Vehicle Software Version Switching for Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle software management systems fail to ensure stable software updating and service continuity when a control apparatus operates abnormally, as they do not consider collaboration between multiple software items and do not provide for maintaining service provision during such abnormalities.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle software management apparatus and system that include an information acquisition unit, stopped-service detection unit, communication unit, and software updating unit to identify and update software versions that allow service continuity even when a control apparatus is abnormal, utilizing an outside-vehicle server to retrieve and apply the necessary software versions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software updating is performed using conventional OTA technology considering only individual control apparatus environment, then software can be updated in stable environment, but service continuity cannot be ensured when control apparatus operates abnormally
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of stopped services by analyzing the correlation between control apparatus states and service execution status before software updating. This allows the system to identify which services cannot be executed due to abnormal control apparatus operations, and pre-select appropriate software versions that can maintain service continuity, rather than reacting after the problem occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of software version selection based on the detected control apparatus state. When abnormality is detected, the system retrieves and applies a different software version from the server that is compatible with the abnormal state, allowing services to continue operating under degraded conditions rather than maintaining a single fixed software version.
2Device complexity
If software updating considers only individual control apparatus state, then updating process is simple, but collaboration between multiple software items cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes a feedback mechanism where the state of control apparatuses is continuously monitored and fed back to the software management apparatus. This feedback includes information about which services are stopped due to abnormal operations, allowing the system to adjust software version selection to ensure proper collaboration between multiple software items while maintaining manageable process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The software management apparatus serves multiple functions: it manages individual control apparatus updates, detects stopped services caused by abnormal operations, retrieves appropriate software versions from the server, and coordinates updates across multiple control apparatuses. This multi-functional approach ensures software collaboration stability without proportionally increasing process complexity.
3Productivity
If software version is changed to latest version, then software functionality is improved, but service may become unavailable when control apparatus is abnormal
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects software versions based on the current operational state of control apparatuses rather than uniformly applying the latest version. When abnormality is detected, the system retrieves and applies a software version appropriate for the abnormal state, allowing services to continue with degraded functionality rather than becoming completely unavailable, thus adapting productivity to actual operational conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential service unavailability by having the server store multiple software versions and by detecting stopped services in advance. When abnormality occurs, the system can quickly switch to a previously available software version that is compatible with the abnormal state, cushioning the impact on service availability rather than forcing an update to the latest version that may not be compatible.
Data Source
AI summary
There is obtained a vehicle software management apparatus that makes it possible that even when a control apparatus is abnormal, updation to a version of software with which provision of a stopped service can be continued. The vehicle software management apparatus includesan information acquisition unit that acquires control-apparatus state information, software function-version information, and software-service information,a stopped-service detection unit that detects a stopped service that has been made inexecutable by the control apparatus whose operation is abnormal,a communication unit that transfers the control-apparatus state information and the stopped-service information to an outside-vehicle server, anda software updating unit. The communication unit receives, from the outside-vehicle server, a version of software with which the stopped service is executed by a normal control apparatus; the software updating unit instructs the control apparatus on updation to the received software.