Automatic Firmware Rollback via Watchdog Reset Counting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Firmware updates for electronic control units in vehicles can lead to unforeseen errors and inoperability due to power or communication loss during updates, resulting in significant issues with vehicle operation, safety, and reliability, as conventional rollback mechanisms rely on the new firmware being operational.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an automatic firmware rollback system that uses watchdog resets to count system failures and compares this count to a configurable threshold, allowing the rollback to a previous valid version of firmware, either stored locally or retrieved over-the-air, thereby enabling recovery without relying on the new firmware's operability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If firmware updates are performed to improve system functionality, then system functionality is improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to unforeseen errors and inoperability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores multiple previous versions of the firmware in non-volatile memory before applying the new firmware. This preliminary action ensures that if the new firmware fails, the system can rollback to a previously stored working version, thus preventing permanent system failure while maintaining the ability to receive functional updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a rollback mechanism that prepares backup firmware versions in advance and provides automatic rollback capability upon detecting firmware failure. This cushioning approach protects against the harmful effects of failed updates without preventing beneficial updates from being applied.
2Ease of repair
If conventional rollback mechanisms are used, then firmware can be rolled back, but the mechanism relies on the new firmware being operational which creates a dependency loop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service rollback mechanism where the system automatically detects firmware failures through watchdog timers or error conditions and autonomously rolls back to a previous working version without requiring external intervention or relying on the faulty new firmware to execute the rollback process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary rollback mechanism that operates independently of the new firmware's operational status. The system uses a dedicated rollback process that can be triggered by failure detection circuits, acting as a mediator between the failed firmware state and the recovery state, eliminating the dependency loop.
3Extent of automation
If automatic rollback is implemented without watchdog resets, then rollback can occur, but system failures during updates cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates watchdog timers and error detection circuits that continuously monitor firmware operation and provide feedback about system health. When a failure is detected (such as missed watchdog timeouts or critical errors), the system automatically triggers a rollback to a previous working firmware version, enabling both failure detection and automatic recovery.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for implementing automatic firmware rollbacks after a configured number of attempts to execute the latest firmware update associated with an electronic computing unit have occurred. In a computing device, such as an electronic computing unit, a watchdog automatically generates a system reset in response to a software fault. A reset counter is configured to count a number of system resets generated by the watchdog. In response to the occurrence of the watchdog, a configurable threshold value associated with a threshold data record is compared with the value associated with the reset counter. In response to a determination that the threshold value associated with the threshold data record is greater than or equal to the value associated with the reset counter, a rollback application is executed such that the rollback application performs a swap of a first version of a firmware with a second version of the firmware.