Firmware download with adaptive lost packet recovery

• US 8,787,210 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Picard, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Brian D
• Application Number:
  US13/833,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/406, 717/168, 717/171, 717/172, 717/173
• 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, by at least one transmitting apparatus, 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;

wherein the last block of the plurality of blocks is adjusted in length to fit an exact number of packets to be downloaded.

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 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.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the forward error correcting code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein computing missing packets comprises Reed-Solomon decoding using an erasure procedure.

7. 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.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein each broadcast and computation step uses the same Reed-Solomon code.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the Reed-Solomon code is based on a predetermined maximum number of packets to be broadcast.

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

11. 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 the 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, by at least one transmitting apparatus 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 word.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein the forward error correction code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

13. A method 11 as in 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.

14. A method as in claim 11, wherein the predetermined maximum number of redundancy packets is a percentage of the total number of software packets to be transferred.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the percentage is about 5%.

16. 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, by at least one transmitting apparatus the plurality of blocks;

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

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

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

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

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein the number of redundancy packets is a percentage of the total number of packets broadcast.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein redundancy is about 5%.

19. A method as in claim 16, wherein the plurality of packets is broadcast from the cell relay to the one or more endpoints.

20. A method as in claim 16, wherein the last block of the plurality of blocks is adjusted in length to fit an exact number of packets to be downloaded.

21. A method as in claim 16, 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.

22. A method as in claim 21, wherein the forward error correcting code word is a Reed-Solomon code word.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein computing missing packets comprises Reed-Solomon decoding using an erasure procedure.

24. A method as in claim 16, wherein each broadcast and computation step uses the same Reed-Solomon code.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein the Reed-Solomon code is based on a predetermined maximum number of packets to be broadcast.

26. A method as in claim 16, further comprising sending an acknowledgment request from the cell relay.

27. A method as in claim 16, wherein at least one of the endpoints comprises a meter.