VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM AND VIRTUAL ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT DEVELOPMENT METHOD

• US 20150057894A1
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: JUNG, Woochul, CHOI, Young Woo
• Application Number:
  US14/101,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40032 Details regarding a bus interface enhancer

Abstract

A vehicle control system includes a sensing unit configured to sense a vehicle state and generate a vehicle state signal; an application program interface (API) conversion unit configured to generate an API corresponding to the vehicle state signal; and an actuator controlled by a virtual electronic control unit (ECU). In this case, the virtual ECU is a virtual ECU program programmed using the API and installed in a dummy ECU block of a terminal.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a sensing unit configured to sense a vehicle state and generate a vehicle state signal;

an application program interface (API) conversion unit configured to generate an API corresponding to the vehicle state signal; and

an actuator controlled by a virtual electronic control unit (ECU),

wherein the virtual ECU is a virtual ECU program programmed using the API and installed in a dummy ECU block of a terminal.

2. The vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein:

the API conversion unit includes;

a data gateway configured to connect a plurality of vehicle networks and receive the vehicle state signal;

a filter configured to filter the vehicle state signal received by the data gateway; and

an API module configured to generate the API corresponding to the filtered vehicle state signal.

3. The vehicle control system of claim 2, further comprising:

a converter configured to convert the vehicle state signal into a digital signal and output the converted digital signal to the data gateway when the vehicle state signal is an analog signal; and

a digital input buffer configured to buffer the vehicle state signal and output the buffered vehicle state signal to the data gateway when the vehicle state signal is a digital signal.

4. The vehicle control system of claim 2, wherein:

the terminal includes the plurality of dummy ECU blocks.

5. The vehicle control system of claim 4, wherein:

the terminal is either one of an audio video navigation (AVN) apparatus and a mobile terminal.

6. The vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein:

the virtual ECU is installed in the dummy ECU block to meet a runtime environment of the terminal.

7. The vehicle control system of claim 1, wherein:

the virtual ECU controls the actuator in response to the vehicle state signal.

8. The vehicle control system of claim 7, wherein:

the actuator is controlled by the ECU installed in the vehicle.

9. The vehicle control system of claim 7, wherein:

the vehicle state signal is a gear state signal,

the actuator drives a side mirror, and

the virtual ECU controls the actuator to adjust the side mirror to meet a parking mode when the gear state signal indicates the parking mode.

10. The vehicle control system of claim 7, wherein:

the vehicle state signal is a rain sensing signal,

the actuator drives a side mirror, and

the virtual ECU controls the actuator to operate a hot wire of the side mirror depending on the rain sensing signal.

11. A virtual ECU development method, comprising:

sensing, by a sensor, a vehicle state and generating a vehicle state signal;

generating, by an API module, an API corresponding to the vehicle state signal; and

programming a virtual ECU using the API,

wherein the virtual ECU is installed in a terminal and controls an actuator in response to the vehicle state signal.

12. The virtual ECU development method of claim 11, wherein:

the terminal is a plurality of dummy ECU blocks, and

the virtual ECU is installed in any one of the plurality of dummy ECU blocks.

13. The virtual ECU development method of claim 12, wherein:

the generating of the API includes;

receiving the vehicle state signal through a data gateway which connects a plurality of vehicle networks;

filtering the vehicle state signal received by the data gateway; and

generating the API corresponding to the filtered vehicle state signal.

14. The virtual ECU development method of claim 11, wherein:

the terminal is either one of an AVN apparatus and a mobile terminal.

15. The virtual ECU development method of claim 13, wherein:

the generating of the vehicle state signal includes;

converting the vehicle state signal into a digital signal and outputting the converted digital signal to the data gateway when the vehicle state signal is an analog signal; and

buffering the vehicle state signal and outputting the buffered vehicle state signal to the data gateway when the vehicle state signal is a digital signal.

16. The virtual ECU development method of claim 12, wherein:

the virtual ECU is installed in the dummy ECU block to meet a runtime environment of the terminal.