Vehicle control update methods and systems

• US 9,841,970 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Vangelov, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEBERT, THEODORE E
• Application Number:
  US14/595,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 717172
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A vehicle can include methods and systems to update controls in vehicle modules. The systems and methods can include receiving a control update for a receiving vehicle module to be stored at a first memory location, installing the received controls at the first memory location, running the module using controls at a second memory location, checking the controls at the first memory location, if checking is valid, operating the vehicle module using the controls at the first memory location in place of the controls at the second memory location. The vehicle module can operate the controls at the first memory location without waiting to restart the vehicle or can delay use of the controls until a later event, e.g., restart or download to other vehicle modules on which the current module may depend.

Claims

1. A vehicle module controls updating method comprising:

receiving, by the vehicle module in a vehicle, control update sections of a control from at least a server remote from the vehicle and a mobile device to load a complete control update in the vehicle, wherein the receiving includes;

receiving, by the vehicle module, control update sections from the server remote from the vehicle until transmission directly to the vehicle is terminated;

terminating, by the vehicle module, communication to the remote server if security access is denied, wherein the communication is not restored until a next modem session is available;

upon termination of communication to the remote server, receiving the control update sections at the mobile device associated with the vehicle; and

when a next modem session is available, stop receiving the control update sections at the mobile device and resume receiving control update sections, from the remote server, at the vehicle, wherein the resume receiving of control update sections includes forwarding the control update sections previously downloaded to the mobile device to the vehicle;

sending, by the vehicle module, a section identifier back to the remote server directly from the vehicle after receiving the control update sections to the mobile device to identify the control sections stored in the vehicle;

integrating and installing, by the vehicle module, the sections of the control update in the vehicle, wherein the integrating and installing comprises;

integrating, by the vehicle module, the received control update sections of a control at a first memory location of the vehicle while using current controls at a second memory location of the vehicle;

validating, by the vehicle module, the operation of the control at the first memory location;

if the operation of the control is valid, switching by the vehicle module, the vehicle from using the controls at the second memory location to the controls at the first memory location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operating includes delaying operating the controls at the first memory location until restarting the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating includes operating the controls at the first memory location without waiting to restart the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the controls at the second memory location include any one of radio controls or environmental controls and wherein operating the vehicle-module includes returning to the vehicle-module controls at the second memory location with a check of the controls at the second memory location not causing a conflict with other vehicle-module controls.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking includes error checking for a download error.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking includes waiting to activate the controls at the first memory location until a further control update is received, installed and checked if the controls at the first memory location depend on the further control update.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the checking includes reverting to a prior control if the control update fails checking and further checking other control updates to determine if any other control update depends on a control update that has been reverted and then if a dependency between the control updates exists, reverting the other control updates to a prior version.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a vehicle-module control update via sections from both a mobile device and directly to the vehicle includes sending a section identifier back to the update server directly from the vehicle and not through the mobile device and requesting the next section from the update server;

and

wherein integrating includes checking to ensure all sections are received before integrating the received control update sections at the first memory location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first section is different than the second section.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a processor and a modem;

a vehicle module executing on the processor for receiving control update sections of a control from at east a server remote from the vehicle and a mobile device to load a complete control update in the vehicle and configured to;

receive control update sections from the server remote from the vehicle until transmission directly to the vehicle is terminated;

terminate communication to the remote server if security access is denied, wherein the communication is not restored until a next, modern session is available;

upon termination of communication to the remote server, receive the control update sections at the mobile device associated with the vehicle; and

when a next modem session is available, stop receiving the control update sections at the mobile device and resume receiving control update sections from the server at the vehicle, wherein the resume receiving of control update sections includes forwarding the control update sections previously downloaded to the mobile device;

send a section identifier back to the remote server directly from the vehicle after receiving the control update sections from the mobile device to identify the control sections stored in the vehicle;

integrate and install the sections of the control update in the vehicle, wherein integrate and install comprises;

integrate, the received control update sections of a control at a first memory location of the vehicle while using controls at a second memory location of the vehicle;

validate the operation of the control at the first memory location;

if the operation of the control is valid, switch the vehicle from using the control at the second memory location to the controls at the first memory location.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the vehicle module is to delay operating the controls at the first memory location until restarting the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controls at the second memory location include at least one of engine controls and brake controls.

13. The vehicle of claim 10, the vehicle module is to operate the controls at the first memory location without waiting to restart the vehicle.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the controls at the second memory location include one of radio controls and environmental controls.

15. The vehicle of claim 10, the vehicle module is to error check for a download error.

16. The vehicle of claim 10, the vehicle module is to wait to activate the controls at the first memory location until a further control update is received, installed and checked if the controls at the first memory location depend on the further control update.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle module is to check any control update for dependency on any additional control update and revert any dependent control update to a prior control if the control update fails a check operation.

18. A vehicle module control updating method comprising:

sending a control update for a class of vehicle from an update server remote from the vehicles in the class to a vehicle module in a vehicle and a mobile device to load a complete control update in the vehicle, wherein the sending;

sending the control update sections from the update server remote from the vehicle until transmission directly to the vehicle is terminated;

terminating communication from the remote update server if security access is denied, wherein the communication is not restored until a next modem session is available;

upon termination of communication from the remote update server, sending sections of the control update from the remote update server to a mobile device associated with a specific vehicle; and

when a next modem session is available, stopping sending sections of the control update to the mobile device and resume sending sections of the control update from the remote update server to the vehicle, wherein the resume sending sections of the control update includes forwarding the sections of the control update previously downloaded to the mobile device;

sending a section identifier back to the update server directly from the vehicle after downloading the control update section from the mobile device to identify the control sections stored in the vehicle;

integrating and installing the sections of the control update in the vehicle, wherein the integrating and installing comprises;

integrating, by the vehicle module, the received sections of the control update at a first memory location of the vehicle while using current controls at a second memory location of the vehicle;

receiving a confirmation that the sent control update is received by the vehicle and stored at a first memory location with the vehicle operating the control from a second location;

receiving confirmation that the control update has passed a check including checking to determine if the received control update is dependent on a second control update that has not passed a check, waiting to install the control update until the second control update is received and installed; and

validating, by the vehicle module, the operation of the control at the first memory location;

if the operation of the control is valid, switching by the vehicle module, the vehicle from using the controls at the second memory location to the controls at the first memory location; and

storing the control now being FUJI on a vehicle as the control at the first location and storing that the prior control at the second location is not being run and will be erased.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein storing includes waiting to activate the controls at the first memory location until a further control update is received, installed and checked if the controls at the first memory location depend on the further control update.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the storing includes storing that the vehicle has reverted to a prior control if the control update fails checking and further checking other control updates to determine if any other control update depends on a control update that has been reverted and then if a dependency between the control updates exists, reverting the other control updates to a prior version.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein storing includes storing that a vehicle module is to delay operating the controls at the first memory location until restarting the vehicle, wherein the controls at the second memory location include at least one of engine controls, brake controls, radio controls, environmental controls or combinations thereof.