JP7251346B2 - Master relay device and relay system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a master relay device configured to relay data between a plurality of communication lines, and a relay system including a plurality of relay devices.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a configuration in which at least one communication device is connected to each of the plurality of relay devices via a communication line in a relay system provided with a plurality of relay devices that are communicatively connected to each other. is disclosed.

JP 2016-178634 A

By the way, in the above relay system, there are cases where it is desired to simultaneously provide data to communication devices connected to different relay devices. For example, when communication device A connected to relay device A transmits data including a command to unlock the door to communication device B connected to relay device B and communication device C connected to relay device C, Assume.

When the communication device B unlocks the right door and the communication device C unlocks the left door, if the communication devices B and C can receive data at the same time, the left and right doors are unlocked at the same time. However, if the communication devices B and C cannot receive data at the same time, the left and right door lock timings are shifted.

In other words, as a result of detailed studies by the inventors, it has been found that when a plurality of communication devices that receive data from a relay device cannot receive data at the same time, a deviation occurs in the control timing of the communication devices that perform control based on this data. served.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a configuration in which at least one communication device is connected via a communication line to each of a plurality of relay devices communicatively connected to each other, the plurality of communication devices are relayed from the relay device. It is possible to suppress deviation in control timing by communication devices connected to different relay devices when performing control based on data obtained from the relay device.

One aspect of the present disclosure is relay devices (11-14) communicably connected to other relay devices via network communication lines (29-34). At least one communication device (15-22) is connected to each of a plurality of relay devices representing the relay device and other relay devices via local communication lines (35-42) other than network communication lines. . Further, the plurality of relay devices are synchronized with respect to time, and configured to relay data from a transmitting side relay device among the plurality of relay devices to a plurality of receiving side relay devices that are not the transmitting side relay device. .

The relay device includes a local receiver (S110), a data transmitter (S160, S170), and a local transmitter (S210, S320). The local receiver is configured to receive data destined for two or more communication devices connected to another relay device from the local communication line. The data transmission unit is configured to transmit, together with the data, time information indicating the time when the other relay device should transmit the data to the other relay device via the network communication line. The local transmission unit is configured to receive the time information and data via the network communication line and transmit the data to the local communication line at the time indicated by the time information.

According to such a configuration, it is possible to simultaneously transmit data to two or more communication devices with respect to different relay devices, so it is possible to suppress deviations in control timing between two or more communication devices.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network system; FIG. 4 is a ladder chart showing an example of communication by the configuration of the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of transmission-side processing according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of receiving-side processing according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of synchronization processing according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a ladder chart showing an example of communication by the configuration of the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of transmission-side processing according to the second embodiment; 10 is a flowchart of receiving-side processing according to the second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart of time setting processing according to the second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart of timer setting processing according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a ladder chart showing an example of communication by the configuration of the third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of time setting processing according to the third embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of confirmation response processing; 10 is a flowchart of time setting processing according to the third embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of abnormality determination processing;

[1. overview]
[1-1. background]
The functions required for vehicles are diversifying. In the future, it is expected that the functions of vehicles will be able to be upgraded at any time using communication. In addition, in response to the increasing number of devices, it is required to eliminate restrictions on the mounting position in the vehicle and to enable area placement in which the electronic control unit is placed in the vicinity of the object to be controlled. For example, in the area arrangement, if the function is to control the door lock, the right side electronic control unit is placed near the right door lock actuator, and the left side electronic control unit is placed near the left door lock actuator. Equipment placement is required.

In response to such needs, in vehicle networks, a configuration using a switch ECU (hereinafter referred to as SWECU) that employs a faster Ethernet (registered trademark) as a communication protocol has been proposed. In this configuration, for example, there is a plan to build a network that optimizes the arrangement of devices, such as OPEN FLOW NETWORK, using a mechanism called Software Defined Network that dynamically switches vehicle communication rules according to the situation. ing.

On the other hand, in the CGW configuration, which is a general configuration adopted in current vehicles, communication is performed by CAN (registered trademark) between each ECU. In this configuration, when the transmission side ECU transmits the frame to the CAN bus, a plurality of reception side ECUs connected to the same bus can receive the frame at the same timing.

[1-2. Theme]
Here, if the CGW configuration is replaced with a plurality of SWECUs and a configuration is adopted in which the arrangement of devices is optimized using the above software defined network, the plurality of ECUs connected to the same bus in the CGW configuration can May be located on separate CAN buses. In this case, if the same CAN bus is used, the frames will arrive at the receiving side ECU at the same time, but if they pass through the SW ECU, the frames will be delayed depending on the content of processing, the degree of bus congestion, and the configuration of the route. , there is a high possibility that it will not reach a plurality of ECUs on the receiving side at the same time.

However, there is a demand to send signals to a plurality of ECUs on the receiving side at the same timing. For example, when warning to the outside of the vehicle with a highlight, it is desired to simultaneously send a request to turn on the left and right light ECUs, or to synchronize the timing of unlocking all the doors of the vehicle. For this reason, the following proposes a method of optimizing the arrangement of devices and enabling signals to be sent to a plurality of receiving-side ECUs at the same timing.

[1-3. solution method]
Solution method 1: The handover time is embedded in the frame, and each SW ECU that receives the frame transmits the frame to the CAN bus at that time.

With this configuration, frames can be transmitted to the CAN bus at the same timing. Solution method 1 will be described in detail in the following first embodiment.
Solution method 2: All the delay time countermeasures are implemented by one ECU, so that the burden of time design is put on one ECU.

With this configuration, it is not necessary to consider the delay time in each SW ECU, and it is possible to adopt a configuration in which only one ECU is required to consider the delay time. Solution method 2 will be described in detail in the second embodiment below.

Solution method 3: Check for path anomalies, and make it possible to deal with cases where delays increase due to bus anomalies or the like.
With this configuration, even if the delay time becomes long due to an abnormality in the bus, signals can be sent to a plurality of ECUs on the receiving side at the same timing. Solution method 3 will be described in detail in the following third embodiment.

[2. First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[2-1. composition]
A network system 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is an Ethernet (registered trademark) network installed in a vehicle such as a passenger car, and constitutes a communication system in the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the network system 1 includes a plurality of ECUs 11-22, which are electronic control units, and communication lines 31-42. ECU is an abbreviation of "Electronic Control Unit".

The plurality of ECUs 11-22 are classified into relay ECUs 11-14 and local ECUs 15-22. Each of relay ECUs 11-14 is configured as a relay device for relaying communication between other ECUs 15-22. Also, the local ECUs 15-22 have a function of being connected to any of the relay ECUs 11-14 and communicating with other local ECUs 15-22 via one or a plurality of relay ECUs 11-14. In addition, the local ECUs 15 to 22 have a function of controlling each device to be controlled in the vehicle.

Each of the relay ECUs 11-14 includes Ethernet switches 51-54, which are Ethernet network switches. Further, each of the relay ECUs 11-14 also includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 61-64 as an arithmetic device. Although illustration is omitted, the microcomputers 61 to 64 are provided with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.

The switches 51 to 54 perform communication for relaying frames that are data conforming to a predetermined standard, particularly frames conforming to the Ethernet standard and the CAN standard in this embodiment. For this reason, each of the switches 51 to 54 has a plurality of (for example, five in this embodiment) communication ports (hereinafter referred to as ports) P1 to P5 for transmitting and receiving frames, and a relay port according to the Ethernet standard and the CAN standard. and a communication control unit 81 that performs communication processing for.

Also, the switches 51 to 54 further include a MAC address table 73, a synchronism table 75, a reception notification table 77, and a buffer 79. FIG. Note that the MAC address table 73 and the simultaneity table 75 will be described later in this embodiment. Further, since the reception notification table 77 is used in the second embodiment and later, it is not necessary to provide it in this embodiment. A buffer 79 is a storage area for temporarily storing various data.

Each of the tables 73, 75, 77 and the buffer 79 are provided in the memory 71 of the switches 51-54. The memory 71 is, for example, a volatile memory, but may be a rewritable nonvolatile memory. The communication control unit 81 is composed of, for example, an integrated circuit, a microcomputer, or the like.

Operations of the switches 51 to 54 are operations realized by the communication control section 81 . The functions of the communication control unit 81 include a function to receive frames using a plurality of communication ports P1 to P5, a function to detect an abnormality such as disconnection of the communication lines 29 to 34 connected to the plurality of communication ports P1 to P5. It includes the function to Further, in the following description, operations of the switches 51-54 by the communication control unit 81 are described as operations of the relay ECUs 11-14.

Such a network system 1 constitutes a star-shaped network topology. That is, in the network system 1, the plurality of relay ECUs 11-14 are connected by network communication lines 29-34 that connect the plurality of relay ECUs 11-14 so as to be able to communicate with each other. Further, the plurality of relay ECUs 11-14 are communicably connected to one of the local ECUs 15-22 via local communication lines 35-42.

Specifically, the port P<b>2 of the switch 51 of the relay ECU 11 and the port P<b>1 of the switch 53 of the relay ECU 13 are connected by the network communication line 29 . Also, the port P2 of the switch 52 of the relay ECU 12 and the port P2 of the switch 54 of the relay ECU 14 are connected by the network communication line 30 . A network communication line 31 connects the port P1 of the switch 51 of the relay ECU 11 and the port P1 of the switch 52 of the relay ECU 12 . Also, the port P2 of the switch 52 of the relay ECU 12 and the port P2 of the switch 53 of the relay ECU 13 are connected by the network communication line 32 . Furthermore, the port P3 of the switch 53 of the relay ECU 13 and the port P3 of the switch 54 of the relay ECU 14 are connected by the network communication line 33 . Also, the port P1 of the switch 54 of the relay ECU 14 and the port P3 of the switch 51 of the relay ECU 11 are connected by the network communication line 34 .

As described above, in the network system 1, the switches 51-54 are configured to be able to communicate directly with all the switches 51-54 without going through other switches 51-54.

Local ECUs 15 and 16 are connected to the ports P4 and P5 of the switch 51 of the relay ECU 11 via local communication lines 35 and 36, respectively. Local ECUs 17 and 18 are connected to ports P4 and P5 of the switch 52 of the relay ECU 12 via local communication lines 37 and 38, respectively. Local ECUs 19 and 20 are connected to ports P4 and P5 of the switch 53 of the relay ECU 13 via local communication lines 39 and 40, respectively. Local ECUs 21 and 22 are connected to ports P4 and P5 of the switch 54 of the relay ECU 14 via local communication lines 41 and 42, respectively.

That is, among ports P1-P5 of switches 51-54, ports P4 and P5 that are not used for connection with other switches 51-54 are connected to ECUs 15-22 as communication devices.

In the following description, among the ports P1 to P5 of the switches 51 to 54, the ports P1 to P3 used for connection with other switches 51 to 54 are also referred to as relay ports. Ports P4 and P5, which are not relay ports, are also called normal ports.

In the network system 1, frames communicated between relay ports are well-known Ethernet frames. Also, in the network system 1, frames communicated through normal ports are well-known CAN frames. In other words, the normal ports P4 and P5 function as well-known CAN modules, and the local communication lines 35-42 function as well-known CAN buses. Therefore, each switch 51-54 has a function as a gateway for protocol conversion between Ethernet frames and CAN frames.

Here, the MAC address table 73 of each switch 51-54 is a table in which the MAC addresses of the devices connected to the ports P1-P5 of the switch are registered.

Each of the switches 51-54 creates a MAC address table 73 by a well-known MAC address learning function. That is, when the switches 51 to 54 receive a frame from one of the relay ports P1 to P3, the switches 51 to 54 transmit the number of the relay port P1 to P3 that received the frame and the source MAC address included in the received frame. , are registered in the MAC address table 73 in association with each other.

Note that the MAC address table 73 stores in advance the MAC addresses of the devices normally connected to the ports P4 and P5. Also, in the MAC address table 73 or any other table, the CANID contained in the CAN frame is associated with the destination device. The switches 51 to 54 are configured so as to identify the ports P1 to P5 to which received CAN frames and Ethernet frames are transferred by referring to these tables.

That is, each of the switches 51-54 has the following frame forwarding functions. First, when each of the switches 51 to 54 receives the CAN frame from the normal ports P4 and P5, it determines whether the CAN frame should be relayed to another port by referring to the table in which the CANID and the destination device are associated. determine whether or not If the frame should be relayed, the MAC address table 73 is referenced to specify the MAC address of the destination device, and the ports P1 to P5 to which the frame is to be transferred are determined. When the transfer destination ports are the relay ports P1 to P3, the CAN frame is converted into an Ethernet frame and transmitted.

Further, when each of the switches 51 to 54 receives a frame from any of the relay ports P1 to P3, based on the destination MAC address included in the received frame, which is the received frame, and the MAC address table 73, Ports P1 to P5 to which received frames are to be transferred are determined. When the transfer destination ports are the normal ports P4 and P5, the Ethernet frame is converted into a CAN frame and transmitted.

In such a network system 1, when a frame addressed to an ECU connected ahead of the normal ports P4 and P5 of another switch is transmitted from each of the relay ports P1 to P3 of one of the switches, Frames are input to relay ports P1 to P3 of the other switches.

Also, each of the switches 51 to 54 has a time synchronization circuit 82 . The time synchronization circuit 82 has a function of synchronizing the time with each other using a time synchronization protocol or the like. With this configuration, each of the switches 51 to 54 can transmit frames at the same time if the same time is specified.

In this embodiment, the time synchronization circuit 82 is provided as hardware, but this function may be realized by software. In this case, the time synchronization circuit 82 is unnecessary, and the communication control unit 81 or the microcomputers 61 to 64 or the like should have the function of the time synchronization circuit 82 .

[2-2. process]
Here, an example in which the local ECU 15 on the transmitting side connected to the relay ECU 11 transmits frames to the local ECUs 37 and 39 on the receiving side, which are a plurality of communication devices connected to the relay ECU 12 and the relay ECU 13, will be described. In the following description, the relay ECU 11 to which the local ECU 15 on the transmission side is connected is also referred to as the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side, and the relay ECUs 12 and 13 to which the plurality of local ECUs 37 and 39 on the reception side are connected are referred to as relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side. It is also written as ECU11.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side receives a frame from the local ECU 15 on the transmission side, at time t1, the relay ECU 11 on the reception side transmits the frame designating time t2, which is the transmission time to the CAN bus, to the relay ECU 12 on the reception side. Send to After that, the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side transmits a similar frame designating the time t2 as the time information to the relay ECU 13 on the reception side. At this time, even if an interrupt process occurs in the transmitting relay ECU 11 before the relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side transmits the frame to the relay ECU 13 on the receiving side, the frame is transmitted after the interrupt process ends. If it is transmitted to the relay ECU 13 on the receiving side, it is set in time for time t2. Time t2 is a transmission time, which will be described later.

In this configuration, if the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side can receive the frame by time t2, the frame is transferred at time t2 to a plurality of CAN buses to which the local ECUs 37 and 39 on the receiving side are connected, i.e., normal ports. They are transmitted simultaneously on P4.

The operation of each of the relay ECUs 11 to 13 for realizing such operations will be described in detail below. First, the transmission-side processing executed by the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The transmission-side processing is processing that starts when frames start to be received from the CAN module, that is, from the normal ports P4 and P5.

In the transmission side process, first, in S110, the relay ECU 11 receives a frame from the CAN module. Subsequently, in S120, the relay ECU 11 determines whether or not the received frame requires synchronism. A frame requiring synchronicity refers to a frame destined for a plurality of receiving communication devices and preferably transmitted on different CAN buses at the same time.

Whether or not a frame requires synchronism can be recognized by referring to a preset portion in the payload of the frame. However, it may be configured such that whether or not the frame requires synchronism can be recognized by referring to the header of the frame.

More specifically, for example, the synchronicity table 75 in the memory 71 pre-describes information such as the type of data for identifying frames that require synchronism, and the frames are described in the simultaneity table 75 . If the frame is of type or the like, each of the relay ECUs 11 to 13 determines that the frame requires synchronism.

When the relay ECU 11 determines in S120 that the frame is not data that requires synchronism, the relay ECU 11 proceeds to S130 and performs normal transmission processing. The normal transmission processing indicates that the received frame is simply relayed without including the time information to the relay ECUs 11 to 14 on the receiving side. After this process, the sender process ends.

On the other hand, when the relay ECU 11 determines in S120 that the frame is data that requires synchronism, the relay ECU 11 proceeds to S140 and acquires the current time based on the information obtained from the time synchronization circuit 82 .

Subsequently, in S150, the relay ECU 11 calculates the transmission time. The transmission time is obtained as the current time+α. α is a design maximum delay time calculated or experimentally determined in advance.

Subsequently, in S160, the relay ECU 11 generates a new frame including time information including the transmission time. The new frame includes data to be relayed received from the local ECU 15 on the transmission side and time information. After transmitting this frame to the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side via the network communication lines 29 to 34, the relay ECU 11 terminates the processing on the transmitting side in FIG.

Next, the reception-side processing executed by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The reception-side processing is processing that starts when frame reception is started from any of the relay ports P1 to P3.

In the processing on the receiving side, first, in S210, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side receive frames from the relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side. Subsequently, in S220, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 determine whether or not the received frame is data that requires synchronism.

If the relay ECUs 12 and 13 determine in S220 that the data does not require simultaneity, they proceed to S230, perform normal reception processing, and then terminate the reception side processing in FIG. On the other hand, when the relay ECUs 12 and 13 determine in S220 that the data requires simultaneity, the process proceeds to S240 and stores the received frame in the buffer 79. FIG.

Subsequently, in S250, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 extract the time information from the received frame, set the timer to the transmission time included in the time information, and then terminate the receiving side processing of FIG.
Synchronization processing executed by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side will now be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Synchronization processing is processing that is started when the transmission time comes, that is, when the timer set in the reception side processing expires in the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side.

In the synchronization process, first, at S310, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 confirm that the timer has expired. Subsequently, in S320, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 deliver the frame to the CAN module, that is, the normal ports P4 and P5, and when the normal ports P4 and P5 transmit the frame, the synchronization processing in FIG. 5 ends.

[2-3. effect]
According to 1st Embodiment detailed above, there exist the following effects.
(2a) One aspect of the present disclosure is a network system 1 including a plurality of relay ECUs 11 to 14 connected by network communication lines 29 to 34 that connect the plurality of relay ECUs 11 to 14 so as to be able to communicate with each other. At least one local ECU 15-22 is connected to each of the relay ECUs 11-14 via local communication lines 35-42 other than the network communication lines 29-34. The plurality of relay ECUs 11 to 14 are synchronized with respect to time, and data is transmitted from the transmission side relay ECU 11 among the plurality of relay ECUs 11 to 14 to the plurality of reception side relay ECUs 12 and 13 other than the transmission side relay ECU 11. configured to relay the

The relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side is configured to receive data destined for two or more local ECUs 15 to 22 connected to the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side from the local communication lines 35 to 42 in S110. be. In addition, in S160, time information including a transmission time indicating the time at which data should be transmitted by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side is sent to the plurality of receiving sides via the network communication lines 29 to 34 together with the received data. It is configured to transmit to relay ECUs 12 and 13 .

The relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side receive the time information and data via the network communication lines 29 to 34 in S210 and S320, and transmit the data to the local communication lines 35 to 42 at the time indicated by the time information. is configured to send

According to such a configuration, a plurality of receiving-side relay ECUs 12, 13 can simultaneously transmit data to two or more local ECUs 15-22 connected to a plurality of receiving-side relay ECUs 12, 13. . Therefore, it is possible to suppress deviation of control timing by two or more local ECUs 15-22.

[3. Second Embodiment]
[3-1. Differences from First Embodiment]
Since the basic configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, differences will be described below. Note that the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment indicate the same configurations, and refer to the preceding description.

In 1st Embodiment mentioned above, it comprised so that relay ECU11 used as a transmission side might produce|generate time information. In other words, when the relay ECUs 11 to 14 on the transmission side are not constant, the respective relay ECUs 11 to 14 generate time information. In contrast, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that only the master ECU generates time information.

[3-2. process]
In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the relay ECU 14 is set as the master ECU, and the relay ECU 14 is also referred to as the control-side relay ECU 14 . In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, an example in which a frame is transmitted from the local ECU 15 on the transmission side to the local ECUs 37 and 39 on the reception side will be described.

In the second embodiment, frames are transmitted according to the procedure shown in FIG. Specifically, first, when relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side receives a frame at time t1, instead of the time information described above, relay ECU 11 includes a notification command in the frame and transmits the frame to relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side in order. . The ECUs 12 and 13 each transmit a reception notification corresponding to the notification command to the relay ECU 14 on the control side.

Here, in the reception notification table 77, the type of reception notification is recorded in advance in association with the plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side to which the reception notification is to be transmitted. The control-side relay ECU 14 refers to the reception notification table 77 and determines whether or not all reception notifications have been collected from the reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 corresponding to the reception notification type. Then, if it has been collected, it generates time information with a transmission time of t5, and transmits it to the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side in order. Assuming that the time to transmit the time information to the relay ECU 12 on the receiving side is t3 and the time to transmit the time information to the relay ECU 13 on the receiving side is t4, the transmission time t5 is set after t3 and t4.

A plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit frames from normal ports P4 and P5 at transmission time t5. If the relay ECU 14 on the control side cannot receive the reception notification from either of the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side, it may recognize that there is an abnormality and clear the reception notification, or may wait as it is. .

The operation of each of the relay ECUs 11 to 14 for realizing such operations will be described in detail below. First, the transmission-side processing executed by the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the transmission side processing of the second embodiment, the processing of S170 is performed instead of the processing of S140 to S160 in the transmission side processing of the first embodiment.

That is, when the relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side determines in S120 that the received frame is data that requires synchronism, it proceeds to S170 and notifies the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side of the data to be relayed. Send a frame containing a command. The notification command is a command for causing the relay ECU 14 on the control side to transmit a reception notification indicating that the frame has been received.

Next, the reception side processing of the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In the receiving-side processing of the second embodiment, when determining whether or not the frame requires synchronism in S220, it is determined whether or not the frame contains a notification command. frame, it may be determined that the frame requires synchronism.

Further, in the reception side processing of the second embodiment, the processing of S260 is performed instead of the processing of S250 in the reception side processing of the first embodiment. That is, in S260, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit a reception notification to the relay ECU 14 on the controlling side.

Next, the time setting process executed by the relay ECU 14 on the control side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The time setting process is a process that is started when a reception notification is received.
In the time setting process, first, in S410, the relay ECU 14 on the control side receives reception notifications from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side. Subsequently, in S420, the control-side relay ECU 14 determines whether or not all reception notifications from the reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 have been received. At this time, the control-side relay ECU 14 refers to the above-described reception notification table 77 to specify the reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 corresponding to the reception notification.

Subsequently, if the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S420 that the reception notifications from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side are not complete, it proceeds to S430 and After the relay ECUs 12 and 13 are stored in the buffer 79, the time setting process of FIG. 9 ends.

On the other hand, if the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S420 that all reception notifications from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side have been received, the process proceeds to S440, and based on the information from the time synchronization circuit 82, the current time is calculated. get. Subsequently, in S450, the control-side relay ECU 14 calculates the transmission time. The transmission time may be obtained in the same manner as in S150 described above.

Subsequently, in S460, the control-side relay ECU 14 transmits time information including the transmission time to the reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13, and then terminates the time setting process of FIG.
Next, the timer setting process executed by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The timer setting process is a process started when time information is received.

In the timer setting process, first, in S510, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side receive time information. Subsequently, in S520, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side set a timer at the transmission time. After that, the timer setting process of FIG. 10 ends.

The relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side perform the synchronization processing shown in FIG. 5, and transmit the frame at the transmission time.
[3-3. effect]
According to the second embodiment described in detail above, the effect (2a) of the first embodiment described above is obtained, and the following effect is obtained.

(3a) In one aspect of the present disclosure, at least some of the plurality of relay ECUs 11 to 14 include a control-side relay ECU 14 configured to manage data transmission times. In S170, the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side transmits a preset notification command together with data instead of the time information to the plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side via the network communication lines 29-34. Configured.

Further, the plurality of receiving-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 are configured to transmit a reception notification to the controlling-side relay ECU 14 upon receiving a notification command in S260. Then, the control-side relay ECU 14 is configured to receive reception notifications from the plurality of reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 in S410. Further, in S450 and S460, when the reception notification is received, time information is generated and the time information is transmitted to a plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side.

According to such a configuration, the control-side relay ECU 14 identifies the plurality of reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 that have transmitted the reception notification, and receives the reception notification from the plurality of reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13. Time information can be generated according to the functions etc. of the relay ECUs 12 and 13 . Therefore, the relay ECU 14 on the control side can generate appropriate time information, and the configuration for generating the time information can be integrated into the relay ECU 14 on the control side.

[4. Third Embodiment]
[4-1. Difference from Second Embodiment]
In the above-described second embodiment, the number of relay ECUs is increased by optimizing the arrangement of devices, and when the delay time required to collect handover requests becomes longer than initially expected, or due to path abnormalities, etc., delay time occurs. The transmission time was set without considering the circumstances. In contrast, the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the delay time is confirmed and the transmission time is set in consideration of the delay time.

If an abnormality occurs in any of the network communication lines 29 to 34 and detour communication is performed by avoiding the network communication lines 29 to 34 in which the abnormality has occurred, another relay device is dynamically installed on the network communication lines 29 to 34. Unexpected delay time may also occur in cases such as adding to . In this embodiment, the transmission time can be set in response to such an unexpected increase in delay time.

[3-2. process]
In the third embodiment, frames are transmitted according to the procedure shown in FIG. Specifically, first, when relay ECU 11 on the transmitting side receives a frame at time t1, relay ECU 11 includes a notification command in the frame and transmits the frame to ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side. The relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side each transmit a reception notification corresponding to the notification command to the relay ECU 14 on the control side.

Subsequently, the relay ECU 14 on the control side transmits confirmation information to the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side. Then, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit the reception time, which is the time when the confirmation information is received, and the response information, which is a response to the confirmation information, to the relay ECU 14 on the control side.

When there is no path abnormality, the difference between the time t7 at which the relay ECU 14 on the control side transmits the confirmation information and the time t8 at which the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit the response information is very small. However, if there is a path abnormality, this difference becomes large, like the difference between time t9 and time t7 shown in FIG. 11, for example.

Therefore, the relay ECU 14 on the control side measures this difference as a delay time, and sets the transmission time t5A in consideration of the delay time. The transmission time t5A is a value obtained by adding the delay time to the transmission time t5 not including the delay time.

A plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit frames from normal ports P4 and P5 at transmission time t5A.
The operation of each of the relay ECUs 11 to 14 for realizing such operations will be described in detail below. In the third embodiment, synchronization processing (FIG. 5), transmission side processing (FIG. 7), reception side processing (FIG. 8), and timer setting processing (FIG. 10) are the same as in the second embodiment.

First, the time setting process executed by the relay ECU 14 on the control side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Similarly to the time setting process of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the relay ECU 14 on the control side performs the processes of S410, S420, and S430. If the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S420 that the reception notifications from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side are not complete, the process proceeds to S470 and sets the path abnormality timer.

Subsequently, in S480, the relay ECU 14 on the control side transmits confirmation information for confirming the path abnormality to each of the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side, and stores the confirmation time, which is the time when the confirmation information was transmitted, in the buffer 79 or the like. do. After that, the time setting process of FIG. 12 ends.

Next, acknowledgment processing executed by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Acknowledgment processing is initiated upon receipt of confirmation information.
First, in S610, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side receive confirmation information from the relay ECU 14 on the control side. At this time, the reception time of the confirmation information is recorded in the buffer 79 or the like. Subsequently, in S620, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side transmit response information including the reception time of the confirmation information to the relay ECU 14 on the control side. After that, the acknowledgment processing of FIG. 13 ends.

Next, the time setting process executed by the relay ECU 14 on the control side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The time setting process is started when response information is received.
In the time setting process, first, in S710, the relay ECU 14 on the control side receives response information. Subsequently, in S720, the control-side relay ECU 14 determines whether or not the path abnormality timer has expired. In this embodiment, confirmation information is transmitted multiple times and response information is received multiple times. judge.

If the control-side relay ECU 14 determines in S720 that the path abnormality timer has not expired, in S780 the control-side relay ECU 14 determines whether all response information from the reception-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 has been received. determine whether Note that in this process, determination is made for each number of transmissions of confirmation information. At this time, similarly to S420 described above, the control-side relay ECU 14 refers to the above-described reception notification table 77 to specify the receiving-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 corresponding to the response information.

Subsequently, when the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S780 that the response information from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side is not complete, the process proceeds to S790 and After the relay ECUs 12 and 13 are stored in the buffer 79 in association with the number of transmissions of the confirmation information, the time setting process of FIG. 14 is ended.

On the other hand, if the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S780 that all the reception notifications from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side have been received, it performs the above-described processing of S440 to S460, and then sets the time shown in FIG. End the process.

On the other hand, if the control-side relay ECU 14 determines in S720 that the path abnormality timer has expired, it proceeds to S730 and determines whether response information from the receiving-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 has been received. .

If the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S730 that the response information from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side has been received, it proceeds to S740 and acquires the current time.
Subsequently, in S750, the control-side relay ECU 14 calculates the transmission time. In this process, the difference between the confirmation time and the reception time attached to the response information is obtained for each transmission number N of each of the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side, and this difference is calculated as the delay time β of the bus. Then, it compares with separately stored delay time information βbig, sets the larger one as βmax, and sets the current time+α+βmax as the transmission time.

Subsequently, in S760, the relay ECU 14 on the control side transmits time information including the transmission time to the ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side. After that, the time setting process of FIG. 14 ends.
On the other hand, if the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S730 that the response information from the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side is not complete, it proceeds to S770, calculates the delay time β of the bus, and calculates the bus delay time β. The larger one of the delay time βbig is stored as a new βbig. After that, the time setting process of FIG. 14 ends.

Next, the abnormality determination process executed by the relay ECU 14 on the control side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 15 . The abnormality determination process is started when the route abnormality timer expires.
First, in S810, the relay ECU 14 on the control side recognizes the termination of the path abnormality timer. Subsequently, in S820, the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines whether or not the number of timer termination times M is less than the reference number of times X prepared in advance. For example, the reference number of times X is set to about three.

When the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S820 that the number of timer termination times M is less than the reference number of times X prepared in advance, the process proceeds to S830 and sets the path abnormality timer.
Subsequently, in S840, the control-side relay ECU 14 retransmits the confirmation information to the receiving-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 to which the response information has not been transmitted, stores the transmission time, and then executes the abnormality determination process of FIG. finish.

On the other hand, when the relay ECU 14 on the control side determines in S820 that the timer end count M is equal to or greater than the reference count X prepared in advance, the control-side relay ECU 14 proceeds to S850 and determines that the bus is abnormal, for example, disconnection. end the abnormality determination process.

[4-3. effect]
According to the third embodiment described in detail above, the effect (2a) of the first embodiment described above is obtained, and the following effect is obtained.

(4a) In one aspect of the present disclosure, when receiving a reception notification in S480, the control-side relay ECU 14 transmits preset confirmation information to the reception-side local ECUs 15 to 22 that transmitted the reception notification. configured as Further, the relay ECU 14 on the control side is configured to calculate a delay time from transmission of the confirmation information to reception of the confirmation information by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side in S750 and S770. Then, the time information is generated with the delay time taken into account, and the time information is transmitted to the plurality of relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side.

The plurality of receiving-side relay ECUs 12 and 13 are configured to transmit response information to the control-side relay ECU 14 upon receiving the confirmation information in S610 and S620. The response information includes the reception time, which is the time at which the confirmation information was received, which is used to calculate the delay time.

According to such a configuration, the relay ECU 14 on the control side generates the time information in consideration of the delay time from when the confirmation information is transmitted to when the confirmation information is received by the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the receiving side. The transmission time specified by the time information can be set appropriately. For example, by receiving the time information at the receiving side relay device after the transmission time, it is possible to suppress the time lag at which the plurality of receiving side relay ECUs 12 and 13 transmit data to two or more local ECUs 15 to 22. can be done.

(4b) In one aspect of the present disclosure, in S750 to S770, the relay ECU 14 on the control side generates the time information without considering the delay time when the delay time is less than the preset reference time. configured to

According to such a configuration, the time information can be generated with the delay time taken into account only when the delay time is greater than the reference time. can do.

[5. Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

(5a) In the above embodiment, the relay ECU 11 on the transmission side, the relay ECUs 12 and 13 on the reception side, and the relay ECU 14 on the control side have been described, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, any of the relay ECUs 11-14 may be employed as the transmitting side, the receiving side, and the controlling side. Further, for example, the relay ECUs 11 to 14 on the control side can also be used on the transmission side or on the reception side.

In particular, the relay ECU on the transmission side or the relay ECU on the reception side and the relay ECU on the control side in the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be used together. In this case, when processing that occurs inside one relay ECU, that is, when the source and destination of the message sequence arrow are the same relay ECU, it is assumed that message transmission and reception are completed without time lag. It is preferable to perform processing corresponding to the flow inside the relay ECU.

(5b) A plurality of functions possessed by one component in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of components, or a function possessed by one component may be realized by a plurality of components. . Also, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of components may be realized by a single component, or a function realized by a plurality of components may be realized by a single component. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added or replaced with respect to the configuration of the other above embodiment.

(5c) In addition to the network system 1 described above, a relay device that is a component of the network system 1, a program for causing a computer to function as a relay device that constitutes the network system, and a semiconductor memory that stores this program. The present disclosure can also be implemented in various forms such as a transitional actual recording medium and a relay method.

[6. Correspondence between the configuration of the above embodiment and the configuration of the present disclosure]
The network system 1 in the above embodiment corresponds to the relay system in the present disclosure, and the relay ECUs 11 to 14 in the above embodiment correspond to the relay device in the present disclosure. Further, the local ECUs 15 to 22 in the above embodiment correspond to the communication device in the present disclosure, and correspond to the control-side relay ECU 14 master relay device in the above embodiment.

Further, the configuration of S110 executed by the relay ECUs 11 to 14 in the above embodiment corresponds to the local reception section in the present disclosure, and the configuration of S160 and S170 in the above embodiment corresponds to the data transmission section in the present disclosure. do. Also, the configurations of S210 and S320 in the above embodiment correspond to the local transmission section in the present disclosure, and the configuration of S260 in the above embodiment corresponds to the notification transmission section in the present disclosure.

Also, the configuration of S410 in the above embodiment corresponds to the notification receiving unit in the present disclosure, and the configurations of S450, S460, and S750 to S770 in the above embodiment correspond to the time generation unit in the present disclosure. Also, the configuration of S480 in the above embodiment corresponds to the confirmation transmission section in the present disclosure, and the configurations of S610 and S620 in the above embodiment correspond to the response transmission section in the present disclosure. Also, the configuration of S750 and S770 in the above embodiment corresponds to the delay calculator in the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Network system 11-14... Relay ECU 15-22... Local ECU 29-34... Network communication line 35-42... Local communication line 51-54... Ethernet switch 61-64... Microcomputer 71... Memory 73 MAC address table 75 Simultaneity table 77 Receipt notification table 79 Buffer 81 Communication control unit 82 Time synchronization circuit.

Claims (4)

A master relay device (14) communicably connected to a plurality of relay devices via network communication lines (29 to 34) and configured to manage data transmission times of the plurality of relay devices,
At least one communication device (15 to 22) is connected to each of the plurality of relay devices via a local communication line (35 to 42) other than the network communication line, and the master relay device and the the plurality of relay devices are synchronized with respect to time and configured to relay data from a transmitting relay device among the plurality of relay devices to a plurality of receiving relay devices other than the transmitting relay device;
The master relay device is
configured to receive the acknowledgment from the plurality of receiving-side relay devices configured to transmit the acknowledgment to the master relay device upon receiving a preset notification command from the transmitting-side relay device. a notification receiving unit (S410);
A time configured to generate time information indicating a time at which the plurality of receiving-side relay devices should transmit the data when the reception notification is received, and to transmit the time information to the plurality of receiving-side relay devices. generation unit (S450, S460, S750 to S770),
A master relay device further comprising: A relay system (1) comprising a plurality of relay devices connected by network communication lines (29-34) for communicably connecting the plurality of relay devices (11-14),
At least one communication device (15-22) is connected to each of the plurality of relay devices via a local communication line (35-42) other than the network communication line, and the plurality of relay devices are , synchronized with respect to time, and configured to relay data from a transmission-side relay device among the plurality of relay devices to a plurality of reception-side relay devices other than the transmission-side relay device;
The transmission-side relay device,
a local receiving unit (S110) configured to receive data destined for two or more communication devices connected to the plurality of receiving-side relay devices from the local communication line;
A data transmission unit configured to transmit time information indicating a time at which the plurality of receiving side relay devices should transmit the data together with the data to the plurality of receiving side relay devices via the network communication line. (S160, S170);
with
The plurality of receiving-side relay devices,
A local transmission unit (S210, S320) configured to receive the time information and the data via the network communication line and transmit the data to the local communication line at the time indicated by the time information. ,
with
The plurality of relay devices includes a master relay device (14) configured to manage data transmission time,
The data transmission unit in the transmission-side relay device transmits a preset notification command, instead of the time information, together with the data to the plurality of reception-side relay devices via the network communication line. configured,
The plurality of receiving-side relay devices,
further comprising a notification transmission unit (S260) configured to transmit a reception notification to the master relay device when the notification command is received;
The master relay device
a notification receiving unit (S410) configured to receive the reception notification from the plurality of receiving relay devices;
a time generation unit (S450, S460, S750 to S770) configured to generate the time information and transmit the time information to the plurality of receiving-side relay devices upon receiving the reception notification;
A relay system further comprising : The relay system according to claim 2 ,
The master relay device
a confirmation transmission unit (S480) configured to transmit preset confirmation information to a receiving communication device, which is a transmission source of the reception notification, upon receiving the reception notification;
a delay calculation unit (S750, S770) configured to calculate a delay time until the reception side communication device of the transmission source receives the confirmation information;
further comprising
The time generation unit is configured to generate the time information in consideration of the delay time and transmit the time information to the plurality of receiving relay devices,
The plurality of receiving-side relay devices,
a response transmission unit (S610, S620) configured to transmit response information, which is a response to the confirmation information, to the master relay device upon receiving the confirmation information;
A relay system further comprising: The relay system according to claim 3 ,
The relay system is configured such that, when the delay time is less than a preset reference time, the time generation unit in the master relay device generates the time information without considering the delay time.

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