Telematics control unit comprising a differential update package

• US 10,101,992 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Moeller, Douglas S, Pashby, Ronald W, Holmes, Courtney Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Sen Thong
• Application Number:
  US14/740,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20160364230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A telematics control unit (TCU) installable in a vehicle comprises: a wireless network interface; an interface to a vehicle bus coupled to a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs); a memory; a processor; a differential update package (DUP) received via the wireless network interface to provide an update to a specific one ECU. The DUP comprising a flashing tool, differential update instructions for the specific one ECU and differential update data for the flash memory of said specific one ECU. The processor utilizes the flashing tool to provide the differential update instructions to a boot loader of the specific one ECU and to update the ECU flash memory.

Claims

1. A telematics control unit (TCU) installable in a vehicle, said TCU comprising:

a wireless network interface;

an interface to a vehicle bus coupled to a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) disposed in said vehicle, each said ECU comprising flash memory comprising a present digital content image, said flash memory comprising a plurality of blocks of bytes, a random access memory (RAM), and a boot loader, said flash memory and said RAM are sized to not have the capacity to simultaneously store said present digital content image, a desired digital content image, and a differential update package (DUP);

a memory;

a processor;

said DUP received via said wireless network interface to provide an update to a specific one ECU of said plurality of ECUs, said DUP comprising a flashing tool, differential update instructions for said specific one ECU and differential update data for said flash memory of said specific one ECU, said DUP being executable to modify said flash memory a block of bytes at a time;

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to provide said differential update instructions to said boot loader of said specific one ECU;

said differential update instructions are executable to update said flash memory of said specific one ECU on a block of bytes by block of bytes basis;

said differential update instructions cause are executable by said specific one ECU to store a block of bytes of said flash memory into said RAM;

said processor operable to provide said differential update data to said specific one ECU;

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to modify said block in accordance with said differential update data to produce a modified block;

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to erase said block from said flash memory; and

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to write said modified block from said RAM into said flash memory in place of said erased block.

2. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to keep a progression state of said update to said flash memory.

3. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 2, comprising:

said processor utilizes said progression state to detect any disruption of said update.

4. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 3, comprising:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to initiate continuation of said update subsequent to said disruption.

5. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said wireless network interface comprises an interface to a wireless wide area network.

6. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 5, wherein:

said wireless network interface comprises an interface to a wireless local area network.

7. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 6, comprising:

a communications agent to automatically select one of said wireless wide area network interface and said wireless local area network interface over which to receive said DUP.

8. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 6, comprising:

a communications agent responsive to an attempt to download said DUP over one of said wireless wide area network interface and said wireless local area network interface to automatically enable downloading said DUP to said telematics control unit.

9. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said wireless network interface provides an interface to a wireless local area network.

10. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

a communication agent.

11. A telematics control unit (TCU) installable in a vehicle, said TCU comprising:

a wireless network interface;

an interface to a vehicle bus coupled to a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) disposed in said vehicle, each said ECU comprising flash memory comprising a present digital content image, a random access memory (RAM), and a boot loader, said flash memory and said RAM are sized to not have the capacity to simultaneously store said present digital content image, a desired digital content image, and a differential update package (DUP);

a memory;

a processor; and

said DUP received via said wireless network interface to provide an update to a specific one ECU of said ECUs, said DUP comprising a flashing tool, differential update instructions for said specific one ECU and differential update data for said flash memory of said specific one ECU;

said processor is operable to determine if said vehicle is in a predetermined state;

said processor is operable to update said ECU if said vehicle is in said predetermined state;

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to provide said differential update instructions to said boot loader of said specific one ECU;

said differential update instructions cause are executable by said specific one ECU to store a block of said flash memory into said RAM,

said processor operable to provide said differential update data to said specific one ECU;

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to modify said block in accordance with said differential update data to produce a modified block;

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to erase said block from said flash memory; and

said differential update instructions are executable by said specific one ECU to write said modified block from said RAM into said flash memory in place of said erased block.

12. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

said processor is operable to monitor said ECU and said vehicle state and to execute said update only while said ECU is in a predetermined ECU state and said vehicle is in said predetermined state.

13. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

said processor is operable to monitor said ECU and said vehicle state and to execute said update only while said ECU is in a predetermined ECU state and said vehicle is in said predetermined state and said updates can be completed in a predetermined period of time.

14. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to keep a progression state of said update to said flash memory.

15. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 14, comprising:

said processor utilizes said progression state to detect any disruption of said update.

16. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 15, comprising:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to initiate continuation of said update subsequent to said disruption.

17. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said wireless network interface comprises an interface to a wireless wide area network.

18. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 17, wherein:

said wireless network interface comprises an interface to a wireless local area network.

19. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 18, comprising:

a communications agent to automatically select one of said wireless wide area network interface and said wireless local area network interface over which to receive said DUP.

20. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 18, comprising:

a communications agent responsive to an attempt to download said DUP over one of said wireless wide area network interface and said wireless local area network interface to automatically enable downloading said DUP to said telematics control unit.

21. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said wireless network interface provides an interface to a wireless local area network.

22. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to keep a progression state of said update to said flash memory.

23. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 22, comprising:

said processor utilizes said progression state to detect any disruption of said update.

24. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 23, comprising:

said processor utilizes said flashing tool to initiate continuation of said update subsequent to said disruption.

25. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 22, comprising:

a communication agent.

26. A telematics control unit in accordance with claim 22, wherein:

said wireless network interface comprises an interface to a wireless wide area network and an interface to a wireless local area network; and

said communication agent is operable to upload data comprising said progression state.