# US 12,001,829 B2 · OTA center, update management method, non-transitory storage medium, OTA master, and update control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,001,829 B2 - Document ID: US12001829B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/740,872 - Filed: 2022-05-10 - Published: 2022-12-01 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-05-25 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yoshikazu Sakai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001829B2 ## CPC - G01C 21/26: specially adapted for navigation in a road network - G06F 8/65: Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) - G01C 21/3667: {Display of a road map (G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635)} - G06F 21/57: Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract An OTA center includes: one or more storage devices configured to store regulation information; and one or more processors configured to communicate, via a network, with an OTA master mounted on the vehicle and configured to control software update for a target ECU, transmit update data of software of the target ECU to the OTA master, execute, by transmitting the update data, control for causing the OTA master to execute the software update for the target ECU, make a determination whether the software update to be executed is the specific software update, based on the regulation information, and when the determination is positive, transmit, to the OTA master, request information for requesting execution of the specific software update in the predetermined place. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An over-the-air (OTA) center comprising: one or more storage devices configured to store regulation information based on which a software update is determined whether or not to be a specific software update that needs to be executed only when a vehicle is positioned in a predetermined place; and one or more processors configured to: receive, via a network and from an OTA master mounted on the vehicle, a first request for a software update for a target electric control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle; make, based on the regulation information, a determination whether the software update to be executed is the specific software update; when the determination is positive: transmit, to the OTA master, request information for requesting execution of the specific software update in the predetermined place; upon receipt of a second download request from the vehicle that has moved to the predetermined place based on the request information, transmit update data for software of the target ECU to the OTA master; and execute, by transmitting the update data, control for causing the OTA master to execute the software update for the target ECU of the vehicle at the predetermined place; and when the determination is negative: transmit the update data to the OTA master without transmitting the request information; and execute the control for causing the OTA master to execute the software update for the target ECU. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The OTA center according to claim 1, wherein: the predetermined place includes a network connection area that is an area where a predetermined network connection is allowable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when requesting the execution of the specific software update in the network connection area, transmit, to the OTA master, the request information, which includes information for guiding the vehicle to the network connection area by a navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The OTA center according to claim 1, wherein: the predetermined place includes a vehicle service area that is an area where a vehicle service is receivable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when requesting the execution of the specific software update in the vehicle service area, transmit, to the OTA master, the request information, which includes information for guiding the vehicle to the vehicle service area by a navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The OTA center according to claim 2, wherein: the predetermined place includes a vehicle service area that is an area where a vehicle service is receivable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when requesting the execution of the specific software update in the vehicle service area, transmit, to the OTA master, the request information, which includes information for guiding the vehicle to the vehicle service area by the navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The OTA center according to claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when the determination is positive, determine whether to guide the vehicle to the network connection area or to the vehicle service area. ### Claim 6 An update management method executed by a computer including one or more processors and one or more memories, the update management method comprising: storing regulation information based on which a software update is determined whether or not to be a specific software update that needs to be executed only when a vehicle is positioned in a predetermined place; receiving, via a network and from an over-the-air (OTA) master mounted on the vehicle, a first request for a software update for a target electric control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle; making, based on the regulation information, a determination whether the software update to be executed is the specific software update; when the determination is positive: transmitting, to the OTA master, request information for requesting execution of the specific software update in the predetermined place; upon receipt of a second download request from the vehicle that has moved to the predetermined place based on the request information, transmitting update data for software of the target ECU to the OTA master; and executing, by transmitting the update data, control for causing the OTA master to execute the software update for the target ECU of the vehicle at the predetermined place; and when the determination is negative: transmitting the update data to the OTA master without transmitting the request information; and executing the control for causing the OTA master to execute the software update for the target ECU. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that are executable by a computer which includes one or more processors and one or more memories, and that cause the computer to execute the method according to claim 6. ### Claim 8 An over-the-air (OTA) master mounted on a vehicle, the OTA master comprising one or more processors configured to: transmit, to an OTA center via a network, a first request for a software update for a target electric control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle; cause, when receiving from the OTA center via the network request information for requesting execution of the software update in a predetermined place, a display unit mounted on the vehicle to display the predetermined place; transmit, to the OTA center and once the vehicle has moved to the predetermined place based on the request information, a second download request; receive, from the OTA center and in reply to the second download request, update data for software of the target ECU; and control software update for the target ECU using the update data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The OTA master according to claim 8, wherein: the predetermined place includes a network connection area that is an area where a predetermined network connection is allowable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when receiving the request information for requesting the execution of the software update in the network connection area, guide, based on the request information, the vehicle to the network connection area by a navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The OTA master according to claim 8, wherein: the predetermined place includes a vehicle service area that is an area where a vehicle service is receivable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when receiving the request information for requesting the execution of the software update in the vehicle service area, guide, based on the request information, the vehicle to the vehicle service area by a navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The OTA master according to claim 9, wherein: the predetermined place includes a vehicle service area that is an area where a vehicle service is receivable; and the one or more processors are configured to, when receiving the request information for requesting the execution of the software update in the vehicle service area, guide, based on the request information, the vehicle to the vehicle service area by the navigation system included in the vehicle. ### Claim 12 An update control method executed by a computer including one or more processors and one or more memories and mounted on a vehicle, the update control method comprising: transmitting, to an over-the-air (OTA) center via a network, a first request for a software update for a target electric control unit (ECU) mounted on the vehicle; causing, when receiving from the OTA center via the network request information for requesting execution of the software update in a predetermined place, a display unit mounted on the vehicle to display the predetermined place; transmitting, to the OTA center and once the vehicle has moved to the predetermined place based on the request information, a second download request; receiving, from the OTA center and in reply to the second download request, update data for software of the target ECU mounted on the vehicle; and controlling the software update for the target ECU using the update data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that are executable by a computer which includes one or more processors and one or more memories and which is mounted on a vehicle, and that cause the computer to execute the update control method according to claim 12.