Method and system for acoustic upgrading of firmware

• US 7,526,284 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Gryc, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller; Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US10/197,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20040014463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,476 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 455142-143, 455/45, 455/414.1, 455/3.06, 455/3.02, 455/403, 709220-221, 701/33, 701/29, 701/35, 701/2, 701/4, 701/36, 701/31, 719/322, 386/83, 386/104, 386/126, 379/102.01, 379/102.02, 379/103.03, 381/77, 381/86, 341/50, 341/176
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The invention provides a method for acoustic upgrading of firmware by multiplexing at least one data instruction within an audible data stream and placing the audible data stream within an audible media. The audible media is executed to produce an audible signal that is received by a programmable device. The programmable device is programmed as a function of the audible signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an in-vehicle media player for playing audio content stored on a media playable by the media player, wherein the audio content includes data encoded into an audio signal and audio instructions specifying procedures for a user to initiate an update of at least one programmable device;

an in-vehicle device having a microphone capable of receiving the played audio content from the media player, wherein the in-vehicle device receives the audio signal through the microphone and includes a processor capable of decoding the data encoded into the audio signal, and wherein the in-vehicle device includes a programming function; and

at least one programmable device on the vehicle that is updated by the in-vehicle device with the decoded data, wherein the update is initiated by the user using the procedures detailed in the audio instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the programmable device is within the in-vehicle device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle device comprises a telematics unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio instructions specify procedures for placing the in-vehicle device in a user-initiated receive mode to initiate decoding the data encoded into the audio signal.

5. A vehicle system for obtaining data from an optical disk or other media, comprising:

a media player that plays audio content over at least one speaker, wherein the audio content comprises encoded data stored on a media readable by the media player;

an in-vehicle system having a microphone for receiving the audio content played inside the vehicle via the speaker;

a processor capable of decoding the encoded data contained in the received audio content; and

at least one vehicle electronic module having memory for storing program code, wherein the program code stored on the at least one vehicle electronic module is updated with the decoded data, wherein the in-vehicle system is capable of entering a user-initiated receive mode in which audio received via the microphone is sent to the processor for decoding.

6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the media player is capable of playing the audio content from compact disk.

7. The vehicle system of claim 5, further comprising a vehicle sound system that is located within the vehicle and that includes the media player and the speaker.

8. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the processor comprises a part of the in-vehicle system.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the in-vehicle system comprises a telematics unit.

10. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle system comprises a speech recognition system that processes speech received via the microphone.

11. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle system includes the at least one vehicle electronic module, whereby the decoded data is used to update the in-vehicle system.

12. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the audio content includes the encoded data along with audio instructions for playback to a vehicle occupant.

13. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the decoded data comprises new programming that is used as a firmware upgrade on the programmable device.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the in-vehicle device is capable of entering a user-initiated receive mode in which audio received via the microphone is sent to the processor for decoding.

15. A method for vehicle users to update a programmable device on a vehicle using data stored on an audible media, comprising:

(a) receiving an audible media containing an audible data stream that comprises a data signal modulated with data;

(b) inserting the audible media into a vehicle media player on the vehicle;

(c) receiving manual user input at the vehicle and initiating a receive mode in response to the user input;

(d) audibly playing the data stream within the vehicle;

(e) receiving the audible data stream inside the vehicle using a microphone;

(f) obtaining the data by demodulating the modulated data signal in the data stream; and

(g) updating the programmable device at the vehicle with the obtained data;

wherein at least steps (d) and (e) are carried out in response to user input at the vehicle; and

wherein the method further comprises the step of playing audio instructions to the vehicle user specifying how to initiate data transfer, with the audio instructions being accessed from the audible media and audibly played in the vehicle using the media player.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of flashing a vehicle electronic module with the obtained data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein step (d) further comprises audibilizing the audible data stream using a vehicle sound system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the obtained data includes a block header containing information about the data.

19. A method of providing vehicle customers with new programming for use in upgrading a programmable device located onboard their vehicle, comprising the steps of:

generating an audible data stream comprising at least in part a data signal modulated using the new programming;

storing the audible data stream onto each of a plurality of audible media, wherein the audible data stream is readable from the media using a media player located in each customer'"'"'s vehicle that can playback the audible data stream via one or more speakers; and

distributing the plurality of audible media to the customers;

wherein the generating step further comprising generating the audible data stream such that it includes the modulated data signal and audio instructions for playback via the media player to instruct the vehicle customer on how to carry out the upgrading of the programmable device using the audible media in the media player located in the customer'"'"'s vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of audible media comprise compact disks, on each of which is stored the audible data stream.