SYSTEM FOR FIELD UPGRADING OF FIRMWARE IN MULTIPLE UNITS

• US 20140173581A1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Grinberg, Paul, Kasper, Gary, Randall, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,239,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

A system for upgrading firmware in multiple units or devices of a building control or automation system. A computer may have a tool that can reflash the firmware with an upgrade. The tool may reflash the firmware of multiple devices automatically without intervention of an operator. Devices having firmware that need an upgrade may be identified and classified as eligible for a firmware upgrade. Devices having firmware similar to firmware in other devices may be grouped with the latter devices for upgrading together, sequentially or in parallel, to simplify and expedite firmware upgrading of the devices. Firmware of devices in the field may be upgraded via a communication network or the like by the computer with the tool. The firmware upgrade, communications and/or associated activity associated with the upgrade may be proprietary and/or secured from public availability.

Claims

1. A field firmware upgrade mechanism comprising:

one or more building control system devices having firmware, connected to a communication network;

a computer connected to the communication network; and

a tool that reflashes to upgrade firmware, operated by the computer; and

wherein;

the tool discovers the one or more devices on the network eligible for an upgrade of firmware;

the tool reflashes the firmware with an upgrade for the one or more eligible devices which are placed in a queue for sequential reflashing the firmware of the one or more eligible devices automatically without prompting for each device by an operator; and

the upgrade of firmware is secure from public disclosure.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein the tool checks eligibility of a device before the tool begins a reflash of the firmware in the device with an upgrade even though the device might have been discovered earlier as eligible for the upgrade, to avoid an undesired reflash in case something caused the device to be ineligible during a period of time between having been discovered and a start of a reflash of the firmware in the device.

3. A method for upgrading firmware in multiple units in a building automation system, comprising:

providing a tool program in a computer; and

discovering virtually all devices having firmware on a communication network; and

wherein;

the devices are identified over the communication network to the tool program;

the tool program refers to a dictionary to determine if the devices identified are eligible for a firmware upgrade; and

if the devices are eligible for a firmware upgrade, then the firmware upgrade is commenced with a reflash of firmware of a device and the firmware upgrade proceeds automatically through virtually all of the devices that are eligible for a firmware upgrade.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a question whether the devices are eligible for a firmware upgrade, is provided by one or more rules in the dictionary that describe technical and/or business driven limitations of upgradability of firmware of a device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the devices are classified into one or more groups;

the one or more groups comprise a first group having devices with firmware reflashable to a first version, a second group having devices with firmware reflashable to a second version, and so on in an order; and

the one or more groups further comprise an additional group having devices with firmware not necessarily reflashable.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

selecting virtually all devices in one of the one or more groups with firmware for upgrading; and

selecting a version for a group having the devices with firmware reflashable to a selected version for upgrading.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the dictionary indicates applicable versions for upgrading firmware based on identities of devices; and

the available versions are pre-filtered to selected versions for upgrading firmware of devices.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising proceeding with a firmware upgrade of the devices eligible for a firmware upgrade with a reflash of one device at a time in a serial fashion.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising proceeding with a firmware upgrade of the devices eligible for a firmware upgrade with a reflash of two or more devices at a time in a parallel fashion.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

in a sequential manner of a firmware upgrade of a block of devices, the tool program looks at a status of previous reflashes; and

if one or more reflash operations have failed, the tool program can abort subsequent reflashes.

11. The method of claim 3, further comprising adapting a characteristic of a progress bar which adjusts a period of time for a firmware upgrade according to known information about one or more reflashes of firmware of one or more devices eligible for a firmware upgrade.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the tool program has displayable graphical elements driven from data processed by the tool program before a firmware upgrade; and

the displayable graphical elements reveal characteristics of an imminent firmware upgrade.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the firmware upgrade is proprietary and/or secured from public availability; and

the dictionary is proprietary and/or secured from public availability.

14. A system for upgrading firmware in multiple devices, comprising:

a computer;

a firmware upgrading tool situated in the computer; and

one or more devices, having embedded firmware, accessible for communication with the computer; and

wherein the firmware upgrading tool finds and queues up the one or more devices on the network for firmware upgrades.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the firmware upgrading tool sequentially in an automatic fashion upgrades firmware of the one or more devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more devices identify themselves to the firmware upgrading tool.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a dictionary where the firmware upgrading tool determines which of the one or more devices is capable of a firmware upgrade, according to an identity of a device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

virtually all of the one or more devices are classified by the firmware upgrading tool into one or more groups;

the one or more groups comprise a group 1 reflashable to a first version, a group 2 reflashable to a second version, and so on, through a group N reflashable to an Mth version;

reflashable means that a device is capable of a firmware upgrade;

N is a total number of groups reflashable to a version; and

M is a total number of versions of a firmware upgrade.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the firmware upgrading tool automates a selection of virtually all of the one or more devices in a same group to simplify and/or expedite firmware upgrading of the one or more devices.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the firmware upgrading tool upgrades the firmware of the one or more devices one at a time;

the firmware upgrading tool looks at a status of previous firmware upgrades 1, 2, . . . R, to check if one or more of the upgrades have failed;

if one or more of the upgrades have failed, then the firmware upgrading tool will abort subsequent upgrades; and

R is a number of upgrades.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the firmware upgrading tool comprises a progress bar; and

wherein;

the progress bar indicates an amount of time that an upgrade needs based on available information about the upgrades; and

the progress bar comprises displayable graphical elements that indicate amounts of time of the upgrades driven by available information about the upgrades.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the firmware upgrade is proprietary and/or secured from public availability; and

the dictionary is proprietary and/or secured from public availability.