Memory writing device for an electronic device

• US 7,493,455 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ishida, Takashi, Kawase, Yoshihiro, Kida, Yoshiaki, Terada, Yukari
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Denise
• Application Number:
  US11/217,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2487 Methods for rewriting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• 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: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators

Abstract

To provide a memory-writing device which can simply and reliably write desired data to a nonvolatile memory of an electronic device, connection is made with an ECU to perform write processing to write write data from the memory-writing device to a flash ROM by copying a write-control program from the external portion to a RAM and executing the write-control program, and by sequentially sending the foregoing write-control program and write data to this ECU together with sending, at a predetermined timing, write-control information required for the ECU to execute the write-control program, the write-control program and the write-control information are stored in a freely attachable and removable first ROM and the write-control information stored in the first ROM is read and sent to the ECU at a memory-rewriting device to cause the write processing to be performed in the ECU. According to this device, an ECU of differing specifications can be supported merely by exchanging the first ROM.

Claims

1. A control unit comprising:

a non-volatile memory that is rewritable of data electrically; and

a processor that normally operates based on a control program and control data, which are defined by data stored in the non-volatile memory, and rewrites the data stored in the non-volatile memory with new data upon receiving a rewriting command from an external device, the new data being sent from the external device,

wherein the processor is programmed to receive a rewriting control program for rewriting processing from the external device and store the rewriting control program in a predetermined memory area, which is different from a subject area of rewriting,

wherein the processor is programmed to send, after determining that an operation mode is a rewriting mode, a signal indicative of a set baud rate to the external device upon receiving a baud rate value request from the external device under a condition that a baud rate of communication with the external device is set at an initial value, the set baud rate being supportable in the processor and being different than the initial value of the baud rate,

wherein the processor is programmed to receive the rewriting control program sent from the external device at the set baud rate and store the rewriting control program in the predetermined memory area,

wherein the processor is programmed to be capable of changing, after completing receiving of the rewriting control program, the set baud rate of communication with the external device to a baud rate faster than the set baud rate of communicating the rewriting control program which is executed based on a predetermined change instruction,

wherein the rewriting control program includes the predetermined change instruction preceding a set of instructions for executing the rewriting processing.

2. The control unit of claim 1, wherein:

the rewriting control program includes, preceding the predetermined change instruction, a send instruction for sending to the external device a signal indicative of the faster baud rate changed by the predetermined change instruction.

3. The control unit of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the rewriting control program for operating as:

a data acquiring means that receives a predetermined amount of data from the external device and stores the received data in a predetermined buffer area;

a data writing means that writes the data stored in the predetermined buffer area into the non-volatile memory;

a writing checking means that checks whether the data writing means has completed writing of the data into the non-volatile memory; and

a requesting means that requests the external device to send additional data to be rewritten into the non-volatile memory by a request signal, when the writing checking means determines that the data writing means has completed the writing of the data, and

wherein the predetermined change instruction is positioned preceding instructions for operating as the data acquiring means, the data writing means, the writing checking means and the requesting means.

4. The control unit of claim 3, wherein:

the predetermined amount of data is a multiple of a number of bits of data, which is writable into the non-volatile memory at one time by the data writing means; and

the data writing means sequentially takes out data of the number of bits of data from the buffer area and sequentially writes a set of the number of bits of data into the non-volatile memory.

5. The control unit of claim 1, wherein:

the new data is sent from the external device in a packet of a predetermined amount of data; and

the processor is programmed to request the external device to send another predetermined amount of data to be written into the non-volatile memory after the predetermined amount of data has been written into the non-volatile memory.

6. The control unit of claim 1, wherein:

the control program and the control data stored in the non-volatile memory are for controlling an internal combustion engine of a vehicle.