JP2024005986A - Device control device and device control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress heat generation at the time of control of a plurality of sensor devices.

SOLUTION: A device control device for controlling a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle includes a vehicle information acquisition part for acquiring information on the state of the vehicle, a storage part for storing power source modes of the plurality of sensor devices so as to be associated with each of the states of the vehicles, and a device control part for controlling the power source modes of the plurality of sensor devices having different detectable ranges according to the state of the vehicle. The device control part sets the power source modes of the plurality of sensor devices, on the basis of vehicle speed that is the state of the vehicle and the detectable ranges of the sensor devices.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a device control device and a device control method for controlling a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle.

Conventionally, there is a technology for controlling multiple devices mounted on a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 describes how to ``simplify the configuration of the electric system of a mobile body and suppress an increase in power consumption'' and ``to simplify the configuration of the electrical system of a mobile object, and to suppress an increase in power consumption.'' , a computing device 100 that receives information from a plurality of sensors 10 to 18 and controls equipment onboard the vehicle, and the computing device 100 determines the state of the vehicle based on the information that is input from each of the sensors 10 to 18. A vehicle state identification unit 31 that identifies the vehicle state, a plurality of functional units 21 to 25 that each operate according to the vehicle state and generate control signals to onboard equipment, and a vehicle state identified by the vehicle state identification unit 31. It has a power supply control section 32 that controls supply/cutoff of power to each of the functional sections 21 to 25 so that power is supplied to each of the functional sections 21 to 25 in a predetermined combination according to the state of each of the functional sections 21 to 25. ” is written there.

JP2020-205664A

According to conventional technology, by "controlling the supply/cutoff of power to functional parts according to the state of the mobile object," it is possible to "lower the average power consumption over the total operating time of the mobile object.""This allows us to reduce the increase in power consumption."
However, the conventional technology does not take into account the problem of heat generation caused by the operation of multiple devices with large power consumption while the vehicle is running.
In recent years, various sensor devices such as image processing, radar, and ultrasonic detection have been increasingly installed to monitor the surroundings of vehicles. These devices consume a large amount of power, and if power is supplied from a common power management unit, excessive heat may be generated in the power management unit that supplies power to multiple sensor devices. Furthermore, since the detectable range of a sensor device differs depending on the type of sensor, it was not taken into account that some sensor devices do not need to be supplied with power depending on the state of the vehicle.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress heat generation when controlling a plurality of sensor devices.

In order to achieve the above object, one of the typical device control devices of the present invention is a device control device that controls a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle, and acquires information regarding the state of the vehicle. a vehicle information acquisition unit; a storage unit that stores power modes of the plurality of sensor devices in association with each state of the vehicle; and a storage unit that stores power modes of the plurality of sensor devices having different detectable ranges according to the state of the vehicle. and a device control unit that controls the power supply mode of the plurality of sensor devices based on a vehicle speed that is a state of the vehicle and a detectable range of the sensor device. Features.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress heat generation when controlling a plurality of sensor devices. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be made clear by the following description of the embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of device control in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a peripheral monitoring ECU. A concrete example of a control table. Flowchart of power mode control. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a modification of the surroundings monitoring ECU.

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of device control according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a peripheral monitoring ECU that integrates a radar ECU (Electronic Control Unit), an image recognition ECU, and an ultrasonic detection ECU is shown as an example of a device control device.

The radar ECU is an ECU that controls one or more radar units to detect objects. Specifically, the radar ECU supplies power to the radar unit, controls transmission of radio waves and reception of reflected waves by the radar unit, and performs object detection processing from the received reflected waves. Note that the radar unit is a type of sensor device for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle.

The radar ECU is in an off state when the ignition is off. On the other hand, if the ignition is on, the radar ECU is in an active state regardless of the vehicle speed. The radar ECU in the off state does not transmit radio waves or receive reflected waves by the radar unit, and does not perform object detection processing from reflected waves. The radar ECU in the active state causes the radar unit to transmit radio waves and receive reflected waves, and performs object detection processing using the reflected waves.

The image recognition ECU is an ECU that controls one or more camera units to perform image recognition. Specifically, the image recognition ECU supplies power to the camera unit, controls imaging by the camera unit, and performs image recognition processing on the captured image. Note that the camera unit is a type of sensor device for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle.

The image recognition ECU is in an off state if the ignition is off. On the other hand, if the ignition is on, the image recognition ECU is in an active state regardless of the vehicle speed. The image recognition ECU in the OFF state does not perform image capturing by the camera unit and does not perform image recognition processing. The image recognition ECU in the active state captures an image using a camera unit and performs image recognition processing.

The ultrasonic detection ECU is an ECU that controls one or more ultrasonic detection units to detect objects. Specifically, the ultrasonic detection ECU supplies power to the ultrasonic detection unit, controls transmission of ultrasonic waves and reception of reflected waves by the ultrasonic unit, and performs object detection processing from the received reflected waves. Note that the ultrasonic detection unit is a type of sensor device for monitoring the surroundings of a vehicle.

The ultrasonic detection ECU is in a standby state when the ignition is off. On the other hand, if the ignition is on, the ultrasonic detection ECU is in an active state regardless of the vehicle speed. The ultrasonic detection ECU in the standby state is in a state where power is supplied and the ultrasonic detection unit can send out ultrasonic waves, but it does not send out ultrasonic waves or receive reflected waves, and does not detect objects from reflected waves. No detection processing is performed. The ultrasonic detection ECU in the active state causes the ultrasonic detection unit to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive reflected waves, and performs object detection processing using the reflected waves.

The surrounding monitoring ECU is an ECU that integrates a radar ECU, an image recognition ECU, and an ultrasonic detection ECU. Therefore, if the surrounding monitoring ECU is adopted, the radar ECU, image recognition ECU, and ultrasonic detection ECU become unnecessary.

The surrounding monitoring ECU controls the radar unit, camera unit, and ultrasonic detection unit. Specifically, the surrounding monitoring ECU has a radar function corresponding to a radar ECU, an image recognition function corresponding to an image recognition ECU, and an ultrasonic detection function corresponding to an ultrasonic detection ECU. These sensing functions operate individually, but if they all operate at the same time, the load may be high and the amount of heat generated may be excessive.

On the other hand, each sensing function (radar function, image recognition function, and ultrasonic detection function) has a different detectable range and effective situation. For example, the radar function is good at detecting the position and speed of objects that exist at a long distance, and is suitable for monitoring surroundings while driving at high speeds. The image recognition function is good at identifying objects at short to medium distances, making it suitable for monitoring surroundings while driving at low to medium speeds. The ultrasonic detection function is good at detecting the distance to nearby objects and is suitable for monitoring the surrounding area while driving at low speeds.

In view of these differences in characteristics, the disclosed surroundings monitoring ECU controls the power mode of the sensor devices according to the state of the vehicle and the detectable range of each sensor device. In particular, by controlling the power mode of multiple types of sensor devices so that there are always inactive sensor devices, and by avoiding a state in which all sensor devices are active, the heat generated by the integrated management ECU can be reduced. Can be suppressed. Inactive means, for example, that the power mode is Off, Stand-by, or Partial Active.

Specifically, if the ignition is off, the surrounding monitoring ECU turns off the radar function and the image recognition function, and puts the ultrasonic detection function on standby. Further, if the ignition is on and the traveling speed is less than 15 km/h, the surrounding monitoring ECU turns off the radar function, activates the image recognition function, and activates the ultrasonic detection function. Further, if the traveling speed is 15 km/h or more and less than 30 km/h, the surrounding monitoring ECU sets the radar function to standby, the image recognition function to active, and the ultrasonic detection function to standby. If the traveling speed is 30 km/h or more, the surrounding monitoring ECU turns off the radar function, partially activates the image recognition function, and turns off the ultrasonic detection function.

Here, the term "partially active" in the image recognition function refers to a partially active state in which an image is captured and image recognized, but no display output processing is performed. When an object is recognized in a partially active state, the recognition results can be provided to other systems and used. On the other hand, since no display output processing is performed, the driver cannot visually recognize the recognition results, but the processing load on the surrounding monitoring ECU is reduced. In particular, suppressing the display output during high-speed driving is beneficial in that it forces the driver to concentrate on visually observing the outside of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the peripheral monitoring ECU. The surrounding monitoring ECU 30 shown in FIG. 2 includes an input section 31, a sensor device connection section 32, a power management section 33, a function execution section 34, an output section 35, and an operation management section 36.

The input unit 31 operates as a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the state of the vehicle. Specifically, the input unit 31 includes an IGN status acquisition unit 31a that acquires the ignition status, a vehicle speed acquisition unit 31b that acquires the vehicle speed, and the like. It is also possible to further obtain information regarding the state of the vehicle's battery. The input unit 31 outputs the acquired information regarding the state of the vehicle to the function execution unit 34 .

The sensor device connection section 32 is connected to various sensor devices. The sensor device connection section 32 is assembled with an IC (integrated circuit) for each type of sensor device.

The radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32 is connected to a radar unit. The radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32 supplies power to the radar unit, sends a control signal to the radar unit, receives a reflected wave signal from the radar unit, performs preprocessing on the reflected wave signal, and performs a function. It is output to the execution unit 34.

The image recognition IC 32b of the sensor device connection section 32 is connected to the camera unit. The image recognition IC 32b of the sensor device connection section 32 supplies power to the camera unit, sends a control signal to the camera unit, receives an image from the camera unit, performs preprocessing on the image, and outputs it to the function execution section 34. do.

The ultrasonic detection IC 32c of the sensor device connection section 32 is connected to an ultrasonic detection unit. The ultrasonic detection IC 32c of the sensor device connection section 32 supplies power to the ultrasonic detection unit, transmits a control signal to the ultrasonic detection unit, receives a reflected wave signal from the ultrasonic detection unit, and receives a reflected wave signal. It performs preprocessing on the data and outputs it to the function execution unit 34.

The power management unit 33 supplies power from the vehicle battery to the input unit 31 , the sensor device connection unit 32 , the function execution unit 34 , the output unit 35 , and the operation management unit 36 . Further, the power management unit 33 can change the power mode of the input unit 31 , sensor device connection unit 32 , function execution unit 34 , and output unit 35 based on instructions from the operation management unit 36 .

The function execution unit 34 has a radar function 34a, an image recognition function 34b, an ultrasonic detection function 34c, a vehicle state determination function 34d, and the like. It is preferable that the function execution unit 34 is configured as an SoC (System-on-Chip) incorporating an arithmetic unit, a main storage device, etc. necessary for realizing these functions.

The radar function 34a in the function execution section 34 determines the content of control for the radar unit, generates a control signal, and transmits the control signal to the radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32. Further, the radar function 34a outputs a control signal from the radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32 to the radar unit, and detects an object based on the signal of the reflected wave output from the radar unit. The radar function 34a outputs the object detection result to the radar IC 35a of the output unit 35.
The image recognition function 34b in the function execution section 34 determines the content of control for the camera unit, generates a control signal, and transmits the control signal to the image recognition IC 32b of the sensor device connection section 32. Further, the image recognition function 34b outputs a control signal from the image recognition IC 32b of the sensor device connection section 32 to the camera unit, performs image recognition on the image received from the camera unit, and identifies an object. The image recognition function outputs the object identification result to the image recognition IC 35b of the output unit 35.
The ultrasonic detection function 34c in the function execution unit 34 determines the control content for the ultrasonic detection unit, generates a control signal, and transmits the control signal to the ultrasonic detection IC 32c of the sensor device connection unit 32. Further, the ultrasonic detection function 34c outputs a control signal from the ultrasonic detection function IC 32c of the sensor device connection section 32 to the ultrasonic detection unit, and detects an object based on the reflected wave signal received from the ultrasonic detection unit. . The ultrasonic detection function 34c outputs the object detection result to the ultrasonic detection IC 35c of the output unit 35.
The vehicle state determination function 34d in the function execution section 34 determines the state of the vehicle using the ignition state and vehicle speed acquired by the input section 31, and outputs the result to the operation management section 36.

The output unit 35 outputs detection results from various sensor devices. The output destination is a device that notifies the driver of information such as a display device, an audio output device, a navigation unit, or another ECU. The output section 35 is assembled with an IC for each type of sensor device.

The radar IC 35a of the output unit 35 processes the detection result by the radar function 34a into an output format and outputs it. For example, an image showing the positional relationship between the detected object and the vehicle is generated and output to a display device.
The image recognition IC 35b of the output unit 35 processes the recognition result by the image recognition function 34b into an output format and outputs it. For example, a display image centered around the recognized object is generated and output to a display device.
The ultrasonic detection IC 35c of the output unit 35 processes the detection result by the ultrasonic detection function 34c into an output format and outputs it. For example, an image indicating the direction of the detected object and the degree of contact risk is generated and output to a display device.

The operation management unit 36 is an MCU (micro controller unit) that manages the operation of the surrounding monitoring ECU 30. The operation management section 36 includes a control table storage section 36a and a device control section 36b.

The control table storage unit 36a stores a control table that associates the power mode of each sensing function with each state of the vehicle. The control table is set so that for any state of the vehicle, at least one sensing function, ie, a type of sensor device, is inactive.

The device control unit 36b refers to the control table based on the state of the vehicle and generates a signal for controlling the power mode for each sensing function, that is, for each type of sensor device. The device control unit 36b outputs the generated signal to the power management unit 33.

The power management unit 33 controls each function and the power mode of each sensor device based on the signal generated by the device control unit 36b. For example, when turning off the radar function 34a, the radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32 is stopped, the radar function 34a of the function execution section 34 is stopped, the radar IC 35c of the output section 35 is stopped, and the radar IC 32a of the sensor device connection section 32 is stopped. Do not supply power. In this way, the power management section 33 can stop the processing in the sensor device connection section 32 and the output section 35 for each IC, and set the power mode of each sensor device to one of OFF, standby, active, and partial active. Can be set to . Furthermore, the function execution unit 34 can stop processing in function units.
Note that when the power mode is standby, the power consumption of the peripheral monitoring ECU is greater than when the power mode is off, and the power consumption of the peripheral monitoring ECU is lower than when the power mode is on. This is because power is supplied to sensor devices such as a radar unit and an ultrasonic detection unit while the power mode is in standby.

FIG. 3 is a specific example of the control table. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle state is determined by three factors: "whether or not it is connected to the vehicle battery", "whether or not the ignition is on", and "vehicle speed".

The control table associates radar function off, image recognition function off, and ultrasonic detection function off when the surrounding monitoring ECU is not connected to the vehicle battery (battery off), regardless of the ignition or vehicle speed. ing.
Further, the control table associates the radar function off, image recognition function off, and ultrasonic detection function standby with the vehicle state in which the vehicle is connected to the battery (battery on) and the ignition is off.
Furthermore, the control table associates the radar function off, image recognition function active, and ultrasonic detection function active with the battery on, ignition on, and vehicle states where the traveling speed is less than 15 km/h.
Further, the control table associates radar function standby, image recognition function active, and ultrasonic detection function standby with the battery on, ignition on, and vehicle states where the traveling speed is 15 km/h or more and less than 30 km/h.
Further, the control table associates the radar function off, the image recognition function partially active, and the ultrasonic detection function off with the battery on, ignition on, and vehicle states where the traveling speed is 30 km/h or more.
In this way, the surrounding monitoring ECU 30 switches the power mode of the radar function, image recognition function, and ultrasonic detection function to either off, standby, partial active, or on depending on the traveling speed and the detectable range of each sensor device. Set.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart regarding power mode control. The device control unit of the operation management unit 36 starts operation upon connection of the battery (step S101). When the operation management section 36 starts operating, the input section 31 acquires the vehicle state (step S102), and the vehicle state determination function 34d of the function execution section 34 determines the vehicle state.

As a result of the determination, if the ignition is off (step S103; No), the vehicle state determination function 34d of the function execution unit 34 determines which range the vehicle speed falls within (step S104).

After the determination in step 104, or if the ignition is on (step S103; Yes), the device control unit 36b of the operation management unit 36 refers to the control table (step S105) and specifies the power mode of each sensing function. (Step S106). The device control unit 36b of the operation management unit 36 generates a signal for controlling the power mode for each sensing function, that is, for each type of sensor device, and outputs it to the power management unit 33.

The power management unit 33 controls the power mode of each sensing function based on the signal generated by the device control unit 36b (step S107). After that, the process from step S102 is repeated. Note that when the battery is turned off or when an operation to end power mode control is received, power mode control is ended.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the surrounding monitoring ECU. The peripheral monitoring ECU 30a shown in FIG. 5 differs in configuration from the peripheral monitoring ECU 30 shown in FIG. 2 in that it does not supply power to the sensor device and is connected to an external power management unit 51. The other configurations and operations are the same as the surroundings monitoring ECU 30 shown in FIG. 2.

The surrounding monitoring ECU 30 is connected to the ignition sensor 11, the speed sensor 12, the radar unit 21, the camera unit 22, the ultrasonic detection unit 23, and the power management unit 51.

The power management unit 51 supplies power from the vehicle battery 50 to the radar unit 21, camera unit 22, ultrasonic detection unit 23, and surroundings monitoring ECU 30a. Further, the power management unit 51 can change the power mode of the radar unit 21, camera unit 22, and ultrasonic detection unit 23 based on instructions from the surrounding monitoring ECU 30a. Furthermore, like the surrounding monitoring ECU 30, the surrounding monitoring ECU 30a can change various internal functions and the power mode of the IC.

In this way, if the power management unit 51 supplies power to a plurality of sensor devices, heat generation in the power management unit 51 can be suppressed by controlling the power mode of each sensor device.

As described above, the surrounding monitoring ECU is a device control device that controls a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle, and includes an input section 31 as a vehicle information acquisition section that acquires information regarding the state of the vehicle; A control table storage unit 36a is a storage unit that stores power modes of the plurality of sensor devices in association with each other for each state of the vehicle, and a control table storage unit 36a stores power modes of the plurality of sensor devices having different detectable ranges for each state of the vehicle. and a device control unit 36b that controls the power supply mode of the plurality of sensor devices based on the vehicle speed, which is the state of the vehicle, and the detectable range of the sensor device. do.
Therefore, heat generation can be suppressed when controlling a plurality of sensor devices.

Further, the plurality of sensor devices include sensor devices of different types, and the device control unit 36b controls the power mode for each type.
Therefore, heat generation can be suppressed by selectively using sensor devices of a type suitable for the situation.
The surrounding monitoring ECU also includes a power management section 33 that supplies power to the plurality of sensor devices, and the power supply section 33 supplies power to the plurality of sensor devices according to the power mode set by the device control section 36b. Provide power or do not provide power. In other words, the power supply section 33 selectively supplies power to a plurality of sensor devices.
Therefore, it is possible to suppress heat generation by stopping power supply to unused sensor devices in consideration of the detectable range of each sensor device.

Further, the device control unit 36b controls the power mode so that there is always an inactive sensor device among the plurality of sensor devices.
For example, when the vehicle is running and the vehicle speed is less than a first threshold, the device control unit 36b sets the power mode of the radar sensor device to off mode and the power mode of the ultrasonic sensor device to active mode.
Further, when the vehicle is running and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a second threshold, the device control unit 36b sets the power mode of the radar sensor device to active mode and the power mode of the ultrasonic sensor device to off mode. .
In this way, by avoiding a situation in which all sensor devices become active, it is possible to efficiently suppress heat generation.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible not only to delete a configuration but also to replace or add a configuration.

For example, in order to simplify the explanation, in the example, the case where the type of sensor device and the detectable range correspond to each other is illustrated, but if sensor devices of the same type but with different detectable ranges are installed, the detection The power mode may be controlled for each possible range. For example, if the vehicle is equipped with a long-range radar and a short-range radar, the power mode of the short-range radar may be set to OFF during high-speed driving.

11: Ignition sensor, 12: Speed sensor, 21: Radar unit, 22: Camera unit, 23: Ultrasonic detection unit, 30: Surrounding monitoring ECU, 31: Input section, 31a: IGN status acquisition section, 31b: Vehicle speed acquisition section , 32: Sensor device connection section, 32a: Radar IC, 32b: Image recognition IC, 32c: Ultrasonic detection IC, 33: Power management section, 34: Function execution section, 34a: Radar function, 34b: Image recognition function, 34c : Ultrasonic detection function, 35: Output section, 35a: Radar IC, 35b: Image recognition IC, 35c: Ultrasonic detection IC, 36: Operation management section, 36a: Control table storage section, 36b: Device control section, 50: Battery, 51: Power management unit

Claims (7)

A device control device that controls a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle,
a vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the state of the vehicle;
a storage unit that stores power modes of the plurality of sensor devices in association with each state of the vehicle;
and a device control unit that controls power modes of the plurality of sensor devices having different detectable ranges according to the state of the vehicle,
The device control apparatus is characterized in that the device control unit sets a power mode of the plurality of sensor devices based on a vehicle speed that is a state of the vehicle and a detectable range of the sensor device. The device control device according to claim 1,
The plurality of sensor devices include different types of sensor devices,
The device control apparatus is characterized in that the device control unit controls the power mode for each type. The device control device according to claim 1,
comprising a power management unit that supplies power to the plurality of sensor devices,
A device control apparatus, wherein the power supply section supplies power to the plurality of sensor devices or does not supply power to the plurality of sensor devices according to the power mode set by the device control section. The device control device according to claim 1,
The device control apparatus is characterized in that the device control unit controls the power mode so that there is always an inactive sensor device among the plurality of sensor devices. The device control device according to claim 1,
When the vehicle is running and the vehicle speed is less than a first threshold, the device control unit sets the power mode of the radar sensor device to an off mode and the power mode of the ultrasonic sensor device to an active mode. Device control equipment. The device control device according to claim 5,
When the vehicle is running and the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than a second threshold, the device control unit sets the power mode of the radar sensor device to active mode and the power mode of the ultrasonic sensor device to off mode. device control device. A device control method for controlling a plurality of sensor devices mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising:
The device controller is
a vehicle information acquisition step of acquiring information regarding the state of the vehicle;
identifying a power mode of the plurality of sensor devices based on a vehicle speed that is a state of the vehicle and a detectable range of the sensor device;
A device control method comprising: controlling the power mode of the plurality of sensor devices to the specified power mode.

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