SOFTWARE UPDATE SYSTEM AND SERVER

• US 20180074811A1
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: KIYAMA, Noboru, KATOU, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 10,599,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• 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 8/66 of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A telematics center includes an update software distribution unit that distributes update software for updating software of an ECU to a software updating device. The software updating device includes a storage device that stores update software distributed from the telematics center and stores update information regarding influence on the operation of a vehicle in a case where the updating of the software of the ECU is not successful and an ECU software updating unit that updates the software of the ECU by using the update software stored in the storage device, and controls the operation of the ECU software updating unit on the basis of the update information stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. A software update system that manages updating of software of a control device mounted on a vehicle, the software update system comprising:

a software updating device which is mounted on the vehicle; and

a server which communicates with the software updating device through a network, and

wherein the server includes an update software distribution unit that distributes update software for updating the software of the control device to the software updating device, and

wherein the software updating device includes a storage device that stores the update software distributed from the server and stores update information regarding influence on operation of the vehicle in a case where the updating of the software of the control device is not successful, and a software updating unit that updates the software of the control device by using the update software stored in the storage device, and controls operation of the software updating unit on the basis of the update information stored in the storage device.

2. The software update system according to claim 1,

wherein the software updating unit determines contents of recovery processing which is performed in a case where the updating of the software of the control device is not successful, on the basis of the update information.

3. The software update system according to claim 2,

wherein the server includes a recovery software distribution unit that distributes recovery software for returning the software of the control device to a state before the updating to the software updating device, and

wherein the software updating unit requests the server to distribute the recovery software in the recovery processing in a case where the software updating device is capable of communicating with the server, determines whether or not the vehicle is movable on the basis of the update information in the recovery processing in a case where the software updating device is not capable of communicating with the server, prompts a user to move the vehicle to a position where the software updating device is capable of communicating with the server when the vehicle is movable, and requests the server to distribute the recovery software when the software updating device and the server are set to be in a communicable state.

4. The software update system according to claim 3,

wherein the software updating unit determines whether or not there is a limitation on the operation of the vehicle on the basis of the update information when prompting the user to move the vehicle, and notifies the user of the presence of the limitation in a case where it is determined that there is the limitation.

5. The software update system according to claim 1,

wherein the software updating unit determines whether or not the vehicle is movable during the updating of the software of the control device on the basis of the update information, and updates the software of the control device during traveling of the vehicle in a case where it is determined that the vehicle is movable.

6. The software update system according to claim 1,

wherein the server includes an update case management unit that manages the update software to be distributed by the update software distribution unit, on the basis of a processing load of the server and the update information stored in the server.

7. The software update system according to claim 1,

wherein the update software distribution unit distributes the update software and the update information to the software updating device, and

wherein the storage device stores the update software and the update information which are distributed from the server.

8. The software update system according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the control devices mounted on the vehicle are grouped into a plurality of function categories in accordance with a degree of influence on the operation of the vehicle, and

wherein the update information includes information indicating to which one of the plurality of function categories each of the plurality of control devices belongs.

9. The software update system according to claim 8,

wherein the server includes a display device that displays the function categories to which the plurality of control devices mounted on the vehicle respectively belong, on a screen.

10. A server that manages updating of software of a control device mounted on a vehicle, the server comprising:

an update software distribution unit that distributes update software for updating the software of the control device to the vehicle; and

a storage device that stores update information regarding influence of operation of the vehicle in a case where the updating of the software of the control device is not successful.