Vehicle control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024201976-A1
Application number	US-202118287802-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 8, 2021
Priority date	Jun 8, 2021
Publication date	Jun 20, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus according to the present disclosure includestwo or more computing processing units,storage apparatuses in each of which a program is stored,an in-vehicle communication channel,an outside-communication unit that receives updating-program information and data related to an updating program,a program sorting unit that sorts updating program into an existing program and into a new program,a new-program writing unit that receives a new program from the outside and then writes the new program in a storage area for the computing processing unit that executes an updating program, andan existing-program writing unit that reads an existing program from the storage area where the existing program exists, by way of the in-vehicle communication channel, and then writes the existing program in a storage area for the computing processing unit that executes an updating program.

First claim

1 . A vehicle control apparatus comprising:
two or more computing processors; a storage area of a storage apparatus that is provided for each of the computing processors and in which a program to be executed by the computing processor is stored; an in-vehicle communication channel that is utilized for communication among the computing processors; an outside-communicator-that receives, from an outside, updating-program information related to an updating program for updating a program to be executed by the computing processor and data related to the updating program; a program sorter that sorts, based on the updating-program information, the updating program into an existing program already existing in the storage area for the computing processor excluding the computing processor that executes the updating program and into a new program that does not exist in any storage areas for the computing processors; a new-program writer that receives, from the outside, data for the new program obtained through sorting by the program sorter, by way of the outside-communicator, and then writes the data in the storage area for the computing processor that executes the updating program, by way of the in-vehicle communication channel; and an existing-program writer that reads data for the existing program obtained through sorting by the program sorter, from a transfer-source storage area by way of the in-vehicle communication channel, and then writes the data for the existing program in the storage area for the computing processor that executes the updating program, by way of the in-vehicle communication channel.

2 . The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein from the outside, the outside-communicator receives data for an updating program that adds a new function to a program to be executed by the computing processor.

3 . The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein from the outside, the outside-communicator receives updating-program information related to an updating program that adds a new function to a program to be executed by the computing processor, and wherein when the program sorter sorts the updating programs into the new programs, the new-program writer receives, from the outside, only a portion for adding a new function of the new program, by way of the outside-communicator, and then writes the portion in the storage area for the computing processor that executes the updating program, by way of the in-vehicle communication channel.

4 . The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a transferred-program nullificator that reads the existing program obtained through sorting by the program sorter, from the transfer-source storage area where the existing program exist, writes the existing program in the storage area for the computing processor that executes the existing program, by way of the in-vehicle communication channel, and then, after completion of the writing, prevents the existing program from operating in the transfer-source storage area.

5 . The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein only when a function safety level in the case where the existing program is executed by a computing processor in which the existing program exists is the same as or lower than a function safety level in the case where the existing program is executed by the computing processor for executing an updating program, the existing-program writer writes data for the existing program.

6 . The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the computing processor is configured with an SoC.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Maeda Osamu
• Homma Mitsuru
• Hasegawa Hajime
• Yase Daisuke
• Maekoba Tatsuya

Classifications

• B60R16/0231

  Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P) · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

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