Vehicle Software Update Scheduling With Pre-Start Failure Alerts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Software updates in vehicles may not be performed as scheduled, leading to user inconvenience when the user discovers the update was not executed.

Innovation Solution

An information processing system and method that determines before the scheduled update starting time whether the update can be performed, and issues a failure notification to the user if not, allowing for rescheduling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If software update is scheduled automatically without prior verification, then update execution efficiency is improved, but user convenience deteriorates because user is not notified in advance when update fails

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate execution efficiencyVSAvoiduser convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification before the scheduled update time to check whether update conditions are satisfied. This preliminary action allows the system to predict potential update failures and notify users in advance, resolving the contradiction by maintaining automated efficiency while improving user convenience through proactive notification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism by notifying users of potential update failures before the actual update time. This feedback loop allows users to take appropriate actions (such as rescheduling or investigating conditions) while the system maintains its automated update scheduling capability, thus resolving the contradiction between automation and user convenience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If scheduled update determination is performed before update time, then user convenience is improved through advance notification, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser convenienceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The scheduled update determination is performed as a preliminary check before the actual update time. This preliminary action adds a relatively simple verification step that provides substantial user convenience by enabling advance notification, while the complexity increase is minimal since it reuses existing scheduling and condition-checking infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If update conditions are not verified before scheduled time, then system complexity is reduced, but information loss occurs because user is not aware of update failure in advance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem complexityVSAvoidupdate status information
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

By performing scheduled update determination as a preliminary action before the actual update time, the system verifies update conditions in advance and communicates the outcome to the user. This approach prevents information loss about update status while adding minimal system complexity, as it leverages existing condition-checking mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes a feedback channel that delivers update status information to the user before the scheduled update time. This feedback mechanism prevents information loss by ensuring users are aware of potential failures in advance, while the implementation complexity remains low since it uses standard notification interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4671969A1Information processing system, information processing method, and storage medium
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP4671969A1 patent drawingFigure 1
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  • EP4671969A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided are an information processing system, an information processing method, and a storage medium. A processing circuit (12) carries out a schedule update assessment (S140). The schedule update assessment (S140) includes assessing, before a scheduled update start time, whether a software update can be started at the scheduled update start time. The scheduled update start time is the scheduled start time of a software update in a vehicle. In cases where the scheduled update assessment is negative (No in S140), the processing circuit (12) prompts a notification that updates have not been initiated to the user of the vehicle (S160). The notification that updates have not been initiated notifies the user that a software update has not been initiated at the scheduled update start time.