Vehicle Software Upgrade Techniques

• US 20080140278A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Automotive Technologies International Incorporated
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,443,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

System and method for maintaining functionality of software includes initially providing the vehicle with software resident on computer-readable medium to enable it to operate and interact with components thereof and updating the vehicle software by receiving a wireless transmission from one or more remote locations, e.g., a location maintained by a dealer or manufacturer of the vehicle. The software may be diagnostic software for a diagnostic module which diagnoses operability of components of the vehicle. Different remote locations may be responsible for different portions of the vehicle-resident software and may therefore provide different software upgrades, based on need.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining functionality of software in a vehicle, comprising:

initially providing the vehicle with software resident on computer-readable medium to enable it to operate and interact with components thereof; and

updating the vehicle software by receiving a wireless transmission from a remote location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the software is diagnostic software for a diagnostic module which diagnoses operability of components of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining when the diagnostic software provides a new data value or sequence;

transmitting the new data value or sequence to the remote location;

searching for similar data values and sequences via the remote location; and

providing results of the search to the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the remote location is a dealer or manufacturer site.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving reports from similar vehicles at the remote location; and

analyzing the reports to create software upgrades, the software being updated by providing the upgrades to the vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the reports are diagnostic reports about operability of components of the vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating of the vehicle software is done via the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the components is a sensor system, the software being arranged to interact with the sensor system to ascertain whether it has software to enable it to obtain data from the sensor system and communicate with the remote location to obtain a software upgrade if it determines that it is not able to interact with the sensor system.

9. A system for maintaining functionality of software in a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of sensor systems for providing data about operation of the vehicle; and

a diagnostic module coupled to said sensor systems for diagnosing the state of the vehicle based on the data provided by said sensor systems, said diagnostic module including software resident on computer-readable medium to enable it to operate and interact with said sensor systems and receive software updates via a wireless transmission from a remote location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the software is arranged to determine when a new data value or sequence is obtained from the data provided by the sensor systems, further comprising a communications unit coupled to said diagnostic module for communicating with the remote location, said diagnostic module being arranged to cause transmission of the new data value of sequence to the remote location via said communications unit which enables the remote location to search for similar data values and sequences and provide results of the search to the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the remote location is a dealer or manufacturer site.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote location is arranged to receive reports from similar vehicles, analyze the reports to create software upgrades and provide the software updates to the vehicles.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the reports are diagnostic reports about operability of components of the vehicles.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the transmission between said diagnostic module and the remote location is via the Internet.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said diagnostic module is arranged to interact with each of said sensor systems to ascertain whether it has software to enable it to obtain data from said sensor system and communicate with the remote location to obtain a software upgrade if it determines that it is not able to interact with said sensor system.