Mobile OTA Package Rollback for Single-Bank Vehicle ECUs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Single-bank microcomputers in vehicles cannot be easily rolled back to their original software version if software updates fail, leading to increased costs and limitations in performing updates at user discretion using Over-The-Air (OTA) technology.
Innovation Solution
A mobile equipment system, such as a smartphone, generates and sends a package containing update software and rollback data to vehicles, enabling rollback when updates fail, even on single-bank microcomputers, using a communication module to facilitate wireless communication with an OTA center.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single-bank microcomputer is used in a vehicle, then the cost of the in-vehicle ECU is reduced, but the ability to restore software to its original version after update failure is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile equipment as an intermediary between the vehicle and the OTA center. This mobile equipment generates a package containing both update software and rollback data, and transmits it to the vehicle. By using this external intermediary, the single-bank microcomputer gains rollback capability without requiring internal hardware changes, thus maintaining low cost while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile equipment generates and prepares the rollback data in advance, before the actual software update is performed in the vehicle. The package containing both update software and rollback data is created beforehand and transmitted to the vehicle, ensuring that rollback capability is already in place before the update occurs, enabling safe updates on single-bank microcomputers.
2Ease of operation
If OTA technology is used for software updates on single-bank microcomputers, then user convenience is improved, but the risk of update failure without rollback capability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile equipment serves as a mediator that enables users to conveniently perform OTA updates while simultaneously providing rollback capability. The user can initiate updates through their mobile device, and the system automatically manages the package generation and transmission, maintaining ease of operation while mitigating update failure risk through pre-prepared rollback data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides beforehand cushioning by pre-generating and transmitting rollback data along with the update software. This prepares a safety net in advance, cushioning against potential update failures. The rollback data is ready before the update occurs, allowing the system to recover if something goes wrong, thus reducing update failure risk while maintaining user convenience.
3Reliability
If dual-bank microcomputer is used instead of single-bank microcomputer, then software rollback capability is improved, but the cost of the in-vehicle ECU increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing the internal architecture from single-bank to dual-bank microcomputer, the patent uses mobile equipment as an external intermediary to provide rollback functionality. This avoids the significant cost increase associated with dual-bank microcomputers while achieving the same reliability improvement through an external, more economical solution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the rollback data and transmits it to the vehicle through the mobile equipment. This copied rollback data serves the same purpose as the original software stored in a second bank of a dual-bank microcomputer, providing rollback capability without requiring the expensive dual-bank hardware architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Mobile equipment includes one or more first processors and a communication module. The one or more first processors are configured to generate a package including update software and rollback data. The one or more first processors are configured to control the communication module to send the package to a vehicle.