CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20130103230A1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suganuma, Hideaki, Fujiwara, Ryotaro
• Granted Patent: US 9,201,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

A program delivery center is a program update device which updates a program of an ECU mounted in a vehicle, wherein a right holder specification unit specifies a right holder who has a right to execute the update of the program on the basis of information regarding the vehicle, and a reprogramming guide execution unit sets and outputs program update guide notification to the right holder. Accordingly, the update of the program by a person other than the right holder can be avoided, thereby improving security. Furthermore, since the update of the program is notified to the right holder which can execute the update of the program, a program update execution frequency increases compared to a case where a user who cannot execute the update of the program is notified, thereby prompting the execution of the program update.

Claims

1. A control device which changes a control content of control means mounted in a vehicle, the control device comprising:

right holder specification means for specifying a right holder who has a right to execute the change of the control content on the basis of information regarding the vehicle; and

change guide setting means for, when the right holder is specified by the right holder specification means, setting and outputting control content change guide notification to the right holder, wherein the right holder specification means determines whether the right holder is an individual user or a non-individual user.

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is owned by an individual or a corporate on the basis of the information regarding the vehicle,

wherein the right holder specification means specifies the right holder in accordance with the determination result of the determination means.

3. The control device according to claim 2,

wherein, when the right holder specification means specifies the right holder as a corporate, the change guide setting means is set to guide the change of the control content to an administrator who administrates the vehicle.

4. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein information regarding to a vehicle chassis is at least one of vehicle chassis number information representing the vehicle chassis number of the vehicle, maintenance record information relating to the maintenance records of the vehicle, parking lot information regarding a contract content of a parking lot contracted by the user of the vehicle, automobile insurance information regarding to the content of an automobile insurance contacted by the user of the vehicle, and navigation configuration information relating to a content set by the user in a navigation system mounted in the vehicle.

5. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein the right holder is the owner of the vehicle.

6. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means is an electronic control device,

the right holder specification means specifies the right holder who has a right to execute change of a program of the electronic control device on the basis of the information regarding the vehicle, and

when the right holder is specified by the right holder specification means, the change guide setting means sets and outputs program change guide notification to the right holder.

7. A control device which changes a control content of control unit mounted in a vehicle, the control device comprising:

right holder specification unit specifying a right holder who has a right to execute the change of the control content on the basis of information regarding the vehicle; and

change guide setting unit, when the right holder is specified by the right holder specification unit, setting and outputting control content change guide notification to the right holder,

wherein the right holder specification unit determines whether the right holder is an individual user or a non-individual user.

8. The control device according to claim 7, further comprising:

determination unit determining whether or not the vehicle is owned by an individual or a corporate on the basis of the information regarding the vehicle,

wherein the right holder specification unit specifies the right holder in accordance with the determination result of the determination unit.

9. The control device according to claim 8,

wherein, when the right holder specification unit specifies the right holder as a corporate, the change guide setting unit is set to guide the change of the control content to an administrator who administrates the vehicle.

10. The control device according to claim 7,

wherein information regarding to a vehicle chassis is at least one of vehicle chassis number information representing the vehicle chassis number of the vehicle, maintenance record information relating to the maintenance records of the vehicle, parking lot information regarding a contract content of a parking lot contracted by the user of the vehicle, automobile insurance information regarding to the content of an automobile insurance contacted by the user of the vehicle, and navigation configuration information relating to a content set by the user in a navigation system mounted in the vehicle.

11. The control device according to claim 7,

wherein the right holder is the owner of the vehicle.

12. The control device according to claims 7,

wherein the control unit is an electronic control device,

the right holder specification unit specifies the right holder who has a right to execute change of a program of the electronic control device on the basis of the information regarding the vehicle, and

when the right holder is specified by the right holder specification unit, the change guide setting unit sets and outputs program change guide notification to the right holder.