Modular Electronic Control Unit for a Motor Vehicle, and Motor Vehicle Having Such a Control Unit and Computing Module Unit for The Control Unit

Abstract

An electronic control unit for a motor vehicle. A communication unit is arranged in a module housing that is configured to interchange communication data with at least one device-external vehicle component by means of at least one predetermined communication protocol. The communication unit provides a device-internal bus system, in which a controller device of the bus system provides for forwarding of the communication data within the control unit by means of a bus protocol that has an address space that is independent of the at least one communication protocol. The bus system has at least one bus connection for a respective additional computing module unit, different from the communication unit, of the control unit. The at least one bus connection is configured to connect the respective computing module unit to the central module housing from the outside.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. An electronic controller for a motor vehicle, the electronic controller comprising: a central module housing; and a communication unit that is arranged in the module housing and is designed to exchange communication data with at least one vehicle component external to the controller via at least one predetermined communication protocol, wherein the communication unit provides a bus system internal to the controller, wherein a controller apparatus of the bus system is configured to forward the communication data within the controller via a bus protocol that has an address space independent of the at least one communication protocol, wherein the bus system has at least one bus connection for a respective additional computing module unit, different from the communication unit, of the controller, and wherein the at least one bus connection is configured to connect the respective computing module unit externally to the central module housing.

17. The controller of claim 16, wherein the controller apparatus is configured to route the communication data in the bus system in accordance with a predefined routing table.

18. The controller of claim 16, wherein the controller apparatus is configured to perform address assignment between a respective communication address, which is predefined in accordance with the at least one communication protocol, and a respective bus address of the address space of the bus system.

19. The controller of claim 16, wherein the controller apparatus is configured to perform dynamic address allocation of a respective bus address from the address space of the bus system to a respective bus subscriber, internal to the controller and connected to the bus system upon respective starting of the controller, of the bus system during the respective starting.

20. The controller of claim 16, wherein the bus system is based on a bus protocol different from the at least one communication protocol.

21. The controller of claim 16, wherein the bus system is provided on the basis of a PCIe technology.

22. The controller of to claim 16, wherein the at least one computing module unit has a respective dedicated module housing, and wherein the central module housing and the respective module housing of the at least one computing module unit each have a dedicated electric power supply and/or a dedicated cooling apparatus.

23. The controller of claim 16, wherein each of the at least one computing module unit has respective installation spaces for multiple processor systems, and each installation space of the respective computing module unit connects the processor system of the installation space to the bus system independently of every other processor system of the computing module unit.

24. The controller of claim 16, wherein at least one basic processor system is provided in the central module housing, which basic processor system is configured to generate and/or to process the communication data without a connected additional computing module unit.

25. The controller of claim 16, wherein, in the case of the controller, a data connection to a peripheral external to the controller is provided solely via the communication unit of the central module housing for the at least one computing module unit.

26. The controller of claim 16, wherein the controller apparatus of the communication unit is configured to operate at least one of the following, as the at least one communication protocol: Ethernet, at least one data bus protocol, in particular CAN and/or LIN, and sensor communication with at least one of: a camera, a radar and/or a lidar sensor unit.

27. The controller of claim 16, wherein more than one bus connection is provided for a respective computing module unit, and wherein the controller unit is configured to perform data transmission internal to the controller and/or a DMA transfer internal to the controller between the bus connections via the bus system.

28. The controller of claim 16, wherein the controller has operating software for an autonomous driving function of the motor vehicle and is configured to provide the autonomous driving function during operation by way of the operating software.

29. A motor vehicle having at least one controller according to claim 16.

30. A computing module unit comprising: the controller of claim 16; a module housing that includes at least one processor system; and a connection apparatus for connecting the computing module unit to a bus connection of a bus system of a central module housing of the controller.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0032] The invention is now explained in more detail on the basis of one preferred exemplary embodiment and with reference to the drawing.

[0033] The single FIGURE shows a schematic illustration of aspects of at least one embodiment of the motor vehicle according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0034] In the FIGURE, identical reference signs each denote functionally identical elements.

[0035] The FIG. shows a motor vehicle 10. The motor vehicle 10 may be designed as an automobile, for example a passenger car or truck, or as a motorcycle. A controller 11 may be provided in the motor vehicle 10. The controller 11 may provide a vehicle function in the motor vehicle 10, for example a driving function for autonomous driving (autonomous driving function).

[0036] In order, in the case of developing the vehicle function, to be able to flexibly adjust the hardware of the controller 11, that is to say to be able to cover an increasing demand for computing power in the case of expanding the vehicle function, the controller 11 may be of modular design.

[0037] The controller 11 may for this purpose have a central module housing 12 in which provision may be made for a communication unit 13 by way of which it is possible to perform a data exchange of communication data 22 with the peripheral 14 external to the controller and additionally also a data exchange internal to the controller. The peripheral 14 external to the controller may comprise at least one vehicle component 15 of the motor vehicle 10, for example at least one other controller and/or at least one sensor. The communication unit 13 may for example be formed on the basis of a circuit board 16.

[0038] The communication unit 13 may provide or operate a bus system 17 for the data transmission, internal to the controller, in the controller 11. The bus system 17 may for example have at least one data switch or a switch 18. The FIGURE illustrates three switches A, B, C by way of example. The bus system may for example be a PCIe bus system. Data lines 19 of the bus system 17 are illustrated in the FIGURE in order to show communication paths. Not all of the data lines are provided with a reference sign for the sake of clarity.

[0039] A controller apparatus 20 of the bus system 17 may be designed to dynamically assign a bus address to the bus subscribers connected to the bus system 17 upon starting of the controller 11 in order to be able to unambiguously address each bus subscriber. There may additionally be provision to predefine, by way of a routing table 21 of the controller apparatus 20, how communication data 22 should be routed or assigned in the bus system 17. The controller apparatus 20 may be provided in the form of at least one integrated circuit.

[0040] A power supply 23 for a supply of current and/or a cooling apparatus 24 for dissipating waste heat may be provided in the central module housing 12 for the operation of the communication unit 13. The module housing 12 may thus be connected to an electrical energy supply of the motor vehicle 10, for example an electrical on-board power system, and then operate the communication unit 13 in the central module housing 12.

[0041] At least one basic processor system 25 may be provided in the central module housing 12 in addition to the communication unit 13, which basic processor system may for example be based on a dedicated circuit board 26. The at least one basic processor system 25 may implement or perform a basic functionality of the controller 11. For this purpose, provision may be made for example for at least one computing unit 27 that is able to execute operating software or a portion of operating software of the controller 11. By way of example, the basic processor system 25 may implement or perform image processing, that is to say computer vision processing.

[0042] In order then to be able to expand a computing power beyond the at least one basic processor system 25, the bus system 17 may have at least one bus connection 28 to which a respective additional computing module unit 29 may be connected. Each computing module unit 29 may have a dedicated module housing 30 in which a respective dedicated power supply 31 and/or a dedicated cooling apparatus 32 may be provided. In each case one or more than one dedicated processor system 33 may be provided in each computing module unit 29, that is to say at least one installation space 34 for a respective processor system 33 may be located in each module housing 30. In this case, provision may be made, in each computing module unit 29, for a connection apparatus 35 via which the respective processor system 33 of the computing module unit 29 is able to be connected individually, that is to say independently of every other processor system 33 of the same computing module unit 29, to the bus connection 28 of the bus system 17 in the central module housing 12. It is thus also possible to connect a computing module unit 29 to multiple installation spaces 34, in the case of which however not all of the installation spaces 34 have to be occupied or equipped with a respective processor system 33.

[0043] By virtue of the respective dedicated power supply 31 and/or the respective dedicated cooling apparatus 32 in each computing module unit 29, connecting a computing module unit 29 to the central module housing 12 does not constitute any additional loading for the power supply 23 and/or the cooling apparatus 24.

[0044] The two bus connections 28 that are illustrated are only examples. It is possible to provide a single bus connection 28, or it is possible to provide more than two bus connections 28 in the controller 11.

[0045] By virtue of the controller apparatus 20, communication data 22 may in this case be transmitted between the processor systems 25, 23 and between the basic processor systems 25, 33, on the one hand, and connection controllers 36 for the peripheral 14, that is to say for the at least one vehicle component 15 or the external bus systems leading thereto, on the other hand. This is achieved in particular by tunneling, that is to say the conversion or translation of communication addresses for the communication external to the controller, on the one hand, and bus addresses of the bus system 17, on the other hand, may be performed independently by the controller apparatus 20.

[0046] Provision may be made for connection controllers 36 for the connection of a bus network (for example CAN and/or LIN) and/or at least one radar sensor and/or at least one camera and/or at least one lidar and/or at least one microphone array and/or at least one fallback controller. The bus system 17 may also supply a logging apparatus 37 with logging data.

[0047] Provision may be made for a direct readout connection 38 for reading out debugging data from the bus system 17.

[0048] A respective monitoring circuit 39 may be provided for each processor system 25, 33, which monitoring circuit is able to provide what is known as a heartbeat functionality, for example. If there is a defect in a processor system 25, 33, then the monitoring circuit 39 of this processor system 25, 33 may signal this. Routing of the communication data 22 and/or of the data transmission internal to the controller may be adjusted in response, for example by the controller apparatus 20, in order to replace the software function of the defective processor system 25, 33 with at least one other processor system 25, 33 that is still functional.

[0049] The FIGURE additionally shows how functional monitoring 42, independent of the actual microprocessor arrangement 40, is able to monitor a functionality and/or plausibility of the function of the processor system 33, for each processor system 33 of a computing module unit 29 via a communication chip 41, in addition to the actual microprocessor arrangement 40. A security level of the processor system 33 may thereby for example be raised to the ASIL-D level.

[0050] In the controller 11, splitting or dividing the provided vehicle function over multiple separate computing module units and coupling or linking the computing module unit by way of the communication unit, in particular based on PCIe technology, allows the computing power of the controller 11 to be expanded in a modular manner. Using the PCIe technology guarantees a sufficient bandwidth, abstraction and expansion capability. Provision may preferably be made for two to five independent computing module units 29 each having a dedicated module housing 30, a dedicated supply of current provided by a dedicated power supply 31 and cooling provided by a dedicated cooling apparatus 32.

[0051] The computing module apparatuses are preferably connected to the communication unit of the central module housing via PCIe and are thus part of the controller. The controller thus becomes expandable in a modular manner such that any expansion through a respective computing module unit is able to contribute its own supply of current and cooling.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0052] 10 motor vehicle [0053] 11 controller [0054] 12 module housing [0055] 13 communication unit [0056] 14 peripheral [0057] 15 vehicle component [0058] 16 circuit board [0059] 17 bus system [0060] 18 switch [0061] 19 data lines [0062] 20 control apparatus [0063] 21 routing table [0064] 22 communication data [0065] 23 power supply [0066] 24 cooling apparatus [0067] 25 basic processor system [0068] 26 circuit board [0069] 27 computing unit [0070] 28 bus connection [0071] 29 computing module unit [0072] 30 module housing [0073] 31 power supply [0074] 32 cooling apparatus [0075] 33 processor system [0076] 34 installation space [0077] 35 connection apparatus [0078] 36 connection controller [0079] 37 logging apparatus [0080] 38 readout connection [0081] 39 monitoring circuit [0082] 40 microprocessor arrangement [0083] 41 communication chip [0084] 42 function monitoring