Program update system, method, and program

Abstract

We provide a program update system that can reduce the workload required for each vehicle. [Solution] The program update system comprises a vehicle including multiple in-vehicle devices and a server located outside the vehicle. Each in-vehicle device has a storage unit that stores one or more programs, an in-vehicle device-side communication unit that communicates with the server, and an update execution unit that updates the programs stored in the storage unit based on the communication between the in-vehicle device-side communication unit and the server. The server comprises a server-side communication unit that communicates with each in-vehicle device, a first transmission unit that transmits information to an external device not fixedly installed in the vehicle, indicating that a program update is possible based on information received from each in-vehicle device through communication by the server-side communication unit, and a second transmission unit that, upon receiving an instruction to execute a program update process from an external device, executes an update process that transmits program update data to the vehicle without going through the external device based on the instruction received from the external device.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a system for updating a program of a device mounted on a vehicle and the like.

Background Art

[0002] A plurality of in-vehicle devices called ECUs (Electronic Control Units) are mounted on a vehicle. An in-vehicle device such as an ECU includes a control unit such as one or more CPUs and a storage unit that stores one or more programs executed by the control unit. In order to improve the functions of in-vehicle devices, it has been proposed to update such programs. In particular, it has been proposed that a vehicle receive program update data from an external server by wireless communication so that the program can be updated without going to a maintenance factory or the like.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that a specific ECU functions as a master ECU, communicates with a server, and updates the programs of the master ECU itself and other slave ECUs.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] In the method described in Patent Document 1, the master ECU needs to perform processing that depends on the specific ECU configuration of the vehicle it is installed in. Therefore, in order to accommodate different ECU configurations, it is necessary to prepare a master ECU with different settings for each vehicle model and type, which is time-consuming.

[0007] The objective of the present invention is to provide a program update system, etc., that can reduce the man-hours required to prepare a master ECU for each vehicle that corresponds to the unique in-vehicle equipment configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a program update system comprising a vehicle including a plurality of in-vehicle devices and a server located outside the vehicle, wherein each in-vehicle device of the vehicle has a storage unit that stores one or more programs, an in-vehicle device-side communication unit that communicates with the server, and an update execution unit that updates the programs stored in the storage unit based on the communication between the in-vehicle device-side communication unit and the server, and the server comprises a server-side communication unit that communicates with each in-vehicle device, a first transmission unit that transmits information indicating that a program update is possible to an external device not fixedly installed in the vehicle based on information received from each in-vehicle device through communication by the server-side communication unit, and a second transmission unit that, when it receives an instruction to execute a program update process from the external device, executes an update process that transmits update data for updating the program to the vehicle without going through the external device based on the instruction received from the external device.

[0009] This eliminates the need for the vehicle to have an advanced master function to manage the configuration and program versions of the in-vehicle devices, as each in-vehicle device can communicate with the server to update its own program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to provide a program update system and the like that reduces the man-hours required to adapt to the vehicle-specific in-vehicle equipment configuration, such as providing the master function described above. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Diagram showing the functional blocks of a program update system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Sequence diagram showing an example of processing related to a certain type of device. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of data used in processing related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] (overview) The program update system according to the present invention allows each in-vehicle device to sequentially communicate with a server to update its own program. This reduces the effort required to install advanced master functions in the vehicle to manage the configuration of in-vehicle devices and program versions. Furthermore, since the server identifies update targets based on the entire set of in-vehicle devices in the vehicle, it can suppress issues such as missed synchronous updates. In addition, the server can communicate with smartphones and the like, allowing users to give instructions for program update processing and check the progress even when outside the vehicle. Moreover, since the server handles the communication method and display method with smartphones and the like, there is no need to spend effort on vehicle-specific support.

[0013] (Embodiment) One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <Structure> Figure 1 shows a functional block of one example configuration of the program update system 100 and terminal device 3 according to this embodiment. The program update system 100 comprises a vehicle 1 and a server 2. The vehicle 1 includes, for example, a DCM (data communication module) 15 that performs wireless communication and three in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, but the number of in-vehicle devices is not limited to three. The server 2 includes a server-side communication unit 21 and an update management unit 22.

[0015] The in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C of vehicle 1 each have a storage unit 11, an in-vehicle device-side communication unit 12, and an update execution unit 13. In the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, the storage unit 11 stores one or more programs executed by a control unit (CPU) (not shown). The in-vehicle device-side communication unit 12 communicates with the server 2 using the wireless communication function of the DCM 15. The update execution unit 13 updates the program by storing a new program in the storage unit 11 based on the update data received by the in-vehicle device-side communication unit 12 from the server 2. Note that the functions of the in-vehicle device-side communication unit 12 and the update execution unit 13 can be executed by the control unit. Furthermore, not all in-vehicle devices of vehicle 1 are required to be such program-updatable in-vehicle devices.

[0016] The server-side communication unit 21 of server 2 communicates with vehicle 1 and terminal device 3. The update management unit 22 identifies the in-vehicle equipment 10A, 10B, and 10C of vehicle 1 that are to be updated, based on the communication with vehicle 1 by the server-side communication unit 21, and further identifies the program to be updated as described below. The update management unit 22 also controls the server-side communication unit 21 to send update data to the in-vehicle equipment to be updated, which is used to update the program to be updated.

[0017] Terminal device 3 is an information processing device that has a communication function with server 2 and is equipped with a display screen and input section for displaying information related to program update processing. Terminal device 3 is typically a general-purpose information processing device owned by the user of vehicle 1, such as a smartphone, tablet device, or personal computer. Terminal device 3 may also be a device installed in vehicle 1, such as a car navigation system. Thus, the type, number, and location of terminal device 3 are not limited.

[0018] <Processing> FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processes performed by the program update system 100. FIG. 3 shows an example of the data used in this process. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the process content will be described. This process may be executed, for example, periodically, or may be executed upon an instruction from the user to the terminal device 3 as will be described later.

[0019] (Step S101): The update execution unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 10A of the vehicle 1 transmits information such as an identifier representing the type and version of the program stored in the storage unit 11 of its own device from the in-vehicle device side communication unit 12 to the server 2 via the DCM 15 of the vehicle 1.

[0020] (Step S102): Similarly, the update execution unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 10B of the vehicle 1 transmits information such as an identifier representing the type and version of the program stored in the storage unit 11 of its own device from the in-vehicle device side communication unit 12 to the server 2 via the DCM 15 of the vehicle 1.

[0021] (Step S103): Similarly, the update execution unit 13 of the in-vehicle device 10C of the vehicle 1 transmits information such as an identifier representing the type and version of the program stored in the storage unit 11 of its own device from the in-vehicle device side communication unit 12 to the server 2 via the DCM 15 of the vehicle 1. Note that the order of steps S101 to S103 is not limited.

[0022] FIG. 3(a) shows an example of the information acquired by the server 2 from each of the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. The update management unit 22 of the server 2 acquires, via the server side communication unit 21, from the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, for example, information representing the type and version of 4, 2, and 1 programs respectively, and a unique management number for identifying a series of processes in this sequence.

[0023] (Step S104): The update management unit 22 of server 2 identifies the system version of the set of in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C based on the identifier of the current program in this set. This identification can be done, for example, by server 2 storing the correspondence between in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C and their program versions for each system version, and comparing this with the current program versions of the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. Figure 3(b) shows an example of data representing the identified current system version.

[0024] (Step S105): The update management unit 22 of server 2 checks the updated system version relative to the current system version. Information on the updated system version and update programs are provided to server 2, for example, whenever there are updates from the program provider. Figure 3(c) shows an example of data representing the updated system version. In the example shown in Figure 3(c), updated programs have been provided for two of the programs of in-vehicle device 10A and two of the programs of in-vehicle device 10B.

[0025] (Step S106): The update management unit 22 of server 2 instructs the server-side communication unit 21 to send the confirmation result of the updated system version to terminal device 3.

[0026] (Step S107): Terminal device 3 receives the result of checking the updated system version and displays it to the user. If there is no updated system version, it displays a message to that effect, and this sequence ends.

[0027] (Step S108): Terminal device 3 receives an instruction from the user indicating whether or not to perform a program update.

[0028] (Step S109): Terminal device 3 sends the instructions received from the user to server 2.

[0029] (Step S110): If the user's instruction is not to perform a program update, the update management unit 22 of server 2 terminates processing. If the user's instruction is to perform a program update, the update management unit 22 of server 2 instructs the server-side communication unit 21 to send the necessary update data to the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C that have a storage unit 11 that stores the program to be updated. In the example shown in Figure 3(d), update data for two programs is sent to in-vehicle device 10A and update data for two programs is sent to in-vehicle device 10B, but since there is no program to be updated in in-vehicle device 10C, no update data is sent to it.

[0030] (Step S111): When the on-board equipment 10A update execution unit 13 of vehicle 1 receives update data from the on-board equipment side communication unit 12 via the DCM 15, it updates the program stored in its own storage unit 11 based on the update data, and also updates the information representing the program version.

[0031] (Step S112): Similarly, when the in-vehicle equipment 10B of vehicle 1 receives update data from the in-vehicle equipment side communication unit 12 via the DCM 15, the update execution unit 13 of vehicle 1 updates the program stored in its own storage unit 11 based on the update data, and also updates the information representing the program version.

[0032] (Step S113): Similarly, when the in-vehicle device communication unit 12 of vehicle 1 receives update data via the DCM 15, the update execution unit 13 of vehicle 1 updates the program stored in its own storage unit 11 based on the update data, and also updates the information representing the program version. In the example shown in Figure 3(d), there is no update to the program of the in-vehicle device 10C, so this process is not executed.

[0033] This concludes the sequence. The above process can be modified as appropriate. For example, after steps S111 to S113 are executed, the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C may notify the server 2 of the completion of the program update, and the server 2 may send the completion notification to the terminal device 3 to notify the user. Alternatively, the server 2 can notify the user of the progress by sending the progress status of each step to the terminal device 3 in parallel with the progress of the update process. Furthermore, the execution of the above sequence may be initiated when the terminal device 3 receives an execution instruction from the user and sends it to the server 2, and the server 2 requests the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C to perform the processing of steps S101 to S103.

[0034] (effect) In this embodiment, the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C sequentially transmit the program type and version of their respective devices to the server 2, allowing the server 2 to identify the system version for each vehicle. This storage and management of system versions can be performed centrally by the server 2 for each vehicle type and model, eliminating the need for a vehicle-side in-vehicle device with advanced master functions to acquire and manage the configuration, program type, and version of each vehicle's in-vehicle devices. Therefore, the workload can be significantly reduced. The timing of communication between the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C and the server 2 can be adjusted, for example, by having a simple communication control function in vehicle 1. Alternatively, any one of the in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, or 10C may operate as a simple master with such minimal communication control functions.

[0035] Furthermore, since Server 2 manages the versions on a system version basis as a whole set of multiple in-vehicle devices 10A, 10B, and 10C and checks for the presence of updates, it is preferable that even if the programs of multiple in-vehicle devices are related to each other and program updates need to be performed synchronously, updates can be performed without any omissions in the synchronous updates.

[0036] Furthermore, conventionally, checking the progress of program update processing and receiving update instructions from users before the update process is executed was done, for example, by a specific terminal device such as a navigation system fixedly installed in the vehicle and the vehicle's master function. In contrast, in this embodiment, the server 2 can communicate not only with a navigation system fixedly installed in the vehicle but also with terminal devices 3 that are not fixedly installed in the vehicle, such as a smartphone or personal computer. Therefore, even when the user is not in the vehicle, it is possible to give instructions for program update processing and check the progress, thereby improving user convenience.

[0037] Furthermore, the server 2 can handle the communication methods and display methods of each terminal device 3, eliminating the need for individual vehicle-specific support.

[0038] As described above, the program update system according to the present invention can reduce the cost of vehicles by suppressing the man-hours required to manufacture a master ECU corresponding to the in-vehicle equipment configuration for each vehicle, and furthermore, it can improve user convenience by enabling update instructions and confirmation of update status from various terminal devices.

[0039] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can be understood as a program update system, a program update server, a vehicle, or a program update method executed by various parts of a server or vehicle, a program update program, and a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium storing the same. [Industrial applicability]

[0040] This invention is useful for a program update system for updating programs in in-vehicle devices and the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1 vehicle 2 servers 3 Terminal devices 10A, 10B, 10C automotive equipment 11 Storage section 12 In-vehicle equipment side communication section 13 Update Execution Unit 15 DCM 21 Server-side communication section 22 Update Management Department 100 Program Update System

Claims

1. An information processing device that is not permanently installed in a vehicle, A receiving unit that receives information indicating whether or not there is an update program for the vehicle's system version, which is confirmed based on the program identifier of the in-vehicle equipment installed in the vehicle and associated with the information processing device, When the receiving unit receives the information, the receiving unit receives an instruction from the server to send the update program to the in-vehicle device to be updated, An information processing device comprising: a receiving unit that, upon receiving the instruction, notifies the user of the vehicle of the progress of the transmission process in parallel with the transmission process of the update program from the server to the in-vehicle device to be updated.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays the information received by the receiving unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving unit receives an instruction from the user of the vehicle indicating whether or not to perform the program update.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device is a smartphone or a tablet device.

5. A method performed by a computer of an information processing device that is not permanently installed in a vehicle, The steps include receiving information indicating whether or not there is an update program for the vehicle's system version, which is determined based on the program identifier of the in-vehicle equipment installed in the vehicle and associated with the information processing device, Upon receiving the aforementioned information, the system receives an instruction from the server to send the update program to the in-vehicle device to be updated. A method comprising the step of, upon receiving the aforementioned instruction, notifying the user of the vehicle of the progress of the transmission process in parallel with the transmission process of the update program from the server to the in-vehicle device to be updated.

6. A program to be executed on a computer of an information processing device that is not permanently installed in a vehicle, The steps include receiving information indicating whether or not there is an update program for the vehicle's system version, which is determined based on the program identifier of the in-vehicle equipment installed in the vehicle and associated with the information processing device, Upon receiving the aforementioned information, the system receives an instruction from the server to send the update program to the in-vehicle device to be updated. A program that, upon receiving the aforementioned instruction, notifies the user of the vehicle of the progress of the transmission process in parallel with the transmission process of the update program from the server to the in-vehicle device to be updated.

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