Method for updating software components

• US 8,561,054 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Smirnov, Mikhail, Krueger, Uwe, Schnizler, Moritz
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Application Number:
  US13/215,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement

Abstract

A method is provided for updating at least one software component of a motor vehicle. The method operates such that the updating of the software component to be updated is offered to the driver by a service facility outside the vehicle before updating is executed. The updating can be enabled solely by the driver of the motor vehicle in response to the offer. The transmission of vehicle configuration information and identification data to the service facility takes place repeatedly in a time controlled and/or event controlled manner without the involvement and/or notification of the driver.

Claims

1. A method for updating at least one software component of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining vehicle configuration information, which comprises information of hardware and/or software components currently present in the motor vehicle, by a status determining device in the motor vehicle;

wirelessly transmitting, from the motor vehicle, the vehicle configuration information, determined by the status determining device, and identification data of the motor vehicle to a service facility outside the vehicle via a service interface inside the vehicle;

receiving a corresponding update specification from the service facility outside the vehicle if one or more software components are to be updated based upon an inspection protocol; and

updating the one or more software components to be updated using the update specification;

wherein;

updating of the one or more software components to be updated is offered to a driver before said updating is executed;

updating is enableable solely by the driver of the motor vehicle in response to the offer; and

wirelessly transmitting the vehicle configuration information and the identification data takes place repeatedly in at least one of a time controlled and event controlled manner without involvement and/or notification of the driver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the vehicle configuration information and the identification data is carried out over a secure link and/or in an encoded form.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle configuration information and the identification data are automatically deleted at the service facility outside the vehicle immediately after said data have been processed or after the expiration of a predefined period of time.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle configuration information and the identification data are automatically deleted at the service facility outside the vehicle immediately after said data have been processed or after the expiration of a predefined period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification data comprise at least one unambiguous vehicle identification number.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein not only the vehicle configuration information and the identification data, but also additional vehicle data are transmitted to the service facility outside the vehicle, the additional vehicle data including error memory contents.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the vehicle configuration information and the identification data takes place repeatedly in a time controlled manner without the involvement and/or notification of the driver.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein transmission of the vehicle configuration information and the identification data takes place cyclically in a constant cycle duration without the involvement and/or notification of the driver.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of the vehicle configuration information and the identification data takes place repeatedly in an event controlled manner without the involvement and/or notification of the driver.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a triggering event of the event controller manner is defined as an initial and/or repeated connection of a specific accessory to the motor vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the specific accessory is one of a mobile telephone, an audio/video player and a portable computer.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the repeated transmission of the vehicle configuration information and the identification data takes place on the basis of a single non-recurring MMI controlled involvement of the driver or on the basis of an MMI controlled involvement of the driver that is to be done at a rate of repetition that is significantly less than the rate of transmission.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle configuration information, in a case of a vehicle configuration that has not changed from a previous transmission operation, is transmitted in the form of an identification code distinctly characterizing the vehicle configuration.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service facility outside the vehicle checks whether the one or more software components should be updated according to the inspection protocol available to the service facility.