Donor Vehicle V2X Software Update Relay

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Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing size of software update data for vehicles poses a challenge in delivering updates efficiently, especially when using paid networks like cellular networks, which can be costly.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) connection system allows donor vehicles, equipped with better internet access, to download and share software updates with recipient vehicles by establishing wireless connections, recording encounter information, calculating reencounter probabilities, and transmitting updates when reconnected, thereby optimizing data sharing and reducing network costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If software updates are delivered via cellular network, then updates can be delivered to vehicles, but the cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesoftware update deliveryVSAvoidnetwork cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces donor vehicles as intermediary nodes in the software update delivery system. These donor vehicles download updates via cellular network and then act as local servers to transfer updates to recipient vehicles via V2V communication, eliminating the need for recipient vehicles to use expensive cellular networks for large data transfers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The update delivery process is segmented into two phases: (1) donor vehicles download updates during off-peak hours via cellular network, and (2) updates are transferred to recipient vehicles via direct V2V communication. This segmentation allows the expensive cellular network to be used only when necessary and at optimal times.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If software update data size increases, then more features and bug fixes can be included, but the delivery cost and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesoftware update data sizeVSAvoiddelivery cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Donor vehicles perform preliminary actions by downloading and storing software updates in their local storage before they are needed by recipient vehicles. This allows updates to be prepared in advance during periods of low network cost and transferred later via V2V communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of software updates in donor vehicles' storage. These copies are then transmitted to recipient vehicles, allowing the original large-sized update data to be replicated and distributed without requiring the recipient vehicles to download the full data set over expensive networks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Loss of energy

If V2V connection is used for update transfer, then network cost is reduced, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork costVSAvoidV2X communication system

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The wireless transceiver system in each vehicle is designed to perform multiple functions: standard V2V communication for update transfer, cellular network communication for donor vehicles to download updates, and local storage management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated hardware for each communication mode.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If donor vehicles download and store updates locally, then updates can be shared with recipient vehicles, but the donor vehicle's storage is consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupdate sharing capabilityVSAvoidlocal storage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a mechanism where donor vehicles can discard update data from their local storage after successfully transferring it to recipient vehicles. This recovery of storage space allows donor vehicles to continue acting as update servers indefinitely, downloading new updates and transferring them as needed without permanent storage consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Data Source

PatentUS11409513B2Surrogate vehicle OTA update through V2X

Publication Date: 2022.08.09 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC

AI summary

A first vehicle includes a wireless transceiver; and a processor programmed to responsive to encountering a second vehicle, establish a wireless connection to the second vehicle via the wireless transceiver and obtain a vehicle identification of the second vehicle, identify a software update for a controller of the second vehicle using the vehicle identification, wherein the software update is incompatible with the vehicle, responsive to connecting to a predefined wireless network, download the software update into a local storage, and responsive to reencountering the second vehicle, reconnect to the second vehicle via the wireless transceiver and transmit the software update to the second vehicle.