Vehicle Automation Controller for Remote Feature Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle data management systems require direct access, impose risks and costs due to downtime and complex management, and limit functionality, especially with increasing connectivity and regulatory demands, making it costly and risky to implement new vehicle features and functions.
Innovation Solution
A system with a network of endpoints, including a controller with automation definition, management, and execution circuits, allowing for automated vehicle responses without direct vehicle access, enabling broader entity access and reducing costs by interpreting automation descriptions to provide automated action plans and commands, thus simplifying feature implementation and data management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If direct vehicle access or OTA software updates are used to update vehicle operational capabilities, then vehicle functionality can be updated, but vehicle downtime, operational risk, and management expense increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a cloud-based platform and a vehicle gateway that mediates between external update sources and vehicle controllers. The gateway retrieves update packages from the cloud, validates them, and installs them without requiring direct external access to vehicle controllers, thus maintaining reliability while enabling functionality updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-downloading and validating update packages in the cloud before they reach the vehicle. The gateway prepares the update environment, checks compatibility, and stages the installation process, ensuring that updates can be applied without disrupting vehicle operation or compromising reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If direct vehicle access is required for updating vehicle features, then full vehicle knowledge and authority are needed, but this increases management expense and limits the number of entities that can implement updates
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud-based platform acts as an intermediary that abstracts the complexity of vehicle access. Multiple entities (manufacturers, dealers, service providers) can interact with the platform through standardized interfaces, and the platform handles the complex tasks of authentication, authorization, and coordinate with vehicle gateways, thereby simplifying the system for external entities while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway and cloud platform provide universal access mechanisms that serve multiple functions: authentication of different entity types, management of various update packages, coordination with multiple vehicle controllers, and maintenance of security protocols. This multi-functional design reduces the need for separate systems for each entity type.
3Adaptability or versatility
If OTA software updates are used to update vehicle functionality, then feature implementation is possible, but significant management expense is imposed due to keeping multiple software versions
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the software update management function from the vehicle itself and relocates it to a cloud-based platform. The vehicle gateway only retains minimal local functionality for receiving and installing updates, while the cloud platform stores and manages all software versions, eliminating the need to store multiple versions locally in the vehicle and reducing associated costs.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional vehicle update systems are used, then vehicle functionality can be changed, but the process requires vehicle shutdown and introduces risk that the vehicle will not be operational
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs all update preparation activities preliminarily in the cloud environment - downloading, validating, and staging update packages before the vehicle even receives them. When the vehicle gateway receives a pre-validated update package, the installation can proceed quickly without requiring extended vehicle shutdown periods, thereby reducing downtime while maintaining functionality update capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller including an automation definition circuit, an automation management circuit, and an automation execution circuit. The automation definition circuit is structured to interpret a plurality of automation descriptions. The automation management circuit is structured to provide an automated action plan in response to the plurality of automation descriptions. The automation execution circuit is structured to provide a plurality of automation commands to end points of a vehicle network in response to the automated action plan.