Relay device, vehicle communication system, vehicle, communication method, and communication program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12375345-B2
Application number	US-202418403973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2024
Priority date	Aug 1, 2019
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

An information of a network to which a new function unit has been added is easily acquired. A relay device installed in a vehicle includes: a detection unit configured to detect a new function unit being a function unit that is newly added to a network including an existing function unit being one or a plurality of function units; a relay unit configured to relay a frame between the function units; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the frame, relayed by the relay unit, between the new function unit detected by the detection unit and the existing function unit, function unit information that includes information regarding a network configuration of a layer of a lower order than an application layer, the function unit information being of at least one of the new function unit and the existing function unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A relay device installed in a vehicle, the relay device comprising:
a detection unit configured to detect a new function unit being a function unit that is newly added to a network including an existing function unit being one or a plurality of function units;
a relay unit configured to relay a frame between the function units; and
an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the frame, relayed by the relay unit, between the new function unit detected by the detection unit and the existing function unit, function unit information that includes information regarding a network configuration of a layer of a lower order than an application layer, the function unit information being of at least one of the new function unit and the existing function unit, wherein:
among the new function unit and the existing function unit, a publish function unit that transmits data after establishment of communication connection with another function unit, transmits a first communication setting frame for the establishment of the communication connection with the other function unit, the first communication setting frame including information indicating a content of data that can be transmitted by the publish function unit, and the function unit information,
among the new function unit and the existing function unit, a subscribe function unit that does not transmit data after establishment of communication connection with another function unit, transmits a second communication setting frame for the establishment of the communication connection with the other function unit, the second communication setting frame including information indicating a content of data to be received by the subscribe function unit, and
the first communication setting frame includes a first field that stored therein at least one of information that indicates a content of data that a transmission source function unit can transmit, and information that indicates a content of data that a transmission source function unit should receive, and a second field that stored therein the function unit information.

2. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein
the function unit information is information that is to be used in generation of configuration information of a new network being the network that further includes the new function unit.

3. The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires the function unit information from the frame transmitted by the new function unit and relayed to the existing function unit.

4. The relay device according to claim1 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires the function unit information from the frame transmitted by the existing function unit and relayed to the new function unit.

5. The relay device according to claim1 , wherein
without changing transmission destination information and transmission source information that are included in the frame received from the function unit, the relay unit relays the frame to another function unit, and
the acquisition unit acquires the function unit information from the frame relayed by the relay unit.

6. The relay device according to claim1 , wherein
the relay unit changes at least one of transmission destination information and transmission source information that are included in the frame received from the function unit, and relays the frame after having been changed, to another function unit, and
the acquisition unit acquires the function unit information from the frame relayed by the relay unit.

7. The relay device according to claim1 , further including
a generation unit configured to generate configuration information of a new network being the network that further includes the new function unit, on the basis of the function unit information acquired by the acquisition unit.

8. The relay device according to claim1 , wherein
the function unit information is information that is not to be processed in a function unit that should receive the frame.

9. The relay device according to claim1 , wherein
the detection unit: detects, as the new function unit, at least one of an application included in an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that is newly added to the network, an application that is newly installed into an in-vehicle ECU in the network, and an application included in an external device that is newly added, outside the vehicle, to the network; performs an authentication process regarding the new function unit detected; and notifies the new function unit of a result of the authentication process.

10. A vehicle communication system comprising:
a relay device installed in a vehicle;
an existing function unit being one or a plurality of function units forming a network; and
a new function unit being a function unit that is newly added to the network, wherein
the relay device detects addition of the new function unit to the network,
the new function unit or the existing function unit transmits a frame that is addressed to another function unit and that has stored therein function unit information that includes information regarding a network configuration of a layer of a lower order than an application layer, and
the relay device acquires the function unit information from the frame transmitted by the new function unit or the existing function unit, wherein:
among the new function unit and the existing function unit, a publish function unit that transmits data after establishment of communication connection with another function unit, transmits a first communication setting frame for the establishment of the communication connection with the other function unit, the first communication setting frame including information indicating a content of data that can be transmitted by the publish function unit, and the function unit information,
among the new function unit and the existing function unit, a subscribe function unit that does not transmit data after establishment of communication connection with another function unit, transmits a second communication setting frame for the establishment of the communication connection with the other function unit, the second communication setting frame including information indicating a content of data to be received by the subscribe function unit, and
the first communication setting frame includes a first field that stored therein at least one of information that indicates a content of data that a transmission source function unit can transmit, and information that indicates a content of data that a transmission source function unit should receive, and a second field that stored therein the function unit information.

11. A communication method to be performed in a relay device, the relay device installed in a vehicle and configured to relay a frame between function units, the communication method comprising the steps of:
detecting a new function unit being a function unit that is newly added to a network including an existing function unit being one or a plurality of the function units; and
acquiring, from the frame that should be relayed between the new function unit detected and the existing function unit, function unit information that includes information regarding a network configuration of a layer of a lower order than an application layer, the function unit information being of at least one of the new function unit and the existing function unit, wherein:
among the new function unit and the existing function unit, a publish function unit that transmits data after establishment of communication connection with another function unit, transmits a first communication setting frame for the establishment of the communication connection w

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Suyama Yojiro
• Tanaka Hideyuki
• Izumi Tatsuya
• Yamamoto Yusuke
• Hagihara Takeshi
• Go Darmawan
• Shimizu Yosuke

Classifications

• 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

• H04L12/46

  Interconnection of networks · CPC title

• B60R16/023

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

• H04L41/0816

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title

• H04L41/0853

  by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information · CPC title