In-vehicle network system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12208754-B2
Application number	US-202017638857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 30, 2019
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

An in-vehicle network system includes a central ECU, which generates a control signal for a plurality of devices, and a plurality of zone ECUs, which relay a control signal from the central ECU. The plurality of devices include a first specific device (power window device, etc.), which is a device unrelated to drive control or the like of a vehicle, and which includes a sub controller (third signal processing unit, etc.) capable of activating an actuator based on an ON signal from at least one or some of the sensors. The first specific device is configured to control the actuator by using the sub controller in occurrence of abnormality of communication between the central ECU and the first specific device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle network system comprising:
a plurality of sensors;
a central control apparatus configured to generate control signals for a plurality of devices based on outputs of the sensors; and
a plurality of relay apparatuses, each being provided on communication paths between the central control apparatus and at least one of the devices, configured to relay the control signals generated by the central control apparatus, wherein
the plurality of devices includes a first specific device, which is a device unrelated to drive control, brake control, or steering control of a vehicle, and which includes a sub controller capable of activating an actuator based on an ON signal from at least one of the sensors,
the first specific device is configured to control the actuator by using the sub controller in occurrence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the first specific device,
a signal from, among the plurality of sensors, a first specific sensor only related to operation of the first specific device is configured to be directly input to the first specific device,
the central control apparatus is further configured to generate a control signal for the first specific device based on outside-vehicle environment information, which is information obtained from the outputs of the sensors and which is related to external environment of the vehicle, and
in response to an input of the control signal for the first specific device that the central control apparatus generated based on the outside-vehicle environment information in absence of abnormality of communication, the sub controller of the first specific device is configured to control the actuator based on the control signal for the first specific device, whereas, in response to an input of the signal from the first specific sensor, the sub controller is configured to control the actuator based on the signal from the first specific sensor, regardless of the control signal for the first specific device generated by the central control apparatus.

2. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of devices includes a second specific device, which is related to drive control, brake control, or steering control of the vehicle,
the second specific device is connected to one of the relay apparatuses via a specific control apparatus that controls the second specific device,
the specific control apparatus includes a specific arithmetic unit to which a detection signal from a second specific sensor among the plurality of sensors is input, the second specific sensor detecting a value related to an output of the second specific device, the specific arithmetic unit being capable of generating a control signal for the second specific device based on the detection signal from the second specific sensor, and
the specific arithmetic unit is configured to generate the control signal for the second specific device in occurrence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device.

3. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 2 , wherein
the central control apparatus is configured to calculate a target output of the second specific device based on outside-vehicle environment information, which is information obtained from the outputs of the sensors and which is related to external environment of the vehicle, and
the specific arithmetic unit is configured to, in absence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device, generate the control signal for the second specific device so as to make the output of the second specific device the target output calculated by the central control apparatus.

4. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 3 , wherein
regardless of presence or absence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device, for part of control of the second specific device, the specific arithmetic unit is configured to generate the control signal for the second specific device based on the detection signal from the second specific sensor.

5. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 2 , wherein
regardless of presence or absence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device, for part of control of the second specific device, the specific arithmetic unit is configured to generate the control signal for the second specific device based on the detection signal from the second specific sensor.

6. An in-vehicle network system comprising:
a plurality of sensors;
a central control apparatus configured to generate control signals for a plurality of devices based on outputs of the sensors; and
a plurality of relay apparatuses, each being provided on communication paths between the central control apparatus and at least one of the devices, configured to relay the control signals generated by the central control apparatus, wherein
the plurality of devices includes a first specific device, which is unrelated to drive control, brake control, or steering control of a vehicle, and which includes a sub controller capable of activating an actuator based on an ON signal from at least one of the sensors,
the first specific device is configured to control the actuator by using the sub controller in occurrence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the first specific device,
the plurality of devices includes a second specific device, which is related to drive control, brake control, or steering control of the vehicle,
the second specific device is connected to one of the relay apparatuses via a specific control apparatus that controls the second specific device,
the specific control apparatus includes a specific arithmetic unit to which a detection signal from a second specific sensor among the plurality of sensors is input, the second specific sensor detecting a value related to an output of the second specific device, the specific arithmetic unit being capable of generating a control signal for the second specific device based on the detection signal from the second specific sensor, and
the specific arithmetic unit is configured to generate the control signal for the second specific device in occurrence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device.

7. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 6 , wherein
the central control apparatus is configured to calculate a target output of the second specific device based on outside-vehicle environment information, which is information obtained from the outputs of the sensors and which is related to external environment of the vehicle, and
the specific arithmetic unit is configured to, in absence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device, generate the control signal for the second specific device so as to make the output of the second specific device the target output calculated by the central control apparatus.

8. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 7 , wherein
regardless of presence or absence of abnormality of communication between the central control apparatus and the second specific device, for part of control of the second specific device, the specific arithmetic unit is configured to generate the control signal for the second specific device based on the detection signal from the second specific sensor.

9. The in-vehicle network system according to claim 8 , wherein
a signal from, among the plurality of sensors, a first specific sensor only related to operation of the

Assignees

• Mazda Motor
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kurokawa Yoshimasa
• Yamashita Tetsuhiro
• Hirano Takahiro

Classifications

• H04L2012/40273

  the transportation system being a vehicle · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04L12/40

  Bus networks · CPC title

• H04L12/403

  with centralised control, e.g. polling · CPC title

• B60R16/023 Primary

  for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems · CPC title