JP3988753B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device in which a plurality of slave devices are connected to a master device, and more particularly to a communication device suitable for an obstacle detection device for a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a communication device has been proposed in which an operator aims to normally set an ID for each slave device without being aware of the individual installation positions of the plurality of slave devices (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.).

  According to the communication device disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, each of a plurality of slave devices has a switch for turning on and off power supply lines constituting a bus in series, and the master device stores in advance. Based on each connection order and ID of the slave device, the ID of the connection position is sequentially set from the slave device close to the master device via the bus. The slave devices to which the ID is set sequentially turn on the switch and connect the slave devices in the next stage to the bus.

When resetting the ID, the power supply line is turned off in the master device, the power supply line is turned on again, and then ID setting is performed again from the first slave device.
JP 2003-152741 A

  In the above-described conventional communication device, when resetting the ID due to the occurrence of an abnormality caused by engine noise or the like, the power supply line is turned off in the master device, so that all the slave devices connected to the bus are turned off. become.

  For example, when obstacle detection sensors as slave devices are arranged at the front and rear of the vehicle and the ID is reset due to the occurrence of an abnormality in the front sensor, the rear sensor that does not need to be reset together with the power supply to the front sensor The power to the sensor is cut off, and the ID is reset including the rear sensor that does not need to be reset. Therefore, extra time is required for resetting the ID.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus capable of reducing the time required for resetting an ID.

  The communication device according to claim 1, which is made to solve the above-described problem, has a plurality of slave devices connected to a master device via a bus, and the master device supplies power to a power supply line constituting the bus. The communication device performs ID setting for setting an ID corresponding to each arrangement position for each of the plurality of slave devices, and the power line is divided according to each arrangement position of the plurality of slave devices. In addition, the master device is provided independently for each of the plurality of groups, and the master device includes a power switch for turning on / off the connection to each of the power supply lines provided independently for each group. Turn off the power switch of the power supply line of the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs, cut off the power supply to the power supply line, and then turn on the power switch to supply power to the power supply line before setting the ID And wherein the door.

  Thus, according to the present invention, when resetting an ID, it is performed only for the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs, so that the time required for resetting the ID can be shortened. As a result, for example, when the ID is reset during the operation of the slave device, the recovery response until the slave device operates again can be improved.

  Further, since only the power supply to the power supply line of the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs is cut off, the power of the slave device belonging to the group that does not need to be reset is not cut off. As a result, normal operation of the slave device can be prevented from being interrupted.

  In the communication device according to claim 2, a plurality of slave devices are connected to the master device via a bus, and the master device supplies power to a power supply line constituting the bus, and then each of the plurality of slave devices. On the other hand, when performing ID setting for setting an ID corresponding to each arrangement position and performing ID setting again, the master device cuts off the power supply to the power supply line, and then supplies power to the power supply line. The communication device that performs ID setting after that, the communication lines that constitute the bus are provided independently for each of a plurality of groups divided according to the arrangement positions of the plurality of slave devices. When setting, it is characterized in that each group is performed in substantially the same time zone via a communication line provided independently for each group.

  In this way, by performing ID setting in approximately the same time zone of each group via a communication line provided independently for each group, the time required for ID setting can be shortened compared to the conventional case. .

  In the communication device according to claim 3, a plurality of slave devices are connected to a master device via a bus, and the master device supplies power to a power supply line constituting the bus, and then each of the plurality of slave devices. On the other hand, it is a communication device that performs ID setting for setting an ID corresponding to each placement position, and the power supply line and the communication line constituting the bus are classified according to each placement position of a plurality of slave devices. The master device is provided independently for each of the plurality of groups, and the master device is provided with a power switch for turning on / off the connection of each power supply line provided independently for each group. Turn off the power switch of the power supply line of the group to which the slave device to be set belongs and cut off the power supply to the power supply line, and then turn on the power switch to supply power to the power supply line and then turn on the communication line of the group Through And performing ID setting Te.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the ID is reset only for the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs, and the ID is set through the communication line of the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs.

  As a result, the time required for resetting the ID can be shortened, and information relating to the ID setting can be prevented from being communicated to the communication line of the group that does not require resetting. As a result, only the information from the slave device is communicated to the communication line of the group that does not need to be reset, so that the communication load can be reduced.

  According to the communication device of claim 4, the plurality of slave devices have a switch for turning on and off the connection between the bus and the next-stage slave device, and the master device performs the plurality of slaves when performing ID setting. The ID is set to the first slave device via the bus based on the ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the device, and then the slave device to which the ID is set sequentially turns on the switch and buses the slave device at the next stage. After the connection, the ID is set for the slave device at the next stage connected to the bus. Thereby, the ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the plurality of slave devices can be automatically set sequentially from the master device.

  According to the communication device of the fifth aspect, the switch included in the plurality of slave devices turns on the connection of any one of the power supply line, the communication line, and the ground line constituting the bus and the slave device in the next stage. The slave device to which the ID is set turns on the switch to connect any one of the power supply line, the communication line, and the ground line to the next slave device by bus. And As described above, since the slave device to which the ID is set connects to the slave device at the next stage, the ID can be set normally.

  According to the communication device according to claim 6, the master device transmits a signal corresponding to an ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the plurality of slave devices by superimposing the signal on the power signal of the power line constituting the bus. The plurality of slave devices include a receiver that receives a signal corresponding to an ID transmitted by being superimposed on the power signal of the power line, and the master device performs ID setting via the power line. And

  For example, when a pulse signal is superimposed on a power supply voltage signal from the master device and transmitted, the signal characteristics such as frequency, number of pulses, amplitude, and duty ratio of the pulse signal are changed to correspond to the ID. On the other hand, each slave device stores the correspondence between the signal characteristic and the ID, and identifies the corresponding ID from the characteristic of the pulse signal received by the receiver. Thereby, ID setting can be performed using a power supply line not via a communication line.

  According to the communication device of the seventh aspect, the plurality of slave devices are respectively arranged in the front bumper and the rear bumper of the vehicle, and the plurality of groups are divided into groups of a front bumper and a rear bumper. It is characterized by that.

  For example, the power lines that make up the bus are divided into front bumper and rear bumper groups, and the power switches provided in each group are turned on and off separately, so that the power supply provided in the front bumper group The power supply and the power supply to the power supply line provided in the line and the rear bumper group can be performed separately.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle obstacle detection device as an embodiment of a communication device according to the present invention.

  ECU10 as a master apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a control apparatus which comprises the obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles. The ECU 10 has a nonvolatile memory (not shown), and the nonvolatile memory stores IDs respectively corresponding to the left and right of the bumper provided in front of and behind the vehicle 1 shown in FIG.

  The sensors 11 to 14 as a plurality of slave devices shown in FIG. 1 are ultrasonic sensors constituting an obstacle detection device for a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 3, the sensors 11 to 14 are respectively installed on the left and right of the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle 1. The ID set in the sensors 11 to 14 is set after installation in the vehicle 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU 10 includes a controller 10a, a communication driver / receiver (D / R) 10b, a power switch SW1, and a power switch SW2. The controller 10a performs control to turn on and off the power switch SW1 and the power switch SW2 by receiving power supply from the + B terminal of the in-vehicle battery via the ignition switch (IG) of the vehicle 1. The communication D / R 10b performs communication with the sensors 11-14.

  As shown in the figure, one end of each of the power switch SW1 and the power switch SW2 is connected to the + B terminal of the in-vehicle battery via the IG, and the other end is divided into a plurality according to each arrangement position of the sensors 11-14. Are connected to power supply lines provided independently for each group (in this embodiment, two groups of a front bumper and a rear bumper).

  By separately turning on and off the power switch SW1 and the power switch SW2, power supply to the power supply line provided in the front bumper group and power supply to the power supply line provided in the rear bumper group are separately supplied and cut off. It can be carried out.

  FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of the sensor 13. In addition, since the structure of the sensors 11, 12, and 14 is the same as that of the sensor 13, the description is abbreviate | omitted. The sensor 13 includes a controller 13a, a power supply circuit 13b, and a switch 13c. The power lines drawn from the ECU 10 are connected in series via the switches in the sensors 11 to 14. That is, in the case of the sensor 13, one end of the switch 13 c is connected to the ECU 10 and the other end is connected to the sensor 14.

  The power supply circuit 13b is connected to one end of the switch 13c and a GND line drawn from the ECU 10, and generates a power supply for the controller 13a. The controller 13a is directly connected (bus connection) to the GND line and the communication line drawn from the ECU 10, and controls the switch 13c.

  FIG. 4 shows a format of a communication frame between the ECU 10 and the sensors 11 to 14. One frame of the format shown in the figure includes a start of frame (SOF), a destination, a message type, a sensor ID, a frame length, an error check code (ECC), and an end of frame (EOF). It consists of fields.

  When this communication frame is an ID setting message for setting an ID to each of the sensors 11 to 14, a broadcast address is set in the destination field, “ID setting” is set in the message type field, and “ID setting” is set in the ID field. Setting ID is set.

  On the other hand, when the communication frame is an ID setting completion message returned from the sensors 11 to 14 to the ECU 10, a master address (address assigned to the ECU 10) is set in the destination field, and “ID setting complete” is set in the message type field. It is set, and the setting ID is set in the ID field.

  Next, the operation of the ID setting process in the vehicle obstacle detection device of the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the timing chart shown in FIG. First, the controller 10a (hereinafter simply referred to as ECU 10) of the ECU 10 starts when the IG of the vehicle 1 is turned on and power is supplied from the in-vehicle battery (step S1).

  In step S2, the power switch SW1 corresponding to the power line of the front bumper group is turned on to supply power to the power line of the front bumper group. Thereby, in step S12, only the controller (hereinafter simply referred to as sensor 11) of the sensor 11 at the next stage is supplied with power and starts.

  The ECU 10 sets the setting ID to an initial value (ID = 1) in step S3, transmits an ID setting message in which the ID is set to the communication line in step S4, and waits for an ID setting completion message in step S5. (Step S5).

  On the other hand, the sensor 11 starts when the IG of the vehicle 1 is turned on and power is supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery. In step S13, when the ID setting message is received, it is determined in step S14 whether or not the ID setting message ignore flag F is set.

  If it is determined that the flag F is not set, the process proceeds to step S15. If it is determined that the flag F is set, the received message is ignored and the process ends. Here, the ID setting message ignoring flag F is a flag that is initially set to F = 0 and is set to F = 1 by the sensor set with the ID.

  In step S15, the sensor 11 stores the ID in the received ID setting message, and transmits an ID setting completion message in which the setting ID is set. In step S16, the switch is turned on, and in step S17, the ID setting message ignore flag F is set and the process ends.

  As a result, the power is supplied to the sensor 12 at the next stage, and the sensor 11 that has completed the ID setting ignores ID setting messages for the sensors 12 to 14 at the subsequent stages.

  In step S5, the ECU 10 determines whether or not an ID setting completion message has been received. If received, the ECU 10 proceeds to step S6. If not received, the ECU 10 branches to step S9.

  In step S6, the ID in the transmitted ID setting message is compared with the ID in the received ID setting completion message. If they match, the process proceeds to step S7. If they do not match, the process branches to step S9.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the ID setting has been completed up to the last sensor 14, and if not, the process proceeds to step S8 to set the setting ID to the next ID (ID = ID + 1), and then to step By returning to S4 and transmitting the ID setting message in which the ID is set to the communication line, the ID setting of the sensor 12 at the next stage is performed.

  If ID = 3 is set in step S8, the ECU 10 turns on the power switch SW2 corresponding to the power line of the rear bumper group to supply power to the power line of the rear bumper group. Thereby, in step S12, only the controller of the sensor 13 at the next stage is supplied with power and starts.

  As described above, when setting the ID, the ID is set to the first sensor via the bus based on the ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the sensors 11 to 14, and then the sensor set with the ID is sequentially switched. After turning on and connecting the next stage sensor to the bus, by setting the ID for the next stage sensor connected to the bus, the ID corresponding to each arrangement position of each sensor is sequentially set from the ECU 10. It can be set automatically.

  In step S7, if the ID setting has been completed up to the last sensor 14, the process proceeds to step S11, and communication is performed to collect information from each sensor 11 to 14 in which individual IDs are set by a polling / selecting method or the like. Start. The ID setting time (T) shown in FIG. 6 indicates the time required for this ID setting.

  Hereafter, the characteristic part of this embodiment is demonstrated. Steps S9 and S10 are processes when the ID is reset because of an ID setting failure. This process is also performed when an abnormality occurs in any of the sensors 11 to 14 after the start of communication in step S11 and ID resetting is performed.

  When performing ID resetting, first, in step S9, a sensor having an ID setting failure or a group to which an abnormal sensor belongs (that is, a front bumper or a rear bumper) is specified.

  In step S10, the power switch SW1 (or power switch SW2) corresponding to the power supply line of the specified group is turned off to cut off the power supply, and then the process returns to step S2 to turn on the turned off power switch again. , Set the ID again.

  FIG. 7 shows a timing chart in the case where an abnormality occurs in the sensor 11 or sensor 12 belonging to the front bumper group after the start of communication and ID setting is performed again. As shown in the figure, the power switch SW1 corresponding to the power supply line of the front bumper group is turned off and then turned on to set the IDs of the sensors 11 and 12.

  When this ID resetting is performed, the power switch SW2 of the group to which the sensor 13 or 14 to which no abnormality has occurred is held ON, so that the sensors 13 and 14 are still communicating and the IDs of the sensor 11 and sensor 12 are maintained. Is reset.

  As a result, the time required for resetting the ID is approximately half (T / 2) as shown in FIG. 7, so that the time required for resetting the ID can be shortened and the resetting is unnecessary. The operation of the sensors 13 and 14 belonging to the bumper group can be prevented from being interrupted.

  As described above, the vehicle obstacle detection device according to the present embodiment has the power switches SW1 and SW2 that turn on and off the connection of the power supply lines provided independently for each group of the front bumper and the rear bumper. When the ID is reset, the power switch of the power line of the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs is turned off to cut off the power supply to the power line, and then the power switch is turned on to supply power to the power line. ID setting is performed after supplying.

  Thus, when resetting the ID, it is performed only for the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs, so that the time required for resetting the ID can be shortened. As a result, for example, when the ID is reset during the operation of the sensor, the recovery response until the sensor operates again can be improved.

  In addition, since only power supply to the power supply line of the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs is cut off, the power of the sensor belonging to the group that does not need to be reset is not cut off. As a result, normal sensor operation can be prevented from being interrupted.

(Modification 1)
In the present embodiment, the power supply line is connected in series via the switch 13c, and the GND line and the communication line 3 are always connected by bus. However, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-152741, The communication line is connected in series via the power supply line and the GND line is always connected to the bus, or the GND line is connected in series via the switch, and the power supply line and the communication line are always connected to the bus. May be. With such a configuration, the sensor set with the ID connects the next-stage sensor, so that the ID can be set normally.

(Modification 2)
The ID setting process in the present embodiment is performed by communication of a communication frame via a communication line, but may be performed via a power line. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, transmitters 10c and 10d are provided at one end of the power switches SW1 and SW2, and an ID setting signal is superimposed on the power signal of the power supply line and transmitted from the transmitters 10c and 10d. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, a receiver 13d is connected to one end of the switch 13c and a GND line drawn from the ECU 10, and an ID setting signal is received by the receiver 13d to set an ID.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of an ID setting signal transmitted from the transmitters 10c and 10d. For example, when transmitting a pulse signal superimposed on a power supply signal (power supply voltage), the frequency of the pulse signal, The signal characteristics such as the number of pulses, amplitude, and duty ratio are changed according to the ID to be set.

  The sensors 11 to 14 store the correspondence between the signal characteristic and the ID, and specify the corresponding ID from the characteristic of the pulse signal received by the receiver 13d. Thereby, ID setting can be performed using a power supply line not via a communication line.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, since the power supply line of this modification is separately provided for each group of the front bumper and the rear bumper as in the first embodiment, it has been described in the first embodiment. Thus, the ID setting can be performed by simultaneously turning on the power switches SW1 and SW2 without turning on the power switch SW2 after turning on the power switch SW1 and setting the ID of the front bumper group. Therefore, even when the ID setting is performed for the first time, the time required for the ID setting can be shortened compared to the conventional case.

(Modification 3)
The present embodiment includes power switches SW1 and SW2 for turning on / off the connection of power lines provided independently for each group of the front bumper and the rear bumper. The power supply line of the group to which the sensor to be set belongs is turned off to cut off the power supply to the power supply line, and then the power supply switch is turned on to supply power to the power supply line before setting the ID. is there.

  On the other hand, in this modification, as shown in FIG. 11, a communication line is provided independently for each group of the front bumper and the rear bumper, and communication D / Rs 10e and 10f are provided in each of the communication lines of each group. . When the ID setting is performed, the communication D / Rs 10e and 10f for each group are performed in substantially the same time zone via each communication line.

  That is, when SW3 is turned on, the ID setting of the front bumper group and the rear bumper group is performed in substantially the same time zone. In this way, ID setting is performed at substantially the same time zone of each group via a communication line provided independently for each group, so that ID setting is performed first as well as in the case of ID resetting. Even in this case, the required time can be shortened compared to the conventional case.

(Modification 4)
This embodiment includes power switches SW1 and SW2 for turning on / off the connection of power lines provided independently for each of the front bumper group and the rear bumper group. The power supply line of the group to which the sensor to be set belongs is turned off to cut off the power supply to the power supply line, and then the power supply switch is turned on to supply power to the power supply line before setting the ID. is there.

  On the other hand, in this modification, as shown in FIG. 12, a power line and a communication line are provided for each group of the front bumper and the rear bumper, and power switches SW1 and SW2 are provided for each of the power lines of each group, In addition, each of the communication lines of each group includes communication D / Rs 10e and 10f.

  When the ID setting is performed, the power switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on at substantially the same timing, and are simultaneously performed via the communication lines by the communication D / Rs 10e and 10f.

  When the ID setting is performed again, the power switch of the power line of the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs is turned off to cut off the power supply to the power line, and then the power switch is turned on to supply power to the power line. Is set, and ID setting is performed via the communication line of the group.

  In this way, the ID is reset only for the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs, and the ID is reset through the communication line of the group to which the sensor to be reset belongs. The time required can be shortened, and information related to ID setting can be prevented from being communicated to a communication line of a group that does not need to be reset.

  For example, when sensors belonging to the front bumper group are in normal operation and ID resetting of sensors belonging to the rear bumper group is performed, in this embodiment, information related to ID setting and normal operation are being performed on one communication line. Information from the sensor will be communicated.

  On the other hand, in this modification, only information related to ID setting is communicated to the communication line of the group that requires ID setting, and only information from the sensor in normal operation is communicated to the communication line that does not require ID resetting. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the communication load.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vehicle obstacle detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sensor 13. FIG. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of ECU10 and the sensors 11-14. It is a figure which shows the format of the communication frame between ECU10 and the sensors 11-14. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of ID setting processing. It is a timing chart which shows the communication sequence of ID setting. It is a timing chart which shows the communication sequence of ID reset when the sensor 12 becomes abnormal in communication and ID reset is necessary. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles concerning the modification 2 of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the sensor 13 concerning the modification 2 of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the pulse signal superimposed on a power supply signal. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles concerning the modification 3 of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the obstacle detection apparatus for vehicles concerning the modification 4 of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 ECU (master device)
10a Controller 10b, 10e, 10f Communication D / R
11-14 Sensor (Slave device)
SW1, SW2 Power switch

Claims (7)

A plurality of slave devices are connected to a master device via a bus, and after the master device supplies power to a power supply line that constitutes the bus, each of the plurality of slave devices is arranged in each position. A communication apparatus for performing ID setting for setting an ID corresponding to
The power line is provided independently for each of a plurality of groups divided according to the arrangement positions of the plurality of slave devices,
The master device is
Each power line provided independently for each group includes a power switch for turning on and off the connection,
When the ID setting is performed again, the power switch of the power line of the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs is turned off to cut off the supply of power to the power line, and then the power switch is turned on and the power line The ID setting is performed after power is supplied to the communication device. A plurality of slave devices are connected to a master device via a bus, and after the master device supplies power to a power supply line that constitutes the bus, each of the plurality of slave devices is arranged in each position. When the ID setting is performed to set the ID according to the ID, and the ID setting is performed again, the master device cuts off the power supply to the power supply line, and then supplies power to the power supply line. A communication device for performing ID setting,
The communication lines constituting the bus are provided independently for each of a plurality of groups divided according to the arrangement positions of the plurality of slave devices,
The master device performs the ID setting in approximately the same time zone of each group via a communication line provided independently for each group. A plurality of slave devices are connected to a master device via a bus, and after the master device supplies power to a power supply line that constitutes the bus, each of the plurality of slave devices is arranged in each position. A communication apparatus for performing ID setting for setting an ID corresponding to
The power line and the communication line constituting the bus are provided independently for each of a plurality of groups divided according to the arrangement positions of the plurality of slave devices,
The master device is
Each power line provided independently for each group includes a power switch for turning on and off the connection,
When the ID setting is performed again, the power switch of the power line of the group to which the slave device to be reset belongs is turned off to cut off the supply of power to the power line, and then the power switch is turned on and the power line An ID is set through a communication line of the group after supplying power to the communication device. The plurality of slave devices have a switch for turning on and off the connection between the bus and the slave device at the next stage,
When the master device performs the ID setting, the master device sets the ID to the first slave device via the bus based on the ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the plurality of slave devices, and then the ID is set. The slave device sequentially turns on the switch to connect the slave device of the next stage to the bus, and then sets an ID for the slave device of the next stage connected to the bus. 4. The communication device according to any one of 3. The switches of the plurality of slave devices turn on / off the connection of any one of the power supply line, the communication line, and the ground line constituting the bus and the slave device in the next stage,
5. The slave device to which the ID is set turns on the switch to connect any one of a power line, a communication line, and a ground line to the next slave device by bus. Communication equipment. The master device includes a transmitter that superimposes and transmits a signal corresponding to an ID corresponding to each arrangement position of the plurality of slave devices on a power signal of a power line configuring the bus
The plurality of slave devices include a receiver that receives a signal corresponding to the ID transmitted by being superimposed on a power signal of the power line,
The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the master device performs the ID setting via the power supply line. The plurality of slave devices are respectively disposed on a front bumper and a rear bumper of a vehicle,
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of groups are divided into groups of the front bumper and the rear bumper.

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