VEHICLE MANEUVER APPLICATION INTERFACE

• US 20120239242A1
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Uehara, Yasuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29.6
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57

Abstract

A vehicle maneuver application (VMA) interface, and a VMA interface system software being executed thereon, may be used for installing, modifying, uninstalling, activating, and/or deactivating one or more VMAs. The VMA interface may include an interface processor and an interface memory. The interface processor may be configured to install the VMA to the VMA device upon receiving an installation signal, update the installed VMA upon receiving an update signal, uninstalling the installed VMA upon receiving an uninstallation signal, activating the installed VMA upon receiving an activation signal, and/or deactivating the installed VMA upon receiving a deactivation signal. The interface memory may be coupled to the interface processor, and it may be configured to store a VMA execution record related to the installed VMA.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for handling one or more vehicle maneuver applications (VMA) for use in a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating a VMA device;

detecting an installation signal;

receiving a VMA from a VMA source; and

in response to the detected installation signal, installing the received VMA in a memory configured to be coupled to the processor.

2. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the installing step includes the steps of:

verifying the received VMA,

checking the memory for available memory space, and

storing the verified VMA to the memory.

3. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 2, wherein the verifying step includes the steps of:

determining whether the received VMA is certified, and

determining whether the received VMA is compatible with a vehicle maneuver controller.

4. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the VMA source includes a source selected from a group consisting of a FLASH memory card, a USB drive, a CD, a hard disk, a remote server, a cell phone, an online store, and combinations thereof.

5. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting an update signal; and

in response to the detected update signal, updating the stored VMA.

6. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 5, wherein the updating step includes the steps of:

receiving a VMA modification from the VMA source,

verifying the received VMA modification,

checking the memory for available space, and

updating a target VMA based on the verified VMA modification.

7. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 6, wherein the verifying step includes the steps of:

identifying the target VMA to be updated,

determining whether the received VMA modification is certified, and

determining whether the received VMA modification is compatible with a vehicle maneuver controller.

8. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting an uninstallation signal; and

in response to the detected uninstallation signal, uninstalling the stored VMA.

9. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 8, wherein the uninstalling step includes the steps of

receiving a selection of a VMA to be uninstalled,

locating a target VMA based on the received selection,

analyzing an impact of uninstalling the selected VMA, and

removing the selected VMA from the memory if the impact is below a predefined threshold.

10. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the analyzing step includes the steps of:

determining a stability of the motor vehicle, and

determining integrity of one or more unselected VMAs.

11. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, further storing instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising the steps of:

detecting a VMA activation signal; and

in response to the detected VMA activation signal, activating the stored VMA.

12. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11, wherein the activating step includes the steps of:

receiving a selection of a VMA to be activated;

initializing the selected VMA; and

interfacing the initialized VMA with a vehicle maneuver controller, the vehicle maneuver controller configured to control a movement of the motor vehicle.

13. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11, wherein the establishing step includes the steps of:

establishing a connection between the initiated VMA and the vehicle maneuver controller, thereby allowing the initiated VMA to control the vehicle maneuver controller,

suspending the connection upon receiving an interrupt signal, and

resuming the suspended connection upon receiving a resume signal.

14. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11, wherein the establishing step includes the steps of:

establishing a connection between the initiated VMA and the vehicle maneuver controller, thereby allowing the initiated VMA to control the vehicle maneuver controller,

terminating the connection upon receiving a termination signal, and

diagnosing the motor vehicle.

15. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for activating with one or more vehicle maneuver applications (VMA) for use in a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a VMA activation signal;

in response to the detected VMA activation signal, selecting a VMA to be activated;

retrieving vehicle data from a vehicle data logger, the vehicle data containing information related to a condition of the motor vehicle;

initializing the selected VMA with the retrieved vehicle data; and

interfacing the initialized VMA with a vehicle maneuver controller, the vehicle maneuver controller configured to control a movement of the motor vehicle.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the interfacing step includes the steps of:

establishing a connection between the initiated VMA and the vehicle maneuver controller, thereby allowing the initiated VMA to control the vehicle maneuver controller,

suspending the connection upon receiving an interrupt signal, and

resuming the suspended connection upon receiving a resume signal.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the interfacing step includes the steps of:

establishing a connection between the initiated VMA and the vehicle maneuver controller, thereby allowing the initiated VMA to control the vehicle maneuver controller,

terminating the initiated VMA and the connection upon receiving a termination signal, and

diagnosing a driving incident of the motor vehicle based on the vehicle data and the terminated VMA.

18. A vehicle maneuver application (VMA) system for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a VMA device configured to store and execute a VMA;

an interface processor coupled to the VMA device, the interface configured to;

install the VMA to the VMA device upon receiving an installation signal,

update the installed VMA upon receiving an update signal, and

uninstall the installed VMA upon receiving an uninstallation signal; and

a vehicle maneuver controller coupled to the interface processor, the vehicle maneuver controller configured to control the movement of the motor vehicle, the vehicle maneuver controller configured to establish a connection with the VMA device when the installed VMA is activated.

19. The VMA system of claim 18, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a condition of the motor vehicle;

a vehicle data logger coupled to the sensor, the vehicle data logger configured to store vehicle data recording the sensed condition; and

an interface memory coupled to the interface processor, the interface memory configured to store a VMA execution record related to the installed VMA.

20. The VMA system of claim 19, further comprising:

a diagnosis processor coupled to the vehicle data logger and the interface memory, the diagnosis processor configured to identify a driving incident and determine a cause of the identified driving incident based on the vehicle data and the VMA execution record.