Control apparatus, program updating method, and computer program

• US 10,705,826 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Seki, Ryusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US16/482,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20190354364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/307 using data concerning maintenance or configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0083 Setting, resetting, calibration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• 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 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates

Abstract

Provided is a control apparatus configured to control update of a control program of an on vehicle control device which controls target equipment installed in a vehicle. The control apparatus includes: a memory configured to store an update program for the control program; a determination unit configured to determine priority levels of a plurality of update programs stored in the memory: and a control unit configured to download the plurality of update programs according to the determined priority levels in descending order of the priority levels. The determination unit determines the priority levels on the basis of one or more safety indices that are associated with each of the plurality of update programs stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A control apparatus configured to control update of a control program of an on-vehicle control device which controls target equipment installed in a vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store an update program for the control program;

a determination unit configured to determine priority levels of a plurality of update programs stored in the memory; and

a control unit configured to download the plurality of update programs according to the determined priority levels, in descending order of the priority levels, wherein

the update programs are each associated with a functional safety index relating to functional safety and a security index relating to security of the vehicle and communication equipment mounted on the vehicle, and

the determination unit determines the priority levels on the basis of the functional safety index and the security index that are associated with each of the plurality of update programs stored in the memory.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where a new update program is stored in the memory while an update program is being downloaded, and if the priority level of the new update program is higher than the priority level of the update program being downloaded, the control unit suspends download of the update program being downloaded, and downloads the new update program.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where a new update program is stored in the memory while an update program is being downloaded, and if the priority level of the new update program is higher than the priority level of the update program being downloaded, the control unit downloads the new update program after completion of download of the update program being downloaded.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit downloads the plurality of update programs according to the priority levels in descending order of the priority levels, and requests update of control programs in descending order of the priority levels.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an algorithm for determining the priority levels of the update programs by the determination unit is changeable.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the priority levels on the basis of a map of the priority levels, which is defined in a two-dimensional coordinate space having a first coordinate axis representing the functional safety index and a second coordinate axis representing the security index.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the priority levels while putting greater emphasis on the functional safety index than on the security index.

8. A method of updating a control program of an on-vehicle control device which controls target equipment installed in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

storing, by a control unit, an update program for the control program in a memory;

determining, by the control unit, priority levels of a plurality of update programs stored in the memory; and

downloading, by the control unit, the plurality of update programs according to the determined priority levels, in descending order of the priority levels, wherein

the update programs are each associated with a functional safety index relating to functional safety and a security index relating to security of the vehicle and communication equipment mounted on the vehicle, and

in the step of determining the priority levels, the control unit determines the priority levels on the basis of the functional safety index and the security index that are associated with each of the plurality of update programs stored in the memory.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as a control apparatus configured to control update of a control program of an on-vehicle control device which controls target equipment installed in a vehicle,

the computer including a memory configured to store an update program for the control program,

the computer program causing the computer to function as:

a determination unit configured to determine priority levels of a plurality of update programs stored in the memory; and

a control unit configured to download the plurality of update programs according to the determined priority levels, in descending order of the priority levels, wherein

the update programs are each associated with a functional safety index relating to functional safety and a security index relating to security of the vehicle and communication equipment mounted on the vehicle, and

the determination unit determines the priority levels on the basis of the functional safety index and the security index that are associated with each of the plurality of update programs stored in the memory.