Automotive electronic control unit and data rewriting method for automotive electronic control unit

• US 9,569,353 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2013
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyake, Toshifumi, Abe, Yusuke, Yuasa, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chappell, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US13/845,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20130254469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 711154-166
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

An automotive electronic control unit receives rewrite data wirelessly transmitted in units of a predetermined size from an external device and rewrites data stored in a nonvolatile memory based on the rewrite data. At this time, the rewrite data is communicated by switching between broadcast communication and unicast communication, or between multicast communication and unicast communication.

Claims

1. An automotive electronic control unit comprising:

a nonvolatile memory which stores data; and

a processor which receives rewrite data wirelessly transmitted in units of a predetermined size from an external device by switching between broadcast communication and unicast communication, or between multicast communication and unicast communication, and rewrites data stored in the nonvolatile memory with the rewrite data, wherein;

the rewrite data comprises first rewrite data and second rewrite data,

the first rewrite data is common among a plurality of automobiles, and

the second rewrite data is unique to each automobile of the plurality of automobiles;

the electronic control unit is configured to;

receive the first rewrite data sent by the external device to the plurality of automobiles in broadcast communication or multicast communication,

receive the second rewrite data sent by the external device to an automobile of the plurality of automobiles in unicast communication,

receive a request for a seed value for encryption, wherein the request for the seed value is provided through broadcast communication from the external device when all automobiles searched for by the external device are targets for rewriting, and through multicast communication when automobiles searched for by the external device include automobiles which are targets for rewriting and at least one automobile which is not a target for rewriting, wherein the seed value is used to generate a common key to facilitate encrypted communications,

receive the common key to facilitate encrypted communications, wherein the common key is sent by the external device in broadcast communication or multicast communication, and

following rewriting of the data in the nonvolatile memory with the rewrite data, provide a response for transmission to the external device in unicast communication.

2. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to make a comparison between the rewrite data and vehicle information, and

communication of the rewrite data is started based on a result of the comparison.

3. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite data is communicated to an automobile identified by vehicle information.

4. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein the automotive electronic control unit is powered on before data is rewritten.

5. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite data is communicated after being encrypted by the common key shared with the external device.

6. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite data is received via synchronous communication with the external device.

7. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein when data rewrite processing fails, data stored in the nonvolatile memory is rewritten based on the second rewrite data communicated in unicast communication.

8. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the data rewrite processing fails, the external device is notified of the failure.

9. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the rewriting of data is normally completed, abnormality information is erased in response to a command communicated in unicast communication.

19. The automotive electronic control unit according to claim 1, wherein the rewrite data comprises encrypted data.

10. A data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit having a nonvolatile memory, comprising:

receiving rewrite data wirelessly transmitted in units of a predetermined size from an external device by switching between broadcast communication and unicast communication, or between multicast communication and unicast communication; and

rewriting data stored in the nonvolatile memory with the rewrite data, wherein the rewrite data comprises first rewrite data and second rewrite data, the first rewrite data is common among a plurality of automobiles, and the second rewrite data is unique to each automobile of the plurality of automobiles;

receiving, by the electronic control unit, the first rewrite data sent by the external device to the plurality of automobiles in broadcast communication or multicast communication;

receiving, by the electronic control unit, the second rewrite data sent by the external device to an automobile of the plurality of automobiles in unicast communication;

receiving, by the electronic control unit, a request for a seed value for encryption, wherein the request for the seed value is provided through broadcast communication from the external device when all automobiles searched for by the external device are targets for rewriting, and through multicast communication when automobiles searched for by the external device include automobiles which are targets for rewriting and at least one automobile which is not a target for rewriting, wherein the seed value is used to generate a common key to facilitate encrypted communications;

receiving, by the electronic control unit, the common key to facilitate encrypted communications, wherein the common key is sent by the external device in broadcast communication or multicast communication; and

following rewriting of the data in the nonvolatile memory with the rewrite data, providing, by the electronic control unit, a response for transmission to the external device in unicast communication.

11. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, further comprising:

making a comparison between the rewrite data and vehicle information, and

starting communication of the rewrite data based on a result of the comparison.

12. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein the rewrite data is communicated to an automobile identified by vehicle information.

13. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein the automotive electronic control unit is powered on before data is rewritten.

14. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein the rewrite data is communicated after being encrypted by the common key shared with the external device.

15. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein the rewrite data is received via synchronous communication with the external device.

16. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein when data rewrite processing fails, the automotive electronic control unit rewrites data stored in the nonvolatile memory based on the second rewrite data communicated in unicast communication.

17. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein when the data rewrite processing fails, the automotive electronic control unit notifies the external device of the failure.

18. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein when the rewriting of data is normally completed, the automotive electronic control unit erases abnormality information in response to a command communicated in unicast communication.

20. The data rewriting method for an automotive electronic control unit according to claim 10, wherein the rewrite data comprises encrypted data.

21. An automotive electronic control system comprising:

a transceiver configured to;

receive and transmit rewrite data wirelessly transmitted in units of a predetermined size from an external device by switching between broadcast communication and unicast communication, or between multicast communication and unicast communication, the rewrite data comprising first rewrite data and second rewrite data, the first rewrite data being common among a plurality of automobiles, and the second rewrite data being unique to each automobile of the plurality of automobiles, and

receive a request for a seed value for encryption from the external device in broadcast communication or multicast communication, wherein the seed value is used to generate a common key to facilitate encrypted communications; and

an electronic control unit comprising a nonvolatile memory configured to store data, and a processor configured to rewrite data stored in the nonvolatile memory with the rewrite data, the electronic control unit being configured to;

communicate with the external device via the transceiver,

receive the common key to facilitate encrypted communications,

wherein the common key is sent by the external device in broadcast communication or multicast communication,

provide a response in unicast communication to a response command transmitted by the external device in broadcast communication,

provide a response in unicast communication to a request for identification information transmitted by the external device in broadcast communication, the response to the request comprising the identification information,

receive a request for erasure transmitted by the external device in broadcast communication, following the response to the request for identification information,

erase a portion of the nonvolatile memory in response to the request for erasure following receipt of the request for erasure,

return a response indicative of completion of erasure to the external device in unicast communication, following erasure of the portion of the nonvolatile memory,

receive the first rewrite data sent by the external device to the plurality of automobiles in broadcast communication or multicast communication following the response indicative of completion of the erasure, rewrite data in the nonvolatile memory with the first rewrite data, and respond to the external device in unicast communication, and

receive the second rewrite data sent by the external device to an automobile of the plurality of automobiles in unicast communication, rewrite data in the nonvolatile memory the second rewrite data, and respond to the external device in unicast communication.