Vehicle behavior data storage control system and electronic control unit

• US 9,105,138 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kitagawa, Tomohiro, Kondoh, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US13/353,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 701/31.7, 701/32.7, 701/33.4, 701/34.3, 701/29.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A vehicle behavior data storage control system including a storage control device and an ECU is disclosed. Upon determining occurrence of an unexpected behavior, the storage control device stores an unexpected behavior data in a memory and transmits the unexpected behavior data. The ECU determines whether or not the unexpected behavior data matches an estimated behavior data indicative of a behavior estimated to occur due to control processing of the ECU. When both data match each other, the ECU transmits the matching information. The storage control device, upon receipt of the matching information, deletes or permits overwriting the unexpected behavior data stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A vehicle behavior data storage control system comprising:

a storage control device that includes

a behavior determination section that acquires behavior data and determines whether or not an unexpected behavior has occurred based on the acquired behavior data, and

a memory section for storing the behavior data associated with the unexpected behavior as an unexpected behavior data; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls a predetermined control target and is connected to the storage control device via an in-vehicle network to enable data exchange with the storage control device,

wherein;

the storage control device further includes;

a first storage control section that records in the memory section the behavior data at a time when the behavior determination section determines that the unexpected behavior has occurred, so that the behavior data associated with the unexpected behavior is stored as the unexpected behavior data in the memory section; and

an unexpected behavior data transmission section that transmits the unexpected behavior data to the in-vehicle network;

the ECU includes;

a behavior data comparison determination section that

calculates an estimated behavior data indicative of an estimated behavior, which is a behavior estimated to occur due to control processing performed by the ECU,

determines whether or not content of the unexpected behavior data, which is transmitted from the storage control device to the in-vehicle network, matches that of the estimated behavior data, and

when the content of the unexpected behavior data matches that of the estimated behavior data, determines that occurrence of the unexpected behavior is attributed to the control processing performed by the ECU; and

a matching information transmission section that transmits matching information to the in-vehicle network when the behavior data comparison determination section determines that the content of the unexpected behavior data matches that of the estimated behavior data; and

the storage control device further includes

a second storage control section that, upon receipt of the matching information, deletes or permits overwriting the unexpected behavior data stored in the memory section.

3. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

only when the ECU is in an operation state where the ECU controls the control target, the ECU accepts reception of the unexpected behavior data.

4. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the unexpected behavior data includes time information;

the ECU associates the estimated behavior data of the ECU with time information, time information being common to the unexpected behavior data and the estimated behavior data; and

when the content of the unexpected behavior data including the time information matches that of the estimated behavior data associated with the time information common to the unexpected behavior data, the behavior data comparison determination section determines that the occurrence of the unexpected behavior is attributed to the control processing performed by the ECU.

5. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

a destination of the unexpected behavior data, which is transmitted from the storage control device via the in-vehicle network, is limited to an ECU that relates to the storage control device.

6. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein the ECU recited in claim 1 is a first ECU, the vehicle behavior data storage control system further comprising:

a second ECU,

wherein;

the first ECU, which includes the behavior data comparison determination section and the matching information transmission section, controls an actuator based on a behavior sensor data inputted from a behavior sensor;

the second ECU is configured not to receive the behavior sensor data from the behavior sensor; and

the second ECU is further configured to perform data reception only from the first ECU via the in-vehicle network and issue a request to the first ECU.

7. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage control device is equipped in an electronic control unit that is other than the ECU recited in claim 1.

8. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first storage control section ranks the unexpected behavior data according to a degree of the unexpected behavior, and then records the ranked unexpected behavior data.

9. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the unexpected behavior data transmission section ranks the unexpected behavior data according to a degree of the unexpected behavior, and then transmits the ranked unexpected behavior data to the in-vehicle network.

10. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 1, wherein:

the behavior data comparison determination section ranks the estimated behavior data according to a degree of the estimated behavior, and then compares the ranked estimated behavior data with the unexpected behavior data.

17. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein the ECU recited in claim 1 is a first ECU, the vehicle behavior data storage control system further comprising:

a second ECU,

wherein;

the first ECU, which includes the behavior data comparison determination section and the matching information transmission section, controls an actuator based on a behavior sensor data inputted from a behavior sensor;

the second ECU is configured not to receive the behavior sensor data from the behavior sensor; and

the second ECU is further configured to perform data reception only from the first ECU via the in-vehicle network and issue a request to the first ECU.

18. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the storage control device is equipped in an electronic control unit that is other than the ECU recited in claim 1.

2. A vehicle behavior data storage control system, comprising:

a storage control device that includes

a behavior determination section that acquires behavior data and determines whether or not an unexpected behavior has occurred based on the acquired behavior data, and

a first memory and a second memory each for storing the behavior data associated with the unexpected behavior as an unexpected behavior data; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls a predetermined control target and is connected to the storage control device via an in-vehicle network to enable data exchange with the storage control device,

wherein;

the storage control device further includes;

a first storage control section that records in the first memory the behavior data at a time when the behavior determination section determines that the unexpected behavior has occurred, so that the behavior data associated with the unexpected behavior is stored as the unexpected behavior data in the first memory; and

an unexpected behavior data transmission section that transmits the unexpected behavior data to the in-vehicle network;

the ECU includes;

a behavior data comparison determination section that

calculates an estimated behavior data indicative of an estimated behavior, which is a behavior estimated to occur due to control processing performed by the ECU,

determines whether or not content of the unexpected behavior data, which is transmitted from the storage control device to the in-vehicle network, matches that of the estimated behavior data, and

when the content of the unexpected behavior data matches that of the estimated behavior data, determines that occurrence of the unexpected behavior is attributed to the control processing performed by the ECU; and

a matching information transmission section that transmits matching information to the in-vehicle network when the behavior data comparison determination section determines that the content of the unexpected behavior data matches that of the estimated behavior data; and

the storage control device further includes

a second storage control section that, in absence of receipt of the matching information, records in the second memory the unexpected behavior data that was recorded in the first memory by the first storage control section.

14. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

only when the ECU is in an operation state where the ECU controls the control target, the ECU accepts reception of the unexpected behavior data.

15. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the unexpected behavior data includes time information;

the ECU associates the estimated behavior data of the ECU with time information, the time information being common to the unexpected behavior data and the estimated behavior data; and

when the content of the unexpected behavior data including the time information matches that of the estimated behavior data associated with the time information common to the unexpected behavior data, the behavior data comparison determination section determines that the occurrence of the unexpected behavior is attributed to the control processing performed by the ECU.

16. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

a destination of the unexpected behavior data, which is transmitted from the storage control device via the in-vehicle network, is limited to an ECU that relates to the storage control device.

19. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the first storage control section ranks the unexpected behavior data according to a degree of the unexpected behavior, and then records the ranked unexpected behavior data.

20. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the unexpected behavior data transmission section ranks the unexpected behavior data according to a degree of the unexpected behavior, and then transmits the ranked unexpected behavior data to the in-vehicle network.

21. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the behavior data comparison determination section ranks the estimated behavior data according to a degree of the estimated behavior, and then compares the ranked estimated behavior data with the unexpected behavior data.

22. The vehicle behavior data storage control system according to claim 2, wherein:

when the second storage control section has not received the matching information until a predetermined time has elapsed since the unexpected behavior data was recorded in the first memory, the second storage control section records in the second memory the unexpected behavior data that was recorded in the first memory by the first storage control section.

11. A subject electronic control unit connected with a network, wherein a storage device is connected with the network, wherein the storage device acquires behavior data indicative of actual vehicle behavior and determines based on the acquired behavior data whether or not an unexpected behavior has occurred, wherein upon determining that the unexpected behavior has occurred, the storage device records the behavior data as the unexpected behavior data and transmits the unexpected behavior data to the network, wherein in addition to the subject electronic control unit, a plurality of other electronic control units is connected with the network, the subject electronic control unit comprising:

a microcomputer that

performs control processing having an influence on the vehicle behavior,

calculates an estimated behavior data indicative of an estimated future behavior based on a control amount of the control processing performed by the subject electronic control unit, and

outputs matching information when a difference between the estimated behavior data and the unexpected behavior data transmitted from the storage device to the network is less than or equal to a predetermined value,

wherein the matching information indicates that the unexpected behavior data is attributed to the control processing of the subject electronic control unit.

12. The subject electronic control unit according to claim 11, wherein:

the microcomputer

calculates the estimated behavior data indicative of the estimated behavior at a plurality of different times, and

compares the unexpected behavior data with the estimated behavior data indicative of the estimated behavior that corresponds to a time of occurrence of the unexpected behavior.

13. The subject electronic control unit according to claim 11, wherein:

the microcomputer

ranks the estimated behavior data according to a degree of the estimated behavior and then compare the ranked estimated behavior data and the unexpected behavior data with each other.