Efficient Firmware Update in a Narrow Bandwidth System

• US 20150121359A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Osterloh, Christopher Lloyd, Ogle, James Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 9,405,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/172
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• 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: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

An advanced metering infrastructure may be configured for automated meter reading, such as of utility (electric, natural gas, etc.) meters. Within a network, a data collector communicates with, and receives meter data from, a plurality of endpoints. Firmware on the endpoints may be updated by transmission, from the data collector, of a new firmware image. In one example, the data collector sends an announcement of a firmware update to the plurality of endpoints. At a time indicated by the announcement, the data collector multicasts the firmware update a plurality of times. The data collector then receives indications from a plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast firmware update. In response, the data collector sends missing blocks to the plurality of endpoints according to the indications.

Claims

1. A method of updating firmware in a plurality of endpoints configured as an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for automated meter reading (AMR), comprising:

sending an announcement of a firmware update to the plurality of endpoints configured as the AMI for AMR;

multicasting the firmware update a plurality of times, as indicated by the announcement;

receiving indications of missing blocks from a plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast firmware update; and

sending missing blocks to the plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast firmware update according to the indications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the announcement of the firmware update, comprises:

unicasting the announcement to each endpoint during a window following receipt of metering data from the respective endpoint;

wherein the announcement tells the respective endpoint when to receive the firmware update.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the firmware is configured in a modular manner that segregates functional aspects of the firmware, and wherein the firmware update comprises a modular update including at least one, but not all, of:

a communications stack;

one or more applications; and

metrology-specific functionality.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein multicasting the firmware update comprises:

multicasting according to an interference matrix that segregates multicast times of nearby data collectors to reduce collisions of packets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the missing blocks comprises:

dividing the missing blocks into smaller blocks; and

sending the smaller blocks to at least one endpoint.

6. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

receiving metering data from each endpoint;

asking each endpoint, during a window after receiving the metering data from the respective endpoint and during which the respective endpoint is configured to receive commands, which blocks of the multicast firmware update were not received by the respective endpoint;

receiving, from an endpoint of the plurality of endpoints, an indication of which block(s) of the firmware update were not received by the endpoint; and

sending missing blocks indicated by the received indication.

7. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

assembling, at the endpoint, blocks of the firmware update received from the multicasting;

determining which blocks of the firmware update are missing; and

sending indications of the missing blocks of the firmware update to a data collector.

8. A data collector, comprising:

a firmware update module, configured to multicast blocks of a firmware image to endpoints within an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) configured for automated meter reading (AMR);

a missing blocks checking module, configured to determine which blocks of the firmware image were not received and which endpoints did not receive them; and

a missing blocks replacement module, configured to send the blocks not received to the endpoints which did not receive them.

9. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the firmware update module is additionally configured to:

identify a reception window of an endpoint based on consumption data transmitted by the endpoint, wherein during the reception window the endpoint is able to receive commands; and

uni-cast an announcement to the endpoint during the reception window of an upcoming multicast of a firmware update.

10. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the firmware update module is additionally configured to:

send an announcement of a firmware update to a plurality of endpoints, wherein the announcement is sent to each endpoint during a window after receiving the metering data from the respective endpoint and during which the respective endpoint is configured to receive transmissions, and wherein the announcement instructs the respective endpoint;

that the respective endpoint is to receive the firmware update; and

when the respective endpoint is to receive the firmware update; and

multicast the firmware update a plurality of times, as indicated by the announcement.

11. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the missing blocks checking module is additionally configured to:

receive metering data from an endpoint;

ask the endpoint, during a window after receiving the metering data and during which the endpoint is configured to receive, if the endpoint received all blocks of the multicast firmware update; and

configure data received from asking a plurality of endpoints to determine blocks of the firmware image missed by endpoints in a multicast area of the data collector.

12. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the missing blocks replacement module is additionally configured to:

refer to data indicating blocks of the firmware image missed by endpoints in a multicast area of the data collector; and

multicast the indicated blocks missed by the plurality of endpoints in the multicast area of the data collector.

13. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the missing blocks replacement module is additionally configured to:

request data indicating blocks of the firmware image missed by an endpoint; and

unicast the indicated blocks requested by the endpoint.

14. The data collector of claim 8, wherein the data collector is configured to decide between unicasting a missed block and multicasting the missed block based on how many endpoints are missing the particular block.

15. The data collector of claim 8, additionally comprising:

a time set module configured to multicast a timestamp to a plurality of endpoints.

16. A system, comprising the data collector of claim 8 and an endpoint, the endpoint comprising:

a metrology module, configured to receive metering information and to transmit it upstream;

a firmware block assembly module, configured to assemble firmware blocks into a firmware image, wherein the firmware blocks were received from the firmware update module of the data collector;

a firmware inventory module, configured to detect missing blocks of the firmware image; and

a missing block request module, configured to disclose identities of the detected missing blocks to the missing blocks checking module of the data collector, the disclosing performed in response to a request, the request presented in response to transmission of the metering information upstream.

17. An endpoint, comprising:

a processing unit configured to execute one or more modules;

a metrology module, configured to receive metering information from at least one meter associated with the endpoint and to transmit the metering information upstream within an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) configured for automated meter reading (AMR);

a firmware block assembly module, configured to receive and assemble firmware blocks into a firmware image;

a firmware inventory module, configured to detect missing blocks of the firmware image; and

a missing blocks request module, configured to disclose identities of the detected missing blocks, the disclosure made in response to transmission of the metering information upstream.

18. The endpoint of claim 17, wherein firmware block assembly module is configured to assemble the firmware from blocks in a two-step process, including:

receiving a first multicast of blocks of a firmware image; and

receiving a second transmission of blocks of the firmware image not received by the multicast.

19. The endpoint of claim 17, wherein firmware inventory module is additionally configured to:

perform an inventory assessment after each of a plurality of firmware multicasts; and

discontinue reception of the firmware image prior to completion of the plurality of firmware multicasts if the inventory assessment indicates the firmware image is complete.

20. A system, comprising the endpoint of claim 17 and a data collector, the data collector comprising:

a processing unit configured to execute one or more modules;

a firmware update module, configured to multicast blocks of a firmware image to the endpoint;

a missing blocks checking module, configured to determine which blocks were not received by the endpoint based on a report from the missing block request module; and

a missing blocks replacement module, configured to send the blocks not received to the endpoint.