APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN ETHERNET SWITCH FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling an Ethernet switch for a vehicle may include: a switch state detection unit configured to acquire a clock of an Ethernet switch; and a processor configured to determine whether the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit has been changed. In particular, the processor is configured to set an Ethernet interface according to the changed clock of the Ethernet switch when the clock of the Ethernet switch has been changed.

Description

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an Ethernet switch for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a switch state detection unit configured to acquire a clock of an Ethernet switch; anda processor configured to: determine whether the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit has been changed, andset an Ethernet interface based on the changed clock of the Ethernet switch when the clock of the Ethernet switch has been changed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to compare the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit with a preset reference clock.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch state detection unit is configured to acquire the clock of the Ethernet switch by reading a clock register of the Ethernet switch through serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to allow a micro controller unit (MCU) to operate by changing an operation mode of the MCU to a degraded mode without resetting the MCU.

5. A method for controlling an Ethernet switch for a vehicle, the method comprising: acquiring, by a switch state detection unit, a clock of an Ethernet switch;determining, by a processor, whether the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit has been changed; andsetting, by the processor, an Ethernet interface based on the changed clock of the Ethernet switch when the clock of the Ethernet switch has been changed.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, in determining whether the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit has been changed, the processor compares the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit with a preset reference clock.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: allowing, by the processor, a micro controller unit (MCU) to operate by changing an operation mode of the MCU to a degraded mode without resetting the MCU.

8. A method for controlling an Ethernet switch for a vehicle, the method comprising: initializing, by a processor, a clock of an Ethernet switch to a preset reference clock;acquiring, by a switch state detection unit, the clock of the Ethernet switch;determining, by the processor, whether the clock of the Ethernet switch detected by the switch state detection unit has been changed by comparing the clock of the Ethernet switch with the reference clock; andsetting, by the processor, an Ethernet interface based on the changed clock of the Ethernet switch when the clock of the Ethernet switch has been changed.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, in acquiring the clock of the Ethernet switch, the switch state detection unit acquires the clock of the Ethernet switch by reading a clock register of the Ethernet switch through serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: allowing, by the processor, a micro controller unit (MCU) to operate by changing an operation mode of the MCU to a degraded mode without resetting the MCU.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein allowing the MCU to operate by changing the operation mode of the MCU to the degraded mode without resetting the MCU comprises: checking whether the Ethernet switch normally receives an Ethernet packet by reading a status register through a switch status detection unit,changing the operation mode of the MCU to the degraded mode,transmitting information on the degraded mode to an application, andoperating a logic set in the degraded mode.