JP5540939B2 - Relay device and relay method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay apparatus that connects to two or more networks and relays data received from one network to the other network, and efficiently executes processes other than the relay process and has various functions. The present invention relates to a relay apparatus and a relay method capable of performing the above.

  Data transmission / reception between a plurality of different networks to which a plurality of communication devices are respectively connected is relayed by a relay device called a gateway (GW). In recent years, the relay device may not be configured to perform only relay processing due to technological progress such as an increase in memory capacity and an improvement in processor processing speed. For example, when there is an advantage in performing specific processing by connecting the relay device to a plurality of different networks, there may be a function of performing arithmetic processing based on data related to relaying together.

  In particular, in the field of in-vehicle networks, the number of communication devices connected to one network bus is limited, so that it is often divided into a plurality of networks, and stagnation of data in the relay device becomes a problem. Further, in the field of in-vehicle networks, in order to reduce the weight of the network, a device for reducing the number of parts and the number of devices by a configuration in which the relay device performs processing other than relay processing has been made.

  In general, the relay apparatus is configured to divide a reception period for receiving data from different networks and a transmission period for transmitting data received to each network, and sequentially repeat the reception period and the transmission period. Even when only relay processing is performed, the relay device has a configuration in which the reception period and the transmission period are not constant but variable in accordance with the reception amount or the network congestion state in order to make the relay processing more efficient. Has also been proposed.

  Patent Document 1 measures the reception time and the time required for storage processing of received data in order to reduce the accumulation of unsent data, and calculates a period during which transmission processing is possible based on the measured reception time. An invention of a relay device that performs transmission within a calculated period is disclosed.

JP 2006-319759 A

  According to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the reception period and the transmission period are mutually adjusted according to the reception amount and the transmission amount, the increase of the entire relay processing time is suppressed, the relay processing is made efficient, and the unsent It is possible to avoid situations such as data stagnation. In Patent Document 1, it is not assumed that the relay device performs processing other than relay processing.

  In order for the relay device to perform a process other than the relay process, a period for a process other than the relay process must be provided. If the processor can calculate because the received amount is small, other processing is performed automatically. However, if the received amount is large and the received data is stagnant without being transmitted, the processor performs relay processing for a while. It becomes impossible to perform other processes. In this case, a calculation function other than the relay process may be deteriorated, and the function of the entire network may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a relay device and a relay method that can efficiently execute processes other than the relay process and have various functions. .

The relay device according to the first invention is connected to a plurality of networks, receives data from one network and stores it in a reception storage area, reads out data stored in the transmission storage area, and others A relay unit that relays data between a plurality of networks, and a transmission unit that transmits the data to the network, and a moving unit that moves the data to the transmission storage area when the received storage area is present in the device, timing means, means for measuring the number of mobile times of the data by the moving means in a first time measured by the regimen time unit, the number of mobile times of said means was measured whether more than a predetermined value And means for interrupting movement by the moving means until a second time elapses when the means is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  The relay device according to the second invention is characterized in that processing other than relay processing is executed within the second time.

  A relay device according to a third aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising means for executing arithmetic processing on data, and notifying the means that the movement is suspended.

Relay apparatus according to the fourth invention, the first and second time, and characterized by further comprising means for receiving setting of the number of mobile times.

A relay method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a receiving method connected to a plurality of different networks, receiving data from one network and storing it in a receiving storage area, and reading out the data stored in the transmitting storage area. A relay device comprising: a transmission means for transmitting to another network; and a moving means for moving the data to the transmission storage area when the received data is in the reception storage area. a method of relaying, the first time by counting the number of mobile times of the data by the moving means in the first time were measured, the number of mobile gyrus was measured determines whether more than a predetermined value and, if it is determined that the on predetermined value or more, characterized by interrupting the movement of data to the transmission storage area from the reception memory area until the second time elapses.

In the present invention, when the destination network is congested and data cannot be transmitted, the amount of received data increases and the amount of data remaining in the reception storage area increases. Even when the number of times of movement from the reception storage area to the transmission storage area by relay increases within the time, the movement is interrupted for the second period. As a result, the relay device can perform other processing in the second period even if the relay processing load is heavy.

  In the present invention, processing other than relay processing is performed during interruption. Accordingly, various functions other than the relay processing can be realized even in the relay device.

  In the present invention, the interruption is notified to the means for executing the application process during the interruption, and the application process is executed. Thereby, even if it is a relay apparatus, arithmetic processing other than relay processing is attained.

In the present invention, the first time as a criterion for performing the interruption, second time that can perform other processing during the interruption, and the moving times number setting is arbitrarily. This makes it possible to improve the processing efficiency according to the processing content other than the relay processing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in the relay processing period even when the load of the relay processing is heavy, and to give a grace to perform other processing than the relay processing, thereby avoiding a decrease in the application function of the relay device. . Thereby, the relay device can efficiently execute various functions.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle-mounted communication system in this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the GW apparatus which comprises the vehicle-mounted communication system in this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function implement | achieved by CPU of GW apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the interruption process procedure performed by CPU of GW apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the setting process procedure received in CPU of GW apparatus.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.
In the embodiments described below, the present invention will be described with reference to an example in which the present invention is applied to a relay device in a communication system that connects a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) mounted on a vehicle.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle communication system in the present embodiment. The in-vehicle communication system in the present embodiment includes a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus 2a, a CAN bus 2b, a CAN bus 2a, and a CAN bus 2b to which a plurality of ECUs 1a, 1a,. It is comprised with the GW apparatus 3 which relays transmission / reception of data between.

  Each ECU 1a, ECU 1a,..., ECU 1b, ECU 1b,... Is connected to the CAN bus 2a or the CAN bus 2b in a bus form. Each ECU 1a, ECU 1a,..., ECU 1b, ECU 1b,... Realizes mutual communication based on the CAN protocol. The connection form is not limited to this, and any connection form such as a star type or a daisy chain type may be used.

  Each of the ECU 1a, ECU 1a,..., ECU 1b, ECU 1b,. is there. For example, one ECU 1a connected to the CAN bus 2a functions as an ABS (Antilock Brake System) and is connected to a sensor (not shown) that detects the rotational speed (wheel speed) of the wheel. The ECU 1a controls the brake based on the wheel speed detected via the sensor during braking of the vehicle, and transmits the measured value of the wheel speed as data to the ECU 1b via the GW device 3.

  The GW apparatus 3 receives the data transmitted from the ECU 1a or ECU 1b, identifies the ID given to the data based on the CAN protocol, determines whether or not to relay to the other ECU 1b or ECU 1a, and should relay In some cases, a relay function for transmitting to the other is realized.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the GW apparatus 3 constituting the in-vehicle communication system according to the present embodiment. The GW apparatus 3 includes a microcomputer (described as “μC” in FIG. 2) 30 having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, and a CAN controller 34. A first transceiver 35 and a second transceiver 36 are provided.

  The CPU 31 reads the application program 37 and the relay program 38 stored in the ROM 32 into the RAM 33 and executes them, and executes each process described later. The CPU 31 may be an MPU.

  The ROM 32 uses a non-volatile memory such as a mask ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), or a flash memory. In the ROM 32, an application program 37 and a relay program 38 are stored. Further, the ROM 32 stores first and second times referred to in the following processing, and predetermined values for the number of movements or the amount of movement data.

  The RAM 33 uses volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The RAM 33 temporarily stores various information generated by the processing of the CPU 31. The RAM 33 is used as a reception buffer 44 for storing received data and a transmission message box 45 for storing data to be transmitted, as will be described later.

  The CAN controller 34 realizes communication based on CAN. The CAN controller 34 has a function of interpreting data received based on the CAN protocol and notifying the CPU 31 of data received from the CPU 31 as data based on the CAN protocol.

  The first transceiver 35 and the second transceiver 36 implement data transmission / reception based on the CAN protocol in the CAN bus 2a and the CAN bus 2b in the physical layer, respectively. The first transceiver 35 and the second transceiver 36 pass the data transmitted to the CAN bus 2a and the CAN bus 2b to the CAN controller 34, and send the data given from the CAN controller 34 to the CAN bus 2a and the CAN bus 2b.

  The GW apparatus 3 configured as described above uses the CAN controller 34, the first transceiver 35, and the second transceiver 36 based on the relay program 38 stored in the ROM 32 to transfer data between the CAN bus 2a and the CAN bus 2b. Perform relay processing. Furthermore, the GW apparatus 3 performs application processing based on the application program 37 stored in the ROM 32 between relay processing.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by the CPU 31 of the GW apparatus 3. Based on the relay program 38 and the application program 37, the CPU 31 realizes functions as a management unit 41, a plurality of applications 42, 42,.

  The management unit 41 activates a plurality of applications 42, 42,... Based on the execution state of the processing by the function of the relay processing unit 43, respectively. When the processing by the relay processing unit 43 is not performed, or when the load of the CPU 31 itself is lighter than a predetermined value, the applications 42, 42,. In addition, even when the management unit 41 receives a notification from the relay processing unit 43 that the relay is interrupted, the management unit 41 appropriately activates the applications 42, 42,.

  The applications 42, 42,... Include arithmetic processing defined by the application program 37. Any of the applications 42, 42,... May perform arithmetic processing on data received from the ECU 1a or the ECU 1b via the CAN bus 2a or the CAN bus 2b.

  The relay processing unit 43 stores the data received from the CAN bus 2 a by the first transceiver 35 in the reception buffer 44 secured in the RAM 33. This prevents the received data from being lost even if the transmission message box 45 is empty. The relay processing unit 43 detects that the transmission message box 45 is empty when the CAN controller 34 passes the data stored in the transmission message box 45 to the second transceiver 36 and the transmission is completed. Data is transferred from the transmission message box 45 to the transmission message box 45 and a transmission request for the data transferred to the transmission message box 45 is processed. At this time, the relay processing unit 43 determines whether or not relaying is necessary based on the data ID stored in the reception buffer 44, and passes only data determined to be relayed to the transmission message box 45 and transmission request processing. May be performed.

  Further, the relay processing unit 43 counts the number of times of data transfer and transmission request processing within the first predetermined time by using a clock function of the CPU 31 (not shown). When the counted number is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the relay processing unit 43 stops the data transfer and the processing of the data transmission request passed to the transmission message box 45 for the second predetermined period. At this time, the relay processing unit 43 notifies the management unit 41 that the relay is being interrupted.

  The reception buffer 44 and the transmission message box 45 are not limited to the configuration secured in the RAM 33.

  The function shown in FIG. 3 is a function in the case where data received from the ECU 1a connected to the CAN bus 2a is relayed to the ECU 1b connected to the CAN bus 2b. On the contrary, since the function in the case of relaying the data transmitted from the ECU 1b to the ECU 1a is the same, the illustration and detailed description are omitted.

  A process in which the relay processing unit 43 interrupts the relay processing will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an interruption processing procedure executed by the CPU 31 of the GW apparatus 3.

  The relay processing unit 43 starts measuring the first time by the time measuring function of the CPU 31 (step S1). The relay processing unit 43 determines whether or not the first time has elapsed since the start of measurement (step S2). When it is determined that the first time has not elapsed (S2: NO), the relay processing unit 43 determines whether or not the transmission message box 45 is empty (step S3). When it is determined that the transmission message box 45 is not empty (S3: NO), the relay processing unit 43 determines whether there is untransmitted data in the reception buffer 44 (step S4). When the relay processing unit 43 determines that there is data in the reception buffer 44 (S4: YES), the number of movements or the amount of movement of data is stored in the ROM 32 before moving the data to the transmission message box 45. It is determined whether or not the value is greater than or equal to the value (step S5). When the relay processing unit 43 determines that the value is less than the predetermined value (S5: NO), the relay processing unit 43 instructs delivery of untransmitted data from the reception buffer 44 to the transmission message box 45 (step S6). Is transmitted (step S7). The relay processing unit 43 counts the number of movements or the movement amount (step S8), and returns the process to step S2.

  When the relay processing unit 43 determines that the first time has elapsed in step S2 (S2: YES), the relay processing unit 43 resets the measurement of the first time (step S9), and resets the number of movements or the movement amount. (Step S10), the process returns to Step S2 to measure a new first time.

  When the relay processing unit 43 determines in step S3 that the transmission message box 45 is empty (S3: YES), the relay processing unit 43 returns the process to step S2. When the relay processing unit 43 determines that there is no data in the reception buffer 44 in step S4 (S4: NO), the relay processing unit 43 returns the process to step S2.

  When the relay processing unit 43 determines that the number of movements or the movement amount counted in step S5 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S5: YES), the number of movements or movement amount within the first time is a predetermined value. Since it is above, measurement of the 1st time is stopped first (Step S11), and measurement of the 2nd time is started (Step S12). The relay processing unit 43 notifies the management unit 41 that the relay processing is being interrupted (step S13), and determines whether or not the second time has elapsed since the measurement was started (step S14). When it is determined that the second time has not elapsed (S14: NO), the relay processing unit 43 returns the process to step S14 and waits. When the relay processing unit 43 determines that the second time has elapsed (S14: YES), the relay processing unit 43 resets the number of times of movement or the amount of movement (step S15), and returns the process to step S1.

  When it is notified in step S13 that the relay processing unit 43 is interrupted, the management unit 41 can receive this and activate the applications 42, 42,. On the other hand, the management unit 41 activates the applications 42, 42,... When there is no data in the reception buffer 44 or the transmission message box 45 and relay processing is not performed. And step S13 by the relay process part 43 is not essential. The management unit 41 may activate the applications 42, 42,... By detecting that the relay process is not performed until the second time elapses.

  By such processing, the GW apparatus 3 can execute not only relay processing but also arithmetic processing based on the application program 38. In addition, even when the relay processing becomes frequent, the execution of the arithmetic processing based on the application program 38 is not hindered, and the arithmetic processing can be executed with a delay.

  In the processing procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the relay processing unit 43 makes each determination based on the first and second times stored in the ROM 32 and a predetermined value. The first and second times and the predetermined values that are the criteria for such determination are not fixed but can be changed later.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a setting process procedure accepted by the CPU 31 of the GW apparatus 3. The processing procedure described below is executed in a state in which a user can input information from a device having a display device and an input device connected to the μC 30 of the GW device 3 via serial communication or CAN buses 2a and 2b, for example. .

  CPU31 receives 1st time (step S21). A numerical value such as 50 milliseconds is input as the first time. CPU31 receives 2nd time (step S22). For example, a numerical value such as 100 milliseconds is input as the second time. The CPU 31 further receives the number of movements or the amount of movement of data (step S23). The CPU 31 stores the received first and second times, the number of movements or the movement amount in the RAM 33, and thereafter sets them as a criterion for determination (step S24), and ends the process.

  As described above, the GW apparatus 3 can accept setting of information serving as a determination criterion for providing a grace period for executing the applications 42, 42,. The GW apparatus 3 can be appropriately changed in consideration of the time required for execution depending on the contents of the applications 42, 42,... For giving a role other than relay processing. Thereby, the GW apparatus 3 can have other various functions as long as there is a margin in the load of the CPU 31 other than the relay process.

  Note that the relay processing unit 43 shown in the present embodiment is not necessarily realized by the CPU 31 and may be implemented in hardware.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the CPU 31 functions as the management unit 41 and has been described as a configuration in which the applications 42, 42,... Are activated between processes in the relay processing unit 43. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the function of the management unit 41 may not be provided. In this case, the CPU 31 automatically and repeatedly activates the applications 42, 42,... So that they are not activated when other processes are being performed. Even at this time, even if the relay processing becomes frequent, it is interrupted only for the second time, so that it is highly possible that the applications 42, 42,... Can be activated at the next opportunity. Can be avoided.

  The disclosed embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

1a, 1b ECU
2a, 2b CAN bus (network)
3 GW equipment (relay equipment)
32 ROM
33 RAM
38 Relay Program 4 Microcomputer 42 Application 43 Relay Processing Unit 44 Reception Buffer (Reception Storage Area)
45 Transmission message box (transmission storage area)

Claims (5)

A receiving unit connected to a plurality of networks, receiving data from one network and storing the data in a receiving storage area; and transmitting means for reading out data stored in the transmitting storage area and transmitting the data to another network; In a relay device for relaying data between a plurality of networks, comprising moving means for moving the data to the transmission storage area when the received data is in the reception storage area,
Timekeeping means,
Means for measuring the number of mobile times of the data by the first of said moving means in a time measured by the regimen time unit,
Means the number of mobile of times that said means was measured to determine whether more than a predetermined value,
And a means for interrupting movement by the moving means until a second time elapses when it is determined that the means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein processing other than relay processing is executed within the second time period. Means for performing arithmetic processing on the data,
The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means is notified that the movement is suspended. The first and second time, and a relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for receiving setting of the number of mobile times. Receiving means connected to a plurality of different networks, receiving data from one network and storing the data in a receiving storage area; and transmitting means for reading data stored in the transmitting storage area and transmitting the data to another network; In the method of relaying data between a plurality of networks, a relay device comprising a moving means for moving the data to the transmission storage area when the received data is in the reception storage area,
Time the first time,
Measuring the number of mobile times of the data by the moving means in a first time,
Number of mobile times of measurement is determined whether a predetermined value or more,
If it is determined that the predetermined value or more, a relay and wherein the interrupting movement of data to the transmission storage area from the reception memory area until the second time elapses.

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