Vehicular electronic control unit and vehicular service management system

• US 10,163,272 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Takuya, Hayakawa, Kazuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Mahmoud S
• Application Number:
  US15/609,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20170352198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 701 294, 701 48, 34042624, 370338
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/00 Safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles safety belts or body harnesses in general A62B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/10 actuating a signalling device
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0001 Details of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A vehicular ECU (electronic control unit) is any one of a plurality of vehicular ECUs connected to an in-vehicle network in a vehicle and includes: a service interface, a service bus, and a service manager. The service interface issues a request of service that uses a function installed in a different vehicular ECU based on a request from the application, and makes the application generate a service as a response to a request of service from the different vehicular ECU. The service bus transmits and receives a message corresponding to a request of service and a response by using a predetermined protocol between the service interfaces of the vehicular ECU and the different vehicular ECU. The service manager achieves the service to be dynamically and interoperably used by managing a position of the service.

Claims

1. A vehicular ECU (electronic control unit) that is any one of a plurality of vehicular ECUs connected to an in-vehicle network in a vehicle, the vehicular ECU performing a predetermined function by using an application that is installed, the vehicular ECU coordinating with a different vehicular ECU among the plurality of vehicular ECUs excluding the vehicular ECU,

the vehicular ECU comprising:

a service interface that issues a request of service that uses a function installed in the different vehicular ECU based on a request from the application, and makes the application generate a service as a response to a request of service from the different vehicular ECU;

a service bus that transmits and receives a message correspondingly to a request of service and a response by using a predetermined protocol between the service interface of the vehicular ECU and the service interface of the different vehicular ECU; and

a service manager that achieves the service to be used dynamically and interoperably by managing a position of the service.

2. The vehicular ECU according to claim 1, wherein

the service manager achieves dynamic addition and removal of the service by managing addition and removal of the service.

3. The vehicular ECU according to claim 1, wherein

a predetermined application installed in the vehicular ECU generates an integrated application by coordinating with the service of the different vehicular ECU.

4. The vehicular ECU according to claim 1, wherein

the service bus uses a protocol to communicate via the in-vehicle network, the protocol being available as:

a Request/Response type that performs one-to-one message by exchanging messages of request and response; and

a Publish/Subscribe type that performs one-to-many messages by publishing a message to many and unspecified registered subscribers.

10. The vehicular ECU according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage storing previously items of information on service,

the stored items of information on service being used by the service manager to achieve the service to be used dynamically to be executable under an operating state of the vehicular ECU without need of re-starting and interoperably by managing the position of the service.

5. A vehicular service management system comprising:

a plurality of vehicular ECUs (electronic control units) that are connected to an in-vehicle network in a vehicle, each of the vehicular ECUs performing a predetermined function by using an application; and

a gateway that is connected to the in-vehicle network and routes information between the vehicular ECUs,

wherein a subject vehicular ECU being any one of the vehicular ECUs cooperates with a different vehicular ECU among the vehicular ECUs excluding the subject vehicular ECU, the subject vehicular ECU includes;

a service interface that issues a request of service that uses a function installed in the different vehicular ECU based on a request from the application, and makes the application generate a service as a response to a request of service from the different vehicular ECU; and

a service bus that transmits and receives a message correspondingly to a request of service and a response by using a predetermined protocol between the service interface of the subject vehicular ECU and the service interface of the different vehicular ECU,

wherein the gateway includes a service manager that achieves the service to be dynamically and interoperably used by managing a position of the service.

6. The vehicular service management system according to claim 5, wherein

the service manager achieves dynamical addition and removal of the service by managing addition and removal of the service.

7. The vehicular service management system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an extended gateway that is connected to the in-vehicle network and uses a service in an exterior outside the vehicle.

8. The vehicular service management system according to claim 7, wherein:

the extended gateway is able to install a new application from the exterior outside the vehicle; and

the new application installed in the extended gateway generates an integrated application by coordinating services of the vehicular ECUs and the service in the exterior outside the vehicle.

9. The vehicular service management system according to claim 5, wherein

the service bus uses a protocol to communicate via the in-vehicle network, the protocol being available as:

a Request/Response type that performs one-to-one message by exchanging messages of request and response; and

a Publish/Subscribe type that performs one-to-many messages by publishing a message to many and unspecified registered subscribers.

11. The vehicular service management system according to 5, further comprising:

a storage storing previously items of information on service,

the stored items of information on service being used by the service manager to achieve the service to be used dynamically to be executable under an operating state of one of the vehicular ECUs without need of re-starting and interoperably by managing the position of the service.