In-vehicle device, mobile terminal, information management device and information communication system

• US 9,851,963 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Todoroki, Chihaya, Sekiyama, Hiroaki, Endo, Masato, Sumiya, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutten, James D
• Application Number:
  US14/411,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 717169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• 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: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

An information communication system includes an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a mobile terminal connected to the in-vehicle device so as to be able to cooperate with the in-vehicle device. In the information communication system, when a first software module embedded in the mobile terminal has been updated, a second software module embedded in the in-vehicle device is updated on the basis of software information about the updated first software module.

Claims

1. An information management device connected via a communication line to at least one of an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle and a mobile terminal connected to the in-vehicle device so as to be able to cooperate with the in-vehicle device, the information management device comprising:

a central processing unit configured to;

when a first software module embedded in the mobile terminal has been updated, update a second software module embedded in the in-vehicle device on the basis of software information about the updated first software module;

receive the software information about the updated first software module embedded in the mobile terminal on a condition that a launch of a predetermined application software module embedded in the mobile terminal has been completed; and

when the update of the first software module has been detected using the received software information, transmit an update file for updating the second software module to the in-vehicle device in correspondence with the software information about the updated first software module,

wherein the first software module includes an operating system required during operation of the mobile terminal.

2. The information management device according to claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is configured to receive the software information about the updated first software module from the in-vehicle device, the software information having been received by the in-vehicle device from the mobile terminal during a connection between the in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal.

3. The information management device according to claim 2, wherein the central processing unit is configured to store the software information about the updated first software module in association with the in-vehicle device, the software information having been received from the in-vehicle device during the connection between the in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal.

4. An information communication system comprising:

an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle;

a mobile terminal connected to the in-vehicle device so as to be able to cooperate with the in-vehicle device; and

an information management device connected via a communication line to at least one of the in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal, wherein

when a first software module embedded in the mobile terminal has been updated, a second software module embedded in the in-vehicle device is updated on the basis of software information about the updated first software module,

the information management device is configured to;

receive the software information about the updated first software module on a condition that a launch of a predetermined application software module embedded in the mobile terminal has been completed; and

when the update of the first software module has been detected using the received software information, transmit an update file for updating the second software module to the in-vehicle device in correspondence with the software information about the updated first software module,

the first software module includes an operating system required during operation of the mobile terminal.

5. The information communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the in-vehicle device is configured to receive the software information about the updated first software module from the mobile terminal during a connection with the mobile terminal, and

the information management device is configured to receive the software information about the updated first software module from the in-vehicle device, the software information having been received by the in-vehicle device from the mobile terminal.

6. The information communication system according to claim 5, wherein the information management device is configured to store the software information about the updated first software module in association with the in-vehicle device, the software information having been received from the in-vehicle device.

7. The information communication system according to claim 4, wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, install the update file received from the information management device.

8. The information communication system according to claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to, when the update file has downward compatibility, determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

9. The information communication system according to claim 7, wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to, when the update file has downward compatibility and the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device is mounted is in a stopped state, determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied.

10. The information communication system according to claim 4, wherein

the information management device is configured to transmit the update file to the mobile terminal when information communication with the in-vehicle device is disabled,

the mobile terminal is configured to, when connected to the in-vehicle device, transmit the update file to the in-vehicle device, the update file having been received from the information management device, and

the in-vehicle device is configured to, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, install the update file received from the mobile terminal.