# US 12,761,906 B2 · Vehicular electronic control device, rewriting program, and data structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,906 B2 - Document ID: US12761906B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/481,703 - Filed: 2023-10-05 - Published: 2024-01-25 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-04-14 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Yuzo Harata - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761906B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/66: {of program code stored in read-only memory [ROM]} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A vehicular electronic control device comprises: a microcontroller including a nonvolatile memory which can store software including programs and data, the nonvolatile memory including a first area and a second area as memory areas, and a control unit which includes a first core and a second core and which executes, on at least one of the first and second cores, a rewriting program for rewriting software; and an external storage which is provided externally to the microcontroller and which temporarily stores reprogramming data for updating software. If the control unit determines a rewrite of its own software on the basis of specifications data, the control unit uses a memory area in the external storage to rewrite the software stored in the nonvolatile memory. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle electronic control device comprising: a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and a control unit that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core; an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer, the external storage being directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software; and an internal storage that is provided inside the microcomputer separately from the non-volatile memory, the first core, and the second core, and that is capable of executing a program; wherein: the control unit rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory by using a memory area of the external storage in a case where it is determined, based on specification data, that the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten; and the control unit copies the rewrite program to the internal storage, executes the rewrite program in the internal storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer. ### Claim 2 A vehicle electronic control device comprising: a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and a control unit that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core; and an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer, the external storage being directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software; wherein: the external storage is capable of executing the rewrite program; and the control unit copies the rewrite program to the external storage, executes the rewrite program in the external storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein: the microcomputer is defined as a first microcomputer; the vehicle electronic control device further comprises a second microcomputer; the first microcomputer is configured to directly communicate with the external storage via a dedicated line; and the second microcomputer is configured to communicate with the external storage via the first microcomputer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein: the control unit determines, based on data acquired from the outside, that the first area or the second area is rewritten, and determines, based on the specification data, that the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein: the control unit makes a request for an approval for activation, and rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer based on the activation being approved. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle electronic control device according to claim 1, wherein: the control unit rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer while the vehicle is traveling. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a rewrite program causing a control unit of a vehicle electronic control device including a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and the control unit that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core, an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer; an internal storage that is provided inside the microcomputer separately from the non-volatile memory, the first core, and the second core, and that is capable of executing a program; wherein: the external storage is directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software, to execute: a first procedure of determining, based on specification data, whether or not the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten; and a second procedure of rewriting the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer by using a memory area of the external storage in a case where it is determined that the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten in the first procedure; and the control unit copies the rewrite program to the internal storage, executes the rewrite program in the internal storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium storing a data structure of specification data distributed from an outside to a vehicle electronic control device and including information necessary when rewriting software including a program and data stored in a memory area of the vehicle electronic control device or another device, the data structure comprising information for identifying whether rewriting is a rewriting of software stored in the vehicle electronic control device or a rewriting of software stored in another device, wherein: the specification data is referenced by a control unit of the vehicle electronic control device, the control unit comprising a processor and an internal storage provided inside a microcomputer separately from a non-volatile memory and the processor; and the control unit is configured to: copy a rewrite program to the internal storage; execute the rewrite program in the internal storage; transfer software before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to an external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage; and write the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, whereby the software stored in the non-volatile memory is rewritten in accordance with the specification data. ### Claim 9 A vehicle electronic control device comprising: a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and a processor that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core; an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer, the external storage being directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software; and an internal storage that is provided inside the microcomputer separately from the non-volatile memory, the first core, and the second core, and that is capable of executing a program; wherein: a memory area of the non-volatile memory and a memory area of the external storage are used as a pseudo-double-bank memory, causing the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer to be rewritten; and the processor copies the rewrite program to the internal storage, executes the rewrite program in the internal storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a rewrite program causing a control unit of a vehicle electronic control device including a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and the control unit that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core, and an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer, the external storage being directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software, to execute: a first procedure of determining, based on specification data, whether or not the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten; and a second procedure of rewriting the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer by using a memory area of the external storage in a case where it is determined that the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer is to be rewritten in the first procedure; wherein: the external storage is capable of executing the rewrite program; and the control unit copies the rewrite program to the external storage, executes the rewrite program in the external storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer. ### Claim 11 A vehicle electronic control device comprising: a microcomputer having a non-volatile memory that is capable of storing software including a program and data and includes a first area and a second area as memory areas, and a processor that includes a first core and a second core and executes a rewrite program for rewriting the software with at least one of the first core and the second core; and an external storage provided within a vehicle and outside the microcomputer, the external storage being directly connected to the microcomputer and configured to temporarily store reprogramming data for updating the software; wherein: a memory area of the non-volatile memory and a memory area of the external storage are used as a pseudo-double-bank memory, causing the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer to be rewritten; the external storage is capable of executing the rewrite program; and the processor copies the rewrite program to the external storage, executes the rewrite program in the external storage, transfers a program before being rewritten stored in the non-volatile memory to the external storage to generate rewritten software in the external storage, writes the generated rewritten software into the non-volatile memory, and thus rewrites the software stored in the non-volatile memory of the microcomputer.