Control Unit Event Code Management During Program Update
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for updating control programs in electronic control units delete all event codes in secondary memory, making it impossible to reference or delete unnecessary event codes corresponding to events that will not be generated by the updated program.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that identifies and extracts event codes not matching any event code group generated by the updated control program, determining them as unnecessary for deletion from non-volatile memory, allowing selective deletion and notification to external devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If all memory areas in the second memory are initialized during control program update, then the update process is simple and fast, but all event codes are deleted including those that may still be needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the event code management process into two distinct phases: (1) initialization phase where all event codes are cleared, and (2) restoration phase where necessary event codes are recovered by comparing the updated control program with the backup. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both fast initialization and selective retention of needed event codes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by creating a backup of the control program before update and preparing a list of event codes that should be retained. This preliminary preparation enables the system to quickly restore only the necessary event codes after update without having to analyze and compare all event codes, thus maintaining both speed and information retention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all event codes are deleted during update, then memory is cleared for new codes, but the ability to reference historical event codes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and preserves the list of event codes that correspond to functions retained in the updated control program. By separating the necessary event codes from the ones to be deleted, the system can clear memory for new codes while maintaining reference capability for historically significant event codes through the backup mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by maintaining a backup copy of the control program and its associated event code list. This backup serves as a reference source for recovering necessary event codes after update, enabling both memory reuse and historical reference capability without conflict.
3Reliability
If unnecessary event codes are not identified, then all event codes must be retained in memory, but this increases memory usage and complicates data management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by comparing the event code list from the backup control program with the event codes actually present after update. This comparison provides feedback information that identifies which event codes are unnecessary and can be safely deleted, enabling selective retention that reduces memory usage while maintaining data completeness for relevant codes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by initially deleting all event codes during update, then recovering only those that are necessary based on comparison with the backup. This approach ensures data completeness for needed codes while discarding unnecessary ones, optimizing memory storage requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The first memory of a control unit has a control program stored therein, and an update of the control program is performed at a predetermined timing. After the update of the control program, the second memory in the control unit is referred to, and an event code stored in the second memory is extracted if the event code does not correspond to any one of event code group respectively associated with events that can possibly be generated by the updated control program. Due to the decreased necessity for use as reference data, the extracted event code may be considered as un-necessary and may be deleted, for example, from the memory.