Firmware upgrade error detection and automatic rollback

• US 9,081,964 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Liu, Zhan, Zhang, Bin, Ladeau, Bruce Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): YANCHUS III, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US13/728,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0736 in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• 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

A system includes a utility meter. The utility meter includes a network interface and a processor. The processor is configured to determine whether the network interface is operational subsequent to a bootup of the utility meter. The processor is also configured to initiate a reboot of the utility meter using known valid firmware instruction set of the utility meter if the network interface is determined to be non-operational.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a utility meter, comprising;

a network interface;

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

initiate a bootup of the utility meter using an upgraded firmware instruction set, wherein the bootup is associated with a bootup time;

calculate a time interval based on a first time, wherein a communication signal is received at the network interface at the first time;

determine whether the network interface is operational subsequent the bootup of the utility meter, wherein the network interface is determined to be non-operational if a communication signal is not received at the network interface within the time interval after the bootup time;

initiate a reboot of the utility meter using known valid firmware instruction set if the network interface is determined to be non-operational.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network interface is configured to receive data comprising the upgraded firmware instruction set.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory stores the known valid firmware instruction set.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first time is associated with a last communication signal that is received by the network interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the time interval is further calculated based on a second time, wherein the second time is the bootup time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the time interval is a maximum one of time intervals between two consecutively received communication signals, wherein one of the two consecutively received communication signals of the maximum time interval is the communication signal that is received at the first time.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the time interval is calculated as a multiple of a difference between the second time and the first time.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the time interval is calculated as a multiple of the maximum time interval.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the time interval is calculated as a larger value between:

a multiple of a difference between the second time instance and the first time instance; and

a multiple of a maximum one of time intervals between two consecutively received communication signals.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

initiate a bootup of a utility meter using an updated firmware instruction set, wherein the bootup is associated with a bootup time;

calculate a time interval based on a first time, wherein a communication signal is received at a network interface of the utility meter at the first time;

determine whether the network interface is operational subsequent to the bootup of the utility meter, wherein the network interface is determined to be non-operational if a communication request is not received at the network interface within the time interval after the bootup time; and

initiate a reboot the utility meter using a known valid firmware instruction set if the network interface is determined to be non-operational.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first time is a time at which a last communication signal is received by the network interface.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the time interval is further calculated based on a second time, wherein the second time is the bootup time.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the time interval is calculated as a multiple of a difference between the second time and the first time.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the time interval is calculated as a larger value between:

a multiple of a difference between the second time instance and the first time instance; and

a multiple of a maximum one of time intervals between two consecutively received communication signals.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the time interval is a maximum one of time intervals between two consecutively received communication signals, wherein one of the two consecutively received communication signals of the maximum time interval is the communication signal that is received at the first time.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the time interval is calculated as a multiple of the maximum time interval.