Automatic upgrade of a vehicle-based processor based on a physical component change
First Claim
1. A system for upgrading a first component of a vehicle to a second component, comprising:
- an electronic control unit (ECU) disposed in the vehicle and having a non-volatile memory, the non-volatile memory being employed to store instructions on the operation of the first component and the second component; and
an upgradeable vehicle cockpit interface disposed in the vehicle and configured to load data onto the non-volatile memory, whereinthe ECU is configured to detect that the first component has been replaced with the second component, wherein the second component comprises a vehicle add-on,and in response to the detection, the ECU is configured to determine whether the add-on is supported,and subsequent to the determination, the ECU is further configured to automatically instruct the upgradeable vehicle cockpit interface to rewrite the stored instructions to allow the ECU to interface with the second component, wherein rewriting the stored instructions comprises modifying the ECU to support the vehicle add-on,the first component and the second component being non-software physical hardware.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The aspects of the present disclosure provide an upgradable vehicle cockpit interface and in particular, to a single or multi-phase upgradable hardware and firmware vehicle cockpit interface. The upgradable vehicle cockpit interface may include one or more hardware and firmware components that may be designed to interface with or connect to one or more corresponding hardware and firmware blocks located within the vehicle cockpit. The hardware and firmware components may be detachable from the hardware and firmware blocks and may be backwards compatible with the vehicle'"'"'s hardware and firmware blocks. The upgradable vehicle cockpit interface enables an individual to experience the same vehicle over a time period and have the ability to upgrade the vehicle components (i.e. electronics) to ease the vehicle aging process.
45 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for upgrading a first component of a vehicle to a second component, comprising:
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an electronic control unit (ECU) disposed in the vehicle and having a non-volatile memory, the non-volatile memory being employed to store instructions on the operation of the first component and the second component; and an upgradeable vehicle cockpit interface disposed in the vehicle and configured to load data onto the non-volatile memory, wherein the ECU is configured to detect that the first component has been replaced with the second component, wherein the second component comprises a vehicle add-on, and in response to the detection, the ECU is configured to determine whether the add-on is supported, and subsequent to the determination, the ECU is further configured to automatically instruct the upgradeable vehicle cockpit interface to rewrite the stored instructions to allow the ECU to interface with the second component, wherein rewriting the stored instructions comprises modifying the ECU to support the vehicle add-on, the first component and the second component being non-software physical hardware. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An upgradeable vehicle, comprising:
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a first installation portion of a first component in the vehicle and a second installation portion of a second component in the vehicle, wherein the first component and the second component represent an older version and a newer version of a function associated with the upgradeable vehicle, respectively; and a microcontroller disposed in the vehicle with instructions for the first component and the second component, wherein the microcontroller is configured to detect that the second component has been installed in the vehicle, wherein the second component comprises a vehicle add-on, and in response to second component replacing the first component in the upgradeable vehicle, the microcontroller being configured to determine whether the add-on is supported and subsequently automatically retrieve and employ the instructions for the second component, wherein employing the instructions comprises modifying the microprocessor to support the vehicle add-on, the first and second component being non-software physical hardware. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification