Electronic device with an update agent that employs preprocessing techniques for update

• US 7,340,736 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2003
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Yang, Xuguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Dam; Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TECKLU, ISAAC TUKU
• Application Number:
  US10/635,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20040040020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/171
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories

Abstract

Methods of updating an electronic device having an update agent employing preprocessing techniques is disclosed. The methods described permit an electronic device having a non-volatile memory to update a plurality banks in an efficient manner, by preprocessing the original contents of the non-volatile memory. The preprocessing may comprise shifting one or more banks before performing an update, so as to create a moving, unoccupied bank or “bubble” into which the updated version of a bank may be stored. An embodiment of the present invention provides a reduction in the processing of the original memory contents, and extends the life of the non-volatile memory devices used.

Claims

1. A method of updating an electronic device from a first code version to a second code version according to a bank order having a penultimate bank, the electronic device having a non-volatile memory comprising a reserved area and a plurality of banks containing the first code version, the method comprising:

moving the contents of the last bank in the bank order to the reserved area of the non-volatile memory;

shifting the contents of each bank in the bank order to the next bank in the bank order beginning with the penultimate bank in the bank order, and proceeding in descending bank order until the contents of the first bank in the bank order has been shifted to the second bank in the bank order;

converting the contents of each bank in the bank order from the first code version to the second code version in a fault tolerant manner beginning with the second bank in the bank order and proceeding in ascending bank order until the last bank in the bank order has been converted, each converted bank being stored in the previous bank in the bank order; and

transforming the contents of the reserved area from the first code version to the second code version in a fault tolerant manner, the second code version being stored in the bank that is last in the bank order.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the moving and the shifting is performed coincident with at least one preprocessing technique.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one preprocessing technique uses at least one preprocessing instruction.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one preprocessing technique comprises at least one of a bubbles technique, a nodes technique, and a shift region technique.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating uses only two writes to each non-volatile memory location being updated.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an update package comprising at least one of at least a preprocessing instruction, an update instruction, and a bank order specification.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the receiving uses a public network.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the receiving uses a wireless network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the converting and the transforming uses at least one update instruction.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the moving and shifting uses an offset of more than one bank.

11. A method of updating an electronic device, the electronic device having a non-volatile memory comprising a reserved area and a plurality of banks containing a first code version, the method comprising:

moving the contents of a designated bank to the reserved area of the non-volatile memory, the designated bank thereby becoming an unoccupied bank;

shifting the contents of each of the plurality of banks other than the designated bank from an original bank to an unoccupied bank in a bank by bank fashion, each original bank thereby temporarily becoming an unoccupied bank;

converting the contents of each of the plurality of banks other than the designated bank from the first code version to a second code version in a fault tolerant manner beginning with the contents of the last bank shifted and proceeding in reverse order of the shifting, the second code version of each bank being stored into the original bank from which the first code version of the bank was shifted; and

transforming the contents of the reserved area of the non-volatile memory from the first code version to a second code version in a fault tolerant manner, the second code version being stored in the designated bank.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the moving, shifting, converting, and transforming is performed according to a specified bank order.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the moving and shifting further comprises preprocessing the contents of at least one of the plurality of banks.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the preprocessing comprises at least one of rearranging the contents of a bank, updating an address, updating a reference, and updating a branch instruction.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the preprocessing uses at least one of a bubbles technique, a nodes technique, and a shift regions technique.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the preprocessing uses at least one preprocessing instruction.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein at least one of the converting and transforming uses at least one update instruction.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving an update package comprising at least one of a preprocessing instruction, an update instruction, and a bank order specification.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the receiving uses a public network.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the receiving uses a wireless network.

21. A method of updating an electronic device having a non-volatile memory comprising at least a first bank and a second bank, the at least a first bank and a second bank containing a first code version, the method comprising:

moving the contents of the second bank to a reserve bank;

transferring the contents of the first bank to the second bank;

converting the contents of the second bank to an updated version of the first bank;

storing the converted contents of the second bank into the first bank;

transforming the contents of the reserve bank into an updated version of the second bank; and

copying the transformed contents of the reserve bank to the second bank.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of the converting and the transforming uses at least one update instruction.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of the moving and the transferring comprises preprocessing the contents of at least one of the plurality of banks.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the preprocessing comprises at least one of rearranging the contents of a bank, updating an address, updating a reference, and updating a branch instruction.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the preprocessing uses at least one of a bubbles technique, a nodes technique, and a shift regions technique.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the preprocessing uses at least one preprocessing instruction.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of the moving, transferring, converting, storing, transforming, and copying uses a specified bank order.

28. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving an update package comprising at least one of a preprocessing instruction, an update instruction, and a bank order specification.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the receiving uses a public network.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the receiving uses a wireless network.

31. A method of updating an electronic device from a first code version to a second code version, the electronic device having a non-volatile memory comprising a plurality of banks containing the first code version, the method comprising:

in a fault tolerant manner,

first writing contents of a first bank of the plurality of banks to a second bank of the plurality of banks, according to a bank order;

second writing converted contents of the second bank to the first bank, in reverse bank order; and

wherein only two writes to each bank in the bank order occur.