Vehicle ECU Emergency Boot Flashing Without Disassembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for flashing vehicle-mounted ECUs are time-consuming and require manual disassembly, leading to potential undesired flashing and poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves detecting a specific operation on the vehicle after restart, entering an emergency boot mode if the operation duration exceeds a threshold, and flashing the ECU with data obtained from a computer via an Ethernet connection, allowing for efficient flashing without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle body is disassembled to access the ECU, then the ECU can be replaced or updated, but the operation time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ECU housing into a main body and a removable cover portion. The cover can be detached without disassembling the entire vehicle body, providing direct access to the ECU communication interface. This segmentation enables quick connection and disconnection of the flash device, reducing operation time from hours to minutes while maintaining ease of access.
2Ease of operation
If communication lines are extended to reach the ECU, then the ECU can be accessed, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication converter as an intermediary device that connects to the ECU through its communication interface (CAN, LIN, Ethernet, or diagnostic port). This converter handles the communication protocol conversion and data transmission, eliminating the need for complex extended communication lines. The flash device simply connects to the converter, which mediates all communication with the ECU, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining access capability.
3Reliability
If the existing ECU housing structure is used, then the ECU is protected, but the flash operation requires vehicle disassembly and time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pre-designed removable cover structure that is already integrated into the ECU housing. This cover is specifically designed to be detachable for maintenance purposes, allowing technicians to access the communication interface without disassembling the protected ECU housing. The preliminary design of this access mechanism maintains ECU protection while enabling quick flash operations, reducing time from vehicle disassembly to simple cover removal.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application discloses a method for flashing a vehicle-mounted ECU, a vehicle, and a storage medium. The method includes: detecting, by the ECU, whether a first operation is performed on the vehicle after the ECU is restarted; enabling the ECU to enter an emergency boot mode if the first operation is detected and a time duration of the first operation is greater than a preset threshold value; obtaining first-data-to-be-flashed by the ECU after entering the emergency boot mode; and completing flashing of the ECU based on the first-data-to-be-flashed. According to the present application, the flashing of the ECU can be performed without disassembling the ECU, such that the ECU can be flashed more simply and efficiently. According to the present application, a condition for entering the emergency boot mode is set, and the emergency boot mode can be entered only when the condition for entering the emergency boot mode is met, so that the flashing of the ECU in an unexpected situation is avoided.