Data reprogramming method and system

• US 20070036021A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakagaki, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,032,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/230.30
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits

Abstract

In a data reprogramming system, a receiving unit receives a plurality of items of data for use in reprogramming. The plurality of items of data are sent to the receiving unit. The plurality of items of data are respectively attached with the same identifier. A data extracting unit verifies the received plurality of items of data and extracts at least one item of the data as validated data upon determination that the at least one item of the data meets a predetermined rule against at least one remaining item of the data based on the verified result.

Claims

1. A data reprogramming system communicable with a rewritable memory in which data is stored in advance, the stored data being reprogrammable based on validated data, the data reprogramming system comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a plurality of items of data for use in reprogramming, the plurality of items of data being sent to the receiving unit, the plurality of items of data being respectively attached with the same identifier; and

a data extracting unit configured to verify the received plurality of items of data and to extract at least one item of the data as the validated data upon determination that the at least one item of the data meets a predetermined rule against at least one remaining item of the data based on the verified result.

2. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the data reprogramming system is installed in a vehicle, and the data stored in the rewritable memory includes a control program and control data used for control of at least one device installed in the vehicle.

3. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include at least one item of non-validation data, the at least one item of non-validation data being inconsistent with the at least one item extracted by the extracting unit.

4. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data, the at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data being complement of each other, the at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data being sent to the receiving unit while being paired with each other, and the data extracting unit is configured to:

verify the at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data to detect that the at least one item of specific data is complement of the at least one item of mirror data, thereby determining that the at least one specific data meets the predetermined rule against the at least one item of the mirror data; and

extract, as the validated data, the at least one item of the specific data based on the determination.

5. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, at least two of the three or more items of data being identical to each other, and the data extracting unit is configured to:

verify the three or more items of data to detect that at least two of the three or more items of data are identical to each other, thereby determining that one of the at least two identical items of data meets the predetermined rule against at least another of the at least two identical items of data; and

extract, as the validated data, the one of the at least two identical items of the data based on the determination.

6. A data reprogramming system according to claim 5, wherein the data extracting unit is configured to cancel receiving the at least two of the three or more items of data after when determining the at least two of the three or more items are identical to each other.

7. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, a majority of the three or more items of data being identical to each other, and the data extracting unit is configured to:

verify the three or more items of data to detect that the majority of the three or more items of data are identical to each other, thereby determining that at least one of the majority of the three or more items of data meets the predetermined rule against another at least one of the majority of the three or more items of data; and

extract, as the validated data, the at least one of the majority of the three or more items of data based on the determination.

8. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, the three or more items of data including at least one first item whose number of items identical thereto in the three or more items of data, the data extracting unit is configured to:

verify the three or more items of the data to detect that the at least one first item of data whose number of items identical thereto in the three or more items of data is the largest therein, thereby determining that the at least one first item of data meets the predetermined rule against the remaining at least one of the items identical thereto; and

extract, as the validated data, the at least one first item of data based on the determination.

9. A data reprogramming system according to claim 8, wherein the data extracting unit is configured to, when detecting, in addition to the at least one first item, at least one second item of data whose number of items thereto in the three or more items of data is the largest therein, determine that the at least one first item of the three or more items of data does not meet the predetermined rule.

10. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule consists of a plurality of rules, the data extracting unit comprises:

a sending unit configured to send the plurality of items of data to the receiving unit;

a plurality of determining units communicable to the sending unit and configured to determine whether at least one item of the data meets at least one of the plurality of rules against at least one remaining item of the data based on the verifying result, respectively; and

a selecting unit configured to select one of the plurality of determining units in cooperation with the sending unit.

11. A data reprogramming system according to claim 10, wherein the sending unit is configured to further send, to the data extracting unit, selection information indicative of any one of the plurality of determining units that should be selected, and the selecting unit is configured to select one of the plurality of determining units based on the selection information sent from the sending unit.

12. A data reprogramming system according to claim 10, wherein the data reprogramming system is installed in a vehicle, the vehicle including a control unit installed therein, and the data extracting unit is communicable to the control unit and configured to select one of the plurality of determining units based on selection information, the selection information being indicative of any one of the plurality of determining units that should be selected and being sent from the control unit to the data extracting unit.

13. A data reprogramming system according to claim 10, wherein the data extracting unit is configured to select one of the plurality of determining units based on selection information, the selection information being indicative of timing at which the plurality of items of data are received.

14. A data reprogramming system according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of determining units include:

a mirror determining unit configured to, when the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data that are complement of each other and are sent to the receiving unit while being paired with each other, verify the at least one item of specific data and at least one item of mirror data to detect that the at least one item of specific data is complement of the at least one item of mirror data, thereby determining that the at least one specific data meets the predetermined rule against the at least one item of the mirror data;

an identity determining unit configured to, when the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, at least two of the three or more items of data being identical to each other, verify the three or more items of data to detect that at least two of the three or more items of data are identical to each other, thereby determining that one of the at least two identical items of data meets the predetermined rule against at least another of the at least two identical items of data;

a majority-occupying determining unit configured to, when the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, a majority of the three or more items of data being identical to each other, verify the three or more items of data to detect that the majority of the three or more items of data are identical to each other, thereby determining that at least one of the majority of the three or more items of data meets the predetermined rule against another at least one of the majority of the three or more items of data; and

a majority-rule determining unit configured to, when the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, the three or more items of data including at least one first item whose number of items identical thereto in the three or more items of data, verify the three or more items of the data to detect that the at least one first item of data whose number of items identical thereto in the three or more items of data is the largest therein, thereby determining that the at least one first item of data meets the predetermined rule against the remaining at least one of the items identical thereto.

15. A data reprogramming system according to claim 14, wherein, when the identity determining unit is selected from the plurality of determining units, the data extracting unit is configured to cancel receiving the at least two of the three or more items of data after when determining the at least two of the three or more items are identical to each other.

16. A data reprogramming system according to claim 14, wherein, when the majority-rule determining unit is selected from the plurality of determining units, the data extracting unit is configured to, in a case of detecting, in addition to the at least one first item, at least one second item of data whose number of items thereto in the three or more items of data is the largest therein, determine that the at least one first item of the three or more items of data does not meet the predetermined rule.

17. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein each of the items of data received by the receiving unit is divided in advance into a plurality of blocks and is sequentially sent in block to the receiving unit in a predetermined sending way, the predetermined sending way being determined depending on the predetermined rule, and the data extracting unit is configured to:

verify, in block, each of the received plurality of items of data;

extract a plurality of blocks of the at least one item of data as vilified blocks upon determination that the plurality of blocks of the at least one item of data meet the predetermined rule against a plurality of blocks of at least one remaining item of data based on the verified result in block; and

combine the extracted blocks of the at least one item of data to decode the at least one item of data as the validated data.

18. A data reprogramming system according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of items of data received by the receiving unit include three or more items of data, at least two of the three or more items of data being identical to each other, each of the items of data received by the receiving unit is divided in advance into the plurality of blocks such that each block of the at least two of the three or more items and each block of the remaining at least one of the three or more items are combined to generate a group, and the three or more items of data are sequentially sent to the receiving unit in group.

19. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of items of data is processed as a data frame while being sent to the receiving unit in packet, the data frame has a data field in which each of the plurality of items of data is contained, each of the plurality of items contained in the data field is divided in advance into a plurality of blocks, and the data extracting unit is configured to verify the blocks of one item of the plurality of items of data and those of another item of the plurality of items of data.

20. A data reprogramming system according to claim 1, wherein the data reprogramming system is composed of a plurality of electronic control units installed in a vehicle, the plurality of electronic control units being communicably linked to each other via a communication bus and cooperatively perform distributed control for the vehicle, the receiving unit and the data extracting unit being installed in at least one of the electronic control units.

21. A data reprogramming program product embedded in a memory of a computer communicable with a rewritable memory in which data is stored in advance, the stored data being reprogrammable based on validated data, the data reprogramming program product comprising:

first means for instructing a computer to receive a plurality of items of data for use in reprogramming, the plurality of items of data being sent to the computer, the plurality of items of data being respectively attached with the same identifier; and

second means for instructing a computer to verify the received plurality of items of data and to extract at least one item of the data as the validated data upon determination that the at least one item of the data meets a predetermined rule against at least one remaining item of the data based on the verified result.

22. A method of reprogramming data stored in advance in a rewritable memory based on validated data, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of items of data for use in reprogramming, the plurality of items of data being sent such that the plurality of items of data are respectively attached with the same identifier;

verifying the received plurality of items of data; and

extracting at least one item of the data as the validated data upon determination that the at least one item of the data meets a predetermined rule against at least one remaining item of the data based on the verified result.