Systems and methods for reprogramming an embedded device with program code using relocatable program code

• US 6,467,084 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: emWare, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Coffin, Stephen C., Howard, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morse, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN BA, HOANG VU A
• Application Number:
  US09/465,475
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 717/5, 717/136-145, 717/162-167, 717/168-178, 709/331, 709/224, 709/223, 710/26, 714/8, 380/20, 380/FOR.120
• US Class Current: 717/136
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/54 Link editing before load time

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for preparing program code for a first computer, wherein the systems and methods are implemented on a second computer. The systems include a relocating module that is adapted to relocate program code by modifying locations in the program code identified by location data. The modifications made by the relocating module are based on a memory address. The systems operate on program code for the first computer, where the program code is stored on the second computer. The relocating module is provided the memory address that identifies a memory location in the first computer. The memory address is suitable as a basis for modifying the program code. The relocating module is also provided with location data that identifies locations in the program code to be adjusted based on the memory address. A method practiced in accordance with the disclosed embodiments includes the steps of obtaining the program code; obtaining the memory address; obtaining the location data; and modifying the locations in the program code identified by the location data, by using the memory address and by using the location data, where the modifying step is accomplished at the second computer. One or more computer programs for implementing the described systems and/or methods may be embodied in a computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A system for preparing program code for an embedded microcontroller wherein the system is executable by a host computer and not executable by the embedded microcontroller, the system comprising:

relocatable microcontroller program code executable by the embedded microcontroller, the relocatable microcontroller program code being stored on the host computer;

a memory address identifying a memory location in the embedded microcontroller with an area sufficient to store the relocatable microcontroller program code for execution by the embedded microcontroller wherein the memory address is used as a basis for modifying the relocatable microcontroller program code to place the relocatable microcontroller program code in the area on the embedded microcontroller;

a relocation table identifying addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code to be adjusted based on the memory address;

a relocating module executable by the host computer and not executable by the embedded microcontroller, the relocating module adapted to relocate the relocatable microcontroller program code to the area by modifying the addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code identified by the relocation table, the modifications being based on the memory address.

2. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising information regarding memory usage of the embedded microcontroller from which the memory address is derived.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the relocation table further comprises a plurality of offset addresses.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory address is obtained from the embedded microcontroller.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a communication module at the host computer for obtaining the memory address and for communicating the relocatable microcontroller program code to the embedded microcontroller.

6. A system for preparing program code for an embedded computer wherein the system is executable by a host computer and not executable by the embedded computer, the system comprising:

an embedded computer, the embedded computer having an embedded microcontroller, and the embedded computer also having an embedded computer memory;

a host computer, the host computer having a host computer processor, the host computer also having a host computer memory, the host computer being in electronic communication with the embedded computer;

relocatable microcontroller program code executable by the embedded microcontroller, the relocatable microcontroller program code being stored on the host computer;

a memory address identifying a memory location in the embedded computer memory with an area sufficient to store the relocatable microcontroller program code for execution by the embedded microcontroller, wherein the memory address is used as a basis for modifying memory references within the relocatable microcontroller program code;

a list of the memory references in the relocatable microcontroller program code to be adjusted based on the memory address;

a relocating module executable by the host computer and not executable by the embedded computer, the relocating module adapted to relocate the relocatable microcontroller program code by modifying the memory references in the reloctable microcontroller program code identified by the list wherein the modifying is based on the memory address, the relocating module thereby creating modified relocatable microcontroller program code.

7. The system of claim 6, the system further comprising information regarding memory usage of the embedded computer from which the memory address is derived.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the memory address is obtained from the embedded computer.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a communication module at the host computer for obtaining the memory address and for communicating the modified relocatable microcontroller program code to the embedded computer.

10. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for preparing relocatable microcontroller program code for an embedded microcontroller wherein the instructions are executable by a host computer and not executable by the embedded microcontroller, wherein the instructions comprise executable instructions for implementing a method comprising:

obtaining the relocatable microcontroller program code from a storage device of the host computer;

obtaining a memory address identifying a memory location in the embedded microcontroller with an area sufficient to store the relocatable microcontroller program code for execution by the embedded microcontroller wherein the memory address is used as a basis for modifying the relocatable microcontroller program code to place the relocatable microcontroller program code in the area on the embedded microcontroller;

obtaining a relocation table identifying addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code to be adjusted based on the memory address; and

modifying the addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code identified by the relocation table, by using the memory address and by using the relocation table, the modifying step being accomplished on the host computer.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises obtaining information regarding memory usage of the embedded microcontroller from which the memory address is derived.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the relocation table further comprises a plurality of offset addresses.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the memory address is obtained from the embedded microcontroller.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises communicating the relocatable microcontroller program code to the embedded microcontroller.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the memory address obtained is used as a basis for modifying memory references within the relocatable microcontroller program code.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the modifying step of the method further comprises modifying the memory references in the relocatable microcontroller program code through use of the memory address and the relocation table.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the medium is a data transmission medium.

18. In a computer system including an embedded microcontroller and a host computer, the embedded microcontroller being in electronic communication with the host computer, a method for preparing relocatable microcontroller program code for the embedded microcontroller wherein the method will be executable by the host computer and not by the embedded microcontroller, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining the relocatable microcontroller program code from a storage device of the host computer;

obtaining a memory address identifying a memory location in the embedded microcontroller with an area sufficient to store the relocatable microcontroller program code for execution by the embedded computer wherein the memory address is used as a basis for modifying the relocatable microcontroller program code to place the relocatable microcontroller program code in the area on the embedded microcontroller;

obtaining a relocation table identifying addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code to be adjusted based on the memory address; and

modifying the addresses in the relocatable microcontroller program code identified by the relocation table, by using the memory address and by using the relocation table, the modifying step being accomplished on the host computer.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of obtaining information regarding memory usage of the embedded microcontroller from which the memory address can be derived.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the relocation table further comprises a plurality of offset addresses.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the memory address is obtained from the embedded microcontroller.

22. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of communicating the relocatable microcontroller program code after the addresses have been modified to the embedded computer.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the memory address obtained is used in modifying memory references within the relocatable microcontroller program code.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the modifying step further comprises the step of modifying;

the memory references in the relocatable microcontroller program code, by using the memory address and by using the relocation table.