In-Vehicle Control Device, Program Update System, and Program Update Software

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018246711-A1
Application number	US-201615757194-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2016
Priority date	Nov 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is an in-vehicle control device which makes it possible to achieve restoration processing of differential reprogramming even in an in-vehicle control device using a microcomputer with a built-in flash memory using a small amount of RAM and composed of large blocks, and is capable of restoring a new program in a short time by decreasing the size of differential data even for a new program to which major changes have been made. Provided is an in-vehicle control device capable of updating a program on the basis of update content provided from an update tool, the in-vehicle control device being provided with a first memory provided with a plurality of blocks for storing programs, and a second memory. When updating a program, differential data of the program and an update program are stored in the second memory, an update program for a block to be updated among the plurality of blocks is recreated in another block which is different from the block to be updated using the differential data and an old program, and the update program which has been recreated in the other block is written in the block to be updated.

First claim

1 . An in-vehicle control device capable of updating an old program stored therein to a new program based on update content provided from an update tool, the in-vehicle control device comprising:
a first memory that is nonvolatile and provided with a plurality of blocks for storing the program; and a second memory for temporarily storing data, wherein, the update tool transmits differential data between a new program of a block to be updated as an update target and old programs of a plurality of blocks including the block to be updated to the in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device stores the differential data in the second memory, recreates the new program of the block to be updated in another block that is different from the block to be updated using the differential data and the old programs stored in the plurality of blocks including the block to be updated, and writes the new program recreated in the another block to the block to be updated after erasing the block to be updated.

2 . The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein after completion of update of the all blocks to be updated, the in-vehicle control device receives compressed data obtained by compressing a new program for the another block transmitted from the update tool, stores the compressed data in the second memory, decompresses the compressed data, and writes the new program to the another block.

3 . The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the old programs of the plurality of blocks including the block to be updated are old programs of sequential blocks that are adjacent to the block to be updated and have upper addresses.

4 . An in-vehicle control system capable of updating an old program stored in an in-vehicle control device to a new program based on update content provided from an update tool, the in-vehicle control system comprising:
a first memory that is nonvolatile and provided with a plurality of blocks for storing the program; and a second memory for temporarily storing data, wherein, the update tool transmits differential data between a new program in a block to be updated as an update target and old programs in a plurality of blocks including the block to be updated to the in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device stores the differential data in the second memory, recreates the new program of the block to be updated in another block that is different from the block to be updated using the differential data and the old programs stored in the plurality of blocks including the block to be updated, and writes the new program recreated in the another block to the block to be updated after erasing the block to be updated.

5 . A storage medium that stores program update software that causes a computing device mounted on an in-vehicle control device to function to update an old program stored in the in-vehicle control device to a new program based on update content provided from an update tool, wherein
the in-vehicle control device includes: a first memory that is nonvolatile and provided with a plurality of blocks for storing the program; and a second memory for temporarily storing data, the update tool transmits differential data between a new program in a block to be updated as an update target and old programs in a plurality of blocks including the block to be updated to the in-vehicle control device, and the storage medium that stores program update software causes the computing device to store the differential data in the second memory, recreate the new program of the block to be updated in another block that is different from the block to be updated using the differential data and the old programs stored in the plurality of blocks including the block to be updated, and write the new program recreated in the another block to the block to be updated after erasing the block to be updated.

6 . The storage medium that stores program update software according to claim 5 , wherein after completion of update of the all blocks to be updated, the storage medium that stores program update software causes the computing device to receive compressed data obtained by compressing a new program for the another block transmitted from the update tool, store the compressed data in the second memory, decompress the compressed data, and write the new program to the another block.

7 . An in-vehicle control device capable of updating an old program stored therein to a new program based on update content provided from an update tool, the in-vehicle control device comprising:
a first memory that is nonvolatile and composed of a plurality of blocks for storing the program; a second memory for temporarily storing data; and a downloading unit configured to, upon receipt of a program or data, temporarily store the program or data in the second memory, and to thereafter write the program or data to the nonvolatile first memory, wherein the update tool transmits restoration software having an updating unit by differential or compression to the in-vehicle control device, and then transmits differential data between a new program in a block to be updated as an update target as an update target and old programs in a plurality of blocks including the block to be updated to the in-vehicle control device, and the in-vehicle control device performs program update composed of a first step of, upon receipt of the restoration software, writing the restoration software to a predetermined block in the nonvolatile first memory by the downloading unit, and a second step of executing the restoration software, upon receipt of the differential data, storing the differential data in the second memory, reproducing in another block that is different from the block to be updated using the differential data and the old programs stored in the plurality of blocks including the block to be updated, and writing the new program recreated in the another block to the block to be updated after erasing the block to be updated.

8 . The in-vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein after completion of update of the all blocks to be updated, the in-vehicle control device receives compressed data obtained by compressing a new program for the another block transmitted from the update tool, stores the compressed data in the second memory, decompresses the compressed data, executes the restoration software, and writes the new program to the another block.

9 . A storage medium that stores program update software that causes a computing device mounted on an in-vehicle control device to function to update an old program stored in the in-vehicle control device to a new program based on update content provided from an update tool, wherein
the in-vehicle control device includes: a first memory that is nonvolatile and includes a plurality of blocks for storing the program; a second memory for temporarily storing data; and a downloading unit configured to, upon receipt of a program or data, temporarily store the program or data in the second memory, and to thereafter write the program or data to the nonvolatile first memory, wherein the update tool transmits restoration software having an updating unit by differential or compression to the in-vehicle control device, and then transmits differential data between a new program in a block to be updated and old programs in a plurality of blocks including the block to be updated to the in-vehicle control device, and the storage medium that stores program update software causes the computing device to perform a first step of, upon receipt of the restoration software, writing the restoration software to a predetermined block in the nonvolatile first memory by the downloading unit, and a second step of execu

Assignees

• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Kurosawa Kenichi
• Nakahara Fumiharu
• Teraoka Hidetoshi

Classifications

• G06F11/1004

  to protect a block of data words, e.g. CRC or checksum (G06F11/1076 takes precedence; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorized activity G06F21/00) · CPC title

• G06F8/658 Primary

  Incremental updates; Differential updates · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

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

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title

• B60K35/85

  Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data · CPC title