Method, apparatus, and communication device for updating firmware

• US 9,804,832 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yu, Jingjing
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phillip H
• Application Number:
  US14/896,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 717168, 717173, 717178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/167 using a common memory, e.g. mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, a device, and a mobile terminal for updating firmware. The method for updating firmware includes obtaining an update start command; after the update start command is obtained, reading a firmware update file from a secure data memory; and writing the firmware update file to a Flash memory. When a Secure Digital (SD) interface does not support a Secure Digital Input and Output (SDIO) function, a mobile terminal and a communication device having an SD interface can only read data in the secure data memory in units of files. In this application, special files are defined in the secure data memory to store an update start command and update data in different files. Therefore, the communication device having the SD interface can obtain the update start command from a command swap file, and obtain a firmware update file in a firmware update process to perform an update.

Claims

1. A method for updating firmware, applied to a communication device having a secure data (SD) interface through which the communication device having the SD interface performs data communication with a mobile terminal, wherein the communication device having the SD interface comprises a secure data memory and a Flash memory, wherein the secure data memory stores a command swap file, wherein the secure data memory is a memory accessed by the mobile terminal through the SD interface, wherein the Flash memory is a memory storing the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface, and wherein the method comprises:

obtaining an update start command from the command swap file when the mobile terminal determines that a version number of the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface is inconsistent with a version number of the firmware stored on a server, wherein the update start command is written by the mobile terminal to the command swap file;

reading, from the secure data memory, a firmware update file storing update data after the update start command is obtained, wherein the firmware update file comprises a binary file that includes a file information header, firmware data, and check information, wherein the firmware update file is downloaded by the mobile terminal and written by the mobile terminal to the secure data memory, and wherein the update data comprises program codes for updating the firmware of the communication device having the SD interface; and

writing the firmware update file to the Flash memory.

2. The method for updating firmware according to claim 1, wherein the secure data memory further stores a result swap file, and wherein the method further comprises:

writing update progress to the result swap file in the process of writing the firmware to the Flash memory; and

writing the update result to the result swap file after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory.

3. The method for updating firmware according to claim 2, wherein the update progress and update result are written to the result swap file by using a small computer system interface command.

4. The method for updating firmware according to claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining an update status query command from the command swap file; and

sending the result swap file to the mobile terminal after the update status query command is obtained, wherein the update progress and update result are written in the result swap file.

5. The method for updating firmware according to claim 1, further comprising deleting the update start command from the command update file after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory completely.

6. The method for updating firmware according claim 5, further comprising:

after the update start command is obtained, restarting the communication device having the SD interface, entering an update mode of the communication device having the SD interface, and in the update mode, reading, from the secure data memory, the firmware update file storing the update data; and

after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory completely, restarting the communication device having the SD interface, and entering a common running mode of the communication device having the SD interface.

7. The method for updating firmware according to claim 5, wherein before reading, from the secure data memory, the firmware update file storing the update data, the method further comprises:

checking the firmware update file; and

reading, from the secure data memory, the firmware update file storing the update data after it is checked that the firmware update file is a valid file.

8. The method for updating firmware according to claim 1, further comprising providing a progress update by reporting a percentage of a size of the firmware update file that has been written to a total size of the firmware update file.

9. The method for updating firmware according to claim 1, further comprising providing an update result by indicating an update success or an update failure.

10. A method for updating firmware, applied to a mobile terminal which performs data communication through a secure digital interface with a communication device having a secure data LSD) interface, wherein the communication device having the SD interface comprises a secure data memory and a Flash memory, wherein the secure data memory stores a command swap file, wherein the secure data memory is a memory accessed by the mobile terminal through the SD interface, wherein the Flash memory is a memory storing the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface, and wherein the method comprises:

downloading a firmware update file storing update data, wherein the firmware update file comprises a binary file that includes a file information header, firmware data, and check information;

writing the firmware update file to the secure data memory; and

writing an update start command in the mobile terminal to the command swap file such that the communication device having the SD interface obtains the update start command to perform firmware update after the firmware update file is written to the secure data memory completely,

wherein the update start command is obtained when the mobile terminal determines that a version number of the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface is inconsistent with a version number of the firmware stored on a server.

11. The method for updating firmware according to claim 10, further comprising writing an update status query command in the mobile terminal to the command swap file.

12. The method for updating firmware according to claim 11, wherein the secure data memory further stores a result swap file, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the result swap file sent by the communication device having the SD interface, wherein the result swap file is sent after the communication device having the SD interface obtains the update status query command, and wherein the update progress and update result are written in the result swap file; and

displaying the update progress and update result on the mobile terminal.

13. The method for updating firmware according to claim 11, wherein the update start command and update status query command are written to the command swap file by using a small computer system interface command.

14. An apparatus for updating firmware, applied to a communication device having a secure data (SD) interface through which the communication device having the SD interface performs data communication with a mobile terminal, wherein the communication device having the SD interface comprises a secure data memory and a Flash memory, wherein the secure data memory stores a command swap file, wherein the secure data memory is a memory accessed by the mobile terminal through the SD interface, wherein the Flash memory is a memory storing the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface, and wherein the apparatus comprises:

a memory; and

a computer processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

obtain an update start command from the command swap file when the mobile terminal determines that a version number of the firmware in the communication device having the SD interface is inconsistent with a version number of the firmware stored on a server, wherein the update start command is written by the mobile terminal to the command swap file;

read, from the secure data memory, a firmware update file storing update data after the update start command is obtained, wherein the firmware update file comprises a binary file that includes a file information header, firmware data, and check information, wherein the firmware update file is downloaded by the mobile terminal and written by the mobile terminal to the secure data memory, and wherein the update data comprises program codes for updating the firmware of the communication device having the SD interface; and

write the firmware update file to the Flash memory.

15. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 14, wherein the secure data memory further stores a result swap file, and wherein the computer processor is configured to:

write update progress to the result swap file in the process of writing the firmware update file to the Flash memory; and

write the update result to the result swap file after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory.

16. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 15, wherein the computer processor is configured to:

write the update progress to the result swap file by using a small computer system interface command; and

write the update result to the result swap file by using a small computer system interface command.

17. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to:

obtain an update status query command from the command swap file; and

send the result swap file to the mobile terminal after the update status query command is obtained, wherein the update progress and update result are written in the result swap file.

18. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 14, wherein the computer processor is configured to delete the update start command from the command update file after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory completely.

19. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 18, wherein

the computer processor is configured to:

after the update start command is obtained, restart the communication device having the SD interface, and enter an update mode of the communication device having the SD interface; and

after the firmware update file is written to the Flash memory completely, restart the communication device having the SD interface, and enter a common running mode of the communication device having the SD interface,

wherein the computer processor is configured to read, in the update mode from the secure data memory, the firmware update file storing the update data.

20. The apparatus for updating firmware according to claim 18, wherein the computer processor is configured to:

check the firmware update file; and

read, from the secure data memory, the firmware update file storing the update data after it is checked that the firmware update file is a valid file.