Communication apparatus, control apparatus, and program

• US 9,787,493 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Hirohito, Tsujimura, Tatsunori, Senda, Shuichiro, Ito, Masuo, Isoda, Makoto, Okamura, Shigekazu, Tanimoto, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong M
• Application Number:
  US14/766,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20150372837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/16 in which the time allocation to individual channels within a transmission cycle is variable, e.g. to accommodate varying complexity of signals, to vary number of channels transmitted H04J3/17, H04J3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4015 by scheduling the transmission of messages at the communication node
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40156 by using dedicated slots associated with a priority level
• 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

Abstract

Control information from a plurality of applications 1000 is written into a shared memory 101 as needed. A communication part 105 transmits the control information written in the shared memory 101 to a DHM 200 in each transmission cycle which is constant. In a management table, a plurality of allowable delay times is defined, the allowable delay time being a delay time allowable at an urgent transmission of the control information. A transmission timing notification part 106 divides a transmission cycle into time slots each of which is equal to or shorter than the shortest allowable delay time defined in the management table. The communication part 105 transmits the control information in the shared memory 101 to the DHM 200 before arrival of the transmission cycle, in a unit of time slot.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmission information storage circuit where transmission information from a plurality of information sources is written as needed;

a first communication processing circuit that transmits the transmission information written in the transmission information storage circuit to a communication destination apparatus in each transmission cycle which is constant;

a condition information storage circuit that stores condition information that defines an urgent transmission information source which is an information source that is permitted to transmit the transmission information urgently before arrival of the transmission cycle, among the plurality of information sources, and defines an allowable delay time for each urgent transmission information source, which is a delay time allowable at an urgent transmission;

a time slot division circuit that divides the transmission cycle into time slots, each of which is equal to or shorter than a shortest allowable delay time defined by the condition information;

an urgent transmission information extraction circuit that extracts in a unit of individual time slot, urgent transmission information which is transmission information from a plurality of urgent transmission information sources and needs to be transmitted urgently, from among the transmission information written in the transmission information storage circuit; and

a second communication processing circuit that transmits in the unit of individual time slot, the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit to the communication destination apparatus before arrival of the transmission cycle.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit, and at least one other transmission information that exist in the transmission information storage circuit to the communication destination apparatus, in the unit of individual time slot.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit and transmission information from a plurality of urgent transmission information sources to the communication destination apparatus, in the unit of individual time slot.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit and all other transmission information that exist in the transmission information storage circuit to the communication destination apparatus, in the unit of individual time slot.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the urgent transmission information extraction circuit does not extract the urgent transmission information in a time slot that overlaps with arrival of a transmission cycle.

6. Tire communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is a BCM (Body Control Module) that is included in an on-vehicle system which includes a multiplex transmission apparatus connected to an I/O (Input/Output) device, and that transmits information for controlling the I/O device written in the transmission information storage circuit by a plurality of application programs that are included in the plurality of information sources, to the multiplex transmission apparatus that is the communication destination apparatus.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication apparatus is a multiplex transmission apparatus that is connected to a plurality of I/O (Input/Output) devices which are the plurality of information sources that is included in an on-vehicle system which includes a BCM (Body Control Module), and that transmits information from the plurality of I/O devices written in the transmission information storage circuit by the plurality of I/O devices to the BCM which is the communication destination apparatus.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to function as the communication apparatus according to claim 1.

8. A control apparatus comprising:

a transmission information storage circuit where transmission information to be transmitted for controlling a control target equipment is written by a plurality of information sources as needed;

a first communication processing circuit that transmits the transmission information written in the transmission information storage circuit to a relay apparatus connected to the control target equipment in each transmission cycle which is constant;

a condition information storage circuit that stores condition information that defines an urgent transmission information source which is an information source that is permitted to transmit the transmission information urgently before arrival of the transmission cycle, among the plurality of information sources, and defines an allowable delay time for each urgent transmission information source, which is a delay time allowable at an urgent transmission;

an urgent transmission information extraction circuit that extracts urgent transmission information which is transmission information from the urgent transmission information source and needs to be transmitted urgently, from among the transmission information written in the transmission information storage circuit; and

a second communication processing circuit that transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit to the relay apparatus before arrival of the transmission cycle, and before a transmission time limit which is a timing when the allowable delay time defined for the urgent transmission information source in the urgent transmission information passes since the urgent transmission information is extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the urgent transmission information extraction circuit may extract two or more than two pieces of urgent transmission information, and

the second communication processing circuit, when the two or more than two pieces of urgent transmission information are extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit, transmits the two or more than two pieces of urgent transmission information to the relay apparatus before the transmission time limit that arrives earliest in the two or more than two transmission time limits of the two or more than two pieces of urgent transmission information.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the urgent transmission information extraction circuit determines which of the transmission time limit of the urgent transmission information extracted or a next transmission cycle arrives first, at a time of extracting the urgent transmission information,

the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information to the relay apparatus before the transmission time limit, when the transmission time limit of the urgent transmission information is determined to arrive before the next transmission cycle by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit, and

the first communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information to the relay apparatus in the next transmission cycle, when the arrival of the transmission time limit and the arrival of the next transmission cycle are determined to be at the same time by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit, or when the next transmission cycle is determined to arrive before the transmission time limit by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit, and other transmission information that exist in the transmission information storage circuit to the relay apparatus.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the second communication processing circuit transmits the urgent transmission information extracted by the urgent transmission information extraction circuit and transmission information from other urgent transmission information sources to the relay apparatus.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control apparatus is a BCM (Body Control Module) that is included in an on-vehicle system including a multiplex transmission apparatus connected to an I/O (Input/Output) device being the control target equipment, and that transmits information for controlling the I/O device written in the transmission information storage circuit by a plurality of application programs which are included in the plurality of information sources, to a multiplex transmission apparatus which is the relay apparatus.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to function as the control apparatus according to claim 8.