Program management system

• US 20070239329A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Fujinaga, Terumitsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A program management system includes a center and a vehicle control device having a program in a vehicle. In management processing, the center selects one of preset examination methods, and requests the vehicle control device to send data according to the selected examination method. When receiving the request, the vehicle control device extracts data pertaining to the program according to the examination method specified by the request, and transmits the extracted data to the center. When receiving data from the vehicle control device, the center determines whether or not the value of the received data is within a preset permissible range, and thereby determines the presence or absence of an anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device.

Claims

1. A program management system including:

a vehicle control device having a program; and

a management device managing the program of the vehicle control device, the vehicle control device and the management device communicating with each other,

the vehicle control device comprising;

a communication control unit that receives a request for data specifying an examination method from the management device, extracts data pertaining to the program based on the specified examination method, and transmits the extracted data to the management device,

the management device comprising;

an examination method selecting unit that selects at least one examination method from a plurality of preset examination methods;

a requesting unit that makes a request for data based on the selected examination method to the vehicle control device; and

a data range determining unit that receives the data transmitted by the communication control unit of the vehicle control device based on the request by the requesting unit, and determines that there is no anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the received data is within a preset permissible range or that there is an anomaly in the program when the received data is out of the preset permissible range.

3. The program management system of claim 1,

wherein the examination method selecting unit includes an examination area selecting unit for selecting an examination area that is at least part of the program data held by the vehicle control device as the examination method, and

wherein the communication control unit extracts data in an examination area selected by the examination area selecting unit from program data held by the vehicle control device and transmits the extracted data to the management device.

4. The program management system of claim 3,

wherein the examination area selecting unit selects only the examination ending address of the examination area, and

wherein the communication control unit extracts data of a preset examination starting address to the examination ending address selected by the examination area selecting unit from program data held by the vehicle control device, and transmits the extracted data to the management device.

5. The program management system of claim 3,

wherein the examination area selecting unit sets an examination area from data preset as important data.

6. The program management system of claim 3,

wherein the examination area selecting unit selects all the program data held by the vehicle control device as a program to be examined.

7. The program management system of claim 1,

wherein the examination method selecting unit includes a computing method selecting unit that selects at least one computing method from a plurality of computing methods held by the vehicle control device as the examination method, and

wherein the communication control unit carries out computation using data pertaining to the program held by the vehicle control device according to a computing method selected by the computing method selecting unit, and transmits data indicating the result of the computation to the management device.

8. The program management system of claim 1,

wherein the management device includes a reckoning unit for reckoning a range of data transmitted from the vehicle control device.

9. The program management system of claim 8,

wherein the data range determining unit determines that there is no anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device when received data agrees with preset reference data stored in the management device or that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device when the received data disagrees with the reference data, and

wherein the computing method selecting unit selects a checksum method as the computing method.

10. The program management system of claim 1,

wherein the management device includes a first instructing unit that, when it is determined by the data range determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, instructs the vehicle control device to bring the vehicle into a start disabled state, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a prohibiting unit that, when an instruction to bring the vehicle into a start disabled state is received from the management device, prohibits the vehicle from being started.

11. The program management system of claim 10, further comprising:

a first notifying unit that, when the prohibiting unit prohibits the vehicle from being started, notifies a preset point of contact that starting of the vehicle has been prohibited.

12. The program management system of claim 10,

wherein the management device includes a program transmitting unit that, when it is determined by the data range determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, transmits a legitimate program to the vehicle control device, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a rewriting unit that, when a legitimate program is received from the management device, rewrites the program held by the vehicle control device with the received legitimate program.

13. The program management system of claim 12,

wherein the vehicle control device includes an inquiring unit that, after a program is rewritten by the rewriting unit, inquires about validity of the rewritten program, and

wherein the management device includes a rewrite determining unit that, when inquiry about the validity of a program is received from the vehicle control device, receives data transmitted from the vehicle control device in correspondence with the inquiry, and determines that there is no anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the value of the received data is within a preset permissible range or that there is an anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the value of the received data is out of the permissible range.

14. The program management system of claim 13,

wherein the management device includes a second instructing unit that, when it is determined by the rewrite determining unit that there is no anomaly in a program, instructs the vehicle control device to bring the vehicle into a start enabled state, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a releasing unit that, when an instruction to bring the vehicle into a start enabled state is given by the management device, withdraws the prohibition against starting of the vehicle established by the prohibiting unit.

15. The program management system of claim 13,

wherein when the rewrite determining unit determines that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, the rewrite determining unit actuates the program transmitting unit again.

16. The program management system of claim 15, further comprising:

a monitoring unit that monitors the number of times when it was determined by the rewrite determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program; and

a second notifying unit that, when a number of times monitored by the monitoring unit becomes equal to or larger than a preset predetermined number of times, notifies a preset point of contact that the program is not normally rewritten.

17. The program management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a start control unit that starts the examination method selecting unit on at least any occasion of when the vehicle control device is started, at predetermined time intervals when the vehicle control device is on, and when the vehicle control device is shut down.

2. A program management system including:

a vehicle control device having a program; and

a management device managing the program of the vehicle control device, the vehicle control device and the management device communicating with each other,

the vehicle control device comprising;

an examination method selecting unit that selects at least one examination method from a plurality of preset examination methods; and

a communication control unit that extracts data pertaining to the program according to the selected examination method and transmits the extracted data, together with identification information indicating the selected examination method, to the management device,

the management device comprising;

a data range determining unit that receives data transmitted by the communication control unit of the vehicle control device and determines that there is no anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the received data is within a permissible range preset in correspondence with the identification information or that there is an anomaly in the program when the received data is out of the permissible range.

18. The program management system of claim 2,

wherein the examination method selecting unit includes an examination area selecting unit for selecting an examination area that is at least part of the program data held by the vehicle control device as the examination method, and

wherein the communication control unit extracts data in an examination area selected by the examination area selecting unit from program data held by the vehicle control device and transmits the extracted data to the management device.

19. The program management system of claim 18,

wherein the examination area selecting unit selects only the examination ending address of the examination area, and

wherein the communication control unit extracts data of a preset examination starting address to the examination ending address selected by the examination area selecting unit from program data held by the vehicle control device, and transmits the extracted data to the management device.

20. The program management system of claim 18,

wherein the examination area selecting unit sets an examination area from data preset as important data.

21. The program management system of claim 18,

wherein the examination area selecting unit selects all the program data held by the vehicle control device as a program to be examined.

22. The program management system of claim 2,

wherein the examination method selecting unit includes a computing method selecting unit that selects at least one computing method from a plurality of computing methods held by the vehicle control device as the examination method, and

wherein the communication control unit carries out computation using data pertaining to the program held by the vehicle control device according to a computing method selected by the computing method selecting unit, and transmits data indicating the result of the computation to the management device.

23. The program management system of claim 2,

wherein the management device includes a reckoning unit for reckoning a range of data transmitted from the vehicle control device.

24. The program management system of claim 23,

wherein the data range determining unit determines that there is no anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device when received data agrees with preset reference data stored in the management device or that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device when the received data disagrees with the reference data, and

wherein the computing method selecting unit selects a checksum method as the computing method.

25. The program management system of claim 2,

wherein the management device includes a first instructing unit that, when it is determined by the data range determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, instructs the vehicle control device to bring the vehicle into a start disabled state, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a prohibiting unit that, when an instruction to bring the vehicle into a start disabled state is received from the management device, prohibits the vehicle from being started.

26. The program management system of claim 25, further comprising:

a first notifying unit that, when the prohibiting unit prohibits the vehicle from being started, notifies a preset point of contact that starting of the vehicle has been prohibited.

27. The program management system of claim 25,

wherein the management device includes a program transmitting unit that, when it is determined by the data range determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, transmits a legitimate program to the vehicle control device, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a rewriting unit that, when a legitimate program is received from the management device, rewrites the program held by the vehicle control device with the received legitimate program.

28. The program management system of claim 27,

wherein the vehicle control device includes an inquiring unit that, after a program is rewritten by the rewriting unit, inquires about validity of the rewritten program, and

wherein the management device includes a rewrite determining unit that, when inquiry about the validity of a program is received from the vehicle control device, receives data transmitted from the vehicle control device in correspondence with the inquiry, and determines that there is no anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the value of the received data is within a preset permissible range or that there is an anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the value of the received data is out of the permissible range.

29. The program management system of claim 28,

wherein the management device includes a second instructing unit that, when it is determined by the rewrite determining unit that there is no anomaly in a program, instructs the vehicle control device to bring the vehicle into a start enabled state, and

wherein the vehicle control device includes a releasing unit that, when an instruction to bring the vehicle into a start enabled state is given by the management device, withdraws the prohibition against starting of the vehicle established by the prohibiting unit.

30. The program management system of claim 28,

wherein when the rewrite determining unit determines that there is an anomaly in a program installed in the vehicle control device, the rewrite determining unit actuates the program transmitting unit again.

31. The program management system of claim 30, further comprising:

a monitoring unit that monitors the number of times when it was determined by the rewrite determining unit that there is an anomaly in a program; and

a second notifying unit that, when a number of times monitored by the monitoring unit becomes equal to or larger than a preset predetermined number of times, notifies a preset point of contact that the program is not normally rewritten.

32. The program management system of claim 2, further comprising:

a start control unit that starts the examination method selecting unit on at least any occasion of when the vehicle control device is started, at predetermined time intervals when the vehicle control device is on, and when the vehicle control device is shut down.

33. A program management system comprising:

a vehicle control device having a program;

a management device managing the program of the vehicle control device; and

a communication control unit in the vehicle control device for communicating data with the management device;

examination method selecting means for selecting at least one examination method from a plurality of preset examination methods;

extracting means for extracting data pertaining to the program according to the selected examination method; and

data range determining means for determining that there is no anomaly in the program installed in the vehicle control device when the extracted data is within a preset permissible range preset or that there is an anomaly in the program when the extracted data is out of the preset permissible range.