Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd., and Clarion Co., Ltd. Develop Over The Air Software Update Solution
April 27, 2016 at 11:43 pm EDT
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Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd., and Clarion Co., Ltd. have announced that they have developed the OTA (Over The Air) Software Update Solution for wirelessly updating ECU (Electronic Control Unit) software, forming a core technology for supporting next-generation vehicles such as autonomous driving vehicles and connected cars. It is a solution that uses the technology of the Hitachi Group to provide high-reliability transmission of software updates from data centers (OTA Center) to vehicles, and takes one-tenth the time previously required for such updates. The new solution is scheduled to be available in 2018.
In order to improve the reliability and added value required for next-generation vehicles such as autonomous driving vehicles and connected cars, after a vehicle has been manufactured, it is necessary to provide timely ECU software updates for vehicle security as well as for new functional additions linked to infrastructure extensions through the increased sophistication of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems). The newly developed OTA Software Update Solution consists of an OTA center system that generates and distributes software updates together with the system in the vehicle. Hitachi developed an OTA center system that provides Hitachi's proprietary differential generation service as well as a high-speed and secure distribution service.
Specifically, the OTA center extracts and encrypts the differential between the old and new program and delivers only the differential data to the vehicle. To ensure the security of software updates, the data transmitted between the OTA center and the central gateway of the vehicle is encrypted and mutually authenticated in order to prevent leakage, tampering, or forgery of the information.
Hitachi specializes in manufacturing and marketing of electronic and industrial equipments. Net sales (including intragroup) break down by family of products and services as follows:
- social infrastructure and industrial systems (24.7%): elevators, escalators, industrial facilities, railway systems, power generation units, etc. The group also provides engineering and construction of nuclear, hydroelectric, and thermal power plants services;
- information and telecommunications products and services (20.1%): systems integration, cloud computing, software, servers, hard disks, PCs, ATMs, data communication base stations, payment terminals, etc.;
- materials and components (16.6%): semi-conductor materials, printed circuit cards, cables, copper and forged steel products, magnetic materials, organic and inorganic chemical products, etc.;
- construction equipment (10%) : hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, mining equipment, etc.;
- automotive systems (9.4%): powertrain systems, control systems, etc.;
- electronic products (9.2%): fiber-optic components, screen tubes, testing and measurement equipment, medical equipment, equipment for manufacturing semiconductors, etc.;
- household appliances (4.7%): heating and air conditioning equipments, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.;
- other (5.3%): mainly transport, financial and logistical services.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Japan (49.2%), Asia (21.3%), North America (12.7%), Europe (10.8%) and other (6%).
HITACHI, LTD. 
