METHOD FOR SOFTWARE UPDATING OF VEHICLE COMPONENTS

• US 20160371075A1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Autonet Mobile, Inc.
• Inventors: MOELLER, DOUGLAS S, PASHBY, RONALD W, HOLMES, COURTNEY JOE
• Granted Patent: US 10,165,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

A method for real-time widespread distribution of software updates of vehicle components comprising flash memory is provided. The method comprises: providing a client server for originating said software updates; providing an arbitration server operable to communicate with the client server; providing a distributed network comprising a plurality of communication servers, each of said communication servers operable to communicate with apparatus in a plurality of corresponding vehicles; operating each apparatus to communicate via a wireless network with one of the plurality of communication servers to receive and deploy software updates to electronic control units (ECUs) within its corresponding vehicle; operating each apparatus to generate status updates and to communicate the status updates to one communication server via the wireless network; and operating each communication server to generate a data stream comprising the data messages from the plurality of corresponding vehicles, and sending the data stream to the arbitration server.

Claims

1. A method for real-time widespread distribution of software updates of vehicle components comprising flash memory, said method comprising:

providing a client server for originating said software updates;

providing an arbitration server operable to communicate with said client server;

providing a distributed network comprising a plurality of communication servers, each of said communication servers operable to communicate with apparatus in a plurality of corresponding vehicles;

operating each said apparatus to communicate via a wireless network with one communication server of said plurality of communication servers to receive and deploy software updates to electronic control units (ECUs) within its said corresponding vehicle;

operating each said apparatus to generate status updates for said software updates and to communicate said status updates to said one communication server via said wireless network;

operating each communication server of said plurality of communication servers operable to concurrently receive said data messages comprising status updates from said plurality of corresponding vehicles; and

operating each said communication server to generate a data stream comprising said data messages from said plurality of corresponding vehicles, said data stream being sent to said arbitration server.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

communicating filtering terms from said client server to said arbitration server.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein:

operating each said selected arbitration server to apply said filtering terms to each said data stream.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to combine each said filtered data stream into a combined data stream.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to communicate said combined data stream to said client server.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5, comprising:

utilizing said arbitration server to apply said filtering parameters to said combined data stream produce a filtered data stream.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered data stream to said client server.

8. A method in accordance with claim 5, comprising:

communicating formatting and presentation parameters from said client server to said arbitration server.

9. A method in accordance with claim 8, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to apply said filtering terms and said formatting and presentation parameters to said combined data stream to produce a filtered data stream.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered data stream to said client server.

16. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said arbitration server receives formatting parameters from said client to control formatting of said combined data stream.

11. A method for real-time monitoring widely distributed software updates of vehicle components, comprising:

providing a client server;

providing an arbitration server;

providing a distributed network comprising a plurality of communication servers;

operating each said communication server to communicate with a corresponding plurality of vehicles;

each vehicle of said corresponding plurality of vehicles comprising;

apparatus operable to communicate with a corresponding communication server of said plurality of communication servers via a wireless network,

said apparatus operable to communicate with electronic control units (ECUs) in said each vehicle,

operating each said communication server to download selected software updates for one or more predetermined ECUs in each of said plurality of vehicles to each said vehicle apparatus via said wireless network;

operating each said vehicle apparatus to selectively deploy said software updates to said one or more predetermined ECUs within said vehicle, to monitor status of said software updates and to generate status updates for deployment of said software updates; and

operating each said vehicle apparatus to communicate said status updates to said corresponding communication server via said wireless network;

each said corresponding communication server is operable to receive data messages comprising said status updates from each said vehicle apparatus and to utilize said data messages from said corresponding plurality of vehicles to generate a corresponding data stream.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to receive each said corresponding data stream from said plurality of communication servers and to combine each said corresponding data stream into a combined data stream.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to filter and format said combined data stream to produce a filtered and formatted data stream.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered and formatted data stream to said client server.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to receive filtering data from said client server; and

operating said arbitration server to apply said filtering data to each said corresponding data stream to produce said filtered and formatted data stream.

17. A method for real-time distribution of software updates of vehicle components comprising flash memory, said method comprising:

determining that a vehicle owner has requested a software update for the owner'"'"'s vehicle;

providing a client server for originating said software update;

providing an arbitration server operable to communicate with said client server;

providing a distributed network comprising a plurality of communication servers, each of said communication servers operable to communicate with apparatus in a plurality of corresponding vehicles via a wireless network;

operating each said apparatus in said owner'"'"'s vehicle to communicate with one communication server of said plurality of communication servers via said wireless network to receive and deploy said software updates to an electronic control units (ECU) within said owner'"'"'s vehicle;

operating said apparatus in said owner'"'"'s vehicle to generate status updates for said software update and to communicate said status update to said one communication server via said wireless network;

operating each communication server of said plurality of communication servers operable to concurrently receive said data messages comprising status updates from said plurality of corresponding vehicles via said wireless network; and

operating each said communication server to generate a data stream comprising said data messages from said plurality of corresponding vehicles and said status update from said owner'"'"'s vehicle, said data stream being sent to said arbitration server via said wireless network.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, comprising:

utilizing said apparatus in said owner'"'"'s vehicle to determine that said ECU in said owner'"'"'s vehicle is in a predetermined state prior to initiating said update.

19. A method in accordance with claim 18, comprising:

communicating filtering terms from said client server to said arbitration server.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein:

operating each said selected arbitration server to apply said filtering terms to each said data stream.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to combine each said filtered data stream into a combined data stream.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to communicate said combined data stream to said client server.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, comprising:

utilizing said arbitration server to apply said filtering parameters to said combined data stream produce a filtered data stream.

24. A method in accordance with claim 23, wherein:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered data stream to said client server.

25. A method in accordance with claim 22, comprising:

communicating formatting and presentation parameters from said client server to said arbitration server.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to apply said filtering terms and said formatting and presentation parameters to said combined data stream to produce a filtered data stream.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered data stream to said client server.

28. A method for real-time monitoring widely distributed software updates of vehicle components, comprising:

providing a distributed network comprising a plurality of communication servers;

operating each said communication server to communicate with a corresponding plurality of vehicles;

each vehicle of said corresponding plurality of vehicles comprising;

apparatus operable to communicate with a corresponding communication server of said plurality of communication servers over a wireless network,

said apparatus operable to communicate with electronic control units (ECUs) in said each vehicle;

initiating a software update to said apparatus in a predetermined one vehicle of said plurality of vehicles;

operating one of said communication servers to download selected software updates for a predetermined one or more ECUs in said predetermined one vehicle;

operating each said predetermined one vehicle apparatus to selectively deploy said software updates to said one or more predetermined ECUs within said predetermined one vehicle, to monitor status of said software updates and to generate status updates for deployment of said software updates; and

operating said apparatus of said predetermined one vehicle to communicate said status updates to said corresponding communication server;

said one communication server is operable to receive data messages comprising said status updates from said predetermined one vehicle apparatus and to utilize said data messages to generate a corresponding data stream.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28, comprising:

providing an arbitration server;

operating said arbitration server to receive said data stream and each corresponding data stream from said plurality of communication servers and to combine each said data stream and said corresponding data stream into a combined data stream.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to filter and format said combined data stream to produce a filtered and formatted data stream.

31. A method in accordance with claim 30, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to transmit said filtered and formatted data stream to a client.

32. A method in accordance with claim 31, comprising:

operating said arbitration server to receive filtering data from said client; and

operating said arbitration server to apply said filtering data to each said corresponding data stream to produce said filtered and formatted data stream.

33. A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein:

said arbitration server receives formatting parameters from said client to control formatting of said combined data stream.