VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20140172227A1
• Filed: 07/31/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsukidate, Tsunamichi, Ishigooka, Tasuku, Narisawa, Fumio, Nagaura, Wataru, Ogura, Hidetoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,274,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0292 Fail-safe or redundant systems, e.g. limp-home or backup systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23317 Safe mode, secure program, environment in case of error, intrusion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0235 based on a comparison with predetermined threshold or range, e.g. "classical methods", carried out during normal operation; threshold adaptation or choice; when or how to compare with the threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0739 in a data processing system embedded in automotive or aircraft systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06

Abstract

In the present invention, on the basis of the results of determining whether or not a constituent element of a vehicle control device is malfunctioning, the malfunction determination logic for determining whether or not the vehicle control device as a whole is malfunctioning is caused to be easily reusable. This vehicle control device determines the level of functional malfunction of the vehicle control device on the basis of what combination of hardware configuring the vehicle control device is malfunctioning, and executes a failsafe function that is in accordance with the level of functional malfunction (see FIG. 5).

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that executes a function to control a car, comprising:

a failure detection unit that detects a failure of hardware included in the vehicle control device;

a functional failure determination unit that calculates a functional failure level indicating a degree of an impact of a failure of the hardware on a function of the vehicle control device; and

a failsafe control unit that performs a failsafe operation corresponding to the functional failure level;

wherein the functional failure determination unit determines the functional failure level according to a combination of the hardware that is broken.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a functional failure level determination table that describes a relationship between the combination of the broken hardware and the functional failure level determined by the combination,

wherein the functional failure determination unit determines the functional failure level by referring to the functional failure level determination table using the combination of the hardware in which a failure is detected by the failure detection unit.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the functional failure determination unit determines that the combination of the broken hardware with high importance indicates the functional failure level higher than the functional failure level indicated by the combination of the broken hardware with low importance.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the failure detection unit acquires a numerical value indicating an operational state of the hardware, and determines that the hardware is broken if the numerical value exceeds a predetermined range.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising an interface connecting to an in-vehicle network,

wherein the functional failure determination unit determines, according to a combination of vehicle control devices connected to the in-vehicle network that are not working normally, a system functional failure level of a vehicle control system including multiple vehicle control devices connected to the in-vehicle network,

and wherein the failsafe control unit performs a failsafe operation corresponding to the system functional failure level.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, further comprising a combined functional failure level determination table that describes a relationship between the combination of the vehicle control devices connected to the in-vehicle network that are not working normally and the system functional failure level determined by the combination,

wherein the functional failure determination unit determines the system functional failure level by referring to the combined functional failure level determination table using the combination of the vehicle control devices that are not working normally.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, further comprising a receive unit that receives, from the in-vehicle network, functional failure information indicating that the vehicle control device connected to the in-vehicle network is not working normally,

wherein the functional failure determination unit determines the system functional failure level using the functional failure information received by the receive unit.

8. A vehicle control system comprising:

multiple of the vehicle control devices according to claim 1; and

an in-vehicle network to which the multiple of the vehicle control devices are connected;

wherein one of the vehicle control devices sends functional failure information describing the functional failure level to other one of the vehicle control devices,

and wherein the vehicle control device receiving the functional failure information performs a failsafe operation corresponding to a functional failure level described by the functional failure information.

9. A vehicle control system comprising:

multiple of the vehicle control devices according to claim 5; and

an in-vehicle network to which the multiple of the vehicle control devices are connected;

wherein one of the vehicle control devices sends functional failure information describing the functional failure level to other one of the vehicle control devices,

and wherein the vehicle control device receiving the functional failure information determines the system functional failure level using the functional failure information received by the receive unit, and performs a failsafe operation corresponding to the system functional failure level.