Gateway Box for Simultaneous Vehicle Computer File Downloading
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for downloading software or files into vehicles' computers on production lines are inefficient due to large file sizes and complex regulations, leading to increased memory requirements and time constraints, which can disrupt production and require significant infrastructure investments, especially when updating multiple identical computers in a reactivity zone.
Innovation Solution
A method and gateway unit that allow simultaneous downloading of the same file into multiple computers by connecting them to a gateway box, using a controller to replace computer identifiers with port identifiers in information frames, enabling precise addressing and synchronization without modifying existing communication protocols, and allowing for detection of anomalies and progress verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software updates are downloaded sequentially into each computer individually, then each computer can be updated accurately, but the production line must be interrupted multiple times and the total updating time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual downloading operations into a single simultaneous downloading operation. The gateway box receives one file from the host computer and distributes it to multiple target computers at the same time, combining what would otherwise be separate sequential operations into one unified process that maintains reliability while restoring productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary identification and setup actions before the actual file transfer. The gateway box pre-establishes communication channels with multiple target computers and prepares the distribution mechanism in advance, allowing the file transfer to proceed efficiently once initiated without interrupting the production flow.
2Productivity
If multiple downloading tools are deployed in parallel to update computers simultaneously, then production interruption time is reduced, but the infrastructure investment and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway box is designed as a universal device that can serve multiple target computers simultaneously through a single interface. Rather than requiring one downloading tool per computer, the gateway box provides multi-functionality by acting as an intelligent distribution hub that can handle multiple connections and file transfers concurrently, reducing both device quantity and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway box serves as an intermediary device between the host computer and multiple target computers. It mediates the file transfer process by receiving the file from the host once and then distributing it to all targets, eliminating the need for multiple direct connections and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high update speed.
3Loss of time
If the same file is downloaded into multiple computers simultaneously, then the total downloading time is reduced, but identifying which computer received the file becomes difficult without modifying communication protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous and consistent communication using the existing protocol throughout the entire file transfer process. The gateway box handles all protocol interactions uniformly with each target computer, ensuring that the useful action of data transmission continues uninterrupted without requiring protocol modifications, thereby reducing downloading time while avoiding increased complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway box creates and manages identical copies of the file for distribution to multiple target computers. Each target receives the same file content through the same protocol interface, and the gateway tracks which computer received which file copy through its internal routing logic, eliminating the need for protocol modifications while enabling simultaneous downloads.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~8
AI summary
The invention relates to a method of downloading one and the same file simultaneously into several computers before they are fitted in vehicles, characterized in that this method comprises: - the connection of these computers to respective input/output ports of a gateway box linking all these computers to one and the same file downloading tool, - the sending (74), by one of the computers, of an information frame to the downloading tool containing a computer identifier, this identifier being the same for all the computers connected to the gateway box, and - the replacement (76), by the gateway box, of the computer identifier with a port identifier suitable for uniquely identifying the input/output port of the gateway box to which this computer is connected in the information frame dispatched to the downloading tool.