In-vehicle communication system and in-vehicle communication method

• US 9,925,935 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Hirohito, Ito, Masuo, Morita, Keisuke, Tokunaga, Yuichi, Tanimoto, Daisuke, Okamura, Shigekazu, Tsuji, Hiroyuki, Mimura, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Ilwoo
• Application Number:
  US14/419,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4221 being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus
• 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

An increase in the number of signal lines of a control apparatus for controlling devices of an automobile can be prevented and safety of the automobile can be secured. An in-vehicle communication system includes an input DHM that obtains device data from an input device, a BCM that generates control data for controlling an output device based on a value of the device data, and an output DHM that controls the output device according to the control data. The input DHM is composed of duplexed input control blocks, duplexed input shared memories, and an input NW control block. The BCM is composed of a BCM_NW control block, duplexed BCM shared memories for different intended uses, and duplexed arithmetic blocks. The output DHM is composed of an output NW control block, duplexed output shared memories, duplexed output control blocks, and a matching circuit.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle communication system comprising:

an input transmission apparatus including

a first device data input part that obtains, as first device data, data outputted from a device being installed in a vehicle;

a second device data input part that obtains, as second device data, the data; and

an input transmission part that transmits first input transmission data, including the first device data and first input safety communication data, and second input transmission data, including the second device data and second input safety communication data;

a control apparatus including

a first control determination part that determines whether communication of the first device data has been performed properly, using the first input safety communication data included in the first input transmission data;

a first control arithmetic part that, when the communication of the first device data has been performed properly, generates first control data by specifying control based on the first device data;

a second control determination part that determines whether communication of the second device data has been performed properly, using the second input safety communication data included in the second input transmission data;

a second control arithmetic part that, when the communication of the second device data has been performed properly, generates second control data by specifying control based on the second device data; and

a control transmission part that transmits first control transmission data including the first control data, and second control transmission data including the second control data; and

an output transmission apparatus including

an output receiving part that receives the first control transmission data and the second control transmission data; and

a device control data output part that outputs device control data for controlling a device to be controlled which is installed in the vehicle, based on the first control data and the second control data.

2. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus includes

a control receiving part that receives the first input transmission data and the second input transmission data,

wherein when the communication of the first device data has not been performed properly, the first control arithmetic part generates the first control data by specifying fail-safe control,

wherein when the communication of the second device data has not been performed properly, the second control arithmetic part generates the second control data by specifying the fail-safe control,

wherein the first control transmission data includes the first control data and first control safety communication data,

wherein the second control transmission data includes the second control data and second control safety communication data,

wherein the device control data output part of the output transmission apparatus includes

a first output determination part that determines whether communication of the first control data has been performed properly, based on the first control safety communication data;

a first output arithmetic part that, when the communication of the first control data has been performed properly, outputs first output data by specifying the first control data, and when the communication of the first control data has not been performed properly, outputs first output data by specifying fail-safe control,

a second output determination part that determines whether communication of the second control data has been performed properly, based on the second control safety communication data;

a second output arithmetic part that, when the communication of the second control data has been performed properly, outputs second output data by specifying the second control data, and when the communication of the second control data has not been performed properly, outputs second output data by specifying the fail-safe control; and

a matching output part that outputs the device control data based on the first output data and the second output data.

3. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 2,

wherein when at least either one of the first output data and the second output data is data to specify the fail-safe control, the matching output part outputs the data to specify the fail-safe control as the device control data.

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

wherein upon being determined that communication of the first input transmission data has not been performed properly, the first control determination part outputs communication failure data to notify that a failure has occurred, and

wherein, upon being determined that communication of the second input transmission data has not been performed properly, the second control determination part outputs the communication failure data.

5. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the input transmission apparatus includes a first input memory and a second input memory,

wherein the first device data input part writes in the first input memory the first device data obtained,

wherein the second device data input part writes in the second input memory the second device data obtained, and

wherein the input transmission part reads the first device data from the first input memory;

transmits data including the first device data read, as the first input transmission data;

reads the second device data from the second input memory; and

transmits data including the second device data read, as the second input transmission data.

6. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus includes a first receiving memory in which the first input transmission data is written, and a second receiving memory in which the second input transmission data is written,

wherein the first control determination part reads the first input transmission data from the first receiving memory, and based on the first input transmission data read, determines whether communication of the first input transmission data has been performed properly, and

wherein the second control determination part reads the second input transmission data from the second receiving memory, and based on the second input transmission data read, determines whether communication of the second input transmission data has been performed properly.

7. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the control apparatus includes a first transmission memory and a second transmission memory,

wherein the first control arithmetic part writes in the first transmission memory the first control data generated,

wherein the second control arithmetic part writes in the second transmission memory the second control data generated, and

wherein the control transmission part reads the first control data from the first transmission memory;

transmits data including the first control data read, as the first control transmission data;

reads the second control data from the second transmission memory; and

transmits data including the second control data read, as the second control transmission data.

8. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the output transmission apparatus includes a first output memory and a second output memory,

wherein the output receiving part writes in the first output memory the first control transmission data received, and writes in the second output memory the second control transmission data received, and

wherein the device control data output part reads the first control transmission data from the first output memory, reads the second control transmission data from the second output memory, and outputs the device control data based on the first control transmission data read and the second control transmission data read.

9. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a feedback transmission apparatus,

the feedback transmission apparatus including

a feedback input part that obtains, as feedback data, at least of either one of the device control data which is outputted from the output transmission apparatus, and data which is outputted as device status data from the device to be controlled which operates based on the device control data, the device status data representing an operating status of the device to be controlled;

and

a feedback transmission part that transmits to the control apparatus the feedback data obtained by the feedback input part.

10. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 9,

wherein the control apparatus includes a first confirmation determination part,

wherein based on the feedback data transmitted from the feedback transmission apparatus, the first confirmation determination part determines whether control specified by the first control data has been performed, and

wherein upon determining that the control specified by the first control data has not been performed, the first confirmation determination part outputs failure notification data to notify that a failure has occurred.

11. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 10,

wherein the control apparatus includes a second confirmation determination part,

wherein based on the feedback data, the second confirmation determination part determines whether control specified by the second control data has been performed, and

wherein upon determining that the control specified by the second control data has not been performed, the second confirmation determination part outputs the failure notification data.

12. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the first control arithmetic part compares the first control data and the second control data, and when the first control data and the second control data are different, performs an error process.

13. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the input transmission apparatus includes a first input microcomputer that functions as the first device data input part, and a second input microcomputer that functions as the second device data input part, and

wherein the control apparatus includes a first control microcomputer that functions as the first control determination part and the first control arithmetic part, and a second control microcomputer that functions as the second control determination part and the second control arithmetic part.

14. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the input transmission apparatus includes an input microcomputer that functions as the first device data input part, the second device data input part, and the input transmission part,

wherein the control apparatus includes a control microcomputer that functions as the first control determination part, the first control arithmetic part, the second control determination part, the second control arithmetic part, and the control transmission part, and

wherein the output transmission apparatus includes an output microcomputer that functions as the output receiving part and the device control data output part.

15. The in-vehicle communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the input transmission apparatus includes a first device data input circuit that functions as the first device data input part, a second device data input circuit that functions as the second device data input part, and an input transmission circuit that functions as the input transmission part,

wherein the control apparatus includes a first control determination circuit that functions as the first control determination part, a first control arithmetic circuit that functions as the first control arithmetic part, a second control determination circuit that functions as the second control determination part, a second control arithmetic circuit that functions as the second control arithmetic part, and a control transmission circuit that functions as the control transmission part, and

wherein the output transmission apparatus includes an output receiving circuit that functions as the output receiving part, and a device control data output circuit that functions as the device control data output part.

16. An in-vehicle communication method comprising:

obtaining, as first device data, data outputted from a device being installed in a vehicle, by a first device data input part of an input transmission apparatus being installed in the vehicle;

obtaining the data as second device data, by a second device data input part of the input transmission apparatus;

transmitting first input transmission data, including the first device data and first input safety communication data, and second input transmission data, including the second device data and second input safety communication data, to a control apparatus being installed in the vehicle, by an input transmission part of the input transmission apparatus;

determining whether communication of the first device data has been performed properly, by a first control determination part of the control apparatus, using the first input safety communication data included in the first input transmission data;

generating, when the communication of the first device data has been performed properly, first control data by specifying control based on the first device data, by a first control arithmetic part of the control apparatus;

determining whether communication of the second device data has been performed properly, by a second control determination part of the control apparatus, using the second input safety communication data included in the second input transmission data,

generating, when the communication of the second device data has been performed properly, second control data by specifying control based on the second device data, by a second control arithmetic part of the control apparatus;

transmitting first control transmission data including the first control data, and second control transmission data including the second control data, to an output transmission apparatus being installed in the vehicle, by a control transmission part of the control apparatus;

receiving the first control transmission data and the second control transmission data, by an output receiving part of the output transmission apparatus; and

outputting device control data for controlling a device to be controlled which is installed in the vehicle, by a device control data output part of the output transmission apparatus, based on the first control data and the second control data.