ELECTRONIC UNIT, A COMMUNICATION UNIT AND A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090125162A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Tomoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

An electronic control unit has a gateway function for connecting a plurality of communication networks formed in a vehicle with each other and performs functions allotted beforehand by transmitting and receiving signals via the communication networks. The electronic control unit includes a plug-in connecting portion (39) to be plug-in connected with a relay unit (4) for converting protocols applied to the respective communication networks, thereby connecting the relay unit (4) with a communication bus (10), in the case of performing the gateway function, and a communication circuit portion (36) for transmitting and receiving signals between the communication bus (10) and the relay unit (4) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).

Claims

1. An electronic control unit having a gateway function for connecting a plurality of communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) formed in a vehicle with each other and performing functions allotted beforehand by transmitting and/or receiving signals via the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9), comprising:

at least one plug-in connecting portion (39) connected with a communication line (10) for carrying signals transmitted from and/or received by the electronic control unit and to be plug-in connected with a relay unit (4) for converting protocols applied to the respective communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9), thereby connecting the relay unit (4) with the communication line (10), when the electronic control unit performs the gateway function, and

at least one communication circuit portion (36) for transmitting and/or receiving signals between the communication line (10) and the relay unit (4) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).

2. The electronic control unit of claim 1, further comprising a power supply circuit portion (35) connected with a power supply line (15;

26) for supplying a power supply voltage to the electronic control unit and adapted to supply a part of the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply line (15;

26) to the relay unit (4) via the plug-in connecting portion (39) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).

3. A communication unit for connecting a plurality of communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) formed in a vehicle, comprising:

an electronic control unit having a gateway function for connecting the plurality of communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) with each other and performing functions allotted beforehand by transmitting and/or receiving signals via the communication networks,

a relay unit (4) for converting protocols applied to the respective communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) for the mutual connection of the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9),

wherein the electronic control unit includes;

at least one plug-in connecting portion (39) connected with a communication line (10) for carrying signals transmitted from and/or received by the electronic control unit and to be plug-in connected with the relay unit (4), thereby connecting the relay unit (4) with the communication line (10), when the electronic control unit performs the gateway function, and

at least one communication circuit portion for transmitting and/or receiving signals between the communication line and the relay unit when the relay unit is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion.

4. The communication unit of claim 3, wherein the relay unit (4) includes first and second input/output portions to be plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39), and a relay circuit portion (41) connected between the first and second input/output portions (42b, 43b) for converting the protocol of a signal inputted from one (42b) of the first and second input/output portions (42b, 43b) and outputting the signal having the protocol converted to the other input/output portion (43b).

5. The communication unit of claim 4, wherein the second input/output portion is connected to the communication network different from the one, to which the electronic control unit belongs, and/or to an electronic control unit different from the electronic control unit.

6. The communication unit of claim 3, further comprising a power supply circuit portion (35) connected with a power supply line (15;

26) for supplying a power supply voltage to the electronic control unit and adapted to supply a part of the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply line (15;

26) to the relay unit (4) via the plug-in connecting portion (39) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).

7. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) formed in a vehicle,

an electronic control unit having a gateway function for connecting the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) with each other and performing functions allotted beforehand by transmitting and/or receiving signals via the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9),

at least one relay unit (4) for converting protocols applied to the respective communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) for the mutual connection of the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9),

wherein the electronic control unit includes;

at least one plug-in connecting portion (39) connected with a communication line (10) for carrying signals transmitted from and/or received by the electronic control unit and to be plug-in connected with the relay unit (4), thereby connecting the relay unit (4) with the communication line (10), when the electronic control unit performs the gateway function, and

at least one communication circuit portion (36) for transmitting and/or receiving signals between the communication line (10) and the relay unit (4) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).

8. A communication method, comprising the following steps:

providing a plurality of communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) formed in a vehicle,

connecting the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) with each other by means of an electronic control unit having a gateway function and performing functions allotted beforehand by transmitting and/or receiving signals via the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9),

converting protocols applied to the respective communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) for the mutual connection of the communication networks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) by means of at least one relay unit (4),

connecting at least one plug-in connecting portion (39) with a communication line (10) for carrying signals transmitted from and/or received by the electronic control unit and plug-in connecting the plug-in connecting portion (39) with the relay unit (4), thereby connecting the relay unit (4) with the communication line (10), when the electronic control unit performs the gateway function, and

transmitting and/or receiving signals between the communication line (10) and the relay unit (4) by means of at least one communication circuit portion (36) when the relay unit (4) is plug-in connected with the plug-in connecting portion (39).