Vehicle Software Updating via Nearby Vehicle-to-Vehicle Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicles often lack reliable access to software updates, especially for those not regularly serviced, leading to missed improvements and corrections due to unreliable connectivity.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) system that allows source vehicles to transfer approved software components to destination vehicles via a wireless communications channel, enabling updates based on criteria such as version numbers, bandwidth, and priority, even in areas with limited connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vehicles rely on traditional service station updates, then software updates can be reliably delivered, but vehicles not regularly serviced miss updates and improvements
Solution Approach 1:
A source vehicle acts as an intermediary carrier, transporting approved software components from a repository to destination vehicles in the field. This mediator vehicle enables update delivery without requiring destination vehicles to visit service stations, resolving the contradiction between reliable delivery and broad accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Destination vehicles automatically perform software updates using components received from source vehicles. The vehicles self-update without requiring service station intervention, allowing any vehicle with a source vehicle nearby to receive updates regardless of service schedule.
2Speed
If software updates are transferred via wireless communications channel, then update speed increases, but limited bandwidth and connectivity reliability become constraints
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transmitting software components over wireless channels, the system creates physical copies stored in source vehicles. These copied components are then transferred via physical media (removable storage devices), eliminating wireless bandwidth and connectivity constraints while maintaining fast transfer speeds through direct physical connection.
3Loss of information
If vehicles update software frequently, then software remains current with latest improvements, but update time and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements selective updating where destination vehicles receive only specific software components that need updating, rather than complete system updates. This partial action approach keeps software current while minimizing update time and processing overhead by transferring only necessary components.
Solution Approach 2:
Source vehicles pre-load approved software components before meeting destination vehicles. This preliminary preparation allows destination vehicles to perform updates immediately upon receiving components, reducing overall update time and eliminating waiting for software preparation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a source vehicle and a destination vehicle. The destination vehicle is configured to determine that the source vehicle and the destination vehicle are suitably close to exchange data through a wireless communications channel, compare current version numbers in the destination vehicle with approved version numbers in the source vehicle, approve an update for one or more current software components in the destination vehicle in response to one or more criteria, receive one or more approved software components at the destination vehicle from the source vehicle via the wireless communications channel in response to the current version numbers of the current software components approved for the update being different from corresponding ones of approved version numbers of the approved software components, and update the one or more current software components in the destination vehicle with the one or more approved software components received from the source vehicle.