JP5009715B2 - In-vehicle communication system and distribution device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted communication system including a plurality of vehicle-mounted devices, a distribution device that stores data received from each vehicle-mounted device, and distributes the stored data to each vehicle-mounted device, and a distribution device that can be used for the vehicle-mounted communication system. .

  In recent years, the number and types of electronic control units (ECUs) that electrically control onboard equipment or driving assistance functions have increased with the increase in equipment mounted on automobiles (vehicles) and driving assistance functions. Tend to. Further, as the number of ECUs increases, the amount of data transmitted / received via an in-vehicle communication line to which the ECUs are connected also increases.

  The in-vehicle communication line is generally configured by connecting an ECU in a bus form to a serial bus conforming to CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like. For this reason, data used only by some ECUs is also transmitted to all ECUs connected to the same in-vehicle communication line. Therefore, an increase in the amount of data transmitted / received through the in-vehicle communication line causes data delay or loss due to collision (collision). A significant delay or loss of data may be fatal to driving assistance functions such as brake control by the ECU.

  Therefore, a configuration in which the in-vehicle communication line is divided into a plurality of parts and the ECUs are connected to different in-vehicle communication lines is common. This is because the waste of use of the in-vehicle communication line can be suppressed by collecting ECUs that commonly use data. In addition, in order to efficiently use the in-vehicle communication line against the increase in the type of ECU, a configuration in which the ECU group is classified according to the type of data to be transmitted and received and connected to the in-vehicle communication line having a different communication speed for each group. There is also. In these configurations, different in-vehicle communication lines are connected by a gateway device that controls transmission and reception of data. In this case, the gateway device functions as a distribution device that temporarily stores the data received from the ECU and distributes and transmits the stored data to the in-vehicle device that requires the data.

In Patent Document 1, the ECU is divided into a plurality of groups and connected to the in-vehicle communication line for each group, and the in-vehicle communication line is further connected by a gateway device, and the priority for identifying the priority order for the transmitted and received data If the gateway device transmits / receives data between different in-vehicle communication lines, the priority is determined from the priority information of the received data and data with higher priority is transmitted preferentially. A technique is disclosed in which transmission of data with high priority is not greatly delayed even when the communication load increases.
JP 2005-159568 A

  However, Patent Document 1 aims at preferentially transmitting high-priority data when the communication load is high so as not to cause a large delay, and does not suppress an increase in the amount of data transmitted and received in the in-vehicle communication system. Absent. Therefore, in a configuration in which the gateway device receives data from one in-vehicle communication line at a predetermined cycle and transmits the received data to another in-vehicle communication line at a predetermined cycle, the data transmitted / received through the one in-vehicle communication line is In the case of delay, the gateway device may transmit data to another in-vehicle communication line before receiving data from one in-vehicle communication line. In this case, data transmitted from one in-vehicle communication line is transmitted with a delay of one cycle from the timing originally transmitted to another in-vehicle communication line.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to provide a delay time within a predetermined range even when a delay occurs in data transmitted and received between the in-vehicle device and the distribution device. Then, it is providing the vehicle-mounted communication system and distribution device which a distribution device can distribute the newest data to a vehicle-mounted device.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a distribution device capable of efficiently distributing the latest data by accurately determining whether each data is already distributed data when distributing the data. It is to provide.

An in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention includes a plurality of in-vehicle devices that transmit and receive data, a storage unit that stores data received from the in-vehicle devices, and the stored data to each in-vehicle device at a preset distribution cycle for each data. a vehicle communication system in which a dispensing device is connected with a means for distributing the dispensing device upon which distributable to the vehicle device by distribution period corresponding to the data, already the data to the onboard device Determining means for determining whether or not the data is distributed; and when the determining means determines that the data is distributed to the in-vehicle device, means for starting timing of a predetermined time; and timing of the predetermined time Means for determining whether or not update data for the data has been received from another in-vehicle device by the end, and the update data is stored by the time until a predetermined time is measured. If it is determined that received from the vehicle-mounted device, characterized in that the update data received from the other vehicle unit is arranged to distribute to the vehicle device.

According to the present invention, there are provided a plurality of distribution devices that receive data transmitted from the in-vehicle device, store the data in the storage means, and distribute the stored data to the in- vehicle device with a preset distribution cycle for each data. each dispensing device upon which distributable to the in-vehicle device in the distribution period corresponding data, already determined whether the distributed data to the vehicle-mounted device. If it is determined that the data has already been distributed to the in-vehicle device, the distribution device waits for a predetermined time until receiving update data for this data from the other in-vehicle device, and receives the update data from the other in-vehicle device within the predetermined time. When received, the update data received from other in-vehicle devices is distributed to the in-vehicle devices.

Dispensing apparatus according to the present invention is a dispensing device and a means for distributing a storage means for storing data received from the outside, to the outside of the distributing destination at a preset distribution period stored data for each data, the upon be distributable to the distribution destination distribution period corresponding data, a determination means for the data to determine whether already a distributed data to the distribution destination, the determination means is distributed to the distribution destination Means for starting the counting of a predetermined time when it is determined to be data, and means for determining whether or not update data for the data has been received from the outside before the counting of the predetermined time is completed, When it is determined that the update data has been received from the outside before the time counting is completed, the received update data is distributed to the distribution destination.

According to the present invention, a distribution device that receives data transmitted from the outside, stores the data in a storage unit, and distributes the stored data to an external distribution destination at a predetermined distribution cycle for each data , upon be distributable by the distributor period corresponding data to an external distribution destination, it determines whether the data already distributed to the distribution destination. If it is determined that the data is already distributed, the distribution device waits for a predetermined time until the update data for the data is received from the outside, and if the update data is received within the predetermined time, the received update data is distributed to the distribution device. Distribute to the destination.

  The distribution device according to the present invention comprises: clock means; and means for storing, in the storage means, the received data and the time indicated by the clock means when the data is received in association with each other. Distribution information storage means for associating and storing information for identifying data, information indicating a distribution cycle and distribution destination when distributing the data, and the determination means stores the information in the distribution information storage means When distributing the corresponding data in a certain distribution cycle, the data has already been distributed to the distribution destination based on the distribution cycle, the time stored in the storage means, and the time indicated by the clock means at this time It is characterized by determining whether it is data or not.

  According to the present invention, when receiving data from the outside, the distribution device stores the received data and the time at this time (data reception time) in association with each other. Further, the distribution device stores information identifying the data, information indicating the distribution cycle and distribution destination when distributing the data in the distribution information storage unit, and stores the information in the distribution information storage unit. When distributing the corresponding data in the distribution cycle, it is determined whether the data is already distributed to the distribution destination based on the distribution cycle, the data reception time, and the current time at this time. .

  The distribution device according to the present invention comprises means for storing, in the storage means, information indicating distribution completion in association with information indicating each data and distribution destination when the data is distributed to an external distribution destination. Is configured to determine whether or not the data has already been distributed to the distribution destination based on information indicating that distribution has been performed and stored in the storage means. .

  According to the present invention, when distributing data to an external distribution destination, the distribution apparatus stores information indicating distribution completion in association with the data and the distribution destination. Further, when distributing the data, the distribution device is the data that has already been distributed to the distribution destination based on whether or not information indicating the distribution has been stored corresponding to the data and the distribution destination. Judge whether there is.

  In the distribution device according to the present invention, the storage unit stores data in a first-in first-out manner, and the determination unit is configured to store the data in the distribution destination based on a storage position of the data in the storage unit. It is characterized by determining whether or not the data is distributed.

  According to the present invention, the distribution device stores the data transmitted from the outside in the first-in first-out storage unit, and when distributing the data, the data is stored on the basis of the storage position of the data storage unit. It is determined whether the data has already been distributed to the distribution destination.

In the present invention, when each distribution device distributes data to the in-vehicle device at a distribution cycle set in advance for each data, when it is determined that the data is already distributed to the in-vehicle device, the update data for this data is changed to other data. The distribution process of this data to the in-vehicle device is waited until it is received from the in-vehicle device. When the distribution device receives update data from another in-vehicle device within a predetermined time, the distribution device distributes the received update data to the in-vehicle device. Therefore, if the delay time of data transmitted from another in-vehicle device to the distribution device is within a predetermined time, the latest updated data is updated by delaying the data distribution process from the distribution device to the in-vehicle device. Can be distributed to

In the present invention, when the distribution device distributes data to an external distribution destination at a distribution cycle set in advance for each data, if it is determined that the data has already been distributed to this distribution destination, update data for this data is updated. It waits for distribution processing of this data to the distribution destination until it is received from the outside. When the distribution device receives the update data within a predetermined time, the distribution device distributes the received update data to the distribution destination. Therefore, if the delay time of the data received from the outside by the distribution device is within a predetermined time, the latest updated data is sent to the distribution destination by delaying the data distribution processing from the distribution device to the external distribution destination. Can be distributed.

  In the present invention, the distribution device distributes data to an external distribution destination, and based on the current time at this time, the distribution cycle at the time of distributing the data, and the reception time at which the data is received from the outside, Is the data already distributed to the distribution destination. Specifically, when the time from the reception time to the current time is longer than the distribution cycle, the distribution device determines that the data has already been distributed to the distribution destination, and the time from the reception time to the current time is the distribution cycle. If it is shorter, the data is determined not to be distributed to the distribution destination. Therefore, the distribution device can accurately determine whether each data is already distributed based on the reception time and the current time, and efficiently distribute the latest updated data to the outside. Can do.

  In the present invention, when distributing data to an external distribution destination, the distribution device stores information indicating that the data has been distributed in association with the data and the distribution destination, and whether or not this information is stored. Thus, it is determined whether or not each data is already distributed to the distribution destination. Therefore, the distribution device can accurately determine whether each data is already distributed based on the information indicating the distribution completed when the data is distributed to an external distribution destination, The latest updated data can be efficiently distributed to the outside.

  In the present invention, since the distribution device stores the data transmitted from the outside in the first-in first-out storage unit, the approximate reception time of each data from the outside is predicted based on the storage position in the storage unit of each data. it can. Therefore, the distribution device does not store the time or information for determining whether or not each data is distributed to the distribution destination, and each data is already distributed based on the storage position in the storage means of each data. It is possible to roughly determine whether or not the data is updated, and the latest updated data can be efficiently distributed to the outside.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing Embodiment 1 thereof. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention. The in-vehicle communication system of the present invention receives data from each of a plurality of in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c using an electronic control unit (ECU), and each in-vehicle device 1a, 1b, 1c, 1c and distribution devices 2a and 2b for distributing data to other in-vehicle devices (not shown), in-vehicle communication lines 3a connecting the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c and distribution device 2a, and in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c And an in-vehicle communication line 3b for connecting the distribution device 2b and a communication line 4 for connecting the distribution devices 2a and 2b to each other.

  In FIG. 1, in order to distinguish between the in-vehicle communication line 3a and the in-vehicle communication line 3b, connections between the in-vehicle communication line 3b, the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c, and the distribution device 2b are indicated by broken lines. In the first embodiment, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example. However, the number of in-vehicle devices, the number of distribution devices, the number of in-vehicle communication lines, and the like are not limited to these.

  The in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c are connected to the in-vehicle communication line 3a in a bus form, and the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution device 2a connected to the in-vehicle communication line 3a transmit to the in-vehicle communication line 3a. The received data is received in common. The in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected to the in-vehicle communication line 3b in a bus form, and the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c and the distribution device 2b connected to the in-vehicle communication line 3b are connected to the in-vehicle communication line 3b. The data sent to is commonly received.

  The in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b are communication lines based on the CAN protocol, for example, and the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c generate or detect signals based on CAN via the in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b. Transmission / reception is possible. The in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b used in the in-vehicle communication system of the present invention are not limited to this, and are configured so as to be able to transmit and receive data based on protocols such as LIN (Local Interconnect Network), FlexRay (registered trademark), etc. Also good. Furthermore, you may comprise in-vehicle communication line 3a, 3b from which the speed of transmission / reception differs according to the kind of data transmitted / received.

  The in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c use electronic control devices such as measured values such as temperature, angle, and speed detected by a connected sensor (not shown), calculated values obtained by calculation, control values, and the like. Transmission / reception of data including numerical information (data values) of various physical quantities, or control by a microcomputer such as an engine and a brake is possible. For example, one in-vehicle device 1a is connected to a sensor that detects the vehicle speed, and transmits data including the data value of the vehicle speed detected by the sensor to the connected distribution devices 2a and 2b.

  In CAN, an ID (Identifier) is assigned for each physical quantity. Therefore, the data transmitted and received between the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c and the distribution devices 2a and 2b in the first embodiment include the data ID allocated for each physical quantity and the measured value (data value) of the physical quantity. Including. The in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution devices 2a, 2b are based on the data ID included in the data transmitted from any of the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution devices 2a, 2b. It is possible to determine which physical quantity the data includes the data value.

  The distribution devices 2a and 2b have storage areas used as databases (hereinafter referred to as DBs) 21a and 21b, receive data transmitted from the connected in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c, and store the DB (storage). Means) The data stored in 21a, 21b and read from the DBs 21a, 21b are distributed to the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c.

  The distribution devices 2a and 2b are connected by a communication line 4, and the distribution devices 2a and 2b can transmit and receive data to and from each other. In the first embodiment, an example in which the communication line 4 is configured by a packet switching network is shown. However, the communication line 4 connecting the distribution devices 2a and 2b of the in-vehicle device communication system of the present invention is not limited to this as long as data can be transmitted and received between the distribution devices 2a and 2b, and may be a communication line based on CAN. Absent.

  The in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b for connecting the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c and the distribution devices 2a and 2b and the topology of the communication line 4 for connecting the distribution devices 2a and 2b are bus type, star type, Any form such as a daisy chain type may be used.

  Distribution devices 2a and 2b are also connected to other in-vehicle devices (not shown) via other in-vehicle communication lines (not shown), and data received from connected in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b and 1c. May be transmitted to other in-vehicle devices. In this case, the data transmitted to the other in-vehicle devices is not all the data transmitted from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c, but only the data necessary for the other in-vehicle devices is read from the DB 21a, 21b and transmitted. This reduces the communication load in the in-vehicle communication system.

  In the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c are connected to both the distribution device 2a and the distribution device 2b via in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b, respectively, and transmit data to both. . For example, the in-vehicle device 1a transmits vehicle speed data to both the distribution device 2a and the distribution device 2b. The same data is transmitted and stored in both distribution device 2a and distribution device 2b, including data transmitted by other in-vehicle device groups. Thereby, the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c can receive data not only from the distribution device 2a but also from the distribution device 2b.

  Accordingly, when a hardware failure such as memory occurs in the distribution device 2a and data cannot be read from the DB 21a, or a failure occurs in the connection between the distribution device 2a and the in-vehicle communication line 3a, the in-vehicle devices 1a, Even when the distribution device 2a has a problem, such as when the distribution devices 2a cannot transmit / receive data to / from the distribution device 2a, the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c send data to and from the distribution device 2b. You can send and receive. As described above, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle communication system 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution devices 2a, 2b, specifically, the connection relationship between the DBs 21a, 21b are duplicated, thereby failing as a whole in-vehicle communication system. It becomes possible to operate in a safe state, and the reliability of the system is improved.

  The distribution devices 2a and 2b can also synchronize the contents of the data stored in the DBs 21a and 21b by exchanging data of the respective DBs 21a and 21b via the communication line 4. As described above, the data stored in the DBs 21a and 21b is distributed to the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c, so that the contents of the data received by the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c and other in-vehicle devices are the same. Sex is guaranteed. Furthermore, data simultaneity is ensured by transmitting data from the distribution devices 2a and 2b to the respective in-vehicle devices connected to the plurality of groups in a lump.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the in-vehicle device 1a and the distribution device 2a constituting the in-vehicle communication system of the present invention. Since the in-vehicle devices 1b and 1c have the same internal configuration as the in-vehicle device 1a, detailed description thereof is omitted, and the distribution device 2b has the same internal configuration as the distribution device 2a, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The in-vehicle device 1a includes a control unit 10 that controls the operation of each component described below, a power supply circuit 11 that supplies power to each component, and a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). Unit 12, a first communication unit 13 that controls communication with the in-vehicle communication line 3a, and a second communication unit 14 that controls communication with the in-vehicle communication line 3b. Note that some in-vehicle devices may be connected to one distribution device via a single in-vehicle communication line. In this case, only one of the first communication unit 13 and the second communication unit 14 may be provided. . In addition, some in-vehicle devices may be connected to three or more distribution devices via three or more in-vehicle communication lines. In this case, communication having the same configuration as the first communication unit 13 and the second communication unit 14 It is sufficient to provide as many units as the number of in-vehicle communication lines to be connected.

  The control unit 10 of the in-vehicle device 1a receives power supply from a power supply device (not shown) such as an alternator and a battery of the vehicle via a power supply circuit 11, and reads a control program stored in the storage unit 12. And control the operation of each component.

  The storage unit 12 of the in-vehicle device 1a stores in advance various control programs necessary for operating the in-vehicle device 1a as the in-vehicle device of the in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention. The storage unit 12 temporarily stores various information such as control values and calculation values generated by the processing of the control unit 10. Further, the storage unit 12 stores data IDs that are allocated to physical quantities that the in-vehicle device 1a transmits to the distribution devices 2a and 2b via the in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b, and for identifying the physical quantities. The storage unit 12 is a volatile memory, but incorporates a battery (not shown) and holds various information stored therein.

  The first communication unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 1a implements data transmission / reception with the distribution device 2a connected via the in-vehicle communication line 3a. The 2nd communication part 14 implement | achieves transmission / reception of data between the distribution apparatuses 2b connected via the in-vehicle communication line 3b. The control unit 10 of the in-vehicle device 1a acquires data values of various physical quantities by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 12, and adds the data ID stored in the storage unit 12 to the acquired data values. The assigned data is transmitted from the first communication unit 13 and the second communication unit 14 to the distribution devices 2a and 2b, for example, at regular intervals of 10 milliseconds.

  The distribution device 2a includes a control unit 20 that controls the operation of each component described below, a power supply circuit 22 that supplies power to each component, a storage unit 23 that includes a volatile memory such as a DRAM, and in-vehicle communication. A first communication unit 25 that controls communication with the line 3 a and a second communication unit 26 that controls communication with the communication line 4 are provided.

  The control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a is supplied with power from a power supply device such as a vehicle alternator or battery via the power supply circuit 22, reads out and executes a control program stored in the storage unit 23, and Control the operation of the unit. In addition, the control unit 20 includes a clock (clock means) that indicates an absolute time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second), and executes various processes based on the absolute time indicated by the clock. Specifically, for example, the control unit 20 stores the data ID and the data value included in the data received from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c in the DB 21a of the storage unit 23 in association with each other.

  The first communication unit 25 of the distribution device 2a realizes data transmission / reception with the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c connected via the in-vehicle communication line 3a. The second communication unit 26 implements data transmission / reception with the distribution device 2 b connected via the communication line 4. In the first embodiment, when the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a transmits data read from the DB 21a from the second communication unit 26 to the distribution device 2b, among the data stored in the DB 21a, the distribution device Only the data updated for each data stored in the DB 21b of 2b may be transmitted to the distribution device 2b, or all the data stored in the DB 21a may be transmitted to the distribution device 2b.

  The storage unit 23 of the distribution device 2a stores in advance various control programs necessary for operating the distribution device 2a as a distribution device of the in-vehicle communication system according to the present invention. The storage unit 23 temporarily stores various information generated by the processing of the control unit 20. Further, the storage unit 23 is provided with a storage area for the DB 21a as shown in FIG. 3A, and a transmission information table 24 as shown in FIG. 3B is also stored. Although the storage unit 23 is a volatile memory, a battery (not shown) is built in to hold the stored data.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing registration contents of the DB 21a and the transmission information table 24. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the DB 21a includes the data ID of data received by the control unit 20 from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution device 2b, the data value of each data, and the last update time of each data. Registered in association. In the last update time column, when each data is received from any of the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution device 2b, the current time indicated by the clock at that time is sequentially updated.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the transmission information table (distribution information storage means) 24 includes, as transmission information of each data, a data ID of each data, a distribution period and a transmission destination when each data is distributed. (Distribution destination) is registered in association with each other. FIG. 3B shows the transmission information table 24 in which 1d, 1e, and 1f are registered as information for identifying each in-vehicle device in the transmission destination column. The information is not limited to the device, and may be information indicating an in-vehicle communication line.

  In the distribution device 2a configured as described above, when the first communication unit 25 receives data from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c, the control unit 20 extracts a data ID and a data value included in the received data. Then, the control unit 20 searches the extracted data ID from the data ID column of the DB 21a, and if the search is successful, stores the data value extracted from the received data in the data value column corresponding to the data ID. The current time at this time is stored in the last update time column corresponding to the data ID. Accordingly, the distribution device 2a can sequentially update the data value and the last update time of each data stored in the DB 21a based on the data sequentially transmitted from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c.

  In addition, the control unit 20 exchanges data by transmitting and receiving data stored in the DBs 21a and 21b between the other distribution devices 2b at predetermined intervals, whereby the data contents of the DBs 21a and 21b are changed. Be synchronized. In the first embodiment, the procedure for synchronizing the data contents of the DBs 21a and 21b is not limited. After the synchronization process is executed every predetermined period, the contents of the DBs 21a and 21b of the distribution devices 2a and 2b are all synchronized.

  As described above, based on the latest data sequentially transmitted from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, and 1c, the data in the DBs 21a and 21b of the distribution devices 2a and 2b are sequentially updated, and the data in the DBs 21a and 21b is predetermined. Since they are synchronized with each other, it is possible to ensure the identity of data distributed from each distribution device 2a, 2b to each in-vehicle device 1a, 1b, 1c.

  Here, the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution devices 2a, 2b according to the first embodiment have synchronized timers and operate synchronously based on a sharing cycle. For this reason, the control part 10 of vehicle equipment 1a, 1b, 1c and the control part 20 of distribution apparatus 2a, 2b each function as a timer according to the internal clock which is not shown in figure.

  The control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a measures each distribution period registered in the transmission information table 24, and reads the corresponding data ID and transmission destination from the transmission information table 24 each time each distribution period elapses. . Then, the control unit 20 reads the data value of the data indicated by the read data ID from the DB 21a, and transmits the data including the data ID and the data value from the first communication unit 25 to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24. . Thereby, the distribution apparatus 2a can distribute each data to a preset transmission destination in each distribution cycle according to each transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the timing at which the distribution device 2a receives data and the timing at which data is transmitted. Each of FIGS. 4A to 4C shows a horizontal axis that is a time axis, and solid arrows j1, j2, and j3 shown above each time axis are the in-vehicle device 1a. The broken line j20 indicates the reception timing at which data is received from the mobile station 1a, which is normally the timing at which data is received from the in-vehicle device 1a. In addition, solid arrows s1, s2, and s3 shown below the respective time axes indicate transmission timings when data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1b, and a broken arrow s20 indicates data to the in-vehicle device 1b if normal. The timing at which data is not transmitted is shown.

  In the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the in-vehicle device 1a transmits predetermined data to the distribution device 2a at a predetermined transmission timing, and the distribution device 2a has Δt1 as shown in FIG. Data is received from the in-vehicle device 1a at reception timings j1, j2, and j3 based on the indicated cycle. Further, the distribution device 2a receives from the in-vehicle device 1a at the transmission timings s1, s2, and s3 based on the period indicated by Δt2 after the time indicated by t0 has elapsed from the reception timing of the data from the in-vehicle device 1a. The data stored in is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1b. Thereby, distribution device 2a can distribute the newest data received from in-vehicle device 1a to in-vehicle device 1b.

  Here, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, there may be a delay in data transmitted and received depending on the communication status via the in-vehicle communication lines 3a and 3b. In this way, when the data is delayed, before the distribution device 2a receives the data transmitted from the in-vehicle device 1a and stores it in the DB 21a, the unupdated data stored in the DB 21a is stored in the in-vehicle device 1b. Situation occurs. In this case, the distribution device 2a cannot distribute the latest data received from the in-vehicle device 1a to the in-vehicle device 1b.

  Therefore, when the control unit (determination means) 20 of the distribution device 2a according to the first embodiment distributes data to the in-vehicle device 1b at the transmission timings s1, s2, and s3, the data is already distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b. It is determined whether or not. When the data is not yet distributed to the vehicle-mounted device 1b, that is, when the data is updated after being distributed to the vehicle-mounted device 1b by the immediately preceding distribution process, the control unit 20 transmits this data to the vehicle-mounted device 1b. To distribute.

  On the other hand, if the data has already been distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b, that is, if it has not been updated since it was distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b by the immediately preceding distribution process, the control unit 20 distributes until this data is updated. Wait for processing to execute. 4B and 4C show a case where the distribution device 2a cannot receive data from the in-vehicle device 1a at the reception timing j20. The data that could not be received at the reception timing J20 is received at the reception timing J2, and this data is delayed from the reception timing J20 to J2.

  When the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a attempts to transmit data to the in-vehicle device 1b at the transmission timing s20, the control unit 20 determines whether or not this data has been updated since being distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b by the immediately preceding distribution process. . The case where the data is not updated means that the distribution device 2a has not received the data from the in-vehicle device 1a at the reception timing j20, and the data is delayed. Therefore, when determining that the data has not been updated, the control unit 20 postpones the delay allowable time indicated by Δt3 in FIGS. 4B and 4C and the process of distributing the data to the in-vehicle device 1b. Wait until update data for this data is received from the device 1a.

  In FIG. 4B, the distribution device 2a receives the data (update data) that could not be received at the reception timing j20 at the reception timing j2 until the delay allowable time (Δt3) elapses from the transmission timing s20. Shows the case. In FIG. 4C, the distribution device 2a receives data (update data) that could not be received at the reception timing j20 at the reception timing j2 after the delay allowable time (Δt3) has elapsed from the transmission timing s20. Shows the case.

  When the distribution device 2a receives the update data before the allowable delay time elapses, the control unit 20 receives from the in-vehicle device 1a at the reception timing j2 and stores it in the DB 21a as shown in FIG. 4B. The update data is distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b at the transmission timing s2. When a delay occurs in the data received from the in-vehicle device 1a as in this case, the reception timing j2 when the data is actually received from the in-vehicle device 1a, and the transmission timing s2 when the received data is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 1b. The interval may not be the preset time t0.

  In addition, the control part 10 of the vehicle-mounted apparatus 1a transmits data to the distribution apparatus 2a, 2b at the transmission timing based on a predetermined | prescribed period, when data are actually transmitted from the 1st communication part 13 or the 2nd communication part 14. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the distribution device 2a receives data that could not be received at the reception timing j20 at the reception timing j2 within the allowable delay time, thereafter, the distribution timing is set to Δt1 with reference to the reception timing j2. The data from the in-vehicle device 1a is sequentially received at the reception timing j3 based on the cycle indicated by, and the data is sequentially distributed at the transmission timing s3 based on the cycle indicated by Δt2 with the transmission timing S2 as a reference.

  On the other hand, when the distribution device 2a cannot receive the update data before the allowable delay time elapses, the control unit 20 causes the allowable delay time (Δt3) to elapse from the transmission timing s20 as illustrated in FIG. At that time (transmission timing s2 in FIG. 4C), the unupdated data stored in the DB 21a is distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b. In this case, the data distributed from the distribution device 2a to the in-vehicle device 1b is the same data as the data distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b in the immediately preceding distribution process.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, when the distribution device 2a cannot receive the data that could not be received at the reception timing j20 within the delay allowable time, it is indicated by Δt1 with the reception timing j2 as a reference thereafter. Data from the in-vehicle device 1a is sequentially received at the reception timing j3 based on the cycle, and the data is sequentially distributed at the transmission timing s3 based on the cycle indicated by Δt2 with the transmission timing s20 as a reference. That is, the transmission timing for distributing data to the in-vehicle device 1b is the same as before the data is delayed.

  When the distribution device 2a distributes data to the in-vehicle device 1b by the above-described processing, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a determines whether or not this data has been updated since the previous distribution processing. Then, it distributes to the vehicle-mounted device 1b at a predetermined transmission timing. Further, if not updated, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a waits for a predetermined allowable delay time, and if the data is updated within the allowable delay time, distributes the updated data to the in-vehicle device 1b, and delays the delay. If the data is not updated within the allowable time, the data that has not been updated is distributed to the in-vehicle device 1b. In order to distribute the unupdated data to the in-vehicle device 1b, the distribution device 2a and the in-vehicle device 1b are normally operating by periodically transmitting data from the distribution device 2a to the in-vehicle device 1b. This is because there is an effect such as being able to grasp this.

Hereinafter, a process in which the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a distributes data according to transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24 will be described in detail.
The control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a measures each distribution period registered in the transmission information table 24, and reads the corresponding data ID and transmission destination from the transmission information table 24 each time each distribution period elapses. . Then, the control unit 20 reads the data value and the last update time of the data indicated by the read data ID from the DB 21a, and acquires the current time at this time from its own clock.

  The control unit 20 determines whether or not the data is already distributed to the transmission destination based on the data distribution cycle, the last update time read from the DB 21a, and the current time. Specifically, the control unit 20 compares the time from the last update time of the data to the current time and the data distribution cycle, and if the time is longer than the distribution cycle, the data already distributed to the transmission destination If the time is shorter than the distribution cycle, it is determined that the data is not yet distributed to the transmission destination.

  If the control unit 20 determines that the data is not yet distributed to the transmission destination, the first communication unit 25 transmits the data including the data value and the data ID read from the DB 21a to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24. Send from. As a result, the distribution device 2a transmits each data in the respective distribution cycle when each data is not yet transmitted to the transmission destination registered in advance according to each transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24. It can be distributed to the destination.

  When determining that the data has already been distributed to the transmission destination, the control unit 20 starts measuring the allowable delay time stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. Further, the control unit 20 performs the same processing as the above-described processing while measuring the allowable delay time, reads the last update time of this data from the DB 21a and obtains the current time, and from the distribution cycle of this data, the DB 21a. It is determined whether or not this data has been updated based on the read last update time and the current time.

  Specifically, if it is determined that this data has already been distributed to the destination, it can be determined that the data has not yet been updated, and this data has not yet been distributed to the destination. If it is determined that there is data, it can be determined that the data is updated data. The determination as to whether the data has been updated may be made based on whether the data has been received via the first communication unit 25 or the second communication unit 26.

  When the control unit 20 determines that the data has been updated by the end of the measurement of the allowable delay time, the control unit 20 updates the updated data, specifically, the data ID received from the outside and stored in the DB 21a and Data including the data value is transmitted from the first communication unit 25 to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24. As a result, when the distribution device 2a distributes each data according to each transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24, if each data has not been updated since the previous distribution processing, the distribution processing is performed until the data is updated. If the data is updated without performing the process, the updated data can be efficiently distributed to a predetermined transmission destination.

  Note that the maximum delay time that can occur in data transmitted / received via the in-vehicle communication lines 3a, 3b is the number of in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c connected to each of the in-vehicle communication lines 3a, 3b and the distribution device. Since it can be calculated based on the number of 2a, 2b, etc., the allowable delay time may be set in advance based on this maximum delay time.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the first embodiment, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a distributes each data to the outside when the data stored in the DB 21a is received and updated from the outside. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not each data is already distributed based on the time at the time, and the latest updated data can be efficiently distributed to the outside.

  Hereinafter, data distribution processing performed by the distribution device 2a based on the registered contents of the transmission information table 24 will be described with reference to flowcharts. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the procedure of distribution processing by the distribution device 2a. Since the distribution device 2b performs the same processing, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a functions as a timer and determines whether or not the distribution period of each data registered in the transmission information table 24 has passed (S1). When it is determined that no distribution cycle has elapsed (S1: NO), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S7, and when it is determined that any distribution cycle has elapsed (S1: YES), The corresponding data ID and transmission destination are read from the transmission information table 24 (S2). Then, the control unit 20 reads the data value and the last update time corresponding to the read data ID from the DB 21a (S3), and acquires the current time at this time from its own clock (S4).

  Based on the data distribution cycle, the last update time read from the DB 21a in step S3, and the current time acquired in step S4, the control unit 20 sends this data to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 23 in step S2. It is determined whether the data has already been distributed (S5). When it is determined that the data is not yet distributed to the transmission destination (S5: NO), the control unit 20 reads the data including the data value and data ID read from the DB 21a in step S3 from the transmission information table 24. It transmits from the 1st communication part 25 to a transmission destination (S6).

  If it is determined that the data has already been distributed to the transmission destination (S5: YES), the control unit 20 starts measuring a predetermined allowable delay time (S8). In addition, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the measured delay allowable time has elapsed (S9), and if it has not elapsed (S9: NO), the data value corresponding to the data ID read in step S2 Then, the last update time is read from the DB 21a (S10), and the current time at this time is acquired from its own clock (S11).

  The control unit 20 determines whether or not this data has been updated based on the data distribution cycle, the last update time read from the DB 21a in step S10, and the current time acquired in step S11 (S12). Specifically, the control unit 20 determines again whether or not this data is data already distributed to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 23 in step S3.

  When it is determined that the data has not been updated (S12: NO), the control unit 20 returns the process to step S9, and performs the processes of steps S9 to S12 until the delay allowable time has elapsed or until the data is updated. repeat. When it is determined that the allowable delay time has elapsed (S9: YES), or when it is determined that the data has been updated (S12: YES), the control unit 20 shifts the process to step S6, and reads from the DB 21a in step S10. The data including the data value and the data ID is transmitted from the first communication unit 25 to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24 (S6).

  The control unit 20 determines whether or not the end of the above-described process has been instructed, for example, when the supply of power from the power supply circuit 22 has ended (S7), and when the end of the process has been instructed (S7: YES), the above-described process is terminated, and if the end of the process is not instructed (S7: NO), the process returns to step S1, and the above-described process is repeated until the end of the process is instructed.

(Embodiment 2)
Below, the vehicle-mounted communication system of this invention is demonstrated concretely based on drawing which shows the vehicle-mounted communication system of Embodiment 2. FIG. In addition, since the vehicle-mounted communication system of this Embodiment 2 is realizable by the structure similar to the vehicle-mounted communication system of Embodiment 1 mentioned above, description about a structure is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, when the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a distributes each data to a predetermined transmission destination based on the registered contents of the transmission information table 24, the distribution cycle of each data and the last update of each data. Based on the time and the current time, it is configured to determine whether each data is already distributed to a predetermined transmission destination. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, an update flag indicating that each data has been updated corresponding to each data is stored in the DB 21a of the storage unit 23 of the distribution device 2a, and based on the state of the update flag. Whether each data is already distributed to a predetermined transmission destination is determined.

  Specifically, the DB 21a stored in the storage unit 23 of the distribution devices 2a, 2b, and 2c according to the second embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the storage unit 23 of the distribution devices 2a and 2b of the second embodiment stores the DB 21a as shown in FIG. 7 and the transmission information table 24 shown in FIG. 3B. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing registration contents of the DB 21a. As shown in FIG. 7, the data 21 of the data received by the control unit 20 from the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution device 2b, the data value of each data, and the update flag are associated with the DB 21a of the second embodiment. Registered.

  In the update flag column, when each data is received from any of the in-vehicle devices 1a, 1b, 1c and the distribution device 2b and stored in the DB 21a, “ON” is registered by the control unit 20, and the transmission information When each data is distributed to a predetermined transmission destination based on the registered contents of the table 24, “OFF” is registered by the control unit 20. That is, when the update flag is on, this indicates that the data is updated data that has not been distributed to the predetermined destination, and when the update flag is off, this data has already been distributed to the predetermined destination. It is shown that it is the data of distributed housing.

  Only information on one update flag is stored in the DB 21a shown in FIG. 7, and this is based on each piece of transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24 shown in FIG. 3B. In this configuration, the data is transmitted to only one transmission destination. That is, when each data is transmitted (distributed) to a plurality of transmission destinations, it is necessary to provide a plurality of update flags corresponding to the respective transmission destinations in the DB 21a.

  In the distribution apparatus 2a configured as described above, the control unit 20 measures each distribution period registered in the transmission information table 24, and transmits a corresponding data ID and transmission destination each time each distribution period elapses. Read from the information table 24. Then, the control unit 20 reads the data value and update flag of the data indicated by the read data ID from the DB 21a.

  The control unit 20 determines whether or not the update flag read from the DB 21a is on. When the update flag is ON, that is, when the data is not yet distributed to the transmission destination, the control unit 20 transmits the data including the data value and the data ID read from the DB 21a from the transmission information table 24. The update flag transmitted from the first communication unit 25 and stored in the DB 21a corresponding to this data is changed to OFF.

  As a result, the distribution device 2a transmits each data in the respective distribution cycle when each data is not yet transmitted to the transmission destination registered in advance according to each transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24. It can be distributed to the destination. Further, by turning off the update flag when each data is distributed, it is possible to grasp that the data is already distributed to the transmission destination.

  When the update flag is off, that is, when the data is already distributed to the transmission destination, the control unit 20 starts measuring the allowable delay time stored in the storage unit 23 in advance. Further, the control unit 20 performs the same process as described above while measuring the delay allowable time, reads the update flag of this data from the DB 21a, and determines whether or not the update flag is on.

  Then, when the update flag is turned on, that is, when the data is updated by the end of the measurement of the allowable delay time, the control unit 20 transmits the updated data (update data) to the transmission information table 24. Is transmitted from the first communication unit 25 to the transmission destination read from. As a result, when the distribution device 2a distributes each data according to each transmission information registered in the transmission information table 24, if each data has not been updated since the previous distribution processing, the distribution processing is performed until the data is updated. The updated data can be efficiently distributed to a predetermined transmission destination without performing the above.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle communication system according to the second embodiment, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a determines whether each data has already been distributed based on the update flag of each data stored in the DB 21a. It is possible to accurately determine whether or not, and the latest updated data can be efficiently distributed to the outside.

  Hereinafter, data distribution processing performed by the distribution device 2a based on the registered contents of the transmission information table 24 will be described with reference to flowcharts. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of distribution processing by the distribution device 2a. Since the distribution device 2b performs the same processing, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a functions as a timer and determines whether or not the distribution period of each data registered in the transmission information table 24 has elapsed (S21). When it is determined that any distribution cycle has not elapsed (S21: NO), the control unit 20 proceeds to step S27, and when it is determined that any distribution cycle has elapsed (S21: YES), The corresponding data ID and destination are read from the transmission information table 24 (S22).

  The control unit 20 reads the data value and the update flag corresponding to the read data ID from the DB 21a (S23), and determines whether or not the read update flag is on (S24). When it is determined that the update flag is on (S24: YES), the control unit 20 first sends the data including the data value and data ID read from the DB 21a in step S23 to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24. It transmits from the communication part 25 (S25). And the control part 20 changes the update flag memorize | stored in DB21a corresponding to this data to OFF (S26).

  When it is determined that the update flag is not on (S24: NO), the control unit 20 starts measuring the predetermined delay allowable time (S28). Further, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the measured delay allowable time has elapsed (S29), and if it has not elapsed (S29: NO), the data value corresponding to the data ID read in step S22. The update flag is read from the DB 21a (S30), and it is determined whether or not the read update flag is on (S31).

  If it is determined that the update flag is not on (S31: NO), the control unit 20 returns the process to step S29, and performs the processes of steps S29 to S31 until the delay allowable time elapses or the update flag is turned on. repeat. When it is determined that the allowable delay time has elapsed (S29: YES), or when it is determined that the update flag is on (S31: YES), the control unit 20 shifts the process to step S25, and in step S30, the DB 21a The data including the data value and the data ID read from the first communication unit 25 is transmitted to the transmission destination read from the transmission information table 24 (S25).

  The control unit 20 changes the update flag stored in the DB 21a corresponding to this data to off (S26). The control unit 20 determines whether or not the end of the above-described process has been instructed, for example, when the supply of power from the power supply circuit 22 has ended (S27), and when the end of the process has been instructed (S27: YES), the above-described process is terminated, and if the end of the process is not instructed (S27: NO), the process returns to step S21, and the above-described process is repeated until the end of the process is instructed.

  In the first embodiment described above, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a determines whether each data stored in the DB 21a is already distributed to a predetermined transmission destination, whether each data is distributed, each data In the second embodiment described above, the control unit 20 of the distribution device 2a determines whether each data is already distributed to a predetermined transmission destination. Is determined based on the state of the update flag stored in the DB 21a in association with each data.

  However, it is not limited to these configurations. For example, when each data to be stored in the DB 21a is sequentially stored according to the first-in first-out method, the time at which each data is stored in the DB 21a can be roughly predicted based on the storage position of each data in the DB 21a. Therefore, whether or not each data is already distributed to a predetermined transmission destination can be determined based on the storage position of each data in the DB 21a. In this case, it is not necessary to store the last update time in the DB 21a every time each data is stored in the DB 21a as in the first embodiment, and each data is updated as in the second embodiment. There is no need to provide the DB 21a with an update flag indicating whether or not there is.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vehicle equipment and distribution device which comprise the vehicle-mounted communication system of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the registration content of DB and a transmission information table. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the timing which a distribution apparatus receives data, and the timing which transmits data. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the distribution process by a distribution apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the distribution process by a distribution apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the registration content of DB. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the distribution process by a distribution apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b, 1c In-vehicle device 2a, 2b Distribution device 21a, 21b DB (storage means)
3a, 3b In-car communication line

Claims (5)

A plurality of in-vehicle devices that transmit and receive data, a distribution unit that stores data received from the in-vehicle device, and a distribution device that includes means for distributing the stored data to each in-vehicle device at a preset distribution cycle for each data. A connected in-vehicle communication system,
The distributor is
Upon be distributable to the vehicle device with the distribution period corresponding to the data, a determination means for the data to determine whether Already a distributed data to the onboard device,
Means for starting counting a predetermined time when the determining means determines that the data is distributed to the in-vehicle device;
Means for determining whether or not update data for the data has been received from another in-vehicle device by the end of measuring the predetermined time;
When it is determined that the update data has been received from the other in-vehicle device by the end of measuring the predetermined time, the update data received from the other in-vehicle device is configured to be distributed to the in-vehicle device. An in-vehicle communication system characterized by the above. In a distribution device comprising storage means for storing data received from outside, and means for distributing the stored data to an external distribution destination at a distribution cycle set in advance for each data ,
Upon be distributable to the distribution destination distribution period corresponding to the data, a determination means for the data to determine whether Already a distributed data to the distributing destination,
Means for starting timing a predetermined time when the determining means determines that the data is distributed to the distribution destination;
Means for determining whether or not update data for the data has been received from the outside before the timing of the predetermined time is completed,
A distribution device configured to distribute the received update data to the distribution destination when it is determined that the update data has been received from the outside before the measurement of a predetermined time is completed. Clock means;
Means for storing in the storage means in association with the received data and the time indicated by the clock means at the time of receiving the data when data is received from the outside;
A distribution information storage means for storing information for identifying data, information indicating a distribution cycle and a distribution destination when distributing the data,
The determination means includes
When distributing the corresponding data in the distribution cycle stored in the distribution information storage unit, the data is based on the distribution cycle, the time stored in the storage unit and the time indicated by the clock unit at this time. 3. The distribution apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the distribution device is configured to determine whether or not the data is already distributed to the distribution destination. When the data is distributed to an external distribution destination, the storage means stores information indicating distribution completion in association with information indicating each data and distribution destination,
The determination means is configured to determine whether or not the data is already distributed to the distribution destination based on information indicating that distribution has been performed and stored in the storage means. 3. Distributing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The storage means is configured to store data in a first-in first-out manner,
The determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the data is already distributed to the distribution destination based on a storage position of the data in the storage unit. Item 3. The dispensing device according to Item 2.

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