Method for operating a server

• US 10,567,550 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nordbruch, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Davoud A
• Application Number:
  US15/556,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20180063285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method for operating a server, including: establishing a communication connection between the server and a vehicle located in the parking facility via a communication network, the communication network being formed by a communication infrastructure of the parking facility, checking via the communication connection whether a software stored in the processing device of the vehicle must be updated, transmitting, as a function of the check, update data for updating the software to the vehicle via the communication connection using the server so that it is possible to update the software based on the update data while the vehicle is located in the parking facility. Also described is a server, a parking system for vehicles and a computer program.

Claims

1. A method for operating a server, the method comprising:

establishing a communication connection between the server and a vehicle located in a parking facility via a communication network, the communication network being formed by a communication infrastructure of the parking facility;

checking via the communication connection whether a software stored in a processing device of the vehicle must be updated; and

transmitting, depending on the result of the check, update data for updating the software to the vehicle via the communication connection using the server, so as to provide for updating the software based on the update data while the vehicle is located in the parking facility, wherein the checking and the transmitting are performed during a stage in an autonomous parking operation of the vehicle in which the vehicle is autonomously controlled to be in motion in the parking facility.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein another communication connection is established between the server and an additional server, the server receiving the update data from the additional server via the additional communication connection in order to transmit the update data via the communication connection to the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the check includes determining whether the processing device has a malfunction and/or whether the processing device had a malfunction and, if so, whether updating the software suffices to correct the malfunction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the update of the software does not suffice to correct the malfunction, at least one of the following actions are performed using the server:

transmitting a message to a keeper and/or to a driver of the vehicle, in order to inform the keeper and/or driver about this fact,

transmitting a message to a workshop of a keeper and/or driver of the vehicle in order to inform the workshop about this fact,

blocking and/or limiting at least one driving function of the vehicle that concerns the malfunction,

transmitting a message to a roadside assistance service so as to order the roadside assistance service to repair the malfunction,

transmitting a message to a pick-up service so as to order the pick-up service to pick up the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the update of the software suffices, a message is transmitted to a keeper and/or to a driver of the vehicle using the server to inform the latter about this fact and/or to request from the latter a confirmation for a performance of the update or for ordering the roadside assistance service or the pick-up service.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the malfunction affects an autonomous driving functionality and/or an autonomous parking functionality.

7. A server, comprising:

a communication interface to communicate via a communication network that is formed by a communication infrastructure of a parking facility;

a processor to control the communication interface so that the communication interface establishes a communication connection between the server and the vehicle located in a parking facility via the communication network, so that it is possible to check via the communication connection whether a software stored on a processing device of the vehicle must be updated;

wherein the processor is configured to control the communication interface as a function of the check so that the communication interface transmits update data for updating the software to the vehicle via the communication connection so that the software may be updated based on the update data while the vehicle is located in the parking facility;

wherein the check and the transmission of the update data are performed during a stage in an autonomous parking operation of the vehicle in which the vehicle is autonomously controlled to be in motion in the parking facility.

8. A parking system for vehicles, comprising:

a parking facility having a communication infrastructure to form a communication network; and

a server, including;

a communication interface to communicate via a communication network that is formed by a communication infrastructure of a parking facility;

a processor to control the communication interface so that the communication interface establishes a communication connection between the server and the vehicle located in a parking facility via the communication network, so that it is possible to check via the communication connection whether a software stored on a processing device of the vehicle must be updated;

wherein the processor is configured to control the communication interface as a function of the check so that the communication interface transmits update data for updating the software to the vehicle via the communication connection so that the software may be updated based on the update data while the vehicle is located in the parking facility;

wherein the check and the transmission of the update data are performed during a stage in an autonomous parking operation of the vehicle in which the vehicle is autonomously controlled to be in motion in the parking facility.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for operating a server, by performing the following;

establishing a communication connection between the server and a vehicle located in a parking facility via a communication network, the communication network being formed by a communication infrastructure of the parking facility;

checking via the communication connection whether a software stored in a processing device of the vehicle must be updated; and

transmitting, depending on the result of the check, update data for updating the software to the vehicle via the communication connection using the server, so as to provide for updating the software based on the update data while the vehicle is located in the parking facility, wherein the checking and the transmitting are performed during a stage in an autonomous parking operation of the vehicle in which the vehicle is autonomously controlled to be in motion in the parking facility.