Programming vehicle modules from remote devices and related methods and systems

1. A vehicle comprising:

a target module coupled to a vehicle communications network;

an authentication module coupled to the vehicle communications network to:

receive an authentication portion of a programming update for the target module via the vehicle communications network; and

provide the authentication portion to the target module via the vehicle communications network after the authentication portion is authenticated as originating from a trusted source; and

an update module to obtain the programming update for the target module from a remote device, the programming update including the authentication portion and a programming data portion, wherein the update module is coupled to the vehicle communications network to:

provide the programming data portion to the target module via the vehicle communications network; and

provide the authentication portion to the authentication module via the vehicle communications network,

wherein the target module is configured to update a target application on the target module based at least in part on the programming data portion received from the update module after receiving the authentication portion from the authentication module.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , the programming data portion including a set of instructions, wherein the target module updates the target application by executing the set of instructions.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , the target module including a data storage element to maintain configuration information for the target application, wherein the target module overwrites the configuration information with updated configuration information in response to executing the set of instructions.

4. The vehicle of claim 2 , the target module including a data storage element to maintain code for the target application, wherein the target module overwrites the code with updated application code in response to executing the set of instructions.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , the authentication module including a data storage element to maintain a stored key associated with the vehicle, wherein the authentication module is configured to authenticate the authentication portion when a key obtained from the authentication portion matches the stored key.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the update module is coupled to an external network to obtain the programming update from the remote device via the external network.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , the update module including an input interface to receive the remote device, wherein the update module obtains the programming update from the remote device via the input interface.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:

the target module comprises an engine control unit; and

the update module comprises a head unit.

9. A method of programming a vehicle module coupled to a vehicle communications network, the method comprising:

obtaining, by an update module coupled to the vehicle communications network, a programming update for the vehicle module from a remote device, the programming update including an authentication portion and a programming data portion;

providing, by the update module via the vehicle communications network, the authentication portion to an authentication module coupled to the vehicle communications network;

providing, by the update module via the vehicle communications network, the programming data portion to the vehicle module;

providing, by the authentication module via the vehicle communications network, the authentication portion received from the update module to the vehicle module after authenticating the remote device based on the authentication portion; and

updating, by the vehicle module, a target application on the vehicle module based at least in part on the programming data portion received from the update module after the providing, by the authentication module, the authentication portion to the vehicle module.

10. The method of claim 9 , the programming data portion including a set of instructions, wherein updating the target application comprises the vehicle module executing the set of instructions.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising authenticating, by the authentication module, the authentication portion when a key obtained from the authentication portion matches a stored key associated with a vehicle having the vehicle module.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein obtaining the programming update comprises downloading the programming update from a server via an external communications network.

13. The method of claim 9 , the remote device being inserted in an input interface, wherein obtaining the programming update comprises obtaining the programming update from the remote device via the input interface.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein obtaining the programming update comprises the update module receiving the programming update via an external communications network.

15. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle communications network;

a vehicle module coupled to the vehicle communications network;

an authentication module coupled to the vehicle communications network to:

receive an authentication portion of a programming update via the vehicle communications network;

authenticate a remote device based on the authentication portion; and

provide the authentication portion to the vehicle module via the

vehicle communications network after the remote device is authenticated; and

an update module to obtain the programming update for the vehicle module from the remote device, the programming update including the authentication portion and a programming data portion, wherein the update module is coupled to the vehicle communications network to:

provide the programming data portion to the vehicle module via the vehicle communications network; and

provide the authentication portion to the authentication module via the vehicle communications network,

wherein the vehicle module is configured to update a target application on the vehicle module based at least in part on the programming data portion received from the update module after receiving the authentication portion from the authentication module.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the update module is coupled to an external communications network to receive the programming update from the remote device via the external communications network.

17. The vehicle of claim 15 , further comprising an input interface coupled to the update module, wherein the update module is configured to obtain the programming update from the remote device when the remote device is inserted in the input interface.

18. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein:

the vehicle module comprises an engine control unit; and

the update module comprises a head unit.