Method and system for remote reflash

• US 20050256614A1
• Filed: 05/13/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Habermas, Stephen C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/40 related to technical updates when adding new parts or software
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

A system and method for remote reflashing of software for electronic control units (ECUs). A method includes identifying vehicle groups for software updating 200, determining vehicles within the vehicle groups, each of the vehicles having a telematics device and a plurality of ECUs 202, preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles 204, transmitting the software update package over a wireless carrier system to the telematics device of each of the vehicles 206, and installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles 208.

Claims

1. A method for remote reflashing of software for electronic control units (ECUs), the method comprising:

identifying vehicle groups for software updating 200;

determining vehicles within the vehicle groups, each of the vehicles having a telematics device and a plurality of ECUs 202;

preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles 204;

transmitting the software update package over a wireless carrier system to the telematics device of each of the vehicles 206; and

installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles 208.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing preliminary software update planning.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles 204 comprises:

determining a target software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

determining an installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

comparing the target software version to the installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

obtaining target ECU software and ECU flash instructions for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version;

determining reflash execution instructions; and

assembling the software update package, including the target ECU software, the ECU flash instructions, and the reflash execution instructions.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising obtaining ECU diagnostic tests for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version, and including the ECU diagnostic tests in the software update package.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining update control parameters selected from the group consisting of required vehicle state and vehicle diagnostic tests, and including the update control parameters in the software update package.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising securing the software update package by a process selected from the group consisting of encrypting, compressing, and signing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the software update package includes reflash execution instructions, first target ECU software, first ECU flash instructions, second target ECU software, and second ECU flash instructions, and the installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles 208 comprises:

executing the reflash execution instructions at the telematics device for a specific vehicle;

transmitting the first target ECU software and the first ECU flash instructions to a first target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions;

installing the first target ECU software in the first target ECU in response to the first ECU flash instructions;

transmitting the second target ECU software and the second ECU flash instructions to a second target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions; and

installing the second target ECU software in the second target ECU in response to the second ECU flash instructions.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles 208 further comprises performing checking selected from the group consisting of pre-installation checking and post-installation checking.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating an installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs for each of the vehicles.

10. A system for remote reflashing of software for electronic control units (ECUs), the system comprising:

means for identifying vehicle groups for software updating;

means for determining vehicles within the vehicle groups, each of the vehicles having a telematics device and a plurality of ECUs;

means for preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles;

means for transmitting the software update package over a wireless carrier system to the telematics device of each of the vehicles; and

means for installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles comprises:

means for determining a target software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

means for determining an installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

means for comparing the target software version to the installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

means for obtaining target ECU software and ECU flash instructions for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version;

means for determining reflash execution instructions; and

means for assembling the software update package, including the target ECU software, the ECU flash instructions, and the reflash execution instructions.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for obtaining ECU diagnostic tests for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version, and means for including the ECU diagnostic tests in the software update package.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for securing the software update package.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the software update package includes reflash execution instructions, first target ECU software, first ECU flash instructions, second target ECU software, and second ECU flash instructions, and the means for installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles comprises:

means for executing the reflash execution instructions at the telematics device for a specific vehicle;

means for transmitting the first target ECU software and the first ECU flash instructions to a first target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions;

means for installing the first target ECU software in the first target ECU in response to the first ECU flash instructions;

means for transmitting the second target ECU software and the second ECU flash instructions to a second target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions; and

means for installing the second target ECU software in the second target ECU in response to the second ECU flash instructions.

15. A computer readable medium for remote reflashing of software for electronic control units (ECUs), the computer readable medium comprising:

computer readable code for identifying vehicle groups for software updating;

computer readable code for determining vehicles within the vehicle groups, each of the vehicles having a telematics device and a plurality of ECUs;

computer readable code for preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles;

computer readable code for transmitting the software update package over a wireless carrier computer readable medium to the telematics device of each of the vehicles; and

computer readable code for installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the computer readable code for preparing a software update package for each of the vehicles comprises:

computer readable code for determining a target software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

computer readable code for determining an installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

computer readable code for comparing the target software version to the installed software version for each of the plurality of ECUs;

computer readable code for obtaining target ECU software and ECU flash instructions for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version;

computer readable code for determining reflash execution instructions; and

computer readable code for assembling the software update package including the target ECU software, the ECU flash instructions, and the reflash execution instructions.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising computer readable code for obtaining ECU diagnostic tests for each of the plurality of ECUs for which the target software version is not the installed software version, and computer readable code for including the ECU diagnostic tests in the software update package.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising computer readable code for securing the software update package.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the software update package includes reflash execution instructions, first target ECU software, first ECU flash instructions, second target ECU software, and second ECU flash instructions, and the computer readable code for installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles comprises:

computer readable code for executing the reflash execution instructions at the telematics device for a specific vehicle;

computer readable code for transmitting the first target ECU software and the first ECU flash instructions to a first target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions;

computer readable code for installing the first target ECU software in the first target ECU in response to the first ECU flash instructions;

computer readable code for transmitting the second target ECU software and the second ECU flash instructions to a second target ECU in response to the reflash execution instructions; and

computer readable code for installing the second target ECU software in the second target ECU in response to the second ECU flash instructions.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein the computer readable code for installing the software update package in at least one target ECU for each of the vehicles further comprises computer readable code for performing checking selected from the group consisting of pre-installation checking and post-installation checking.