Vehicle control system, control method, electronic device, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12432086-B2
Application number	US-202318455914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2023
Priority date	Sep 28, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle control system that includes a first electronic device, a second electronic device, and a third electronic device. The first electronic device includes: a first electronic device transmission unit that transmits time information counted by a first electronic device timer unit and first elapsed time information that is from the start of generation of the time information till transmission of the time information generated. The second electronic device includes a second electronic device transmission unit that transmits the time information and the first elapsed time information received from the first electronic device to the third electronic device. The third electronic device includes an adjustment unit that adjusts time counted by a third electronic device timer unit based on the time information and the first elapsed time information received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control system comprising a first electronic device, a second electronic device connected to the first electronic device, and a third electronic device connected to the second electronic device, wherein
the first electronic device comprises a first processor that includes:
a first electronic device timer unit;
a generation unit that generates time information indicating time counted by the first electronic device timer unit; and
a first electronic device transmission unit that transmits the time information generated by the generation unit to the second electronic device, the first electronic device transmission unit also transmitting, to the second electronic device, first elapsed time information indicating first elapsed time that is from when the generation unit starts generation of the time information till transmitting the time information generated,

the second electronic device comprises a second processor that includes:
a second electronic device reception unit that receives the time information and the first elapsed time information from the first electronic device; and
a second electronic device transmission unit that transmits the time information and the first elapsed time information received by the second electronic device reception unit to the third electronic device, and

the third electronic device comprises a third processor that includes:
a third electronic device timer unit;
a third electronic device reception unit that receives the time information and the first elapsed time information from the second electronic device; and
an adjustment unit that adjusts time counted by the third electronic device timer unit based on the time information and the first elapsed time information received by the third electronic device reception unit.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second electronic device transmission unit transmits, to the third electronic device, second elapsed time information indicating second elapsed time that is from when the second electronic device reception unit receives the time information till when the second electronic device transmission unit transmits the time information,
the third electronic device reception unit receives the second elapsed time information, and
the adjustment unit adjusts the time counted by the third electronic device timer unit based on the time information, the first elapsed time information, and the second elapsed time information received by the third electronic device reception unit.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the time counted by the third electronic device timer unit based on time acquired by adding the time indicated in the time information, the first elapsed time indicated in the first elapsed time information, and the second elapsed time indicated in the second elapsed time information.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 , wherein
a plurality of the third electronic devices are connected to the second electronic device,
communication buses connecting the second electronic device and the respective third electronic devices are different for each of the third electronic devices,
the second processor of the second electronic device comprises a measurement unit that measures the second elapsed time for each of the communication buses, and
the second electronic device transmission unit transmits the second elapsed time information indicating the second elapsed time that is measured by the measurement unit.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 2 , wherein
the third electronic device comprises a third memory that stores the second elapsed time information received by the third electronic device reception unit, and
when the third electronic device reception unit receives the time information after receiving the second elapsed time information, the adjustment unit adjusts the time counted by the third electronic device timer unit based on the time information received by the third electronic device reception unit, the first elapsed time information received by the third electronic device reception unit, and the second elapsed time information stored in the third memory.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein
the second electronic device comprises a second memory that stores the first elapsed time information received by the second electronic device reception unit, and
when the second electronic device reception unit receives the time information after receiving the first elapsed time information, the second electronic device transmission unit transmits, to the third electronic device, the time information received by the second electronic device reception unit and the first elapsed time information stored in the second memory.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein the third processor of the third electronic device comprises a third electronic device transmission unit that transmits adjustment completion information indicating completion of time adjustment to the first electronic device via the second electronic device, after the time counted by the third electronic device timer unit is adjusted.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device, the second electronic device, and the third electronic device communicate with each other according to CAN (Controller Area Network) standards.

9. A control method of a vehicle control system comprising a first electronic device, a second electronic device connected to the first electronic device, and a third electronic device connected to the second electronic device, the control method comprising:
generating, by the first electronic device, time information indicating time counted by the first electronic device;
transmitting, by the first electronic device, the time information generated to the second electronic device;
transmitting, by the first electronic device, to the second electronic device, first elapsed time information indicating first elapsed time from start of generation of the time information till transmission of the time information generated;
receiving, by the second electronic device, the time information and the first elapsed time information from the first electronic device;
transmitting, by the second electronic device, the time information and the first elapsed time information received to the third electronic device;
receiving, by the third electronic device, the time information and the first elapsed time information from the second electronic device; and
adjusting, by the third electronic device, time to be counted based on the time information and the first elapsed time information received.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nomura Takumi
• Saitoh Tatsuroh

Classifications

• H04L2012/40215

  Controller Area Network CAN · CPC title

• H04L2012/40273

  the transportation system being a vehicle · CPC title

• H04J3/0635

  Clock or time synchronisation in a network (timer in protocols H04L69/28) · CPC title

• H04L12/40 Primary

  Bus networks · CPC title