Upgrading method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses an upgrading method and device, and the method comprises the steps that a server sends upgrading indication information to a vehicle, the upgrading indication information is used for indicating a first electronic execution unit ECU of the vehicle to execute OTA upgrading in the driving process of the vehicle, and the first ECU of the vehicle executes OTA upgrading in the driving process of the vehicle in response to the upgrading indication information. By implementing the method and the device, the vehicle can execute OTA upgrading in time, so that the upgrading efficiency is improved, good vehicle using experience is provided for a user of the vehicle, and the upgrading willingness of the user of the vehicle is increased.

Description

Upgrading method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of over-the-air technology (OTA), and in particular to an upgrading method and device. Background Art

[0002] OTA refers to the remote management of mobile terminals through the air interface of mobile communications.

[0003] OTA upgrades are crucial for smart cars, enabling upgrades to the vehicle's software and / or firmware. These upgrades can impact multiple aspects of the vehicle, including human-machine interaction, autonomous driving, powertrain, battery systems, and smart cockpit entertainment. OTA upgrades offer the advantages of timeliness, convenience, and low cost. They also offer the ability to quickly fix software bugs and introduce new features, enabling iterative upgrades of vehicle functionality and improving the user experience.

[0004] The OTA upgrade method currently used in vehicles provides poor driving experience for drivers and cannot meet the timeliness requirements of future intelligent driving.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application discloses an upgrade method and device, which enables a vehicle to perform OTA upgrades in a timely manner, improves upgrade efficiency, and provides a good vehicle experience for vehicle users.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides an upgrade method, which includes: obtaining upgrade indication information, wherein the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first electronic execution unit ECU of the vehicle to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the driving of the vehicle, the first ECU including at least one of an ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety; and sending the upgrade indication information.

[0008] This method can be applied to a network-side device, which can be a server deployed on the network side (e.g., an OTA server), or a component in the server, such as a chip, line card, or integrated circuit. The network-side device can be deployed in a cloud environment, i.e., a cloud server, or in an edge environment, i.e., an edge server. The network-side device can be an integrated device or multiple distributed devices, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

[0009] Among them, the ECUs involved in driving safety in the vehicle include: engine management system (EMS), transmission control unit (TCU), electronic stability program (ESP), battery management system (BMS), motor control unit (MCU), vehicle control unit (VCU), anti-lock brake system (ABS), auxiliary driving control unit and body control module (BCM) and at least one of the following.

[0010] The ECUs in the vehicle that are not related to driving safety include: at least one of: seat ECU, trunk ECU, entertainment audio and video car machine, etc.

[0011] Here, the first ECU may also be a control unit in the vehicle, which is not specifically limited here.

[0012] For example, sending the upgrade instruction information may specifically include sending the upgrade instruction information to the vehicle, or sending the upgrade instruction information to an external device associated with the vehicle, where the external device may be, for example, at least one of a portable mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, etc.), a smart wearable device (e.g., a sports bracelet, watch, etc.), or other terminal devices. Here, the external device associated with the vehicle may be the terminal device of the vehicle owner, the terminal device of the current driver of the vehicle, the terminal device of a person who can use the vehicle, or the terminal device located in the vehicle, without specific limitation.

[0013] In the above method, OTA upgrades can be performed while the vehicle is driving, which is beneficial to improving the upgrade efficiency of the vehicle's OTA upgrade, providing a good car-using experience for the vehicle's users, and helping to increase the vehicle's users' willingness to upgrade.

[0014] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

[0015] Hot upgrade refers to a method in which a vehicle can perform OTA upgrades while it is in motion.

[0016] By implementing the above implementation method, the type identifier can be used to know that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, that is, the vehicle can perform OTA upgrades while driving.

[0017] Optionally, when the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

[0018] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information does not include function disabling information, where the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable a first function during the process of executing the OTA upgrade.

[0019] The first function can be understood as a vehicle function that needs to be disabled in a non-hot upgrade state, such as when performing an OTA upgrade on an existing vehicle's ECU. For example, the first function can be one or more of the following: a start-stop function, a start function (for new energy vehicles), a transmission, a vehicle power source, or functions that affect vehicle power consumption (e.g., air conditioning, entertainment, and audio / video).

[0020] By implementing the above implementation method, when the vehicle performs a hot upgrade type of OTA upgrade, the vehicle functions are not affected by the OTA upgrade, so the vehicle can perform OTA upgrades while driving, realizing upgrades while driving, providing the driver with a better car experience.

[0021] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0022] Exemplarily, the duration indicated by the first time information includes one or more of the following: in a non-hot upgrade state, for example, the time consumed for erasing the old code segment from the target storage space when the ECU of an existing vehicle performs an OTA upgrade, the time consumed for the ECU to write the new code segment in the upgrade package to the target storage space, and the time consumed for the ECU to restart after the new code segment in the upgrade package is written to the target storage space.

[0023] For example, the duration indicated by the first time information can also be understood as the duration that the vehicle needs to be parked in a non-hot upgrade state, such as when the existing ECU performs an OTA upgrade.

[0024] By implementing the above-mentioned implementation method, compared with the existing OTA upgrade method, the time required for the vehicle of the present application to perform OTA upgrade is much shorter, and the vehicle can complete the OTA upgrade very quickly, so the upgrade indication information may not include the first time information. In this way, the content in the upgrade indication information is effectively reduced, the consumption of air interface used for resource transmission is saved, and the transmission rate of the upgrade indication information is improved.

[0025] Optionally, the method also includes: sending an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, the upgrade package including a first code segment, the first code segment being used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponding to a jump mark, the jump mark being used to indicate that the first ECU does not run the second code segment and runs the first code segment.

[0026] That is, in the OTA upgrade method provided by this application, the original second code segment is not erased. Instead, a jump marker is inserted to prevent the second code segment from being executed and the first code segment is executed, thereby achieving the installation of the upgrade package and completing the OTA upgrade of the vehicle's ECU. In this way, the vehicle's functions are not affected during the OTA upgrade process, and the upgrade can be achieved while driving. This also saves the time consumed by erasing the old code segment and the time consumed by restarting after the code segment in the upgrade package is successfully written, thereby improving the efficiency of the ECU in executing OTA upgrades.

[0027] In one implementation, the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade may also be included in the upgrade indication information.

[0028] Optionally, the upgrade indication information also includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information is used to indicate the preset time when the first ECU starts to execute the OTA upgrade; upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages, and the upgrade package is the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0029] The preset time indicated by the second time information can be a point in time or a time period. The duration of the time period can be expressed in seconds, minutes, or other units, which are not specifically limited here. As can be seen, the second time information provides a recommended time for the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade, which can be used as a reference for the user.

[0030] Performing OTA upgrades based on upgrade sequence information can effectively improve the efficiency of vehicle OTA upgrades.

[0031] In the second aspect, the present application provides an upgrade method, which includes: receiving upgrade indication information, wherein the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first electronic execution unit ECU of the vehicle to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the driving of the vehicle, the first ECU including at least one of an ECU in the vehicle involving driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not involving driving safety; sending first indication information to the first ECU, wherein the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0032] The method can be applied to an over-the-air OTA management node (OTA Manager), or a component within the OTA management node, such as a chip, a line card, or an integrated circuit, etc. For example, the OTA Manager can also be referred to as a master ECU.

[0033] Among them, the first ECU, the ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety, and the ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety can be respectively referred to the description of the corresponding contents of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0034] Here, the first indication information is associated with the upgrade indication information.

[0035] Exemplarily, the first indication information is associated with the upgrade indication information, which can be understood as: the content in the first indication information is associated with the content in the upgrade indication information. For example, the first indication information can include at least one of the type identifier, second time information and upgrade sequence information in the upgrade indication information.

[0036] For example, the first indication information being associated with the upgrade indication information can also be understood as follows: the first indication information is sent by the OTA Manager to the first ECU based on the received upgrade indication information. For example, after receiving the upgrade indication information from the network-side device and learning that the first ECU needs to perform the OTA upgrade, the OTA Manager can send the first indication information to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0037] In the above method, OTA upgrades can be performed while the vehicle is driving, which is not only conducive to improving the upgrade efficiency of the vehicle's OTA upgrade, but also conducive to increasing the upgrade willingness of vehicle users, providing vehicle users with a good car-using experience.

[0038] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; and sending the upgrade package to the first ECU. In other words, the upgrade package can be independent of the upgrade instruction information, which is conducive to reducing the data volume of the upgrade instruction information.

[0039] Exemplarily, receiving the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade may be receiving the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade from a network-side device (e.g., a server), or receiving the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade from a terminal device, where the terminal device may be, for example, at least one of a portable mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, etc.), a smart wearable device (e.g., a sports bracelet, watch, etc.), etc. Here, the terminal device is associated with the vehicle, for example, the terminal device is located in the vehicle, or the terminal device is a user device of the owner of the vehicle, or a user device of the current driver of the vehicle, or a user device of a person who can use the vehicle, without specific limitation herein.

[0040] Optionally, the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponds to a jump mark, which is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment and to run the first code segment.

[0041] It can be seen that the original second code segment is not erased. This application inserts a jump mark so that the second code segment is not executed and the first code segment is executed instead, thereby achieving the installation of the upgrade package and completing the OTA upgrade of the vehicle's ECU. In this way, the vehicle's functions are not affected during the OTA upgrade process, and the upgrade can be achieved while driving. It also saves the time consumed by erasing the old code segment and the time consumed by restarting after the code segment in the upgrade package is successfully written, thereby improving the efficiency of the ECU in executing OTA upgrades.

[0042] In one implementation, the upgrade package may be included in the upgrade instruction information. In this way, the upgrade package may be directly obtained from the upgrade instruction information and then sent to the first ECU.

[0043] Optionally, the method further includes: prompting a user of the vehicle that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is driving.

[0044] Exemplarily, the user of the vehicle may include at least one of the owner of the vehicle, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0045] For example, a voice announcement or a text prompt in a pop-up window on the display interface can be used to let users know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of their vehicle, that is, they can perform the OTA upgrade while driving, which is conducive to increasing users' willingness to choose to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0046] Optionally, the method also includes: comparing the size of the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade with the size of a first storage space on the first ECU, the first storage space being used to store the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; sending the first indication information to the first ECU includes: when the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, sending the first indication information to the first ECU.

[0047] The first storage space is a storage space used for OTA upgrades of the hot upgrade type, which can also be understood as a hot upgrade storage space. The first storage space is used to store code segments in the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade of the hot upgrade type.

[0048] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving. For a detailed description of the type identifier, please refer to the relevant description of the type identifier in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0049] Optionally, when the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is traveling, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state. For details about the first function, please refer to the relevant description of the first function in the first aspect.

[0050] In one implementation, the upgrade instruction information does not include function disabling information, where the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable a first function during the OTA upgrade. For a detailed description of the function disabling information, please refer to the description of the function disabling information in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0051] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, where the first time information is used to indicate the duration required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade. For a detailed description of the first time information, please refer to the relevant description of the first time information in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] Optionally, the upgrade indication information further includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a preset time at which the first ECU begins executing the OTA upgrade; and upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information being used to indicate the installation order of multiple upgrade packages, where the upgrade packages are corresponding to the OTA upgrade. For details on the second time information and upgrade sequence information, please refer to the corresponding descriptions in the first aspect and are not further elaborated here.

[0053] Optionally, the method also includes: requesting the user of the vehicle whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; sending the first indication information to the first ECU includes: receiving confirmation information, the confirmation information instructing the user to confirm the execution of the OTA upgrade; and sending the first indication information to the first ECU in response to the confirmation information.

[0054] Here, the user of the vehicle includes, for example, at least one of the owner of the vehicle, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0055] The implementation of the above-mentioned implementation method increases the human-vehicle interaction process and fully considers the vehicle user's willingness to perform OTA upgrades. The sending of the first indication information is triggered only when the vehicle user confirms to perform the OTA upgrade, making the service more friendly and humane.

[0056] In a third aspect, the present application provides an upgrade method, which includes: receiving an upgrade package; and performing an over-the-air OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package while the vehicle is driving.

[0057] The method is applied to a first ECU in a vehicle, or a component in the first ECU, such as a chip, a line card, or an integrated circuit, etc. It can be understood that the first ECU is the ECU to be upgraded in the vehicle.

[0058] Receiving the upgrade package includes: receiving the upgrade package sent by the server or OTA Manager.

[0059] In the above method, the vehicle's ECU can perform OTA upgrades while driving, realizing timely execution of OTA upgrades, providing a good car-using experience for vehicle users, and helping to increase the vehicle users' willingness to upgrade.

[0060] In addition, for emergency version upgrade packages, it can meet the needs of timely installation and upgrade, which is conducive to improving vehicle safety.

[0061] Optionally, the first ECU includes at least one of an ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety. Here, the first ECU may also be a control unit within the vehicle. The ECUs in the vehicle related to driving safety and the ECUs in the vehicle not related to driving safety can be separately described in the corresponding sections of the first aspect above and are not further elaborated here.

[0062] Optionally, the upgrade package includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU; performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: running the first code segment according to a jump mark, and the jump mark is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment and to run the first code segment.

[0063] That is, in the OTA upgrade method provided by this application, the original second code segment is not erased. Instead, a jump marker is inserted to prevent the second code segment from being executed and the first code segment is executed, thereby achieving the installation of the upgrade package and completing the OTA upgrade of the vehicle's ECU. In this way, the vehicle's functions are not affected during the OTA upgrade process, and the upgrade can be achieved while driving. This also saves the time consumed by erasing the old code segment and the time consumed by restarting after the code segment in the upgrade package is successfully written, thereby improving the efficiency of the ECU in executing OTA upgrades.

[0064] Optionally, the first code segment is stored in a first storage space, the second code segment is stored in a second storage space, and storage resources corresponding to the first storage space do not overlap with storage resources corresponding to the second storage space.

[0065] Among them, the first storage space is a storage space used for OTA upgrades of the hot upgrade type, which can also be understood as a hot upgrade storage space, while the second storage space does not belong to the hot upgrade storage space.

[0066] Take a specific example to illustrate that the storage resources corresponding to the first storage space and the storage resources corresponding to the second storage space do not overlap: assuming that the storage resources corresponding to the first storage space are a continuous storage space from address 1 to address 2, and the storage resources corresponding to the second storage space are a continuous storage space from address 3 to address 4, where address 1 is smaller than address 2, and address 3 is smaller than address 4. The storage resources corresponding to the first storage space and the storage resources corresponding to the second storage space do not overlap if: address 2 is smaller than address 3 or address 4 is smaller than address 1.

[0067] By implementing the above implementation method, the code segment in the upgrade package (i.e., the first code segment) is stored in a first storage space that is different from the second storage space where the old code segment (i.e., the second code segment) is located. In this way, when the ECU executes to the jump mark, it can bypass the old code segment and jump to the storage address where the first storage space is located to execute the code segment in the upgrade package.

[0068] Optionally, the method also includes: comparing the size of the upgrade package with the size of the first storage space; performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: when the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package, performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0069] That is to say, before executing the OTA upgrade, the ECU can also check whether the size of the storage space used to store the upgrade package is sufficient. When the size of the storage space used to store the upgrade package is not less than the size of the upgrade package, the OTA upgrade is executed.

[0070] Optionally, the method further includes: prompting a user of the vehicle that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is driving.

[0071] Exemplarily, the user of the vehicle may include at least one of the owner of the vehicle, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0072] For example, a voice announcement or a text prompt in a pop-up window on the display interface can be used to let users know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of their vehicle, that is, the OTA upgrade can be performed while driving, which helps increase the probability of users choosing to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0073] Optionally, the method also includes: receiving first indication information from an OTA management node, the first indication information being used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade; and performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package, including: performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package in response to the first indication information.

[0074] The upgrade package may be included in the first indication information, or may be sent separately by the OTA management node independently of the first indication information, which is not specifically limited here.

[0075] That is to say, the ECU executing the OTA upgrade may be triggered by the first indication information sent by the OTA management node.

[0076] In one implementation, the first indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving.

[0077] By implementing the above implementation, the first ECU can know that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade based on the type identifier in the first indication information, that is, the vehicle can perform OTA upgrades while driving.

[0078] In one implementation, the first indication information does not include first time information, which indicates the duration required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade. This helps reduce the data volume of the first indication information and improves transmission efficiency. For details on the first time information, please refer to the description of the first time information in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0079] Optionally, the method also includes: receiving upgrade indication information from a server, the upgrade indication information being used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle; performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package in response to the upgrade indication information.

[0080] The upgrade package may be included in the upgrade instruction information, or may be sent separately from the upgrade instruction information by the server, which is not specifically limited here.

[0081] That is to say, the ECU can interact directly with the server and perform OTA upgrades based on the upgrade instruction information sent by the server without the participation of the OTA management node.

[0082] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving. For a detailed description of the type identifier, please refer to the relevant description of the type identifier in the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0083] Optionally, when the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state. For details about the first function, please refer to the description of the first function in the first aspect.

[0084] In other words, the first function of the vehicle is not affected by the OTA upgrade performed by the first ECU, providing the driver with a better car experience.

[0085] In one implementation, the upgrade instruction information does not include function disabling information, and the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable a first function during the OTA upgrade. For a detailed description of the first function, please refer to the description of the first function in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0086] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0087] Compared to existing OTA upgrade methods, the implementation described above reduces the time required to erase the old code segment and the time required to restart the ECU after writing the new code segment. Therefore, the time required to perform an OTA upgrade on the vehicle of this application is much shorter, improving the efficiency of the ECU performing OTA upgrades. Furthermore, the upgrade indication information does not need to include the first time information, effectively reducing the content of the upgrade indication information, saving air interface consumption for resource transmission, and increasing the transmission rate of the upgrade indication information.

[0088] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information further includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information being used to indicate a preset time at which the first ECU begins executing the OTA upgrade; and upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information being used to indicate the installation order of multiple upgrade packages, where the upgrade packages are corresponding to the OTA upgrade. For details on the second time information and upgrade sequence information, please refer to the corresponding descriptions in the first aspect and are not further elaborated here.

[0089] In one implementation, the method further includes: requesting the user of the vehicle whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; performing the over-the-air OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package includes: receiving confirmation information, the confirmation information indicating that the user confirms the execution of the OTA upgrade; and performing the OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package in response to the confirmation information.

[0090] Here, the user of the vehicle includes, for example, at least one of the owner of the vehicle, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0091] The implementation of the above-mentioned method increases the human-vehicle interaction process and fully considers the vehicle user's willingness to perform OTA upgrades. The execution of OTA upgrades is triggered only when the vehicle user confirms to perform OTA upgrades, making the service more friendly and humane.

[0092] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a device for upgrading, the device comprising a processing unit and a sending unit, wherein:

[0093] The processing unit is used to obtain upgrade indication information, and the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the vehicle's first electronic execution unit ECU to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the vehicle's driving process, the first ECU including at least one of an ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety; the sending unit is used to send the upgrade indication information.

[0094] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

[0095] Optionally, when the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

[0096] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information does not include function disabling information, where the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable a first function during the process of executing the OTA upgrade.

[0097] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0098] Optionally, the sending unit is also used to send an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, the upgrade package including a first code segment, the first code segment being used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponding to a jump mark, the jump mark being used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment but to run the first code segment.

[0099] In one implementation, the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade may be included in the upgrade indication information.

[0100] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information also includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information is used to indicate the preset time when the first ECU starts to execute the OTA upgrade; upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages, and the upgrade package is the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0101] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a device for upgrading, which includes a receiving unit and a sending unit, wherein the receiving unit is used to receive upgrade indication information, and the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the vehicle's first electronic execution unit ECU to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the vehicle's driving process, and the first ECU includes at least one of an ECU in the vehicle that involves driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle that does not involve driving safety; the sending unit is used to send first indication information to the first ECU, and the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0102] Optionally, the receiving unit is further used to: receive an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; and the sending unit is further used to send the upgrade package to the first ECU.

[0103] Optionally, the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponds to a jump mark, which is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment and to run the first code segment.

[0104] In one implementation, the upgrade package is included in the upgrade instruction information.

[0105] Optionally, the device further includes a processing unit, configured to prompt a user of the vehicle that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is driving.

[0106] Optionally, the processing unit is also used to: compare the size of the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade and the size of the first storage space on the first ECU, the first storage space being used to store the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; the sending unit is specifically used to: send the first indication information to the first ECU when the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0107] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

[0108] Optionally, when the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

[0109] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information does not include function disabling information, where the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable a first function during the process of executing the OTA upgrade.

[0110] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0111] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information also includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information is used to indicate the preset time when the first ECU starts to execute the OTA upgrade; upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages, and the upgrade package is the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0112] In one implementation, the processing unit is further used to: request the user of the vehicle whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; the receiving unit is further used to receive confirmation information, wherein the confirmation information indicates that the user confirms the execution of the OTA upgrade; the sending unit is specifically used to: send the first indication information to the first ECU in response to the confirmation information.

[0113] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for upgrading, which may be a first ECU of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a receiving unit and a processing unit, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive an upgrade package; and the processing unit is configured to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade based on the upgrade package while the vehicle is in motion.

[0114] Optionally, the first ECU includes at least one of an ECU related to driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not related to driving safety in the vehicle.

[0115] Optionally, the upgrade package includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU; the processing unit is specifically used to: run the first code segment according to a jump mark, and the jump mark is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment and to run the first code segment.

[0116] Optionally, the first code segment is stored in a first storage space, the second code segment is stored in a second storage space, and storage resources corresponding to the first storage space do not overlap with storage resources corresponding to the second storage space.

[0117] Optionally, the processing unit is further used to: compare the size of the upgrade package with the size of the first storage space; the processing unit is specifically used to: when the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package, perform the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0118] Optionally, the processing unit is further used to: prompt the user of the vehicle that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is driving.

[0119] Optionally, the receiving unit is further used to: receive first indication information from the OTA management node, the first indication information being used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade; the processing unit is specifically used to: respond to the first indication information and perform the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0120] In one implementation, the first indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving.

[0121] In one implementation, the first indication information does not include first time information, the first time information being used to indicate the duration required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade. Optionally, the receiving unit is further configured to: receive upgrade indication information from a server, the upgrade indication information being used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; and the processing unit is specifically configured to: respond to the upgrade indication information and perform the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0122] Optionally, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

[0123] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include function disabling information, and the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU to disable the first function during the process of executing the OTA upgrade.

[0124] Optionally, the upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0125] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information also includes at least one of the following: second time information, the second time information is used to indicate the preset time when the first ECU starts to execute the OTA upgrade; upgrade sequence information, the upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages, and the upgrade package is the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0126] In one implementation, the processing unit is further used to: request the user of the vehicle whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; the receiving unit is further used to: receive confirmation information, wherein the confirmation information indicates that the user confirms the execution of the OTA upgrade; the processing unit is specifically used to: execute the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package in response to the confirmation information.

[0127] In the seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or implement the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or implement the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0128] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a processor, can implement the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or implement the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or implement the method in the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0129] Exemplarily, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0130] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to provide information input and / or output to the at least one processor. The chip is configured to implement the method of the first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect, or the chip is configured to implement the method of the second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect, or the chip is configured to implement the method of the third aspect or any possible embodiment of the third aspect.

[0131] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a server, which is used to implement the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect.

[0132] In the eleventh aspect, the present application provides an electronic control unit, which includes a first device or a second device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect, and the second device is used to implement the method in the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible embodiment of the third aspect.

[0133] Furthermore, the first device may be a device of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or a chip of the ninth aspect; the second device may be a device of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect, or a chip of the ninth aspect.

[0134] In the twelfth aspect, the present application provides a system, which includes a first device and a second device, or the system includes a second device and a third device, or the system includes a first device, a second device and a third device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible embodiment of the second aspect, the second device is used to implement the method in the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible embodiment of the third aspect, and the third device is used to implement the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible embodiment of the first aspect.

[0135] Further, the first device can be a device of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or it can be the chip of the ninth aspect or the electronic control unit of the eleventh aspect; the second device can be a device of the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect, or it can be the chip of the ninth aspect or the electronic control unit of the eleventh aspect; the third device can be a device of the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, or it can be the chip of the ninth aspect or the server of the tenth aspect.

[0136] In the thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising the electronic control unit of the eleventh aspect, or comprising one or more of the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect and the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0137] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0138] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0139] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a frame of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0140] FIG4 is a flow chart of an upgrade method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0141] FIG5 is a flow chart of another upgrading method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0142] FIG6 is a flow chart of another upgrading method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0143] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0144] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0145] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0146] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0147] The terms used in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order.

[0148] It should be noted that the prefixes such as "first" and "second" used in this application are only for distinguishing different description objects, and do not have any limiting effect on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the described objects. For example, if the described object is a "field", then the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the described object is a "level", then the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of described objects is not limited by the prefix and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the described object is a "device," then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device, the same type of device, or different types of devices. For another example, if the described object is "information," then the "first information" and the "second information" can be information of the same content or information of different contents. In short, the use of prefixes to distinguish the described objects in the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. For the description of the described objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and the use of such prefixes should not constitute an unnecessary limitation.

[0149] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "at least one of a1, a2, ..., and an" include any one of a1, a2, ..., and an existing alone, as well as any combination of any multiple of a1, a2, ..., and an, each of which can exist alone. For example, the description "at least one of a, b, and c" includes a alone, b alone, c alone, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, or a combination of a, b, and c.

[0150] Refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a vehicle performs an OTA upgrade according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0151] Typically, a vehicle retrieves an upgrade package from a cloud-based OTA server, installs it locally, and reboots to implement an OTA upgrade. However, upgrade packages often involve updates to the vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU), which is related to driving safety. For example, the vehicle's ECU performs an OTA upgrade by overwriting the old code segment with the code segment in the upgrade package. This results in the vehicle's functions being disabled while the OTA upgrade is being performed. Therefore, the vehicle may choose to pull over and perform the OTA upgrade, or perform the OTA upgrade during a period when the vehicle is not in use.

[0152] For example, in Figure 1, the vehicle is in motion. After receiving an upgrade package from the OTA server at location 1 and confirming the need for an OTA upgrade, the vehicle decelerates, pulls over, and drives to location 2 to perform the OTA upgrade. The upgrade package installation and restart process takes a long time, forcing the user to wait, severely impacting the user's driving experience. This is especially true when the upgrade package is an emergency version used to fix a major software defect. Timely OTA upgrades are crucial to mitigate potential safety hazards while driving.

[0153] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application proposes an upgrade method that can perform OTA upgrades in a timely manner even when the vehicle is in motion, thereby improving the user experience.

[0154] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0155] See Figure 2, which illustrates an exemplary system architecture for implementing OTA vehicle upgrades. As shown in Figure 2, the system includes network-side devices and a vehicle, where the network-side devices and the vehicle communicate via a wireless connection.

[0156] The network-side device can be, for example, a server deployed on the network side (e.g., an OTA server), or a component in the server, such as a chip, line card, or integrated circuit. The network-side device can be deployed in a cloud environment, i.e., a cloud server, or in an edge environment, i.e., an edge server. The network-side device can be an integrated device or a distributed device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0157] The vehicle may be, for example, an autonomous driving vehicle, a new energy vehicle or a traditional vehicle, among which a traditional vehicle refers to a fuel vehicle, such as a gasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, etc., and a new energy vehicle may be, for example, an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an extended-range electric vehicle (range extended EV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (Plug-in HEV), a fuel cell vehicle or other new energy vehicles, which are not specifically limited here.

[0158] Exemplarily, the network-side device sends upgrade indication information to the vehicle, where the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the vehicle's first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is in driving; the vehicle receives the upgrade indication information sent by the network-side device and performs an OTA upgrade according to the upgrade indication information.

[0159] In the system shown in FIG2 , communication between the network-side device and the vehicle may utilize cellular communication technology, such as 2G cellular communication, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); or 3G cellular communication, such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TS-SCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA); or 4G cellular communication, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Vehicle to Everything (V2X) wireless communication technology, PC5 communication; or 5G cellular communication, such as New Radio (NR)-V2X PC5 communication, or other evolved cellular communication technologies. The wireless communication system may also utilize non-cellular communication technologies, such as Wi-Fi and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication, which are not specifically limited here.

[0160] For the sake of convenience, the following network-side device is used as an example to illustrate the solution, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the network-side device being only the server.

[0161] It should be noted that Figure 2 is only an exemplary architecture diagram and does not limit the number of network elements included in the system shown in Figure 2. Although not shown in Figure 2, Figure 2 may also include other functional entities in addition to the functional entities shown in Figure 2. In addition, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 2. Of course, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0162] Referring to FIG3 , FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle framework provided by an embodiment of the present application. In FIG3 , the vehicle includes at least one electronic control unit (ECU). For example, at least one ECU includes ECU1, ECU2, ..., ECU n , where n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0163] In some possible embodiments, the vehicle also includes an OTA management node (OTA Manager), which can communicate with each ECU via wireless or wired means. The OTA Manager can obtain one or more of the software, firmware, and hardware information of each ECU by communicating with the ECUs in each link within the vehicle. The OTA Manager can also receive information returned by each ECU.

[0164] The OTA upgrade of a vehicle can be understood as the vehicle implementing an OTA upgrade of at least one ECU in the vehicle through the OTA Manager.

[0165] An ECU, also known as an onboard computer or a driving computer, is used to control the vehicle's status and implement various functions. Depending on their function, ECUs in a vehicle include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: the engine management system (EMS), transmission control unit (TCU), electronic stability program (ESP), battery management system (BMS), motor control unit (MCU), vehicle control unit (VCU), anti-lock brake system (ABS), driver assistance control unit, body control module (BCM), seat ECU, trunk ECU, and entertainment audio and video system.

[0166] Among them, EMS is applied to at least one of gasoline engines, diesel engines or hybrid power systems, and mainly controls the engine's functions such as fuel injection, ignition, and torque distribution.

[0167] TCU is commonly used in automatic transmissions (e.g., automatic and manual transmission (AMT), traditional automatic transmission (AT), dual-clutch transmission (DCT), continuously variable transmission (CVT), etc.), and can adopt different gear strategies according to the vehicle's driving state.

[0168] ESP can help maintain vehicle stability in various conditions, and its effectiveness is particularly pronounced during oversteer or understeer situations. Depending on the manufacturer, ESP may also be referred to as vehicle dynamic control (VDC), vehicle stability control (VSC), vehicle stability assist control (VSA), or dynamic stability control (DSC).

[0169] BMS is designed for electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles equipped with power batteries. It is used to improve battery utilization, prevent overcharging and over-discharging of the battery, extend the battery life, and monitor the battery status.

[0170] The VCU is used in the power system of hybrid / pure electric vehicles and is responsible for coordinating the work of various components such as the engine, drive motor, gearbox, and power battery to improve the economy, power, and safety of new energy vehicles and reduce emissions and pollution.

[0171] The BCM can be used to control at least one of the following functions: sunroof, windows, door locks, interior lights, seats, power tailgate, lights, wipers, and passive entry and start (PEPS).

[0172] It should be noted that Figure 3 is only an example of a block diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the block diagram of the vehicle to the form shown in Figure 3. In some possible embodiments, the vehicle may also include more or fewer components than those shown in Figure 3, which is not specifically limited here.

[0173] See Figure 4, which is a flow chart of an upgrade method provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, the method is applied to a system consisting of a server and a vehicle, wherein the server is an example of the network-side device in Figure 1 above, and the vehicle can be the vehicle in Figure 1. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0174] S401: The server obtains upgrade instruction information.

[0175] In one implementation, the server obtaining the upgrade instruction information may be: the server generating the upgrade instruction information.

[0176] The upgrade instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving. It can be understood that the first ECU is the ECU to be upgraded in the vehicle.

[0177] Here, the first ECU may be a control unit to be upgraded in the vehicle.

[0178] The first ECU includes at least one of an ECU involved in driving safety and an ECU not involved in driving safety. ECUs involved in driving safety include at least one of the EMS, TCU, ESP, BMS, VCU, ABS, BCM, MCU, and an assisted driving control unit. ECUs not involved in driving safety include, but are not limited to, seat ECUs, trunk ECUs, and entertainment audio / video systems. For detailed descriptions of the EMS, TCU, ESP, BMS, VCU, ABS, BCM, MCU, and assisted driving control unit, please refer to the descriptions of the corresponding ECUs in Figure 3 above. For the sake of brevity, these descriptions are omitted here.

[0179] That is to say, the embodiments of the present application are applicable not only to OTA upgrades of ECUs in a vehicle that are related to driving safety, but also to OTA upgrades of ECUs in a vehicle that are not related to driving safety.

[0180] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving.

[0181] A hot update allows the vehicle to perform an OTA update while in motion. In hot updates, there's no need to disable vehicle functions during the update.

[0182] Exemplarily, the type identifier may indicate the type of OTA upgrade by bit mapping, binary value or other means. The type identifier may also be a combination of one or more characters, wherein the characters may be one or more of numbers, letters and other symbols, such as a combination of one or more numbers, or a combination of one or more data and letters. For example, when the type identifier takes the first value, the type identifier indicates that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade. For another example, when the type identifier is "R", it indicates that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade.

[0183] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information also includes an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, wherein the upgrade package includes a first code segment that replaces a second code segment previously executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponds to a jump marker that instructs the first ECU to execute the first code segment instead of the second code segment. In some possible embodiments, the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade may not be included in the upgrade indication information, i.e., it may be sent separately by the server, which is not specifically limited here.

[0184] Exemplarily, the above-mentioned type identifier can be set independently of the upgrade package, and the type identifier can also be set on the upgrade package, which is not specifically limited here.

[0185] In some possible embodiments, when the first ECU performs an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first function of the vehicle is in an available state. Alternatively, for example, the upgrade instruction information does not include function disabling information, where the function disabling information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to disable the first function during the OTA upgrade.

[0186] The first function can be understood as a vehicle function that needs to be disabled in a non-hot upgrade state, such as when performing an OTA upgrade on an existing vehicle's ECU. For example, the first function can be one or more of the following: a start-stop function, a start function (for new energy vehicles), a transmission, a vehicle power source, or functions that affect vehicle power consumption (e.g., air conditioning, entertainment, and audio / video).

[0187] In other words, if the OTA upgrade type is a hot upgrade, the vehicle function does not need to be disabled, that is, the vehicle's primary function is not affected by the OTA upgrade. Since the vehicle function is not affected by the OTA upgrade, the vehicle can be upgraded while driving, achieving the upgrade while driving, providing a better driving experience for the driver.

[0188] In an embodiment of the present application, the upgrade indication information does not include the first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0189] Exemplarily, the duration indicated by the first time information includes at least one of the following: the duration consumed by erasing old code segments from a target storage space when the ECU of an existing vehicle performs an OTA upgrade in a non-hot upgrade state, for example; the duration consumed by the ECU writing new code segments from the upgrade package to the target storage space; and the duration consumed by the ECU restarting after the new code segments from the upgrade package are written to the target storage space. Exemplarily, the duration indicated by the first time information can also be understood as the duration of time the vehicle needs to be parked in a non-hot upgrade state, for example; when the existing ECU performs an OTA upgrade.

[0190] For example, the duration indicated by the first time information may be 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 75 minutes, 120 minutes or other durations, which are not specifically limited here.

[0191] In other words, if the existing vehicle OTA upgrade method is used, that is, the new code segment in the upgrade package overwrites the original old code segment, it means first erasing the old code segment stored in the original storage space, then flashing the new code segment, and finally restarting the operation. Therefore, the existing vehicle OTA upgrade consumes a long time, and it is necessary to prompt the user through the first time information. In the case of a hot upgrade, the OTA upgrade provided by this application consumes a short time, generally in seconds, and the vehicle can complete the OTA upgrade quickly. Therefore, the upgrade indication information does not need to include the first time information. In this way, the consumption of the air interface used for resource transmission can be saved, and the transmission rate of the upgrade indication information can be improved.

[0192] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information further includes prompt information for notifying the vehicle user that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is in motion. Here, the vehicle user includes, for example, at least one of the vehicle owner, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0193] Through the prompt information, users can know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of their vehicles, that is, they can perform the OTA upgrade while driving, which is conducive to increasing users' willingness to choose to perform OTA upgrades.

[0194] For example, the prompt information may be information such as "The OTA upgrade can be performed while driving", "There is no need to pull over to perform the OTA upgrade", and "Performing the OTA upgrade does not affect the normal driving of the vehicle".

[0195] The prompt information may be displayed on a display interface of the vehicle's display device or may be provided as a voice prompt to the user. The display device may be, for example, a vehicle tablet, an onboard display, or a head-up display (HUD) system, which is not specifically limited here.

[0196] In this embodiment of the present application, the upgrade instruction information further includes at least one of the following contents:

[0197] Second time information, the second time information is used to indicate a preset time when the first ECU starts to perform the OTA upgrade;

[0198] Upgrade sequence information: The upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages. The upgrade package is the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade.

[0199] In one implementation, the second time information is optional information in the upgrade indication information. The preset time indicated by the second time information can be a time point or a time period. The duration of the time period can be expressed in seconds, minutes, or other units, and is not specifically limited here. The preset time indicated by the second time information can be a server default setting or a server-set time based on the urgency of the upgrade package, and is not specifically limited here.

[0200] For example, if the second time information indicates a time point of "10:00 AM," it indicates that the vehicle's first ECU is recommended to perform an OTA upgrade at 10:00 AM. Another example is if the second time information indicates a time period of "2:02 PM - 2:07 PM," it indicates that the vehicle's first ECU is recommended to perform an OTA upgrade at any time between 2:02 PM and 2:06 PM. Thus, the second time information provides a recommended time for the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade, providing a user's reference.

[0201] In one implementation, upgrade sequence information is optional information within the upgrade indication information. For example, if there are multiple upgrade packages, this means there are also multiple first ECUs in the vehicle that require OTA upgrades, with different upgrade packages corresponding to different ECUs. In this case, the upgrade sequence information indicates the order in which the upgrade packages should be installed. This, based on the upgrade sequence information, can effectively improve the efficiency of OTA upgrades in the vehicle.

[0202] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information further includes upgrade condition information, which is used to indicate the upgrade conditions that must be met for the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade. The upgrade condition may, for example, be at least one of the following: the vehicle's on-board diagnostic system (OBD) is not currently performing a diagnostic task, the storage space on the first ECU for storing an upgrade package corresponding to the hot upgrade type is not less than the size of the upgrade package, etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0203] In one implementation, the upgrade condition information is optional information in the upgrade instruction information. In some possible embodiments, the upgrade instruction information may not include the upgrade condition information. In this case, the vehicle may not perform conditional judgment related to the upgrade condition information before performing the OTA upgrade.

[0204] S402: The server sends an upgrade instruction message to the vehicle.

[0205] Correspondingly, the vehicle receives the upgrade instruction information sent by the server.

[0206] In one implementation, the vehicle receives upgrade indication information sent by the server, including: the vehicle's OTA Manager receives upgrade indication information sent by the server.

[0207] In another implementation, the vehicle receives the upgrade instruction information sent by the server, including: the first ECU of the vehicle receives the upgrade instruction information sent by the server.

[0208] In one implementation, the server sends upgrade indication information to the vehicle, including: the server sends upgrade indication information to an external device associated with the vehicle, wherein the external device can be, for example, at least one of terminal devices such as a portable mobile device (for example, a mobile phone, a tablet, etc.), a smart wearable device (for example, a sports bracelet, a watch, etc.). Here, the external device associated with the vehicle means: the external device is the terminal device of the vehicle owner, or the terminal device of the current driver of the vehicle, or the terminal device of a person who can use the vehicle, or the terminal device located in the vehicle, and is not specifically limited here. In this case, accordingly, the external device associated with the vehicle receives the upgrade indication information sent by the server.

[0209] In some possible embodiments, the server sending upgrade instruction information to the vehicle includes: the server receiving an upgrade request sent by the vehicle; and sending the upgrade instruction information to the vehicle in response to the upgrade request. In some possible embodiments, the upgrade request may be received by the server from an external device associated with the vehicle, or the upgrade request may be received by the server from the first ECU. For details about the external device, please refer to the above description of the external device and will not be repeated here.

[0210] In some possible embodiments, the server may also autonomously send upgrade instruction information to the vehicle. For example, if the server detects that a new upgrade package for performing an OTA upgrade on the vehicle has been generated locally, the server may send the upgrade instruction information to the vehicle.

[0211] For example, the server may send the upgrade instruction information to the vehicle in a unicast or multicast manner. When the server sends the upgrade instruction information to the vehicle in a multicast manner, it can be understood that the vehicle includes multiple vehicles of the same batch or multiple vehicles of the same model.

[0212] S403: During driving, the vehicle performs OTA upgrade according to the upgrade instruction information.

[0213] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information includes an upgrade package, and the vehicle performs an OTA upgrade according to the upgrade indication information, including: the vehicle performs an OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0214] It will be understood that performing an OTA upgrade on a vehicle may include performing an OTA upgrade on a first ECU within the vehicle.

[0215] Furthermore, the upgrade package includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU. The vehicle performs an OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package, including: the first ECU runs the first code segment according to a jump mark, wherein the jump mark is used to indicate that the first ECU does not run the second code segment and runs the first code.

[0216] In one implementation, the jump marker can be added by the first ECU. For example, the first ECU adds the jump marker before the execution statement of the second code segment, or adds the jump marker before the first function name of the second code segment, so that when the first ECU runs the program to the jump marker, it bypasses the second code segment to execute the first code segment.

[0217] In one implementation, the jump mark can be added by a network-side device (e.g., a server) or an OTA Manager, and the server or OTA Manager sends the jump mark to the first ECU, wherein the jump mark can be included in the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, or the jump mark can be included in the upgrade indication information but independent of the upgrade package, or it can be independent of the upgrade package and sent separately to the first ECU by the server or OTA Manager, which is not specifically limited here.

[0218] The first code segment is stored in the first storage space, the second code segment is stored in the second storage space, and the storage resources corresponding to the first storage space do not overlap with the storage resources corresponding to the second storage space. In other words, the storage address corresponding to the first storage space is different from the storage address corresponding to the second storage space.

[0219] For example, the first storage space is a continuous storage space from address 1 to address 2, and the second storage space is a continuous storage space from address 3 to address 4, where address 1 is smaller than address 2, and address 3 is smaller than address 4. The first storage space and the second storage space do not overlap, which means that address 2 is smaller than address 3 or address 4 is smaller than address 1.

[0220] In one implementation, the first storage space is a storage space for hot-upgrade OTA upgrades, which can also be understood as a hot-upgrade storage space. The first storage space is used to store code segments in the upgrade package corresponding to the hot-upgrade OTA upgrade. The second storage space does not belong to the above-mentioned hot-upgrade storage space.

[0221] That is to say, the first code segment in the upgrade package is stored in another storage space different from the storage space to which the second code segment to be replaced belongs, that is, the original second code segment is not erased, but a jump mark is inserted to prevent the second code segment from being executed and the first code segment from being executed, thereby realizing the installation of the upgrade package and completing the OTA upgrade of the vehicle's ECU.

[0222] It can be seen that compared with the existing OTA upgrade method of overwriting the old code segment with the code segment in the upgrade package, the OTA upgrade method provided in the embodiment of the present application does not affect the vehicle function during the OTA upgrade process, and can be upgraded while driving, which improves the user's car experience. It also saves the time consumed in erasing the old code segment and the time consumed in restarting after the code segment in the upgrade package is successfully written, thereby improving the efficiency of the vehicle in executing OTA upgrades.

[0223] In some possible embodiments, before the first ECU executes an OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package, the first ECU may further compare the size of the upgrade package with the size of the first storage space. If the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package, the first ECU may execute the OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package. In some possible embodiments, if the size of the first storage space is less than the size of the upgrade package, the first ECU may delete the upgrade packages previously stored in the first storage space to increase the available space in the first storage space. Alternatively, the first ECU may request allocation of another storage space as the first storage space, so that the size of the first storage space is greater than or equal to the size of the received upgrade package.

[0224] In some possible embodiments, the first ECU may further notify the vehicle user that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is in motion. Here, the vehicle user includes, for example, at least one of the vehicle owner, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0225] For example, a prompt may be provided in the form of a voice announcement or a text prompt on the display interface. Through this prompt information, the user can know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of the vehicle, that is, the OTA upgrade can be performed while driving, which is conducive to increasing the user's willingness to choose to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0226] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information also includes second time information, and the second time information is used to indicate the preset time for the first ECU of the vehicle to start executing the OTA upgrade. The first ECU executes the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package, including: when the preset time indicated by the second time information is reached, the first ECU executes the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0227] For example, when the preset time is a time point, the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade at the time point. For another example, when the preset time is a time period, the first ECU can perform the OTA upgrade at any time within the time period.

[0228] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information also includes upgrade sequence information, and the upgrade sequence information is used to indicate the installation order of each upgrade package when there are multiple upgrade packages. Among them, the upgrade package is an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, and the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package, which can be: the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade sequence information and the upgrade package.

[0229] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade indication information also includes upgrade condition information, which is used to indicate the upgrade conditions that must be met for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade. The upgrade condition may, for example, be that the vehicle's OBD is not currently performing a diagnostic task. In this case, before the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade, the first ECU may first check whether the OBD is currently performing a diagnostic task. If the first ECU determines that the OBD is not currently performing a diagnostic task, the first ECU may perform the OTA upgrade. It is understood that in some possible embodiments, if the upgrade indication information does not include upgrade condition information, the first ECU may not perform the above-mentioned conditional judgment related to the upgrade condition information.

[0230] Based on the vehicle block diagram shown in the embodiment of Figure 3 above, it can be known that the vehicle includes a first ECU. In some possible embodiments, the vehicle also includes an OTAManager. In scenarios where the vehicle has different components, the interaction process of the various components in the vehicle when the vehicle performs an OTA upgrade may also be different.

[0231] In one application scenario, a vehicle includes an OTA Manager and a first ECU. In this case, the upgrade instruction information is received by the OTA Manager from a server. The process of the vehicle performing an OTA upgrade according to the upgrade instruction information can be further divided into the following two scenarios:

[0232] Scenario 1:

[0233] The OTAManager receives upgrade instruction information from the server, and the upgrade instruction information includes an upgrade package. Thus, after receiving the upgrade instruction information from the OTAManager, the first ECU obtains the upgrade package in the upgrade instruction information and performs OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0234] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade package may not be included in the upgrade indication information. That is, the upgrade indication information and the upgrade package are obtained separately by the OTAManager from the server. In this case, in addition to sending the upgrade indication information received from the server to the first ECU, the OTAManager may also send the upgrade package received from the server to the first ECU. The specific interaction process between the OTAManager and the first ECU can be referred to the relevant description of the embodiment of Figure 5 below and will not be repeated here.

[0235] Furthermore, when there are multiple upgrade packages, the upgrade indication information also includes the upgrade sequence information. Then, the OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the first ECU. Alternatively, the OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the corresponding first ECU based on the upgrade sequence information.

[0236] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade package may not be included in the upgrade indication information, and the OTAManager only obtains the upgrade indication information from the server. In this case, the first ECU may obtain the upgrade indication information from the OTAManager, and the first ECU obtains the upgrade package from the server.

[0237] In some possible embodiments, the upgrade package may not be included in the upgrade indication information, and the OTAManager only obtains the upgrade package from the server. In this case, the first ECU may obtain the upgrade package from the OTAManager, and the first ECU obtains the upgrade indication information from the server.

[0238] Scenario 2:

[0239] The OTAManager receives an upgrade instruction from the server and, based on the received upgrade instruction, sends a first instruction to the first ECU, instructing the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade. In response to the first instruction, the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade based on an upgrade package, which the first ECU may have obtained from the server or the OTAManager. The detailed interaction between the OTAManager and the first ECU in Scenario 2 can be found in the description of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 below and is not repeated here.

[0240] In another application scenario, the vehicle is the first ECU. In this case, the first ECU may also directly receive the upgrade instruction information from the server. The vehicle then performs an OTA upgrade based on the upgrade instruction information. Specifically, the first ECU of the vehicle obtains the upgrade package from the upgrade instruction information and performs the OTA upgrade based on the upgrade package. In some possible embodiments, the upgrade package may not be included in the upgrade instruction information. The upgrade package and the upgrade instruction information may be obtained separately by the first ECU from the server. In this scenario, the specific process of the first ECU performing the OTA upgrade is described in S403 above and will not be repeated here.

[0241] It can be seen that the implementation of the embodiment of the present application provides a new OTA upgrade method, that is, bypassing the old code segment through a jump mark to execute a new code segment in another storage space different from the storage space where the old code segment is located, so that the use of vehicle functions is not affected during the vehicle's OTA upgrade, that is, the vehicle can perform OTA upgrades while driving, thereby realizing upgrading while driving, which not only improves the efficiency of the vehicle's OTA upgrade, but also helps to increase the upgrade willingness of vehicle users and provides a good car-using experience.

[0242] Referring to FIG5 , FIG5 is a flowchart illustrating another upgrade method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Compared to the embodiment of FIG4 , the embodiment of FIG5 is applied to a vehicle and, based on the block diagram shown in FIG3 , specifically describes the interaction process between the OTA Manager and the first ECU in the vehicle when performing an OTA upgrade. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0243] S501: OTA Manager receives upgrade instruction information sent by the server.

[0244] The upgrade instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is in motion. For details about the various contents of the upgrade instruction information, please refer to the description of the upgrade instruction information in S401 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 . For the sake of brevity, these details will not be repeated here.

[0245] Optionally, in some possible embodiments, the following S502 may also be performed.

[0246] S502: The OTA Manager performs an OTA upgrade condition check based on the upgrade instruction information.

[0247] Specifically, the upgrade indication information includes upgrade condition information, wherein the upgrade condition information is used to indicate the upgrade conditions that need to be met for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade, and the OTA Manager performs the OTA upgrade condition check according to the upgrade condition information in the upgrade indication information.

[0248] For example, the upgrade condition may be at least one of the following: the vehicle's on-board diagnostic system (OBD) is not currently performing a diagnostic task, the storage space on the first ECU used to store the upgrade package corresponding to the hot upgrade type is not less than the size of the upgrade package, etc.

[0249] For example, after receiving the upgrade instruction, the OTA Manager may first perform at least one of the following upgrade condition checks: whether the vehicle's OBD is currently not performing a diagnostic task; and whether the size of the first storage space on the first ECU is not less than the size of the upgrade package. If the OTA Manager determines that all of the OTA upgrade condition checks are met, S503 is executed.

[0250] S503: The OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the first ECU.

[0251] Accordingly, the first ECU receives the upgrade package.

[0252] In one implementation, the upgrade indication information includes an upgrade package, and the OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the first ECU. This may be: the OTA Manager obtains the upgrade package from the upgrade indication information, and sends the upgrade package to the first ECU.

[0253] In another implementation, the upgrade package may not be included in the upgrade indication information. The OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the first ECU by: the OTA Manager receives the upgrade package from the server and sends the received upgrade package to the first ECU.

[0254] In some possible embodiments, the OTA Manager may also prompt the user of the vehicle that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is driving.

[0255] Here, the user of the vehicle includes, for example, at least one of the owner of the vehicle, the current driver of the vehicle, and a person who can use the vehicle.

[0256] For example, a voice announcement or a text prompt in a pop-up window on the display interface can be used to let users know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of their vehicle, that is, they can perform the OTA upgrade while driving, which is conducive to increasing users' willingness to choose to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0257] In some possible embodiments, the OTA Manager may also request the user of the vehicle whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, and the OTA Manager then sends an upgrade package to the first ECU. This may be: the OTA Manager receives confirmation information, which indicates that the user of the vehicle confirms the execution of the OTA upgrade; in response to the confirmation information, the OTA Manager sends the upgrade package to the first ECU.

[0258] For example, the OTA Manager can request the vehicle user in voice whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, or it can present information on the vehicle's display device requesting the user whether to perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, which is not specifically limited here.

[0259] Exemplarily, the user's confirmation information can be generated in the form of voice, posture, gesture or touch. For example, the user can reply "Confirm execution" by voice, so that the vehicle can analyze the collected user's voice signal through voice recognition technology to obtain confirmation information. For another example, the user can nod, tilt the head, shrug, or other gestures to indicate confirmation to execute the OTA upgrade, so that the vehicle can analyze the user's gesture through gesture recognition technology to obtain confirmation information. For another example, the user can confirm to execute the OTA upgrade by drawing a check mark, a line, a circle, or other gestures, so that the vehicle can analyze the user's gesture through gesture recognition technology to obtain confirmation information. It can be seen that the use of voice, posture or gesture to indicate the user's confirmation reply avoids interference with the user's normal driving, improves the human-vehicle interaction experience, and enables the user to focus on driving itself as much as possible during the OTA upgrade process, thereby improving driving safety.

[0260] For another example, the user may also click, slide or drag a corresponding confirmation button on the display interface of the vehicle's display device to indicate his or her confirmation response.

[0261] For details on the implementation of the interaction process between the OTA Manager and the vehicle user, please refer to the detailed description of the relevant content in the embodiment of Figure 6 below, which will not be repeated here.

[0262] In this way, the human-vehicle interaction process is increased, that is, the OTA Manager triggers the sending of the upgrade package to the first ECU only after receiving confirmation information from the vehicle user, which fully considers the vehicle user's willingness to perform OTA upgrades and makes the service more humane.

[0263] S504: The first ECU performs OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package. This step is specifically described in S403 in the embodiment of FIG4 , and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0264] It can be seen that the implementation of the embodiments of the present application provides a new OTA upgrade method, which ensures that the use of vehicle functions is not affected during the process of executing OTA upgrades on the vehicle. That is, the vehicle can execute OTA upgrades while driving, thereby realizing upgrading while driving. This not only improves the efficiency of the vehicle in executing OTA upgrades, but also helps increase the upgrade willingness of vehicle users and provides a good car-using experience.

[0265] Referring to Figure 6, Figure 6 is a flow chart of another upgrade method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a vehicle. Compared to the embodiment of Figure 5, the embodiment of Figure 6 specifically describes the interaction process between the OTA Manager, the first ECU, and the human-machine interface (HMI) in the vehicle when performing an OTA upgrade. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0266] S601: The OTA Manager receives the upgrade instruction information sent by the server. For details of this step, please refer to the relevant description of S501 in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0267] Optionally, in some possible embodiments, the following S502 may also be performed.

[0268] S602: The OTA Manager performs an OTA upgrade condition check based on the upgrade instruction information. This step is described in detail in S502 in FIG5 and will not be repeated here.

[0269] When the OTA Manager determines that all items of the OTA upgrade condition check are met, the following S605 may be executed.

[0270] Optionally, in some possible embodiments, the following S603 and S604 may also be performed:

[0271] S603: The OTA Manager requests the vehicle user via the human-machine interface HMI whether to perform an OTA upgrade while driving.

[0272] The user of the vehicle may be, for example, the driver of the vehicle, the owner of the vehicle, etc.

[0273] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the upgrade indication information, the OTAManager can request the vehicle user to confirm whether to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving through the vehicle's human machine interface (HMI).

[0274] For example, the OTA Manager can instruct the HMI to prompt the driver by voice to confirm whether to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving. This allows the driver to focus on driving itself and ensure the safety of the vehicle as much as possible.

[0275] For example, the OTA Manager may also instruct the HMI to display a prompt message "Confirm whether to perform OTA upgrade" in a pop-up window on the display interface to request the driver to confirm whether to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0276] S604: The HMI sends a confirmation message to the OTA Manager.

[0277] Correspondingly, the OTA Manager receives the confirmation information sent by the HMI.

[0278] In one implementation, the confirmation information is obtained by the HMI through voice recognition of the driver's voice feedback information, wherein the voice feedback information can be, for example, "confirm execution", "execute this OTA upgrade", "confirm execution", "execute now" or a confirmation reply in other language content, which is not specifically limited here.

[0279] In another implementation, the confirmation information is obtained by the HMI based on the driver's gesture recognition captured by an image capture device within the vehicle. The recognized driver gesture is a pre-agreed "confirmation" gesture, such as a nod, a left-side head gesture, a right-side head gesture, a left shrug, a right shrug, or any other gesture that does not interfere with driving, without specific limitation. In some possible embodiments, the driver's gesture may be captured and recognized by the image capture device within the vehicle to obtain confirmation information, which is then transmitted to the HMI.

[0280] In another implementation, the confirmation information is obtained by the HMI based on the driver's gesture recognition captured by the vehicle's image acquisition device. The recognized driver gesture is a pre-agreed "confirmation" gesture, such as drawing a line, a check mark, a circle, raising a thumb, or other gestures in the air. It is understood that when the driver performs any of the above gestures to indicate confirmation of the OTA upgrade, they can complete the above-agreed gestures with a single raised index finger or thumb. This allows the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel, ensuring driving safety as much as possible.

[0281] In another implementation, the confirmation information may also be generated by the HMI in response to a touch operation indicating confirmation made by the driver. The touch operation indicating confirmation may be, for example, clicking a confirmation key on the display interface, or sliding or dragging the confirmation key on the display interface to a target position, which is not specifically limited here.

[0282] As can be seen, S603 and S604 fully consider the vehicle user's willingness to execute OTA updates, making the OTA update service more user-friendly. Furthermore, by indicating the driver's confirmation response through voice, posture, or gestures, the system avoids interruptions to the driver's normal driving, improving the human-vehicle interaction experience and allowing the driver to focus on driving as much as possible during the OTA update process, thereby enhancing driving safety.

[0283] After S604 is executed, the following S605 may be executed, or the above S602 may be executed, which is not specifically limited here.

[0284] S605: The OTA Manager sends first instruction information to the first ECU.

[0285] The first instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade.

[0286] The first indication information is associated with the upgrade indication information, and it can also be understood that the first indication information is sent by the OTA Manager to the first ECU based on the upgrade indication information.

[0287] In some possible embodiments, the first indication information may also include at least one of the type identifier, the second time information, and the upgrade sequence information in the above-mentioned upgrade indication information.

[0288] In one implementation, the first indication information includes a type identifier. The type identifier is an optional information in the first indication information. Among them, the type identifier indicates that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade. In the case where the type identifier indicates that the type of OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the first indication information can be further understood as: the first indication information is used to indicate that the first ECU can perform an OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving. For the description of the type identifier, please refer to the relevant description of the type identifier in S401 of the embodiment of Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0289] In one implementation, the first indication information further includes second time information. The second time information is optional information in the first indication information. For details about the second time information, please refer to the description of the second time information in S401 of the embodiment of Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0290] In one implementation, the first indication information further includes upgrade sequence information. The upgrade sequence information is optional information in the first indication information. For details on the upgrade sequence information, please refer to the description of the upgrade sequence information in S401 of the embodiment of FIG. 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0291] Exemplarily, when the upgrade indication information received by the OTA Manager includes at least one of the type identifier, the second time information and the upgrade sequence information, the first indication information sent by the OTA Manager based on the upgrade indication information may also include corresponding or identical content, which is not specifically limited here.

[0292] In one implementation, the OTA Manager sends the first indication information to the first ECU, which may be: in response to the received confirmation information, the OTA Manager sends the first indication information to the first ECU.

[0293] In some possible embodiments, the OTA Manager may also notify the vehicle user that the OTA upgrade can be performed while the vehicle is in motion. For example, this may be done through a voice announcement or a text prompt in a pop-up window on the display interface. This prompt allows the user to know that the OTA upgrade will not affect the normal driving of the vehicle, meaning that the OTA upgrade can be performed while driving, which helps increase the user's willingness to perform the OTA upgrade.

[0294] S606: The first ECU performs OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0295] Specifically, in response to the first instruction information, the first ECU performs OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0296] In one implementation, the upgrade package may be included in the first indication information, and the upgrade package is obtained by the first ECU from the first indication information.

[0297] In another implementation, the upgrade package may not be included in the first indication information. The upgrade package may be obtained by the first ECU from the OTA Manager after the first ECU receives the first indication information, that is, the upgrade package is obtained by the first ECU from the OTA Manager.

[0298] In another implementation, the upgrade package may not be included in the first indication information. The upgrade package may be obtained by the first ECU from the server after the first ECU receives the first indication information, that is, the upgrade package is obtained by the first ECU from the server.

[0299] The process of the first ECU performing the OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package may be specifically described in S403 in the embodiment of FIG4 , and will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

[0300] It can be seen that the implementation of the embodiments of the present application provides a new OTA upgrade method, which ensures that the use of vehicle functions is not affected during the process of executing OTA upgrades on the vehicle. That is, the vehicle can execute OTA upgrades while driving, thereby realizing upgrading while driving. This not only improves the efficiency of the vehicle in executing OTA upgrades, but also helps increase the upgrade willingness of vehicle users and provides a good car-using experience.

[0301] 7 , which is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for upgrading provided by an embodiment of the present application, the apparatus 30 includes a processing unit 310 and a sending unit 312. The apparatus 30 can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0302] Among them, the processing unit 310 is used to obtain upgrade indication information, and the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the vehicle's first electronic execution unit ECU to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the vehicle's driving process. The first ECU includes at least one of an ECU in the vehicle that involves driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle that does not involve driving safety; the sending unit 312 is used to send the upgrade indication information.

[0303] The apparatus 30 may be used to implement the method described in the embodiment of Figure 4. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the processing unit 310 may be used to execute S401, and the sending unit 312 may be used to execute S402.

[0304] 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the device 40 includes a receiving unit 410 and a sending unit 412. The device 40 can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0305] Among them, the receiving unit 410 is used to receive upgrade indication information, and the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the vehicle's first electronic execution unit ECU to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade during the vehicle's driving process. The first ECU includes at least one of an ECU in the vehicle that involves driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle that does not involve driving safety; the sending unit 412 is used to send first indication information to the first ECU, and the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade.

[0306] The apparatus 40 may be used to implement the method described in the embodiment of FIG6 . In the embodiment of FIG6 , the receiving unit 410 may be used to perform S601 , and the sending unit 412 may be used to perform S605 . The apparatus 40 may also be used to implement the OTA Manager-side method described in the embodiment of FIG5 , which will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0307] 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the device 50 includes a receiving unit 510 and a processing unit 512. The device 50 can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0308] The receiving unit 510 is used to receive the upgrade package; the processing unit 512 is used to perform an over-the-air OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package while the vehicle is in motion.

[0309] The apparatus 50 can be used to implement the method described in the embodiment of FIG5 . In the embodiment of FIG5 , the receiving unit 510 can be used to execute S503 , and the processing unit 512 can be used to execute S504 . The apparatus 50 can also be used to implement the method described in the embodiment of FIG6 on the first ECU side, which will not be described here for the sake of brevity.

[0310] It should be noted that one or more of the various units in the embodiments shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9 above may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. The software or firmware includes, but is not limited to, computer program instructions or code, and may be executed by a hardware processor. For a detailed description of the hardware processor, please refer to the description of the processor below and will not be repeated here.

[0311] Referring to Figure 10 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 10 , the communication device 80 includes a processor 801 , a communication interface 802 , a memory 803 , and a bus 804 . The processor 801 , the memory 803 , and the communication interface 802 communicate with each other via the bus 804 .

[0312] It should be understood that the present application does not limit the number of processors and memories in the communication device 80.

[0313] In a specific implementation, the communication device 80 can be the network-side device in the above-mentioned embodiment. The network-side device can be, for example, a server deployed on the network side (e.g., an OTA server), or a component in the server, such as a chip, a line card, or an integrated circuit. The network-side device can be deployed in a cloud environment, i.e., a cloud server, or in an edge environment, i.e., an edge server. The network-side device can be an integrated device or multiple distributed devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0314] In a specific implementation, the communication device 80 may be the OTA Manager in the above embodiment, or a component within the OTA Manager, such as a chip, a line card, or an integrated circuit.

[0315] In a specific implementation, the communication device 80 may be the first ECU in the above embodiment, or a component inside the first ECU, such as a chip, a line card, or an integrated circuit.

[0316] Bus 804 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, among others. Buses may be classified as address buses, data buses, control buses, and the like. For ease of illustration, FIG10 illustrates a single bus line, but this does not imply a single bus or type of bus. Bus 804 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of communication device 80 (e.g., memory 803, processor 801, and communication interface 802).

[0317] The processor 801 may include any one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (MP), or a digital signal processor (DSP).

[0318] Memory 803 is used to provide storage space for data such as the operating system and computer programs. Memory 803 can be one or a combination of random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Memory 803 can exist independently or be integrated into processor 801.

[0319] The communication interface 802 can be used to provide information input or output for the processor 801. Alternatively, the communication interface 802 can be used to receive data transmitted externally and / or transmit data externally. It can be a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, etc.). Alternatively, the communication interface 802 can also include a transmitter (such as a radio frequency transmitter, antenna, etc.) or a receiver coupled to the interface.

[0320] The processor 801 in the communication device 80 is used to read the computer program stored in the memory 803 to execute the aforementioned method, such as the method described in Figure 4, Figure 5 or Figure 6.

[0321] In one possible design, the communication device 80 may be one or more modules in a server that executes the method shown in FIG. 4 , and the processor 801 may be configured to read one or more computer programs stored in a memory to perform the following operations:

[0322] Obtaining upgrade instruction information, where the upgrade instruction information is used to instruct a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of the vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade while the vehicle is driving, where the first ECU includes at least one of an ECU related to driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not related to driving safety in the vehicle;

[0323] The upgrade instruction information is sent through the sending unit 312.

[0324] In one possible design, the communication device 80 may be one or more modules in an OTA Manager that executes the method shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 . The processor 801 may be configured to read one or more computer programs stored in a memory to perform the following operations:

[0325] receiving, through the receiving unit 410 , upgrade instruction information for instructing a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of the vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first ECU comprising at least one of an ECU related to driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not related to driving safety in the vehicle;

[0326] The first instruction information is sent to the first ECU through the sending unit 412, where the first instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform an OTA upgrade.

[0327] In one possible design, the communication device 80 may be one or more modules in a first ECU that executes the method shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 . The processor 801 may be configured to read one or more computer programs stored in a memory to perform the following operations:

[0328] Receive the upgrade package through the receiving unit 510;

[0329] While the vehicle is driving, perform OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package.

[0330] It should be understood that the division of the various units in the above devices (for example, the devices shown in Figures 7, 8, or 9) is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they can be physically separated. In addition, the units in the device can be implemented in the form of a processor calling software; for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or realize the functions of the various units of the device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit. For another example, in another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units. All units of the above devices can be implemented in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0331] In an embodiment of the present application, a processor is a circuit with a signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of a hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable, such as a hardware circuit implemented by a processor as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the hardware circuit configuration process, which can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0332] It can be seen that each unit in the above device can be one or more processors (or processing circuits) configured to implement the above method, such as: CPU, GPU, NPU, TPU, DPU, microprocessor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or a combination of at least two of these processor forms.

[0333] In addition, the various units in the above devices can be fully or partially integrated together, or can be implemented independently. In one implementation, these units are integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The SOC may include at least one processor for implementing any of the above methods or implementing the functions of the various units of the device. The type of the at least one processor can be different, for example, including a CPU and FPGA, a CPU and an artificial intelligence processor, a CPU and a GPU, etc.

[0334] The present application also provides a communication system including a first device and a second device. The first device may be the device shown in FIG8 or the communication device 80 as the OTA Manager shown in FIG10 , and the second device may be the device shown in FIG9 or the communication device 80 as the first ECU shown in FIG10 . The system may be used to execute the method described in FIG5 or FIG6 .

[0335] The present application also provides a communication system including a first device, a second device, and a third device, wherein the first device may be the device 40 shown in FIG8 or the communication device 80 as the OTA Manager shown in FIG10, the second device may be the device 50 shown in FIG9 or the communication device 80 as the first ECU shown in FIG10, and the third device may be the device 30 shown in FIG7 or the communication device 80 as the network-side device (e.g., a server) shown in FIG10. The system may be used to execute the method described in FIG4, FIG5, or FIG6 above.

[0336] The present application also provides a communication system including a second device and a third device. The second device may be the device 50 shown in FIG. 9 or the communication device 80 as a first ECU shown in FIG. 10 . The third device may be the device 30 shown in FIG. 7 or the communication device 80 as a network-side device (e.g., a server) shown in FIG. 10 . The system may be used to execute the method described in FIG. 4 .

[0337] In the embodiments described above, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphasis. For parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. In addition, in the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the various embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0338] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can see that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be completed by a program to instruct relevant hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a one-time programmable read-only memory (OTPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage, magnetic tape storage, or any other computer-readable medium that can be used to carry or store data.

[0339] The technical solution of the present application may essentially or contribute to the part or all or part of the technical solution in the form of a software product. The computer program product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, a robot, a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, a robot, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application.

Claims

1. An upgrade method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtaining upgrade instruction information, the upgrade instruction information being used to instruct a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of a vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first ECU comprising at least one of an ECU related to driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not related to driving safety in the vehicle; Send the upgrade instruction information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that When the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle, a first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, where the upgrade package includes a first code segment, where the first code segment is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponds to a jump mark, where the jump mark is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment but to run the first code segment.

6. An upgrade method, characterized in that: Applied to an over-the-air OTA management node, the method includes: receiving upgrade instruction information, the upgrade instruction information being used to instruct a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of a vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first ECU comprising at least one of an ECU related to driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not related to driving safety in the vehicle; Sending first indication information to the first ECU, where the first indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; Send the upgrade package to the first ECU.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade includes a first code segment, which is used to replace the second code segment originally executed by the first ECU, and the first code segment corresponds to a jump mark, which is used to instruct the first ECU not to run the second code segment and run the first code segment.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A user of the vehicle is prompted that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is in motion.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: comparing a size of an upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade with a size of a first storage space on the first ECU, the first storage space being used to store the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade; The sending the first instruction information to the first ECU includes: When the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package corresponding to the OTA upgrade, the first indication information is sent to the first ECU.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: The upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU of the vehicle to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

12. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: When the first ECU performs the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle, a first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

13. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that: The upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

14. An upgrade method, characterized in that: Applied to a first electronic execution unit (ECU) in a vehicle, the method comprises: Receive the upgrade package; While the vehicle is in motion, an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade is performed according to the upgrade package.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first ECU includes at least one of an ECU involved in driving safety in the vehicle and an ECU not involved in driving safety in the vehicle.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The upgrade package includes a first code segment, wherein the first code segment is used to replace a second code segment originally executed by the first ECU; The performing OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: The first code segment is executed according to a jump mark, where the jump mark is used to instruct the first ECU not to execute the second code segment but to execute the first code segment.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The first code segment is stored in a first storage space, the second code segment is stored in a second storage space, and storage resources corresponding to the first storage space do not overlap with storage resources corresponding to the second storage space.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: comparing the size of the upgrade package with the size of the first storage space; The performing OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: When the size of the first storage space is not less than the size of the upgrade package, the OTA upgrade is performed according to the upgrade package.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A user of the vehicle is prompted that the OTA upgrade is an upgrade that can be performed while the vehicle is in motion.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving first instruction information from an OTA management node, where the first instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade; The performing OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: In response to the first indication information, the OTA upgrade is performed according to the upgrade package.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving upgrade instruction information from a server, wherein the upgrade instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving; The performing OTA upgrade according to the upgrade package includes: In response to the upgrade instruction information, the OTA upgrade is performed according to the upgrade package.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The upgrade indication information includes a type identifier. When the type identifier indicates that the type of the OTA upgrade is a hot upgrade, the upgrade indication information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade during driving of the vehicle.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that When the first ECU executes the OTA upgrade while the vehicle is driving, a first function of the vehicle is in an available state.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that The upgrade indication information does not include first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time required for the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

25. A device for upgrading, characterized in that The device includes a processing unit and a sending unit, wherein: The processing unit is configured to obtain upgrade instruction information, the upgrade instruction information being configured to instruct a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of a vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade while the vehicle is driving, the first ECU comprising at least one of an ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety; The sending unit is configured to send the upgrade instruction information.

26. A device for upgrading, characterized in that The device comprises a receiving unit and a sending unit, wherein: The receiving unit is configured to receive upgrade instruction information, wherein the upgrade instruction information is configured to instruct a first electronic execution unit (ECU) of a vehicle to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade during driving of the vehicle, wherein the first ECU includes at least one of an ECU in the vehicle related to driving safety and an ECU in the vehicle not related to driving safety; The sending unit is used to send first instruction information to the first ECU, where the first instruction information is used to instruct the first ECU to perform the OTA upgrade.

27. A device for upgrading, characterized in that The device comprises a receiving unit and a processing unit, wherein: The receiving unit is used to receive the upgrade package; The processing unit is used to perform an over-the-air (OTA) upgrade according to the upgrade package while the vehicle is in motion.

28. A system, characterized in that The system includes a first device and a second device, or the system includes a second device and a third device, or the system includes a first device, a second device and a third device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, the second device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 14 to 24, and the third device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

29. An electronic control unit, characterized in that: The electronic control unit includes a first device or a second device, wherein the first device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, and the second device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 14 to 24.

30. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises at least one of the apparatus according to claim 26 and the apparatus according to claim 27 , or the vehicle comprises the electronic control unit according to claim 29 .

31. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes at least one processor and a communication interface; The communication interface is used to receive and / or send data, and / or the communication interface is used to provide input and / or output for the processor; The at least one processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, or to implement the method according to any one of claims 14 to 24.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, or the method according to any one of claims 6 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 24.

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