EP3610463A1

EP3610463A1 - Configuring components of a vehicle

Info

Publication number: EP3610463A1
Application number: EP18723907.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Aleksey LARIN
Original assignee: Arrival Ltd
Current assignee: Arrival UK Ltd
Priority date: 2017-04-11
Filing date: 2018-04-11
Publication date: 2020-02-19
Also published as: WO2018189536A1

Abstract

This specification relates to a method and apparatus for configuring components of a vehicle. A computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle comprises associating, in at least one computer-readable memory, at least one identifier of at least one control apparatus of a vehicle with at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; receiving, from the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle; identifying, from data stored in the at least one computer-readable memory, the at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle associated with the received at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle; selecting, from a plurality of software items stored in at least one computer-readable memory, at least one software item for controlling at least one modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and providing, to the vehicle, the at least one selected software item for installation in the vehicle.

Description

Configuring Components of a Vehicle

Field

This specification relates to a method and apparatus for configuring components of a vehicle. Particularly, but not exclusively, this specification relates to configuring components of a vehicle with appropriate software instructions.

Background

Vehicles such as cars and commercial vehicles are generally assembled from multiple separate components. For example, vehicles can be assembled by specialised personnel working at various different stations on an assembly line in a factory. The separate components of the vehicle often include firmware for controlling the operation of the components. Summary

This specification provides a computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle, comprising: associating, in at least one computer-readable memory, at least one identifier of at least one control apparatus of a vehicle with at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; receiving, from the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle; identifying, from data stored in the at least one computer-readable memory, the at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle associated with the received at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle; selecting, from a plurality of software items stored in at least one computer-readable memory, at least one software item for controlling at least one modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and providing, to the vehicle, the at least one selected software item for installation in the vehicle.

Selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component may comprise: selecting the at least one software item from a plurality of software items for controlling the at least one modular component, based on the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

Selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, may comprise: determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the at least one modular component is intended to operate in conjunction with at least one further modular component of the vehicle; if the at least one modular component is intended to operate in conjunction with the at least one further modular component of the vehicle, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and if the at least one modular component is not intended to operate in conjunction with the at least one further modular component of the vehicle, selecting a second software item as the at least one software item.

Selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, may comprise: determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the vehicle includes at least one particular type of modular component; if the vehicle includes the at least one particular type of modular component, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and if the vehicle does not include the at least one particular type of modular component, selecting a second software item as the at least one software item.

Selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, may comprise: determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the at least one modular component is of a first type; if the at least one modular component is of the first type, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and if the at least one modular component is not of the first type, selecting a software item different than the first software item as the at least one software item. The at least one selected software item may comprise computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computer processor at the vehicle, control the at least one modular component.

The at least one modular component may comprise at least one of: at least one electrical drive apparatus comprising at least one electric motor configured to drive at least one wheel of the vehicle; at least one electrical charging apparatus configured to control a flow of electrical energy to at least one electrical power source apparatus of the vehicle; and at least one suspension apparatus of the vehicle.

The at least one selected software item may comprise: at least one first software item for controlling at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components; and at least one second software item for controlling at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components.

Selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component may comprise: selecting, from a first plurality of software items for controlling the at least one first modular component of the vehicle, the at least one first software item for controlling the at least one first modular component of the vehicle; and selecting, from a second plurality of software items for controlling the at least one second modular component of the vehicle, at least one second software item for controlling the at least one second modular component of the vehicle.

The method may comprise: providing, by the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle to at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle; wherein receiving, from the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle comprises receiving the at least one identifier at the at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle.

The method may comprise: installing, at the vehicle, the at least one selected software item for controlling the at least one modular component of the vehicle.

This specification also provides a computer program, comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method.

This specification also provides a computer-readable storage medium, containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method.

This specification also provides an apparatus, comprising: at least one computer processor; and at least one computer-readable memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to perform the method. The apparatus may comprise at least one network server apparatus located remotely from the vehicle.

This specification also provides a system, comprising: the apparatus and the vehicle.

This specification also provides a computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle, comprising: providing, by a vehicle, at least one identifier of at least one control apparatus of the vehicle to at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle; receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, at least one software item for controlling at least one modular component in an identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; installing, in at least one electronic control apparatus of the vehicle, the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component of the vehicle; and executing, by the at least one electronic control apparatus, computer-readable instructions in the installed at least one software item to control the at least one modular component of the vehicle.

The at least one software item may comprise: at least one first software item for controlling at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and at least one second software item for controlling at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

Receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component may comprise: receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one first software item for controlling the at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one second software item for controlling the at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

This specification also provides a computer program, comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method. This specification also provides a computer-readable storage medium, containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method. This specification also provides an apparatus, comprising: at least one computer processor; and at least one computer-readable memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to perform the method. The apparatus may comprise the vehicle.

The at least one computer processor may be comprised in the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle. Embodiments of a method and apparatus for configuring components of the vehicle are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures.

Brief description of the figures

Figure l is a schematic illustration of a vehicle comprising a plurality of modular components configurable with operating instructions in the form of software;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle comprising a plurality of modular components configurable with operating instructions in the form of software;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a system for configuring a plurality of modular components of a vehicle with operating instructions in the form of software, such as appropriate firmware, in dependence of the overall arrangement of the vehicle; and Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of configuring a plurality of modular

components of a vehicle with operating instructions in the form of software.

Detailed description

The following disclosure is made in the context of a modular vehicle, which comprises a plurality of modular components assembled together to form the vehicle. Each of the modular components is associated with a particular function in the vehicle, as described below, and may operate with one or more of the other modular components in order to provide its associated function. For example, one or more of the modular components in the vehicle may be electrically coupled together for the purposes of supplying power between the modular components. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the modular components may be communicatively coupled together the purposes of facilitating communication between the modular components using electronic communication signals. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the modular components may be mechanically coupled together for the purposes of transferring drive energy to the wheels and for physically securing the components to one another.

The modular components may each be associated with an electronic controller. Each of these controllers comprises a computer memory, which is configurable with software, for example in the form of firmware, for controlling the operation of the controller and thus the modular component(s) with which it is associated. The software which is installed in a controller associated with a particular modular component maybe selected in dependence of other aspects of the vehicle's specific arrangement. For example, the software which is installed at a particular controller may be selected in dependence of whether the particular component(s) associated with the controller is intended to operate in conjunction with other components of the vehicle. The selected software may further depend on the extent to which the particular component(s) is intended to operate in conjunction with the other components, and/or the intended nature of such operation.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that attempting to operate the vehicle with non-appropriate software installed at one or more of the controllers would not be advantageous. Indeed, such a scenario might prevent one or more of the modular components of the vehicle from performing its intended function. In an extreme case, non-appropriate software might cause an unsafe situation with the vehicle. In order to avoid the modular components from operating under the control of non-appropriate software, appropriate software could be manually identified and selected by a technically-qualified operator and installed item-by-item in the controllers before, during or after assembly of the vehicle. However, such a process would be open to human error and therefore might still result in non-appropriate software being installed for one or more of the modular components of the vehicle. Such a process would also be laborious and lengthy in nature. At least these potential drawbacks are addressed by the methods and apparatuses for configuring a vehicle with appropriate software instructions, as described herein. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle 100. The vehicle comprises a chassis 101 and a plurality of modular components coupled to the chassis 101. One or more of the modular components may perform functions that are associated with the general operation of the vehicle 100. Such modular components include one or more electric drive apparatus(es) 102, each of which may include one or more electric motors 1021, for driving the front and/or rear wheels 103, 104 of the vehicle 100. The modular components also include one or more primary power source apparatuses 105, for example for supplying electrical power to the electric motors 1021 of the drive apparatus(es) 102, and may further include one or more ancillary power source apparatuses 106 for supplementing the primary power source apparatus(es) 105. The modular components may also include one or more power inverter apparatuses 1010 for facilitating the supply of power from the power source apparatus(es) 105, 106 to the electric motors 1021 of the drive apparatus(es) 102. The one or more primary power source apparatuses 105 may comprise one or more batteries 1051 for supplying electrical energy to the one or more electric motors 1021, for example via the one or more power inverter apparatuses 1010. The batteries 1051 may be high voltage batteries suitable for supplying the power levels required for causing the wheels 103, 104 of the vehicle 100 to be rotated, by the one or more electric motors 1021, under load.

The ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 may, when included, comprise at least one range extending apparatus 1061, which is configured to supply electrical energy for re-charging the one or more batteries 1051 of the primary power source apparatuses 105 and/ or for supplying electrical energy directly to the one or more electric motors 1021 of the drive apparatus(es) 102. Each range extending apparatus 1061 may comprise one or more internal combustion engines 10611, and electricity generating apparatus 10612 for converting kinetic energy produced by the internal combustion engine(s) 10611 to electrical energy.

The modular components of the vehicle 100 may also include one or more electrical charging apparatuses 107, which may control the flow of electrical power between the primary power source apparatus(es) 105, the secondary power source apparatus(es) 106 and the electrical drive apparatus(es) 102. For example, the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 may monitor the charge level of the one or more batteries 1051 in the primary power source apparatus(es) 105 and, in response to determining that the charge level of the batteries 1051 is below a threshold, may cause the batteries 1051 to be re-charged using electrical energy provided by the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106. This may involve causing the one or more internal combustion engines 10611 of the range extending apparatus 1061 to be started in order to cause electrical power to be produced by the electricity generating apparatus 10612. This electrical energy may be selectively channelled, under the control of the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107, to the primary power source apparatus(es) for re-charging the batteries 1051. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more batteries 1051 of the primary power source apparatus 105 may be re-charged using energy recovered from the motion of the vehicle 100. This energy may be recovered, for example, by the one or more electric motors 1021 of the drive apparatus 102 when the motors 1021 are operating in a regenerative braking mode to decelerate the vehicle 100. The electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 may selectively cause the recovered energy to be provided to the primary power source apparatus(es) 105 to re-charge the batteries 1051, in dependence of whether the electrical charging apparatus(es) determines that charging of the batteries 1051 is required. In circumstances where the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 determines, based on its monitoring of the charge level of the one or more batteries 1051, that charging of the batteries 1051 is not required and/or is not currently desirable, the charging apparatus(es) 107 may cause the flow of electrical energy to the primary power source 105 to cease. This may involve, for example, the electrical charging apparatus 107 causing the range-extending apparatus 1061 to be switched off or for the electrical energy being produced by the range extending apparatus 1061 and/or the electrical motors 1021, when operating in the regenerative braking mode, to be diverted for powering one or more other components of the vehicle 100. The electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 may be further configured to control a flow of energy between an external electricity input port 1071 of the charging apparatus(es) 107 and the primary power source apparatus(es) 105. The external input port 1071 is located at the exterior of the vehicle 100 and is selectively connectable to electrical power sources which are external to the vehicle 100, so that the external power sources may supply electrical energy to the primary power source apparatus(es) 105 for recharging the one or more batteries 1051. The electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 may permit or not-permit energy to flow from the port 1071 to the primary power source apparatus(es) 105, depending on whether the charge level of the one or more batteries 1051 is above or below a threshold level. The modular components illustrated in figure 1 further include at least one or more suspension apparatuses 108 arranged to damp vertical oscillation of the wheels 103, 104, and one or more vehicle lighting apparatuses 109. The components illustrated in figure 1 are given as examples and it will be appreciated that alternative modular components, or a subset of the illustrated components, may be used instead.

Furthermore, many further modular components not illustrated in figure 1 may be included in the vehicle 100. Such alternative or further modular components include, for example, low voltage electronic devices and componentry. Therefore, although for the purposes of providing a clear disclosure the aspects of the vehicle configuration process described below are explained at times with reference to some of the modular components illustrated in figure 1, the skilled person will understand that the vehicle configuration process is not restricted to these components and that the process is equally applicable to other types of components, including the low voltage electronic devices and componentry mentioned above, which may additionally or alternatively be present in the vehicle 100.

As outlined above, the modular components of the vehicle 100 are each associated with one or more electronic control apparatuses, such as one or more electronic

microcontrollers. Each of these control apparatuses comprises a computer memory, which is configurable with software, for example in the form of firmware, for controlling the operation of the control apparatus and the associated one or more modular components of the vehicle 100.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle 100, in which a plurality of electronic control apparatuses associated with one or more of the plurality of modular

components are illustrated. As shown in figure 2, the vehicle 100 includes at least a first electronic control apparatus 200, a second electronic control apparatus 201, and a third electronic control apparatus 202. The first electronic control apparatus 200 is configured to control aspects of a first modular component, such as the electric drive apparatus(es) 102, comprising the one or more electric motors 1021 referred to above. The second electronic control apparatus 201 is configured to control aspects of a second modular component, such as the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107. The third electronic control apparatus 202 is configured to control aspects of a third modular component, such as the vehicle suspension apparatus(es) 108.

The electronic control apparatuses 200-202 are each configured in a manner which is specific to the overall arrangement of the particular vehicle 100 in which they are present. For example, the manner in which the first electronic control apparatus 200, which maybe arranged to control the operation of the electric drive apparatus(es) 102, is configured, maybe dependent on at least the total number of electric motors 1021 included in the drive apparatus(es) 102 of the particular vehicle 100. In this context, it should be understood by the reader that different arrangements of vehicle may include different numbers of electric motors 100, depending on the desired vehicle

functionality. The vehicle 100 may, for example, include one electric motor 1021 per wheel 103, 104. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may include fewer motors 1021, such as one motor 1021 for each of the rear wheels 104 only.

In order to configure the first electronic control apparatus 200 in a manner which is appropriate to the particular arrangement of the drive apparatus 200 (or alternative modular component) being used in the vehicle 100, the first electronic control apparatus 200 may be provided with appropriate firmware. The firmware maybe stored in a computer memory 2001 of the first electronic control apparatus 200 and maybe executable by a computer processor 2002 of the control apparatus 200 in order to cause the drive apparatus 200 to be controlled in a manner which is appropriate, at least, to the number of drive motors 1021 present in the vehicle 100. For example, whereas first firmware may be selected and installed at the first control apparatus 200 when the drive apparatus 102 comprises electric motors 1021 for each wheel 103, 104 of the vehicle 100, second firmware, different to the first firmware, may be selected and installed at the control apparatus 200 when the drive apparatus 102 comprises fewer electric motors 1021, such as a motor 1021 for each of the rear wheels 104 only. It will be appreciated that one or more further arrangements of the drive apparatus 102 are also possible, each of which may require a specific piece of firmware to be installed at the first electronic control apparatus 200 in order to ensure that the drive apparatus 102 operates as intended. To give a further example, the manner in which the second electronic control apparatus 201, which may be arranged to control the operation of the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107, is configured may be dependent on at least whether or not the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is present in the vehicle 100. This is at least because the correct operation of the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107, for example as described above in relation to the flow of electrical power from the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 to the primary power source apparatus(es) 105, requires appropriate firmware in the second electronic control apparatus 201. It will be appreciated that, in vehicle arrangements where the ancillary power source

apparatus(es) 106 is not present, this functionality of the firmware at the second electronic control apparatus 201 is not required. Indeed, in circumstances where the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is not present in the vehicle 100, the firmware installed in the second electronic control apparatus 201 may be required to control the flow of electrical energy from the drive apparatus 102, when the motors 1021 are operating in the regenerative braking mode referred to above, in a different manner than is the case when the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is present. For example, where the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is not present, there may be a greater need to re-charge the batteries 1051 of the primary power source apparatus(es) 105 using energy harvested by the motors 1021 in the regenerative braking mode. The harvested energy may therefore be more preferentially diverted to the primary power source apparatus(es) 105 when the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is not present in the vehicle 100.

In order to configure the second electronic control apparatus 201 in a manner which is appropriate to whether or not the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 (or alternative modular component) is present in the vehicle 100, the second electronic control apparatus 201 may be provided with appropriate firmware. The firmware may be stored in a computer memory 2011 of the second electronic control apparatus 201 and may be executable by a computer processor 2012 of the control apparatus 201 in order to cause the electrical charging apparatus 107 to be controlled in a manner which is appropriate to whether or not the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is present in the vehicle 100. First firmware may be installed at the second electronic control apparatus 201 when the vehicle arrangement includes the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106, and second firmware, different to the first firmware, may be installed at the second electronic control apparatus 201 when the vehicle arrangement does not include the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106. In this way, the second control apparatus 201 may provide the appropriate functionalities of the electrical charging apparatus 107 in the different circumstances discussed above. For the avoidance of doubt, the first firmware and second firmware referred to here in the context of the second electronic control apparatus 201 are different to the first firmware and second firmware referred to previously in the context of the first electronic control apparatus 200.

It will be appreciated that there are further arrangements of the vehicle 100 which may require still further functionality of the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107 and the second electronic control apparatus 201. For example, the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 maybe provided in one of a plurality of different forms, such as with different types and/ or sizes of internal combustion engine 10611 and/ or electricity generating apparatus 10612, each of which may require a different firmware item (hereafter referred to as 'firmware module') to be installed in the second electronic control apparatus 201 in order to ensure appropriate operation of the electrical charging apparatus 107.

In addition to the operation of the electrical charging apparatus(es) 107, the presence or absence of the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 in the vehicle 100 may also affect the manner in which the first electronic control apparatus 200 should be configured to appropriately control the operation of the electrical drive apparatus 102. This general principle may apply not only to the presence or absence of the ancillary power source apparatus 106 but also to the presence or absence of other modular components in the vehicle 100 and the corresponding configurations of the vehicle's electronic control apparatuses. Taking the ancillary power source apparatus 106 as an example, when the ancillary power source apparatus(es) 106 is not present, power for the one or more electric motors 1021 of the drive apparatus 102 may be provided exclusively by the primary power source apparatus(es) 105. This may affect the rate at which electrical energy is drained from the primary power source apparatus(es) 105. To compensate for this effect, the first electronic control apparatus 200 may be configured to cause the electrical drive apparatus 102 to recover more energy from the motion of the wheels 103, 104 in a regenerative braking mode of the motors 1021 in order to supply higher levels of recovered energy to the one or more batteries 1051 for re-charging. The manner in which the third electronic control apparatus 202, which may be arranged to control the operation of the suspension apparatus(es) 108, is configured, maybe dependent on at least the specific type of suspension apparatus(es) present in the vehicle 100. For example, a first possible vehicle arrangement may include one or more air-based suspension apparatuses whilst a second possible vehicle arrangement may include one or more hydraulic-suspension apparatuses. A third type of vehicle arrangement may include a combination of types of suspension apparatus(es), comprising at least two of an air-based suspension apparatus, a hydraulic suspension apparatus and a mechanical suspension apparatus comprising one or more

mechanically sprung elements. Depending on which of these types of suspension apparatuses is present in the vehicle 100, different firmware may be installed at the third electronic control apparatus 202.

The firmware maybe stored in a computer memory 2021 of the third electronic control apparatus 202 and may be executable by a computer processor 2022 of the control apparatus 202 in order to cause the suspension apparatus(es) 108 to be controlled in a manner which is appropriate to the specific type(s) of suspension apparatus 108 present in the vehicle 100. First firmware maybe installed at the third electronic control apparatus 202 when the vehicle arrangement includes a first type of suspension apparatus 108, and second firmware, different to the first firmware, may be installed at the third electronic control apparatus 202 when the vehicle arrangement includes a second type of suspension apparatus 108. Third firmware, different to the first and second firmware, maybe installed at the third electronic control apparatus 202 when the vehicle arrangement includes a plurality of types of suspension apparatus 108. In this way, the third electronic control apparatus 202 is configured to provide the different functionalities required for appropriately controlling the vehicle's suspension apparatus(es) 108. For the avoidance of doubt, the first firmware and second firmware referred to here in the context of the third electronic control apparatus 202 are different to the first firmware and second firmware referred to previously in the context of the first and second electronic control apparatuses 200, 201. A method and apparatus for automatically configuring the plurality of modular components of the vehicle 100, by automatically installing firmware which is appropriate to the specific arrangement of the vehicle 100, is described below with respect to figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a system 300 for configuring a plurality of modular components of a vehicle 100 with appropriate firmware, or other operating software, in dependence of the overall arrangement of the vehicle 100. The apparatus

300 comprises a first computing apparatus and a second computing apparatus. The first and second computing apparatuses may comprise a first network server apparatus

301 and a second network server apparatus 302, respectively. Each of the server apparatuses 301, 302 comprises at least one computer memory 3011, 3021 and at least one computer processor 3012, 3022. In each server apparatus 301, 302, the one or more computer memories 3011, 3021 are communicatively coupled to the one or more computer processors 3012, 3022 with at least one system bus 3013, 3023. The first and second server apparatuses 301, 302 are communicatively coupled together via a communication coupling 303. The communication coupling 303 is configured to facilitate the transfer of data from the first server apparatus 301 to the second server apparatus 302, and the transfer of data from the second server apparatus 302 to the first server apparatus 301. The communication coupling 303 may comprise the Internet and/ or one or more local area networks.

The data transferred between the two server apparatuses 301, 302 may comprise messages in the form of queries and responses to such queries. Each of the server apparatuses 301, 302 is equipped with suitable communication apparatus 3013, 3023 for sending data to, and receiving data from, the other server apparatus 301, 302 over the communication coupling 303. The server apparatuses 301, 302 are also configured to send data to, and receive data from, other computing apparatuses, as is explained in more detail below. As shown in figure 3, the system 300 also comprises the vehicle 100 and, in particular, a central electronic control apparatus of the vehicle 100. The central electronic control apparatus of the vehicle 100 is described below in the context of a microcontroller 110 and comprises one or more computer memories 1101 and one or more computer processors 1102 for executing computer readable instructions stored in the one or more memories 1101. The central controller 110 is configured to install software on the plurality of electronic control apparatuses 200-202 which are associated specifically with the plurality of modular components of the vehicle 100. For example, as described below, the central controller 110 may be configured to install vehicle-appropriate firmware on each of the first, second and third electronic control apparatuses 200-202 discussed above, as well as other electronic control apparatuses in the vehicle 100. In order to facilitate installation of the firmware by the central controller 110 of the vehicle loo, each of the control apparatuses 200-202 which are specifically associated with the modular components of the vehicle 100 are communicatively coupled to the central controller 110. An example of a suitable communication coupling 111 between the controller 110 and the various control apparatuses 200-202 comprises one or more physical data lines, for example in the form of copper transmission wires or optical fibres connected between the central controller 110 and the control apparatuses 200- 202.

The central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 is also communicatively coupled to the first and second server apparatuses 301, 302 shown in figure 3, so that the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 may send data to, and receive data from, the first and/or second server apparatuses 301, 302. As outlined above, in the example of figure 3 the first and second server apparatuses 301, 302 comprise first and second network servers. The first and second server apparatuses 301, 302 are located remotely from the vehicle 100, although they may themselves be located at approximately the same location as one another (e.g. in the same building) and may both be connected to the same local area network. The central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 comprises a transceiver 1103 for communicating with the first and/or second remote server apparatuses 301, 302 over the Internet.

The first server apparatus 301 in the example of figure 3 comprises a firmware server. The firmware server contains a plurality of firmware modules stored in the computer memory 3011 of the server 301. Each of the firmware modules is accessible from the memory 3011 and may be provided by the server 301 to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 via the Internet. As described below, the firmware modules may be provided to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 for installation by the central controller 110 in the control apparatuses 200-202 which are associated specifically with the modular components of the vehicle 100. The firmware modules which are provided to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 may be selected, by the firmware server 301, based on the specific arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100, which maybe transmitted to the firmware server 301 over the Internet beforehand.

The second server apparatus 302 in the example of figure 3 comprises a configuration server. The configuration server 302 contains details of a plurality of different possible arrangements of modular components for a vehicle. These different arrangements of modular components are linked in the memory 3021 of the server 302 to a plurality of unique identifiers of a corresponding plurality of specific central controllers which are known to be installed, or known to be intended for installation, in particular vehicles. The configuration server 302 may therefore identify a specific arrangement of modular vehicle components linked in the memory 3021 to a particular unique identifier of a specific central controller 110.

As such, when provided with a unique identifier of a particular central controller, the configuration server 302 may be configured to identify the specific arrangement of modular components of the vehicle in which the central controller is installed. As described below, the configuration server 302 may be further configured to provide the identified arrangement of modular components to the firmware server 301, which may select one or more appropriate firmware modules for installation in the plurality of electronic control apparatuses 200-202 of the vehicle 100 on the basis of the identified arrangement. This sequence of steps may be carried out automatically in response to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 providing its unique identifier to the firmware server 301, or directly to the configuration server 302, and may result in the modular components of the vehicle 100 being automatically commissioned with firmware which is appropriate to the specific arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100.

Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a method of configuring a plurality of modular components of a vehicle 100 with appropriate firmware, in dependence of the specific arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100. The method may be implemented using the system 300 described above with respect to figure 3.

In a first aspect Si, the method comprises identifying that a vehicle 100 is to be assembled with a particular arrangement of modular components. The particular arrangement may, for example, be one of a plurality of modular component arrangement options for the vehicle 100. The specific arrangement may be selected from a list of the plurality of available options, for example by a customer at the time of ordering the vehicle 100 from a supplier. Alternatively, the specific arrangement may be bespoke for the vehicle 100 and may be formulated by selecting each of the individual modular components from lists of a plurality of available component types. In either case, the vehicle arrangement may be selected using a web interface provided to the customer via an electronic user device (not shown). The web interface may, for example, be provided by the supplier using a server apparatus (not shown) which hosts a computer program for allowing a customer to select and order a specific vehicle arrangement using his/her user device.

In a second aspect S2, the method comprises associating the selected arrangement of modular components for the vehicle 100 with an identifier of a particular central vehicle controller 110. This central vehicle controller 110 is the controller 110 that will later be used in the assembled vehicle 100. The association between the selected arrangement of modular components and the identifier of the central controller 110 is stored in the memory of a computing apparatus, such as the memory 3021 of the configuration server apparatus 302 described above with respect to figure 3. The identifier of the controller 110 may, for example, be the controller's serial number or another unique identifier associated with the controller 110.

In a third aspect S3, the method may comprise shipping the modular components of the vehicle 100, including the central controller 110, to a vehicle-assembly location, and assembling the vehicle 100 in the arrangement of modular components which is associated with the central controller 110. The assembly location may, for example, be premises of the customer or may be a specialist vehicle-assembly facility such as a factory.

In a fourth aspect S4, the method comprises powering-up the vehicle 100 in its assembled state. Powering-up the vehicle 100 comprises, at least, causing electrical power to be supplied to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100. In a fifth aspect S5, the method comprises the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 transmitting its identifier to the firmware server apparatus 301 discussed above with respect to figure 3. For example, the central controller 110 may retrieve its serial number, or other unique identifier, from its internal memory 1101 and cause the transceiver 1103 to transmit the serial number over the Internet to the firmware server 301.

In a sixth aspect S6, the method comprises the firmware server apparatus 301 transmitting the serial number of the vehicle's central controller 110 to the

configuration server apparatus 302. The firmware server apparatus 301 may transmit the serial number to the configuration server apparatus 302 in response to receiving the serial number from the controller 110 in the fifth aspect S5 of the method. The transmission of the serial number to the configuration server apparatus 302 may, for example, take the form of a query message from the firmware server apparatus 301 to the configuration server apparatus 302, in which the firmware server 301 requests the configuration server 302 to provide firmware server 301 with the vehicle arrangement associated with the serial number of the controller 110.

In an alternative implementation of the fifth and sixth aspects S5, S6 of the method, the controller 110 of the vehicle 100 may transmit its serial number, or other identifier, directly to the configuration server 302 over the Internet.

In a seventh aspect S7 of the method, the configuration server apparatus 302 identifies from its memory 3021 the pre-stored association between the serial number of the controller 110 of the vehicle 100 and the arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100. The configuration server apparatus 302 may carry out this identification process in response to receiving the serial number of the central controller 110 from the firmware server apparatus 301. The identification of the arrangement of modular components for the vehicle 100 may comprise the computer processor 3022 of the configuration server 302 accessing a look-up table stored in the memory 3021, in which a plurality of associations between individual central controllers and corresponding vehicle arrangements are present. These associations include the association between the central controller 110 and the vehicle 100 in question.

In an eighth aspect S8 of the method, the configuration server apparatus 302 supplies the identified arrangement of modular components, corresponding to the serial number of the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100, to the firmware server apparatus 301. The configuration server 302 may supply this information in response to identifying the arrangement of modular components in the seventh aspect S7 of the method discussed above. In a ninth aspect S9 of the method, the firmware server apparatus 301 receives details of the arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100 from the configuration server apparatus 302 and, in response, determines one or more software modules for installation in the vehicle 100. As previously discussed, the software modules may be firmware modules selected by the firmware server apparatus 301 in dependence of the specific arrangement of modular components in the vehicle 100, so as to ensure that the modular components of the vehicle 100 are controlled by the electronic control apparatuses 200-202 in a manner which is appropriate to the overall arrangement of the vehicle 100. The firmware server apparatus 301 may select the one or more software modules from a plurality of available software modules stored in the memory 3011 of the firmware server 301. For example, the memory 3011 of the server 301 may comprise a plurality of selectable firmware modules for each type of modular vehicle component (e.g. drive apparatus) and the firmware server 301 may select, for each modular component of the vehicle 100, one or more of these firmware modules in dependence of the information provided by the configuration server 302 in the eighth aspect S8 of the method. In the context of the vehicle's drive apparatus, for example, the firmware server 301 may select a first firmware module when the drive apparatus 102 comprises an electric motor 1021 for each wheel 103, 104 of the vehicle 100 and a second, different, firmware module when the drive apparatus 102 comprises fewer electric motors 1021 than the vehicle 100 has wheels 103, 104. In a tenth aspect S10 of the method, the firmware server apparatus 301 causes the selected firmware modules to be provided to the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100. This may involve the firmware server apparatus 301 transmitting the firmware modules to the central controller 110 over the Internet. In an eleventh aspect S11 of the method, the central controller 110 of the vehicle 100 receives the firmware modules from the firmware server apparatus 301 and, in response, causes the received firmware modules to be installed in the memories 2001, 2011, 2021 of the electronic control apparatuses 200-202 which are configured to control the modular components of the vehicle 100. The central controller 110 may, for example, comprise instructions in its memory 1101 for installing the firmware modules in the memories 2001, 2011, 2021 of the control apparatuses 200-202. Once this installation process is completed, the vehicle 100 may be ready for use.

It will be appreciated that although the firmware server apparatus 301 and the configuration server apparatus 302 are described above as comprising two separate computing apparatuses, the functionality of the firmware apparatus 301 and the configuration apparatus 302 may alternatively be provided by a single computing apparatus located at a single location. The aspects described above provide an example implementation of the invention defined in the claims. The claims are not limited to the specific aspects described above. Indeed, persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the specific aspects described above can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. Persons skilled in the art will also appreciate that the aspects described above may be used either singly or in combination.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on memory, or any computer media. In an example embodiment, the application logic, software or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" maybe any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium that may be any tangible media or means that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer as defined previously.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the computer program according to any of the above aspects maybe implemented in a computer program product comprising a tangible computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein which can be used with a processor for the implementation of the functions described above.

Reference to "computer-readable storage medium", "computer program product", "tangibly embodied computer program" etc, or a "processor" or "processing circuit" etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having differing architectures such as single/ multi processor architectures and sequencers/parallel architectures, but also specialised circuits such as field programmable gate arrays FPGA, application specify circuits ASIC, signal processing devices and other devices. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to express software for a programmable processor firmware such as the programmable content of a hardware device as instructions for a processor or configured or configuration settings for a fixed function device, gate array, programmable logic device, etc. By way of example, and not limitation, such "computer-readable storage medium" may mean a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. An exemplary non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is an optical storage disk such as a CD. Also, any connection is properly termed a "computer-readable medium". For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. It should be understood, however, that "computer-readable storage medium" and data storage media do not include connections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but are instead directed to non-transient, tangible storage media. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of "computer- readable medium".

Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term "processor," as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein. In addition, in some aspects, the functionality described herein maybe provided within dedicated hardware and/or software modules. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle, comprising:

associating, in at least one computer-readable memory, at least one identifier of at least one control apparatus of a vehicle with at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle;

receiving, from the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle;

identifying, from data stored in the at least one computer-readable memory, the at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle associated with the received at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle; selecting, from a plurality of software items stored in at least one computer- readable memory, at least one software item for controlling at least one modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and

providing, to the vehicle, the at least one selected software item for installation in the vehicle.

2. The method of claim l, wherein selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component comprises:

selecting the at least one software item from a plurality of software items for controlling the at least one modular component, based on the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, comprises:

determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the at least one modular component is intended to operate in conjunction with at least one further modular component of the vehicle; if the at least one modular component is intended to operate in conjunction with the at least one further modular component of the vehicle, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and

if the at least one modular component is not intended to operate in conjunction with the at least one further modular component of the vehicle, selecting a second software item as the at least one software item.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, comprises:

determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the vehicle includes at least one particular type of modular component;

if the vehicle includes the at least one particular type of modular component, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and

if the vehicle does not include the at least one particular type of modular component, selecting a second software item as the at least one software item.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component, comprises:

determining, from the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle, whether the at least one modular component is of a first type;

if the at least one modular component is of the first type, selecting a first software item as the at least one software item; and

if the at least one modular component is not of the first type, selecting a software item different than the first software item as the at least one software item.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one selected software item comprises computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computer processor at the vehicle, control the at least one modular component.

7. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one modular component comprises at least one of:

at least one electrical drive apparatus comprising at least one electric motor configured to drive at least one wheel of the vehicle;

at least one electrical charging apparatus configured to control a flow of electrical energy to at least one electrical power source apparatus of the vehicle; and at least one suspension apparatus of the vehicle.

8. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one selected software item comprises:

at least one first software item for controlling at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components; and at least one second software item for controlling at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component comprises:

selecting, from a first plurality of software items for controlling the at least one first modular component of the vehicle, the at least one first software item for controlling the at least one first modular component of the vehicle; and

selecting, from a second plurality of software items for controlling the at least one second modular component of the vehicle, at least one second software item for controlling the at least one second modular component of the vehicle.

10. The method of any preceding claim, comprising:

providing, by the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle to at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle;

wherein receiving, from the vehicle, the at least one identifier of the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle comprises receiving the at least one identifier at the at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle.

11. The method of any preceding claim, comprising:

installing, at the vehicle, the at least one selected software item for controlling the at least one modular component of the vehicle.

12. A computer program, comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method of any preceding claim.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 11.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer processor; and at least one computer-readable memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 11.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one network server apparatus located remotely from the vehicle.

16. A system, comprising:

the apparatus of claim 14 or 15; and

the vehicle of any preceding claim.

17. A computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle, comprising:

providing, by a vehicle, at least one identifier of at least one control apparatus of the vehicle to at least one computing apparatus located remotely from the vehicle; receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, at least one software item for controlling at least one modular component in an identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle;

installing, in at least one electronic control apparatus of the vehicle, the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component of the vehicle; and

executing, by the at least one electronic control apparatus, computer-readable instructions in the installed at least one software item to control the at least one modular component of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one software item comprises: at least one first software item for controlling at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and

at least one second software item for controlling at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one software item for controlling the at least one modular component comprises: receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one first software item for controlling the at least one first modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle; and receiving, by the vehicle and from the at least one computing apparatus, the at least one second software item for controlling the at least one second modular component in the identified at least one arrangement of modular components of the vehicle.

20. A computer program, comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 17 to 19.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computing apparatus, cause the computing apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 17 to 19.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

at least one computer-readable memory containing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the at least one computer processor to perform the method of any of claims 17 to 19.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus comprises the vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 22 or 23, wherein the at least one computer processor is comprised in the at least one control apparatus of the vehicle.