IP Library Granted Patent US 10,140,109
Granted Patent B2
US 10,140,109 · App. 14/189,297 · Granted Nov 27, 2018

Silent in-vehicle software updates

Inventors: Tricia Tobolski (Harrison Township, MI); Chad Evert Esselink (Canton, MI); Michael Raymond Westra (Plymouth, MI); John Thomas Ellis (Orland Park, IL)
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
G06F8/65G06F8/61H04L67/10H04L67/34H04L67/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,140,109
App. No.
14/189,297
Granted
Nov 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving, from a cloud server by a vehicle, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to an interrogator log generated by the vehicle; installing update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive installation of a plurality of storage installations; and setting the inactive installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installation currently set as the active partition.

Claims (50)

1. A method executed by at least one hardware controller of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, from a server by a vehicle, a data identifier list defining information to include in an interrogator log and where the information is located in an active software installation;

generating the interrogator log;

sending the interrogator log to the server;

receiving, in response, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to the interrogator log;

installing update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive software installation of a plurality of storage installations; and

setting the inactive software installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active software installation includes one of a storage partition and a collection of files within a partition.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the interrogator log to include at least one of (i) current state information of at least one software module installed on the vehicle or (ii) diagnostic trouble codes of at least one software module installed on the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising generating the interrogator log upon determining that at least one of (i) a predetermined number of key-on cycles has been completed by the vehicle or (ii) a predetermined period of time has passed since interrogator log generation.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

(i) providing a notification in a user interface of the vehicle that the inactive software installation will become active upon restart of the vehicle;

(ii) receiving an indication of opt-in from a user interface of the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed; or

(iii) receive an indication of opt-in from a user interface of a nomadic device in communication with the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

setting the inactive software installation to replace the active software installation as a new active installation upon vehicle restart; and

updating another storage installation in accordance with the software updates performed to the installation made active.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data identifier list is received as part of an installation of downloaded software included in the active software installation.

8. A system comprising:

a data identifier list defining information to include in an interrogator log and on which of a plurality of vehicle controllers the information is located, the data identifier list received as part of an installation of software downloaded from a server to a vehicle; and

at least one hardware controller of the vehicle programmed to

generate the interrogator log based on the data identifier list;

send the interrogator log to the server;

receive, from the server, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to the interrogator log;

install update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive installation of a plurality of storage installations; and

set the inactive installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installations.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the installation includes one of a storage partition and a collection of files within a partition.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to generate the interrogator log to include at least one of

(i) current state information of at least one software module installed on the vehicle or (ii) diagnostic trouble codes of at least one software module installed on the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to generate the interrogator log upon determining that at least one of (i) a predetermined number of key-on cycles have been completed by the vehicle or (ii) a predetermined period of time has passed since interrogator log generation.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to at least one of:

(i) provide a notification in a user interface of the vehicle that the inactive installation will become active upon restart of the vehicle;

(ii) receive an indication of opt-in from a user interface of the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed; or

(iii) receive an indication of opt-in from a user interface of a nomadic device in communication with the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to update another of the storage installation in accordance with the software updates performed to the installation made active.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by at least one hardware controller of a vehicle, cause the at least one hardware controller to:

receive, from a cloud server by the vehicle, a data identifier list defining information to include in an interrogator log and where on a plurality of vehicle controllers the information is located;

generate the interrogator log based on the data identifier list;

send the interrogator log to the server;

receive, from the server, a manifest indicating network locations of software updates determined according to the interrogator log;

install update binaries retrieved from the network locations to an inactive installation of a plurality of storage installations; and

set the inactive installation to be an active installation upon vehicle restart, in place of another of the storage installations.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the installation includes one of a storage partition and a collection of files within a partition.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions that when executed cause the at least one hardware controller to generate the interrogator log, based on the data identifier list, to include at least one of (i) current state information of at least one software module installed on the vehicle or (ii) diagnostic trouble codes of at least one software module installed on the vehicle.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 , further storing instructions that when executed cause the at least one hardware controller to generate the interrogator log upon determining that at least one of (i) a predetermined number of key-on cycles has been completed by the vehicle, or (ii) a predetermined period of time has passed since interrogator log generation.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions that when executed cause the at least one hardware controller to at least one of:

(i) provide a notification in a user interface of the vehicle that the inactive installation will become active upon restart of the vehicle;

(ii) receive an indication of opt-in from a user interface of the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed; or

(iii) receive an indication of opt-in from a user interface of a nomadic device in communication with the vehicle before allowing silent software updating to be performed.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14 , further storing instructions that when executed cause the at least one hardware controller to update the another of the storage installations in accordance with the software updates performed to the installation made active.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2014
From: TOBOLSKI, TRICIA; ESSELINK, CHAD EVERT; WESTRA, MICHAEL RAYMOND; ELLIS, JOHN THOMAS
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 032293/0542 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150242198A1 · Aug 27, 2015
Cited By (1)
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