Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Sangeetha Sangameswaran

Jason Michael Miller

Jason Meyer

Mathew Alan Boesch

Daniel Joseph Madrid

George Edmund Walley

Fling Finn Tseng

John Anthony Lockwood

Kirk Pebley

John Naum Vangelov

William David Treharne

Kevin Roy Harpenau

David Celinske

Mark Douglas Malone

Eric Michael Rademacher

John William Schmotzer

Shiqi Qiu

William James Bouse

Robert David Hancasky

Eric Ramsay Paton

J Anthony Lockwood

Scott R Caudill

William C Dierker

John Michael Jakupco

Yanan Zhao

Ryan J Skaff

Bryan Michael Bolger

Joseph F Stanek

Paul Aldighieri

Dale Gilman

Chad Evert Esselink

Xin Ye

Brennan Hamilton

Aldi Caushi

Ted Haladyna

Doug Thornburg

Douglas B Thornburg

Brunilda Bleta Caushi

Parvathy Viswamohan

Chester Gordon Hearn

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 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 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 system for a vehicle includes a controller, and a telematics control unit configured to, in response to receiving instructions indicating transfer and installation techniques supported by the controller to update the controller with a software update, transfer the software update to the controller responsive to vehicle state being compatible with the transfer technique, and install the software update to the controller responsive to vehicle state being compatible with the installation technique.

Software update management

A memory stores a probability map including information indicative of probabilities of a vehicle being used during each of a plurality of segments of a time period. A processor of the vehicle is programmed to schedule a time to install a software update utilizing the probability map and an expected downtime required for the installation, and to install the software update at the scheduled time responsive to confirming the vehicle is not in use.

Smart over-the-air updates using learned vehicle usage

A power distribution box (PDB) includes relays to connect a vehicle battery to corresponding electronic control units (ECUs) of a vehicle. A processor is programmed to instruct the PDB via a control interface to cause one of the relays to power a target ECU, send a sleep command over a vehicle bus to cause powered ECUs other than the target ECU to sleep, and install a software update to the target ECU.

Erase-replace OTA smart power strategy

A system includes a first storage, a second storage, and a vehicle electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU is programmed to download a software update received from a server to the first storage, at keyoff, attempt a reboot of the ECU before vehicle shutdown, and confirm the first storage as being active for booting instead of the second storage, responsive to the vehicle ECU successfully booting to the first storage.

Pre-shutdown swap verification

A system includes a processor controlling a vehicle module (VM) in communication with a telematics control unit (TCU) over a bus. In this embodiment, the processor is configured to receive an authentication request, including a counter value, from the TCU. The processor is also configured to respond to the authentication request based on comparison of the counter value to a stored counter value stored by the VM. The processor is further configured to receive a command corresponding to the authentication request and including the counter value, responsive to the approved authentication request and process the command based on comparison of the counter value to the stored counter value.

Method and apparatus for secure multi-cycle vehicle software updates

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed for determining whether to provide an over-the-air (OTA) update to a vehicle. An example method includes determining an update characteristic of a pending software update for a vehicle. The method also includes determining a vehicle battery state of charge (SOC) threshold based on the update characteristic. The method further includes modifying the threshold based on a location of the vehicle. The method still further includes determining a SOC of a battery of the vehicle. And the method yet further includes responsively providing the pending software update to the vehicle based on the SOC and the threshold.

Vehicle update systems and methods

A vehicle includes a controller and a processor. The processor is programmed to prompt the user with a selection to install a software update to the controller responsive to a user preference value, computed from user selections whether or not to install software updates associated with contextual information that matches a software update to be installed, exceeding a threshold defined by a priority of the software update, and update the user preference value per the selection.

Preference learning for adaptive OTA notifications

A vehicle includes an engine and at least one controller. The at least one controller periodically determines an estimated current to be demanded by vehicle electrical loads during an auto stop of the engine, compares the estimated current with a threshold current, and inhibits an auto stop of the engine if the estimated current is greater than the threshold current for a predetermined period of time.

Electric current based engine auto stop inhibit algorithm and system implementing same

A system includes a processor configured to query one or more vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) modules to determine current software versions installed on the ECU modules, responsive to a multi-cycle update process resuming. The processor is also configured to pause the update process, responsive to the query identifying a change in at least one software version to a different version from when the update process first began. The processor is additionally configured to report the change to a remote source.

Method and apparatus for multi cycle vehicle software update compliance handling

A vehicle may include: at least one power source; a plurality of wheels; a motor configured to drive at least one of the plurality of wheels with energy stored in the power source; and at least one processor configured to: break a received route into a plurality of segments; and calculate a route energy consumption rate correction factor (RECF) of a current segment as a function of the following received values: a RECF of a previous segment, an observed energy consumption rate, and an estimated energy consumption rate.

Route-based distance to empty calculation for a vehicle

A vehicle system includes a gateway including a database and configured to transfer messages between a plurality of controllers, each controller connected to one of a plurality of nodes, the gateway further configured to broadcast, to all the nodes, a request message received from a first controller for receipt by a second controller, receive, from a first node, a response message from the second controller for receipt by the first controller, and link, in the database, the first node and the second controller.

Smart routing for on-vehicle telematics protocol

A system includes a processor configured to route a telematics message to all networks not pre-identified as backbone networks in response to a directionality bit, included in a CAN identifier, indicating non-backbone routing. The processor is also configured to route the telematics message to any pre-identified backbone networks in response to the directionality bit indicating backbone routing.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Sangeetha Sangameswaran