JP2023081205A - Software update method and software update system - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce a time required to update programs or the like, reduce the risk of being unable to control a main core when it becomes necessary, and simplify main core software to reduce the risk of system errors.SOLUTION: Main core software update processing is executed only when a control apparatus is in a non-operating state. The update processing causes a communication core to directly access a main core ROM to update main core software without transmitting a main core update program to a main core, and causes a communication core to update the main core software to cause the communication core software to have the processing necessary to update the main core software.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a software update method and its update system, and more particularly to a software update technology for updating a program operating in an industrial/consumer device such as an electronic control unit for a vehicle.

In recent years, due to the advancement of driving support functions and automatic driving technology, the use of ICT equipment in a wide range of industries such as civil engineering and nursing care, and the increased demand for information communication equipment due to the new coronavirus infection, electronic control units (ECU: The scale of the software installed in the Electric Control Unit (Electric Control Unit) is increasing. Along with this, not only the number of recalls due to software defects, but also the number of vehicles that need to be dealt with per recall is increasing. Under such circumstances, there is a growing need for a technology for remotely updating software installed in ECUs, such as control programs and BIOS.

For example, when updating the software installed in the ECU for automobiles, it used to be necessary for a mechanic to perform the update work at a dealer, etc., but now the software can be updated over the air (OTA: Over the Air). With the development of technology, it has become possible to automatically update the software installed in the ECU by OTA.
When OTA technology is applied to automobiles, software update data is distributed to automobiles from a data center called an OTA center. The updated data is sent to the ECU that controls the vehicle through the vehicle's communications equipment and gateway. Then update the software in the ECU.

The OTA technology does not require the ECU to be updated by a specialist engineer, so it can be said that it is a technology that is indispensable in today's society. It is necessary to consider the impact (risk) of the time period when ECU control is not possible due to the failure of the ECU. Various techniques for updating have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-131729 JP 2021-47637 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-201986 JP 2020-164113 A JP 2020-149345 A

In any of the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 5, an update program downloaded from a communication core (a communication member that connects to an external server) is stored in an auxiliary storage medium, and a member corresponding to the main core (by a control program A member that performs various controls) accesses this auxiliary storage medium by itself, and updates the software recorded in its own ROM by the main core.
According to this method, the update program must be transmitted to the main core, and the transmission speed is slow, so the update takes a long time. risk of not being able to In particular, the larger the update program, the greater the risk. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this risk.

In addition, the main core has many items to be controlled, and the control program required for the processing becomes complicated. Complicated control programs increase the risk of system errors. It was also necessary to deal with this risk separately.

Therefore, the inventors paid attention to the load on the main core and the communication core and the transmission speed between the communication core and the main core. Then, the inventors found that these problems can be solved by providing a storage device in the communication core, accessing the ROM of the main core, and updating the software for the main core, thereby completing the present invention. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to shorten the time required for updating, and to reduce the risk of being unable to perform control when the time comes when control by the main core is required.
In addition, it aims to simplify the software for the main core and reduce the risk of system errors.

According to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a communication core which is connectable to an externally provided server via a wireless network and has a communication core ROM in which software for the communication core is recorded, and for controlling a control device. a main core having a main core ROM in which software for the main core of is recorded, wherein the communication core and the main core are mounted on separate substrates, and the communication core and the main core are separated from each other by In a control system capable of data communication by serial communication, a software update method for executing update processing of the main core software only when the control device is in a non-operating state, wherein the control device is in operation. Sometimes, the communication core connects to the server, downloads an update file for the main core stored in the server, records it in an auxiliary storage medium provided in the communication core, and executes the update process as described above. The main core notifies the communication core that the main core software will be updated, and then the communication that receives the notification using the main core update file recorded in the auxiliary storage medium. A software update method in which the core updates the main core software.

In the second aspect of the invention, when the control device is in operation, the communication core connects to the server, downloads the communication core update file stored in the server, and stores the update file in the auxiliary storage medium. The communication core software update process is executed only when the control device is in a non-operating state, and the communication core update file recorded in the auxiliary storage medium is used to update the communication core software. The software update method according to claim 1, wherein updates the communication core software.

In the invention according to claim 3, a property file storing parameters necessary for controlling the control device and/or the communication core is recorded in the main core ROM, and when the control device is in operation, , the communication core connects to the server, downloads the property update file stored in the server, records it in the auxiliary storage medium, and executes the update processing of the property file only when the control device is in a non-operating state. 3. The software update method according to claim 1, wherein the property update file recorded in the auxiliary storage medium is used by the communication core to update the property file.

The invention according to claim 4 comprises a communication core connectable to an externally provided server via a wireless network, and a main core for controlling a control device. , in a control system mounted on a separate substrate and capable of data communication between the communication core and the main core by serial communication, software for the main core recorded in the main core ROM mounted on the main core is executed only when the control device is in a non-operating state, wherein the update of the main core software is performed by the communication core accessing the main core ROM and performing the update. It is a software update system that does.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, update processing for updating communication core software recorded in a communication core ROM mounted on the communication core is performed only when the control device is in a non-operating state. 5. The software update system according to claim 4, wherein the software update is performed by the communication core accessing the communication core ROM.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a property file storing parameters necessary for controlling the control device and/or controlling the communication core is recorded in the main core ROM, and update processing for updating the property file is performed as described above. 6. The software update system according to claim 4, wherein the property file is updated only when the control device is in a non-operating state, and the communication core accesses the main core ROM to update the property file. be.

The present invention relates to a software update method and software update system utilizing OTA technology. The main core software update process is executed only when the control device is in a non-operating state. In the update process, the communication core directly accesses the main core ROM and updates the main core software.
Since data transmission between the main core and the communication core is based on serial communication, the data transmission speed is slow. Therefore, by directly accessing the main core ROM and updating the main core software instead of transmitting the main core update program to the main core, the time required for the update work can be shortened.

In addition, the communication core only performs communication between the external server and the main core, and the amount of processing is overwhelmingly smaller than that of the main core. Therefore, by causing the communication core to update the main core software, the processing amount of the main core in updating the main core software can be reduced. That is, there is no need to provide the main core software with the processing necessary for updating the main core software, making it possible to avoid complication of the main core software. This not only reduces the amount of software for the main core, but also makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of system errors.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the invention, the communication core updates all of the software installed in the control system. , and the effect of suppressing system errors is remarkable.

A communication core is a communication board having a communication microcomputer as a core. Preferably, the connection between the server and the communication core is by means of a wireless network, in particular a WiFi connection, a (4th or 5th generation) mobile communication system or the like. This is because high-speed data communication is possible.
A main core is a main board whose core is a high-performance general-purpose microcomputer. A cable capable of serial communication is connected between the communication core and the main core.
A general control system has a control board for managing sensors and a power supply in addition to the communication core and the main core.
The type of control system is not particularly limited as long as the OTA technology can be used and the communication core and main core are independent. Applicable.

It should be noted that, as in the third aspect of the invention, not only the main core software and the communication core software, but also the property file stored in the main core ROM, in which the parameters necessary for controlling the control device are stored. This technology can also be applied to updating. For example, when the main core and the measurement sensor are connected via Bluetooth (registered trademark), pairing information regarding pairing with the measurement sensor is stored in a property file. When newly pairing with another measurement sensor, pairing information of the measurement sensor to be newly paired is stored in the property update file, and the property information recorded in the main core ROM is stored by OTA technology. Update files. This also makes it possible to automatically pair with a new device without having to operate the control system. This reduces the workload of rewriting the setting file when replacing the device.

A property file stores the parameters necessary for control by the main core, depending on the type, function, and performance of the control system, the type, function, and performance of the peripheral device, and is read when the main core software is executed. , which stores the parameters necessary for control by the communication core, is read when executing the communication core software, and is read when executing the main core software and the communication core software.

According to the present invention, the main core software update process is executed only when the control device is not in operation. conduct. And instead of sending the main core update program to the main core, the communication core directly accesses the main core ROM and updates the main core software, thereby shortening the time required for the update work. can.

In addition, by causing the communication core to update the main core software, it is possible to reduce the processing amount of the main core in updating the main core software. That is, there is no need to provide the main core software with the processing necessary for updating the main core software, making it possible to avoid complication of the main core software. This not only reduces the size of the main core software, but also makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of system errors.

In particular, according to the inventions of claims 2 and 5, the communication core updates all the software installed in the control device. The minimization of the capacity of the system and the suppression effect of system errors are remarkable.

Furthermore, according to the third and sixth aspects of the invention, not only the main core software and the communication core software, but also the parameters necessary for controlling the control device recorded in the main core ROM are stored. The present technology can also be applied to updating property files.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a control device including a software update system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic flow diagram showing a control program update method by the software update system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing functions of a software update system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

(Example 1)
A control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. In the first embodiment, the control system is described as a control system for automobiles, but in the present invention, even if it is not for automobiles, for example, an in-line robot arranged in a production line of a factory or introduced into a collective facility It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a gateway device or the like because it is common in terms of updating software.

A control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention is an example of a software update system that updates a program of an ECU installed in a vehicle by OTA. The software update system in this embodiment includes a vehicle and a server (OTA base station). A vehicle can be equipped with a plurality of control systems each having a main core (ECU) and a communication core (wireless communication device).

The main core can be provided corresponding to various in-vehicle devices mounted in the vehicle. The main core performs the controls necessary to realize various functions of the vehicle. Although FIG. 1 shows only some of the control devices, a large number of other control devices can be mounted on the actual vehicle.
The main core is a so-called high-performance microcomputer equipped with a processor necessary for control, main core ROM, etc., and is connected to peripheral devices (control device) as necessary. The main core ROM stores a main core control program, and the processor performs processing according to the main core control program to control the control device to be controlled by the main core.

The main core ROM stores not only the main core control program but also a property file that stores parameters required for control by the main core and control of the communication core. When executing the control program for the main core and the program for the communication core (described later), the content of control, the unique number of the device (peripheral device) connected to the control device, the information necessary for wireless communication, etc., vary depending on the situation. Store possible parameters in a property file separate from the program. As a result, by updating the property file without updating the main core program and the communication core program, new control, connection of new (peripheral) devices, etc. become possible.

The communication core performs wireless network connection and transmits and receives data to and from the server. Further, data transmission by serial communication is possible between the communication core and the main core.
The communication core includes a wireless communication device equipped with a processor, communication core ROM, etc. necessary for communication with the server and communication with the main core, an auxiliary storage medium, and a reading device capable of reading and writing this auxiliary storage medium. is installed. The communication core ROM stores a communication core control program that describes the control necessary to fulfill the role of the communication core. function can be exhibited.

A method of updating the main core control program, the communication core control program, and the property file (together simply referred to as "control program") in the control system configured in this way will be described below.

(Check version)
First, in the case of the operation time zone in the control device school child state, the communication core confirms the version of the control program version-in-core program, the version of the property file, and the version of the communication core program (control program version). , accesses the server (OTA base station) using wireless communication. After that, the communication core requests the server to send the latest version of the control program. The server sends the latest version of the control program to the communications core.

The communication core updates the version of the main core control program stored in the main core ROM and the version of the main core control program among the latest version of the control program sent from the server (hereinafter referred to as "main core control "latest version of the program").
If the version of the main core control program stored in the main core ROM matches the latest version of the main core control program, it is determined that updating the main core control program is unnecessary.
If the latest version of the main core control program does not match the version of the main core control program stored in the main core ROM, it is determined that the main core control program needs to be updated. The communication core requests the server to send a patch file for the main core control program (main core update file, hereinafter referred to as "main core patch file"). The server requested to send the main core patch file sends the main core patch file to the communication core. The communication core receives the patch file for main core and stores this patch file for main core in the auxiliary storage medium.

The communication core updates the version of the property file stored in the main core ROM and the version of the property file among the latest version of the control program sent from the server (hereinafter referred to as "latest version of property file"). ).
If the version of the property file stored in the main core ROM matches the latest version of the property file, it is determined that updating the property file is unnecessary.
If the latest version of the property file does not match the version of the property file stored in the main core ROM, it is determined that the property file needs to be updated. The communication core requests the server to send a patch file for the property file (property file update file, hereinafter referred to as "property file patch file"). The server requested to send the patch file for the property file sends the patch file for the property file to the communication core. The communication core receives the property file patch file and stores the property file patch file in the auxiliary storage medium.

The communication core updates the version of the communication core control program stored in the communication core ROM and the latest version of the control program sent from the server (hereinafter referred to as "communication core control program version"). "latest version of the program").
If the version of the communication core control program stored in the communication core ROM matches the latest version of the communication core control program, it is determined that the communication core control program does not need to be updated.
If the latest version of the communication core control program does not match the version of the communication core control program stored in the communication core ROM, it is determined that the communication core control program needs to be updated. The communication core requests the server to send a patch file for the communication core control program (communication core update file, hereinafter referred to as "communication core patch file"). The server requested to send the communication core patch file sends the communication core patch file to the communication core. The communications core receives the communications core patch file and stores the communications core patch file in the auxiliary storage medium.

(Update of main core control program)
When determining that the control device is in a non-operating state based on the number of revolutions of the engine, the number of revolutions of the tires, etc., the main core confirms with the communication core whether there is a need to update the control program for the main core. do. The communication core confirms whether or not the main core patch file exists in the auxiliary storage medium.
If the main core patch file is not stored in the auxiliary storage medium, it is determined that updating the main core control program is unnecessary, and the process proceeds to the next step.
If the auxiliary storage medium stores the main core patch file, the communication core determines that the main core control program needs to be updated, reads the main core patch file stored in the auxiliary storage medium, The update program described in this main core patch file is executed with respect to the main core control program stored in the main core ROM.
After the update of the main core control program is completed, the fact that the version of the main core control program has been upgraded is stored, and the process proceeds to the next step.

(update properties file)
When determining that the control device is in a non-operating state, the main core confirms with the communication core whether there is a need to update the property file. The communication core confirms whether the patch file for the property file exists in the auxiliary storage medium.
If the auxiliary storage medium does not store the patch file for the property file, it is determined that the property file does not need to be updated, and the process proceeds to the next step.
When the patch file for the property file is stored in the auxiliary storage medium, the communication core determines that the update of the property file is necessary, reads the patch file for the property file stored in the auxiliary storage medium, and updates this property file. Executes the update program described in the patch file for the property file stored in the main core ROM.
After updating the property file, the fact that the version of the property file has been upgraded is stored, and the process proceeds to the next step.

(Update of control program for communication core)
When determining that the control device is in a non-operating state, the communication core checks whether the communication core patch file exists in the auxiliary storage medium.
If the communication core patch file is not stored in the auxiliary storage medium, it is determined that the communication core control program need not be updated, and the process proceeds to the next step.
If the communication core patch file is stored in the auxiliary storage medium, it is determined that the communication core control program needs to be updated, and the communication core reads the communication core patch file stored in the auxiliary storage medium, The update program described in this communication core patch file is executed with respect to the communication core control program stored in the communication core ROM.
After the update of the communication core control program is completed, the fact that the version of the communication core control program has been upgraded is stored, and the process proceeds to the next step.

(Delete patch file and reboot)
When it is stored that the version of the main core control program has been upgraded, the main core patch file stored in the auxiliary storage medium is deleted, and the main core system is restarted.
Further, when the fact that the communication core control program has been upgraded is stored, the communication core patch file stored in the auxiliary storage medium is deleted, and the system of the communication core is restarted.
When the fact that the version of the property file has been upgraded is stored, the property file stored in the auxiliary storage medium is deleted, and the system of the main core and the system of the communication core are restarted.
If it is not stored that the version of the main core control program has been upgraded, the main core control program has not been updated, so there is no need to restart the main core system.
Further, when the fact that the version of the communication core control program has been upgraded is not stored, the communication core control program has not been updated, so there is no need to restart the communication core system.
Since the main core and communication core systems are independent of each other, the update of the control program can be completed by restarting only the updated core.
Since the property file is used for both control of the main core and control of the communication core, it is necessary to restart both systems after updating the property file.

(Example 2)
In Embodiment 1, the aspect of updating the control programs of the main core and the communication core has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to optimization of the system by adding or changing devices. In a second embodiment, an application example of the present invention will be described in which a main core mounted in a vehicle is paired with a mobile information terminal using Bluetooth (registered trademark).

When the main core and the portable information terminal are paired and used, the main core needs the pairing information of the portable information terminal. Therefore, by embedding the pairing information of the mobile information terminal in the property file and updating the property file by the method described in the first embodiment, the mobile information terminal and the main core are automatically paired, It becomes possible to control the ECU through the information terminal.

In this case, the patch file stored in the server is tagged with an individual identification number assigned to each main, the communication core transmits the individual identification number of the main core to the server, and the server receives the individual identification number It is necessary to send the tagged patch file to the communications core.
Since the rest is the same as the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

Claims (6)

a communication core connectable to an external server via a wireless network and having a communication core ROM in which software for the communication core is recorded;
a main core having a main core ROM in which main core software for controlling the control device is recorded;
The communication core and the main core are mounted on separate boards, and in a control system in which data communication is possible between the communication core and the main core by serial communication, update processing of the software for the main core is performed. A software update method executed only when the control device is in a non-operating state,
When the control device is in operation, the communication core connects to the server, downloads the update file for the main core stored in the server, records it in an auxiliary storage medium provided in the communication core,
Execution of the above update process is
The main core notifies the communication core that the software for the main core will be updated,
Then, a software update method in which the communication core that has received the notification updates the main core software using the main core update file recorded in the auxiliary storage medium. When the control device is in operation, the communication core connects to the server, downloads an update file for the communication core stored in the server, and records it in the auxiliary storage medium;
executing the communication core software update process only when the control device is in a non-operating state,
2. The software update method according to claim 1, wherein the communication core updates the communication core software using the communication core update file recorded on the auxiliary storage medium. a property file storing parameters necessary for controlling the control device and/or controlling the communication core is recorded in the main core ROM;
When the control device is in operation, the communication core connects to the server, downloads the property update file stored in the server, and records it in the auxiliary storage medium;
Execution of the updating process of the property file is executed only when the control device is in a non-operating state,
3. The software update method according to claim 1, wherein the communication core updates the property file using the property update file recorded on the auxiliary storage medium. a communication core connectable to an external server via a wireless network;
a main core for controlling a control device, wherein the communication core and the main core are mounted on separate boards, and data communication is possible between the communication core and the main core by serial communication. In a control system, a software update system that executes update processing for updating main core software recorded in a main core ROM mounted in the main core only when the control device is in a non-operating state,
A software update system in which the main core software is updated by the communication core accessing the main core ROM. executing update processing for updating communication core software recorded in a communication core ROM mounted in the communication core only when the control device is in a non-operating state;
5. The software update system according to claim 4, wherein the communication core software is updated by the communication core accessing the communication core ROM. a property file storing parameters necessary for controlling the control device and/or controlling the communication core is recorded in the main core ROM;
executing update processing for updating the property file only when the control device is in a non-operating state;
6. The software update system according to claim 4, wherein said property file is updated by said communication core accessing said main core ROM.

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