KR102651345B1 - A method of updating vehicle software using the Wi-Fi function of a cellphone - Google Patents

Abstract

For cyber security of the vehicle, the vehicle's electronic system determines whether the software of the individual electronic control unit (ECU) is updated through a gateway and updates the ECU software using the smartphone's Wi-Fi function. This relates to a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone to reduce user convenience and additional data usage costs by ensuring that the vehicle is updated. The vehicle software update application is run on the smartphone, and the executed Using the software update application, it connects to the security management server and downloads the software to be updated. It synchronizes with the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle. When synchronization is achieved, the software to be updated is transmitted to the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle. , Vehicle software update using the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone through the process of updating the software of the controller by transmitting the software to be updated to the software update target controller (ECU) through the gateway from the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle Implement the method.

Description

Method of updating vehicle software using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone {A method of updating vehicle software using the Wi-Fi function of a cellphone}

The present invention relates to a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone. In particular, for vehicle cybersecurity, the vehicle determines whether the software of the individual electronic control unit (ECU) is updated through a gateway and performs the update. In electronic systems, the ECU software can be updated using the smartphone's Wi-Fi function, thereby providing user convenience and reducing additional data usage costs. This is about how to update vehicle software.

Automobiles include power transmission systems, chassis, steering systems, driver convenience devices, etc. Recently, various electronic control units (ECUs) for high-safety vehicles have been increasing, and for various reasons such as various regulations and quality improvement. The frequency of programming due to ECU software changes is also increasing. In order to process ECU software programming, various technologies are being developed in the general market, such as using scanner tools or online reprogramming methods.

In order to accurately control the operation of the engine and other devices according to each driving state of the vehicle, a plurality of ECUs that perform different functions are mounted on the vehicle. The ECU operates according to the algorithm set when the vehicle is shipped, and data related to the operation or control of the ECU is stored in the ECU's flash memory.

As the structure and functions of these ECUs become increasingly complex, the software inside the ECU needs to be updated to add new functions and improve errors.

ECU software updates can use diagnostic communication through a wired connection between the vehicle and the diagnostic device. However, the wired connection method has the inconvenience of having a slow diagnostic communication speed and having to visit a location equipped with diagnostic equipment, such as a repair shop, whenever an update is needed.

As IT technology develops, ECU (Electronic Control Unit), an electronic control device mounted on vehicles, is also connected through various communication methods including CAN (LIN, MOST, Flexray, CAN-FD, Ethernet, bluetooth, etc.).

As the number of ECUs in the vehicle increases and threats of external hacking increase, the need for SW updates for each ECU is also increasing. When using an external communication network for updates, additional costs are incurred, and if the capacity of the update SW is large, the update requires a lot of time.

As the spread of communication networks expands and vehicle functions become more advanced, the vehicle SW update function using wireless communication networks (OTA, Over the Air) is being expanded.

Republic of Korea registered patent 10-2179097 (registered on November 10, 2020) (Vehicle software update method and system using a smartphone) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0072781 (published on July 1, 2010) (Vehicle software update method and device) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0085898 (published on July 27, 2015) (Vehicle firmware update method and system through driver authentication) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0062539 (published on June 14, 2012) (Vehicle information update system and method using a wireless Internet router connected to a telematics server)

Therefore, the present invention was proposed to solve the problem of additional cost expenditure and rapid SW update of the in-vehicle controller when using an external communication network to update the ECU of the vehicle as described above, using the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone. The purpose is to provide a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone to increase user convenience and efficiency by updating the SW of the ECU in the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the "vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone" according to the present invention,

(a) running a vehicle software update application on a smartphone;

(b) connecting the smartphone to a security management server using a vehicle software update application to download software to be updated;

(c) synchronizing the smartphone with the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle;

(d) transmitting software to be updated from the smartphone to the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle;

(e) displaying the results of transmitting software to be updated from the smartphone on the screen; and

(f) transmitting software to be updated from the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle to a software update target controller (ECU) through a gateway to update the software of the corresponding controller.

In step (c) above,

In order to synchronize the smartphone and the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle, the information of the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle is registered in the smartphone through vehicle information authentication.

The Wi-Fi function controller in step (c) above is characterized as an AVN device including a vehicle navigation function.

In step (f) above,

The Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle transmits the software to the corresponding controller according to the in-vehicle security procedure, verifies the validity of the software, and updates the update software to the corresponding controller when verification is completed.

According to the present invention, the SW of the ECU in the vehicle is updated through the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone, thereby increasing user convenience and enabling rapid updates.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle controller software update system to which a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone according to the present invention is applied;
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a method of updating vehicle software using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The terms or words used in the present invention described below should not be construed as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his/her invention in the best way. It must be interpreted with meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be done.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of the present invention, and therefore various equivalents and It should be understood that variations may exist.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle controller software update system to which a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone is applied according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprising a security management server 100 and a smartphone 200. and a vehicle system 300.

The security management server 100 stores software to update the controller (ECU) mounted in the vehicle, and serves to store and manage security keys for authentication.

The smartphone 200 has a built-in Wi-Fi function, is connected to the vehicle system 300 via Wi-Fi, and downloads the update software stored in the security management server 100 to the vehicle system ( 300), it plays the role of downloading.

In the present invention, a smartphone is described as an example of an object that connects to the vehicle system and Wi-Fi to deliver update software, but is not limited to this, and includes pads, laptops, personal information terminals, etc. with built-in Wi-Fi functions. It will be obvious to anyone with ordinary knowledge in the field that all mobile devices can be used.

The vehicle system 300 is connected to the smartphone 200 via Wi-Fi and downloads software to be updated to the controller to update the controller's software.

This vehicle system 300 has a Wi-Fi function controller 301 that is connected to the smartphone 200 via Wi-Fi and downloads software, and the software downloaded from the Wi-Fi function controller 301 is connected to the corresponding controller ( It may include a gateway 302 that transmits data to 311 - 311+N).

Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the "vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone" according to the present invention, (a) steps (S11) of executing a vehicle software update application on the smartphone 200, (b) ) Step (S12) of downloading software to be updated by connecting to the security management server 100 using a vehicle software update application on the smartphone 200, (c) using Wi-Fi within the vehicle on the smartphone 200 Step of synchronizing with the function controller 301 (S13), (d) Step of transmitting the software to be updated from the smartphone 200 to the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle (S14), (e) A step (S15) of displaying the result of transmitting software to be updated from the smartphone 200 on the screen, and (f) a software update target controller (ECU) from the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle through the gateway 302. ) (311 - 311+N) may include a step (S16) of updating the software of the corresponding controller by transmitting the software to be updated.

In step (c), in order to synchronize the smartphone 200 and the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle, the information of the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle is transmitted to the smartphone 200 through vehicle information authentication. You can register at . Here, the Wi-Fi function controller 301 can be implemented as an audio video navigation (AVN) device that includes a vehicle navigation function.

In step (f), the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle verifies the validity of the software according to the in-vehicle security procedure, and when verification is completed, the update software can be updated to the corresponding controller.

The "vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone" according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail as follows.

First, in order to update the software of the in-vehicle controller (ECU) using the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone 200, a software update application (app) is installed on the smartphone 200 in advance. Here, the software update application can verify vehicle information by verifying vehicle sales information and driver authentication. Safety is promoted by updating software only for vehicles for which the driver has been certified. Here, the smartphone 200 is a smartphone carried by the driver.

When the vehicle software update application is executed on the smartphone 200 to update the software of the in-vehicle controller (S11), the security management server 100 is connected to a network (e.g., Wi-Fi), and the security It receives update information from the management server 100 and displays a list of available updates on the screen.

The driver checks the update information and details through the software update list displayed on the screen, and when the update is approved, the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone 200 is activated, and the security management server 100 is activated using the vehicle software update application. ) Download the software to be updated from (S12).

Thereafter, the smartphone 200 performs synchronization with the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle (S13). Here, in order to synchronize the smartphone 200 and the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle, the information of the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle can be registered in the smartphone 200 through vehicle information authentication. .

Next, when synchronization is achieved between the smartphone 200 and the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle, the software to be updated is transmitted from the smartphone 200 to the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle (S14) ). Afterwards, when the transmission of the software to be updated from the smartphone 200 is completed, the software transmission result is displayed on the screen so that the driver recognizes that the updated software has been completely downloaded to the vehicle system 300 (S15).

Next, the Wi-Fi function controller 301 in the vehicle transmits the downloaded software to the corresponding controller according to the in-vehicle security procedure and then verifies the validity (integrity verification) of the software. When verification is completed, the update software is sent to the gateway. It is updated to the corresponding controller through (302) (S16).

According to the present invention described above, SW update is performed through communication between a smartphone and a vehicle using the Wi-Fi function, thereby reducing the separate communication cost required for the update and reducing the cost of developing an additional in-vehicle communication controller.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described in detail according to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention, as is known in the art. It is self-evident to those who have.

100: Security management server 200: Smartphone
300: Vehicle system 301: Wi-Fi function controller
302: Gateway 311 - 311+N: Controller (ECU)

Claims (4)

(a) running a vehicle software update application on a smartphone;
(b) connecting the smartphone to a security management server using a vehicle software update application and downloading software to be updated;
(c) synchronizing the smartphone with the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle;
(d) transmitting the software to be updated from the smartphone to the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle;
(e) displaying the results of transmitting software to be updated from the smartphone on the screen; and
(f) updating the software of the controller by transmitting software to be updated from the Wi-Fi function controller in the vehicle to a software update target controller (ECU) through a gateway,
In step (c),
Vehicle software update using the Wi-Fi function of the smartphone, characterized by registering the information of the Wi-Fi function controller within the vehicle to the smartphone through vehicle information authentication in order to synchronize the smartphone and the Wi-Fi function controller within the vehicle. method.
delete In claim 1, a vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone, wherein the Wi-Fi function controller in step (c) is an AVN device including a vehicle navigation function.
In claim 1, step (f) is,
A vehicle software update method using the Wi-Fi function of a smartphone, characterized in that the software update target controller in the vehicle verifies the validity of the software according to the in-vehicle security procedure, and when verification is completed, the update software is updated to the corresponding controller. .