In-vehicle power line communication system

• US 9,236,910 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Eguchi, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yu, Royit
• Application Number:
  US13/312,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20120146776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3.21, 340/3.51, 340/3.55, 340/3.6, 340/3.61, 340/458, 713/300
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/547 via DC power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/548 the power on the line being DC arrangements for feeding power H04L12/10; extracting feeding power from signals H04L25/02

Abstract

In an in-vehicle power line communication system in which a power line communication network and a battery are connected to each other via a first power line, the power line communication network includes a master power line communication node connected to the battery via the first power line, a second power line, slave power line communication nodes including at least a transmitting slave power line communication node and a receiving slave power line communication node, a transmitting-side in-vehicle device, and a receiving-side in-vehicle device. The master power line communication node and the slave power line communication nodes communicate with each other using a time-triggered communication protocol. The mutual communicating of the slave power line communication nodes are controlled by a token signal output from the master power line communication node. Only the master power line communication node and the slave power line communication nodes are connected to the second power line.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle power line communication system in which a power line communication network and a battery mounted on a vehicle are connected to each other via a first power line,

wherein the power line communication network comprises:

a master power line communication node that is connected to the battery via the first power line and that is supplied with power from the battery;

a second power line;

a plurality of slave power line communication nodes having at least a transmitting slave power line communication node and a receiving slave power line communication node that are connected to the master power line communication node via the second power line, that are supplied with the power from the battery via the master power line communication node, and that are connected to each other via the second power line so as to be able to perform multiplex communication with each other;

a transmitting-side in-vehicle device that is connected to the transmitting slave power line communication node, that can operate in response to an operator'"'"'s operation, and that outputs an operation signal, which indicates the operator'"'"'s operation was made, to the second power line from the transmitting slave power line communication node by the multiplex communication; and

a receiving-side in-vehicle device that is connected to the receiving slave power line communication node and that can operate when receiving the operation signal output from the transmitting slave power line communication node,

wherein the master power line communication node and the plurality of slave power line communication nodes communicate with each other in accordance with a time-triggered communication protocol which performs periodic data communication,

wherein mutual transmitting and receiving operations of the plurality of slave power line communication nodes are controlled by a token signal output from the master power line communication node, wherein only the master power line communication node and the plurality of slave power line communication nodes are connected to the second power line,

wherein the token signal instructs a schedule for periodic data transmission and reception between a specific transmitting slave power line communication node among a plurality of transmitting slave power line communication nodes and a specific receiving slave power line communication node, which corresponds to the specific transmitting slave power line communication node, among a plurality of receiving slave power line communication nodes,

wherein the token signal instructs performance of periodic data transmission at different predetermined times depending on the transmitting slave power line communication node, and the token signal instructs performance of periodic data reception at different predetermined times depending on the receiving slave power line communication node,

wherein each of the transmitting slave power line communication nodes periodically performs data transmission at predetermined unique timings instructed by the token signal,

wherein each of the receiving slave power line communication nodes periodically performs data reception at predetermined unique timings instructed by the token signal, and

wherein data transmitted from the specific transmitting slave power line communication node is only received by the specific receiving slave power line communication node.

2. The in-vehicle power line communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a choke coil installed in the first power line.

3. The in-vehicle power line communications system according to claim 1,

wherein the communication between the master power line communication node and the plurality of slave power line communication nodes is performed so that the same communication is repeatedly performed at a predetermined timing via the second power line.

4. The in-vehicle power line communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the transmitting-side in-vehicle device includes at least a switch operating in response to the operator'"'"'s operation

wherein the receiving-side in-vehicle device includes at least an actuator of which the driving is controlled in accordance with the operation signal,

wherein the master power line communication node multiplexes a signal of power supplied from the battery via the first power line and the token signal, and outputs the multiplexed signals to the second power line,

wherein only a signal of power output from the master power line communication node out of the multiplexed signals received by the receiving slave power line communication node is supplied to the receiving-side in-vehicle device at a predetermined time corresponding to the operation signal received by the receiving slave power line communication node, and

wherein the communication via the second power line is performed by the operator'"'"'s operation and is limited to communication for device operations permitting a time delay.

5. The in-vehicle power line communication system according to claim 4,

wherein the master power line communication node multiplexes a signal of power supplied from the battery via the first power line and the token signal, and outputs the multiplexed signals to the second power line, and

wherein only a signal of power output from the master power line communication node out of the multiplexed signals received by the receiving slave power line communication node is supplied to the receiving-side in-vehicle device at a predetermined time corresponding to the operation signal received by the receiving slave power line communication node.