In-vehicle program update apparatus

• US 9,524,160 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Takao, Takahashi, Yasuyuki, Harata, Yuzo, Ohi, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US14/646,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• 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 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A gateway electronic control unit (ECU) includes an update condition table that indicates a vehicle load state that updates an ECU program corresponding to each of several ECUs. The gateway ECU wirelessly communicates with an external center apparatus to receive an update file. The gateway ECU uses the update condition table to determine whether the current vehicle load state equals a lightly loaded state capable of updating an ECU program or a heavily loaded state incapable of updating an ECU program. If the current vehicle load state is determined to equal the lightly loaded state, the gateway ECU updates an ECU program using the update file received from the center apparatus. If the current vehicle load state is determined to equal the heavily loaded state, the gateway ECU performs environment improvement control based on the update condition table to change the current vehicle load state to the lightly loaded state.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle program update apparatus in an in-vehicle network system mounted to a vehicle, the in-vehicle program update apparatus being connected to a plurality of electronic control units in the in-vehicle network system via a communication bus,

the in-vehicle program update apparatus comprising:

a storage portion having a memory to store an update condition table that indicates a vehicle load state capable of updating a program installed in each of the plurality of electronic control units included in the in-vehicle network system;

the vehicle load state indicated by the storage portion including (i) the vehicle load state during traveling of the vehicle and (ii) the vehicle load state during stopping of the vehicle;

an update file reception portion that wirelessly communicates with an external center apparatus separate from the vehicle and receives from the center apparatus an update file to update the program;

an update determination section to determine, based on the update condition table stored in the storage portion, whether a current vehicle load state equals a lightly loaded state capable of updating a program corresponding to the update file or a heavily loaded state incapable of updating the program when the update file reception portion receives the update file,

the lightly loaded state including (i) a first lightly loaded state during traveling of the vehicle and (ii) a second lightly loaded state during stopping of the vehicle;

a program update section that uses the update file received by the update file reception portion to update, via the communication bus, the program corresponding to the update file when the update determination section determines the lightly loaded state regardless of whether the lightly loaded state is the first lightly loaded state or the second lightly loaded state; and

an environment improvement section that performs an environment improvement control to change the current vehicle load state to the lightly loaded state based on the update condition table stored in the storage portion when the update determination section determines that the current vehicle load state equals the heavily loaded state.

2. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the update condition table indicates a vehicle load state corresponding to each type of the program.

3. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the program update section transmits the update file to a corresponding electronic control unit via the communication bus connecting with the plurality of electronic control units;

and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state.

4. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of electronic control units in the in-vehicle network system are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

wherein the non-travel-related electronic control unit uses a first transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus;

wherein the travel-related electronic control unit uses a second transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the non-travel-related electronic control unit via the communication bus; and

wherein the bus load reduction control extends at least one of the first transmission interval and the second transmission interval within a predetermined allowable range.

5. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of electronic control units in the in-vehicle network system are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

and

wherein the bus load reduction control inhibits a part of the non-travel-related electronic control units from transmitting information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus.

6. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of electronic control units in the in-vehicle network system are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

wherein the non-travel-related electronic control unit uses a first transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus;

wherein the travel-related electronic control unit uses a second transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the non-travel-related electronic control unit via the communication bus; and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state by extending at least one of the first transmission interval and the second transmission interval within a predetermined allowable range.

7. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the electronic control units are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state by inhibiting a part of the non-travel-related electronic control units from transmitting information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus.

8. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of electronic control units in the in-vehicle network system are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state by inhibiting a part of the non-travel-related electronic control units from transmitting information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus.

9. The in-vehicle program update apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication bus via which the electronic control units are connected uses at least two mutually different communication protocols.

10. An in-vehicle program update system in a vehicle, cooperating with an external center apparatus that transmits an update file to update programs installed in multiple electronic control units in an in-vehicle network in the vehicle, the in-vehicle program update system including:

a communication terminal that wirelessly communicates with the external center apparatus separate from the vehicle; and

a gateway apparatus that is connected with the communication terminal to communicate with the external center apparatus via the communication terminal, the gateway apparatus being connected with the electronic control units in the in-vehicle network via a communication bus,

the gateway apparatus comprising;

a storage portion having a memory that stores an update condition table that indicates a vehicle load state capable of updating a program installed in each of the electronic control units;

an update file reception section that receives an update file to update the program from the external center apparatus via the communication terminal;

an update determination section that determines, based on the update condition table stored in the storage portion, whether a current vehicle load state equals a lightly loaded state capable of updating a program corresponding to the update file or a heavily loaded state incapable of updating the program when the update file reception section receives the update file;

a program update section that uses the update file received by the update file reception section to update, via the communication bus, the program corresponding to the update file when the update determination section determines the lightly loaded state; and

an environment improvement section that performs an environment improvement control to change the current vehicle load state to the lightly loaded state based on the update condition table stored in the storage portion when the update determination section determines that the current vehicle load state equals the heavily loaded state.

11. The in-vehicle program update system according to claim 10, wherein:

the communication bus via which the gateway apparatus is connected with the electronic control units uses at least two mutually different communication protocols.

12. The in-vehicle program update system according to claim 10, wherein:

the vehicle load state indicated by the storage portion includes (i) the vehicle load state during traveling of the vehicle and (ii) the vehicle load state during stopping of the vehicle; and

the lightly loaded state determined by the update determination section includes (i) a first lightly loaded state during traveling of the vehicle and (ii) a second lightly loaded state during stopping of the vehicle.

13. The in-vehicle program update system according to claim 10,

wherein the update condition table indicates a vehicle load state corresponding to each type of the program.

14. The in-vehicle program update system according to claim 10,

wherein the program update section transmits the update file to a corresponding electronic control unit via the communication bus;

and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state.

15. The in-vehicle program update system according to claim 10,

wherein the electronic control units are classified into travel-related electronic control units to control travel of the vehicle and other non-travel-related electronic control units;

wherein the non-travel-related electronic control unit uses a first transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the other electronic control units via the communication bus;

wherein the travel-related electronic control unit uses a second transmission interval to periodically transmit information to the non-travel-related electronic control unit via the communication bus; and

wherein the environment improvement control is provided as a bus load reduction control that reduces a load on the communication bus as the vehicle load state by extending at least one of the first transmission interval and the second transmission interval within a predetermined allowable range.