WO2019031197A1 - Maintenance tool for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

A maintenance tool for vehicles is connected to a vehicle network whereto a plurality of electronic control devices installed in a vehicle are connected, and comprises: a terminal unit detachably connected to a vehicle-side connector installed in the vehicle and connected to the vehicle network; a wireless communication unit which wirelessly receives an execution command from the outside; a control unit connected to the terminal unit and wireless communication unit and having a script instruction interpretation unit for sequentially interpreting one or more instructions described in a script for executing a prescribed process in response to receiving an execution command and a script instruction execution unit for executing the prescribed process via the vehicle network by sequentially executing the instructions interpreted by the script instruction interpretation unit; and a portable holding case which holds the terminal unit, wireless communication unit, and control unit.

Description

Vehicle maintenance tools

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle maintenance tool.

Conventionally, techniques for updating software (control program) of an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) mounted on a vehicle such as a car or a construction machine have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a handy type program rewrite device (repro tool) for a vehicle which is small and lightweight, and easy to carry and handle. In general, a plurality of ECUs mounted on a vehicle are mutually connected by a vehicle network such as a bus type, but this repro tool has a dashboard in a state where its terminal portion (tool connector) is connected to the vehicle network The control program can be updated (rewritten) by connecting it to the vehicle-side connector installed in the vehicle. More specifically, the update of the control program is started by the connection of the tool connector to the vehicle side connector or by pressing the button provided on the container portion (housing) of the repro tool. Also, the repro tool does not have a receiver for wireless communication, and the update data of the control program is stored in an SD card that is inserted into and removed from the SD card slot of the container unit. By configuring in this manner, it is described that it is possible to update the control program in a short time, avoiding that it takes time for the wireless reception of the update data when the wireless communication state is unstable. .

In addition, even in the case of an automobile system including a plurality of ECUs that require different control software update processing in Patent Document 2, the control software update of each ECU can be easily implemented by an appropriate method according to the usage. A software update device is disclosed that is capable of Specifically, this software update device is a device mounted on a vehicle in a state of being connected to an in-vehicle network together with an ECU, and while connected to a server via a wireless (mobile communication network), it is via an in-vehicle network It connects with multiple control units (ECUs) and sends and receives data. Also, the software update device receives update control information including update data and identification information for identifying an application method for applying the update data to the control device from the server for each of the plurality of control devices, The applicable update data is transmitted to each of the plurality of control devices, and the plurality of control devices are controlled to apply the update data based on the identification information. More specifically, this software updating device is mounted on a vehicle in a state of being connected to an in-vehicle network together with an ECU. The update data is downloaded from the server at engine startup or the like, and held in the storage unit of the software update device.

Patent Document 3 discloses a remote collection system of vehicle data. Specifically, when the information collection ECU connected to the vehicle network receives a script describing vehicle data collection conditions by one or more commands from a center or the like outside the vehicle by wireless communication, it interprets and executes the script By collecting vehicle data from the onboard ECU connected to the vehicle network and returning it to the center.

JP, 2015-37899, A JP, 2016-170740, A JP, 2016-111646, A

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the scale of software (control program) installed in an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls a vehicle has been increasing with the advancement of performance and functionality of the vehicle (see Patent Document 2). There is a need to update software for multiple vehicles, such as increasing the size of the software and increasing the likelihood of failure. At this time, if a dedicated device for that purpose, such as the software update device of Patent Document 2 or the information collection ECU of Patent Document 3, is steadily installed for each vehicle, the cost of the vehicle increases.

In this respect, the repro tool according to Patent Document 1 is not provided exclusively for each vehicle, and can be used in common regardless of the vehicle type when necessary, so that the vehicle cost can be suppressed. However, on the other hand, if it is necessary to perform processing specific to each ECU when updating software, it is necessary to implement a function for performing such specific processing in each repro tool, etc. , Will spend a lot of time preparing for the actual execution of the update process. Such problems become more remarkable as the number of ECUs mounted on the vehicle increases, and there is room for improvement in terms of work efficiency. Further, the repro tool of Patent Document 1 omits the interface for wireless communication with the outside, and it is not easy to cope with the case where it is desired to manage the execution of the above update process for a plurality of vehicles.

In view of the above-described circumstances, at least one embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a maintenance tool for a vehicle capable of efficiently performing maintenance work on an electronic control device while suppressing the cost of the vehicle.

(1) A vehicle maintenance tool according to at least one embodiment of the present invention,
A maintenance tool for a vehicle connected to a vehicle network to which a plurality of electronic control devices mounted on the vehicle are connected,
A terminal portion that is detachable from a vehicle-side connector mounted on the vehicle in a state of being connected to the vehicle network;
A script command interpretation unit which is a control unit connected to the terminal unit and sequentially interprets one or more commands described in a script for executing a predetermined process in response to reception of an execution command; A control unit having a script instruction execution unit that executes the predetermined processing via the vehicle network by sequentially executing the instructions interpreted by the instruction interpretation unit;
And a handy type holding case for holding the terminal unit and the control unit.

According to the configuration of the above (1), the maintenance tool for a vehicle is a handy type device, and is not always mounted on the vehicle, and can be attached to the vehicle when needed and used. Further, the vehicle maintenance tool has a script execution function, and is configured to execute a script describing a desired process (for example, software update process, communication log acquisition process, etc.) in response to reception of the execution command. Ru. In this way, by having a handy type vehicle maintenance tool having a script execution function, it is necessary to carry out processing specific to each of a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) while suppressing the cost of the vehicle. It can respond to requirements flexibly and efficiently. Also, for example, by configuring to receive script execution instructions from outside via wireless, even when executing scripts for a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle maintenance tool is attached to each vehicle By doing so, execution of the software updating process can be managed, and the efficiency of maintenance work, usability, etc. can be improved.

(2) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (1) above,
The script includes a description of the instructions needed to perform a software update process on at least one of the electronic control units.
According to the configuration of (2), the software of one or more electronic control devices can be easily updated by executing the script.

(3) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (2) above,
The script is for executing a program that performs an update main process that rewrites the existing software to be updated with update data, and the description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices in the software update process. And a description of the instruction,
The description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices includes at least one of an instruction for reading a failure code from the electronic control device, and an instruction for erasing a failure code of the electronic control device.

According to the configuration of the above (3), the software update processing can be appropriately performed by describing the processing specific to each of plural types of electronic control devices such as the engine control ECU and the brake control ECU of the vehicle in the script. And can easily be implemented. The vehicle maintenance tool may further include a wireless communication unit connected to the control unit.

(4) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (2) above,
The script includes a description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices.
According to the structure of said (4), the same effect as said (3) is show | played.

(5) In some embodiments, in the above configurations (2) to (4),
The removable storage medium detachably connected to the handy type holding case, the removable storage medium being at least readable by the control unit,
The removable storage medium stores update data for updating the software by the execution of the script.
According to the configuration of (5), the update data is stored in a removable storage medium such as, for example, a micro SD card. The update data has a very large data size compared to the script and the execution command. Therefore, when the removable storage medium in which the update data is stored in advance is attached to the maintenance tool for a vehicle when updating the software of the electronic control device, for example, when an execution command is received wirelessly from an external computer Even in this case, the influence of the wireless communication state on the time required to complete the software update can be suppressed, and script execution can be completed in a short time.

(6) In some embodiments, in the above configurations (1) to (5),
The script contains a description of the instructions necessary to collect transmission data transmitted over the vehicle network.
According to the configuration of the above (6), by executing the script, it is possible to collect transmission data flowing through the vehicle network, and it is easy to obtain the communication log that at least one electronic control unit performs via the vehicle network It can be carried out.

(7) In some embodiments, in the configurations of (1) to (6) above,
It further comprises a wireless communication unit that receives the execution command from the outside via wireless,
The control unit is connected to the terminal unit and the wireless communication unit, respectively.
The handy type holding case is configured to hold the terminal unit, the wireless communication unit, and the control unit.
The script command interpretation unit starts interpreting the one or more commands described in the script in response to the reception of the execution command from the wireless communication unit.
According to the configuration of (7), the control unit starts the execution of the script by receiving the execution command from the wireless communication unit. This can improve the efficiency of maintenance work, usability, and the like.

(8) In some embodiments, in the configurations of (1) to (7) above,
The apparatus further comprises a display unit capable of alphanumeric display.
According to the configuration of the above (8), for example, by displaying the start, completion, end status, etc. of the script on the display unit, it is possible to inform the user of the maintenance tool for vehicle of the execution status of the script. It can be improved.

(9) In some embodiments, in the above configurations (1) to (8),
The said vehicle side connector is provided in the position which can be exposed to the compartment of the said vehicle.
According to the configuration of the above (9), the vehicle-side connector is installed not at a position where the electronic control device is installed, but at a position easily accessible from the cabin where the occupants live. Therefore, the handy type maintenance tool for vehicles can be easily attached to the vehicle side connector.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle maintenance tool capable of efficiently performing maintenance work on the electronic control device while suppressing the cost of the vehicle.

It is a figure showing roughly the composition of the maintenance tool for vehicles concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the appearance of the maintenance tool for vehicles concerning one embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view from the front side of the maintenance tool for vehicles, (b) is a perspective view from the back side is there. It is a figure which shows the state which installed the maintenance tool for vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention in the tool installation part of a dashboard, (a) is a perspective view of driver's seat vicinity of a dashboard, (b) is a tool It is the figure which expanded setting part vicinity. It is a figure which shows a mode that the maintenance tool for vehicles which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was each connected to several vehicles, and is attached to a vehicle using the extension cable. It is a figure which shows the flow which updates the software of the electronic control unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow which acquires the transmission data which flows through the vehicle network which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described as the embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to this, but are merely illustrative. Absent.
For example, a representation representing a relative or absolute arrangement such as “in a direction”, “along a direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “center”, “concentric” or “coaxial” is strictly Not only does it represent such an arrangement, but also represents a state of relative displacement with an angle or distance that allows the same function to be obtained.
For example, expressions that indicate that things such as "identical", "equal" and "homogeneous" are equal states not only represent strictly equal states, but also have tolerances or differences with which the same function can be obtained. It also represents the existing state.
For example, expressions representing shapes such as quadrilateral shapes and cylindrical shapes not only represent shapes such as rectangular shapes and cylindrical shapes in a geometrically strict sense, but also uneven portions and chamfers within the range where the same effect can be obtained. The shape including a part etc. shall also be expressed.
On the other hand, the expressions "comprising", "having", "having", "including" or "having" one component are not exclusive expressions excluding the presence of other components.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a vehicle maintenance tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a maintenance tool 1 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a view showing a state where the vehicle maintenance tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in the tool installation portion 72 of the dashboard 71. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing a state where the vehicle maintenance tool 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is connected to a plurality of vehicles 7, and is attached to the vehicle 7 using an extension cable 93.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is connected to a vehicle network 7 n to which a plurality of electronic control devices 8 mounted on the vehicle 7 are connected to communicate via the vehicle network 7 n It is an apparatus configured to be able to (transmit and receive data). The vehicle network 7n is a network for interconnecting a plurality of electronic control devices 8 (hereinafter referred to as "ECU 8" as appropriate), and the vehicle 7 includes CAN (Controller Area Network), K lines, LIN (Local Interconnect Network) , FlexRay, etc. is mounted on at least one vehicle network 7n. In addition, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is a handy-type device, is small and light, and is configured to be easy to carry and handle, and is configured to be attached to the vehicle 7 and used at the time of use ((1) See Figure 3).

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 includes a terminal unit 2, a wireless communication unit 3, a control unit 4, and a handy type holding case 5.
Hereinafter, the above-mentioned composition with which maintenance tool 1 for vehicles is provided is explained, respectively.

The terminal unit 2 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a vehicle side connector 7c mounted on the vehicle 7 in a state of being connected to the vehicle network 7n (see FIG. 3). In other words, the terminal portion 2 is a connector configured to be fitted to the above-described vehicle-side connector 7c, and in a state (connection state) fitted to the vehicle-side connector 7c, the terminal portion 2 and the vehicle-side connector 7c And are electrically connected. Further, the vehicle side connector 7c is electrically connected to the ECU 8 through the vehicle network 7n. Therefore, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 and the ECU 8 are electrically connected via the vehicle network 7n by connecting the terminal portion 2 to the vehicle side connector 7c. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the terminal unit 2 may be directly connected to the vehicle side connector 7c. In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, it may be connected to the vehicle side connector 7 c via the extension cable 93.

Generally, a compartment 7s is formed inside the vehicle 7 by being divided into a dashboard 71, a floor panel 74, etc. (see FIG. 2). Further, inside the vehicle 7 other than the cabin 7s, an ECU 81 for engine control, an ECU 82 for brake control, an ECU 83 for audio control, an ECU 84 for door control, an ECU 85 for collision prevention control, an ECU 86 for meter control, etc. A plurality of types of ECUs 8 are installed, and a vehicle network 7n is installed to mutually connect the plurality of ECUs 8 (see FIG. 1). Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the above-mentioned vehicle-side connector 7c may be exposed to the vehicle compartment 7s, for example, facing the compartment 7s instead of a place where the ECU 8 is installed inside the vehicle 7. It is installed in the possible place. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, as shown in FIG. 3, the above-mentioned vehicle-side connector 7 c is disposed downward on the right of the steering wheel (not shown) of the driver's seat in the dashboard 71. It is installed in the above-mentioned space of tool installation part 72 which forms the space which opens. Further, the vehicle side connector 7c is a connector defined by the SAEJ 1962 standard. However, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. In some other embodiments, it may be a connector defined in another standard. In addition, a cover may be provided on the tool installation portion 72, and the vehicle side connector 7c may be exposed to the vehicle compartment 7s by opening the cover. Alternatively, the tool installation portion 72 may be provided at a position where it can face the outside of the vehicle 7.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 connects the terminal portion 2 to the vehicle-side connector 7 c to bring it into a connected state, whereby power from the battery 7 b mounted on the vehicle 7 is obtained. Is supplied through the terminal unit 2 and after power conversion from 12 V to a desired voltage (3.3 V, 5 V, etc.) by the converter 64, power is supplied to the control unit 4. As described above, weight reduction is achieved by not providing the power supply unit inside the vehicle maintenance tool 1. However, in some other embodiments, a dry battery, a rechargeable battery or the like may be incorporated. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication unit 3 is configured to receive the execution command Ie from outside via wireless. The execution command Ie described above is a command for starting processing (described later) by the control unit 4 and is sent, for example, from an external computer 9 by wireless communication (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication unit 3 is electrically connected to the control unit 4 and transmits the execution command Ie received by wireless communication to the control unit 4. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, as shown in FIG. 4, the wireless communication unit 3 is configured to be communicably connected to an external computer 9 by a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi). However, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. In some other embodiments, the wireless communication unit 3 is connected by another wireless method such as connecting to an external computer 9 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a mobile communication network or the like. Also good. In addition, a wired network such as a wired LAN may be interposed between the wireless network and the external computer 9.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 4 is electrically connected to the terminal unit 2 and the wireless communication unit 3 described above, and when receiving the execution command Ie described above, a script in which a desired process is described It has a script execution function to execute. Here, the script is a simplified program having at least one instruction described in a predetermined script language which is an interpreted language, and can be executed without being compiled in advance. It is possible to relatively easily prepare for making it possible to execute desired processing such as updating). As described above, the control unit 4 having the script execution function can perform desired processing relatively easily. Furthermore, the script is easy to implement specific processing unique to each of the plurality of ECUs 8, and it is easy to verify the script, such as checking the description content on a text basis, and easily copes with various processes. It becomes possible.

For example, the script captures an instruction to transmit / receive data to / from a desired ECU 8 in the vehicle network 7n, an instruction to read out a fault code (DTC: Diagnostic Trouble Code) from the desired ECU 8, data captured through the vehicle network 7n A description such as an instruction for acquiring the command (acquisition of communication data) may be possible. Further, in order to enable the vehicle maintenance tool 1 to be compatible with a plurality of types of vehicle networks 7n such as CAN and K-Line, a bus may be specified in these instructions. Also, in order to be able to cope with a plurality of types of protocols (KWP, UDS, K-Line, etc.) operating on the vehicle network 7n, instructions may be facilitated for each protocol. In addition, it is possible to write program control instructions such as moving (call or jump) to a specified line (specified part) or return (return to the line following call) in a script, loop, conditional branch, or sleep. . Furthermore, it may be possible to describe variable declarations and instructions such as logical operations and numerical operations of variables. In addition, turn on or turn off the light emitting unit 63 such as LED installed in the vehicle maintenance tool 1, display instruction to the display unit 62 (display device) such as LCD, and buzzer sound from a speaker (not shown) It may be possible to describe an operation command to the mounted device such as an on command or an off command.

The control unit 4 may receive such a script via the wireless communication unit 3, may receive it along with the execution command Ie transmitted by wireless as described above, or may receive it as the execution command Ie. Alternatively, the script is stored in advance in a removable storage medium 61, which is a storage medium such as a micro SD, and is attached to or removed from a memory slot (not shown) for mounting the removable storage medium 61 included in the vehicle maintenance tool 1 By mounting the possible storage medium 61, the control unit 4 may be configured to read the script stored in the removable storage medium 61 in response to the reception of the execution command Ie. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the above memory slot (not shown) is protected by the protective cover 12 at the time of attachment by removing the protective cover 12. It is exposed to the outside. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the main body side interface (not shown) for external connection such as a USB connection port is protected for both the memory slot and the memory slot when the protective cover 12 is attached. A personal computer, USB switch 76 (described later), etc. can be connected. The USB switch 76 shown in FIG. 2 (b) has an interface 77 for external connection (USB in FIG. 2 (b)), and the maintenance tool 1 for a vehicle is configured as described above via the interface 77 for external connection. A memory slot may be provided by being connected to the memory slot.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 4 includes a script instruction interpretation unit 41 and a script instruction execution unit 42. The control unit 4 includes a processor (such as an MPU) (not shown) and a memory such as a ROM or RAM, and an instruction of a program (script execution program) for realizing the script instruction interpretation unit 41 and the script instruction execution unit 42 loaded in the RAM. These functional units are realized by the CPU operating (such as data operation) in accordance with the above.

The script command interpretation unit 41 is configured to sequentially interpret one or more commands described in the script described above in response to the reception of the execution command Ie. The script instruction interpretation unit 41 can interpret the various instructions described according to a predetermined script language by translating it into a machine language. Then, upon receiving the execution instruction Ie, the script instruction interpretation unit 41 starts the execution of the script and interprets each instruction described from the start to the end of the script sequentially according to the control instruction such as a loop or a conditional branch while interpreting I will.

The reception of the execution instruction Ie by the script instruction interpretation unit 41 described above may be performed via the above-described wireless communication unit 3 in some embodiments (see FIG. 4). That is, in response to the reception of the execution instruction Ie from the wireless communication unit 3, the script instruction interpretation unit 41 (control unit 4) starts interpretation of one or more instructions described in the script. In other embodiments, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 includes the switch 75 for starting execution, and the control unit 4 outputs a signal when the switch 75 is operated to ON. May be received as the execution command Ie described above. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the switch 75 is provided on the main body side interface (not shown) (the USB connection port in FIG. 2 (b)) exposed to the outside with the protective cover 12 shown in FIG. The USB switch 76 is connected, and the switch 75 can be attached when necessary. In some other embodiments, the control unit 4 may receive, as the execution command Ie, a signal output when the terminal unit 2 is connected to the vehicle connector 7c. In this case, the execution command Ie may be a power supply signal. In some other embodiments, at least one of the above-described embodiments may be combined, and switching may be performed according to mode setting or the like. For example, by switching the mode, the embodiment of the reception of the execution command Ie via the wireless communication unit 3, the reception of the execution command Ie by the on operation of the switch 75, and the connection trigger between the terminal unit 2 and the vehicle connector 7c. And the embodiment of the reception of the execution command Ie according to the embodiment. Also, for example, when the execution command Ie from the wireless communication unit 3 is received when the switch 75 is off (OFF) or when the vehicle side connector 7c is connected, for example, priority is given to turning off the switch 75, etc. In the case of combining the embodiments described above, priorities may be provided. In the above example, priority is given to turning off the switch 75 to prevent malfunction due to erroneous transmission of the execution command Ie from the external computer 9 or to avoid operation (reception of the execution command Ie) due to connection trigger etc. it can.

On the other hand, the script command execution unit 42 is configured to execute predetermined processing described in the script via the vehicle network 7 n by sequentially executing the commands sequentially interpreted by the script command interpretation unit 41. The script instruction execution unit 42 executes an instruction (machine language) interpreted by the script instruction interpretation unit 41. For example, the script command execution unit 42 transmits a command to the ECU 8 through the terminal unit 2 and the vehicle network 7n according to the input from the script command interpretation unit 41. Also, it receives a response of the transmitted command and delivers it to the script command execution unit 42. Then, the script instruction interpretation unit 41 confirms the execution result (success or failure of the instruction) for the interpreted instruction, advances the script execution while selecting the next instruction of the script according to the execution result of this instruction. Go. Thus, the script instruction interpretation unit 41 and the script instruction execution unit 42 connected to each other cooperate to execute the script.

Further, even when the script instruction interpretation unit 41 and the script instruction execution unit 42 are configured to read information for controlling the execution of the instruction described in the script or a setting file describing common contents when executing the script. good. Specifically, the setting file describes the contents common to multiple commands such as timeout time and retry count of transmission and reception via vehicle network 7n, waiting time before executing command to read DTC, etc. Also good. Also, for example, in the setting file, processing that is determined to be necessary before execution of a desired processing (predetermined processing) may be described, such as presence or absence of execution of an ignition on / off check. By using the setting file, it is possible to shorten the script creation time.

The handy type holding case 5 is a housing, and is configured to hold the above-described terminal unit 2, the wireless communication unit 3, and the control unit 4. Thus, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is of a handy type. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, as shown in FIG. 1, the handy type holding case 5 accommodates the terminal unit 2, the wireless communication unit 3, and the control unit 4 inside; The terminal portion 2 is configured to be held in a state where at least a part of the terminal portion 2 is exposed to the outside, and the terminal portion 2 exposed to the outside is designed to facilitate connection with the vehicle side connector 7c described above .

According to the above configuration, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is a handy type device, and is not always installed in the vehicle 7, and can be attached to the vehicle when needed and used. Further, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 has a script execution function, and executes a script describing desired processing (for example, software update processing, communication log acquisition processing, etc.) in response to the reception of the execution command Ie. Configured As described above, since the handy type of vehicle maintenance tool 1 has a script execution function, maintenance that requires specific processing for each of the plurality of electronic control devices 8 while suppressing the cost of the vehicle 7 It can respond to requirements flexibly and efficiently. In addition, by configuring to receive script execution command Ie from outside via wireless, even when a script is executed for a plurality of vehicles 7, vehicle maintenance tool 1 is attached to each vehicle. By doing so, the execution of the software update process can be managed, and the efficiency of maintenance work, usability, etc. can be improved.

In some embodiments, the script described above describes the instructions necessary to execute the software (control program) update process as shown in FIG. 5 to at least one electronic control unit 8 (ECU). including. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of updating software of the electronic control unit 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The software update process (S1 to S9, hereinafter referred to as the software update process as appropriate) performed by the script execution will be described according to the flow of FIG. Each step in FIG. 5 is executed based on an instruction described in a script. The example of FIG. 5 is described to perform software update for a plurality of types of ECUs 8 and corresponds to a script.

First, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is connected to the vehicle-side connector 7c of the vehicle 7 before the execution of step S1 in FIG. By this, the maintenance tool 1 for vehicles will be in the state of waiting for reception of execution command Ie mentioned above. Assuming that in this state, in step S1, when the control unit 4 receives the execution command Ie, execution of the script is started. Further, in the present embodiment, in step S2, the control unit 4 reads a setting file (repro setting file). Then, in the next step S3, the whole vehicle pre-processing is executed. The whole vehicle pre-processing may include a process of shifting all the ECUs 8 to the sleep mode so that the ECU 8 of the vehicle 7 does not determine a communication error or the like while the software update process is being executed.

In step S4, it is checked whether the ECU 8 that is the target for software update (software update target) is mounted on the vehicle 7. The ECU 8 subject to software update is described as a list or the like in a script, and sequentially checks the list in accordance with control instructions (a loop or the like) described in the script. Note that such a list may be read from another file such as a setting file. For example, if the engine control ECU 8 has the software update target version and the software is updated as an example, the vehicle 7 has the engine control ECU 8 mounted thereon, and in the ECU 8 of that type It is checked whether or not the software update target version is included, and if this condition is satisfied, it is determined that the ECU 8 as the software update target is mounted on the vehicle. More specifically, a command for requesting version information from the control unit 4 is sent to the engine control ECU 8 with a destination set, and there is a response from the engine control ECU 8 to the command, and a version in the response If the version is the software update target version, it is determined that the ECU 8 as the software update target is mounted on the vehicle. Conversely, if the above conditions are not satisfied, the engine control ECU 8 is not installed (such as no response), or if the ECU 8 of that type does not have the software update target version, the software is It is determined that the ECU 8 to be updated is not mounted on the vehicle.

When it is determined in step S4 that the software update target ECU 8 is mounted, the software update for the ECU 8 is executed in steps S5 to S7. The details of steps S5 to S7 will be described later. In step S8, if there is still the next software update target ECU 8 described in a list etc., the process returns to step S4 to determine whether software update is installed in the software update target ECU 8 or not. . In step S8, if the confirmation in step S4 has been completed for all software update target ECUs 8 such as a list, the process proceeds to step S9. As described above, in the present embodiment, updating of software for the plurality of ECUs 9 is possible by the control instruction of the program which can be described in the script.

In step S9, the entire vehicle post-processing is performed. In the entire vehicle post-processing, processing may be included to shift all the ECUs 8 from the sleep mode to the normal mode. Thereafter, the maintenance work is completed by removing the vehicle maintenance tool 1 from the vehicle 7 (vehicle side connector 7c).

According to the above configuration, the software of one or more electronic control units 8 (ECUs) can be easily updated by executing the script.

Also, in some embodiments, as described in steps S5 and S7 of FIG. 5, the script described above includes a description of instructions specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices 8. More specifically, when it is determined in step S4 that the ECU 8 subject to software update is mounted on the vehicle 7, in step S5, a preprocessing specific to that ECU 8 (target ECU specific preprocessing) is executed. Specifically, the control unit 4 executes an instruction for reading out the failure code (DTC) of the software update target ECU 8 and confirms the failure code. Then, after confirming that there is no failure in the failure code, software update (update main processing) is executed in the next step S6. Specifically, the process of rewriting the existing software with the update data U is executed. Conversely, when it is confirmed in step S5 that there is a failure in the failure code, the update of the software for that ECU 8 is stopped, and the script is jumped to step S8 or a script by jumping to step S9. Processing may be performed according to the failure, such as stopping the execution of itself.

Then, after the update main process in step S6 is completed, in step S7, a post-process (post-process specific to the target ECU) specific to the ECU 8 is executed. Specifically, the control unit 4 executes an instruction to erase the failure code of the ECU 8 and also executes an instruction to read the failure code again after a predetermined time has elapsed, and confirms that there is no failure code. At this time, even if the fault code is erased, if a fault is indicated by the fault code, as in the case of the pre-processing, if it is confirmed that there is a fault by the fault code, step S8 or , Or jump to step S9, etc. may be performed according to the failure.

According to the above configuration, the script for the software update process includes an instruction unique to each of at least one electronic control unit 8, such as steps S5 and S7 of FIG. Therefore, software update processing can be executed appropriately and easily by describing in the script the processing specific to each of a plurality of types of electronic control devices 8 such as the engine control ECU 81 and the brake control ECU 82 of the vehicle 7 can do. For example, although it is laborious to implement specific processing for each ECU 8 for a program to be compiled beforehand, according to a script that can be flexibly described, such specific processing of the ECU 8 is implemented relatively easily. can do.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the update data U of the software of the ECU 8 described above may be stored in the removable storage medium 61 described above. That is, in some embodiments, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is a removable storage medium 61 that is detachably connected to the handy type holding case 5 and is removable so that the control unit 4 can at least read. The storage medium 61 is further provided. The removable storage medium 61 stores update data U for updating software by executing a script.

The update data U has a very large data size compared to the script and the execution command Ie. Therefore, when the removable storage medium 61 in which the update data U is stored in advance is attached to the maintenance tool 1 for vehicle when updating software of the ECU 8, for example, the execution command Ie is received wirelessly from the external computer 9. Even in such a case, the influence on the time required to complete the software update due to the wireless communication state (the time required from the transmission of the execution command Ie from the external computer 9 to the completion of the script execution) is suppressed You can complete the script execution in a short time.

Also, in some embodiments, the script described above may include a description of the instructions necessary to collect the transmitted data T transmitted over the vehicle network 7n, as shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of acquiring transmission data T flowing through the vehicle network 7n according to an embodiment of the present invention. Communication log acquisition processing (S11 to S16) performed by execution of a script will be described according to the flow of FIG. Each step of FIG. 6 is executed based on an instruction described in a script. The transmission data T means a unit of communication, and in the case of CAN, it corresponds to a frame. Therefore, although the transmission data T includes communication data communicated between the ECUs 8, collecting or acquiring the transmission data T may not be all of the transmission data T, and communication data etc. included in the transmission data T It also includes collecting or acquiring only the information of the desired field.

First, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 is connected to the vehicle-side connector 7c of the vehicle 7 before the execution of step S11 in FIG. By this, the maintenance tool 1 for vehicles will be in the state of waiting for reception of execution command Ie mentioned above. Assuming that in this state, in step S11, when the control unit 4 receives the execution command Ie, the execution of the script is started. Further, in the present embodiment, in step S12, the control unit 4 reads a setting file (transmission data collection setting file). Then, in the next step S13, the process waits for reception of a transmission data collection start instruction. The start instruction may be received through the above-described wireless communication unit 3 or a signal output when the start switch 75 described above is turned on is used as the transmission data collection start instruction. It may be configured to receive.

Then, when the transmission data collection start instruction is received in step S13, the transmission data T is collected in step S14. Specifically, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 starts capturing (acquiring) transmission data T flowing through the vehicle network 7 n through the terminal unit 2. The captured transmission data T is stored as a communication log, but may be stored in the writable removable storage medium 61. Further, by designating a desired ECU 8 in the command for collecting transmission data T in step S14, only the transmission data T related to that ECU 8 may be filtered and stored. Then, capture of the transmission data T in step S14 is executed until an end instruction is received (step S15). This termination instruction may also be received through the above-described wireless communication unit 3 or, as the above-mentioned termination instruction, the signal output when the above-described start switch 75 is turned off is received. You may configure. When the end instruction is received in step S15, the capture (acquisition) of the transmission data T is ended in step S16. Thereafter, the maintenance work is completed by removing the vehicle maintenance tool 1 from the vehicle 7 (vehicle side connector 7c).

According to the above configuration, by executing the script, it is possible to collect the transmission data T flowing through the vehicle network 7n, and it is easy to obtain the communication log that the at least one electronic control unit 8 performs via the vehicle network 7n Can be done.

Hereinafter, other configurations of the vehicle maintenance tool 1 will be described.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 may further include a display 62 capable of alphanumeric display. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the display unit 62 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and is provided with an LCD on the upper surface of the handy type holding case 5 so as to be visible from outside. . Further, on the LCD, for example, two lines may be displayed, and n characters × m lines (n ≧ 1, m ≧ 1) can be displayed.

Further, the display on the display unit 62 is executed based on the command described in the script. For example, in the script, the start of the software update process is displayed as REPRO GO etc. (see Fig. 2 (a)), and if an error occurs, REPRO ERRx (x is an identification number based on the error number etc.) An instruction is described to display the). On the other hand, in the communication log acquisition process, LOG RUN is displayed during execution of capture of transmission data T. Thus, for example, by displaying the start, completion, end status, etc. of the process described in the script on the display unit, the user of the vehicle maintenance tool can be notified of the execution status of the script, improving usability. It can be done.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle maintenance tool 1 may further include a light emitting unit 63 such as an LED. The light emitting unit 63 may be provided to the vehicle maintenance tool 1 together with the display unit 62 or in place of the display unit 62. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 includes two LEDs (different colors such as red and blue) provided on the top surface of the vehicle maintenance tool 1. Then, according to the command described in the script, it is possible to indicate the current state of the maintenance tool 1 for a vehicle by changing the method of lighting the LED and the light emission. For example, the light emitting unit 63 can indicate that communication with the vehicle network 7 n is being performed, or indicate normal termination or abnormal termination of the process described in the script.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the embodiments in which the above-described embodiments are modified, and the embodiments in which these embodiments are appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle maintenance tool 12 Protective cover 2 Terminal 3 Wireless communication unit 4 Control unit 41 Script command interpretation unit 42 Script command execution unit 5 Handy type holding case 61 Removable storage medium 62 Display unit 63 Light emitting unit 64 Converter 7 Vehicle 7 b Battery 7c Vehicle side connector 7n Vehicle network 7s Car room 71 Dashboard 72 Tool installation part 74 Floor pull 75 Switch 76 USB switch 77 Interface for external connection of USB switch 8 Electronic control unit (ECU)
9 Computer 93 Extension Cable U Update Data T Transmission Data Ie Execution Command

Claims (9)

A maintenance tool for a vehicle connected to a vehicle network to which a plurality of electronic control devices mounted on the vehicle are connected,
A terminal portion that is detachable from a vehicle-side connector mounted on the vehicle in a state of being connected to the vehicle network;
A script command interpretation unit which is a control unit connected to the terminal unit and sequentially interprets one or more commands described in a script for executing a predetermined process in response to reception of an execution command; A control unit having a script instruction execution unit that executes the predetermined processing via the vehicle network by sequentially executing the instructions interpreted by the instruction interpretation unit;
A maintenance tool for a vehicle comprising: the terminal unit; and a handy type holding case for holding the control unit. The vehicle maintenance tool according to claim 1, wherein the script includes a description of the instruction necessary to execute a software update process for at least one of the electronic control devices. The script is for executing a program that performs an update main process that rewrites the existing software to be updated with update data, and the description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices in the software update process. And a description of the instruction,
The description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices includes at least one of an instruction for reading a failure code from the electronic control device, and an instruction for erasing a failure code of the electronic control device. The maintenance tool for a vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that. The vehicle maintenance tool according to claim 2, wherein the script includes a description of the instruction specific to each of the plurality of electronic control devices. The removable storage medium detachably connected to the handy type holding case, the removable storage medium being at least readable by the control unit,
The maintenance tool for a vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein update data for updating the software by execution of the script is stored in the removable storage medium. Vehicle maintenance tool according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the script comprises a description of the instructions necessary to collect transmission data transmitted over the vehicle network. It further comprises a wireless communication unit that receives the execution command from the outside via wireless,
The control unit is connected to the terminal unit and the wireless communication unit, respectively.
The handy type holding case is configured to hold the terminal unit, the wireless communication unit, and the control unit.
The script instruction interpretation unit starts interpretation of the one or more instructions described in the script in response to the reception of the execution instruction from the wireless communication unit. A vehicle maintenance tool according to any one of the preceding claims. The vehicle maintenance tool according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a display unit capable of alphanumeric display. The vehicle maintenance tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vehicle-side connector is provided at a position where it can be exposed to a compartment of the vehicle.

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