Device, system and method for updating the software modules of a vehicle

• US 10,146,521 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirPro Diagnostics, LLC
• Original Assignee: AirPro Diagnostics, LLC
• Inventors: West, Scotty, Casella, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Marina
• Application Number:
  US14/849,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A device, system and method for updating the software modules of a vehicle is provided. The device includes an interface device local to a vehicle that communicates with a remote third party location or customer service center. A database of OEM vehicle software modules is accessed by the third party, customer service center and at least one software module particular to the vehicle is provided to the interface device. The interface device is configured to program, reprogram and/or update at least one vehicle software module of the particular vehicle with the software module via the reprogramming tool.

Claims

1. A method for programming a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a first location, from a second location remote from the first location, information of a particular vehicle to be updated at the remote second location;

facilitating, from the first location, a transfer of at least one software module particular to the vehicle to be updated from a plurality of software modules of a plurality of different vehicle manufacturers disposed in a plurality of different vehicle manufacturer original equipment manufacturer (OEM) databases accessible by the first location via a communications network or networks, said plurality of different vehicle manufacturer OEM databases being remote from said first and second locations; and

transferring the at least one software module directly from one of the OEM databases of one of the different vehicle manufacturers to an interface device at the second location connected to the vehicle via a cable, the transfer being initiated from the first location, the interface device configured to store the at least one software module in non-transitory memory of the interface device at the second location and to use the at least one software module to program, reprogram or update at least one software module of the vehicle, via a vehicle programming tool at the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle programming tool is a J2534 programming tool and the interface device is part of, or in communication with, the J2534 programming tool.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the J2534 programming tool is a J2534 pass-thru device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the interface device is a smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or tablet computing device electrically connected with the J2534 programming tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface device is configured to communicate with the vehicle programming tool and the remote location to obtain software with which to reprogram or re-flash the vehicle programming tool to update software modules of the particular vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is a third party location or customer service center having access to the remote OEM databases of the different vehicle manufacturers.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of providing at least one of the interface device and access to the at least one database to the second location on a leased or subscription basis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received about the particular vehicle is received verbally from the second location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information received about the particular vehicle is received digitally from an electronic device at the second location.

10. A device for programming a vehicle at the same location as the device, comprising:

an interface device including a communication device, the interface device particularly configured by software stored in non-transitory memory of the interface device and executed by a processor of the interface device, to communicate with a first location remote from the interface device and with a plurality of different vehicle manufacturer original equipment manufacturer (OEM) databases remote from the first location and the interface device, to obtain at least one software module used to reprogram the vehicle, said communication device configured to receive the at least one software module directly from one of said plurality of different vehicle manufacturer OEM databases at the initiation of said first location and to store said at least one software module in the non-transitory memory of the interface device;

said interface device being located at the vehicle and connected to the vehicle via a cable, said interface device additionally being local to, and in signal communication with, a vehicle programming tool configured to communicate with an on-board computer of the vehicle, said interface device further configured to update module software in the vehicle using said at least one software module stored in the interface device, via the vehicle programming tool.

11. A method for programming a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a device according to claim 10;

providing information about a particular vehicle local to the device to a first location remote from the device and particular vehicle;

receiving, based on the information provided and initiated by said first location, at least one software module directly from one of a plurality of different vehicle manufacturer OEM databases remote from the device and from the said first location, the at least one software module being stored in non-transitory memory of the interface device; and

executing software on the interface device to program the particular vehicle using the at least one software module via the vehicle programming tool.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information about a particular vehicle is provided to the first location orally.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the information about a particular vehicle is provided to the first location digitally.

14. A system for re-programming software modules of a vehicle, comprising:

a customer service center;

a vehicle programming device disposed local to the vehicle and remote from the customer service center;

a plurality of different vehicle manufacturer original equipment manufacturer (OEM) databases remote from the customer service center and the vehicle programming device;

an interface device located at the vehicle and remote from the customer service center and connected to the vehicle via a cable, said interface device electrically connected to, or part of, said vehicle programming device;

said interface device including a communication device for communicating with said customer service center over a communications network and with the plurality of different vehicle manufacturer OEM databases to receive at least one software module, said at least one software module being received directly from one of said plurality of different vehicle manufacturer OEM databases at the initiation of said customer service center and stored in non-transitory memory of the interface device; and

said interface device configured to update at least one software module of the vehicle with the at least one software module stored in the interface device using the vehicle programming tool.