Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11021167-B2
Application number	US-201916599154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2019
Priority date	Oct 15, 2018
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes a controller with embedded software which controls at least some of devices mounted in the vehicle, a communicator configured to communicate with an external device, an update controller which updates the software embedded in the controller according to communication with the external device by the communicator, a power supply configured to supply power to the controller, and a vehicle state predictor configured to predict a state of the vehicle, in which the update controller interrupts an update of the software when the vehicle state predictor predicts that a connection between the power supply and the controller is in a disconnected state during the update of the software.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control device comprising: a controller including a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing software that is executable by the processor, the software, when executed by the processor, causing the controller to execute processes that control one or more devices mounted in a vehicle, the processes including: communicating with an external device, updating the software according to a communication with the external device, and predicting a state of the vehicle, and receiving an operation from an occupant of the vehicle; and a power supply configured to supply power to the controller, wherein the controller predicts that a connection between the power supply and the controller is to be disconnected in the near future when the controller receives a preliminary operation for physically disconnecting the connection between the power supply and the controller, the controller interrupts an update of the software when the controller predicts that the connection between the power supply and the controller is to be disconnected in the near future during the update of the software, and the preliminary operation includes an operation for opening: a first lid portion partitioning a first space in which the power supply or the controller is installed; or a second lid portion partitioning a second space in which a wiring connecting the power supply and the controller is present.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the software contains one or more program modules, and
the controller divides the software to be updated into a plurality of blocks containing one or more program modules, resulting in divided blocks, and interrupts the update based on the divided blocks when the update of the software is interrupted.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller discards information on a block being downloaded from the external device when the update of the software is interrupted.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller interrupts the update of the software after a download of the block being downloaded from the external device is completed when the update of the software is interrupted.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller causes the memory to store information on an interrupted situation when the update of the software is interrupted, and resumes the update from a block after a block in which the update is completed at the time of interruption on the basis of the information on the interrupted situation stored in the memory when the update of the software is resumed.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the controller determines whether or not the software is tampered with before the update of the software is resumed, and resumes the update of the software when it is determined that the software is not tampered with.

7. A vehicle control method comprising: by a computer, communicating with an external device; updating software embedded in a controller that controls one or more devices mounted in a vehicle; predicting that a connection between a power supply configured to supply power to the controller and the controller is to be disconnected in the near future when an operator configured to receive an operation from an occupant of the vehicle receives a preliminary operation for physically disconnecting the connection between the power supply and the controller; and interrupting an update of the software when it is predicted that the connection between the controller and the power supply is to be disconnected in the near future during the update of the software, wherein the preliminary operation includes an operation for opening a first lid portion partitioning a first space in which the power supply or the controller is installed or a second lid portion partitioning a second space in which a wiring connecting the power supply and the controller is present.

8. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that stores a program which causes a computer to communicate with an external device, update software embedded in a controller that controls one or more devices mounted in a vehicle, predict that a connection between a power supply configured to supply power to the controller and the controller is to be disconnected in the near future when an operator configured to receive an operation from an occupant of the vehicle receives a preliminary operation for physically disconnecting the connection between the power supply and the controller; and interrupt an update of the software when it is predicted that the connection between the controller and the power supply is to be disconnected in the near future during the update of the software, wherein the preliminary operation includes an operation for opening a first lid portion partitioning a first space in which the power supply or the controller is installed or a second lid portion partitioning a second space in which a wiring connecting the power supply and the controller is present.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yokota Tomonori
• Tomokuni Satomi
• Tabuchi Satoshi

Classifications

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W2050/0075

  Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G05B13/026

  using a predictor · CPC title

• B60W2050/0083

  Setting, resetting, calibration · CPC title