JP7279707B2 - Control device, control method and computer program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to control devices, control methods, and computer programs. This application claims priority based on Japanese application No. 2018-061482 filed on March 28, 2018, and incorporates all the contents described in the Japanese application.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the technical field of automobiles, the functionality of vehicles has advanced, and a wide variety of in-vehicle devices have been installed in vehicles. Therefore, the vehicle is equipped with a large number of so-called ECUs (Electronic Control Units), which are control devices for controlling each vehicle-mounted device.
Types of ECU include, for example, those related to driving systems that control the engine, brakes, EPS (Electric Power Steering), etc. in response to accelerator, brake, and steering wheel operations, and those related to vehicle interior lighting and headlights according to switch operations by passengers. There is a body system ECU that controls the turning on/off of lights, sounding of an alarm, etc., and a meter system ECU that controls the operation of meters arranged near the driver's seat.

In general, an ECU is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a microcomputer, and controls vehicle-mounted equipment by reading and executing a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory).
As for the control program of the ECU, it is necessary to rewrite the old version of the control program with the new version of the control program in response to the version upgrade. Also, it is necessary to rewrite data necessary for executing the control program, such as map information and control parameters.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique (online update function) of downloading an update program via a network and updating an ECU control program. In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, in order to prevent operation of the vehicle equipment while the control program is being updated in the ECU, the vehicle is stopped and the update is performed in a state where the user gets out of 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 that can communicate 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. causing the in-vehicle communication unit to transmit a request to the in-vehicle control device to update the control program based on the state of health of the battery and the state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device. Determination processing for determining whether or not is executed.

A control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method of instructing an in-vehicle control device to execute a process of updating a control program, wherein an index value of a state of health of a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device is set to obtaining power information indicating the state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device; and using the index value and the power information to the in-vehicle control device and executing a determination process for determining whether or not to request execution of the update process.

A computer program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to function as a control device that instructs an in-vehicle control device to execute update processing of a control program, wherein the control device is an in-vehicle control device. and a communication unit capable of communicating with the computer, based on the health level of the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device and the state of the power supply from the generator that can supply power to the in-vehicle control device, It functions as a control unit that executes determination processing for determining whether or not to transmit to the communication unit a request for execution of control program update processing to the in-vehicle control device.

A control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an in-vehicle communication unit that can communicate 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. Determining whether to transmit a control program update processing request to the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle communication unit based on the health level of the battery and the operating state of the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device make a judgment.

The present disclosure can be implemented as a control device including such a characteristic control unit, a control method having steps of such characteristic processing, and a program for causing a computer to execute such steps. Moreover, it can be implemented as a semiconductor integrated circuit having a function of executing some or all of these steps, or as a photovoltaic power generation system including a photovoltaic power generation device.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a power supply configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a relay device; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of an ECU; FIG. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of update processing in the in-vehicle communication network; 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of update request processing executed in the control unit of the relay device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a power supply configuration of a vehicle according to a third embodiment; 14 is a flow chart showing the flow of update request processing executed in the control unit of the relay device according to the third 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 Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-121396 (Patent Document 1) or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-084143 (Patent Document 2) confirms that the power required for the update process is stored in the battery. discloses a technique for executing update processing in

When the degree of deterioration of the battery, such as cracks in the electrode plates, reaches the point where the electrode plates are short-circuited, power is no longer supplied at that point. Therefore, even if it is confirmed that the battery is charged and the update process is started, if a short-circuit state is reached during the update process, power will not be supplied to the ECU during the update process. In this case, the update process is interrupted. If the update process is interrupted due to deterioration of the battery, the update process will be executed again after the battery is replaced. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of times of processing is increased and the load on the memory to be written is increased.

<Effects of the present disclosure>
Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, power supply shortage due to deterioration of a battery can be suppressed during update processing of a control program in an in-vehicle control device.

<Overview of Embodiment of Present Disclosure>
An outline of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described below.
(1) A control device according to the present embodiment includes an in-vehicle communication unit that can communicate 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. and a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device. Determination processing is executed to determine whether or not to allow.
As a result, power supply shortage due to deterioration of the battery during update processing of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

(2) Further, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination processing may include determining whether or not at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The degree of health of the battery is higher than the standard degree of health. Second condition: The generator is in a power generation state. Update processing can be performed. If the second condition is met, the power supplied from the generator can be used to perform the update process.

(3) Further, 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 degree of health of the battery is higher than the standard health degree. Second condition: The amount of power generated by the generator is greater than the amount of power consumed by the vehicle. The update processing of the in-vehicle control device can be executed with the electric power supplied. If the second condition is met, the power supplied from the generator can be used to perform the update process.

(4) Further, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the control unit transmits the request to the in-vehicle communication unit when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied in the determination process. You don't have to.
By not requesting execution of update processing when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied, the power necessary for the update processing runs short due to deterioration of the battery during the update processing of the in-vehicle control device, and the update processing continues. You can avoid impossibility.

(5) Further, in the control device according to the present embodiment, the determination process determines again whether or not the second condition is satisfied when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied. may include
As a result, the execution of the update process is suspended until the second condition is satisfied. Update processing can be performed.

(6) In the control device according to the present embodiment, when the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied, the control unit instructs the in-vehicle control device that controls the display device to display the notification screen. and the notification screen may be a screen for notifying that the update process is not executed.
By transmitting the display instruction, the notification screen is displayed on the display device. Therefore, the user can know that it is necessary to start 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 running the engine for power supply. Thereby, user convenience can be improved.

(7) In addition, in the control device according to the present embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied, the control unit, after transmitting the request for the update process, sends the power generator to the vehicle-mounted control device that controls the power generator. may be transmitted to the in-vehicle communication unit.
By sending the above request, the generator maintains the power generation state during the update process. Therefore, when the health level of the battery is low, the power from the generator can be used to continue the update process.

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

(9) A control method according to the present embodiment is a method of instructing an in-vehicle control device to execute a process of updating a control program, comprising: obtaining power information indicating the state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device; and using the index value and the power information, to the in-vehicle control device and executing a determination process for determining whether or not to request execution of the update process.
As a result, power supply shortage due to deterioration of the battery during update processing of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

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

(11) A control device according to the present embodiment 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 transmit a control program update processing request to the in-vehicle control device to the in-vehicle communication unit based on the state of health of the battery and the operating state of the generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device judgment is made.
As a result, power supply shortage due to deterioration of the battery during update processing of the control program in the in-vehicle control device can be suppressed.

<Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure>
Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. At least part of the embodiments described below may be combined arbitrarily. In the following description, identical parts and components are given identical 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 showing the 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 external devices, a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) 30A, 30B, . , 30B, . . . A plurality of ECUs 30A, 30B, . . . are also called ECU 30 as a representative.

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

The communication network 4 uses not only CAN but also 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 that employs.

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

The relay device 10 is further connected to an 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 devices outside the vehicle via a wide area communication network 2 such as the Internet. The device outside the vehicle is, for example, a 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 such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook PC (Personal Computer) owned by the user.

The relay device 10 relays to the ECU 30 information received by the in-vehicle communication device 15 from an external device. Also, 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 device outside the vehicle.

[Vehicle power supply configuration]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the power supply configuration of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 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 has a generator 21 and a battery 22 as power sources. The generator 21 is a generator that generates power in accordance with the driving of the engine, such as an alternator. Battery 22 is typically a lead-acid battery. In addition, a lithium ion battery, a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a combination thereof may be used.

In-vehicle devices such as relay device 10, ECUs 30A, 30B, 30C, and starter 23 are connected to generator 21 and battery 22 via power line 17, and generator 21 and battery 22 are connected to these in-vehicle Power can be supplied to the device. Also, 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 vehicle, a high-voltage section 25 is further connected to the battery 22 via a DC/DC converter 24, and the electric power from the battery 22 is boosted by the DC/DC converter 24 to a high voltage. It is supplied to section 25 .

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

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

The CPU of the control unit 11 has a function of reading out 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 in a state 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 device such as flash memory or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The storage unit 12 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 11, data required for execution, and the like.

An in-vehicle communication line 16 is connected to the in-vehicle communication unit 13 . The in-vehicle communication unit 13 is composed of a communication device that communicates with the ECU 30 according to 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 the information of the transmission source to the CPU of the control unit 11 .

The in-vehicle communication device 15 is a radio communication device including an antenna and a communication circuit for transmitting and receiving radio signals from the antenna. The in-vehicle communication device 15 can communicate with devices outside the vehicle 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 via a wide area communication network 2 formed by a base station (not shown), and transmits information received from the external device. is given to the CPU of the control unit 11 .

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

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

The CPU of the control unit 31 includes one or more large scale integrated circuits (LSI). In a CPU including multiple LSIs, the multiple LSIs work together to realize the functions of the CPU.

The computer program executed by the CPU of the control unit 31 can be transferred in a state 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 non-volatile memory device such as flash memory, EEPROM, or ROM. The storage unit 32 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 11, data necessary for execution, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 32 includes a first area 321 and a second area 322 as areas for storing computer programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 31 .

The 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 according to a predetermined communication standard such as CAN.
In-vehicle communication unit 33 transmits the information given from the CPU of control unit 31 to a predetermined relay device 10 , and relay device 10 gives the information on the transmission source to the CPU of control unit 31 .

In the example of FIG. 2, the ECU 30B is an ECU that controls the battery 22. The voltage value of the battery 22, the current value of the battery 22, the amount of power stored in the battery 22, and the ratio of the amount of power stored to the full charge amount. Information indicating the state of the battery 22 , which is at least one of a certain state of charge (SOC), is transmitted to the relay device 10 .

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 operation status of the generator 21 and the amount of power generation, to the relay device 10. FIG.

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

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

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of update processing in the communication network 4. As shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 5 , relay device 10 receives an update program from server 5 or the like (step S<b>1 ), and 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 update request processing (step S2). The update request process includes a determination process of determining the battery state of the target ECU (step S21) and a process of passing the update program to the target ECU to request the update process (step S22) according to the determination result.

The target ECU that has received the request from the relay device 10 executes update processing (step S3). In the update process in step S3, of the first area 321 and the second area 322, the post-update (new version) is stored in the storage area that is not the storage area in which the pre-update (current version) control program is written. It includes a rewriting process (step S31) of writing the control program and a switching process (step S32) of switching the reading destination of the control program executed by the control unit 31 between the first area 321 and the second area 322.

When the updating process is completed, the target ECU notifies the completion of the updating process to the relay device 10 (step S4). Upon receiving this notification, the relay device 10 deletes the update program temporarily stored in the storage unit 12, and a series of processing ends.

[Update request processing]
Referring to FIG. 3, control unit 11 of relay device 10 has determination unit 111 and update control unit 112 as functions for executing the update request process of step S2. These functions are realized by the CPU of the control unit 11 reading and executing programs stored in the storage unit 12 . Note that 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 the control unit 11 of the relay device 10 according to the first embodiment. are not included in the description.

The determination unit 111 executes determination processing in step S21. The determination process of step S21 includes a process (first determination process) of determining whether or not a predetermined timing (determination timing) for determining the battery state of the target ECU has been reached, and A process of determining whether the degree of soundness (degree of non-deterioration) is equal to or higher than the degree of soundness set as a threshold (second determination process), and a process of determining whether the generator 21 is in a power generation state ( a 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 about the device controlled by the ECU input from each ECU to the control unit 11 . The determination timing is, for example, when the vehicle starts, stops, stops idling, and returns from idling stop. The device information includes, for example, the operating state and/or number of rotations of the engine, user operations, and the like.

In the second determination process, determination unit 111 determines at least one of the voltage value and current value of battery 22 that is input to control unit 11 from the ECU that controls battery 22 (ECU 30B in the example of FIG. 2). , a health index value, which is an index value indicating the health degree 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 state of health index value based on the signal input to the control unit 11 from the sensor. can be calculated.

The state of health index value is, for example, state of health (SOH). The degree of health SOH is obtained by dividing the full charge capacity by the design capacity. For example, the degree of health SOH=80 means that the battery 22 has deteriorated until the current full charge capacity is 80% of the initial full charge capacity.

Note that the health index value is not limited to the health degree SOH. As another example, the state of deterioration SOD (State Of Degradation) is defined as SOD [%] = 100 [%] - SOH [%]. can be a value. In the following explanation, the soundness index value will be described as the soundness degree SOH. The magnitude relationship is opposite to that in the case of degree SOH.

The determination unit 111 stores in advance the threshold value Th for the degree of health SOH. The threshold Th is a reference soundness level and represents the reference soundness level. The determination unit 111 compares the calculated health degree 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. If the health degree SOH is greater than the threshold Th, it means that the health degree of the battery 22 is higher than the standard health degree, that is, it is not degraded. It represents that it is lower than the soundness degree, that is, deteriorated.

In the third determination process, the determination unit 111 determines whether the generator 21 is in a power generation state based on the information regarding the generator 21 input to the control unit 11 from the ECU (ECU 30C in the example of FIG. 2) that controls the generator 21. 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 the process of requesting the update process in step S22. The process of requesting the update process in step S22 includes the process of requesting the target ECU to perform the rewriting process (step S31) (first request process) and the process of requesting the target ECU to perform the switching process (step S32). (second request processing).

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

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

Referring to FIG. 6, when the update program is stored in storage unit 12 (YES in step S101), control unit 11 executes the subsequent processes. That is, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the determination timing has been reached (first determination processing), and waits until the determination timing is reached. When the determination timing is reached (YES in step S102), the control unit 11 calculates the state of health SOH of the battery 22 using the information from the ECU 30B, and compares it with the threshold value Th of the state of health SOH stored in advance (the second 2 determination process).

If the state of health SOH of the battery 22 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th at the determination timing (YES in step S103), the control unit 11 requests the target ECU to perform the update process as usual. That is, when the first condition that the health degree of the battery 22 is higher than the reference health degree is established, the control unit 11 transfers the update program to the target ECU to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. At the same time, it instructs to request execution of rewrite processing (step S117). Further, after the target ECU executes the rewriting process, the control unit 11 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to request the target ECU to perform the switching process (step S113).

On the other hand, when the health level SOH of the battery 22 is less than the threshold Th, that is, when the health level of the battery 22 is lower than the reference health level (the first condition is not satisfied) (NO in step S103), the control unit 11 uses information from the ECU 30C to determine 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 (NO in step S105), the control unit 11 executes step S105 again. That is, if 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 processes until the power generation state is established. , until the generator 21 is in a power generation state, that is, until the engine starts to operate. Therefore, preferably, the control unit 11 does not execute the rewriting process until the generator 21 starts generating power, that is, until the engine starts operating, and causes the output device to output a notification that the start of the rewriting process is on standby. The output device is, for example, a display device (not shown), and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU controlling the display device to display a display screen for the notification on the display device.

When the 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. together with the instruction to request execution of the rewriting process (step S107).

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

When the generator 21 is in the 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 perform the switching process for the target ECU. is instructed (step S113).

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

[Effects of the first embodiment]
When the state of health of the battery 22 reaches a state where the state of health of the battery 22 does not satisfy the threshold value by the relay device 10 executing the update request process, that is, when the battery 22 deteriorates to a specified degree, the generator 21 The update process is executed in the power generation state, that is, while the engine is running. As a result, even if the battery 22 reaches a short-circuit state during the updating process, power is supplied from the generator 21 to the target ECU. Therefore, even if the battery 22 reaches a short-circuit state during the update process, the update process can be continued.

When the degree of soundness of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold, that is, when the battery 22 has deteriorated to a specified degree and the generator 21 is not in the power generation state, the power generator 21 is in the power generation state. The start of the update process in the target ECU is suspended until the engine starts to operate. At this time, the relay device 10 notifies the user that the update process is on standby, so that the user can know that the engine needs to be started 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 running the engine for power supply. Thereby, user convenience can be improved.

When the generator 21 is in the power generation state, that is, when the engine is in operation, the relay device 10 causes the target ECU to perform the switching process when the user gives permission. The switching process may be accompanied by resetting of the target ECU, and at the time of resetting, the operation of the device controlled by the target ECU may be temporarily stopped, or the display mode may be changed. If the user does not want to be in such a state while driving, the user can prohibit execution of the switching process. Thereby, user convenience can be improved.

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

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

Referring to FIG. 6, in the update request process according to the second embodiment, the controller 11 of the 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.

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

By executing the update request process described above by the relay device 10, it is possible to avoid stopping the engine after confirming that the engine is in an operating state 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 if idling stop occurs during update processing in the target ECU, the engine continues to operate by the drive control processing described above. As a result, the electric power supply from the generator 21 to the target ECU is continued, and the updating process can be continued.

<Third Embodiment>
In this embodiment, the second condition is that the amount of power generated by the generator is greater than the amount of power consumed by the vehicle.

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

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

ECU 30C can receive the current value detected by battery sensor 100 and obtain the voltage value detected by voltage sensor 110 . The ECU 30C can calculate the power consumption EC in the vehicle 1 from the current value and the voltage value.

Further, the ECU 30C can receive information on the power generation amount EG from the power generator 21 . The generator 21 may transmit information on the operating status including the number of revolutions instead of the amount of power generation EG. 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 EC and the power generation EG to the relay device 10 . Further, the ECU 30C provides the relay device 10 with 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 EC and the power generation EG. You may send. In this case, the relay device 10 may calculate the power consumption EC from the current value and the voltage value, and the power generation amount EG from the rotation speed of the generator 21 .

Other configurations of the vehicle according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the vehicle according to the first embodiment, so the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

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

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the flow of update request processing executed in the control unit 11 of the relay device 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the steps whose description is omitted are the same as in the first embodiment.

If the state of health SOH of the battery 22 is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th at the determination timing (YES in step S103), the control unit 11 requests the target ECU to perform the update process as usual. That is, when the first condition that the health degree of the battery 22 is higher than the reference health degree is established, the control unit 11 transfers the update program to the target ECU to the in-vehicle communication unit 13. At the same time, it instructs to request execution of rewrite processing (step S117). Further, after the target ECU executes the rewriting process, the control unit 11 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to request the target ECU to perform the switching process (step S113).

On the other hand, when the health level SOH of the battery 22 is less than the threshold Th, that is, when the health level of the battery 22 is lower than the reference health level (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 the power generation amount EG may be calculated from the rotation speed of the generator 21 .

The control unit 11 compares the power generation amount EG and the power consumption amount EC (third determination processing). When the power generation amount EG is less than the power consumption EC, that is, when the power generation amount EG of the generator 21 is greater than the power consumption EC of the vehicle 1 (the second condition is not satisfied) (NO in step S203), the control 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 execute subsequent processes until the power generation amount EG becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC. becomes equal to or greater than the power consumption 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 to wait for the start of the rewriting process. The output device is, for example, a display device (not shown), and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU controlling the display device to display a display screen for the notification on the display device.

If the power generation amount EG is greater than or equal to the power consumption amount EC, that is, if the second condition is satisfied (YES in step S203), the control unit 11 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to update the target ECU with the update program. is transferred and the execution of rewrite processing is requested (step S107).

After the target ECU executes the rewriting process in response to the request in step S107, the control unit 11 again determines whether or not the power generation amount EG is equal to or greater than the power consumption amount EC (third determination process ). When the amount of power generation EG is less than the amount of power consumption EC, that is, when both the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied (NO in step S204), the control unit 11 controls the amount of power generation EG to be greater than or equal to the amount of power consumption EC. Wait until Therefore, 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 to wait for the start of the switching process. The output device is, for example, a display device (not shown), and the control unit 11 instructs the ECU controlling the display device to display a display screen for 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 instructs the in-vehicle communication unit 13 to perform the switching process for the target ECU. It instructs to request execution (step S113).

Note that in the present embodiment, the relay device 10 may execute update request processing including the drive control processing in steps S108 and S115 of FIG. 8, as in the second embodiment.

[Effect of the third embodiment]
When the state of health of the battery 22 reaches a state where the state of health of the battery 22 does not satisfy the threshold as a result of the relay device 10 executing the above-described update request process, that is, when the battery 22 deteriorates to a specified degree, the power generation amount EG is reduced to The update process is executed when the power consumption EC is equal to or more. As a result, even if the battery 22 is short-circuited during the update process, and the power required for the update process is insufficient due to deterioration of the battery, power is supplied from the generator 21 to the target ECU. Therefore, update processing can be continued.

When the state of health of the battery 22 reaches a state that does not satisfy the threshold, that is, when the battery 22 has deteriorated to a specified degree, and when the amount of power generation EG is less than the amount of power consumption EC, the amount of power generation EG 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 apparatus 10 notifies the user that the update process is on standby, so that the user can know that the engine needs to be started in order to start the update process. As a result, the user who gives priority to execution of the update process can start the update process by, for example, operating the engine to supply power. Thereby, user convenience can be improved.

When the power generation amount EG is greater than or equal to the power consumption amount EC, the relay device 10 causes the target ECU to perform the switching process when the user gives permission. The switching process may be accompanied by resetting of the target ECU, and at the time of resetting, the operation of the device controlled by the target ECU may be temporarily stopped, or the display mode may be changed. If the user does not want to be in such a state while driving, the user can prohibit execution of the switching process. Thereby, user convenience can be improved.

<Fourth Embodiment>
The health level index value is not limited to only the health level SOH or the deterioration level SOD. Another example of the health index value is information such as information indicating the state of the battery 22, measured values, etc., which are input by a specific operator such as a dealer and stored in an ECU or the like that controls the battery 22. good too. The information indicating the state of the battery 22 is, for example, the state of health SOH measured on the inspection date. The measured value is, for example, the measurement result of the specific gravity of the battery liquid.

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 . Further, the control device may execute the first determination process and the second determination process, pass the determination result of the state of health of the battery 22 to another device, and instruct execution of the update request process. .

The disclosed features are implemented by one or more modules. For example, the features may be implemented by circuit elements or other hardware modules, by software modules that define processes that implement the features, or by a combination of hardware and software modules.

It can also be provided as a program, which is a combination of one or more software modules, for causing a computer to perform the operations described above. Such programs are recorded on computer-readable recording media such as flexible disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), ROMs, RAMs, and memory cards attached to computers, and provided as program products. can also Alternatively, the program can be provided by recording it in a recording medium such as a hard disk built into the computer. The program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

It should be noted that the program according to the present disclosure calls necessary modules out of the program modules provided as part of the operating system (OS) of the computer in a predetermined sequence at a predetermined timing to execute processing. good too. In that case, the program itself does not include the above module, and the process is executed in cooperation with the OS. Programs that do not include such modules may also be included in the programs according to the present disclosure.

Also, the program according to the present disclosure may be provided by being incorporated into a part of another program. Even in that case, the program itself does not include the modules included in the other program, and the processing is executed in cooperation with the other program. Programs embedded in such other programs may also be included in the programs according to the present disclosure. The provided program product is installed and executed in a program storage unit such as a hard disk. Note that the program product includes the program itself and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

Reference Signs List 1 vehicle 2 wide area communication network 4 communication network 5 server 10 relay device 11 control unit 12 storage unit 13 in-vehicle communication unit 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 unit 30 , 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D ECUs
31 control unit 32 storage unit 33 in-vehicle 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 (11)

an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle control device;
A control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit,
The control unit
The in-vehicle control device based on a degree of soundness in which a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device maintains initial performance and a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device. A control device for determining whether or not to transmit a request for execution of control program update processing to the in-vehicle communication unit. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said determination processing includes determining whether or not at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The degree of health of the battery is higher than the reference degree of health Second condition: The generator is in a power generation state 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said determination processing includes determining whether or not at least one of the following first condition and second condition is satisfied.
First condition: The degree of health of the battery is higher than the standard degree of health Second condition: The amount of power generated by the generator is greater than the amount of power consumed by the vehicle 4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein said control unit does not transmit said request to said in-vehicle communication unit when said first condition and said second condition are not satisfied in said determination processing. . 5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein said determination processing includes determining again whether said second condition is satisfied when said first condition and said second condition are not satisfied. If the first condition and the second condition are not satisfied, the control unit causes the in-vehicle communication unit to transmit an instruction to display a notification screen to an in-vehicle control device that controls a display device,
6. The control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said notification screen is a screen for notifying that said updating process is not to be executed. When the second condition is satisfied, the control unit sends a request to the in-vehicle control device that controls the generator to maintain the power generation state of the generator to the in-vehicle communication unit after transmitting the update processing request. The control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, which causes transmission. The determining process acquires at least one of a voltage value and a current value of the battery from an in-vehicle control device that controls the battery, and uses the acquired value as an index value of the state of health of the battery. and comparing the index value with a threshold value. A method for instructing an in-vehicle control device to execute update processing of a control program, comprising:
a step of calculating an index value of the degree of health in which the battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device maintains performance in an initial state;
a step of acquiring power information indicating a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device;
and executing a determination process for determining whether or not to request the in-vehicle control device to perform 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 an in-vehicle control device to execute update processing of a control program,
The control device has a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle control device,
said computer,
The in-vehicle control device based on a degree of soundness in which a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device maintains initial performance and a state of power supplied by a generator capable of supplying power to 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 request for execution of a control program update process to the communication unit. an in-vehicle communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle control device;
A control unit that controls the in-vehicle communication unit,
The control unit
Controlling the in-vehicle control device based on a degree of health in which a battery that supplies power to the in-vehicle control device maintains initial performance and an operating state of a generator capable of supplying power to the in-vehicle control device A control device that determines whether or not to transmit a program update processing request to the in-vehicle communication unit.

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