Systems and methods for failsafe firmware upgrades

• US 10,599,421 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CalAmp Corporation
• Original Assignee: CalAmp Corporation
• Inventors: Cook, Russell, Ramiah, Somasundaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Zengpu
• Application Number:
  US15/833,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20190018669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 717169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• 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: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

Systems and methods for failsafe firmware upgrades in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment includes a vehicle telematics device, including: a processor; and a firmware memory comprising a firmware image coupled to the processor, wherein the firmware image further comprise a first segment and a second segment; wherein a primary bootloader application located in the firmware image: verifies the integrity of the first segment; verifies the integrity of the second segment; selects a firmware image contained in the firmware memory using a failsafe process; and boots the vehicle telematics device using the selected firmware image.

Claims

1. A method for firmware updates, the method comprising:

running a primary bootloader application contained in a firmware image by using a vehicle telematics device, wherein the vehicle telematics device comprises a processor and a firmware memory coupled to the processor and partitioned into a plurality of segments, each segment for storing an individual firmware image segment, and the firmware image is contained in the firmware memory, the firmware image further comprising a first firmware image segment, and a second firmware image segment;

verifying the integrity of the first firmware image segment by using the vehicle telematics device;

verifying the integrity of the second firmware image segment by using the vehicle telematics device;

selecting a firmware image contained in the firmware memory to boot by using a failsafe process; and

booting the vehicle telematics device by using the selected firmware image, wherein the firmware memory comprises a default firmware image segment and a transferred firmware image segment, the method further comprising selecting the default firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is invalid and the second firmware image segment is invalid,

wherein the transferred firmware image segment stored within the firmware memory is independent of a partition location such that transferring a single image is sufficient without the need to transfer a plurality of images;

wherein the transferred firmware image segment comprises metadata that identifies a firmware image segment in which the transferred firmware image segment is to be stored;

wherein the method further comprises;

checking an image ID for the first firmware image segment by using the vehicle telematics device; and

checking an image ID for the second firmware image segment by using the vehicle telematics device;

selecting the first firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment and the second firmware image segment are valid, and the image ID for the first firmware image segment is greater than the image ID for the second firmware image segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying of the integrity of the first firmware image segment comprises using a checksum in a first firmware image header by using the vehicle telematics device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the image ID for the first firmware image segment is located in a first firmware image header and the image ID for the second firmware image segment is located in a second firmware image header.

4. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising selecting the first firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is valid, the second firmware image segment is valid, and the image ID for the first firmware image segment is equal to the image ID for the second firmware image segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying the integrity of the second firmware image segment comprises using a checksum in a second firmware image header by using the vehicle telematics device.

6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising selecting the first firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is valid and the second firmware image segment is invalid.

7. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising selecting the second firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the second firmware image segment is valid and the first firmware image segment is invalid.

8. A vehicle telematics device, comprising:

a processor; and

a firmware memory coupled to the processor and partitioned into a plurality of segments, each segment for storing an individual firmware image segment, wherein the firmware memory comprises;

a primary bootloader application, and

a firmware image comprising a first firmware image segment and a second firmware image segment;

wherein the primary bootloader application is configured to;

verify the integrity of the first firmware image segment;

verify the integrity of the second firmware image segment;

select a firmware image contained in the firmware memory by using a failsafe process; and

boot the vehicle telematics device by using the selected firmware image, wherein the firmware memory further comprises a default firmware image segment and a transferred firmware image segment, wherein the primary bootloader application selects the default firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is invalid and the second firmware image segment is invalid, and wherein the transferred firmware image segment stored within the firmware memory is independent of a partition location such that transferring a single image is sufficient without the need to transfer a plurality of images; and

wherein the transferred firmware image segment comprises metadata that identifies a firmware image segment in which the transferred firmware image segment is to be stored;

wherein the primary bootloader application;

checks an image ID for the first firmware image segment; and

checks an image ID for the second firmware image segment; and

wherein the primary bootloader application selects the second firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment and the second firmware image segment are valid, and the image ID for the second firmware image segment is greater than the image ID for the first firmware image segment.

9. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the primary bootloader application verifies the integrity of the first firmware image segment by using a checksum in a first firmware image header.

10. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the primary bootloader application verifies the integrity of the second firmware image segment by using a checksum in a second firmware image header.

11. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the primary bootloader application selects the first firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is valid and the second firmware image segment is invalid.

12. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the primary bootloader application selects the second firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the second firmware image segment is valid and the first firmware image segment is invalid.

13. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the image ID for the first firmware image segment is located in a first image header and the image ID for the second firmware image segment is located in a second image header.

14. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the primary bootloader application selects the first firmware image segment to boot the vehicle telematics device when the first firmware image segment is valid, the second firmware image segment is valid, and the image ID for the first firmware image segment is equal to the image ID for the second firmware image segment.

15. The vehicle telematics device of claim 8, wherein the firmware memory is a flash memory.