Vehicle Unit Microkernel Partitioning for Automated Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control units require labor-intensive and costly reinstallation of the main operating system and application programs due to errors, necessitating removal and sending to a repair service for memory rewriting.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a microkernel architecture with separate partitions for the main operating system, cryptographic unit, and supervision unit, where the supervision unit monitors and initiates repairs independently, allowing for automated recovery without external intervention, and enabling user-upgradeable main operating system partitions while protecting critical units from user changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the main operating system and application programs are installed on a vehicle unit with a microprocessor, then the vehicle unit can perform multiple functions and support user inputs, but errors during writing to memory or during program addition/deletion can cause the system to stop operating, requiring labor-intensive reinstallation at a repair service
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the vehicle unit's software system into separate partitions: a first partition containing the main operating system and application programs that can be modified, and a second partition containing a repair program that remains protected. This segmentation allows the repair functionality to be isolated and protected while the main system can be updated or corrected without affecting the repair capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair program is pre-installed in the protected second partition before any errors occur. This preliminary action ensures that repair functionality is already available within the system, eliminating the need for external repair services and enabling self-repair capabilities when errors are detected in the main operating system or application programs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle unit is designed as an open system allowing program addition and deletion, then user flexibility and adaptability are improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to errors that can cause operational failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a first partition for the main operating system and application programs that allows modification, addition, and deletion, and a second partition for the repair program that is protected from user changes. This segmentation enables program modularity in the main system while maintaining reliability through the protected repair functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair program in the second partition acts as an intermediary that can intervene when errors are detected in the first partition. It provides a safety mechanism that mediates between the flexible but potentially error-prone main system and the need for system stability, enabling error correction without compromising the open nature of the main operating system.
3Reliability
If the entire system is protected from user changes to prevent errors, then system reliability is improved, but users cannot update or modify the main operating system and application programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into a first partition that is accessible and modifiable by users for installing updates and new programs, and a second partition that is protected and contains only the repair program. This segmentation allows users to update and modify the main operating system while the protected repair partition maintains system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the system have different protection characteristics: the first partition containing the main operating system and application programs has open access qualities allowing user modification and updates, while the second partition containing the repair program has protected qualities preventing user changes. This local differentiation of quality allows both update capability and reliability to coexist.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle unit and a method are provided for controlling vehicle functions with a microprocessor and connected memory, on which a main operating system, which forms the hardware interface for application programs, and user interactions are implemented. The microprocessor is configured in a microkernel architecture with separate partitions for a main operating system unit, a cryptographic unit and a supervision unit. The main operating system is set up in the main operating system unit, and software certificates are stored in the cryptographic unit and a verification program for verifying certificates and software packages is set up therein. A monitoring program that monitors the operation of the other partitions of the microkernel architecture is provided in the supervision unit.