WO2019188073A1

WO2019188073A1 - Control device, control method, and computer program

Info

Publication number: WO2019188073A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/008927
Authority: WO
Inventors: 中野　貴之
Original assignee: 住友電気工業株式会社
Priority date: 2018-03-28
Filing date: 2019-03-06
Publication date: 2019-10-03
Also published as: JPWO2019188073A1; JP7279707B2

Abstract

This control device is provided with: an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with an on-vehicle control device; and a control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit. On the basis of the soundness of a battery for supplying power to the on-vehicle control device and the state of power supply performed by a power generator that is capable of supplying power to the on-vehicle control device, the control unit executes a determination process for determining whether or not to cause the in-vehicle communication unit to transmit a request for execution of an update process of a control program for the on-vehicle control device.

Description

Control device, control method, and computer program

The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a computer program. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-061482, filed on Mar. 28, 2018, and incorporates all the contents described in the above Japanese application.

In recent years, in the technical field of automobiles, functions of vehicles have been advanced, and a wide variety of in-vehicle devices are mounted on vehicles. Therefore, a large number of so-called ECUs (Electronic Control Units), which are control devices for controlling each in-vehicle device, are mounted on the vehicle.
The types of ECUs include, for example, those related to the traveling system that controls the engine, brakes, EPS (Electric Power Steering), etc. for the operation of the accelerator, brake, and steering wheel. There are body-type ECUs that control the turning on / off of lights and the sounding of alarm devices, and meter-type ECUs that control the operation of meters arranged near the driver's seat.

In general, the ECU is configured by an arithmetic processing device such as a microcomputer, and the control of the in-vehicle device is realized by reading and executing a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory).
The ECU control program needs to be rewritten from the old version of the control program to the new version of the control program in accordance with the version upgrade. Further, it is necessary to rewrite data necessary for execution of the control program such as map information and control parameters.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique (online update function) for downloading an update program via a network and updating an ECU control program. In the technique of Patent Literature 1, in order to prevent the operation of the vehicle device during the update of the control program in the ECU, the vehicle is stopped and the update is executed in a state where the user gets off the vehicle.

JP 2011-121396 A JP 2013-084143 A

A control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle control device, and a control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit, and the control unit supplies power to the in-vehicle control device. Based on the soundness level of the battery and the state of power supplied by the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device, a request for execution of control program update processing for the in-vehicle control device is transmitted to the in-vehicle communication unit. A determination process is performed to determine whether or not.

A control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method of instructing an in-vehicle control device to execute a control program update process, and an index value of a soundness level of a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device. Using the step of calculating, the step of obtaining power information indicating the state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the vehicle-mounted control device, and the index value and the power information, to the vehicle-mounted control device Executing a determination process for determining whether or not to request execution of the update process.

A computer program according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to function as a control device that instructs the in-vehicle control device to execute control program update processing, and the control device includes the in-vehicle control device. A communication unit capable of communicating with the computer, based on the soundness level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device, and the state of power supplied by a generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, The control unit is configured to function as a control unit that executes a determination process for determining whether or not to cause the communication unit to transmit a request for execution of a control program update process to the in-vehicle control device.

A control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle control device, and a control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit, and the control unit supplies power to the in-vehicle control device. Whether to send a request for update processing of the control program for the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle communication unit based on the soundness level of the battery and the operating state of the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device Make a decision.

The present disclosure can be realized as a control device including such a characteristic control unit, a control method using such characteristic processing as a step, and a program for causing a computer to execute the step. Moreover, it can implement | achieve as a semiconductor integrated circuit which has the function to perform one part or all of this step, or can implement | achieve as a solar power generation system containing a solar power generation device.

It is the schematic showing the structure of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic showing an example of the power supply structure of the vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a relay apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of ECU. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the update process in the communication network in a vehicle. It is a flowchart showing the flow of the update request process performed in the control part of the relay apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic showing an example of the power supply structure of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the flow of the update request process performed in the control part of the relay apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

<Problems to be solved by the present disclosure>
When the update process is executed while the vehicle is stopped, electric power necessary for the update process is supplied from a power storage device (battery) mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-121396 (Patent Document 1) or Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-084143 (Patent Document 2) confirms that the power necessary for the update process is stored in the battery. Discloses a technique for executing update processing.

When the degree of deterioration of the battery electrode cracks reaches the short circuit between the electrode plates, power is not supplied at that time. For this reason, even if the update process is started after confirming that the battery is charged, if the short circuit state is reached during the update process, power is not supplied to the ECU during the update process. In this case, the update process is interrupted. When the update process is interrupted due to the deterioration of the battery, the update process is executed again after the battery replacement. For this reason, there are problems that the number of processes increases and the load on the memory to be written increases.

<Effects of the present disclosure>
According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a shortage of power supply due to battery deterioration during a control program update process in the in-vehicle control device.

<Outline of Embodiment of the Present Disclosure>
Hereinafter, the outline | summary of embodiment of this indication is listed and demonstrated.
(1) The control device according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with the in-vehicle control device, and a control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit, and the control unit supplies power to the in-vehicle control device. Based on the soundness level of the battery to be supplied and the state of power supplied by the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device, a request for execution of control program update processing for the in-vehicle control device is transmitted to the in-vehicle communication unit A determination process for determining whether or not to execute is executed.
Thereby, the shortage of power supply due to the deterioration of the battery during the update process of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

(2) In the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination process may include determining whether at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The soundness level of the battery is higher than the reference soundness degree. Second condition: The generator is in a power generation state. When the first condition is satisfied, the power of the vehicle-mounted control device is Update processing can be executed. When the second condition is satisfied, the update process can be executed by the power supplied from the generator.

(3) In the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination process may include determining whether or not at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The soundness level of the battery is higher than the standard soundness level. Second condition: The power generation amount of the generator is larger than the power consumption amount in the vehicle. When the first condition is satisfied, the battery is supplied from the battery. The in-vehicle control device update process can be executed by the electric power. When the second condition is satisfied, the update process can be executed by the power supplied from the generator.

(4) In the control device according to the present embodiment, the control unit transmits the request to the in-vehicle communication unit when the determination process does not satisfy the first condition and the second condition. You don't have to.
When the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied, the onboard control device does not request execution of the update process, so that the power required for the update process is insufficient due to battery deterioration during the update process, and the update process continues. The situation where it becomes impossible can be avoided.

(5) Further, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination process determines again whether the second condition is satisfied when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied. You may include that.
Thereby, execution of the update process is suspended until the second condition is satisfied, but if the second condition is satisfied when the engine is started by a starter, a generator with a motor function, or the like during idling stop when the vehicle is stopped, Update processing can be executed.

(6) Moreover, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the control unit issues a notification screen display instruction to the in-vehicle control device that controls the display device when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied. The notification screen may be a screen for notifying that the update process is not executed, which is transmitted to the in-vehicle communication unit.
By transmitting the display instruction, a notification screen is displayed on the display device. Therefore, the user can know that it is necessary to operate the engine and cause the generator to generate power in order to start the update process. As a result, a user who prioritizes execution of the update process can start the update process by operating the engine for power supply. Thereby, a user's convenience can be improved.

(7) Moreover, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the control unit, when the second condition is satisfied, after the transmission of the update process request, the generator for the in-vehicle control device that controls the generator A request for maintaining the power generation state may be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication unit.
By transmitting the above request, the generator maintains the power generation state during the update process. Therefore, when the soundness level of the battery is low, the update process can be continued using the power from the generator.

(8) Further, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination process acquires and acquires at least one of the voltage value and the current value of the battery from an in-vehicle control device that controls the battery. It may include calculating an index value of the degree of health of the battery using the value and comparing the index value with a threshold value.
Thereby, it can be determined with high accuracy whether or not there is a possibility that the update process cannot be performed due to deterioration of the battery.

(9) The control method according to the present embodiment is (a method for instructing the in-vehicle control device to execute a control program update process, and an index value of the degree of soundness of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device A step of obtaining power information indicating a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the vehicle-mounted control device, and using the index value and the power information, the vehicle-mounted control device. And executing a determination process for determining whether or not to request execution of the update process.
Thereby, the shortage of power supply due to the deterioration of the battery during the update process of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

(10) The computer program according to the present embodiment is a program for causing a computer to function as a control device that instructs the in-vehicle control device to execute control program update processing, and the control device is the in-vehicle control device. A communication unit capable of communicating with the computer, based on the soundness level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device, and the state of power supplied by a generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, The control unit is configured to function as a control unit that executes a determination process for determining whether or not to cause the communication unit to transmit a request for execution of a control program update process to the in-vehicle control device.
Thereby, the shortage of power supply due to the deterioration of the battery during the update process of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

(11) The control device according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle communication unit that can communicate with the in-vehicle control device, and a control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit, and the control unit supplies power to the in-vehicle control device. Whether to send a request for control program update processing for the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle communication unit based on the soundness level of the battery to be operated and the operating state of the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device Judgment is made.
Thereby, the shortage of power supply due to the deterioration of the battery during the update process of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

<Details of Embodiment of Present Disclosure>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, you may combine arbitrarily at least one part of embodiment described below. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, these descriptions will not be repeated.

<First Embodiment>
[Vehicle configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle according to the first embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle communication device 15 for communicating with an external device, a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 30A, 30B,..., An external device and a plurality of ECUs 30A. , 30B,..., And relay device 10 that is an ECU that relays communication with. The plurality of

ECUs

30A, 30B,...

Each ECU 30 is connected by an in-vehicle communication line 16 that terminates in the relay device 10 and constitutes an in-vehicle communication network 4 together with the relay device 10. The communication network 4 includes a bus type communication network (for example, CAN (Controller Area Network)) that enables communication between the ECUs 30. In a network of this communication system, information is stored in a format called a data frame and transmitted / received.

The communication network 4 is not limited to CAN, but includes communication standards such as LIN (Local Interconnect Network), CANFD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), Ethernet (registered trademark), or MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport: MOST is a registered trademark). It may be a network to be adopted.

The ECU 30 is, for example, a power train ECU that controls the engine, brakes, EPS (Electric Power Steering), etc. in response to accelerator, brake, and steering wheel operations, and lighting / extinguishing of interior lighting and headlights according to switch operations. And a body system ECU that controls the alarm and the like, and a meter system ECU that controls the operation of meters provided near the driver's seat.

The relay device 10 is further connected to the in-vehicle communication device 15 via a communication line of a predetermined standard. Alternatively, the relay device 10 may be equipped with the in-vehicle communication device 15. The in-vehicle communication device 15 wirelessly communicates with an external device via the wide area communication network 2 such as the Internet. The vehicle exterior device is, for example, the server 5 that stores an update program for the ECU 30. Alternatively, the in-vehicle communication device 15 may have a plug (not shown) and communicate with an external device connected to the plug by wire. The in-vehicle communication device 15 may be a device owned by the user, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook computer (Personal Computer).

The relay device 10 relays information received by the in-vehicle communication device 15 from the outside device to the ECU 30. Further, the relay device 10 relays information received from the ECU 30 to the in-vehicle communication device 15. The in-vehicle communication device 15 wirelessly transmits the relayed information to the external device.

[Vehicle power supply configuration]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a power supply configuration of the vehicle 1. In FIG. 2, the power line 17 is indicated by a thick line to distinguish it from the in-vehicle communication line 16. Referring to FIG. 2, vehicle 1 includes a generator 21 and a battery 22 as a power source. The generator 21 is a generator that generates electricity according to the driving of the engine, and is, for example, an alternator. The battery 22 is generally a lead storage battery. In addition, a combination thereof such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery may be used.

Vehicle generators such as the relay device 10, the ECUs 30 A, 30 B, 30 C, and the starter 23 are connected to the generator 21 and the battery 22 via the power line 17, and the generator 21 and the battery 22 are connected to these generators via the power line 17. It is possible to supply power to the device. Moreover, the electric power generated by the generator 21 may be supplied to the battery 22 via the power line 17 and stored.

When the vehicle 1 is a hybrid type vehicle, a high voltage unit 25 is further connected to the battery 22 via the DC / DC converter 24, and the electric power from the battery 22 is boosted by the DC / DC converter 24 to increase the voltage. Supplied to the unit 25.

[Configuration of relay device]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the relay apparatus 10.
Referring to the figure, relay device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an in-vehicle communication unit 13, a sensor interface (I / F) 14, and the like.

The control unit 11 of the relay apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU of the control unit 11 includes one or a plurality of large scale integrated circuits (LSIs). In a CPU including a plurality of LSIs, the plurality of LSIs cooperate to realize the function of the CPU. The CPU of the control unit 11 can execute a plurality of programs in parallel by switching and executing a plurality of programs in a time division manner, for example.

The CPU of the control unit 11 has a function of reading one or more programs stored in the storage unit 12 and executing various processes. The computer program executed by the CPU of the control unit 11 can be transferred while being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or can be transferred by downloading from a computer device such as a server computer. .

The storage unit 12 includes a non-volatile memory element such as flash memory or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The storage unit 12 has a storage area for storing a program executed by the CPU of the control unit 11 or data necessary for execution.

An in-vehicle communication line 16 is connected to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. The in-vehicle communication unit 13 includes a communication device that communicates with the ECU 30 in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as CAN.
The in-vehicle communication unit 13 transmits information given from the CPU of the control unit 11 to a predetermined ECU 30, and the ECU 30 gives information of the transmission source to the CPU of the control unit 11.

The in-vehicle communication device 15 is a wireless communication device including an antenna and a communication circuit that performs transmission and reception of wireless signals from the antenna. The in-vehicle communication device 15 can communicate with an external device by being connected to a wide area communication network 2 such as a mobile phone network.
The in-vehicle communication device 15 transmits information given from the CPU of the control unit 11 to an external device such as the server 5 and the information received from the external device via the wide area communication network 2 formed by a base station (not shown). To the CPU of the control unit 11.

[Internal configuration of ECU]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the ECU 30.
Referring to the figure, ECU 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, an in-vehicle communication unit 33, and the like.

The control unit 31 of the ECU 30 includes a CPU. The CPU of the control unit 31 has a function of reading one or more programs stored in the storage unit 32 and executing various processes. As the above function, the CPU of the control unit 31 includes a function for executing a control program update process.
The CPU of the control unit 31 can execute a plurality of programs in parallel by switching and executing a plurality of programs in a time division manner, for example.

The CPU of the control unit 31 includes one or a plurality of large scale integrated circuits (LSIs). In a CPU including a plurality of LSIs, the plurality of LSIs cooperate to realize the function of the CPU.

The computer program executed by the CPU of the control unit 31 can be transferred while being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or can be transferred by downloading from a computer device such as a server computer. .

The storage unit 32 is composed of a nonvolatile memory element such as flash memory, EEPROM, or ROM. The storage unit 32 has a storage area for storing a program executed by the CPU of the control unit 11 or data necessary for execution. Specifically, the storage unit 32 includes a first region 321 and a second region 322 as regions for storing computer programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 31.

An in-vehicle communication line 16 is connected to the in-vehicle communication unit 33. The in-vehicle communication unit 33 is a communication device that communicates with the relay device 10 in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as CAN.
The in-vehicle communication unit 33 transmits information given from the CPU of the control unit 31 to a predetermined relay device 10, and the relay device 10 gives information of the transmission source to the CPU of the control unit 31.

In the example of FIG. 2, the ECU 30 B is an ECU that controls the battery 22, and is based on the voltage value and current value of the battery 22, the amount of power stored in the battery 22, and the ratio of the stored power amount to the fully charged amount. Information indicating the state of the battery 22, which is at least one of a certain charging rate (SOC (State Of Charge)), is transmitted to the relay device 10.

Further, in the example of FIG. 2, the ECU 30C is an ECU that controls the generator 21, and transmits information indicating the state of the generator 21, such as the operating status of the generator 21 and the amount of power generation, to the relay device 10.

In the example of FIG. 2, the ECU 30D is a power train ECU that controls an engine starter 23 (not shown), and transmits an operation status such as ON / OFF of the engine and the rotational speed to the relay device 10. The engine operation is controlled according to the control frame from the relay device 10.

[Control program update sequence]
The control program of the ECU 30 is updated at a predetermined timing. The relay device 10 relays the update program to an ECU 30 (hereinafter referred to as a target ECU) that executes an update process at a timing when the update program is received from the server 5 or the like, and functions as a control device. The ECU is requested to execute update processing.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of update processing in the communication network 4. Referring to FIG. 5, when an update program is input from server 5 or the like (step S 1), relay device 10 temporarily stores the update program in storage unit 12. When the update program is stored in the storage unit 12, the relay device 10 executes an update request process (step S2). The update request process includes a determination process for determining the battery state of the target ECU (step S21), and a process for requesting the update process by passing the update program to the target ECU according to the determination result (step S22).

The target ECU that has received the request from the relay device 10 executes the update process (step S3). The update process in step S3 is performed after updating (new version) to the storage area that is not the storage area in which the control program before update (current version) is written in the first area 321 and the second area 322. The rewriting process (step S31) which writes a control program, and the switching process (step S32) which switches the reading destination of the control program which the control part 31 performs between the 1st area | region 321 and the 2nd area | region 322 are included.

When the update process is completed, the target ECU notifies the relay apparatus 10 of the completion of the update process (step S4). In response to this notification, the relay device 10 deletes the update program temporarily stored in the storage unit 12, and the series of processes ends.

[Update request processing]
Referring to FIG. 3, as a function for executing the update request process in step S 2, the control unit 11 of the relay device 10 includes a determination unit 111 and an update control unit 112. These functions are realized by the CPU of the control unit 11 reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The drive control unit 113 shown in FIG. 3 is a function included in the control unit 11 of the relay device 10 according to the second embodiment, and is the control unit 11 of the relay device 10 according to the first embodiment. Will be described as not included.

The determination unit 111 executes the determination process in step S21. The determination process of step S21 includes a process (first determination process) for determining whether or not a predetermined timing (determination timing) for determining the battery state of the target ECU has been reached, and the determination of the battery 22 at the determination timing. A process (second determination process) for determining whether the soundness degree (non-deterioration degree) is equal to or higher than the soundness level set as a threshold value and a process for determining whether the generator 21 is in a power generation state ( Third determination process).

In the first determination process, the determination unit 111 determines whether or not it is the determination timing based on the information of the control target device of the ECU input from each ECU to the control unit 11. The determination timing is, for example, when starting, when stopping, when idling stop, when returning from idling stop, and the like. The device information includes, for example, the operating state of the engine and / or the rotational speed, and user operation.

In the second determination process, the determination unit 111 is at least one of the voltage value and the current value of the battery 22 input from the ECU that controls the battery 22 (ECU 30B in the example of FIG. 2) to the control unit 11. Based on the above, a soundness index value that is an index value indicating the soundness level of the battery 22 is calculated. When a sensor is connected to the battery 22 instead of the ECU 30B, or when the battery 22 includes a sensor, the determination unit 111 determines the soundness index value based on a signal input from the sensor to the control unit 11. It may be calculated.

The soundness index value is, for example, soundness SOH (State Of Health). The soundness level SOH is obtained by dividing the full charge capacity by the design capacity. For example, the soundness level SOH = 80 means that the battery 22 has deteriorated until the current full charge capacity becomes 80% of the initial full charge capacity.

The soundness index value is not limited to soundness SOH, and is defined as SOD [%] = 100 [%] − SOH [%], which is called a deterioration degree SOD (State Of Degradation) as another example. It may be a value. In the following description, the soundness index value is described as the soundness degree SOH. However, when the soundness index value is the deterioration degree SOD, the soundness index value is sound when the soundness index value and the threshold value described later are in a magnitude relationship. This is opposite to the magnitude relationship in the case of the degree SOH.

The determination unit 111 stores a threshold Th of the soundness degree SOH in advance. The threshold Th is a standard soundness level and represents a standard soundness level. The determination unit 111 compares the calculated soundness level SOH with the threshold value Th. The determination unit 111 passes the comparison result to the update control unit 112 as the determination result of the second determination process. When the soundness level SOH is larger than the threshold value Th, the soundness level of the battery 22 is higher than the reference soundness level, that is, not deteriorated. It is lower than the degree of soundness, that is, it is deteriorated.

In the third determination process, the determination unit 111 determines whether the generator 21 is in a power generation state based on information regarding the generator 21 input from the ECU that controls the generator 21 (ECU 30C in the example of FIG. 2) to the control unit 11. It is determined whether or not. The determination unit 111 passes the determination result of the third determination process to the update control unit 112.

The update control unit 112 executes a process for requesting the update process in step S22. The process for requesting the update process in step S22 includes a process for requesting the target ECU to execute a rewrite process (step S31) (first request process) and a switch process for the target ECU (step S32). And a process for requesting (second request process).

In the first request process, the update control unit 112 passes the update program to the in-vehicle communication unit 13 and instructs the target ECU to transmit a control frame requesting execution of the rewrite process.
In the second request process, the update control unit 112 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to transmit a control frame that requests execution of the switching process to the target ECU.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of update request processing executed in the control unit 11 of the relay apparatus 10. The drive control process of step S108 and step S115 in the process of FIG. 6 is a process performed in the update request process according to the second embodiment. These processes will be described as being not included in the update request process in the first embodiment, and will be described in the second embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, control unit 11 executes subsequent processing when an update program is stored in storage unit 12 (YES in step S 101). That is, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the determination timing has been reached (first determination process), and waits until the determination timing is reached. When the determination timing is reached (YES in step S102), the control unit 11 calculates the soundness level SOH of the battery 22 using information from the ECU 30B, and compares it with the threshold value Th of the soundness level SOH stored in advance (first). 2 determination processing).

When the soundness level SOH of the battery 22 is equal to or greater than the threshold Th at the determination timing (YES in step S103), the control unit 11 requests the target ECU for an update process as usual. That is, when the first condition that the degree of soundness of the battery 22 is higher than the standard degree of soundness is satisfied, the control unit 11 transfers the update program to the target ECU with respect to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. At the same time, an instruction to request execution of the rewriting process is given (step S117). Further, after the rewriting process is executed in the target ECU, the control unit 11 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to request the target ECU to execute the switching process (step S113).

On the other hand, when the health degree SOH of the battery 22 is less than the threshold Th, that is, when the health degree of the battery 22 is lower than the reference health degree (the first condition is not satisfied) (NO in step S103), the control unit 11 Determines whether or not the generator 21 is in a power generation state using information from the ECU 30C (third determination process). When the generator 21 is not in the power generation state (NO in step S105), the control unit 11 executes step S105 again. That is, when the first condition is not satisfied and the second condition that the generator 21 is in the power generation state is not satisfied, the control unit 11 does not execute the subsequent processing until the power generation state is established. The system waits until the generator 21 is in a power generation state, that is, until the engine is operated. Therefore, preferably, the control unit 11 causes the output device to output a notification that the generator 21 starts power generation, that is, does not execute the rewriting process until the engine is operated, and waits for the start of the rewriting process. The output device is a display device (not shown), for example, and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU that controls the display device to display a display screen for performing the notification on the display device.

When the power generator 21 is in the power generation state, that is, when the second condition is satisfied (YES in step S105), the control unit 11 transfers the update program to the target ECU to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. At the same time, an instruction to request execution of the rewriting process is given (step S107).

After the rewriting process is executed in the target ECU in response to the request in step S107, the control unit 11 determines again whether or not the generator 21 is in the power generation state (third determination process). When the generator 21 is not in the power generation state, that is, when both the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied (NO in step S109), the control unit 11 continues until the generator 21 enters the power generation state, that is, Wait until the engine is running. Therefore, preferably, the control unit 11 causes the output device to output a notification that the generator 21 starts power generation, that is, does not execute the switching process until the engine is operated, and waits for the start of the switching process. The output device is a display device (not shown), for example, and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU that controls the display device to display a display screen for performing the notification on the display device.

When the generator 21 is in a power generation state, that is, when the second condition is satisfied (YES in step S109), the control unit 11 requests the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to execute a switching process on the target ECU. (Step S113).

Preferably, the control unit 11 is in a power generation state (YES in step S109), and when the user's permission to execute the switching process during operation of the engine is obtained (step S109) In S111, the in-vehicle communication unit 13 is instructed to request the target ECU to execute the switching process (step S113).

[Effect of the first embodiment]
When the relay device 10 executes the above update request process, when the soundness level of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold value, that is, when the battery 22 deteriorates to a specified level, the generator 21 The update process is executed in the power generation state, that is, while the engine is running. Thereby, even if it is a case where the battery 22 reaches a short circuit state during an update process, electric power is supplied from the generator 21 to target ECU. Therefore, even when the battery 22 reaches a short circuit state during the update process, the update process can be continued.

When the soundness level of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold value, that is, when the battery 22 has deteriorated to a specified level and the generator 21 is not in the power generation state, the generator 21 is in the power generation state. Until that time, that is, until the engine is operated, the start of the update process in the target ECU is suspended. At this time, the relay apparatus 10 notifies the user that the update process is on standby, so that the user can know that the engine needs to be operated in order to start the update process. As a result, a user who prioritizes execution of the update process can start the update process by operating the engine for power supply. Thereby, a user's convenience can be improved.

When the generator 21 is in a power generation state, that is, while the engine is running, the relay device 10 causes the target ECU to execute a switching process when the user has given permission. The switching process may involve a reset of the target ECU, and the operation of the device to be controlled by the target ECU may be temporarily stopped or the display mode may be changed during the reset process. If the user does not like to be in such a state during traveling, the user can be prohibited from executing the switching process. Thereby, a user's convenience can be improved.

<Second Embodiment>
The relay apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment executes an update request process including the drive control process of steps S108 and S115 of FIG. Therefore, the control unit 11 of the relay apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment further includes the drive control unit 113 shown in FIG.

The drive control process in step S108 and step S115 is a process for performing control to continue driving the engine during the update process. In the drive control process, during the update process in the target ECU, the drive control unit 113 causes the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to transmit a control frame that instructs the ECU that controls the engine to continue driving the engine.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the update request process according to the second embodiment, control unit 11 of relay device 10 executes the drive control process after requesting the target ECU to execute the rewrite process in step S107. (Step S108). That is, the ECU that controls the engine is requested to continue driving the engine during the rewriting process in the target ECU.

Further, the control unit 11 executes the drive control process after requesting the target ECU to execute the switching process in step S113 (step S115). That is, the ECU that controls the engine is requested to continue driving the engine during the switching process in the target ECU.

When the relay device 10 executes the above update request process, it is possible to avoid stopping the engine after confirming that the engine is operating and starting the update process in the target ECU. For example, the engine may stop when the vehicle 1 stops due to a function such as idling stop. Even in the case where idling is stopped during the update process in the target ECU, the operation of the engine is continued by the drive control process. Thereby, the power supply from the generator 21 to the target ECU is continued, and the update process can be continued.

<Third Embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the second condition is that the power generation amount of the generator is larger than the power consumption amount in the vehicle.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a power supply configuration of the vehicle according to the present embodiment. A battery sensor 100 is provided on the power line 17 extending from the battery 22 to the in-vehicle device such as the relay device 10, the ECUs 30 A, 30 B, 30 C, and the starter 23. The battery sensor 100 detects a current value output from the battery 22. The battery sensor 100 is connected to an ECU 30C that controls the generator 21 through a signal line. The current value detected by the battery sensor 100 is transmitted from the battery sensor 100 to the ECU 30C.

The ECU 30C includes a voltage sensor 110, for example. Voltage sensor 110 detects a voltage value applied to in-vehicle devices such as relay device 10, ECUs 30 A, 30 B, 30 C, and starter 23. For example, in-vehicle devices such as the relay device 10, the ECUs 30 A, 30 B, 30 C, and the starter 23 are connected in parallel by the power line 17 and the same voltage is applied. The voltage sensor 110 can detect the voltage value in the ECU 30C, for example. The voltage sensor 110 may be provided outside the ECU 30C.

ECU30C can receive the electric current value detected by the battery sensor 100, and can acquire the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor 110. FIG. The ECU 30C can calculate the power consumption amount EC in the vehicle 1 based on the current value and the voltage value.

Furthermore, the ECU 30C can receive information on the power generation amount EG from the generator 21. The generator 21 may transmit not the power generation amount EG but operation status information including the rotation speed. In this case, the ECU 30C can calculate the power generation amount EG using the rotation speed.

The ECU 30C can transmit the power consumption amount EC and the power generation amount EG to the relay device 10. In addition, the ECU 30 C gives the relay device 10 the current value detected by the battery sensor 100, the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor 110, and the rotation speed of the generator 21 instead of the power consumption amount EC and the power generation amount EG. You may send it. In this case, the relay device 10 may calculate the power consumption amount EC from the current value and the voltage value, and may calculate the power generation amount EG from the rotational speed of the generator 21.

Since other configurations of the vehicle according to the present embodiment are the same as the configuration of the vehicle according to the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

Refer to FIG. In the third determination process, the determination unit 111 according to the present embodiment has a power generation amount EG input to the control unit 11 from the ECU (ECU 30C in the example of FIG. 7) that controls the generator 21 larger than the power consumption amount EC. It is determined whether or not. The determination unit 111 passes the determination result of the third determination process to the update control unit 112. The first determination process and the second determination process are the same as those in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of update request processing executed in the control unit 11 of the relay apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the step which abbreviate | omitted description is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

On the other hand, when the health degree SOH of the battery 22 is less than the threshold Th, that is, when the health degree of the battery 22 is lower than the reference health degree (the first condition is not satisfied) (NO in step S103), the control unit 11 Receives the power generation amount EG from the ECU 30C (step S201), and receives the power consumption amount EC (step S202). The control unit 11 receives the current value detected by the battery sensor 100, the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor 110, and the rotation speed of the generator 21 from the ECU 30C, and uses the current value and the voltage value to calculate the power consumption EC. And the power generation amount EG may be calculated from the rotational speed of the generator 21.

The control unit 11 compares the power generation amount EG and the power consumption amount EC (third determination process). Control is performed when the power generation amount EG is less than the power consumption amount EC, that is, the power generation amount EG of the generator 21 is larger than the power consumption amount EC in the vehicle 1 (the second condition is not satisfied) (NO in step S203). The unit 11 executes step S203 again. That is, when the first condition is not satisfied and the second condition is not satisfied, the control unit 11 does not perform the subsequent processing until the power generation amount EG becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC, and generates the power generation amount EG. Is on standby until the power consumption EC is greater than or equal to EC. Therefore, preferably, the control unit 11 does not execute the rewriting process until the power generation amount EG becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC, and causes the output device to output a notification of waiting for the start of the rewriting process. The output device is a display device (not shown), for example, and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU that controls the display device to display a display screen for performing the notification on the display device.

When the power generation amount EG is greater than or equal to the power consumption amount EC, that is, when the second condition is satisfied (YES in step S203), the control unit 11 updates the target ECU with respect to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. And instructing the execution of the rewriting process (step S107).

After the rewriting process is executed in the target ECU in response to the request in step S107, the control unit 11 determines again whether or not the power generation amount EG is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC (third determination process). ). When the power generation amount EG is less than the power consumption amount EC, that is, when both the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied (NO in step S204), the control unit 11 determines that the power generation amount EG is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC. Wait until For this reason, preferably, the control unit 11 does not execute the switching process until the power generation amount EG becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC, and causes the output device to output a notification of waiting for the start of the switching process. The output device is a display device (not shown), for example, and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU that controls the display device to display a display screen for performing the notification on the display device.

When the power generation amount EG is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC, that is, when the second condition is satisfied (YES in step S204), the control unit 11 performs a switching process on the target ECU with respect to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. An instruction to request execution is given (step S113).

In the present embodiment, the relay apparatus 10 may execute an update request process including the drive control process in steps S108 and S115 in FIG. 8 as in the second embodiment.

[Effect of the third embodiment]
When the relay device 10 executes the above update request process, when the health level of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold value, that is, when the battery 22 has deteriorated to a specified level, the power generation amount EG is The update process is executed when the amount of power consumption is equal to or greater than EC. Thus, even if the power required for the update process is insufficient due to the deterioration of the battery, for example, when the battery 22 reaches a short circuit state during the update process, the target ECU is supplied with power from the generator 21. Therefore, the update process can be continued.

When the health level of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold value, that is, when the battery 22 has deteriorated to a specified level and the power generation amount EG is less than the power consumption amount EC, the power generation amount EG Until the power consumption amount EC becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption EC, the start of the update process in the target ECU is suspended. At this time, the relay device 10 notifies the user of the waiting for the update process, so that the user can know that the engine needs to be operated in order to start the update process. As a result, the user who gives priority to the execution of the update process can start the update process by operating the engine to supply power. Thereby, a user's convenience can be improved.

When the power generation amount EG is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC, the relay device 10 causes the target ECU to execute a switching process when the user has given permission. The switching process may involve a reset of the target ECU, and the operation of the device to be controlled by the target ECU may be temporarily stopped or the display mode may be changed during the reset process. If the user does not like to be in such a state during traveling, the user can be prohibited from executing the switching process. Thereby, a user's convenience can be improved.

<Fourth Embodiment>
The soundness index value is not limited to only the soundness SOH or the deterioration degree SOD. Another example of the soundness index value is information such as information indicating the state of the battery 22 and information measured by a specific operator such as a dealer and stored in an ECU that controls the battery 22. Also good. The information indicating the state of the battery 22 is, for example, the soundness level SOH measured on the inspection date. The measured value is, for example, a measurement result of the specific gravity of the battery fluid.

In this case, the determination unit 111 of the relay device 10 executes the second determination process using the above information input from the ECU to the control unit 11.

<Fifth Embodiment>
The control device is not limited to the relay device 10 and may be an ECU other than the relay device 10. Alternatively, the control device may be a dedicated device independent of the relay device 10. The control apparatus may execute the first determination process and the second determination process, and pass the determination result of the soundness level of the battery 22 to another apparatus to instruct the execution of the update request process. .

The disclosed features are realized by one or more modules. For example, the feature can be realized by a circuit element or other hardware module, by a software module that defines processing for realizing the feature, or by a combination of a hardware module and a software module.

It can also be provided as a program that is a combination of one or more software modules for causing a computer to execute the above-described operation. Such a program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk attached to the computer, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a ROM, a RAM, and a memory card, and provided as a program product. You can also Alternatively, the program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk built in the computer. A program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

The program according to the present disclosure is a program module that is provided as a part of a computer operating system (OS) and calls necessary modules in a predetermined arrangement at a predetermined timing to execute processing. Also good. In that case, the program itself does not include the module, and the process is executed in cooperation with the OS. Such a program that does not include a module may also be included in the program according to the present disclosure.

Further, the program according to the present disclosure may be provided by being incorporated in a part of another program. Even in this case, the program itself does not include the module included in the other program, and the process is executed in cooperation with the other program. A program incorporated in such another program may also be included in the program according to the present disclosure. The provided program product is installed in a program storage unit such as a hard disk and executed. The program product includes the program itself and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Wide area communication network 4 Communication network 5 Server 10 Relay apparatus 11 Control part 12 Memory | storage part 13 In-vehicle communication part 15 In-vehicle communication device 16 In-vehicle communication line 17 Power line 21 Generator 22 Battery 23 Starter 24 DC / DC converter 25

High voltage part

30 , 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D ECU
31 control unit 32 storage unit 33 in-car communication unit 100 battery sensor 110 voltage sensor 111 determination unit 112 update control unit 113 drive control unit 321 first area 322 second area

Claims

An in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with the in-vehicle control device;
A control unit for controlling the in-vehicle communication unit,
The controller is
Based on the soundness level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device and the state of power supplied by the generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, a request for execution of update processing of the control program for the in-vehicle control device The control apparatus which performs the determination process for determining whether it transmits to the said in-vehicle communication part.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination process includes determining whether at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The soundness level of the battery is higher than the standard soundness level. Second condition: The generator is in a power generation state.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination process includes determining whether at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The soundness level of the battery is higher than the standard soundness level. Second condition: The power generation amount of the generator is larger than the power consumption amount in the vehicle.
The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit does not cause the in-vehicle communication unit to transmit the request when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied in the determination process. .
The control device according to claim 4, wherein the determination process includes determining again whether or not the second condition is satisfied when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied.
When the control unit does not satisfy the first condition and the second condition, the control unit causes the in-vehicle communication unit to transmit a notification screen display instruction to the in-vehicle control device that controls the display device.
6. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the notification screen is a screen for notifying that the update process is not executed.
When the second condition is satisfied, the control unit sends a request for maintaining the power generation state of the generator to the in-vehicle control device that controls the generator after transmitting the update process request to the in-vehicle communication unit. The control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein transmission is performed.
The determination process acquires at least one of the voltage value and current value of the battery from an in-vehicle control device that controls the battery, and uses the acquired value to indicate an index value of the health level of the battery The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: calculating an index value and comparing the index value with a threshold value.
A method for instructing an in-vehicle control device to execute a control program update process,
Calculating an index value of a soundness level of a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device;
Obtaining power information indicating a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device; and
And a step of executing a determination process for determining whether to request the vehicle-mounted control device to execute the update process using the index value and the power information.
A program for causing a computer to function as a control device that instructs the in-vehicle control device to execute a control program update process,
The control device has a communication unit capable of communicating with the in-vehicle control device,
The computer,
Based on the soundness level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device and the state of power supplied by the generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, a request for execution of update processing of the control program for the in-vehicle control device A computer program that functions as a control unit that executes a determination process for determining whether or not to transmit a message to the communication unit.
An in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with the in-vehicle control device;
A control unit for controlling the in-vehicle communication unit,
The controller is
Based on the soundness level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device and the operating state of the generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, a request for update processing of the control program for the in-vehicle control device is made in the in-vehicle communication The control apparatus which determines whether it is made to transmit to a part.