connected to the communication branch line 1b to which the ECU 2 to be updated is connected. Accordingly, the update program is transmitted to the ECU 2 to be updated by the second communication unit 45, and the ECU 2 that receives the update program updates the program by replacing the program stored in its own memory with the received update program. To do.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the ECU 2. In the figure, functional blocks relating to communication functions and program updating functions common to a plurality of ECUs 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 are extracted and illustrated, and functional blocks relating to individual control functions and the like are illustrated in each ECU 2. It is omitted. The ECU 2 according to the present embodiment includes a processing unit 21, a flash memory 22, a RAM 23, a communication unit 24, and the like. The processing unit 21 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or MPU, and performs various arithmetic processing and control processing by reading and executing the program 22a stored in the flash memory 22.

  The flash memory 22 is a non-volatile memory element that can rewrite data, and stores a program 22a executed by the processing unit 21 and data (not shown) necessary for executing the program 22a. The program 22a is a program for causing the processing unit 21 to perform a control process peculiar to each ECU 2, and may need to be updated due to version upgrade or defect correction, for example. The RAM 23 is configured by using a data rewritable memory element such as SRAM or DRAM, and temporarily stores data generated during the processing of the processing unit 21. The communication unit 24 is connected to the communication branch line 1b, and transmits / receives a message to / from another ECU 2 or the gateway 4 through the communication branch line 1b.

  Further, in the ECU 2 according to the present embodiment, an update processing unit 21 a is provided in the processing unit 21. The update processing unit 21a may be either a software function block or a hardware function block. However, when the update processing unit 21a is a software functional block, the update processing unit 21a is realized by the processing unit 21 executing a program different from the program 22a. The update processing unit 21 a performs a process of rewriting the program 22 a stored in the flash memory 22 using the update program received by the communication unit 24.

  The update processing unit 21a temporarily stores in the RAM 23 the update program received by the communication unit 24 via the communication branch line 1b, transmitted by the update device 7 and relayed by the gateway 4. After completing the reception of the update program, the update processing unit 21a replaces the program 22a with the update program by overwriting the update program stored in the RAM 23 with respect to the program 22a stored in the flash memory 22. . After the writing of the update program to the flash memory 22 is completed, the update processing unit 21a causes the processing unit 21 to execute the program 22a written to the flash memory 22 by performing processing such as restarting the ECU 2.

<Processing procedure>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of relay processing performed by the gateway 4. The relay processing unit 41a of the processing unit 41 of the gateway 4 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not a message has been received by the first communication unit 44 or the second communication unit 45 (step S1). When no message is received (S1: NO), the relay processing unit 41a waits until a message is received. When the message is received (S1: YES), the relay processing unit 41a acquires the identification information included in the message (step S2). Based on the acquired identification information, the relay processing unit 41a refers to the relay table 42b stored in the ROM 42 (step S3), and checks whether or not the received message is relayed and the relay destination.

  Whether or not the relay processing unit 41a needs to relay the received message to one or a plurality of ECUs 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b connected to itself based on the processing result of step S3. Is determined (step S4). When it is determined that the received message needs to be relayed to its own range (S4: YES), the relay processing unit 41a gives the received message to the second communication unit 45 to which the communication branch line 1b of the relay destination is connected. This message is transmitted from the second communication unit 45 (step S5), and the process proceeds to step S6. If it is determined that it is not necessary to relay the received message to its own range (S4: NO), the relay processing unit 41a advances the process to step S6.

  Next, the relay processing unit 41a determines whether or not it is necessary to relay the received message to another range, that is, to one or a plurality of ECUs 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b connected to another gateway 4 ( Step S6). When it is determined that the received message needs to be relayed to another range (S6: YES), the relay processing unit 41a transmits the message from the first communication unit 44 by giving the received message to the first communication unit 44. (Step S7), and the process ends. When it is determined that it is not necessary to relay the received message to another range (S6: NO), the relay processing unit 41a ends the process.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the update process performed by the gateway 4. The update processing unit 41b of the processing unit 41 of the gateway 4 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not the update communication unit 46 has received an update program from the update device 7 connected to the connector 6 (step). S11). When the update program is not received (S11: NO), the update processing unit 41b stands by until the update program is received. When the update program is received (S11: YES), the update processing unit 41b stores the update program in the RAM 43 (step S12). Next, the update processing unit 41b acquires information on the update target received from the update device 7 together with the update program, that is, information such as identification information of the ECU 2 to which the update program is to be written (step S13). The update processing unit 41b refers to the ECU information 42c stored in the ROM 42 based on the acquired update target information (step S14), and checks the transmission destination of the received update program.

  Whether the update processing unit 41b needs to transmit the received update program to its own range, that is, to the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b connected to itself based on the processing result of step S14. It is determined whether or not (step S15). When it is determined that it is necessary to transmit the update program to the ECU 2 in its own range (S15: YES), the update processing unit 41b sends the update program to the second communication unit 45 to which the communication branch line 1b of the transmission destination is connected. By giving this, the update program is transmitted from the second communication unit 45 (step S16), and the process is terminated. If it is determined that it is not necessary to transmit the update program to the ECU 2 in its own range (S15: NO), the update processing unit 41b discards the update program stored in the RAM 43 without performing the update process (step S15). S17), the process is terminated.

<Summary>
The in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment having the above configuration includes two gateways 4 that relay messages between the communication branch lines 1b. The two gateways 4 are connected via a communication trunk line 1a. A plurality of communication branch lines 1b are connected to each gateway 4, and one or a plurality of ECUs 2 are connected to each communication branch line 1b. When the gateway 4 receives a message from the ECU 2 on one communication branch line 1b connected to the gateway 4 and the received message is to be transmitted to the ECU 2 connected to another communication branch line 1b connected to the gateway 4 The message is relayed to the other communication branch line 1b. When the gateway 4 is to transmit the received message to the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch 1b other than the communication branch 1b connected to the gateway 4 (that is, the communication branch 1b connected to the other gateway 4), This message is transmitted to the other gateway 4 via the communication trunk line 1a. Thereby, the processing load concerning message relay can be distributed to the plurality of gateways 4, and the processing load of each gateway 4 can be reduced.

  The in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment connects the update device 7 having the update program for the ECU 2 to the connector 6 of the vehicle 1, and transmits the update program from the update device 7 to the gateway 4 via the connector 6. . The gateway 4 that has received the update program from the update device 7 performs the update process by transmitting it to the ECU 2 to be updated. Thereby, the ECU 2 can update the program 22 a by receiving the update program from the gateway 4 and rewriting the program 22 a in the flash memory 22.

  For example, when the connector 6 and either one of the two gateways 4 are connected by an update communication line, the ECU 2 to be updated is directly connected to the gateway 4 connected to the connector 6 via the communication branch line 1b. If not connected, one gateway 4 needs to relay the update program to the other gateway 4 to which the ECU 2 to be updated is connected. As the number of gateways 4 interposed from the update device 7 to the ECU 2 to be updated increases, the time required for the update process may increase.

  Therefore, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment, an update communication line 1c that connects the connector 6 and the two gateways 4 is provided. The update program transmitted from the update device 7 connected to the connector 6 is directly given to the two gateways 4 via the connector 6 and the update communication line 1c. Regardless of which gateway 4 the update target ECU 2 is connected to, the update program 7 is directly given to the gateway 4 from the update device 7, so that the gateway 4 interposed from the update device 7 to the update target ECU 2 The number can be one, and an increase in update processing time can be prevented.

  When the gateway 4 receives the update program from the update device 7 via the connector 6 and the update communication line 1c, the gateway 4 updates the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch line 1b connected to itself. It is determined whether or not it is a target. When the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b is to be updated, the gateway 4 transmits the update program received from the update device 7 to the ECU 2 to be updated via the communication branch line 1b. On the other hand, when the ECU 2 connected to the communication branch 1b other than its own communication branch 1b (that is, the communication branch 1b connected to the other gateway 4) is to be updated, the gateway 4 updates the update program. Discard without sending to other gateways 4. As a result, each gateway 4 only needs to set the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b as the target of the update process, and therefore the load related to the update process can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle communication system includes two gateways 4 and the configuration in which three communication branch lines 1b are connected to each gateway 4 is described as an example. This system configuration is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The in-vehicle communication system only needs to include two or more gateways 4. The gateway 4 may be connected to at least one communication branch line 1b. Moreover, although the vehicle-mounted control apparatus connected to the communication branch line 1b was set to ECU2, it is not restricted to this, Devices other than ECU2 may be used. Further, the gateway 4 and the ECU 2 are configured to perform communication according to the CAN communication protocol. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication may be performed according to a protocol such as FlexRay or Ethernet, and a communication protocol that is not a bus type is adopted. In that case, the configuration of the in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment may be changed as appropriate.

  The connector 6 is a diagnostic connector, but is not limited to this, and may be a connector according to another protocol such as USB (Universal Serial Bus). The update communication line 1c connecting the connector 6 and the two gateways 4 may be shared with the communication trunk line 1a as long as it is configured as a bus-type communication line. That is, the connector 6 may be connected to the communication trunk line 1a.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to a modification. The in-vehicle communication system according to the modification includes four gateways 4. The four gateways 4 are connected in series via the three communication trunk lines 1a. That is, the first gateway 4 and the second gateway 4 are connected via one communication trunk line 1a, the second gateway 4 and the third gateway 4 are connected via one communication trunk line 1a, and the third The gateway 4 and the fourth gateway 4 are connected via one communication trunk line 1a. However, four gateways 4 may be connected to one communication trunk line 1a by bus. Each gateway 4 is connected to three communication branch lines 1b, and one or a plurality of ECUs 2 (not shown in FIG. 6) are connected to each communication branch line 1b.

  The connector 6 provided in the vehicle 1 and the four gateways 4 are connected via the update communication line 1c. The update communication line 1c is provided as a bus-type communication line. For example, one end is connected to the connector 6, and the other end is branched into four and connected to the gateway 4. As a result, the update programs transmitted from the update device 7 connected to the connector 6 via the communication cable 7a are received by the four gateways 4, respectively. When the received update program is for the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, the gateway 4 transmits the update program from any one of the communication branch lines 1b to the ECU 2 to be updated.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the in-vehicle communication system according to the second modification. The in-vehicle communication system according to the modified example 2 is not a communication protocol that uses a bus-type communication line such as CAN for communication between the update device 7 connected to the connector 6 and the gateway 4 mounted on the vehicle 1. This is a configuration that employs a communication protocol that uses a star-type communication line. For this reason, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the modified example 2, the HUB 1d is interposed between the connector 6 and the two gateways 4. That is, the first gateway 4 is connected to the HUB 1d via the first update communication line 1c, the second gateway 4 is connected to the HUB 1d via the second update communication line 1c, and the connector 6 is 3 is connected to the HUB 1d via the update communication line 1c.

  The HUB 1d has a function of relaying a message between the update communication lines 1c, and transmits a message received on one update communication line 1c from another update communication line 1c. Accordingly, the update program transmitted from the update device 7 connected to the connector 6 is received by the two gateways 4 via the connector 6 and the HUB 1d.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the in-vehicle communication system according to the third modification. The in-vehicle communication system according to Modification 3 has a configuration in which a wireless communication device 106 is provided in the vehicle 1 instead of the connector 6 of the in-vehicle communication system shown in FIG. Moreover, the update device 107 of the in-vehicle communication system according to the modified example 3 transmits / receives data to / from the wireless communication device 106 of the vehicle 1 by performing wireless communication instead of performing wired communication via the communication cable 7a. .

  The wireless communication device 106 communicates with other devices such as the update device 107 existing inside and outside the vehicle 1 via a wireless network such as a mobile phone communication network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). It is a device that performs communication via a wireless signal. The wireless communication device 106 is connected to the two gateways 4 via the update communication line 1c. The wireless communication device 106 transmits the update program received from the update device 107 by wireless communication to the two gateways 4 via the update communication line 1c.

  When the gateway 4 that has received the update program from the update device 107 via the wireless communication device 106 determines that the update program is used for updating the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, the ECU 2 The update program is transmitted to the communication branch line 1b to which is connected. When the gateway 4 determines that the update program received from the update device 107 is not used for updating the ECU 2 connected to its own communication branch line 1b, the gateway 4 discards the update program.

1 Vehicle 1a Communication trunk line 1b Communication branch line 1c Communication line for renewal 1d HUB
2 ECU (on-vehicle controller)
4 Gateway (on-vehicle relay device)
6 Connector (Data exchange section)
7 Update Device 7a Communication Cable 21 Processing Unit 21a Update Processing Unit 22 Flash Memory 22a Program 23 RAM
24 communication unit 41 processing unit 41a relay processing unit (message transmission processing unit)
41b Update processing unit (update program transmission processing unit)
42 ROM
42a Relay program 42b Relay table 42c ECU information 43 RAM
44 1st communication part 45 2nd communication part 46 Communication part for update (receiving part)
106 Wireless communication device (data exchange unit)
107 Update device

Claims (8)

A plurality of communication branch lines to which one or a plurality of in-vehicle control devices are respectively connected, and a plurality of in-vehicle relay devices that relay communication between the plurality of communication branch lines;
The plurality of in-vehicle relay devices are connected via one or a plurality of communication trunk lines,
Each of the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices has a message transmission processing unit,
The message transmission processing unit, when the message received from the in-vehicle control device in its own communication branch line is a message to be transmitted to the in-vehicle control device connected to a communication branch line other than its own communication branch line, the message An in-vehicle communication system characterized by transmitting the message via the communication trunk line to another in-vehicle relay device to which an in-vehicle control device to be received is connected. A data transmission / reception unit that is provided in the vehicle and exchanges data with a device outside the vehicle;
An update device that transmits an update program or data for the program or data stored in the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle relay device via the data transfer unit, and
The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle relay device includes an update program transmission processing unit that transmits an update program or data received from the update device to an in-vehicle control device to be updated. . The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, wherein the data transfer unit is a connector to which the update device is detachably connected by wire. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 2, wherein the data exchange unit is a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication with the update device. A communication line for connecting the data transfer unit and the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices;
The update device transmits an update program or data to the plurality of in-vehicle relay devices via the data transfer unit and the communication line. The in-vehicle communication system described. The update program transmission processing unit of each in-vehicle relay device is
When an update program or data for updating an in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch line is received from the update device via the data transfer unit and the communication line, the received update program or Send the data to the in-vehicle controller to be updated,
6. The received update program or data is discarded when an update program or data other than an in-vehicle control device connected to its own communication branch line is received. In-vehicle communication system. In an in-vehicle relay device that relays communication between multiple communication lines,
A receiving unit for receiving a program or data for updating a program or data stored in the in-vehicle control device from the updating device;
An update program transmission processing unit that transmits the update program or data received by the reception unit to the in-vehicle control device to be updated via the communication line, and
The update program transmission processing unit includes:
When the receiving unit receives an update program or data for updating an in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line, the received update program or data is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device for update,
An in-vehicle relay device that discards the received update program or data when receiving an update program or data other than the in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line. For in-vehicle relay devices that relay communications between multiple communication lines,
An update program or data for the program or data stored in the in-vehicle control device is received from the update device,
When receiving an update program or data for updating an in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line, the received update program or data is transmitted to the in-vehicle control device for update,
A relay program that, when receiving an update program or data other than an in-vehicle control device connected to the communication line, performs processing to discard the received update program or data .

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