Program update device

• US 9,152,408 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• 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: Murata, Kenichi, Inoue, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): COYER, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/806,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 that acquires the charging time of the battery, an update time acquiring unit that acquires the 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, and an update unit that rewrites the program on the basis of the comparison result of the comparison unit. 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 a vehicle in which a battery can be charged from the outside and which can download rewrite data of a plurality of software programs used in the vehicle when there is the rewrite data of the plurality of programs, and rewrite the plurality of programs 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 total rewrite time required to rewrite the plurality of programs;

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

an update unit that rewrites one or more of the plurality of programs 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 one or more of the plurality of programs and unlocks the charging connector when the update unit ends the rewriting of the one or more of the plurality of programs, wherein

when the charging time is less than the total rewrite time, the comparison unit extracts a combination of programs capable of being rewritten within the charging time, and the update unit rewrites the extracted combination of programs.

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.

3. The program update device according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite data of the program is downloaded while the vehicle is traveling.

4. 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, download rewrite data of a plurality of software programs used in the vehicle when the center has the rewrite data of the plurality of programs, and rewrite the plurality of programs 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 total rewrite time required to rewrite the plurality of programs;

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

an update unit that rewrites one or more of the plurality of programs 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 one or more of the plurality of programs and unlocks the charging connector when the update unit ends the rewriting of the one or more of the plurality of programs, wherein

when the charging time is less than the total rewrite time, the comparison unit extracts a combination of programs capable of being rewritten within the charging time, and the update unit rewrites the extracted combination of programs.