FIRMWARE DOWNLOAD WITH ADAPTIVE LOST PACKET RECOVERY

• US 20130208627A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Picard, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0057 Block codes H04L1/0061, H04L1/0064 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0835 One way packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/127 based on intermediate node capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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

Disclosed are methodologies for implementing a firmware download to endpoints in a mesh network. A firmware package is divided into a number of blocks, each block containing a number of packets and sent as a broadcast to endpoints in a wireless mesh network. A number of redundancy packets are sent to permit calculation of lost packets. A maximum number of redundancy packets to be sent is determined and a forward error correction code is developed depending on the maximum number of redundancy packets and the total number of firmware packets to be sent. A first block of redundancy packets, less than the maximum number, is sent followed by additional blocks of redundancy packets depending on reports from the receiving endpoints.

Claims

1. A method for downloading firmware, comprising:

dividing an image of firmware to be downloaded into a plurality of blocks, each block containing a plurality of packets;

broadcasting the plurality of blocks;

appending at least one redundancy packet to the broadcast of each of the plurality of blocks; and

computing missing packets within the blocks based on the at least one redundancy packet.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the number of redundancy packets is a percentage of the total number of packets broadcast.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the percentage is about 5%.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the last block of the plurality of blocks is adjusted in length to fit an exact number of packets to be downloaded.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the combined length of the plurality of packets and the at least one redundancy packet corresponds to the length of a forward error correcting code word.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the forward error correcting code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein computing missing packets comprises Reed-Solomon decoding using an erasure procedure.

8. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

reporting computation of missing packet results; and

broadcasting at least one additional redundancy packet based on the reported results.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein each broadcast and computation step uses the same Reed-Solomon code.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein the Reed-Solomon code is based on a predetermined maximum number of packets to be broadcast.

11. A method as in claim 1, further comprising sending an acknowledgment request.

12. A method for transferring software, comprising:

dividing the software into a plurality of blocks, each block containing a plurality of packets;

establishing a predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets to be downloaded with such plurality of packets;

setting a forward error correction code word to a length equal to that of the total of the plurality of software packets and the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets;

transferring a first block of a subset of the plurality of software packets;

transferring a first block of a subset of the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets; and

computing missing software packets based on the first block of the subset of redundancy packets using the forward error correction code.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the forward error correction code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transferring at least one second block of a subset of the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets; and

computing missing software packets based on the first and at least one second blocks of the subsets of redundancy packets.

15. A method as in claim 12, wherein the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets is a percentage of the total number of software packets to be transferred.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein the percentage is about 5%.

17. In a wireless mesh network including a head end and at least one cell relay configured to provide communications between the head end and one or more endpoints, a method for updating endpoint firmware, comprising:

dividing an image of firmware to be downloaded into a plurality of blocks, each block containing a plurality of packets;

broadcasting the plurality of blocks;

appending at least one redundancy packet to the broadcast of each of the plurality of blocks; and

computing missing packets within the block based on the at least one redundancy packet.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein the number of redundancy packets is a percentage of the total number of packets broadcast.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein redundancy is about 5%.

20. A method as in claim 17, wherein the plurality of packets is broadcast from the cell relay to the one or more endpoints.

21. A method as in claim 17, wherein the last block of the plurality of blocks is adjusted in length to fit an exact number of packets to be downloaded.

22. A method as in claim 17, wherein the combined length of the plurality of packets and the at least one redundancy packet corresponds to the length of a forward error correcting code word.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein the forward error correcting code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

24. A method as in claim 23, wherein computing missing packets comprises Reed-Solomon decoding using an erasure procedure.

25. A method as in claim 17, further comprising:

reporting computation of missing packet results to the cell relay; and

broadcasting from the cell relay at least one additional redundancy packet based on the reported results.

26. A method as in claim 25, wherein each broadcast and computation step uses the same Reed-Solomon code.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein the Reed-Solomon code is based on a predetermined maximum number of packets to be broadcast.

28. A method as in claim 17, further comprising sending an acknowledgment request from the cell relay.

29. A method as in claim 17, wherein at least one of such endpoints comprises a meter.