JP7637235B2 - Apparatus and method for evaluating electronic control units - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an evaluation device and evaluation method for an electronic control unit that reproduces, by simulation, the state in which a vehicle equipped with an electronic control unit ECU connected to an imaging element drives on a road, and in particular to an evaluation device and evaluation method for an electronic control unit that enables an evaluation of an electronic control unit ECU connected to an imaging element in an environment similar to that of an actual vehicle.

In recent years, there has been active research into driver assistance systems and autonomous driving systems in order to realize a safe and comfortable automobile society. As the level of autonomous driving improves in the future, it will become necessary to develop complex control logic that takes into account the surrounding environment, such as merging onto highways and turning right and left at intersections.

As for verification and evaluation, as the level of autonomous driving increases, it is expected that a huge number of test cases will be required to verify complex control logic. Current verification and evaluation is mainly carried out on actual vehicle driving evaluations, but in the future, the amount of testing work will become enormous, and it will be difficult to evaluate only with tests using actual vehicles (called actual cars), so it is becoming common to use simulations such as HILS (Hardware in the Loop Simulator).

HILS is a tool that evaluates actual control systems in a virtual world by using the actual control objects to be evaluated and modeling other vehicle elements, then combining these to build an evaluation device. For example, Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2010-26845 A

When constructing a HILS using a control object that performs calculations based on various sensor information, it is necessary to provide the sensor information at the timing required by the control object. If the control object is a camera, the image needs to be input when the camera releases the shutter. Since it is not possible to input actual images into a HILS, it is necessary to input virtual images created with CG (Computer Graphics). A camera normally has an imaging element such as a CMOS as a sensor, which captures images of the outside world and provides information to the camera ECU, which is the control object.

In this regard, in Patent Document 1, CG images are input directly to the camera ECU instead of the camera's CMOS. In this input relationship, since there is no image sensor connected to the camera ECU that is originally connected, it was necessary to make it work even without the image sensor. One way is to modify the camera ECU software so that it works normally even without the image sensor, and the other is to equip the HILS with a function that completely reproduces the movement of the image sensor.

However, it is desirable for HILS to use the ECU and software to be verified as they are, and the first method requires changing the ECU and software to be verified, which is undesirable for a HILS environment. The second method does not require changing the ECU and software to be verified, but it requires labor on the HILS side to completely reproduce the functions reproduced by the image sensor. As camera ECUs become more complex, image sensors also become more advanced, making it very difficult to completely reproduce them.

In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to propose an evaluation device and evaluation method for an electronic control unit that can establish communication with an imaging element without modifying the ECU or software to be verified.

In view of the above, in the present invention, there is provided an evaluation device for an electronic control unit that is connected to an imaging element and handles a video signal, the evaluation device comprising: an electronic control unit that is connected to an imaging element and handles a video signal; and a vehicle behavior simulator that provides the electronic control unit with a simulation signal including a video signal in place of the video signal from the imaging element and evaluates the response of the electronic control unit , the vehicle behavior simulator being composed of a simulation model, a viewpoint CG generation unit, a CAN I/F, and a monitor unit, the simulation model having a sensor model, an environment model, and a vehicle model, the electronic control unit instructs the imaging element to perform settings, diagnoses the imaging element in response to completion of settings, and upon confirmation of normality, requests the vehicle behavior simulator to transmit a simulation signal including a video signal, the simulation model performs a test equivalent to that of an actual vehicle by having the vehicle model run on a virtual road held by the environment model, the vehicle model reflects vehicle control information input from the electronic control unit in vehicle behavior via the CAN I/F, and transmits vehicle information simulated by the vehicle model via the CAN I/F. the sensor model sets the external recognition sensor mounted on the vehicle model and calculates the mounting position and attitude of the sensor; and the viewpoint CG generation unit creates a CG image signal according to the mounting position and attitude of the sensor calculated by the sensor model ."

Further, the present invention provides an "electronic control unit evaluation method for evaluating an electronic control unit connected to an imaging element and handling a video signal, the method comprising: providing a simulated signal including a video signal to the electronic control unit connected to the imaging element and handling the video signal in place of the video signal from the imaging element; when evaluating the response of the electronic control unit, diagnosing the imaging element, and if normal, providing a simulated signal including a video signal in place of the video signal from the imaging element; using a simulation model, a vehicle model runs on a virtual road in an environment model to perform a test equivalent to that of an actual vehicle; the vehicle model reflects vehicle control information input from the electronic control unit in vehicle behavior via a CAN I/F, and converts vehicle information simulated by the vehicle model via the CAN I/F and transmits it to the electronic control unit as a simulated signal; using a sensor model, setting an external recognition sensor mounted on the vehicle model, calculating an attachment position and attitude of the sensor; and using a viewpoint CG generation unit to create a CG video signal according to the attachment position and attitude of the sensor calculated by the sensor model, thereby evaluating the response of the electronic control unit."

By building a camera ECU connected to an image sensor in HILS, it becomes possible to verify the ECU and software to be verified as is. In addition, since there is no need to reproduce the image sensor and the image sensor is connected as is, it is possible to treat the image sensor as a black box.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a HILS using an electronic control unit equipped with an imaging element according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle behavior simulator according to the present invention; FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing communication with an image sensor in the HILS according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a HILS using a camera ECU equipped with an imaging element according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a HILS using a stereo camera equipped with an image sensor according to the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is explained with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a HILS using an electronic control unit connected to an imaging element according to the present invention. The environment for evaluating the electronic control unit 1, which is the control target, is composed of a vehicle behavior simulator 3 and an imaging element 2. In this configuration, the electronic control unit 1 executes various arithmetic processing using image information from the imaging element 2, and the vehicle behavior simulator 3 provides a simulation signal to the electronic control unit 1, monitors the response of the electronic control unit 1 at this time, and evaluates it.

Note that the image sensor 2 and electronic control unit 1 in Figure 1 are independent components, and it is assumed that they are combined to perform a functional test. In contrast, in the configurations of Examples 2 and 3 described below, the image sensor 2 is integrated into the electronic control unit 1, and Example 2 configures a monocular camera and a stereo camera, but the present invention can be applied to any of these cases.

In the equipment of Figure 1, the electronic control unit 1 has a function of transmitting and receiving a control signal S1 between the imaging element 2. The electronic control unit 1 also has a function of receiving a CG video signal S2 and vehicle information S3 as a simulation signal from the vehicle behavior simulator 3, and transmitting vehicle information S4 such as accelerator and brake requests as a response result signal when the simulation signal is applied from the electronic control unit 1 to the vehicle behavior simulator 3. This makes it possible to input the CG video signal S2 input from the vehicle simulator 3 while the imaging element 2 communicates various setting information to properly diagnose the diagnostic process performed by the electronic control unit 1.

The imaging element 2 has a function of responding to a control signal S1 to the electronic control unit 1. It also has a function of transmitting synchronization information S5 emitted by the imaging element 2 to the vehicle behavior simulator 3.

The vehicle behavior simulator 3 calculates the vehicle behavior at periodic intervals of, for example, 1 ms, and transmits vehicle information S3 to the electronic control unit 1. In addition to the information operated by the driver, the vehicle behavior calculation also involves calculations according to vehicle control information S4 such as the accelerator, brake, and steering angle input from the electronic control unit 1. The simulator 3 also calculates the camera coordinates and attitude of the vehicle in the simulation space, and outputs a CG image signal S2 to the electronic control unit 1.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle behavior simulator according to the present invention. The vehicle behavior simulator 3 is composed of a simulation model 301, a viewpoint CG generation unit 305, a CAN I/F 306, and a monitor unit 307. The simulation model 301 also has a sensor model 302, an environment model 303, and a vehicle model 304.

The simulation model 301 calculates vehicle behavior at 1 ms intervals. The vehicle model 304 runs on a virtual road in the environment model 303 to conduct tests equivalent to those for an actual vehicle. The vehicle model 304 reflects vehicle control information S4, such as accelerator, brake, and steering angle, input from the electronic control unit 1, in the vehicle behavior via the CAN I/F 306. The vehicle information simulated by the vehicle model 304 is also converted by the CAN I/F 306 and has the function of transmitting it to the electronic control unit 1 as a simulation signal S3.

The sensor model 302 configures the external recognition sensor mounted on the vehicle model 304, and has a viewpoint CG generation unit 305 that calculates the mounting position and orientation of the sensor and creates a corresponding CG image signal S2.

Figure 3 shows a flowchart of communication with the imaging element of the HILS according to the present invention. In this figure, from the left, the flow in the electronic control unit 1, imaging element 2, and vehicle behavior simulator 3 is shown in the vertical direction, and since these operate in conjunction with each other, the signals S exchanged between them are shown horizontally with dotted lines.

In this flow, after each element starts, the electronic control unit 1 outputs a control signal S1 in processing step St11, which triggers them to operate in conjunction with each other, and finally, in response to the vehicle behavior simulator 3 being powered off in processing step St36, the electronic control unit 1 turns off the power in processing step St16, ending the process.

In this flow, first, in processing step St11, the electronic control unit 1 transmits a control signal S1, such as internal register settings and diagnostic information, to the imaging element 2. The imaging element 2 receives the received control signal S1 and starts setting and diagnosis in processing step St21. After completion of the setting and diagnosis, in processing step St22, it transmits a control signal S1 to the electronic control unit 1 in response to the completion of setting, and transmits a control signal S1 to the vehicle behavior simulator 3 in response to the completion of setting and a synchronization signal S5 for synchronizing subsequent processing. The synchronization signal may be transmitted to at least one of the vehicle behavior simulator or the electronic control unit.

In the following explanation, it is assumed that the settings and diagnosis of the image sensor 2 have been performed correctly and are normal; however, if this processing is not performed properly, the electronic control unit 1 will detect an abnormality in the image sensor 2 and subsequent processing will be halted or some other appropriate action will be taken.

After receiving the control response from the imaging element 2, the electronic control unit 1 performs a diagnosis in processing step St12 to determine whether the imaging element 2 is functioning normally. If it is confirmed in processing step St13 that the imaging element 2 is normal, then in processing step St14, it transmits an image request to the vehicle behavior simulator 3, instead of outputting the image request to the imaging element 2 as it would normally do.

On the other hand, after starting, the vehicle behavior simulator 3 executes a viewpoint calculation process and the like in processing step St31 as a preliminary preparation process, and upon receiving a control signal S1 in response to the completion of setting from the image sensor 2 in processing step St32, and a synchronization signal S5 for synchronizing subsequent processing, it activates the function of the monitor section 307 and waits for the electronic control unit 1 to transmit the CG image S2.

Upon receiving the image request sent by the electronic control unit 1, the behavior simulator 3 starts creating a CG image S2 according to the sensor position and attitude, which is the calculation result of the vehicle behavior calculated in 1 ms in processing step St33, and transmits it to the electronic control unit 1 in processing step St34 when creation is completed. Thereafter, the electronic control unit 1 and the vehicle behavior simulator 3 repeat image request and generation as shown in processing steps St15 and St35.

In the above process flow, the feature of the present invention is that it provides the routes and processes of process steps St11, St12, St13, St21, and St22. In other words, it is premised that the soundness of the imaging element 2 will be confirmed beforehand before starting the exchange using simulated signals between the electronic control unit 1 and the vehicle behavior simulator 3. In conventional methods, the simulation was started without confirming this premise, so a comprehensive evaluation including the imaging element 2 could not be performed. The reasons why the present invention was not previously considered include the existence of a fixed concept of HILS and the fact that the internal logic of the imaging element is treated as a black box, making it difficult to simulate.

In this way, by using the environment in which the actual electronic control unit 1 and image sensor 2 would normally operate, while using the vehicle behavior simulator 3 as the video input, it is possible to create an evaluation environment without making any changes to the electronic control unit 1 being verified.

Figure 4 shows a HILS camera ECU unit equipped with an image sensor as an example of the configuration according to the present invention. In this example, the image sensor 2 and the camera ECU unit 1A are integrated to form a monocular camera C1. Below, only the differences from Example 1 will be explained.

The environment for evaluating the camera ECU unit 1A, which is the object to be controlled, consists of a vehicle behavior simulator 3 and an imaging element 2.

The camera ECU unit 1A has a function of transmitting and receiving a control signal S1 to and from the imaging element 2. It also has a function of receiving a video signal S2 and vehicle information S3 from the vehicle simulator 3, and transmitting vehicle information S4 such as accelerator and brake requests from the electronic control unit to the vehicle simulator 1. The imaging element 2 communicates various setting information, making it possible to properly diagnose the diagnostic process performed by the camera ECU unit 1A while inputting the CG image S2 input from the vehicle simulator 3.

The imaging element 2 has a function of responding with a control signal S1 to the camera ECU unit 1A. It also has a function of transmitting synchronization information S5 emitted by the imaging element to the vehicle behavior simulator 3.

The vehicle behavior simulator 3 calculates the vehicle behavior at 1 ms periodic intervals and transmits vehicle information S3 to the camera ECU unit 4. In addition to the information operated by the driver, the vehicle behavior calculation also involves calculations based on vehicle control information S4 such as the accelerator, brake, and steering angle input from the camera ECU unit 1A. The simulator also calculates the camera coordinates and attitude of the vehicle in the simulation space and outputs a CG image S2 to the camera ECU unit 1A.

In the case of Example 2, the route and processing of processing steps St11, St12, St13, St21, and St22 are executed prior to the start of the simulation, so that the same effect as in Example 1 can be obtained.

Figure 4 shows a HILS stereo camera ECU unit equipped with an image sensor as an example of a configuration according to the present invention. In this example, the left and right image sensors 2R, 2L and the stereo camera ECU unit 1B are integrated to form the stereo camera C2. Below, only the differences from Example 1 will be explained.

The environment for evaluating the stereo camera ECU unit 1B, which is the object to be controlled, consists of a vehicle behavior simulator 3, a left-eye imaging element 2L, and a right-eye imaging element 2R.

The stereo camera ECU unit 1B has a function of transmitting and receiving a control signal S1 to and from the image pickup elements 2R and 2L. It also has a function of receiving a video signal S2 and vehicle information S3 from the vehicle simulator 3, and transmitting vehicle information S4 such as accelerator and brake requests from the electronic control unit to the vehicle simulator 1. The image elements 2R and 2L communicate various setting information, making it possible to input the CG image S2 input from the vehicle simulator 3 while properly diagnosing the diagnostic process performed by the stereo camera ECU unit 1B.

The imaging elements 2R and 2L have a function of responding with a control signal S1 to the stereo camera ECU unit 1B. They also have a function of transmitting synchronization information S5 emitted by the imaging elements to the vehicle behavior simulator 3.

The vehicle behavior simulator 3 calculates the vehicle behavior at 1 ms intervals and transmits vehicle information S3 to the stereo camera ECU unit 1B. In addition to the information operated by the driver, the vehicle behavior calculation also involves calculations based on vehicle control information S4 such as the accelerator, brake, and steering angle input from the stereo camera ECU unit 1B. The simulator also calculates the camera coordinates and attitude of the vehicle in the simulation space and outputs left and right CG images S2R, S2L to the stereo camera ECU unit 1B.

In the case of Example 3, the route and processing of processing steps St11, St12, St13, St21, and St22 are executed prior to the start of the simulation, so that the same effect as in Example 1 can be obtained.

1: Electronic control unit, 2: Image sensor, 3: Vehicle simulator, 4: Camera ECU unit, 5: Stereo camera ECU unit, 301: Simulation model, 302: Sensor model, 303: Environmental model, 304: Vehicle model, 305: Viewpoint CG generation unit, 306: CAN I/F, 307: Monitor unit, S1: Control signal, S2: CG image, S3: Vehicle information, S4: Vehicle control information such as accelerator, brake, steering angle, etc., S5: Synchronization signal, S2R: Left camera CG image, S2L: Right camera CG image

Claims (6)

An evaluation device for an electronic control unit that evaluates an electronic control unit that is connected to an imaging element and handles video signals, comprising:
a vehicle behavior simulator that provides a simulation signal including a video signal to the electronic control unit in place of the video signal from the imaging element and evaluates a response of the electronic control unit;
the vehicle behavior simulator is composed of a simulation model, a viewpoint CG generation unit, a CAN I/F, and a monitor unit;
the simulation model includes a sensor model, an environment model, and a vehicle model;
The electronic control unit instructs the imaging element to perform settings, diagnoses the imaging element in response to completion of the settings, and requests the vehicle behavior simulator to transmit a simulation signal including a video signal when the imaging element is confirmed to be normal .
the simulation model performs a test equivalent to that performed on an actual vehicle by having the vehicle model travel on a virtual road of the environment model;
the vehicle model reflects vehicle control information input from the electronic control unit in a vehicle behavior via the CAN I/F, converts vehicle information simulated by the vehicle model via the CAN I/F, and transmits the converted vehicle information to the electronic control unit as a simulation signal;
The sensor model sets an external recognition sensor mounted on the vehicle model, calculates a mounting position and a posture of the sensor,
The evaluation device for an electronic control unit , wherein the viewpoint CG generation unit creates a CG image signal according to the mounting position and orientation of the sensor calculated by the sensor model . 2. The electronic control unit evaluation device according to claim 1,
The evaluation device for an electronic control unit, wherein the imaging element outputs a synchronization signal to at least one of the vehicle behavior simulator and the electronic control unit when the setting is completed. 3. The evaluation device for an electronic control unit according to claim 1, further comprising:
The vehicle behavior simulator is an evaluation device for an electronic control unit, characterized in that the imaging element monitors a control signal transmitted to or received from the electronic control unit. 2. The electronic control unit evaluation device according to claim 1,
An evaluation device for an electronic control unit, comprising a monocular camera and an electronic control unit connected to an imaging element and handling video signals. 2. The electronic control unit evaluation device according to claim 1,
An evaluation device for an electronic control unit, comprising: a stereo camera; and an electronic control unit that is connected to an imaging element and processes video signals. 1. A method for evaluating an electronic control unit that is connected to an imaging element and handles a video signal, comprising the steps of:
a simulation signal including a video signal is applied to an electronic control unit connected to the image sensor and handling the video signal instead of the video signal from the image sensor, and a response of the electronic control unit is evaluated;
performing a diagnosis of the imaging element, and if the imaging element is found to be normal, providing a simulation signal including a video signal instead of the video signal from the imaging element;
Using the simulation model, a vehicle model is driven on the virtual roads of the environment model, and tests equivalent to those performed with a real vehicle are carried out.
the vehicle model reflects vehicle control information input from the electronic control unit in a vehicle behavior via a CAN I/F, converts vehicle information simulated by the vehicle model via the CAN I/F, and transmits the converted vehicle information to the electronic control unit as a simulation signal;
The sensor model is used to set the external recognition sensor mounted on the vehicle model, and calculate the mounting position and orientation of the sensor;
A method for evaluating an electronic control unit , comprising the steps of: generating a viewpoint CG generating section that generates a CG image signal according to the mounting position and attitude of the sensor calculated by the sensor model, thereby evaluating the response of the electronic control unit.

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