PROGRAM UPDATE DEVICE

• US 20130132939A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Noriaki, Murata, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/58 Departure time prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A program update device 1 that is provided in a vehicle in which a battery can be charged from the outside and updates a software program used in the vehicle includes a charging time acquiring unit 14 that acquires the charging time of the battery, an update time acquiring unit 15 that acquires the time required to update the program, a comparison unit 16 that compares the charging time acquired by the charging time acquiring unit 14 and the program update time acquired by the update time acquiring unit 15, and an update unit 20 that updates the program on the basis of the comparison result of the comparison unit 16. According to this structure, it is possible to appropriately determine a program which can be updated within the battery charging time and reliably update the program while the vehicle is being charged.

Claims

1. A program update device that is provided in which a battery can be charged from the outside and downloads rewrite data of a software program used in the vehicle when there is the rewrite data of the program, and rewrites the program with the rewrite data, comprising:

a charging time acquiring unit that acquires a charging time of the battery;

an update time acquiring unit that acquires a time required to rewrite the program;

a comparison unit that compares the charging time acquired by the charging time acquiring unit and the program rewrite time acquired by the update time acquiring unit

an update unit that rewrites the program on the basis of the comparison result of the comparison unit; and

a lock unit that locks a charging connector before the update unit starts to rewrite the program and unlocks the charging connector when the update unit ends the rewriting of the program.

2. The program update device according to claim 1,

wherein the update unit rewrites the program in which the program rewrite time acquired by the update time acquiring unit is less than the charging time acquired by the charging time acquiring unit.

4. The program update device according to, claim 1,

wherein the rewrite data of the program is downloaded while the vehicle is traveling.

3. (canceled)

5. A program update system comprising:

a center that manages a vehicle program; and

a vehicle in which a battery can be charged by a charging facility and which can communicate with the center, downloads rewrite data of a software program used in the vehicle when the center has the rewrite data of the program, and rewrites the program with the rewrite data,

wherein the vehicle includes

a charging time acquiring unit that acquires a charging time of the battery;

an update time acquiring unit that acquires a time required to rewrite the program;

a comparison unit that compares the charging time acquired by the charging time acquiring unit and the program rewrite time acquired by the update time acquiring unit;

an update unit that rewrites the program on the basis of the comparison result of the comparison unit, and

a lock unit that locks a charging connector before the update unit starts to rewrite the program and unlocks the charging connector when the update unit ends the rewriting of the program.