Method for updating an operating function of a sensor, and sensor module

• US 10,261,778 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Fischer, Frank, Pflugmann, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Das, Chameli
• Application Number:
  US15/028,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

A method for updating an operating function of a sensor, which has a memory that has a boot memory area for storing a boot function and an operating memory area for storing an operating function. The method has the following steps: execution of the boot function; checking whether an update for the operating function of the sensor needs to be performed; if an update for the operating function of the sensor does need to be performed, performing a plausibility check; if the plausibility check was successful, updating the operating function of the sensor such that data for an up-to-date operating function are received from an external unit and the data are written to the operating memory area. The reception of the data and the writing of the data to the operating memory area take place in parallel.

Claims

1. A method for updating an operating function of a sensor of a sensor module located in a vehicle wheel, the sensor module including the sensor, an interface, a memory with a boot memory area for storing a boot function, and an operating memory area for storing an operating function, the method comprising the following steps:

executing the boot function that is stored in the boot memory area of the memory of the sensor module;

checking whether an update of the operating function of the sensor is intended to be performed;

if an update of the operating function of the sensor is intended to be performed, carrying out a plausibility check;

if the plausibility check is successful, updating the operating function of the sensor by receiving data relating to a current operating function into the interface of the sensor module from an external unit and writing the data to the operating memory area, wherein receiving the data and writing the data to the operating memory area take place in parallel;

updating validity information relating to the operating function as soon as the received data relating to a current operating function have been completely written to the operating memory area; and

executing the current operating function.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a tire pressure sensor, a tire temperature sensor and a tire load sensor of a vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises starting the boot function from the external unit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of carrying out the plausibility check comprises carrying out an authentication check and a compatibility check.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating memory area comprises a multiplicity of memory blocks, and the updating of the operating function of the sensor comprises sequentially writing blocks of the data relating to the current operating function to the multiplicity of memory blocks so that data relating to a current operating function which are intended to be written to a block of the multiplicity of memory blocks are received and data which are currently stored in the block of the multiplicity of memory blocks are deleted at the same time and data relating to a current operating function which are intended to be written to the block of the multiplicity of memory blocks are then written to the block of the multiplicity of memory blocks.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the updating of the operating function of the sensor further comprises the following step:

updating validity information of the data relating to a current operating function which are intended to be written to the block of the multiplicity of memory blocks before the data which are currently stored in the block of the multiplicity of memory blocks are completely deleted.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

updating validity information relating to the operating function as soon as the received data relating to a current operating function have been completely written to the operating memory area; and

executing the current operating function.

8. The method according to claim 1, which comprises storing the received data in compressed form.

9. A computer program product, comprising executable instructions in non-transitory form and configured to carry out a method according to claim 1.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of updating the operating function of the sensor includes adding at least one program function.

11. A sensor module, comprising:

a sensor for measuring a physical variable;

a control module for executing an operating function for controlling said sensor;

an interface configured to interact with said control module to receive data relating to a current operating function from an external unit;

said control module having a memory with a boot memory area for storing a boot function and an operating memory area for storing an operating function of said sensor; and

an update module having an execution unit for executing the boot function, an evaluation unit for checking whether an update for the operating function of the sensor is intended to be performed, a security unit configured for performing a plausibility check if an update for the operating function of the sensor is intended to be performed, and a writing unit for writing received data relating to a current operating function to the operating memory area;

said writing unit being configured to write the received data relating to the current operating function to said operating memory area in parallel with receiving the data relating to the current operating function;

wherein said sensor, said control module, said interface, and said update module are located within said sensor module;

said memory including a non-volatile memory for storing validity information relating to the operating function, the validity information relating to the operating function being updated in said non-volatile memory as soon as the received data relating to the current operating function have been completely written to said operating memory area and before the current operating function is executed.

12. The sensor module according to claim 11, configured as a tire sensor module.

13. The sensor module according to claim 11, wherein said operating memory area is formed of a multiplicity of memory blocks, and said writing unit includes a deleting unit for deleting data which are currently stored in a block of said multiplicity of memory blocks and is configured to sequentially write blocks of the data relating to a current operating function to said multiplicity of memory blocks so that, contemporaneously with receiving data relating to a current operating function which are intended to be written to a block of the multiplicity of memory blocks, the deleting unit deletes data which are currently stored in the block of said multiplicity of memory blocks and said writing unit then writes the data relating to a current operating function which are intended to be stored in the block of said multiplicity of memory blocks.

14. The sensor module according to claim 11, wherein said boot memory area is part of a firmware module.

15. The sensor module according to claim 11, wherein said boot memory area is part of said operating memory area.

16. The sensor module according to claim 11, wherein said memory further comprises a non-volatile memory for storing validity information relating to the operating function.

17. The sensor module according to claim 11, comprising a computer program in non-transitory form with executable instructions configured to carry out a method for updating the operating function of the sensor when executed by the sensor module, the method including steps of:

executing the boot function;

checking whether the operating function of the sensor is intended to be updated;

in response to determining that the operating function of the sensor is intended to be updated, carrying out a plausibility check; and

when the plausibility check is successful, updating the operating function of the sensor by receiving data relating to a current operating function from an external unit and writing the data to the operating memory area, wherein receiving the data and writing the data to the operating memory area take place in parallel.