Electronic Device and Method for Updating Related Programs

• US 20060200815A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BenQ Corporation (Qisda Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Wu-Cheng
• Application Number:
  US11/164,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200815A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4486 Formation of subprogram jump address

Abstract

An electronic device includes a memory and a program. The program includes a plurality of sub-modules, wherein each sub-module includes a plurality of stub functions and a plurality of functions, each stub-function corresponding to an address of a function respectively. The method for updating the program includes setting a plurality of stub-function in a first sub-module, and calling a first stub function in advance for getting an address of a first function when calling the first function. In the present invention, the time load of linking and down loading programs when updating programs is substantially reduced.

Claims

1. A method for updating a program within an electronic device, wherein the program comprises a plurality of sub-modules, the method comprising:

selecting a first sub-module;

assigning a plurality of stub-functions to the first sub-module, wherein the plurality of stub-functions are corresponding to addresses of a plurality of functions in the first sub-module separately; and

when calling a first function, getting an address of the first function by selecting a first stub-function among the plurality of stub-functions in advance, and executing the first function according to the address of the first function.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises a memory for storing the program, the method further comprising:

storing the first sub-module in a first memory block of the memory, wherein the plurality of stub-functions are stored at fixed addresses of the first memory block.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a size of the first memory block is fixed and is larger than a size of the first sub-module.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

selecting a second sub-module for updating the first sub-module, wherein a size of the second sub-module is smaller than the first memory block;

replacing the first sub-module with the second sub-module; and

linking the second sub-module.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

storing the plurality stub-functions of the second sub-module from a beginning of the first memory block.

6. The method of claim 2 storing the plurality of stub-functions from a beginning of the first memory block, and storing the plurality of functions after the plurality of stub-functions.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device comprises a memory for storing the program, the method further comprising:

dividing the memory into a plurality of memory blocks; and

storing the plurality of sub-modules in the plurality of memory blocks correspondingly, wherein a size of each memory block is larger the a size of a corresponding sub-module.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

assigning a plurality of stub-functions and a plurality of functions to a second sub-module, wherein the plurality of stub-functions are corresponding to addresses of the plurality of functions of the second sub-module separately; and

replacing the first sub-module with the second sub-module.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing a third sub-module among a plurality of sub-modules, wherein the third sub-module calls the first function.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a memory divided into a plurality of memory blocks; and

a program having a plurality of sub-modules stored in the plurality of memory blocks correspondingly, in which each sub-module has a plurality of functions and a plurality of stub-functions corresponding to addresses of the plurality of functions separately;

wherein while calling the first function of the plurality of functions, an address of a first function is retrieved by selecting a first stub-function among the plurality of stub-functions, and the first function is executed according to the address.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 wherein a first sub-module of the program is stored in a first memory block of the memory, and a plurality of stub-functions of the first sub-module are stored at fixed address of the first memory block.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein a size of the first memory block is fixed and is larger than a size of the first sub-module.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 replacing the first sub-module with a second sub-module, wherein the second sub-module has a plurality of functions and a plurality of stub-functions corresponding to addresses of the plurality of functions of the second sub-module, and a size of the second sub-module is smaller than the first memory block.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the plurality of stub-functions of the second sub-module are stored from a beginning of the first memory block.

15. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the plurality of stub-functions are stored from a beginning of the first memory block, and the plurality of functions are stored after the plurality of stub-functions.

17. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein a third sub-module of the plurality of sub-modules of the program is capable of calling the first function.

16. The electronic device of claim 111 wherein a size of each memory block of the plurality of memory blocks is larger than a size of the corresponding sub-module.