JP3678595B2 - In-vehicle terminal program recovery method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication system for performing version upgrade of a program for an in-vehicle terminal by communication from an information center, and particularly to a program restoration method when a problem occurs in a program after the version upgrade in an in-vehicle terminal. Is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There is a communication system in which an information center and an in-vehicle terminal are connected by wireless communication or the like, and a program is downloaded from the information center to the in-vehicle terminal. In this communication system, when the program is upgraded in the information center, the new program after the upgrade is also distributed to the in-vehicle terminal by downloading.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a communication system, when a problem occurs in the program after the upgrade in the in-vehicle terminal, an emergency measure has not been taken. For this reason, if a problem occurs such as the system shutting down after starting a new version of the program, the user goes to a dealer etc. to obtain a corrected version or download the corrected version. I had to wait. During this time, the user had to use the program while tolerating the problem, for example, turning the power on again every time the system stopped.
[0004]
The present invention provides a method for easily restoring a program by an emergency measure when a problem occurs in a new version of a program in a communication system in which a version upgrade of a program for an in-vehicle terminal is performed by communication from an information center. It is for the purpose.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been made to achieve the above object.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, in the communication system that performs the upgrade of the program for the in-vehicle terminal by communication from the information center to the in-vehicle terminal, the version upgrade processing unit of the in-vehicle terminal before the start of downloading the new version of the program In addition, the old version of the program is stored in the backup storage unit.
[0006]
If a problem occurs in the program after starting the new version program on the in-vehicle terminal, the user operates the trigger generating means. When a trigger is input, the version upgrade processing unit restores the old version program in which the program to be used is stored.
As a result, even if there is a problem with the new version of the program, it is possible to restore the old version of the program without any problem, so that the user can continue the business. In addition, since the backup of the old program is executed in the in-vehicle terminal, the program can be reliably restored even if a failure occurs in communication with the information center.
[0007]
Further, according to the present invention, even when the user feels dissatisfied with the new version of the program, it is possible to restore to the old version without any dissatisfaction by the user's manual operation.
In the present invention, the operation monitoring means of the program is provided in the in-vehicle terminal, and when a problem occurs after starting the new version of the program, this is detected by the operation monitoring means to restore the old version. it can. Thereby, when a problem occurs in the new program, the old program can be automatically restored.
[0008]
Also, recovery by manual operation by the user and automatic recovery by the operation monitoring means can be used in combination.
As a second aspect of the present invention, when a new version program is downloaded, instead of saving the old version program in the backup storage unit of the in-vehicle terminal, it is transmitted to the information center and stored in the information center. It can also be. In this case, the in-vehicle terminal does not need to store the old version of the program, so that the configuration can be simplified.
[0009]
As a third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to store all of the old version programs in the information center. In this case, the upgrade processing unit of the in-vehicle terminal transmits the version information of the old version program to the information center before starting to download the new version program. When a problem occurs in the downloaded new program in the in-vehicle terminal, the version upgrade processing unit downloads the old version program suitable for the in-vehicle terminal from the information center and restores the program in the in-vehicle terminal.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3 show a configuration of a communication system to which the first vehicle terminal program recovery method of the present invention is applied. In the following drawings, for the information center and the in-vehicle terminal, only the configuration related to version upgrade is shown, and the display of other configurations is omitted.
[0011]
FIG. 1 shows a state where the program has been upgraded in the information center 10 but has not yet been downloaded to the in-vehicle terminal 30.
When the distributed program is upgraded, the information center 10 stores the updated version 11 of the updated program in the memory 12. Further, when there is a version upgrade request from the in-vehicle terminal 30, it is downloaded to the in-vehicle terminal by communication means such as a wireless telephone.
[0012]
The in-vehicle terminal 30 has a current program area 32 in the memory, and stores a program previously distributed from the information center 10. If there is a version upgrade at the information center 10, this program becomes the old program 35 as shown. The current program area 32 also stores old program environment setting data 36. Further, a backup area 40 is provided in the memory.
[0013]
A communication processing unit 31 that performs communication processing with the information center 10 is provided in the in-vehicle terminal 30. When the communication processing unit 31 receives a program from the information center 10, the communication processing unit 31 stores the program in the current program area 32.
A version upgrade processing unit 34 that performs processing related to version upgrade in the in-vehicle terminal 30 is provided. The version upgrade processing unit 34 is configured by a CPU or the like. Details of the processing will be described later.
[0014]
The switch determination unit 37 includes a switch operated by the user. When the switch is operated by the user, the switch determination unit 37 processes the trigger to the upgrade processing unit 34.
The program operation monitoring unit 38 monitors the operation of the program after the program stored in the current program area 32 is activated, and automatically processes a trigger to the upgrade processing unit 34 when a serious problem occurs.
[0015]
Next, the operation of the communication system shown in FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a program upgrade has occurred in the information center 10. The information center 10 downloads the latest program version 11 to the in-vehicle terminal 30 by communication means such as a radio telephone when there is a request from the in-vehicle terminal 30.
[0016]
FIG. 2 shows a state in which the latest program version 11 is downloaded. In the in-vehicle terminal 30, the upgrade processing unit 34 backs up the old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 stored in the current program area 32 before the communication processing unit 31 starts downloading the latest program version 11. Save in area 40.
Upon receiving the latest program version 11, the communication processing unit 31 stores it in the current program area 32. The upgrade processing unit 34 stores the environment setting data 33 of the latest program version 11 in the current program area 32.
[0017]
Thereafter, when the latest program version 11 is activated in the in-vehicle terminal 30, the operation monitoring unit 38 starts monitoring the operation of the program. When a serious problem occurs during the operation of the latest program version 11, the operation monitoring unit 38 outputs a trigger to the upgrade processing unit 34. In addition, when the user determines that there is a problem with the upgraded program after starting the program latest version 11, or when the user feels dissatisfied with the contents of the upgraded program, the user determines the switch determination unit 37. Operate the switch. Then, the switch determination unit 37 outputs a trigger to the upgrade processing unit 34.
[0018]
FIG. 3 shows a state when the program is restored. When a trigger is input from the switch determination unit 37 or the operation monitoring unit 38, the backup processing unit 34 deletes the latest program version 11 and the environment setting data 33 stored in the current program area 32 and stores them in the backup area 40. The old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 that have been transferred are moved to the current program area 32. The state of the in-vehicle terminal 30 in FIG. 1 when the restoration is completed is the same as the state before the version upgrade.
[0019]
As a result, when a problem occurs in the upgraded program, the process can be continued with the proven old version of the program. If the user feels dissatisfied with the upgraded program, the processing can be continued with the old version of the program that is not dissatisfied.
In the case of this example, since the backup of the old program is performed in the in-vehicle terminal 30, the program can be restored even when there is a failure in communication with the information center.
[0020]
Note that saving of the old environment setting data 36 can be omitted. Further, as a trigger for the upgrade processing unit 34, only one of the switch determination unit 37 and the operation monitoring unit 38 can be used.
(Embodiment 2)
4 to 6 show the configuration of a communication system to which the second vehicle terminal program recovery method of the present invention is applied.
[0021]
FIG. 4 shows a state where the program has been upgraded in the information center 10 but has not yet been downloaded to the in-vehicle terminal 30.
The information center 10 provides a backup area 13 for storing the program and environment setting data transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 30 in the memory 12 that stores the latest program version 11.
[0022]
The in-vehicle terminal 30 is the same as that in FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the in-vehicle terminal 30 does not include the backup area 40, and therefore refer to the description of FIGS. If the information center 10 is upgraded, the current program stored in the current program area 32 becomes the old program 35 as shown in the figure, and the environment setting data becomes the old environment setting data 36 as shown in FIGS. It is the same.
[0023]
Next, the operation of the communication system shown in FIGS. In the following description, the points different from the examples of FIGS.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which a program upgrade has occurred in the information center 10, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the latest program version 11 is downloaded.
When receiving the download of the latest program version 11 from the information center 10, the upgrade processing unit 34 performs communication processing on the old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 stored in the current program area 32 before starting the download. The data is transmitted from the unit 31 to the information center 10.
[0024]
The information center 10 stores the received old program 35 and old environment setting data 36 in the backup area 13 and then downloads the latest program version 11.
In the in-vehicle terminal 10, the latest program version 11 received by the communication processing unit 31 is stored in the current program area 32.
[0025]
After that, when the upgraded program latest version 11 is activated, when there is a problem with the program or when the user is dissatisfied, a trigger is sent from the switch determination unit 37 or the program operation monitoring unit 38 to the upgrade processing unit 34. The point that is output to is the same as that in FIGS.
FIG. 6 shows a state when the program is restored. When a trigger is input from the operation monitoring unit 38 or the switch determination unit 37, the upgrade processing unit 34 requests the information center 10 to download the old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 via the communication processing unit 31. .
[0026]
In response to this, the information center 10 downloads the old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 stored in the backup area 13.
The upgrade processing unit 34 deletes the latest program version 11 and the environment setting data 33 stored in the current program area 32, and stores the old program 35 and the old environment setting data 36 received by the communication processing unit 31 in the current program area. 32.
[0027]
According to this example, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 described above, but it is not necessary to provide the backup area 40 in the memory in the in-vehicle terminal 30, so that the in-vehicle terminal 30 is relatively simple. Can be configured.
(Embodiment 3)
7 to 9 show the configuration of a communication system to which the third vehicle terminal program recovery method of the present invention is applied.
[0028]
FIG. 7 shows a state where the program has been upgraded in the information center 10 but has not yet been downloaded to the in-vehicle terminal 30.
The information center 10 stores not only the latest program version but also an old version program for each program in the memory 12. That is, the latest program version A holds the previous version of the program A2.0 and the previous version of the program, and the other programs B and C hold the old version of the program in the same manner. deep.
[0029]
The in-vehicle terminal 30 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the backup area 40 is not provided.
In the current program area 32 of the in-vehicle terminal 30, the old program 41 before the upgrade is stored. In the illustrated example, program B3.2 is stored as old program 41, and version information 42 is stored. Note that the version of the old program may be a version immediately before the latest version or a version before that.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the communication system shown in FIGS.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which a program upgrade has occurred in the information center 10, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the latest program version 11 is downloaded.
When downloading the latest version B of the upgraded program, the upgrade processing unit 34 sends the version information 42 (program B3) of the current program 41 from the communication processing unit 31 to the information center 10 before starting the download. .2) is transmitted.
[0031]
The information center 10 stores the version information 42 in the memory 12 as a copy and downloads the latest program version B.
In the in-vehicle terminal 30, when the communication processing unit 31 receives this, the upgrade processing unit 34 stores the received program latest version B in the current program area 312. After that, when the program latest version B is activated in the in-vehicle terminal 30, when there is a problem with the program or when the user is dissatisfied, the switch determination unit 37 or the program operation monitoring unit 38 triggers a version upgrade processing unit 34. The point to be processed is the same as that in FIGS.
[0032]
FIG. 9 shows a state when the program is restored. When a trigger is input from the operation monitoring unit 38 or the switch determination unit 37, the upgrade processing unit 34 requests the information center 10 to download the old program via the communication processing unit 31.
In response to this, the information center 10 checks the terminal version information 42 stored as a copy, and downloads a program corresponding to this information (in the example shown, program B3.2).
[0033]
In the in-vehicle terminal 30, the upgrade processing unit 34 stores the program B3.2 that is the old program received by the communication processing unit 31 in the current program area 32. FIG. 9 shows this state.
In this example, the same effect as that of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 can be obtained. However, in this example, there is an advantage that the amount of information transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal 30 to the information center 10 is small.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when a problem occurs in a new version of a program in a communication system in which a version upgrade of a program for an in-vehicle terminal is performed by communication from an information center, the old program can be restored. Can be continued.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention (part 1);
FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention (part 3);
FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the configuration of a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 3) illustrating the configuration of a communication system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating the configuration of a communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication system in the third embodiment of the present invention (part 3);
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Information center 11 ... Latest program version 12 ... Memory 13 ... Backup area 30 ... In-vehicle terminal 31 ... Communication processing section 32 ... Current program area 33 ... Environment setting data 34 ... Upgrade processing section 35 ... Old program 36 ... Old environment Setting data 37 ... switch determination unit 38 ... operation monitoring unit 40 ... backup area 41 ... old program 42 ... version information

Claims (3)

  In a communication system that performs an upgrade of a program for an in-vehicle terminal by communication from an information center to an in-vehicle terminal, the in-vehicle terminal performs a communication processing unit that processes communication with the information center, and a process related to version upgrade. An upgrade processing unit to perform and a trigger generation unit that outputs a trigger by a user operation, the upgrade processing unit, before starting to download the new version of the program, the communication processing unit to download the old version of the program When the trigger is input for transmission to the information center for backup, the communication processing unit downloads the old version of the program from the information center, thereby restoring the program to be used to the old version of the program. In-vehicle end featuring Use program of recovery method.   In a communication system that performs an upgrade of a program for an in-vehicle terminal by communication from an information center to an in-vehicle terminal, the in-vehicle terminal performs a communication processing unit that processes communication with the information center, and a process related to version upgrade. An upgrade processing unit to perform, and a program operation monitoring means for outputting a trigger when a problem occurs after starting the program, the upgrade processing unit, before starting to download a new version of the program, The communication processing unit transmits an old version program to the information center for backup, and when the trigger is input, the communication processing unit causes the old version program to be downloaded from the information center to be used. The old version of the program Automatically recovery method of a program for in-vehicle terminal, characterized in that the restored. The upgrading processing unit, the former when the version of the program to transmit to the information center, at the same time, the recovery method of a program for in-vehicle terminal according to claim 1 or 2 transmits the environment setting data to the information center.

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