Vehicle firmware update using a vehicle gateway

• US 10,145,700 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Terwilliger, Kevin, Tosh, Andrew, Wirtz, Jefferson Walter, Bryan, Rex
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US15/286,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20180093623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 701102
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• 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: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Electronic components may be integrated in objects used by the trucking industry, such as truck, tractor trailer, cargo, and loading bay. These objects may then communicate with each other and with a gateway device to transmit or receive data or commands. The gateway may be configured to attach to the truck, such as by securing to the truck frame or securing to an interior of the truck cab. The gateway may couple to one or more input devices, and receive sensor data through the one or more input devices. The gateway may execute steps that allow the gateway to update an engine computer with a firmware that provides better operation, such as improved fuel efficiency, during a portion of the vehicle'"'"'s route.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

at least one input device configured to provide information regarding a vehicle;

a gateway configured to communicate with the at least one input device and to communicate with an engine computer of the vehicle through the at least one input device, wherein the gateway is configured to perform steps comprising;

receiving information from the at least one input device indicating a location of the vehicle;

selecting a firmware for the engine computer based, at least in part, on the location of the vehicle; and

programming the engine computer with the selected firmware.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input device comprises a positioning system sensor, and wherein the gateway is configured to receive positioning information from the positioning system sensor indicating the location of the vehicle.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further configured to receive information regarding a route for the vehicle, and wherein the gateway is configured to select the firmware for the vehicle based, at least in part, on the route for the vehicle.

4. The information handling system of claim 3, wherein the at least one input device further comprises a network device configured to receive road conditions for the route from a remote location, and wherein the gateway is configured to plan a time on the route for performing the step of programming the engine computer with the firmware.

5. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the received road conditions comprise an altitude.

6. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the gateway is further configured to adjust the route for the vehicle to include stops during which the gateway performs the step of programming the engine computer with the firmware.

7. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the gateway is further configured to adjust the route for the vehicle to include at least one of a driver rest stop, a re-fueling stop, a service stop, and a traffic stop based, at least in part, on the received road conditions.

8. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the firmware programmed in the engine computer of the vehicle is selected to improve fuel efficiency of the vehicle under environmental conditions expected near the location of the vehicle.

9. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input device is integrated with the gateway.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a vehicle gateway, information from the at least one input device indicating a location of the vehicle;

selecting, by the vehicle gateway, a firmware for the engine computer based, at least in part, on the location of the vehicle; and

programming, by the vehicle gateway, the engine computer with the selected firmware.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving information regarding a route for the vehicle, wherein the step of programming comprises programming the engine computer with a firmware selected for the vehicle based, at least in part, on the route for the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, by the vehicle gateway, road conditions for the route from a remote location.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting, by the vehicle gateway, the route for the vehicle to include stops during which the vehicle gateway performs the step of programming the engine computer with the firmware.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the firmware programmed in the engine computer of the vehicle is selected to improve fuel efficiency of the vehicle under environmental conditions expected near the location of the vehicle.

15. An information handling system, comprising:

at least one input device configured to provide information regarding a vehicle;

a gateway configured to communicate with the at least one input device and to communicate with an engine computer of the vehicle through the at least one input device, wherein the gateway is configured to perform steps comprising;

receiving a route for a vehicle;

determining conditions for the received route;

determining a second firmware provides better vehicle operation than a first firmware during a portion of the received route based on the determined conditions;

determining a location for a planned stop along the route, wherein the location for the planned stop is selected at a location before at least a fraction of the portion of the received route; and

updating the engine computer with the second firmware at the determined location.

16. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the location for the planned stop comprises adjusting the route for the vehicle to include a stop during which the vehicle gateway performs the step of programming the engine computer with the firmware.

17. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the step of determining conditions comprises determining road altitude along a portion of the route, and wherein the step of determining the second firmware comprises determining the second firmware of the vehicle provides improved fuel efficiency for the determined altitude along the portion of the route.

18. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the step of determining conditions comprises determining road altitude along a portion of the route, and wherein the step of determining road altitude comprises receiving map information from a remote server.

19. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle gateway is further configured to display, by the vehicle gateway, the determined location for the planned stop on a mobile device of a user operating the vehicle.

20. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the gateway is configured to receive the second firmware from a remote server.