Hot updates to controller software using tool chain

• US 10,642,679 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Labs Limited
• Original Assignee: Aurora Labs Limited
• Inventors: Fox, Zohar
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeon, Jae U
• Assistant Examiner(s): Slachta, Douglas M
• Application Number:
  US16/654,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20200050506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 202 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/02 Ensuring safety in case of control system failures, e.g. by diagnosing, circumventing or fixing failures
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0205 Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0225 Failure correction strategy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/04 Monitoring the functioning of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0721 within a central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1629 Error detection by comparing the output of redundant processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3612 by runtime analysis performance monitoring G06F11/3466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0284 Multiple user address space allocation, e.g. using different base addresses interprocessor communication G06F15/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0646 Configuration or reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1008 Correctness of operation, e.g. memory ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1044 : Space efficiency improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1056 : Simplification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 : Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 : Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 : Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 : using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 : while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 : Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/66 : of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 : Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 : Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 : Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44521 : Dynamic linking or loading; Link editing at or after load time, e.g. Java class loading
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments relate to performing updates to Electronic Control Unit (ECU) software while an ECU of a vehicle is operating. Operations may include receiving, at the vehicle while the ECU of the vehicle is operating, a software update file for the ECU software; writing, while the ECU is operating, the software update file into a first memory location in a memory of the ECU while simultaneously executing a code segment of existing code in a second memory location in the memory of the ECU; and updating a plurality of memory addresses associated with the memory of the ECU based on the software update file and without interrupting the execution of the code segment currently being executed in the second memory location in the memory of the ECU.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations for performing changes to current software while a controller is operating, comprising:

receiving, at the controller while the controller is operating, a multidimensional delta file, the multidimensional delta file having a plurality of dimensions comprising at least one of;

a source dimension, a binary dimension, and a map dimension,

wherein one or more of the plurality of dimensions are generated based on identified differences between a plurality of attributes of a software change for the controller and a corresponding plurality of attributes of the current software stored on the controller;

storing, while the controller is operating, the multidimensional delta file in an available memory location in a single memory of the controller while simultaneously executing a code segment of existing code from the current software stored on the controller; and

updating a plurality of memory addresses associated with the single memory of the controller based on the multidimensional delta file and without interrupting the execution of the code segment currently being executed, and without modifying the code segment currently being executed.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional delta file comprises position-independent code.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, the operations further comprising identifying content on the single memory of the controller to delete.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the current software is mapped to a plurality of functional units, at least one of the functional units being associated with the multidimensional delta file, and wherein the controller is configured to utilize a virtual file system (VFS) to determine a correct version of code changes to execute on the controller.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the multidimensional delta file is in response to an identification of an anomalous behavior associated with the controller.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the anomalous behavior is identified based on a deviation of the controller from a map or model.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the anomalous behavior is identified based on a machine learning or artificial intelligence technique.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the controller is a first controller of a first system, and the multidimensional delta file is received in response to an anomalous behavior identified at a second controller of a second system.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the controller is part of a system, and the receiving of the multidimensional delta file is in response to a determination that the system is in a particular operational state.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the particular operational state comprises the system having a wireless communication signal strength above a threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional delta file is received with a request to reboot the controller.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the controller is a vehicle ECU controller.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional delta file is interdependent on other files.

14. A computer-implemented method for performing changes to current software while a controller is operating, the method comprising:

receiving, at the controller while the controller is operating, a multidimensional delta file, the multidimensional delta file having a plurality of dimensions comprising at least one of;

a source dimension, a binary dimension, and a map dimension,

wherein one or more of the plurality of dimensions are generated based on identified differences between a plurality of attributes of a software change for the controller and a corresponding plurality of attributes of the current software stored on the controller;

storing, while the controller is operating, the multidimensional delta file in an available memory location in a single memory of the controller while simultaneously executing a code segment of existing code from the current software stored on the controller; and

updating a plurality of memory addresses associated with the single memory of the controller based on the multidimensional delta file and without interrupting the execution of the code segment currently being executed, and without modifying the code segment currently being executed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multidimensional delta file comprises position-independent code.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying content on the single memory of the controller to delete.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving of the multidimensional delta file is in response to an identification of an anomalous behavior associated with the controller.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the updating of the plurality of memory addresses is performed without modifying source aspects of the current software.