Method and apparatus for multi cycle vehicle software update compliance handling

• US 10,416,985 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Madrid, Daniel Joseph, Sangameswaran, Sangeetha, Miller, Jason Michael, Schmotzer, John William
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyons, Andrew M.
• Application Number:
  US15/434,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• 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

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to query one or more vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) modules to determine current software versions installed on the ECU modules, responsive to a multi-cycle update process resuming. The processor is also configured to pause the update process, responsive to the query identifying a change in at least one software version to a different version from when the update process first began. The processor is additionally configured to report the change to a remote source.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

responsive to a multi-cycle vehicle-software update process resuming, query one or more vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) modules to determine current software versions installed on the ECU modules;

responsive to the query identifying a change in at least one software version to a different version from when the update process first began, pause the update process; and

report the change to a remote source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-cycle update process resuming follows a change in ignition state.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to query at least ECU modules being changed by the multi-cycle update process.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to query at least ECU modules having a predefined compatibility requirement with ECU modules being changed by the multi-cycle update process.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to query all ECU modules.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is included in a telematics control unit (TCU).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive instructions from the remote source for a change in the multi-cycle update process, responsive to the query further identifying a new software version for installation on at least one of the ECU modules previously being modified by the multi-cycle update process;

modify the multi-cycle update process to incorporate the change; and

resume the modified multi-cycle update process responsive to the instructions.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive instructions from the remote source to resume the multi-cycle update process unchanged responsive to the reporting; and

resume the multi-cycle update process responsive to the instructions.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

querying to obtain electronic control unit (ECU) module software versions, responsive to a determination that a multi-cycle software update is attempting to resume;

sending a list of changed ECU module software versions to a remote source, and preventing resumption of the multi-cycle software update, responsive to a determination from the query that an ECU module software version has changed; and

resuming the multi-cycle update, incorporating any changes received from the remote source, responsive to receiving instructions from the remote source to resume the update.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the changes include changes to a software version previously being installed by the multi-cycle update.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote source includes an original equipment manufacturer server.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the determination that the multi-cycle software update is attempting to resume is based on detecting a change in ignition state.