Vehicle Module Update Cache Server for Subscription Gaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) may miss software or firmware updates during a lapse in subscription services, leading to compatibility issues when the subscription is renewed, as these updates are not installed during the non-subscription period and may not be compatible with the existing ECU versions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a cache server that stores missed updates and delivers them to the vehicle upon reactivation of the subscription, ensuring the updates are installed in a sequence that ensures compatibility and safety, particularly for vehicle safety systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software updates are provided wirelessly only when the vehicle is a wireless subscriber, then update delivery is controlled and managed, but updates are missed during non-subscribership periods causing compatibility issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by queuing updates on the backend server before the vehicle becomes a subscriber. When the vehicle subscribes, pre-queued updates are immediately delivered, ensuring no updates are missed during non-subscribership periods while maintaining controlled delivery through the queuing mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
A backend server acts as an intermediary between the update source and the vehicle. It receives updates, queues them for non-subscribers, and manages delivery when vehicles become subscribers, resolving the contradiction between controlled delivery and continuous update availability
2Adaptability or versatility
If newer updates are provided after subscription renewal, then the vehicle receives current software versions, but compatibility issues arise with electronic vehicle modules due to missed interim updates
Solution Approach 1:
Updates are prepared and queued in advance on the backend server during the non-subscribership period. When the vehicle renews its subscription, these pre-prepared updates are delivered in the correct sequence, ensuring both current software versions and module compatibility without requiring the vehicle to be continuously subscribed
Solution Approach 2:
The update delivery process is segmented into discrete update packages, each representing a specific version or fix. The backend server manages these segmented updates individually, allowing them to be queued, tracked, and delivered in the proper sequence to ensure compatibility while providing current software versions
3Speed
If updates are delivered immediately when available, then update freshness is maintained, but updates may be incompatible with existing ECU versions without installing missed updates first
Solution Approach 1:
The backend server performs preliminary actions by receiving, validating, and queuing updates in advance. When vehicles become subscribers or renew, the server immediately delivers the appropriate updates from the queue, maintaining both delivery speed and compatibility through pre-processed update packages
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the backend server tracks which updates have been delivered and installed on each vehicle. This feedback allows the server to manage update sequences properly, ensuring compatibility while maintaining fast delivery by only sending updates that are ready and appropriate for each vehicle's current state
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system that includes a backend system and a vehicle. A method of using the communication system to remotely provide system module updates for the vehicle. The method includes: generating at a vehicle backend system an electronic message (e-mail) that includes an update for a vehicle system module (VSM) in the vehicle; storing the e-mail at a mail cache server, the cache server being associated with the backend system; and when the vehicle becomes associated with a backend services agreement, then delivering the e-mail stored at the cache server to the vehicle via a cellular link so that the update may be applied to the VSM.