Smart vehicle reflash with battery state of charge estimator

• US 9,606,790 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Throop, Medville Jay, Tillman, Brian D., Mueller, Paul A., Johnson, April D., Nagi, Charles H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Marina
• Application Number:
  US14/951,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20160077827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 717/172
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/40 related to technical updates when adding new parts or software
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Electronic modules in motor vehicles are reflashed without encountering errors due to insufficient electrical power becoming available during a reflashing. A server system stores a database of update files together with data corresponding to a respective current draw and a respective reflash time associated with the respective update files when applied in each respective vehicle. A vehicle sends pedigree information to the server system which then identifies relevant update files and corresponding current draw and reflash time data for the particular vehicle. The relevant update files and corresponding data are sent to the particular vehicle. A state of charge of a battery in the vehicle is determined. A depleted state of charge is estimated that would remain after applying a relevant update file. The update file is not applied if the estimated depleted state of charge is less than a predetermined state of charge.

Claims

1. A server system for updating electronic modules installed in respective vehicle models in a vehicle fleet, comprising:

a database of update files maintained in the server system for reflashing of respective electronic modules;

a depletion database maintained in the server system storing data defining a respective current draw by the electronic modules involved in each respective reflashing and defining a respective reflash time associated with each respective update file when applied in each respective vehicle model;

a telematics unit within each vehicle model communicating data wirelessly to and from each vehicle model;

a controller in the server system coupled to the databases and configured to A) receive pedigree information from a particular one of the respective vehicles to the server system via the telematics unit, B) identify relevant update files and corresponding current draw and reflash time data for outdated modules in the particular vehicle in response to the pedigree information, C) send the relevant update files and corresponding data to the particular vehicle model, D) receive a report of an actual reflash time from the particular vehicle model after applying a respective update file via the telematics unit, E) receive a report of an actual current draw from the particular vehicle model via the telematics unit after applying the respective update file, and F) updating the current draw and reflash time data maintained on the server system in response to the reported actual reflash time and actual current draw.

2. The server system of claim 1 wherein the data stored in the depletion database is determined in advance in response to reflashing from each known existing version to the updated version for each potential combination of electronic modules for each potential vehicle model in the vehicle fleet.