Source: http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US6445989
Timestamp: 2014-04-18 05:37:14
Document Index: 326180398

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2000', 'art 640', 'art 30', 'art 64', 'art 63', 'art 64', 'art 67', 'art 64', 'art 64', 'art 67', 'art 64', 'art 64', 'art 67', 'art 64', 'art 63', 'art 66', 'art 63', 'art 63', 'art 66', 'art 63']

Patent US6445989 - Vehicle control apparatus having multiple ECUs loaded with respective ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA vehicle control apparatus has multiple electronic control units, A-ECU and B-ECU, connected via a communication line. Control programs of the apparatus is defined in an object-oriented type and loaded distributedly among multiple control units. The control programs of each control unit includes an...http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US6445989?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6445989 - Vehicle control apparatus having multiple ECUs loaded with respective control programsAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6445989 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/814,102Publication date3 Sep 2002Filing date22 Mar 2001Priority date24 Mar 2000Fee statusPaidAlso published asDE60116166D1, DE60116166T2, EP1136325A2, EP1136325A3, EP1136325B1, US20010025216Publication number09814102, 814102, US 6445989 B2, US 6445989B2, US-B2-6445989, US6445989 B2, US6445989B2InventorsTadaharu Nishimura, Akihito IwaiOriginal AssigneeDenso CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (3), Referenced by (9), Classifications (12), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetVehicle control apparatus having multiple ECUs loaded with respective control programsUS 6445989 B2Abstract A vehicle control apparatus has multiple electronic control units, A-ECU and B-ECU, connected via a communication line. Control programs of the apparatus is defined in an object-oriented type and loaded distributedly among multiple control units. The control programs of each control unit includes an application layer, an interface layer, a hardware-dependent virtual sensor part, a virtual actuator part, an input information converting part and output control part. The application layer is separated from hardware-dependent parts When an application layer of a B-ECU specifies a virtual actuator part and outputs driving information, an interface layer sends the driving information via the communication line to an interface layer of an A-ECU. The output control part of the A-ECU outputs that driving information at suitable timing to the virtual actuator part.
detecting means for detecting vehicle information; driving means for driving a vehicle; multiple processing executing units for carrying out computation processing based on the vehicle information and outputting driving information to the driving means in accordance with results of the computation processing, wherein the processing executing units are loaded with vehicle control programs distributedly; and communication means connecting the processing executing units, wherein the vehicle control programs include an application layer for executing the computation processing, a sensor/actuator layer for executing processing dependent on the detecting means and the driving means and carrying out acquisition of the vehicle information and outputting of the driving information, an interface layer for acquiring and sending to another processing executing unit via the communication means the driving information from the application layer, and also acquiring the driving information sent from the another processing executing unit, and an information control layer for outputting to the sensor/actuator layer at suitable timing the driving information acquired by the interface layer. 2. The vehicle control apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:
the application layer outputs the driving information in a fixed form; and the information control layer converts to information directly processable by the sensor/actuator layer and outputs the driving information. 3. A vehicle control apparatus comprising:
detecting means for detecting vehicle information; driving means for driving a vehicle; multiple processing executing units for carrying out computation processing based on the vehicle information and outputting driving information to the driving means in accordance with results of the computation processing, wherein the processing executing units are loaded with vehicle control programs distributedly; and communication means connecting the processing executing units, wherein the vehicle control programs include an application layer for executing the computation processing, a sensor/actuator layer for executing processing dependent on the detecting means and the driving means and carrying out acquisition of the vehicle information and outputting of the driving information, an information control layer for at suitable timing acquiring and outputting the vehicle information acquired by the sensor/actuator layer, and an interface layer for acquiring and outputting to the application layer the vehicle information outputted from the information control layer on the basis of a request from the application layer, making a request for the vehicle information to another processing executing unit via the communication means, acquiring and outputting to the application layer the vehicle information sent with respect to this request, and sending the vehicle information from the information control layer when a request is made for the vehicle information from another processing executing unit. 4. The vehicle control apparatus as in claim 3, wherein:
the sensor/actuator layer outputs the vehicle information in a form corresponding to the detecting means; and the information control layer converts to information directly processable by the application layer and outputs the vehicle information. 5. The vehicle control apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:
the information control layer at suitable timing acquires and outputs the vehicle information acquired by the sensor/actuator layer; and the interface layer acquires and outputs to the application layer the vehicle information outputted from the information control layer on the basis of a request from the application layer, makes a request for the vehicle information to another processing executing unit via the communication means, acquires and outputs to the application layer the vehicle information sent with respect to this request, and sends the vehicle information from the information control layer when a request is made for the vehicle information from another processing executing unit. 6. The vehicle control apparatus as in claim 5, wherein:.
the sensor/actuator layer outputs the vehicle information in a form corresponding to the detecting means, and the information control layer converts to information directly processable by the application layer and outputs the vehicle information. 7. The vehicle control apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:
the application layer, the interface layer, the information control layer and the sensor/actuator layer are made up of multiple objects provided in component units or function units. 8. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a vehicle control program loaded into the vehicle control apparatus as set forth in claim 1.
the application layer, the interface layer, the information control layer and the sensor/actuator layer are made up of multiple objects provided in component units or function units. 10. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a vehicle control program loaded into the vehicle control apparatus as set forth in claim 3.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-84121 filed Mar. 24, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus, which is capable of reusing control programs and reducing processing timing delay in distributed processing.
At this time, because the interface layer 620 b of the B-ECU manages the whereabouts of the processing program that is the output destination of the driving information, the application layer 610 b of the B-ECU does not need the information of where the processing program to which the driving information should be outputted is. That is, position freedom or transparency is realized by the interface layer 620 b. Specifically, the interface layer 620 b determines an output destination specified from the application layer 610 b of the B-ECU, and via the communication driver 650 b sends the driving information to the A-ECU. That is, the driving information is transferred in the order of B-ECU communication driver 650 b→communication line 500→A-ECU communication driver 650 a→A-ECU interface layer 620 a→A-ECU virtual actuator part 640 a. Thus, in the application layer 610 b of the B-ECU, even if the processing program for driving the hardware that is the subject of control exists as a processing program in a different ECU, there is no need whatsoever for that to be considered. Consequently, distributed processing among multiple ECUs can be realized easily. Here it is to be noted that �the application does . . . � means that by a CPU of the ECU executing a processing program constructed as an application layer a function of the application layer is exhibited. However, for brevity, expressions having the processing program as the subject will be suitably used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has an object of making possible distributed processing even in control which requires relatively high real-time operation, while ensuring reusability of application programs constituting vehicle control programs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle control apparatus 1 has multiple electronic control units (ECUs) 10, so that different parts of a vehicle are controlled by these multiple ECUs 10. To each of the ECUs 10, various sensors 30 which detect states of the vehicle as vehicle information are connected, and various actuators 40 which drive different parts of the vehicle in response to driving information from the ECUs 10 are connected. The ECUs 10 form an in-vehicle network having a protocol such as CAN to communicate with each other.
More particularly, an object of the application layer 61 specifies an object of a virtual sensor part 30 or a virtual actuator part 64 and carries out a message output to the object of the interface layer 62, but to make the explanation simple hereinafter the description will be made like �the application layer 61 specifies a virtual sensor part 63 or a virtual actuator part 64 and outputs a message to the interface layer 62′, omitting the word object.
The interface layer 62 b of the B-ECU 10B transfers the driving information to the A-ECU 10A via the communication driver 65 b. Then, the interface layer 62 a of the A-ECU 10 a acquires the driving information via the communication driver 65 a. X-(3) In the case of X-(2)-[1], that is, when the interface layer 62 in the same ECU 10 acquires the driving information, the output control part 67 in the same ECU 10 extracts the driving information in the interface layer 62 and at suitable timing outputs it to the virtual actuator part 64. Then, the virtual actuator part 64 outputs that driving information to an actuator 40.
In the case of X-(2)-[2], that is, when the interface layer 62 in another ECU 10 acquires the driving information, the output control part 67 in that other ECU 10 extracts the driving information of the interface layer 62 and at suitable timing outputs it to the virtual actuator part 64. Then, the virtual actuator part 64 outputs that driving information to an actuator 40. In FIG. 4, the output control part 67 a of the A-ECU 10 a extracts and at suitable timing outputs to the virtual actuator part 64 a the driving information acquired by the interface layer 62 a of the A-ECU 10 a. Thus in this case, an actuator 40 connected to the A-ECU 10 a is driven by driving information from the application layer 61 b of the B-ECU 10 b. Y: Vehicle Information Transfer
In the A-ECU 10 a, the virtual sensor part 63 a converts a voltage value from the intake pipe pressure sensor into a physical value and calculates an intake pipe pressure. The input information converting part 66 a acquires (samples) this intake pipe pressure from the virtual sensor part 63 a at timing of every 1 ms, and outputs an averaged intake pipe pressure as vehicle information every time the crankshaft rotates through 180�. Thus, the application layer 61 b of the B-ECU 10 b need only request the acquisition of the intake pipe pressure at relatively long time intervals of 180� of crankshaft of the engine rotation and acquire an averaged intake pipe pressure outputted to the interface layer 62 a. In the past, it was not possible for the application layer 61 b of the B-ECU 10 b to sample from the virtual sensor part 63 a of the A-ECU 10 a the intake pipe pressure with a relatively short period, because of communication delay. In this embodiment, however, the input information converting part 66 a samples the intake pipe pressure calculated by the virtual sensor part 63 a in the relatively short period of 1 ms.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS549006426 Jul 19946 Feb 1996Hitachi, Ltd.Control unit for vehicle and total control system thereforUS6236910 *13 Jul 199922 May 2001Denso CorporationVehicle control apparatus having programs of object-oriented designEP0987424A29 Aug 199922 Mar 2000Denso CorporationVehicle control apparatus having programs of object-oriented design* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS6968552 *18 Dec 200122 Nov 2005Denso CorporationProcessor unit for executing event process in real time in response to occurrence of eventUS7188016 *16 Feb 20016 Mar 2007Robert Bosch GmbhMethod and device for modelling a mechatronic system in a motor vehicleUS7286921 *27 Aug 200423 Oct 2007Denso CorporationVehicle control system for executing a series of processes in electronic control unitsUS757429030 Nov 200411 Aug 2009Trimble Navigation LimitedMethod and system for implementing automatic vehicle control with parameter-driven disengagementUS7654236 *7 Jul 20052 Feb 2010Siemens AktiengesellschaftMethod and device for controlling an internal combustion engineUS768933730 Sep 200430 Mar 2010Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Cooperative vehicle control systemUS794068931 Jul 200710 May 2011Denso CorporationApparatus for administrating communication among on-vehicle electronic control unitsUS8347282 *20 Aug 20081 Jan 2013Hitachi, Ltd.Embedded controllers and development tool for embedded controllersUS20110098875 *29 Jul 200928 Apr 2011Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd.Control apparatus and computer program* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification701/48, 701/34.3International ClassificationB60R16/023, G06F13/10, B60R16/02, H04L29/08, F02D41/26Cooperative ClassificationH04L67/12, F02D2250/12, F02D41/266European ClassificationH04L29/08N11, F02D41/26DLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescription29 Jan 2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 83 Feb 2006FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 422 Mar 2001ASAssignmentOwner name: DENSO CORPORATION, JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:NISHIMURA, TADAHARU;IWAI, AKIHITO;REEL/FRAME:011629/0540Effective date: 20010319Owner name: DENSO CORPORATION 1-1 SHOWA-CHO, KARIYA-CITY AICHIOwner name: DENSO CORPORATION 1-1 SHOWA-CHO, KARIYA-CITYAICHI-Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:NISHIMURA, TADAHARU /AR;REEL/FRAME:011629/0540RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google