JP4967881B2 - Update data transmission method, firmware rewriting system, and update data transmission program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an update data transmission method for a computer to transmit update data of firmware (program) of a peripheral device to the peripheral device, and an update data transmission program for causing a computer to execute the update data transmission method. The present invention also relates to a firmware rewriting system including a computer that transmits firmware update data of a peripheral device to the peripheral device, and a peripheral device that receives firmware update data from the computer and rewrites its own firmware.

  In recent peripheral devices such as printers, firmware is stored in a flash memory and can be easily updated. For example, the control program update data is received from an external device, and the control program stored in the first storage area of the flash memory is received using the rewrite program stored in the second storage area of the flash memory. There is known a firmware update method for rewriting data for use (see Patent Document 1). In addition, a peripheral device connected to a network can receive firmware update data from a computer via the network and update the firmware.

  The computer transmits the firmware update data of the peripheral device to the peripheral device in, for example, a Motorola (registered trademark) S3 format. The Motorola S3 format is a hex text format compiled from source code created using a programming language, and consists of a management data part such as a data storage destination address and an actual data part as will be described later. (See FIG. 2A). In the Motorola S3 format, 1-byte data is represented by two characters. The peripheral device performs binary conversion on the received text-format Motorola S3 format data (hereinafter referred to as “S3 ASCII format”) and writes the data to the flash memory. Thus, the update data is expressed in a predetermined format such as the Motorola S3 format, and is transmitted and received in units of one record (packet).

  As a method of generating a packet, for example, a RAM storage area is divided into a header area in which a header is stored and a data area in which data is stored, and the header stored in the header area and the data stored in the data area There is known a method of generating a transmission packet by combining the above with hardware (see Patent Document 2).

  The size of the firmware has increased due to the higher functionality of peripheral devices, and accordingly, the number of update data records (number of unit data) transmitted and received at the time of firmware update has also increased. When the size of the update data increases, RS-232C or other low-speed communication is not a problem when the communication interface between the computer and the peripheral device is a USB, parallel, Ethernet (registered trademark) or other high-speed communication interface. In the case of an interface, it takes a long time to communicate update data. For example, 6 Mbytes of data transfer takes approximately 45 minutes when the communication speed is 19200 bps and approximately 90 minutes when the communication speed is 9600 bps. Usually, since the peripheral device cannot be used during communication of firmware update data, it is desired to shorten the communication time particularly in a facility that operates for 24 hours.

  Therefore, data from the computer is temporarily stored in a memory by RS-232C (for example, 9600 bps), and the data stored in the memory is transferred to a portable information device by serial communication or parallel communication at higher speed (for example, 50000 bps). An interface box that can be used is known (see Patent Document 3). Thereby, the time for which the portable information device is occupied by the data reception process can be reduced.

  Further, the communication time can be shortened by reducing the amount of data to be transferred. For example, the number of continuous blank character data (0x20) in the print data to be transmitted to the printer is counted. If the number is equal to or greater than the reference number, the continuous blank character data is substituted for the continuous blank character data. A method of transmitting control data for collectively moving the printing position (print head) of a printer by an amount corresponding to data is known (see Patent Document 4).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-63050 JP 2000-134230 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-212908 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-242894

  However, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a problem that the interface box must be prepared and the peripheral device must correspond to the interface box, so that there is no versatility. Further, the communication speed between the computer and the interface box becomes a bottleneck, and there is a problem that the communication time of update data cannot be shortened as the entire system.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and can update communication time when sending firmware update data of a peripheral device from a computer to the peripheral device without changing the communication speed. An object is to provide a data transmission method, an update data transmission program, and a firmware rewriting system.

  In order to achieve the above object, an update data transmission method of the present invention is an update data transmission method in a host device that transmits update data for updating firmware of a peripheral device to the peripheral device, comprising: (a) source object data and Sequentially reading source records in a first format including source management data; (b) converting the source records into second format target records including target object data and target management data; and (c) Transmitting the target record to the peripheral device, wherein the step (b) includes: (b1) generating an object data string obtained by combining the source object data to have a predetermined length; b2) During the execution of the step (b1), the source object Detecting whether or not there is a blank data string longer than the length of the target management data, and if the blank data string exists, the object data ending with the data immediately before the blank data string, and Generating object data starting from data immediately after the blank data string so as not to include the blank data string; and (b3) management according to the object data generated in steps (b1) and (b2). Generating data, and generating the target record using the object data and the management data as the target object data and the target management data, respectively.

  The host device according to the present invention sequentially reads source records of the first format including source object data and source management data in a host device that transmits update data for updating the firmware of the peripheral device to the peripheral device, The read source record is converted into a second format target record including target object data and target management data, and the control unit transmits the converted target record to the peripheral device. A data concatenation unit that generates an object data string obtained by combining the source object data so as to have a predetermined length; and detecting whether or not there is a blank data string in the source object data that is longer than the target management data. By the blank data detection unit and the data connection unit A record generation unit that generates management data corresponding to the generated object data, and generates the target record using the object data and management data as the target object data and the target management data, respectively, and the data connection When the blank data string is detected by the blank data detector, the section generates object data ending with data immediately before the blank data string and object data starting with data immediately after the blank data string. The empty data string is not included in the object data.

  According to these configurations, the number of records (the number of transmission unit data) is reduced by concatenating actual data, and the number of management data required for each record can be reduced. As a result, the total amount of transmission data is reduced, and the data communication time can be shortened. In addition, since an upper limit is set for the linked data length, even if a malfunction such as a communication error occurs, the malfunction can be detected early and data communication can be retried, thereby avoiding unnecessary data communication. be able to. Further, since the blank data that continues beyond the length of the management data is deleted, the total amount of data to be transmitted can be further reduced.

  In the following description, “blank data” indicates a value when a nonvolatile memory (for example, a flash memory) is initialized or data is erased. Generally, this value is 0xFF, but the present invention is not limited to 0xFF.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the source record has a format expressed in ASCII code, and the target record has a format expressed in binary. By converting the ASCII code to binary, the total amount of transmission data can be halved and the communication time can be shortened to almost half. Further, there is no need to perform binary conversion on the peripheral device side as in the prior art, and the load of firmware rewriting processing in the peripheral device can be reduced. Since the CPU of the peripheral device generally has a lower processing capacity than the CPU of the computer, the performance of the rewriting process as a whole system including the host computer and the peripheral device is improved by reducing the load on the peripheral device. Can do.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the predetermined length is set to be equal to or less than the data rewrite unit length of the flash memory storing the firmware of the peripheral device. If the predetermined length is longer than the data rewrite unit length (sector capacity), the peripheral device may need to divide the actual data for each data rewrite unit length, which increases the load on the peripheral device. This is because the performance of the rewriting process as a whole system is lowered.

  In these cases, the predetermined length is preferably set according to the type of interface to which the peripheral device is connected. In addition, it is desirable to measure a communication speed with the peripheral device and set the predetermined length based on the measurement result. By changing the predetermined length according to the communication interface or the communication speed, data communication can be performed more efficiently and the communication time can be shortened.

  Further, the present invention can be provided as a program for causing a computer to execute each step in the above update data transmission method or a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overall system configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, a firmware rewriting system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a host computer 11, servers 12a, 12b, and 12c, and printers 13a1, 13a2, 13b, 13c, and 13d as peripheral devices.

  The host computer 11 and the servers 12a to 12c are connected via the network 14. Printers 13a1 and 13a2 are connected to the server 12a via interfaces 15a1 and 15a2, respectively. Similarly, a printer 13b is connected to the server 12b via an interface 15b, and a printer 13c is connected to the server 12c via an interface 15c. The printer 13d is connected to the network 14 via the interface 15d and can be controlled from the host computer 11 and the servers 12a to 12c on the network 14.

  The servers 12a to 12c are realized as dedicated information devices such as general-purpose personal computers and POS terminals.

  The network 14 may be realized as a local communication network (LAN) such as Ethernet (registered trademark), or may be realized as a wide area communication network (WAN) such as a dedicated line, the Internet, or VPN. When the network 14 is a WAN, the host computer 11 can instruct the servers 12a to 12c at remote locations to rewrite the firmware of the connected printers 13a1, 13a2, 13b, and 13c. Further, the host computer 11 can instruct the printer 13d connected to the network 14 to perform a firmware rewriting process. That is, it is possible to instruct firmware rewriting processing for a plurality of printers 13a1, 13a2, 13b, 13c, and 13d at a remote location from one host computer 11 at a time.

  The interfaces 15a1, 15a2, 15b, and 15c may be realized by a serial interface such as RS-232C (maximum communication speed 14.4 kbps), USB (USB 2.0, maximum communication speed 60 Mbps), or SCSI (maximum communication speed). It may be realized by a parallel interface such as 320 Mbps).

  Here, the servers 12 a to 12 c may be connected to the host computer 11 via the network 14 at different communication speeds. Similarly, the printers 13a1 and 13a2 may be connected to the server 12a at different communication speeds.

  In such a firmware rewriting system 1, firmware update data is transmitted from the host computer 11 to the printers 13a1, 13a2, 13b, 13c, and 13d, and each printer rewrites its own firmware. Alternatively, firmware update data is transmitted from the servers 12a to 12c to the printers 13a1, 13a2, 13b, and 13c connected thereto, and each printer rewrites its own firmware. Hereinafter, the firmware rewriting system 1 including the server 12b (computer) and the printer 13b (peripheral device) is taken as an example, and processing for rewriting the firmware of the printer 13b will be described.

<Motorola S3 format>
The firmware of the printer 13b is created using a program language, and the source code is compiled and provided to the server 12b as a Motorola S3 format which is a hexadecimal text format. However, firmware source code may be provided to the server 12b and converted to the Motorola S3 format on the server 12b.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the Motorola S3 format record (unit data) 20a includes a type field 21, a data length field 22, an address field 23, a data field 24, and a checksum field 25. The type field 21 is data indicating the type (record type) of the Motorola S format and is represented by 2 bytes. In this embodiment, the S3 type is used, but the Motorola S format includes the S1 type and the S2 type. Further, S7 type to S9 type are defined as S1 type to S3 type terminators, respectively. The data length field 22 is data indicating the number of data (record length) following the data length field 22 and is expressed in 2 bytes. The address field 23 is data representing an address where the first byte of the actual data is stored and is represented by 8 bytes. The data field 24 is actual data (object data) written in the flash memory 132 of the printer 13b and is expressed by 2 to 500 bytes. The checksum field 25 is a checksum calculated based on each byte value of the data length field 22, the address field 23, and the data field 24 and is expressed by 2 bytes.

  In the following description, data other than actual data, that is, record type, record length, address and checksum are collectively referred to as “management data”, and the actual data and management data are collectively referred to as “record (unit data)”. Called.

<Server configuration>
As shown in FIG. 3, the server 12 b mainly includes a control unit (CPU) 111, a storage unit 112, a communication interface 113, an input unit 114, and a display unit 115, which are connected via a bus 116. Yes.

  The control unit 111 appropriately reads and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 112 and controls the entire server 12b. The control unit 111 includes a data reading unit 111a, a blank data detection unit 111b, a data length comparison unit 111c, a data connection unit 111d, a record (unit data) generation unit 111e, and a data conversion unit 111f.

  The data reading unit 111a stores each record (source record) of firmware update data (Motorola S3 format) of the printer 13b in response to a firmware rewrite instruction from the operator of the server 12b or a firmware rewrite instruction from the host computer 11. Read sequentially from 112. The update data may be provided from the operator on the server 12b or may be received from the host computer 11 via the network 14.

  The blank data detection unit 111b detects the presence or absence of continuous blank data having a predetermined length or more included in the actual data of the update data read by the data reading unit 111a.

  The data length comparison unit 111c compares the actual data length (concatenated data length) when the actual data is concatenated with a preset concatenated data length maximum value.

  The data concatenation unit 111d sequentially concatenates the actual data of the source records within a range not exceeding the maximum value of the concatenated data length. Further, when blank data having a predetermined length or more is detected in the actual data by the blank data detecting unit 111b, the data connecting unit 111d divides the actual data before and after the blank data and deletes the blank data. Since the flash memory 132 becomes blank data (0xFF) when it is erased, the blank data can be deleted.

  The record generation unit 111e adds management data corresponding to the actual data (concatenated data) concatenated by the data concatenation unit 111d to the concatenated data to generate a new record (target record) 20c or 20d. That is, a record length is generated based on the concatenated data length, an address for storing the first byte of the concatenated data is specified, and a checksum is generated.

  As described above, when blank data that is longer than the predetermined length is not detected, the data concatenation unit 111d concatenates the actual data of the source records until the maximum value of the concatenated data length is reached, and generates the actual data of the target record. In addition, when blank data continuous for a predetermined length or more is detected, the data concatenation unit 111d concatenates the actual data up to immediately before the continuous blank data with the actual data concatenated so far, and the actual data of the target record. And the actual data immediately after the continuous blank data is set as the head data of the actual data of the next target record. Even when the actual data immediately before the continuous blank data is concatenated with the actual data concatenated so far, the maximum concatenated data length should not be exceeded (if the concatenated data length exceeds the maximum value, it will be exceeded) Minute actual data is the actual data of the next target record).

  The data conversion unit 111f converts update data composed of the records 20a read by the data reading unit 111a or update data composed of the records 20d generated by the record generation unit 111e from the ASCII format to the binary format.

  The storage unit 112 functions as a work area for the control unit 111 and a storage area for update data, and may include a local memory and a cache memory. The storage unit 112 can read and write data electrically, magnetically, or optically, and includes, for example, a semiconductor storage device (hard disk, memory), magnetic tape, flexible disk, magneto-optical disk, and optical disk.

  The communication interface 113 includes a serial interface and a parallel interface for connecting to the printer 13b. Further, an Ethernet (registered trademark) adapter and a modem for connecting to the host computer 11 via the network 14 are included.

  The input unit 114 receives input from an operator, and includes a keyboard and a pointing device.

  The display unit 115 displays a screen for accepting data input to the operator, displays various processing results and progress by the server 12b, and includes a display such as a liquid crystal display device.

<Printer configuration>
As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 13 b mainly includes a control unit (CPU) 131, a flash memory 132, a RAM 133, a communication interface 134, an operation button 135, a display unit 136, and a printer unit 137, each of which includes a bus 138. Connected through.

  The control unit 131 appropriately reads and executes firmware and various programs stored in the flash memory 132, and controls the entire printer 13b. In addition, the control unit 131 includes a firmware rewriting unit 131a that reads and executes a rewriting program and rewrites firmware in response to an instruction from the server 12b or in response to reception of firmware update data.

  The flash memory 132 is a nonvolatile memory capable of batch erasing and rewriting of data in units of sectors (for example, 64 KB units).

  The RAM 133 functions as a local memory or a cache memory used by the control unit 131 when executing a program.

  The communication interface 134 includes a serial interface such as RS-232C and USB and a parallel interface such as SCSI for connecting to the server 12b.

  The operation button 135 is for accepting an input by the operator.

  The display unit 136 displays a screen for accepting data input to the operator, displays various processing results and progress by the printer 13b, or status information, and includes a liquid crystal display device and LEDs.

  The printer unit 137 includes a print head and a paper transport mechanism, and performs printing on recording paper under the control of the control unit 131.

<Update data transmission process>
Next, processing when the server 12b transmits update data for updating the firmware stored in the flash memory 132 of the printer 13b to the printer 13b will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the server 12b performs preprocessing for firmware update data transmission processing (step S101). For example, the control unit 111 stops the resident printer spooler. Next, the data reading unit 111a sequentially reads the firmware update data for the printer 13b in the Motorola S3 format stored in the storage unit 112 for each record (step S102). When the S7 record indicating the end of the update data is read (step S103: Yes), each read record in the S3 format is binary converted to the format shown in FIG. 2B (step S104).

  The ASCII codes 0x30 (“0”) to 0x39 (“9”) and 0x41 (“A”) to 0X46 (“F”) become 0x0 to 0x9 and 0xA to 0xF, respectively, by binary conversion. That is, the data amount is halved by converting the ASCII code to binary. As shown in FIG. 2, the data in the data length field 22, the address field 23, and the data field 24 excluding the type field 21 are subjected to binary conversion, and the binary-converted data length field 22, address field 23, and data field 24 data are converted. A checksum is generated based on Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the update data is 8 bytes comprising a 2-byte type field 26, a 1-byte data length field 27, a 4-byte address field 28, and a 1-byte checksum field 30. Is an array of records 20b composed of management data and a data field 29 of 250 bytes at the maximum. Hereinafter, the format illustrated in FIG. 2A is referred to as “S3 ASCII format”, and the format illustrated in FIG. 2B is referred to as “S3 binary format”.

  Next, the blank data detection unit 111b detects whether or not blank data (0xFF) continuous for 10 bytes or more is included in the actual data in the data field 29 while reading the update data for each record (Step S1). S105). Note that it is preferable to detect the presence or absence of blank data not only within one record but also within actual data of successive records. For example, when the last 5 bytes of the actual data of the previous record are blank data and the first 5 bytes of the actual data of the next record are blank data, they are detected as blank data that is continuous for 10 bytes or more. .

  If there is no blank data continuous for 10 bytes or more (step S105: No), the data length comparison unit 111c determines that the concatenated data length when the actual data is concatenated is the maximum concatenated data length (2K bytes in this example). It is determined whether or not it exceeds (step S106). That is, it is determined whether or not the sum of the actual data lengths of the records read so far exceeds the maximum value of the concatenated data length. If the concatenated data length does not exceed 2K bytes, which is the maximum concatenated data length (step S106: No), the data concatenation unit 111d concatenates the actual data read (concatenated) and the actual data read this time. (Step S107).

  Here, the maximum value of the concatenated data length is a time required for communication of data of a predetermined size, measured using the record length as a parameter, and an effective and efficient record length in which the communication time is short and the record length is not too long. It is determined and determined in advance by experiments. However, simply increasing the record length does not increase the effect of shortening the communication time, but it also takes time to detect errors during communication and is not efficient. In addition, it is preferable to set the sector size of the flash memory 132 of the printer 13b or less. For example, if the communication interfaces 113 and 134 are RS-232C or USB serial interfaces, it is experimentally determined that the maximum value of the linked data length is preferably about 2 Kbytes.

  In this case, it is preferable that a predetermined maximum value of the linked data length is stored in the server 12b as a lookup table for each interface or communication speed and is selected as appropriate. Alternatively, the communication speed between the server 12b and the printer 13b may be measured, and the maximum linked data value may be selected from the table according to the measured value. For example, the communication speed is measured by transmitting data of a predetermined size from the server 12b to the printer 13b, the printer 13b notifying the server 12b that the reception has been completed, and the server 12b from the start of transmission until receiving the notification. By measuring the time, the approximate communication speed can be obtained.

  Next, it is determined whether update data has been read to the end (step S108). That is, it is determined whether or not the terminator S7 record has been read, and the processing from step S105 to step S108 is repeated until the terminator is read.

  In this way, the actual data is concatenated so that the data length of the actual data is 2K bytes, and finally, the record 20b in the S3 binary format shown in FIG. 2B is converted to the SC shown in FIG. The record 20c is converted into a binary format. Here, the SC binary format is the applicant's original data format, which is a 2-byte type field 31 (SC), a 2-byte data length field 32 (upper digit 32a, lower digit 32b), and a 4-byte address. The field 33 is composed of a data field 34 having a maximum of 2 Kbytes and a checksum field 35 having 1 byte. Each management data (32, 33, 35) is generated based on the linked actual data. It should be noted that the S7 record, which is an S3 format terminator, is replaced with an SX record as an SC format terminator.

  On the other hand, when blank data that is continuous for 10 bytes or more is detected in step S105 (step S105: Yes), the data concatenation unit 111d deletes the continuous blank data, and replaces the actual data up to immediately before the blank data. Link to the actual data linked so far (step S109). The actual data following the deleted blank data is generated as the next record. Then, the record generation unit 111e generates management data corresponding to the linked actual data, adds the management data to the linked data, and generates the SC binary format record 20c (step S110).

  Also, in step S106, even when the concatenated data length exceeds 2 Kbytes (step S106: Yes), the record generation unit 111e generates management data according to the concatenated actual data and adds it to the concatenated data. An SC binary format record 20c is generated (step S110). Although illustration is omitted, a new record is also generated when it is determined that the preceding and succeeding records are discontinuous from the address specified in the address field. That is, records are generated so that actual data does not become discontinuous within one record.

  If it is determined in step S108 that update data has been read to the end (step S108: Yes), the server 12b prepares for communication with the printer 13b (step S111). For example, the interface 15b is opened and the state of the communication line (whether it is busy) is confirmed. In addition, the model ID and firmware version of the printer 13b are acquired, and it is confirmed whether or not the connected printer 13b is a printer that is the target of update data to be transmitted. When communication preparation is completed, an array of SC binary format records 20c is sequentially transmitted to the printer 13b to the printer 13b (step S112).

  When the transmission of the update data is completed, the server 12b measures the completion of the rewriting process by the printer 13b, acquires the firmware version from the printer, and confirms the success or failure of the firmware update (step S113).

  Thus, the total number of records can be reduced by concatenating actual data within a range not exceeding 2 K bytes, which is the maximum value of the concatenated data length, and generating a new record 20c. If the number of records is reduced, the number of management data required for each record (unit data) is also reduced, so that the total amount of transmission data is reduced, and thus the communication time of firmware update data to the printer 13b is shortened. be able to.

  Further, since continuous blank data exceeding the length of the management data is deleted, the total amount of transmission data can be reduced. Since the new record 20c is generated even if the concatenated data length is less than the maximum concatenated data length, there is a possibility that the number of records increases and the number of management data increases, but it continues beyond the length of the management data. Since the blank data to be deleted is deleted, it is possible to reduce the data amount of at least 1 byte per record.

  In this embodiment, after all the update data in the S3 ASCII format is read, binary conversion processing, blank data detection processing, and actual data concatenation processing are performed. You may make it perform the process of.

<Firmware rewrite processing>
Next, the firmware rewriting process performed by the printer 13b that has received the update data from the server 12b will be described with reference to FIG.

  In parallel with the communication preparation of the server 12b (step S111), the printer 13b prepares for communication (step S201). In addition, an area of the RAM 133 (hereinafter referred to as “image area”) in which an image of the flash memory is created is initialized to 0xFF data. Next, the SC binary format update data transmitted from the server 12b is sequentially read one record at a time (step S202). The printer 13b generates a checksum based on the received data, checks whether the checksum matches the checksum included in the received record, and determines the success or failure of data communication (step S203). If they do not match (step S203: No), an error is notified to the server 12b (step S204).

  If the checksums match and it is determined that the received record is normal (step S203: Yes), it is determined whether or not the read record 20c is a terminator SX record (step S205). If it is not an SX record, the data specified in the data field 34 is written in the image area of the RAM 133 corresponding to the address specified in the address field 33 (step S206). The above processing (steps S202 to S206) is repeated until all records are received.

  If the read record 20c is a terminator SX record (step S205: Yes), the data in the firmware storage area of the flash memory 132 is erased (step S207), and the data stored in the image area of the RAM 133 is replaced with the firmware of the flash memory 132. Write to the storage area (step S208). After completing the writing, the printer 13b resets itself and restarts with the updated firmware (step S209). Thereafter, the firmware version is transmitted in response to a request from the server 12b.

<Modification of update data transmission process>
In the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the S3 ASCII format is converted to the S3 binary format and then converted to the SC binary format. However, the S3 ASCII format may be converted to the SC ASCII format and then converted to the SC binary format. That is, the ASCII / binary conversion may be performed before the S3 format is converted to the SC format, or may be performed after the S3 format is converted to the SC format.

  Hereinafter, update data transmission processing in the latter case will be described with reference to FIG. Detailed description of the same processing as that shown in FIG. 4 is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the timing for executing the binary conversion process (steps S309 and S104) is different. Further, the maximum value of the concatenated data length differs according to the difference in execution timing of the binary conversion process, which was 2K bytes (step S106) in the above-described process, but is 4K bytes in the modified example (step S304). .

  The control unit 111 performs preprocessing (step S301), and reads the firmware update data for the printer 13b in the Motorola S3 format stored in the storage unit 112 for each record (step S302). Next, it is determined whether the actual data in the data field 24 includes blank data that continues for 10 bytes or more (step S303). If there is no blank data continuous for 10 bytes or more (step S303: No), it is determined whether the concatenated data length exceeds the maximum concatenated data length (4 K bytes in this example) (step S304). If the concatenated data length does not exceed 4K bytes, which is the maximum concatenated data length (step S304: No), the data concatenation unit 111d concatenates the actual data read previously and the actual data read this time (step S305). ). The firmware update data is read for each record, but the actual data concatenation process (step S305) and the concatenated data length confirmation process (step S304) are performed in units of bytes. The concatenated data length is prevented from exceeding the maximum value of the concatenated data length. Next, it is determined whether update data has been read to the end, that is, whether a terminator (S7 record) has been read (step S306), and the processing from step S303 to step S306 is repeated until the terminator is read. In this way, the actual data is reconstructed in units of 4K bytes.

  On the other hand, when blank data of 10 bytes or more is detected in step S303 (step S303: Yes), the continuous blank data is deleted, and the real data up to the point immediately before the blank data is connected. The data is linked (step S307). Then, management data corresponding to the concatenated data is generated and added to the concatenated data to generate the SC ASCII format record 20d (step S308). Here, the SC ASCII format is the applicant's original data format in which the actual data length of the S3 ASCII format is expanded to 4 Kbytes, and is a 2-byte type field 36 (SC) and a 4-byte data length field 37 ( A high-order digit 37a, a low-order digit 37b), an 8-byte address field 38, a data field 39 having a maximum of 4 Kbytes, and a 2-byte checksum field 40.

  In step S304, even when the concatenated data length exceeds 4K bytes (step S304: Yes), management data corresponding to the actual data (4K bytes) concatenated so far is generated and added to the concatenated data. Then, the SC ASCII format record 20d is generated (step S309).

  If it is determined in step S306 that update data has been read to the end (step S306: Yes), the array of SC ASCII format records 20d is converted to the array of SC binary format records 20c (step S309). When the binary conversion is completed, the server 12b prepares for communication with the printer 13b (step S310), and sequentially transmits an array of SC binary format records 20c to the printer 13b (step S311). After the end of transmission, after waiting for a predetermined time, the firmware version of the printer is acquired, and the success or failure of the update process is confirmed (step S312).

  The present invention compiles firmware source code created in a programming language to generate S3 ASCII format data, converts the S3 ASCII format data into SC binary format data, and transmits the data to the peripheral device. The server 12b may be caused to execute a series of processes. Further, the series of processing may be executed by the host computer 11 and transmitted to the printer 13b via the server 12b.

  In the above embodiment, the firmware update by the peripheral device is rewritten in a batch for all sectors in which the firmware is stored, but may be rewritten for each sector.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system according to the present invention. The figure which shows the format of the unit data which comprises update data. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of a server and a printer. The flowchart of an update data transmission process. The flowchart of a firmware rewriting process. The flowchart which concerns on the modification of update data transmission processing.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Firmware rewriting system, 11 ... Host computer, 12a, 12b, 12c ... Server, 13a1, 13a2, 13b, 13c, 13d ... Printer, 14 ... Network, 15a1, 15a2, 15b, 15c, 15d ... Interface, 20a, 20b , 20c, 20d ... record, 111 ... control unit, 111a ... data reading unit, 111b ... blank data detection unit, 111c ... data length comparison unit, 111d ... data connection unit, 111e ... record (unit data) generation unit, 111f ... Data conversion unit 112 ... storage unit 113, 134 communication interface 131 control unit 131a firmware rewrite unit 132 flash memory 133 RAM

Claims (15)

An update data transmission method in a host device for transmitting update data for updating firmware of a peripheral device to the peripheral device,
(A) sequentially reading a source record of a first format including source object data and source management data;
(B) converting the source record into a second type target record including target object data and target management data;
(C) transmitting the target record to the peripheral device, and the step (b) includes:
(B1) generating an object data string obtained by combining the source object data to have a predetermined length;
(B2) During the execution of the step (b1), it is detected whether or not there is a blank data string longer than the target management data in the source object data, and if the blank data string exists Generating object data ending with data immediately before the blank data string and object data starting from data immediately after the blank data string so as not to include the blank data string;
(B3) generating management data corresponding to the object data generated in the steps (b1) and (b2), and setting the target record using the object data and management data as the target object data and the target management data, respectively. An update data transmission method comprising: generating the update data. The update data transmission method according to claim 1,
The first format is a format expressed in ASCII code, the second format is a format expressed in binary,
(D) The update data transmission method further comprising the step of converting the source record into a binary source record. The update data transmission method according to claim 1,
The first and second formats are expressed in ASCII code,
The step (b) further comprises the step of (b4) converting the target record generated in the step (b3) into a binary target record. In the update data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The update data transmission method, wherein the predetermined length is set to be equal to or less than a data rewrite unit length of a flash memory in which firmware of the peripheral device is stored. In the update data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The update data transmission method, wherein the predetermined length is set according to a type of an interface to which the peripheral device is connected. In the update data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
(E) An update data transmission method further comprising the step of measuring a communication speed with the peripheral device and setting the predetermined length based on the measurement result.   The program for making a computer perform each step in the update data transmission method as described in any one of Claims 1-6.   The recording medium which recorded the program for making a computer perform each step in the update data transmission method as described in any one of Claims 1-6. In the host device that transmits the update data for updating the firmware of the peripheral device to the peripheral device,
A source record in the first format including source object data and source control data is sequentially read, and the read source record is converted into a target record in a second format including target object data and target management data. A control unit for transmitting the target record to the peripheral device;
The controller is
A data concatenation unit for generating an object data string obtained by combining the source object data so as to have a predetermined length;
A blank data detector that detects whether or not there is a blank data string in the source object data that is longer than the length of the target management data;
A record generation unit that generates management data according to the object data generated by the data connection unit, and generates the target record using the object data and the management data as the target object data and the target management data, respectively. Prepared,
The data connector is
When the blank data string is detected by the blank data detection unit, object data ending with data immediately before the blank data string and object data starting from data immediately after the blank data string are generated, and object data A host device characterized in that the blank data string is not included in the host device. The host device according to claim 9,
The first format is a format expressed in ASCII code, the second format is a format expressed in binary,
A host device further comprising a data conversion unit for converting the source record into a binary source record. The host device according to claim 9,
The first and second formats are expressed in ASCII code,
The host device further includes a data conversion unit that converts the target record generated by the record generation unit into a binary target record. The host device according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The host device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined length is set to be equal to or less than a data rewrite unit length of a flash memory in which firmware of the peripheral device is stored. In the host device according to any one of claims 9 to 12,
The predetermined length is set according to the type of interface to which the peripheral device is connected. A system comprising the host device according to any one of claims 9 to 13 and a peripheral device connected to the host device,
The peripheral device is:
A receiving unit that receives update data including the record in the second format transmitted from the host device;
And a rewriting unit that rewrites firmware stored in a flash memory based on the update data received by the receiving unit. The system of claim 14, wherein
After the rewriting of the firmware is completed by the rewriting unit, the peripheral device resets itself and restarts with the updated firmware, and transmits the version information of the firmware in response to a request from the host device. Feature system.