ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, METHOD OF UPDATING FIRMWARE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20140149644A1
• Filed: 11/07/2013
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOI, Yun-ho, PARK, Sun-a
• Application Number:
  US14/074,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20140149644A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• 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 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes a function unit which stores firmware, a communication interface unit which receives new firmware to be updated, a controller which converts an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode, and an update unit which updates firmware of the function unit using the new firmware received in a process of restoring an operation mode of the electronic apparatus from a power-saving mode to a general mode.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a function unit which stores firmware;

a communication interface unit which receives new firmware to be updated;

a controller which converts an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode; and

an update unit which updates firmware of the function unit using the new firmware received in a process of restoring an operation mode of the electronic apparatus from a power-saving mode to a general mode.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power-saving mode is a S3 power-saving mode.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first storage unit which stores the received new firmware,

wherein the update unit updates firmware of the function unit using new firmware stored in the first storage unit.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a second storage unit which stores the received new firmware,

wherein the controller, when an event to update the firmware occurs, copies new firmware stored in the second storage unit in the first storage unit.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first storage unit is a volatile memory and

the second storage unit is a non-volatile memory.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller stores the new firmware in a Non-Volatile Sleeping Memory (NVS) area of the volatile memory.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when an operation mode of the electronic apparatus is restored to a general mode, sets a flag informing that a firmware updating operation needs to be performed.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller reads out apparatus information of the function unit and determines whether there is new firmware based on the apparatus information.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a user interface unit, when it is determined that there is new firmware, notifies that firmware is updatable.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user interface unit displays apparatus information of the function unit as well,

wherein the apparatus information includes at least one of an apparatus name, a serial number, and revision information.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller verifies the new firmware by comparing the apparatus information with revision information of the new firmware.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when an event to update the firmware occurs, converts an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the function unit is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

14. A method of updating firmware in an electronic apparatus including a function unit which stores firmware, the method comprising:

receiving new firmware to be updated;

converting an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode; and

updating firmware of the function unit using the new firmware received during a process of restoring an operation mode of the electronic apparatus from a power-saving mode to a general mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the power-saving mode is a S3 power-saving mode.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the received new firmware in a volatile memory,

wherein the updating comprises updating firmware of the function unit using new firmware stored in the volatile memory.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

storing the received new firmware in a non-volatile memory,

wherein the storing in the volatile memory comprises, when an event to update the firmware occurs, copying new firmware stored in the non-volatile memory in the volatile memory.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the storing in the volatile memory comprises storing the new firmware in a Non-Volatile Sleeping Memory (NVS) area of the volatile memory.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when an operation mode of the electronic apparatus is restored to a general mode, setting a flag informing that a firmware updating operation needs to be performed.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

reading out apparatus information of the function unit and determining whether there is new firmware based on the apparatus information.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

when it is determined that there is new firmware, notifying that firmware is updatable.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the notifying comprises displaying apparatus information of the function unit as well,

wherein the apparatus information includes at least one of an apparatus name, a serial number, and revision information.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

verifying the new firmware by comparing the apparatus information with revision information of the new firmware.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the converting comprises, when an event to update the firmware occurs, converting an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium including a program to execute a method of

updating firmware in an electronic apparatus including a function unit which stores firmware,

wherein the firmware updating method comprises:

receiving new firmware to be updated;

converting an operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a power-saving mode; and

updating firmware of the function unit using the new firmware received in a process of restoring an operation mode of the electronic apparatus from a power-saving mode to a general mode.