Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

John Naum Vangelov

Sangeetha Sangameswaran

Jason Michael Miller

Ali Mohamad Suleiman

Ritesh Pandya

Karl Nathan Clark

Vijayababu Jayaraman

Daniel Joseph Madrid

Mohamad Nasser

Rajesh Balaji Vijayan

Brunilda Bleta Caushi

Aziz Makkiya

Chad Evert Esselink

Brian Petersen

Praveen Kumar Yalavarty

Michael Raymond Westra

Aldi Caushi

Brennan Hamilton

James Wilhelm Heaton

Joseph Carl Beiser

Allan Miramonti

Kevin Burdette

Joseph Patrick Oravec

Tony Zakaria

Heath Williams

Yangho Kim

A system includes a processor configured to detect a vehicle key-off. The processor is also configured to delete from a primary memory ('internal memory') of an electronic control unit an existing software version for which a new software version update exists in a secondary memory of the ECU. The processor is further configured to load the new software version from the secondary memory (“external memory”) into the primary memory and upon detection of a failure during the load, delete the new software version from the primary memory and reload the existing software version from the secondary memory.

Method and apparatus for vehicle software update installation

A selectable vehicle profile for an electrified vehicle (EV) may be communicated to a vehicle controller to modify vehicle acceleration, generate simulated engine sounds, customize the look and feel of a vehicle instrument cluster/panel display and/or human-machine interface(s) (HMI) (including gages, menus, displays, colors etc.), control transmission simulated shift schedule and feel, control active suspension/ride control, and similar features so that the EV operates to provide a driving experience similar to a previously profiled vehicle, such as a non-electrified vehicle. Vehicle profiles may be generated by an OEM or after-market supplier based on actual measurements and/or specifications associated with operation of a particular non-electrified vehicle. The vehicle profile may be licensed for download to the EV, and/or made available through a subscription service, for example.

Electric vehicle with selectable vehicle profiles

A system includes a processor configured to, in response to a notification received from a remote network that an update to vehicle software is available, assemble a list of installed vehicle software versions. The processor is also configured to transmit the list of installed versions to a remote update server. The processor is further configured to receive a list of available updates compatible with the installed vehicle software versions in response to the transmission. Additionally, the processor is configured to download at least one of the available updates and install the downloaded updates.

Method and apparatus for over the air updates

A system includes a processor configured to detect a condition corresponding to low vehicle fluid. The processor is further configured to determine whether replacement fluid is available for on-site delivery to a vehicle location within a predefined time period. The processor is additionally configured to offer the fluid for sale to a user through a vehicle HMI, responsive to on-site delivery availability and, responsive to the user agreeing to purchase the fluid, instructing dispatch of a delivery entity to deliver the fluid.

Method and apparatus for automated maintenance assistance

A system for a vehicle includes a controller configured to receive encrypted software updates including a first signature, decrypt the received software updates using a decryption key received with update instructions indicative of available software updates, and install the decrypted updates in response to detecting that the first signature matches a second signature generated by the controller using a signature verification key.

Over-the-air updates security

A vehicle includes a processor programmed to validate, using a public key of a lender device, authenticity of a file including permissions for a borrower device signed using a private key of a lender device, and responsive to validating, using a public key of a borrower device, a session request from the borrower device signed with a private key of the borrower device, establish a secure connection with the borrower device over which access to the vehicle is granted per the permissions.

Temporary and customized vehicle access

A vehicle includes a telematics control unit; and one or more processors in communication with the telematics control unit via an in-vehicle network, programmed to generate a data packet for an application, containing a quality-of-service identifier indicative of priority and a type-of-service identifier indicative of sub-priority below the priority for the application; designate an access point name to the data packet based on the quality-of-service identifier; and communicate the data packet to the telematics control unit to communicate to a wireless network.

High priority network traffic handling

A vehicle includes onboard controller(s) that initiate an automated feedback mode responsive to software updates to vehicle controller(s), and which generate a trigger signal upon detecting update status inquiry conditions and feedback concluded conditions. The trigger signal causes communication of a feedback update status identifying success or failure of the software update, and terminates the feedback mode upon detecting feedback concluded conditions. The update status inquiry conditions include, for example, one or more of a vehicle door handle actuation, receiving a wireless remote keyfob signal, receiving a wireless software update status inquiry, detecting an instrument cluster switch actuation, and other update status inquiry conditions. The trigger signal causes, for further examples, communication of one or more audiovisual and tactile feedback update statuses, which identify success or failure of the software update with one or more of vehicle lighting signals and display messages, and electromechanical actuation of various vehicle components.

Automated vehicle software update feedback system

A vehicle system includes a telematics control unit (TCU) coupled to a plurality of vehicle controllers. The TCU is configured to periodically record in a log wireless activity data relating to an authentication, attachment, signaling, detachment, and handover procedure of the TCU to provide one or more remote vehicle services. The TCU is further configured to, responsive to detecting a cellular malfunction from the logged data, wirelessly transmit at least a portion of the log that corresponds to the cellular malfunction offboard the vehicle for a remote server configured to diagnose operation of the TCU.

Vehicle communications

A vehicle may subscribe to a topic of a topic tree maintained by a message broker and associated with the vehicle. The vehicle may send, to a service delivery network, an interrogator log enumerating configuration information of the vehicle generated responsive to a trigger message published to the topic by the network, and retrieve a manifest indicating network locations of updates determined by the network from the interrogator log.

Over-the-air trigger to vehicle interrogator updates

A vehicle can include methods and systems to update controls for a plurality of vehicle systems that operate using updatable controls, wherein each control is mounted in vehicle persistent memory as an image. The controls are stored in non-volatile vehicle memory that has a size less than twice a size of all of the controls loaded thereon. A core system provides access to the control images in the memory.

Vehicle control storage methods and systems

A system may include a vehicle-based computing system. The vehicle-based computing system may identify from a first software update chunk retrieved from a subscribed topic for receiving vehicle updates, a number of chunks of the update, retrieve additional chunks of the update by subscription to each of a sequence of subtopics to the subscribed topic, each subtopic associated with a respective remaining one of the number of chunks, and update the software utilizing the retrieved chunks.

Multiple chunk software updates

A system includes a processor configured to erase external working memory and program a target image of an authenticated update file into the erased working memory. The processor is also configured to erase a first internal memory location, containing data to be replaced by an update, and program portions of the target image to the first internal memory location for finite time periods following a plurality of key-offs, until a full target image is programmed in internal memory.

Method and apparatus for cyclical key-off file replacement

A vehicle computing system having a computer processor in communication with a wireless transceiver, such that the wireless transceiver is capable of communication with a wireless communication device located remotely from the processor. The computer processor may be configured to receive input identifying at least one checksum value from one or more modules in the vehicle. The computer processor may transmit the at least one checksum value to a remote server through the wireless communication device. The remote server may compare the at least one checksum value to a predetermined value. Based on the compared results, the processor may receive one or more messages from the remote server to indicate whether the at least one checksum is equal to the predetermined value. The processor may generate one or more remedial actions if the at least one checksum is not equal to the predetermined value.

Systems and methods for identification of a compromised module

A vehicle can include methods and systems to update controls in vehicle modules. The systems and methods can include receiving a control update for a receiving vehicle module to be stored at a first memory location, installing the received controls at the first memory location, running the module using controls at a second memory location, checking the controls at the first memory location, if checking is valid, operating the vehicle module using the controls at the first memory location in place of the controls at the second memory location. The vehicle module can operate the controls at the first memory location without waiting to restart the vehicle or can delay use of the controls until a later event, e.g., restart or download to other vehicle modules on which the current module may depend.

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South Lyon, MI, United States of America

John Naum Vangelov