Software update device, software update method and software update system

Abstract

To provide a software update device allowing a user to recognize the possibility that a state of a vehicle displayed on a user terminal differs from an actual state of the vehicle and to instruct software update execution, a software update method, and a software update system.SOLUTION: A controller acquires a vehicle state of a vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information given to the vehicle state, and transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to a user terminal according to a command from the user terminal of a user of the vehicle. When a time lag between the vehicle time and a current time clocked by a clock unit of the user terminal is greater than or equal to a prescribed time, the user terminal emphasizes that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time more than when the time lag is less than the prescribed time, and notifies the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a software updating device, a software updating method, and a software updating system. [Background technology]

[0002] A technique is known in which version information on the latest version of software and management element information associated with the version are acquired from a software distribution server, and if the stored software is not the latest version and the management element information satisfies an automatic update condition, the stored software is updated (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In Patent Document 1, when a user manually updates software, the user checks the achievement rate of the automatic update conditions, etc., displayed on the display unit of the user terminal, and updates the software. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-38634 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, due to a time lag caused by communication delays and the like, the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state. The user instructs the software update to be performed, recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal is the current vehicle state. On the other hand, the software update process is performed based on the actual vehicle state. Therefore, when the actual vehicle state differs from the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal, the software update process is not performed according to the user's instruction, which causes a problem that the user feels uncomfortable.

[0006] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a software update device, a software update method, and a software update system that allow a user to instruct the execution of a software update while recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention solves the above problem by acquiring vehicle information including the vehicle state of the vehicle and the vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state, determining whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time clocked by the user's terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined time, and if the time difference is greater than or equal to the predetermined time, notifying the user of the vehicle of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, rather than when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a user can instruct a software update to be performed while recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a software update system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a software update system according to the third embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an example of a sequence chart showing a control flow in the software update system according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] First Embodiment An embodiment of the system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of a software update system for updating software of an ECU of a vehicle according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a software update system 100 including a software update device 1 in this embodiment, an in-vehicle terminal device 20 mounted on a vehicle 2, a user terminal 3, and a communication network 4. The software update system 100 is a FOTA system capable of updating software of an ECU mounted on a vehicle 2 by OTA. The software update device 1 and the in-vehicle terminal device 20 can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the communication network 4. In addition, the software update device 1 and the user terminal 3 can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the communication network 4.

[0011] When update data for rewriting software is input by a software supplier, the software update device 1 stores the update data. The software update device 1 manages the VIN of a target vehicle, the target ECU, and update data for each software update campaign. A campaign means a unit of information for linking and managing information required for updating, such as the VIN of a target vehicle, to update data. The software update device 1 transmits to the user terminal 3 of the user of the vehicle 2 that the software of the ECU of the vehicle 2 is to be updated. When the software update device 1 receives a command to execute a software update from the user terminal 3, it transmits software update data to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. When the in-vehicle terminal device 20 receives the update data from the software update device 1, it uses the update data to rewrite and update the software of the ECU to be updated.

[0012] The user terminal 3 is a terminal operated by the user of the vehicle 2, and may be a mobile phone such as a smartphone carried by the user, a tablet terminal, a portable personal computer, or the like. The communication network 4 includes, for example, a mobile communication network using a 4G line or the like, the Internet, and the like. The software update data is update program data for updating the software of the ECU of the vehicle 2, and is provided by a software supplier. The update data may be all data equivalent to the entire software after the update, or may be difference data equivalent to the difference between the software before the update and the software after the update. The update data may be compressed using a well-known data compression technique.

[0013] The software update device 1 is a server that manages software update data provided by a software supplier or the like and transmits the update data to a vehicle to be updated. The software update device 1 has a controller 10, a storage device 11, a communication device 12, and an input device 13, and is configured to be able to communicate data with each other. The controller 10 manages software updates for a vehicle 2. The controller 10 is equipped with a computer having hardware and software, and this computer includes a ROM that stores a program, a CPU that executes the program stored in the ROM, and a RAM that functions as an accessible storage device. The controller 10 is configured to include an update control unit 101, a transmission / reception unit 102, and an acquisition unit 103 as functional blocks, and executes each function by cooperation between the software for realizing each function or executing each process and the hardware. In this embodiment, the functions of the controller 10 are divided into three blocks, and the functions of each functional block are described, but the functions of the controller 10 do not necessarily need to be divided into three blocks, and may be divided into two or less functional blocks, or four or more functional blocks.

[0014] The update control unit 101 stores the update data input by the software supplier in the storage device 11. Then, the update control unit 101 determines whether or not all managed vehicles are target vehicles that require software update based on the input update data. Specifically, the update control unit 101 first compares the vehicle identification number of each vehicle with the target VIN managed as a software update target, and determines whether the vehicle identification numbers match. If the vehicle identification numbers match, the update control unit 101 compares the current ECU software version of the vehicle with the matching vehicle identification number with the software version of the latest software. Then, if the current ECU software version of the vehicle is not the software version of the latest software applicable to the vehicle, the update control unit 101 determines that the software update is necessary.

[0015] When it is determined that a software update is necessary, the transmitter / receiver 102 transmits, for each vehicle 2 for which it has been determined that a software update is necessary, information indicating that a software update is necessary for the vehicle 2 to the user terminal 3 of the user of that vehicle 2. In addition, when the transmitter / receiver 102 receives a request command requesting the vehicle status of the vehicle 2 from the user terminal 3, it transmits the request command for the vehicle status of the vehicle 2 to the in-vehicle terminal device 20.

[0016] The acquisition unit 103 acquires vehicle information including a vehicle state of the vehicle 2 and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 from the in-vehicle terminal device 20. The vehicle time is, for example, time information indicating the time when the vehicle state is detected by the in-vehicle terminal device 20 or the time when the vehicle state is transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal device 20.

[0017] When the transmitting / receiving unit 102 receives vehicle information from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, it transmits the acquired vehicle information to the user terminal 3. The transmitting / receiving unit 102 also receives a command to execute a software update from the user terminal 3. When a command to execute a software update is acquired from the user terminal 3, the update control unit 101 transmits software update data to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. The transmitting / receiving unit 102 also receives a reacquisition command from the user terminal 3 instructing the user terminal 3 to reacquire the vehicle status. When the transmitting / receiving unit 102 receives a reacquisition command, it transmits a vehicle status request command to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. When the transmitting / receiving unit 102 receives vehicle information in response to the reacquisition request, it transmits the vehicle information to the user terminal 3.

[0018] In addition, in this embodiment, the transmitting / receiving unit 102 may transmit a request command for the vehicle state to the in-vehicle terminal device 20 at a fixed cycle and receive vehicle information including the vehicle state. When vehicle information is acquired from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the update control unit 101 determines whether the vehicle state has changed. Specifically, the update control unit 101 determines whether the vehicle state is different from the vehicle state acquired last time. When it is determined that the vehicle state is different from the vehicle state acquired last time, the update control unit 101 detects that the vehicle state has changed. When it is not determined that the vehicle state is different from the vehicle state acquired last time, the update control unit 101 detects that the vehicle state has not changed. In addition, when the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 has changed, the acquisition unit 103 may acquire vehicle information including the changed vehicle state from the in-vehicle terminal device 20. For example, when the vehicle state is detected by the in-vehicle terminal device 20 at a fixed cycle and the detected vehicle state is different from the vehicle state detected last time, the vehicle information including the changed vehicle state is transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal device 20.

[0019] When the transmission / reception unit 102 detects that the vehicle state has changed, it transmits information indicating that the vehicle state has changed and / or vehicle information including the vehicle state after the change to the user terminal 3. When the update control unit 101 detects that the vehicle state has changed, it rejects the instruction to execute a software update transmitted from the user terminal 3. In addition, the update control unit 101 may transmit to the user terminal 3 a control signal for invalidating input of an instruction to execute a software update by the user.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the change in the vehicle state is a transitional change, the transceiver 102 transmits information indicating that the change in the vehicle state has started to the user terminal 3 when the change in the vehicle state starts. A transitional change is a gradual change in state when the vehicle state changes from a pre-change vehicle state to a post-change vehicle state. For example, a transitional change includes a drop in the battery voltage. Then, when the change in the vehicle state ends, that is, when the vehicle state has changed to the post-change vehicle state, the transceiver 102 transmits vehicle information including the post-change vehicle state to the user terminal 3.

[0021] When the transmitting / receiving unit 102 receives update completion information indicating that the software update has been completed from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the transmitting / receiving unit 102 transmits the update completion information to the user terminal 3. When the transmitting / receiving unit 102 receives update impossible information indicating that the software cannot be updated from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the transmitting / receiving unit 102 transmits the update impossible information to the user terminal 3.

[0022] The storage device 11 stores various data related to software updates of the ECU of the vehicle 2. Specifically, the storage device 11 stores update data. The communication device 12 is connected to the in-vehicle communication device 22 of the in-vehicle terminal device 20 via the communication network 4, and transmits and receives various data. For example, the communication device 12 transmits a request command for a vehicle state and update data to the in-vehicle communication device 22, and receives vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time from the in-vehicle communication device 22. The communication device 12 is also connected to the communication device 32 of the user terminal 3 via the communication network 4, and transmits and receives various data. For example, the communication device 12 receives a command to execute a software update and a request command for a vehicle state from the user terminal 3, and transmits vehicle information to the user terminal 3.

[0023] The input device 13 accepts input of data from a software supplier, such as update data for the software of the vehicle 2. Upon accepting input of update data, the input device 13 outputs the update data to the controller 10.

[0024] The in-vehicle terminal device 20 controls various ECUs mounted on the vehicle 2, and when update data is received from the software update device 1, it uses the update data to update the software of the ECU to be updated. The in-vehicle terminal device 20 includes a CGW 21, an in-vehicle communication device 22, an ECU 23, a vehicle state detection device 24, and a timing device 25, and is connected so as to enable data communication between the CGW 21 and the in-vehicle communication device 22, between the CGW 21 and the ECU 23, between the in-vehicle communication device 22 and the vehicle state detection device 24, and between the in-vehicle communication device 22 and the timing device 25.

[0025] The CGW 21 is a gateway device for vehicles having a data relay function. When the CGW 21 acquires update data from the in-vehicle communication device 22, the CGW 21 judges whether the software can be updated based on the vehicle state detected by the vehicle state detection device 24. For example, if the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is zero, that is, the vehicle 2 is stopped, it is judged that the software can be updated. If the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, that is, the vehicle 2 is moving, it is judged that the software cannot be updated. If it is judged that the software can be updated, the CGW 21 distributes the update data to the ECU to be updated, and updates the software of the ECU to be updated using the update data. When the software update is completed, the CGW 21 transmits update completion information to the software update device 1. If it is judged that the software cannot be updated, the CGW 21 transmits update impossible information to the software update device 1 via the in-vehicle communication device 22 without updating the software.

[0026] The CGW 21 also aggregates the software versions of the software of the multiple ECUs 23. Specifically, when the ignition power of the vehicle 2 is turned on, the CGW 21 aggregates the software versions of the ECUs at that time. The CGW 21 also aggregates the software versions of the ECUs at that time at a fixed period. The CGW 21 transmits the aggregated software versions of each ECU to the software update device 1 via the in-vehicle communication device 22. The in-vehicle communication device 22 is an in-vehicle communication device that performs data communication with the software update device 1 via the communication network 4, and upon receiving update data from the software update device 1, transfers the update data to the CGW 21.

[0027] The ECU 23 includes, for example, a body system ECU, a driving system ECU, and an information system ECU. The body system ECU is an ECU that controls a body system such as a door ECU that controls locking / unlocking of doors. The driving system ECU is an ECU that controls a driving system such as an engine ECU that controls the operation of an engine. The information system ECU is an ECU that controls an information system such as a navigation ECU that controls a navigation system. The type of the ECU 23 is not limited to the exemplified configuration. When the ECU 23 obtains update data from the CGW 21, the ECU 23 updates the software using the update data. The ECU 23 also manages the software version of the software, and transmits the software version in response to a request signal from the CGW 21.

[0028] The vehicle state detection device 24 detects the vehicle state of the vehicle 2. The vehicle state is, for example, a software update status of the ECU of the vehicle 2. The vehicle state also includes information for determining whether or not a software update of the vehicle 2 can be performed, such as information on the vehicle speed and current location of the vehicle 2. For example, the vehicle state is a state in which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 2 is zero, i.e., the vehicle is stopped, or the vehicle 2 is located in a parking lot at home. The vehicle state may also be the open / closed state of the doors of the vehicle 2, the state of the battery voltage, etc. The vehicle state detection device 24 detects the vehicle state when a request command for the vehicle state is received from the software update device 1.

[0029] In addition, the vehicle state detection device 24 may detect the vehicle state at a constant cycle. When the vehicle state detection device 24 detects that the vehicle state has changed, the vehicle state detection device 24 transmits the changed vehicle state to the software update device 1 via the in-vehicle communication device 22.

[0030] The timing device 25 is a device with a timing function. For example, the timing device 25 is a timer. When the vehicle state is detected by the vehicle state detection device 24, the timing device 25 acquires a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state. For example, the timing device 25 uses the timing function to record the time when the vehicle state is detected as the vehicle time. The detected vehicle state is transmitted to the software update device 1 via the in-vehicle communication device 22 together with the vehicle time.

[0031] The user terminal 3 includes a controller 30, an output device 31, a communication device 32, and an input device 33. The controller 30 includes a control unit 301, a clock unit 302, and a determination unit 303, and controls each device. The clock unit 302 clocks the current time. For example, when vehicle information is received, the clock unit 302 clocks the time at that time as the current time. The determination unit 303 determines whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. The control unit 301 then controls the output device 31 to change the content of the notification to the user according to the determination result.

[0032] When it is determined that the time difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the control unit 301 controls the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle state by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. For example, the control unit 301 changes the display color of the vehicle state displayed on the display of the output device 31. Specifically, the control unit 301 changes the display color to red, whereas the display color is normally set to black. The control unit 301 may also display the vehicle state and an icon on the display of the output device 31. The icon is a symbol that emphasizes that the displayed vehicle state is older, and is, for example, a symbol indicating an exclamation mark. The icon may include text information indicating that the displayed vehicle state is older. The control unit 301 may also control the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle state and the vehicle time, or may control the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle state, the vehicle time, and the current time.

[0033] Furthermore, when it is determined that the time difference is less than the predetermined time, the control unit 301 controls the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle state without notifying the user of incidental information such as an icon, time, etc. Furthermore, when it is determined that the time difference is less than the predetermined time, the control unit 301 may control the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle state and the current time.

[0034] In addition, the control unit 301 may control the output device 31 to notify the user of the vehicle status and a disclaimer that "user operations may not be accepted" when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

[0035] The output device 31 outputs various information. The information output by the output device 31 includes information related to the software update and vehicle information including the vehicle state and vehicle time. The information related to the software update includes the contents of the software update, information indicating the software update status, and information indicating that a software update of the vehicle 2 is necessary. The information indicating the software update status includes update completion information and update impossible information. The output device 31 displays the various information on a display, for example. The output device 31 may also output the various information as audio information through a speaker.

[0036] When the output device 31 receives information indicating that a software update is necessary, the output device 31 outputs information indicating that a software update is necessary. When the output device 31 receives vehicle information, the output device 31 outputs the vehicle information. When the output device 31 receives vehicle information, the output device 31 changes the notification content to be notified to the user depending on whether or not the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. Specifically, when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the output device 31 notifies the user of the vehicle state by emphasizing that the notified vehicle state is older than the vehicle state at the current time. For example, the output device 31 may display the vehicle state by changing the display color, or may display the vehicle state and an icon. When the output device 31 receives vehicle information, the output device 31 outputs the vehicle information. When the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the output device 31 changes the notification content to be notified to the user depending on whether or not the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. Specifically, when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the output device 31 notifies the user of the vehicle state by emphasizing that the vehicle state to be notified is older than the vehicle state at the current time. For example, the output device 31 may display the vehicle state by changing the display color, or may display the vehicle state and an icon. The output device 31 may display the vehicle state and the vehicle time.

[0037] The output device 31 may notify the vehicle state and text information when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, or notifies the vehicle state and the current time when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is less than a predetermined time.

[0038] The user checks the contents and update status of the software update output to the output device 31 and determines whether to instruct the software update to be performed. For example, when the user is in the vehicle 2 and the vehicle state is displayed on the in-vehicle display, it is considered that there is almost no discrepancy between the actual vehicle state and the vehicle state displayed on the in-vehicle display. However, when the vehicle state is displayed on the display of a terminal such as a smartphone, a time lag of about several tens of seconds generally occurs, and the actual vehicle state may differ from the vehicle state displayed on the display. That is, a time lag may occur due to communication delays or the like between the time when the vehicle state is detected by the vehicle and the time when the detected vehicle state is displayed on the display of the user terminal, and during that time, the actual vehicle state may change from the state at the time of detection. The user recognizes that the vehicle state displayed on the display is the current vehicle state and instructs the software update to be performed, but if the actual vehicle state is in a state where the software update is impossible, the software update is forcibly canceled on the vehicle side. Therefore, the user feels uncomfortable that the software update is not performed as instructed, and causes inconvenience to the user.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, when notifying the vehicle state at the vehicle time, if there is a time difference between the vehicle time and the current time, the notified vehicle state is notified to be an old state. This allows the user to know how old the notified vehicle state is. For example, when the vehicle state is displayed as a state in which software update is possible and the vehicle time is displayed as a few seconds before the current time, the possibility that the vehicle state has changed during the time is low if it is about a few seconds, so the user recognizes that it is highly likely that the software update can be performed. On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle state is displayed as a state in which software update is possible but the vehicle time is displayed as a few minutes before the current time, the larger the time difference, the higher the possibility that the actual vehicle state has changed during that time from the displayed vehicle state, i.e., the vehicle state at the time of detection. Therefore, the user can issue an execution instruction or the like after recognizing in advance that even if the user terminal displays a state in which software update is possible, the actual vehicle state has changed to a state in which software update is not possible and the software update may not be performed.

[0040] The communication device 32 is a device capable of communicating with the software update device 1, and transmits and receives various data. For example, the communication device 32 transmits a request command for the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 and a command to execute the software update to the software update device 1, and receives information related to the software update and vehicle information from the software update device 1. The input device 33 accepts input of various data by the user. For example, the input device 33 accepts input of an instruction to execute and an instruction to cancel the software update by the user. The input device 33 may also accept input of a request command for the vehicle state and an instruction to reacquire the vehicle state by the user. Note that, when the user terminal 3 is directly connected to the in-vehicle terminal device 20 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like, the user terminal 3 may perform data communication with the software update device 1 via the in-vehicle communication device 22 of the vehicle 2. Also, when the in-vehicle terminal device 20 and the user terminal 3 are directly connected, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 may communicate with the software update device 1 from the user terminal 3 via the communication network 4.

[0041] Next, the control process of the software update executed by the software update system will be described. Fig. 2 shows a sequence diagram for executing the control process of the software update in the software update system. In this embodiment, when the user operates the user terminal 3 to connect to the software update screen, the control flow starts from step S1.

[0042] In step S1, when the user terminal 3 receives an operation input for connecting to the software update screen by the user, the user terminal 3 transmits a request command for the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 to the software update device 1. In addition, the request command may be transmitted automatically at the time of the connection operation, and may be transmitted when the user requests the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 after connecting to the software update screen. That is, the user terminal 3 may transmit a request command to the software update device 1 when the user receives an input of a request command for the vehicle state by the user. In step S2, the software update device 1 transmits a request command for the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. In step S3, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 detects the vehicle state of the vehicle 2 and acquires a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state. In step S4, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the software update device 1. In step S5, the software update device 1 transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal 3.

[0043] In step S6, the user terminal 3 acquires the current time by the clock function of the user terminal 3. In step S7, the user terminal 3 compares the vehicle time with the current time, and determines whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. If it is determined that the time difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the user terminal 3 proceeds to step S8. If it is determined that the time difference is less than the predetermined time, the user terminal 3 proceeds to step S9. In step S8, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time. For example, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state and the vehicle time.

[0044] In step S9, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state in a normal manner. For example, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state and the current time. In step S10, the user terminal 3 receives an instruction to execute a software update. In step S11, the user terminal 3 transmits an instruction to execute a software update to the software update device 1. In step S12, the software update device 1 transmits update data to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. In step S13, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 detects the vehicle state and determines whether the software can be updated based on the vehicle state. If it is determined that the software can be updated, the process proceeds to step S14. If it is not determined that the software can be updated, the process proceeds to step S18. In step S14, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 updates the software using the update data. In step S15, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits update completion information indicating that the software update has been completed to the software update device 1. In step S16, the software update device 1 transmits the update completion information to the user terminal 3. In step S17, the user terminal 3 notifies the user of the update completion information. In step S18, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits update disable information to the software update device 1. In step S19, the software update device 1 transmits the update disable information to the user terminal 3. In step S20, the user terminal 3 notifies the user of the update disable information. Also, in this embodiment, in step S8, the user terminal 3 may transmit a vehicle status re-acquisition command to the software update device 1.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, the controller includes an acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle state of the vehicle and the vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state, and a transmission unit that transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal in response to a command from the user terminal of the user of the vehicle, and when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time clocked by the clock unit of the user terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the user terminal notifies the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. This allows the user to instruct to execute a software update while recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the controller further includes an update control unit, and the update control unit transmits update data for updating the vehicle software to the vehicle based on a software update execution command from the user terminal, thereby enabling the vehicle software to be updated according to the user's decision to perform the software update.

[0047] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle state changes, the controller transmits a notification of the change in the vehicle state to the user terminal, thereby enabling the user to give an appropriate execution instruction according to the vehicle state.

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, when the controller detects that the vehicle state has changed, the controller rejects the instruction to execute the software update sent from the user terminal, thereby preventing the user from issuing an instruction to execute the software update when the actual vehicle state may have changed from the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, when the controller detects that the vehicle state has changed, the controller transmits a control signal to the user terminal to disable the user's input of an instruction to execute a software update, thereby preventing the user from issuing an instruction to execute a software update when the actual vehicle state may have changed from the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, when the vehicle state changes, the controller transmits the changed vehicle state to the user terminal, thereby preventing the user from issuing a software update command when the actual vehicle state may have changed from the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal.

[0051] In the present embodiment, when the controller detects that the change in the vehicle state has started, the controller transmits the start of the change in the vehicle state to the user terminal, and when the controller detects that the change in the vehicle state has ended, the controller transmits the changed vehicle state to the user terminal, allowing the user to determine whether or not to give an execution instruction appropriately depending on the actual vehicle state.

[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, a software update system includes a vehicle, a server that manages software updates for the vehicle, and a user terminal that is a terminal operated by a user of the vehicle and can communicate with the server, in which the server acquires the vehicle state of the vehicle and the vehicle time that indicates time information assigned to the vehicle state, and transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal, and the user terminal measures the current time, compares the vehicle time with the current time, and when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, notifies the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. This allows the user to instruct the software update to be performed while recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state.

[0053] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the software update system 100 has the same configuration as the software update system 100 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 and operates in the same manner as the first embodiment, except for the differences from the first embodiment in the points described below, and the description of the first embodiment will be appropriately cited. In this embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that the user terminal 3 sets the input of an instruction to execute a software update by a user to be invalid or valid depending on whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

[0054] In this embodiment, the control unit 301 controls the input device 33 to invalidate the input of the instruction to execute the software update by the user when the time difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, and controls the input device 33 to validate the input of the instruction to execute the software update by the user when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. The control unit 301 may also control the output device 31 to change the notification content to be notified to the user depending on whether the input of the instruction to execute the software update is invalid or not. For example, when the input of the instruction to execute the software update is invalid, the control unit 301 notifies the user of invalid instruction information indicating that the input of the instruction to execute the software update is not accepted. The control unit 301 may also notify the user to reacquire the vehicle state when the time difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined time. Then, when a reacquisition command to instruct the user to reacquire the vehicle state is input, the control unit 301 causes the software update device 1 to transmit a reacquisition command of the vehicle state.

[0055] The input device 33 invalidates the input of the instruction to execute the software update when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. The output device 31 notifies the user of instruction invalid information indicating that the input of the instruction to execute the software update is not accepted when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

[0056] Next, the control process of the software update in the software update system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of the control process of the software update in the software update system. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows an example of the control process in which the user terminal 3 sets the input of the instruction to execute the software update to invalid or valid depending on whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is a predetermined time or more. In this embodiment, when the user inputs a connection operation to connect to the software update screen via the user terminal 3, the control flow starts from step S21. In this embodiment, steps S21 to S27 and S34 to S40 are similar to steps S1 to S7, S10 to S12, and S14 to S17 in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0057] If it is determined in step S27 that the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S28. If it is determined that the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is less than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S28, the user terminal 3 sets the input of an instruction to execute software update by the user to be invalid. In step S29, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state and invalid instruction information indicating that the input of the instruction to execute has been invalidated. At this time, the user terminal 3 may notify the user of information instructing the user to reacquire the vehicle state. In step S30, the user terminal 3 accepts the input of a request instruction for the vehicle state by the user. In step S31, the user terminal 3 transmits a request command for the vehicle state to the software update device 1. When the request command for the vehicle state is transmitted, the process returns to step S22, and the flow is repeated thereafter. In step S32, the user terminal 3 sets the input of an instruction to execute software update by the user to be valid. In step S33, the user terminal 3 displays the vehicle state.

[0058] As described above, in this embodiment, the user terminal notifies the user that the instruction to execute a software update by the user will not be accepted if the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, thereby preventing the user from issuing an instruction to execute a software update when the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state.

[0059] In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal transmits a reacquisition command to the controller to newly acquire the vehicle state when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, and the transmitter transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time reacquired from the vehicle to the user terminal in response to the reacquisition command. This makes it possible to update the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal when there is a possibility that the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal differs from the actual vehicle state.

[0060] In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal invalidates the input of a command to execute a software update by the user when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, thereby preventing the user from issuing a command to execute a software update when the vehicle state displayed on the user terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state.

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal changes the notification content to be notified to the user depending on whether the input of the instruction to execute the software update is invalid or not. This allows the user to determine whether to issue an instruction to execute the software update depending on whether the input is invalid or not.

[0062] Third Embodiment Next, a software update system 100 according to a third embodiment will be described. The software update system 100 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment and operates in the same manner as the first embodiment, except that it differs from the software update system 100 according to the first embodiment in the points described below, and the description of the first embodiment will be used as appropriate. The configuration of this embodiment differs from the configuration of the first embodiment in that the software update device 1 is a terminal device operated by a user and has the functions of the user terminal 3 in the first embodiment.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 4, a software update system 100 according to the third embodiment includes a software update device 1, an in-vehicle terminal device 20 mounted on a vehicle 2, a communication network 4, and a software management device 5. The software update device 1 in the third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it further includes an output device 14. The output device 14 has the same function as the output device 31 in the first embodiment, and notifies the user of the vehicle 2 of various information including vehicle information. In addition, the controller 10 in the third embodiment further includes a clock unit 104 and a determination unit 105.

[0064] The clock unit 104 has a function similar to that of the clock unit 302 in the first embodiment, and clocks the current time. The determination unit 105 has a function similar to that of the determination unit 303 in the first embodiment, and determines whether or not the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. When it is determined that the time difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the update control unit 101 controls the output device 14 to notify the user of the vehicle of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information, emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. The input device 13 in the third embodiment has a function similar to that of the input device 33 in the first embodiment, and is a device that accepts input of a software update execution instruction or the like by a user. In this embodiment, when a software update execution instruction is input to the input device 13, the software update device 1 transmits a software update execution command via the communication device 12. The in-vehicle terminal device 20 of the vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 may be connected wirelessly using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) (registered trademark) or the like.

[0065] Moreover, the software management device 5 is a server that manages software update data provided by the software supplier. The software management device 5 includes an input device 50, a communication device 51, and a storage device 52. The input device 50 accepts input of data such as update data from the software supplier. When the update data is input, the communication device 51 transmits information indicating that a software update is necessary to the software update device 1 of the user of the vehicle that is the target of the software update. The storage device 52 stores various data related to the software update, including the update data.

[0066] As described above, in this embodiment, the software update device includes a controller that instructs a software update of a vehicle, and the controller includes an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including a vehicle state of the vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state, a clock unit that clocks the current time, a determination unit that determines whether or not a time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is a predetermined time or more, and a notification unit that, when the time difference is the predetermined time or more, notifies a user of the vehicle of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. This allows the user to instruct the software update to be performed while recognizing that the vehicle state displayed on the user's terminal may differ from the actual vehicle state.

[0067] Fourth Embodiment Next, a software update system 100 according to a fourth embodiment will be described. The software update system 100 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment and operates in the same manner as the first embodiment, except that it differs from the software update system 100 according to the first embodiment in the points described below, and the description of the first embodiment will be used as appropriate. The configuration of this embodiment differs from the configuration of the first embodiment in that there are multiple user terminals 3. For example, the multiple user terminals 3 are a first user terminal 310 and a second user terminal 320 different from the first user terminal 310, and each user terminal has the same configuration and function as the user terminal 3 in the first embodiment.

[0068] In this embodiment, the first user terminal 310 is a terminal operated by the first user, and the second user terminal 320 is a terminal operated by the second user. The first user and the second user manage the same vehicle 2 via their respective user terminals and give instructions to execute software updates and the like. However, there is a time difference between the time when the vehicle status is notified via the first user terminal 310 and the time when the vehicle status is notified via the second user terminal 320. In this embodiment, there are two user terminals, but the present invention is not limited to this and there may be three or more user terminals.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the vehicle state displayed on one of the user terminals is updated, the vehicle state displayed on the other user terminal is also updated. Specifically, when the controller 10 receives a request command for the vehicle state from the first user terminal 310, the controller 10 transmits a request command for the vehicle state to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. Then, when the controller 10 acquires vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the controller 10 transmits the acquired vehicle information to both the first user terminal 310 and the second user terminal 320. Also, when the controller 10 receives a command to reacquire the vehicle state from the first user terminal 310, the controller 10 acquires vehicle information from the in-vehicle terminal device 20 and transmits the acquired vehicle information to the first user terminal 310 and the second user terminal 320. That is, when a request command for the vehicle state or a command to reacquire the vehicle state is received from one user terminal, the controller 10 transmits the same vehicle information acquired based on the command to one user terminal and the other user terminal. This allows the multiple user terminals to update the notification content so that the vehicle state corresponding to the same vehicle time is notified.

[0070] In general, when a request command for a vehicle state is transmitted from each of a plurality of user terminals at different timings, the controller 10 acquires the vehicle state at the different vehicle times. When the vehicle times are different, if the vehicle state has changed during that time, the vehicle state at each vehicle time will be different. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle state at the same vehicle time is transmitted to each user terminal.

[0071] For example, the open / closed state of the door of the vehicle 2 will be described as an example of the vehicle state. Assume that the open / closed states of the door at different times are acquired and transmitted to the first user terminal 310 and the second user terminal 320, respectively. In this case, for example, the first user terminal 310 displays that the door is open, and the second user terminal 320 displays that the door is closed. The first user tries to input an instruction to close the door, but the vehicle state displayed on the first user terminal 310 may be an old state. Also, for example, when the second user terminal 320 displays that the door is closed, even if the first user has already issued an instruction to operate the door lock, the fact that the door has been locked by the first user is not displayed, so the second user cannot recognize that the door has been locked by the first user. In order to solve such a problem, in this embodiment, the vehicle state at the same vehicle time is transmitted to each user terminal, and the execution result based on the command by one of the users is also transmitted to the other user terminal.

[0072] Furthermore, when the controller 10 receives execution completion information indicating that the software update based on the instruction from the first user terminal 310 has been completed, the controller 10 transmits the execution completion information of the software update to the first user terminal 310 and the second user terminal 320. As a result, the result of the operation executed based on the instruction from one user terminal is also notified to the other user terminal.

[0073] Furthermore, when the controller 10 receives a command to execute a software update from one user terminal, the controller 10 prevents the software update based on a command from the other user terminal from being executed until the software update based on the execution command is completed. That is, the controller 10 prevents simultaneous operations from a plurality of user terminals. For example, when the controller 10 receives a command to execute a software update from the first user terminal 310, the controller 10 transmits user operation information to the second user terminal 320 and transmits a control signal to the second user terminal 320 for notifying the second user of the user operation information. The user operation information is, for example, text information indicating that an operation is being performed by the other user. When the software update is being executed, the user operation information is text information indicating that "the software update of the vehicle is being executed based on the command to execute the software update by the first user." Then, when the controller 10 receives execution completion information from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the controller 10 transmits a stop signal to the second user terminal 320 for stopping the notification of the execution completion information and the user operation information.

[0074] Furthermore, when the controller 10 receives a command to execute a software update from one user terminal, the controller 10 suspends the authority of the other user to issue a command to execute a software update from the other user terminal until the software update based on the command is completed. For example, when the controller 10 receives a command to execute a software update from the first user terminal 310, the controller 10 transmits a control signal to the second user terminal 320 to disable the input of a command to execute a software update. Furthermore, when the controller 10 receives execution completion information related to the software update from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the controller 10 transmits the execution completion information and a control signal to the second user terminal 320 to cancel the disablement of the input of the execution command.

[0075] Furthermore, for example, when the controller 10 receives a software update execution command from the first user terminal 310, the controller 10 may set the second user terminal 320 as an execution refusal target during the period from when the execution command is received until the execution of the software update is completed. The controller 10 rejects the execution command for software update transmitted from the second user terminal 320 set as the execution refusal target while the second user terminal 320 is set as the execution refusal target. Furthermore, when the controller 10 receives execution completion information from the in-vehicle terminal device 20, the controller 10 cancels the setting of the second user terminal 320 as an execution refusal target. Furthermore, when rejecting the execution command, the controller 10 transmits rejection information to the second user terminal 320 indicating that the execution command is rejected.

[0076] Next, an example of the control process of the software update in the software update system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of the control process of the software update in the software update system. Specifically, FIG. 5 shows an example of the control process in which, when a request command for the vehicle state is transmitted from the first user terminal 310, the software update device 1 transmits vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time acquired based on the command to the first user terminal 310 and the second user terminal 320. In this embodiment, when the first user inputs a connection operation to connect to the software update screen via the first user terminal 310, the control flow starts from step S41. In this embodiment, steps S41, S44 to S46 are the same as steps S1, S3 to S5 in the first embodiment, and therefore the description will be omitted.

[0077] In this example, an example is described in which the software update device 1 receives a request command for the vehicle status from the second user terminal 320 before transmitting a request command for the vehicle status based on a command from the first user terminal 310 to the in-vehicle terminal device 20. However, this is not limited to this, and the timing at which the request command is transmitted from the second user terminal 320 can be any time before vehicle information is transmitted from the software update device 1 to the second user terminal 320.

[0078] In step S42, when the second user terminal 320 accepts an input operation by the second user to connect to the software update screen, it transmits a request command for the vehicle state to the software update device 1. In step S43, the software update device 1 transmits a request command for the vehicle state to the in-vehicle terminal device 20 based on the request command transmitted from the first user terminal 310 in step S41. In step S47, the software update device 1 transmits to the second user terminal 320 vehicle information including the vehicle state and vehicle time transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal device 20 in step S25.

[0079] Next, an example of the control process of the software update in the software update system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram of the control process of the software update in the software update system. FIG. 6 shows an example in which, when a command to execute the software update is received from the first user terminal 310, the software update device 1 transmits user operation information indicating that the software update based on the instruction of the first user is being performed to the second user terminal 320. In this embodiment, when the first user connects to the software update screen via the first user terminal 310, the control flow starts from step S51. In this embodiment, steps S51 to S55 are the same as steps S1 to S5 in FIG. 2, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] In step S56, the first user terminal 310 displays the vehicle state. When displaying the vehicle state, the first user terminal 310 may display the vehicle state by emphasizing that the displayed vehicle state is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as in the first embodiment, if the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. In step S57, the first user terminal 310 receives an instruction to execute a software update from the first user. In step S58, the first user terminal 310 transmits an instruction to execute a software update to the software update device 1. In step S59, the software update device 1 transmits update data to the in-vehicle terminal device 20.

[0081] In step S60, the software update device 1 transmits user operation information to the second user terminal 320. In step S61, the second user terminal 320 displays the user operation information. In addition, in step S62, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 updates the software using the update data. In step S63, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits update completion information to the software update device 1. In step S64, the software update device 1 transmits the update completion information to the second user terminal 320. In step S65, the second user terminal 320 stops displaying the user operation information.

[0082] Next, an example of the control process of the software update in the software update system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of the control process of the software update in the software update system. FIG. 7 shows an example in which, when a command to execute the software update is received from the first user terminal 310, the software update device 1 transmits a control signal to the second user terminal 320 to invalidate the input of an instruction to execute the software update by the user. In this embodiment, when the first user connects to the software update screen via the first user terminal 310, the control flow starts from step S51. In this embodiment, steps S71 to S75 are the same as steps S1 to S5 in FIG. 2, and therefore the description will be omitted. In addition, steps S76 to S79 ​​are the same as steps S56 to S59 in FIG. 6, and therefore the description will be omitted.

[0083] In step S80, the software update device 1 transmits to the second user terminal 320 a disable control signal for disabling the input of an instruction to execute a software update. In step S81, the second user terminal 320 disables the input of an instruction to execute a software update. In step S82, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 updates the software using the update data. In step S83, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits update completion information to the software update device 1. In step S84, the software update device 1 transmits the update completion information to the first user terminal 310. In step S85, the software update device 1 transmits to the second user terminal 320 a release signal for releasing the disablement of the input of the execution instruction. In step S86, the second user terminal 320 releases the disablement of the input of the execution instruction and enables the input operation.

[0084] Next, an example of the control process of the software update in the software update system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of the control process of the software update in the software update system. FIG. 8 shows an example in which, when a command to execute the software update is received from the first user terminal 310, the software update device 1 sets the second user terminal 320 as an execution refusal target. In this embodiment, when the first user connects to the software update screen via the first user terminal 310, the control flow starts from step S71. In this embodiment, steps S91 to S95 are the same as steps S1 to S5 in FIG. 2, and therefore the description will be omitted. Also, steps S96 to S99 are the same as steps S56 to S59 in FIG. 6, and therefore the description will be omitted.

[0085] In step S100, the software update device 1 sets the second user terminal 320 as an execution refusal target. In step S101, the second user terminal 320 transmits an execution command for software update to the software update device 1. In step S102, the software update device 1 rejects the command from the second user terminal 320 and transmits execution refusal information to the second user terminal 320. In step S103, the second user terminal 320 displays the execution refusal information. In step S104, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 updates the software using the update data. In addition, in step S105, the in-vehicle terminal device 20 transmits update completion information to the software update device 1. In step S106, the software update device 1 transmits the update completion information to the first user terminal 310. In step S107, the software update device 1 cancels the setting of the second user terminal 320 as an execution refusal target.

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, when there are multiple user terminals, when the vehicle state notified via one user terminal is updated, the controller transmits a control signal to the other user terminal to update the vehicle state notified via the other user terminal. This makes it possible to display a vehicle state similar to the vehicle state displayed on one user terminal on the other user terminal even when the vehicle state displayed on one user terminal is updated.

[0087] In addition, in this embodiment, when there are multiple user terminals, while the vehicle software is being updated based on a software update execution command from one user, the controller transmits a control signal to the user terminal of the other user to disable the input of a software update execution command from the other user. This makes it possible to prevent an execution command from being issued from the other user terminal when an execution command is issued from one user terminal.

[0088] In addition, in this embodiment, the controller transmits a control signal to the user terminal of one user to notify the other user that the vehicle software update is being performed based on the execution instruction of the software update by the other user. In this way, when one user issues an execution instruction, the other user can determine not to issue an execution instruction.

[0089] The above-described embodiments are described for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not described for the purpose of limiting the present invention. Therefore, the elements disclosed in the above embodiments are intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0090] For example, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal 3 determines whether the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the controller 10 may determine whether the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. In this case, the controller 10 may obtain the current time measured by the user terminal 3 from the user terminal 3, or may measure the current time by the controller 10. When it is determined that the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the controller 10 transmits to the user terminal 3 a control signal for notifying the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information, emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, as compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time. Moreover, when it is determined that the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the controller 10 may reject a command to execute software update transmitted from the user terminal 3.

[0091] In the present embodiment, the target of the operation command from the user is described as software update of the vehicle 2, but the target of the operation command is not limited to this, and other parts of the vehicle 2 that can be remotely operated may be the target of the operation command. For example, the target of the operation command may be opening and closing the doors of the vehicle 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 100…Software update system 1...Software update device 10…Controller 2. Vehicle 20...In-vehicle terminal device 3. User terminal 30…Controller 31...Output device 4. Communication network

Claims

1. A software update device comprising a controller for managing software updates of a vehicle, The controller: an acquisition unit that acquires a vehicle state of the vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state; a transmission unit configured to transmit vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal in response to a command from the user terminal of the vehicle; The user terminal, When the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time measured by a timing unit of the user terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the software update device notifies the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, more so than when the time difference is less than the predetermined time.

2. The controller further includes an update control unit. The software update device according to claim 1 , wherein the update control unit transmits update data for updating the software of the vehicle to the vehicle based on a software update execution command from the user terminal.

3. 2. The software update device according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal notifies the user that an instruction to execute a software update by the user will not be accepted if the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

4. the user terminal transmits a re-acquisition command to the controller to newly acquire the vehicle state when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time; The software update device according to claim 3 , wherein the transmission unit transmits the vehicle information, including the vehicle state and the vehicle time reacquired from the vehicle, to the user terminal in response to the reacquisition command.

5. 5. The software update device according to claim 3, wherein the user terminal invalidates an input of an instruction to execute a software update by the user when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time.

6. 6. The software update device according to claim 5, wherein the user terminal changes notification content to be notified to the user depending on whether the input of the instruction to execute the software update is invalid.

7. The software update device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle state has changed, the controller transmits a notification of the change in the vehicle state to the user terminal.

8. The software update device according to claim 7 , wherein the controller, when detecting that the vehicle state has changed, rejects an instruction to execute the software update transmitted from the user terminal.

9. 8. The software update device according to claim 7, wherein when the controller detects that the vehicle state has changed, the controller transmits to the user terminal a control signal for invalidating an input of an instruction to execute a software update by the user.

10. The software update device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle state has changed, the controller transmits the changed vehicle state to the user terminal.

11. The controller: When detecting that the change in the vehicle state has started, transmitting to the user terminal information that the change in the vehicle state has started; The software update device according to claim 10 , wherein when it is detected that the change in the vehicle state has ended, the vehicle state after the change is transmitted to the user terminal.

12. The controller: The software update device of claim 1, wherein when there are multiple user terminals, when the vehicle state notified via one user terminal is updated, a control signal for updating the vehicle state notified via the other user terminal is transmitted to the other user terminal.

13. The controller:

2. The software update device according to claim 1, wherein, when there are a plurality of user terminals, while a software update of the vehicle is being performed based on an instruction to execute a software update by one user, a control signal for disabling input of an instruction to execute a software update by the other user is transmitted to the user terminal of the other user.

14. The software update device according to claim 12, wherein the controller transmits a control signal to the user terminal of the other user to notify the other user that a software update of the vehicle is being performed based on an instruction to perform a software update by the one user.

15. A software update device including a controller that instructs a software update of a vehicle, The controller: an acquisition unit that acquires vehicle information including a vehicle state of the vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state; A timekeeping unit that keeps track of the current time; a determination unit that determines whether a time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time; and a notification unit that, when the time difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, notifies a user of the vehicle of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is an older state than the vehicle state at the current time, compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time.

16. 1. A software update method for managing software updates for a vehicle, the method comprising: The controller: Acquire a vehicle state of the vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state; Transmitting vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal in response to a command from the user terminal of the vehicle; The user terminal, A software update method that, when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time measured by a timing unit of the user terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, notifies the user of the vehicle state included in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state included in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time, more so than when the time difference is less than the predetermined time.

17. Vehicles and A server that manages software updates for the vehicle; A software update system comprising: a user terminal that is operated by a user of the vehicle and is capable of communicating with the server, The server, Acquire a vehicle state of the vehicle and a vehicle time indicating time information assigned to the vehicle state; Transmitting vehicle information including the vehicle state and the vehicle time to the user terminal; The user terminal, Measure the current time, Comparing the vehicle time with the current time; A software update system that notifies the user of the vehicle state contained in the vehicle information by emphasizing that the vehicle state contained in the vehicle information is older than the vehicle state at the current time when the time difference between the vehicle time and the current time is a predetermined time or more, compared to when the time difference is less than the predetermined time.

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