JP2021018541A - Embedded communication board, communication terminal, and firmware update method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for safely executing its own firmware update when a power supply is controlled by an industrial device in an embedded communication board or a communication terminal.SOLUTION: An embedded communication board (communication terminal 10) whose power supply is controlled by an industrial device (air compressor 20), comprises: a processing device 11 having a communication function for communicating with a server 30 and the industrial device; and a non-volatile storage device 13 for recording firmware. The processing device 11 acquires status data indicating a status of the industrial device from the industrial device, acquires updating-purpose firmware for updating the firmware from the server 30, and updates the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device 13 by using the updating-purpose firmware when the status data meets a certain condition which determines a given situation in which the industrial device is not turned off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an embedded communication board, a communication terminal, and a firmware updating method, and is suitable for being applied to an embedded communication board, a communication terminal, and a firmware updating method for these, which are attached to an industrial device and communicate with the outside. It is a thing.

In recent years, in order to give an industrial device a communication function with the outside, a means such as attaching or incorporating a communication terminal (or an embedded communication board) specialized in the communication function to the industrial device has come to be used. There is. When such means is used, as a method of supplying electric power to the communication terminal, specifically, a method of supplying electric power from a power source of an industrial device or a method in which a communication terminal has a power source but the industrial device controls the electric power supply The method of doing is adopted.

Communication terminals used for the above-mentioned applications generally include some kind of processing device and storage device, and operate by executing the firmware recorded in the storage device on the processing device. The firmware is usually recorded at the time of shipment from the factory, but if you want to add or modify functions after shipment from the factory, you need to update the firmware of the communication terminal.

By the way, since industrial equipment is not always in operation, the power is often turned off except during operation, and since power consumption is large, it is not common to install an auxiliary power supply device. Therefore, when the power supply is controlled by the industrial equipment as in the above-mentioned communication terminal, the power supply to the communication terminal is also stopped when the power of the industrial equipment is turned off.

However, since the firmware update of the communication terminal is performed by rewriting a predetermined program recorded in the storage device provided in the communication terminal, the power of the industrial device is turned off during the data rewriting and the power to the communication terminal is supplied. If the supply of the firmware is stopped, the rewriting may be incomplete and the contents of the firmware may become inconsistent. In addition, there is a risk that an operation abnormality may occur in an industrial device to which a communication terminal is attached.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and is a set capable of safely executing its own firmware update when the power supply is controlled by an industrial device in an embedded communication board or a communication terminal. It is an attempt to propose a built-in communication board, a communication terminal, and a firmware update method.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides the following embedded communication board whose power supply is controlled by an industrial device. The embedded communication board includes a processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment, and a non-volatile storage device for recording firmware, and the processing device indicates the state of the industrial equipment. A specific condition for acquiring status data from the industrial device, acquiring update firmware for updating the firmware from the server, and determining a predetermined situation in which the status data does not turn off the power of the industrial device. When the condition is satisfied, the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device is updated using the update firmware.

Further, in order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, the following communication terminals whose power supply is controlled by industrial equipment are provided. The communication terminal includes a processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment, and a non-volatile storage device for recording firmware, and the processing device displays status data indicating the state of the industrial equipment. When the update firmware for updating the firmware, which is acquired from the industrial device, is acquired from the server, and the status data satisfies a specific condition for determining a predetermined situation in which the power of the industrial device is not turned off. In addition, the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device is updated using the update firmware.

Further, in order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides the following firmware update method for an embedded communication board or a communication board whose power supply is controlled by an industrial device. Here, the embedded communication board or the communication board has a processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment, and a non-volatile storage device for recording firmware. The firmware update method includes a data acquisition step in which the processing device acquires status data indicating the state of the industrial device from the industrial device, and an update firmware for the processing device to update the firmware. When the update firmware acquisition step acquired from the server and the processing device satisfy a specific condition for determining a predetermined situation in which the status data acquired in the data acquisition step does not turn off the power of the industrial equipment. A firmware update step for updating the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device by using the update firmware acquired in the update firmware acquisition step is provided.

According to the present invention, when the power supply is controlled by an industrial device in an embedded communication board or a communication terminal, it is possible to safely update its own firmware.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure example including the communication terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the normal operation procedure in the communication terminal shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure example of a firmware update. It is a figure which shows the whole configuration example including the communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an air compressor will be described as an example of the industrial equipment to which the communication terminal (or the embedded communication board) according to the present embodiment is connected.

(1) Configuration of First Embodiment (1-1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration example including a communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the connection relationship of each configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment is communicably connected to the air compressor 20 via an external signal line 41. Further, the communication terminal 10 is also communicably connected to the server 30 via the external signal line 42, the network 40, and the external signal line 43. The server 30 is an example of an external device, and provides firmware data (hereinafter, update firmware) used for updating the firmware of the communication terminal 10 via the network 40. The firmware for update may be the entire data that can update the firmware by rewriting the entire existing firmware, or the firmware can be updated by rewriting a part of the existing firmware. It may be difference data.

In the present embodiment, the communication path between the communication terminal 10 and the network 40 is not limited to the wired connection as in the external signal line 42 of FIG. 1, and may be wireless. As a typical configuration in the case of a wired connection, a LAN (Local Area Network) cable can be used for the external signal line 42, and the Internet can be used for the network 40. In the case of this wired connection, the external signal line 42 and the network 40 do not necessarily have to be directly connected, and a relay device such as a firewall or a hub or a network such as an intranet may be sandwiched between them, but these configurations are configured in the present embodiment. It is not essential and the illustration is omitted. Further, as a typical configuration in the case of wireless connection, a mobile phone radio can be used instead of the external signal line 42. In the case of this wireless connection, a mobile phone base station, a wireless communication network, or the like can be sandwiched between the mobile phone radio and the network 40, but these configurations are also not essential in the present embodiment. As another configuration of wireless connection, wireless LAN, short-range wireless or the like may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air compressor 20 is connected to the power source 50 through the power supply line 52 and operates by the electric power supplied from the power source 50. Further, the air compressor 20 and the communication terminal 10 are connected by a power supply line 53, and the communication terminal 10 is operated by the electric power supplied from the air compressor 20 through the power supply line 53. More specifically, the power supplied to the communication terminal 10 by the power supply line 53 is set to a voltage suitable for other devices built in the communication terminal 10 by a power supply circuit (not shown) built in the communication terminal 10. Although they are converted and supplied, these illustrations are omitted in FIG. 1 for convenience.

Further, in the middle of the power supply line 52, a power switch 51 capable of controlling the supply (ON) / cutoff (OFF) of power to the air compressor 20 is provided. Although the power switch 51 is shown outside the air compressor 20 in FIG. 1, the power switch 51 may be built in the air compressor 20. As described above, the electric power from the power source 50 is also supplied to the communication terminal 10, and the air compressor 20 supplies the electric power as long as the power switch 51 is turned on and the electric power is supplied from the power source 50. Power is supplied to the communication terminal 10 through the line 53. On the other hand, when the power switch 51 is turned off and the power is not supplied to the air compressor 20, the power is not supplied to the communication terminal 10. The power switch 51 is operated by an operator (user) of the air compressor 20.

Next, the configuration of the communication terminal 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The communication terminal 10 is an electronic device attached to the air compressor 20, and includes a processing device 11, a volatile storage device 12, and a non-volatile storage device 13 connected to each other via an internal signal line 44.

The processing device 11 has a function of communicating with the server 30, a function of communicating with the air compressor 20, a function of reading / writing / executing data stored in the volatile storage device 12 and the non-volatile storage device 13. Have. Although FIG. 1 shows a processing device 11 having all of the above functions, in the present embodiment, each of these functions does not need to be realized by one processing device 11, and the communication terminal 10 is described above. It may be configured to include a plurality of devices having one or a plurality of functions of each function. Further, in FIG. 1, the processing device 11, the volatile storage device 12, and the non-volatile storage device 13 are shown as separate devices, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a plurality of the above devices may be used. It may be composed of an integrated device. Further, when each function of the processing device 11 is realized by a plurality of devices as described above, the plurality of devices may be integrated with the volatile storage device 12 or the non-volatile storage device 13.

When the communication terminal 10 is supplied with electric power, the processing device 11 reads the firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device 13 and executes the firmware. The communication terminal 10 may be provided with a separate power switch inside to provide another condition for turning on the power to the communication terminal 10, but this is not essential in the present embodiment. Description will be omitted. Further, as will be described in detail later, when a specific condition is satisfied, the processing device 11 updates the firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device 13 by using the update firmware acquired from the outside (for example, the server 30). Execute the firmware update process.

The volatile storage device 12 is a volatile memory, specifically, a RAM such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The volatile storage device 12 includes, for example, a program (firmware) read from the non-volatile storage device 13 and executed, data used when executing the program, and data downloaded from the server 30 (for example, update firmware). ) Etc. are used to temporarily record.

The non-volatile storage device 13 is a non-volatile memory, specifically, for example, a flash memory (flash ROM). Data such as firmware is stored in the non-volatile storage device 13.

Next, the configuration of the air compressor 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The air compressor 20 is an example of an industrial device to which the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment is connected, and includes a processing device 21 and an air compressor 22 as shown in FIG.

The processing device 21 controls the air compressor 20 in general and communicates with the outside. For example, the processing device 21 controls the execution of an operation of compressing air (air compression operation) by the air compression unit 22 by issuing an instruction to the air compression unit 22 via the internal signal line 45.

The air compression unit 22 is typically composed of a power source and a mechanism for compressing air, and executes an air compression operation in response to an instruction from the processing device 21. The air compressed by the air compression unit 22 is usually led out to the outside of the air compressor 20 through a pipe, but since it has no direct relationship with the present invention, the illustration is omitted in FIG. 1 and the like. ..

Here, like a general air compressor, the air compressor 20 does not always use the air compression operation continuously, and performs or stops the air compression operation according to various situations and reasons. .. Specifically, for example, when sufficient pressure is supplied to the pipe to which the air compressor 20 is connected, or when the user interface (not shown) provided in the air compressor 20 stops the air compression operation from the user. When instructed, the processing device 21 of the air compressor 20 stops the air compression operation by the air compression unit 22. Further, this is also the same as that of a general air compressor, but in the air compressor 20, the power source (motor) is operating during the air compression operation. Suddenly turning off the power while the motor is in operation is not preferable from the viewpoint of management or maintenance of the air compressor. That is, in the air compressor 20, it is prohibited in terms of handling to turn off the power during the execution of the air compression operation.

(1-2) Firmware update Regarding the firmware update by the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, the normal operation procedure is explained with reference to FIG. 2, and then the detailed procedure of the firmware update process is explained with reference to FIG. To do.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a normal operation procedure in the communication terminal shown in FIG.

According to FIG. 2, first, the power is turned on to the communication terminal 10 by turning on the power to the air compressor 20 (that is, the power switch 51 is in the ON state) (step S11).

Next, upon receiving the power to be turned on to the communication terminal 10, the processing device 11 reads the firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device 13 and starts executing the firmware (step S12).

Next, the processing device 11 executes the firmware update process (step S13). The firmware update process is generally also called a boot sequence, and the process procedure will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, but the firmware is not necessarily updated in step S13.

After the firmware update process, the processing device 11 executes a normal operation by the communication terminal 10 (step S14). The content of the normal operation in step S14 differs depending on the air compressor 20 and the entire system in which the communication terminal 10 is incorporated. Generally, for example, communication with the air compressor 20, communication with the server 30, a predetermined determination and calculation using the data acquired by these communications, and processing such as waiting for a certain period of time are included.

After the normal operation is executed in step S14 (or after a predetermined time has elapsed in the normal operation), the processing device 11 proceeds to step S13 again to execute the firmware update process, and then the normal operation in step S14. Repeat the execution of. This loop processing continues until the power of the communication terminal 10 is turned off, in other words, until the power of the air compressor 20 is turned off.

The processing procedure shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and the normal operation procedure of the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this, and at least after the power is turned on in the communication terminal 10. Any procedure may be used as long as the procedure includes the firmware update process of step S13 in some way before it is cut off.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a firmware update processing procedure. FIG. 3 shows a detailed processing procedure example of the firmware update processing in step S13 of FIG.

When updating the firmware of the communication terminal 10, it is necessary to prepare the update firmware and record it in the non-volatile storage device 13 (more specifically, rewrite the firmware data stored in the non-volatile storage device 13). There is. At this time, a method of recording the update firmware in a portable storage device (for example, an SD card, a USB flash drive, etc.) and having the communication terminal 10 directly read the firmware is also conceivable. It is necessary to carry a portable storage device and go to the location of the communication terminal 10 one by one to perform the work, which increases time and effort. Therefore, in this example, a method is adopted in which the update firmware is acquired (downloaded) from the server 30 by using the communication function of the communication terminal 10 and the firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device 13 is updated. ..

According to FIG. 3, first, the processing device 11 inquires the server 30 whether or not the server 30 holds the data of the update firmware (step S21), and determines the result of the inquiry (step S22). .. From the result of the inquiry, if the update firmware data exists (YES in step S22), the process proceeds to step S23, and if it does not exist (NO in step S22), the firmware update process ends.

In step S23, the processing device 11 communicates with the server 30 and downloads the update firmware data held by the server 30 to the volatile storage device 12.

When the processing in step S23 is completed, the processing device 11 then communicates with the air compressor 20 and receives status data representing the operating state of the air compressor 20 (step S24). When the processing device 11 communicates with the air compressor 20 in step S24, data transmission to the air compressor 20 may be included.

Next, the processing device 11 determines whether or not the predetermined "specific conditions" are satisfied based on the status data received in step S24 (step S25). In this example, it is defined as "specific condition" that the air compressor 20 is executing the air compression operation (during the air compression operation). This is based on the fact that, as described above, in the air compressor 20, it is prohibited in terms of handling to turn off the power during the execution of the air compression operation. Therefore, the status data received from the air compressor 20 in step S24 needs to include data indicating the operating state of the air compressor 20 as to whether the air compression operation is in progress.

In this example, in order to simplify the explanation, the specific condition is that the air compression operation is in progress, but in order to ensure that the power is not turned off in reality, More detailed conditions may be set as "specific conditions". For example, the operation process in the air compression operation of the air compressor 20 may be subdivided, and the predetermined time required for writing the update firmware may not be secured. The operation process in the final stage is described from "specific conditions". It may be excluded.

When a specific condition is satisfied in step S25 (YES in step S25), the processing device 11 updates the firmware by writing the update firmware (step S26). More specifically, the processing device 11 writes the update firmware data downloaded in step S23 and stored in the volatile storage device 12 to the non-volatile storage device 13. After the process of step S26, the firmware update process ends. On the other hand, if the specific condition is not satisfied in step S25 (NO in step S25), the firmware update process is terminated without writing the update firmware.

The processing procedure shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the firmware update processing in the present embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, the following processing procedure may be adopted.

First, the process of step S24 may be executed at another timing. Specifically, for example, the process of step S24 for receiving status data from the air compressor 20 may be included in the process of normal operation described in step 14 of FIG. In this case, the processing device 11 of the communication terminal 10 acquires data (status data) representing the operating state of the air compressor 20 from the air compressor 20 during normal operation, and temporarily stores the data (status data) in the volatile storage device 12, for example. By doing so, it is not necessary to acquire the status data again at the time of the firmware update process.

Secondly, the determination process in step S25 may be executed at another timing. Specifically, the determination in step S25 may be executed before step S23 (download of the update firmware), and if the specific condition is not satisfied, the update firmware may not be downloaded. In this case, since the update firmware can be downloaded only when specific conditions for updating the firmware are satisfied, it is not necessary to download unnecessary data or temporarily save the firmware, and the processing cost is reduced. Can be saved.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the communication terminal 10 executes the firmware update only when the "specific condition" is satisfied in step S25 of the firmware update process. This "specific condition" is a condition that can determine a situation in which it is assumed that the supply of electric power to the communication terminal 10 is not stopped, in other words, the power of the industrial equipment (air compressor 20 in this embodiment) is turned off. The conditions may be such that a predetermined situation (timing) that cannot be determined can be determined, and the specific content differs depending on the industrial equipment to which the communication terminal 10 is attached.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the firmware update in the communication terminal 10 is executed only in the situation where the power supply to the communication terminal 10 is not stopped, so that the power supply is stopped during the data rewriting of the firmware. It is possible to prevent the contents of the firmware from becoming inconsistent due to incomplete rewriting. As a result, the firmware update of the communication terminal 10 can be safely executed. As a result, it is possible to prevent an operation abnormality from occurring in an industrial device (for example, an air compressor 20) to which the communication terminal 10 is attached due to a failure to update the firmware.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the firmware update can be executed while the industrial equipment (air compressor 20) is in operation, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is not necessary to set a separate working time for updating the firmware. ..

(2) Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below, focusing on the parts different from the first embodiment. In the description of the present embodiment, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is provided and the same processing is performed with respect to the portion not particularly described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an overall configuration example including the communication terminal according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that the internal configuration of the communication terminal 60 is partially different. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the communication terminal 60 according to the second embodiment has a connection relationship with the air compressor 20 and the server 30 as in the first embodiment.

The communication terminal 60 is an electronic device attached to the air compressor 20, and includes a processing device 11, a volatile storage device 12, and non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B connected to each other via an internal signal line 44. .. The communication terminal 60 is different from the configuration of the communication terminal 10 according to the first embodiment in that the non-volatile storage device 13 is duplicated by the non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B.

The duplicated non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B also store programs (firmware) and other data used in the communication terminal 60, respectively, and when one is used as an operating system, the other is a standby system. Assigned. The operating system / standby system in the non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B can be set by the processing device 11 and can be arbitrarily switched, and at the time of switching, stored data other than the firmware is synchronized from the operating system to the standby system. For example, when the non-volatile storage device 13A is used as an operating system, the processing device 11 reads and executes the firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device 13A. Hereinafter, the non-volatile storage device 13A will be described as an operating system, and the non-volatile storage device 13B will be described as a standby system. The non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B do not necessarily have to be configured as separate storage devices, and may be realized by one non-volatile storage device. That is, a partition may be created inside one non-volatile storage device and divided into a storage area of an active system and a storage area of a standby system.

The firmware update process of the communication terminal 60 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to the firmware update process (FIG. 3) of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the firmware stored in the standby non-volatile storage device 13B can be updated by the firmware update process. At this time, since the data stored in the non-volatile storage device 13A of the operating system is not changed, the processing device 11 is non-volatile while continuing normal operation (see step S14 in FIG. 2) using the non-volatile storage device 13A. The firmware update of the sexual storage device 13B can be executed.

First, the processing device 11 inquires the server 30 about the presence or absence of the update firmware, and determines the presence or absence of the update firmware (steps S21 to S22). If the update firmware is present in step S22, the processing device 11 downloads the update firmware data and temporarily stores it in the volatile storage device 12 (step S23).

Then, the processing device 11 receives the status data from the air compressor 20 (step S24), and determines whether or not the predetermined "specific conditions" are satisfied based on the received data (step S25). The content of the specific condition may be the same as that of the first embodiment. Specifically, for example, it is assumed that the air compressor 20 is executing the air compression operation (air compression operation).

If the specific condition is satisfied in step S25, the processing device 11 writes the update firmware (step S26). However, in the present embodiment, the processing device 11 writes the update firmware data temporarily stored in the volatile storage device 12 only to the standby non-volatile storage device 13B.

By performing the above steps S21 to S26, the communication terminal 60 stores the power in the standby non-volatile storage device 13B in a situation where the power supply to the communication terminal 10 is not stopped (the power is not turned off). You can safely update the firmware that has been installed.

After that, the processing device 11 switches between the operating system and the standby system between the non-volatile storage devices 13A and 13B, and updates the firmware of the non-volatile storage device 13A when the above "specific conditions" are satisfied. As a procedure for updating the firmware for the non-volatile storage device 13A that has become the standby system, for example, the update firmware data temporarily stored in the volatile storage device 12 in step S23 can be written to the non-volatile storage device 13A. Just do it.

As described above, the communication terminal 60 according to the second embodiment uses the operating system non-volatile storage device 13A to continue the normal operation operation, and the firmware of the standby system non-volatile storage device 13B. Can be updated. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effect obtained in the first embodiment, the firmware can be updated during operation, which is more efficient than the first embodiment, and the operating firmware can be simultaneously used. The firmware update can be performed more safely than in the first embodiment in that it is not updated.

(3) Other Embodiments The communication terminals 10 and 60 described in the first and second embodiments described above constitute a processing device 11, a volatile storage device 12, and a non-volatile storage device 13 (13A, 13B). These are realized in the form of electronic devices stored in some housing. However, the present invention is not limited to the form of the electronic device housed in such a housing. Specifically, for example, it may be in the form of an embedded communication board that includes each of the above configurations without being stored in the housing. Further, when taking the form of an embedded communication board, it is not limited to being formed on one board, and a circuit or the like corresponding to one or a plurality of configurations is formed by being divided into a plurality of boards. , These plurality of substrates may be connected.

Further, in FIGS. 1 and 4, the communication terminal 10 (or the communication terminal 60) is shown as an independent device separate from the industrial equipment (air compressor 20), but the present invention is limited to such a configuration. It's not something. For example, the communication terminals 10 and 60 may be attached as accessories of the industrial equipment (air compressor 20). Further, for example, in the form of the built-in communication board described above, the configuration may be built into the industrial equipment (air compressor 20).

Further, in FIGS. 1 and 4, the electric power used in the communication terminal 10 (or the communication terminal 60) is supplied from the power source 50 of the industrial equipment (air compressor 20) via the electric power supply lines 52 and 53. However, the power supply in the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the power supply to the communication terminal (or the embedded communication board) is controlled by the industrial equipment. It should be. Therefore, if the industrial device (air compressor 20) can control the power supply to the communication terminal and the embedded communication board, the communication terminal and the embedded communication board of the present invention are different from the industrial device. It may have another proprietary power supply.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing means and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them by, for example, an integrated circuit. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by the processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a memory, a hard disk, a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a storage medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

In addition, the control lines and information lines in the drawings indicate what is considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily indicate all the control lines and information lines in the product. In practice, almost all configurations may be considered interconnected.

10,60 Communication terminal 11 Processing device 12 Volatile storage device 13, 13A, 13B Non-volatile storage device 20 Air compressor 21 Processing device 22 Air compressor 30 Server 40 Network 41, 42, 43 External signal line 44, 45 Internal signal Line 50 Power supply 51 Power switch 52, 53 Power supply line

Claims (15)

An embedded communication board whose power supply is controlled by industrial equipment.
A processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment,
A non-volatile storage device that records firmware and
With
The processing device
Status data indicating the state of the industrial equipment is acquired from the industrial equipment, and
Obtain the update firmware for updating the firmware from the server,
When the status data satisfies a specific condition for determining a predetermined situation in which the power of the industrial device is not turned off, the update firmware is used to update the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device. A built-in communication board characterized by this. Further, the processing device further includes a volatile storage device for temporarily storing the update firmware acquired from the server.
When the status data satisfies the specific condition, the processing device updates the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device by using the update firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device. The embedded communication board according to claim 1, wherein the embedded communication board is provided. The embedded communication board according to claim 1, wherein the processing device does not acquire the update firmware from the server when the status data does not satisfy the specific condition. It has first and second storage units that duplicate the non-volatile storage device.
When one of the first and second storage units is used in the active system, the other is assigned to the standby system.
The processing device is characterized in that, when the status data satisfies the specific condition, the update firmware is used to update the firmware recorded in the storage unit assigned to the standby system. The embedded communication board according to claim 1. The embedded communication board according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is operated by electric power supplied from the industrial equipment. The embedded communication board according to claim 1, wherein the embedded communication board is built in the industrial equipment. A communication terminal whose power supply is controlled by industrial equipment.
A processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment,
A non-volatile storage device that records firmware and
With
The processing device
Status data indicating the state of the industrial equipment is acquired from the industrial equipment, and
Obtain the update firmware for updating the firmware from the server,
When the status data satisfies a specific condition for determining a predetermined situation in which the power of the industrial device is not turned off, the update firmware is used to update the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device. A communication terminal characterized by Further, the processing device further includes a volatile storage device for temporarily storing the update firmware acquired from the server.
When the status data satisfies the specific condition, the processing device updates the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device by using the update firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the communication terminal is provided. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein if the status data does not satisfy the specific condition, the processing device does not acquire the update firmware from the server. It has first and second storage units that duplicate the non-volatile storage device.
When one of the first and second storage units is used in the active system, the other is assigned to the standby system.
The processing device is characterized in that, when the status data satisfies the specific condition, the update firmware is used to update the firmware recorded in the storage unit assigned to the standby system. The communication terminal according to claim 7. The communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the communication terminal is operated by electric power supplied from the industrial equipment. A method of updating firmware on an embedded communication board or communication board whose power supply is controlled by industrial equipment.
The embedded communication board or the communication board
A processing device having a communication function for communicating with a server and the industrial equipment,
A non-volatile storage device that records firmware and
Have,
A data acquisition step in which the processing apparatus acquires status data indicating the state of the industrial equipment from the industrial equipment, and
An update firmware acquisition step in which the processing device acquires update firmware for updating the firmware from the server, and
When the processing device satisfies a specific condition for determining a predetermined situation in which the power of the industrial equipment is not turned off, the status data acquired in the data acquisition step is acquired in the update firmware acquisition step. A firmware update step for updating the firmware recorded in the non-volatile storage device using the update firmware, and
A firmware update method characterized by providing. The embedded communication board or the communication board further comprises a volatile storage device.
In the update firmware acquisition step, the processing device temporarily stores the update firmware acquired from the server in the volatile storage device.
When the status data satisfies the specific condition in the firmware update step, the processing device uses the update firmware stored in the non-volatile storage device in the update firmware acquisition step to use the non-volatile firmware. The firmware update method according to claim 12, wherein the firmware recorded in the sex storage device is updated. The firmware update method according to claim 12, wherein if the status data acquired in the data acquisition step does not satisfy the specific condition, the update firmware acquisition step is not executed. When one of the non-volatile storage devices is used in the active system, the other is configured to be duplicated by the first and second storage units assigned to the standby system.
In the firmware update step, when the status data satisfies the specific condition, the processing device updates the firmware recorded in the storage unit assigned to the standby system by using the update firmware. The firmware update method according to claim 12, wherein the firmware update method is performed.

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