Method for wirelessly updating firmware in a wide area network

• US 10,140,114 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Nogueira-Nine, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Marina
• Application Number:
  US15/549,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20180024828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 717168, 717173, 717178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/715 Interference-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2201/713 Frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/12 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Executing a FOTA (firmware over the air) method in a LoRa network having low throughput and low power. the transceivers used in the end nodes and in the LoRa gateway are capable of selecting a certain frequency channel and deactivating the LoRa mode. If the spread-spectrum LoRa mode is deactivated, both transceivers at the end node and the gateway function instead using a basic FSK (frequency-shift keying) modulation scheme. This modulation scheme is capable of providing a higher data rate at the expense of reducing the “path balance,” which indicates how much attenuation the transmitted signal may sustain while still being able to be decoded at the receiver. When using the FSK modulation scheme at a high data rate, a FOTA method may be easily carried out, since the end node must have its receiver activated only for a short time.

Claims

1. A method for providing wireless firmware over the air (FOTA) updates in a long-range (LoRa™

) network, the method comprising;

selecting, via transceivers used in at least one end node and a transceiver in a LoRa™

gateway, a certain frequency channel, wherein the LoRa™

network includes the at least one end node and at least one gateway, the at least one end node including the transceivers and the LoRa™

gateway including its transceiver;

activating or deactivating, via the transceivers in the end nodes and the transceiver in the LoRa™

gateway, the LoRa™

mode, wherein the LoRa™

mode is deactivated in the gateway and in the end nodes if a firmware update is to be transferred to the end nodes;

wherein a FOTA mode acting via a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme is activated in the transceivers on the end node and the transceiver on the gateway, and a wireless firmware update is prepared by the gateway for the end nodes,

wherein the LoRa™

transceiver used in the end node and the transceiver used in the LoRa™

gateway can select a certain frequency channel and deactivate the LoRa™

mode, and

wherein when the spread-spectrum LoRa™

mode is deactivated, the transceiver at the end node and the transceiver at the gateway function use the FSK modulation scheme.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware update mode acts in a selected frequency channel which differs from the frequency channel of the LoRa™

mode, the allowable transmission power in the frequency channel selected for the firmware update mode being higher than in the LoRa™

operating channels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the end nodes are spatially fixed end nodes, and the range covered by each gateway is assessed to include only those end nodes having LoRa™

spread factors, for which the reduction in the path balance caused by the deactivation of the LoRa™

mode is regained via a corresponding increase in the transmission power of the gateway.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the end nodes are parking sensors which detect whether a parking space is vacant or occupied.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

a) notifying the parking sensors using the LoRa™

communication mode that a new firmware version is available, and that the FOTA task will be started at some point in time;

gateways which are within range of one another starting the update method in sequence;

the sequence being decided by a network control unit (NCU) which manages the network operation, and being communicated to each gateway;

the notification including the frequency channel which is used for the firmware update, the firmware size, the number of data packets which are used for transmitting the complete firmware, and the maximum time which the complete firmware download will require;

b) each parking sensor will confirm the reception of the piece of information according to task a), and the network control unit (NCU) checks that all parking sensors have confirmed the reception;

c) the NCU downloads the new firmware to the gateways, this firmware being stored in the memory of the gateway;

d) at the stipulated point in time, the parking sensors deactivate the LoRa™

mode, switch their respective transceiver to FSK modulation in the indicated channel, and activate their receivers;

e) the gateways, following the predetermined sequence, switch to an FSK modulation mode in the selected channels, and begin transmission of the new firmware;

the firmware being divided and packetized into separate data blocks as a function of the firmware size, and a sequence number being added to each data packet;

f) the parking sensors monitor each received packet and create a list including the missing sequence numbers of lost packets, if any;

g) as soon as the packet having the expected last sequence number has been received, or if a predefined maximum download time has elapsed, each parking sensor end node resets to its normal LoRa™

mode and transmits a LoRa™

packet to inform the NCU about the success or failure of the FOTA method; and

if the method has failed, the parking sensor transmits a list of sequence numbers of lost packets;

h) if the NCU has received a notification about the success of the download method from all affected parking sensors, it signals the parking sensors to carry out the update method at a given point in time;

i) if the parking sensor end nodes restart with the execution of the new firmware version, each parking sensor informs the NCU with the aid of LoRa™

data packet which includes the firmware version.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the end nodes are mobile LoRa™

devices, and the FOTA method is carried out only if the end node is situated close enough to a gateway to be accessible within the range provided by the FSK path balance.