Software update device, software update method, and software update processing program

Abstract

The present invention provides a software update device that performs an update process of software for operating a device mounted on a vehicle. The software update device includes: a controller that acquires the software and controls the device by applying the software to the device; and an in-vehicle battery that can be charged and supplies power to the controller. When the in-vehicle battery is not being charged, the controller uses the power supplied from the in-vehicle battery to perform the software update process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a software update device, a software update method, and a software update processing program. Background Art

[0002] JP2017 - 027549A discloses a software update device that updates the software of an in - vehicle device with an update program received by wireless communication. In this software update device, power is supplied from an in - vehicle battery to the in - vehicle device to be updated for update processing. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In addition, when the in - vehicle battery is charged by an external power source, an internal combustion engine, etc., the charging voltage is higher than the voltage used when updating the software of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the in - vehicle device. Therefore, if software update is performed while charging the in - vehicle battery with power supplied from the in - vehicle battery, the high - voltage charging voltage is applied to the ECU, which may have an adverse effect on the ECU.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a software update device, a software update method, and a software update processing program that can update the software of an ECU without having an adverse effect on the ECU.

[0005] Solution to the Problem

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a software update device that performs update processing of software for operating a device mounted on a vehicle. The software update device includes: a controller that acquires software and controls the device by applying the software to the device; and an in - vehicle battery that can be charged and supplies power to the controller. When the in - vehicle battery is not being charged, the controller uses the power supplied from the in - vehicle battery to perform software update processing. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a software update system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 is a flowchart for explaining software update control according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings and the like.

[0010] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2A description will be given of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a software update system 100 and a software update device 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] As Figure 1 shown, the software update system 100 is composed of a software update device 110 mounted on a vehicle 1 and an external server 2, and the software update device 110 is composed of a controller 10, a battery (in-vehicle battery) 3, and an acquisition unit 4. The vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle (EV).

[0012] The controller 10 includes a gateway 11 for acquiring software from the external server 2 and an electronic control unit (ECU) 12 for controlling each device mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0013] The gateway 11 can communicate with the external server 2 and the electronic control unit 12, and is used to acquire software for update from the external server 2 and send the acquired software for update to the electronic control unit 12 of the update target. In addition, the gateway 11 acquires control information of each device from the electronic control unit 12 and acquires the state of the battery charge (SOC) of the battery 3 from the acquisition unit 4 described later.

[0014] The gateway 11 is composed of a computer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output interface (I / O interface), and is used for comprehensive control of the software update device 110. The gateway 11 executes processing for controlling the software update device 110 by executing a specific program. The gateway 11 performs, for example, software update control described later together with the electronic control unit 12.

[0015] The electronic control unit 12 is a controller for controlling each device mounted on the vehicle 1, and is, for example, a BCM (Body Control Module), a VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control), an HEVC (Hybrid Electric Vehicle Control), etc. Each electronic control unit 12 is composed of a computer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output interface (I / O interface). The BCM controls the operation elements of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 including the engine starter, door lock, etc. of the vehicle 1. The VDC controls the posture of the vehicle 1 by controlling the brakes and the output of the engine of the vehicle 1, thereby preventing the vehicle 1 from skidding, etc. When the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle, the HEVC controls the engine and the motor as drive sources to achieve efficient driving.

[0016] The electronic control unit 12 can communicate with the gateway 11, and is used to always send the control information of each device to the gateway 11 as a signal. Each electronic control unit 12 obtains software containing a specific program from the gateway 11, and controls the target device by applying the obtained software to the device to be controlled. In addition, the electronic control unit 12 performs software update control as described below together with the gateway 11.

[0017] In addition, each electronic control unit 12 is respectively provided with two storage parts 121 and 122 for storing the software obtained from the gateway 11. The electronic control unit 12 applies the software stored in one storage part (the first storage part) 121 to the device. In addition, the electronic control unit 12 updates the software by changing the software applied to the device to the software stored in the other storage part (the second storage part) 122. In addition, the details of the software update process are described later.

[0018] The battery 3 is connected to the gateway 11 and each electronic control unit 12. The battery 3 is a power source for supplying power to the gateway 11 and each electronic control unit 12, and can be charged by connecting to an external power source. In addition, the battery 3 can also be charged by an internal combustion engine of the vehicle 1 etc. (not shown).

[0019] The acquisition part 4 is a sensor etc. that detects (acquires) the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 3. The state of charge of the battery 3 detected by the acquisition part 4 is sent to the gateway 11 as a signal.

[0020] Next, the software update process will be described.

[0021] As described above, each electronic control unit 12 is respectively provided with two storage parts 121 and 122. When the electronic control unit 12 obtains the software (the first software) sent from the gateway 11, the software is stored in one storage part (the first storage part) 121, and the electronic control unit 12 applies the software to the device. In addition, the first software may not be obtained from the gateway 11, but may already be stored in the first storage part 121 in the initial state.

[0022] Next, when the electronic control unit 12 obtains the software for update (the second software) sent from the gateway 11, the software for update is stored in the other storage part (the second storage part) 122. During the period when the electronic control unit 12 obtains and stores the second software, the first software is also applied to the device.

[0023] In this way, by respectively providing two storage parts 121 and 122 in each electronic control unit 12, the electronic control unit 12 can obtain (download) and store (install) the software for update in the state of applying the first software to the device. That is, it is possible to obtain and store the software for update without stopping the operation of the device to be controlled.

[0024] When the electronic control unit 12 acquires and stores the software for update (second software), it changes the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software. Thereby, the software applied to the device is updated. Hereinafter, the process of changing the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software is referred to as the software update process (activation).

[0025] In addition, when charging the battery 3, the charging voltage is higher than the voltage used in the software update process of the electronic control unit 12. Therefore, if the software update process is executed while charging the battery 3 and supplying power from the battery 3, the high-voltage charging voltage is applied to the electronic control unit 12 such as the ECU, which may cause adverse effects on the electronic control unit 12. Especially when the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, generally, compared with vehicles other than electric vehicles, the capacity of the battery 3 is large and the charging voltage is also large. Thus, if the software update process is executed in a state where a large-capacity external power source is connected to charge the battery 3, there may also be a danger to people inside and near the vehicle 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the battery 3 is not being charged, the power supplied from the battery 3 is used to execute the software update process.

[0026] Specifically, when the battery 3 of the vehicle 1 is not being charged, the gateway 11 executes the software update process, and during the software update process, the gateway 11 prohibits charging of the battery 3.

[0027] In this way, since the software update process is executed when the battery 3 of the vehicle 1 is not being charged, it is possible to prevent the high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit (ECU) 12 during activation. That is, the software update process can be executed without causing adverse effects on the ECU.

[0028] In addition, the power used for the software update process is extremely small compared with the power used when operating other devices. Therefore, even if the battery 3 is not charged during the software update process, it is almost impossible for the battery to run out. Especially when the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, generally, compared with vehicles other than electric vehicles, the capacity of the battery 3 is large, so the possibility of the battery running out due to the software update process is extremely small.

[0029] In addition, when the SOC of the battery 3 is a value approximately close to zero, for example, when performing software update processing, the gateway 11 prohibits the software update processing. In such a case, it is possible that the battery may be depleted due to the execution of the software update processing. Therefore, it is necessary to charge the battery 3 before performing the software update processing. Thus, the gateway 11 prohibits the software update processing and notifies the driver, for example, through a display device or the like, that the battery 3 needs to be charged.

[0030] Figure 2 FIG. is a flowchart for explaining software update control according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the following controls are all executed by the controller 10 (gateway 11, electronic control unit 12). Further, in the initial state, a first software is stored in the first storage unit 121 of the electronic control unit 12, and the first software is applied to the controlled device.

[0031] In step S101, when the gateway (GW) 11 obtains the software for update (second software) from the external server 2, the gateway 11 sends the software for update to the electronic control unit 12 of the update target.

[0032] In step S102, the electronic control unit 12 obtains (downloads) the software for update (second software) from the gateway 11.

[0033] Next, in step S103, the electronic control unit 12 stores (installs) the software for update (second software) in the second storage unit 122. During the period of obtaining the second software in this step S102 and storing the second software in this step S103, the first software is also applied to the controlled device of the electronic control unit 12. Therefore, the controlled device of the electronic control unit 12 does not stop.

[0034] In step S104, the gateway 11 obtains the value of the SOC of the battery 3 detected by the acquisition unit 4 to determine whether the SOC of the battery 3 is equal to or higher than a specified value (threshold). The specified value here is a value such that the SOC of the battery 3 is a value approximately close to zero when performing software update processing. When the SOC of the battery 3 is equal to or higher than the specified value (threshold), the gateway 11 performs the processing of step S105. On the other hand, when the SOC of the battery 3 is less than the specified value, the gateway 11 performs the processing of step S114.

[0035] When the SOC of the battery 3 is less than the specified value, in step S114, the gateway 11 prohibits the software update process. Preferably, the gateway 11 notifies the driver, for example, through a display device or the like, that the battery 3 needs to be charged. When the gateway 11 prohibits the software update process, the process returns to step S104. When the battery 3 is charged and the SOC of the battery 3 is equal to or greater than the specified value, the gateway 11 executes the process of step S105.

[0036] In step S104, when the SOC of the battery 3 is equal to or greater than the specified value, in step S105, the gateway 11 determines whether the battery 3 is being charged. For example, the determination of whether it is being charged is made based on the control information of each device from the electronic control unit 12 and the SOC of the battery 3 detected by the acquisition unit 4. When the battery 3 is not being charged, the gateway 11 executes the process of step S106. On the other hand, when the battery 3 is being charged, the gateway 11 executes the process of step S115.

[0037] When the battery 3 is being charged, in step S115, the gateway 11 prohibits the software update process and returns to the process of step S105. When the charging of the battery 3 stops, the gateway 11 executes the process of step S106.

[0038] In step S105, when the battery 3 is not being charged, in step S106, the gateway 11 prohibits the charging of the battery 3.

[0039] In step S107, the gateway 11 supplies the power required for the software update process from the battery 3 to the electronic control unit 12, and the electronic control unit 12 uses the power supplied from the battery 3 to execute the software update process. Specifically, the electronic control unit 12 changes the software applied to the device to be controlled from the first software to the second software. Thus, the software applied to the device is updated from the first software to the second software. In addition, preferably, during the software update process, a notification of the update process is given to the driver through a display device or the like.

[0040] When the software update is completed, in step S108, the gateway 11 releases the charging prohibition of the battery 3 and ends the software update control.

[0041] In this way, when the battery 3 is not being charged, the software update process is executed using the power supplied from the battery 3, so that it is possible to prevent a high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit 12 during the update process. In addition, since the charging of the battery 3 is prohibited before the software update process, it is possible to more reliably prevent a high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit 12 during the update process.

[0042] In addition, since the electronic control unit 12 has two storage units 121 and 122, it is possible to acquire and store software for update (second software) while the first software stored in the first storage unit 121 is applied to the device. Therefore, during the acquisition and storage of the software for update, the device controlled by the electronic control unit 12 to be updated does not stop. That is, during the acquisition and storage of the software for update, charging of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not prohibited, and charging of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is prohibited only during the software update process. Therefore, compared with the case where the device controlled by the electronic control unit 12 to be updated is stopped to acquire and store the software for update, the charging prohibition time of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 can be shortened.

[0043] In addition, in order to more reliably prevent the charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit 12, it is preferable to prohibit charging of the battery 3 before the software update process, but it is not necessarily limited to this. In particular, the software update process in the present embodiment does not include acquiring and storing the updated software, so the software update process is completed in a short time. Therefore, it may also be that if the software update process is started when the battery 3 is not being charged, the process of prohibiting charging of the battery 3 may not necessarily be performed. That is, the processes of step S106 and step S108 may also be omitted.

[0044] In addition, in order to reliably prevent battery depletion caused by the software update process, it is preferable to prohibit the software update process when the SOC is less than a specified value, but it is not necessary to prohibit the software update process based on the SOC. Generally, the battery 3 is charged before the SOC of the battery 3 becomes zero, and the power used for the software update process is extremely small compared to the power used when other devices are operating. Therefore, even if the processes related to prohibiting the software update process based on the SOC are omitted, it is almost impossible for battery depletion to occur due to the software update process. That is, the processes of step S104 and step S114 may also be omitted.

[0045] After the software update process is completed and when the software needs to be updated next time, the update software sent from the gateway 11 to the electronic control unit 12 is stored (overwritten) in the first storage unit 121. The software is re-updated by changing the software applied to the device from the second software stored in the second storage unit 122 to the update software stored in the first storage unit 121.

[0046] In addition, Figure 2 The processes shown are configured as programs for causing the controller 10, which is a computer, to execute, and these programs are recorded on a storage medium.

[0047] According to the software update device 110 of the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0048] In the software update device 110, when the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not being charged, the electronic control unit 12 (controller 10) uses the power supplied from the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 to perform the software update process. Since the software update process is performed when the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not being charged, it is possible to prevent a high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit (ECU) 12 during activation. That is, it is possible to perform the software update process without causing an adverse effect on the ECU.

[0049] In the software update device 110, when the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not being charged by an external power source, the power supplied from the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is used to perform the software update process. If the software update process is performed while a large-capacity external power source is connected to charge the battery 3, there is a possibility of danger to people inside the vehicle 1 and near the vehicle 1. On the other hand, in the software update device 110 of the present embodiment, since the software update process is performed when not being charged by an external power source, it is possible to prevent danger to people inside the vehicle 1 and near the vehicle 1.

[0050] In the software update device 110, when the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not being charged by the internal combustion engine of the vehicle 1, the power supplied from the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is used to perform the software update process. Since the software update process is performed when the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not being charged by the internal combustion engine, it is possible to prevent a high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit (ECU) 12 during activation. That is, it is possible to perform the software update process without causing an adverse effect on the ECU.

[0051] In the software update device 110, charging of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is prohibited before the software update process is performed. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent a high-voltage charging voltage from being applied to the electronic control unit 12 during the software update process.

[0052] In addition, the electronic control unit 12 (controller 10) has a first storage unit 121 that stores the first software and a second storage unit 122 that stores the second software. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the software for update (second software) while applying the first software stored in the first storage unit 121 to the device, and store the software for update (second software) in the second storage unit 122. Thus, during the period of obtaining and storing the software for update, the device controlled by the electronic control unit 12 to be updated does not stop. That is, charging of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is not prohibited during the period of obtaining and storing the software for update, and charging of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 is prohibited only during the software update process. Therefore, compared with the case where the device controlled by the electronic control unit 12 to be updated is stopped to obtain and store the software for update, the charging prohibition time of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 can be shortened, thereby improving the convenience during software update operations.

[0053] In the software update device 110, when the power storage amount (SOC) of the battery (vehicle-mounted battery) 3 obtained by the acquisition unit 4 is less than a specified value, the gateway 11 (controller 10) prohibits the software update process. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the power storage amount of the battery 3 from becoming insufficient and the battery 3 from running out due to the execution of the software update process.

[0054] In addition, in the present embodiment, the electronic control unit 12 is set as the BCM, VDC, HEVC, but as long as it is a unit that controls the devices mounted on the vehicle 1, the type of the electronic control unit 12 is not limited to them, and the number is not limited to this either.

[0055] In addition, regarding the software update control including the software update process of the present embodiment, several software update controls can be executed simultaneously for a plurality of electronic control units 12, and the software update control can also be executed at different times for each of the electronic control units 12.

[0056] In addition, in the present embodiment, the following structure is adopted: the gateway 11 executes the comprehensive control of the software update device 110, and the electronic control unit 12 executes the control of each device mounted on the vehicle 1, but the main body of each control can also be either the gateway 11 or the electronic control unit 12. For example, the change of the software applied to the device (software update process) can be executed by the gateway 11 instead of the electronic control unit 12.

[0057] In addition, in the present embodiment, the electronic control unit 12 is configured to have two storage units 121 and 122, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. As described above, in order to be able to shorten the charging prohibition time of the battery 3, preferably, the electronic control unit 12 has two storage units 121 and 122, but the electronic control unit 12 may also be configured to have only one storage unit. In this case, software update processing is performed by overwriting the software for software overwrite update stored in the storage unit. Therefore, during the period when the electronic control unit 12 acquires (downloads) and stores (installs) the software for update, the controlled device of the electronic control unit 12 also stops. Therefore, when the battery 3 is not being charged, the electronic control unit 12 acquires the software for update. In addition, preferably, charging of the battery 3 is prohibited during the period when the electronic control unit 12 acquires (downloads) and stores (installs) the software for update.

[0058] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific structures of the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A software update device that performs an update process of software for operating a device mounted on a vehicle, the software update device comprising: A controller that acquires the software and controls the device by applying the software to the device; and A vehicle-mounted battery that can be charged and supplies power to the controller, Among them, When the controller uses the power supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery to perform the update process of the software, when the vehicle-mounted battery is not being charged, the controller prohibits charging of the vehicle-mounted battery. The controller has: A first storage unit that stores the acquired first software; And A second storage unit that stores the acquired second software, The controller performs the software update process by changing the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software. The controller does not prohibit charging of the vehicle-mounted battery during the acquisition and storage of the second software, and prohibits charging of the vehicle-mounted battery during the execution of the software update process.

2. The software update device according to claim 1, wherein The vehicle-mounted battery can be charged by an external power source, When the vehicle-mounted battery is at least not being charged by the external power source, the controller uses the power supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery to perform the software update process.

3. The software update device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The vehicle-mounted battery can be charged by the internal combustion engine of the vehicle, When the vehicle-mounted battery is at least not being charged by the internal combustion engine, the controller uses the power supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery to perform the software update process.

4. The software update device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein It further comprises an acquisition unit that acquires the power storage amount of the vehicle-mounted battery, When the power storage amount of the vehicle-mounted battery acquired by the acquisition unit is less than a specified value, the controller prohibits the software update process.

5. The software update device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The software update device is mounted on an electric vehicle.

6. A method for updating software, the software being used to operate a device mounted on a vehicle, the method for updating the software comprising the following steps: Acquire the software and apply the software to the device; Store the acquired first software; Store the acquired second software; And Perform the software update process by changing the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software, Wherein, when using the power supplied from a chargeable vehicle-mounted battery to perform the software update, when the vehicle-mounted battery is not being charged, charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is prohibited, Charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is not prohibited during the acquisition and storage of the second software, and charging of the vehicle-mounted battery is prohibited during the execution of the software update process.

7. A storage medium stores a software update processing program for implementing software update processing. The software is used to operate a device mounted on a vehicle. The software update processing program causes a controller to implement the following steps: Obtain the software and apply the software to the device; Store the first software obtained; Store the second software obtained; and Execute the software update processing by changing the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software. Among them, When using the power supplied from an in-vehicle battery that can be charged to perform the software update, charging of the in-vehicle battery is prohibited when the in-vehicle battery is not being charged. Charging of the in-vehicle battery is not prohibited during the period of obtaining and storing the second software, and charging of the in-vehicle battery is prohibited during the period of executing the software update processing.

8. A computer program product includes a software update processing program for implementing software update processing. The software is used to operate a device mounted on a vehicle. The software update processing program causes a controller to implement the following steps: Obtain the software and apply the software to the device; Store the first software obtained; Store the second software obtained; and Execute the software update processing by changing the software applied to the device from the first software to the second software. Among them, When using the power supplied from an in-vehicle battery that can be charged to perform the software update, charging of the in-vehicle battery is prohibited when the in-vehicle battery is not being charged. Charging of the in-vehicle battery is not prohibited during the period of obtaining and storing the second software, and charging of the in-vehicle battery is prohibited during the period of executing the software update processing.

Images