KR20140079980A - Method for upgrading software of mobile terminal and mobile terminal device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for efficiently upgrading software of an M2M terminal to which power is irregularly applied. Provided in the present invention is a method for upgrading software of a mobile terminal comprising the following steps: (a) the mobile terminal checks information on a cycle of access to a predetermined upgrade server when power is applied; (b) the mobile terminal determines whether the checked cycle of the access to the upgrade server has passed; (c) the mobile terminal accesses the upgrade server in a case that the cycle of the access has passed from the determining result; and (d) the mobile terminal performs an upgrade operation according to a terminal software upgrade guide from the accessed upgrade server.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a software upgrading method for a wireless terminal,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic software upgrading method for a terminal, and more particularly, to an efficient software upgrading method for an M2M terminal with irregular power supply.

In general, electronic devices are equipped with software that controls and utilizes hardware functions at the time of launch. With the development of the latest technology and the rapid pace of development, new software is constantly being developed to improve the functions of electronic devices. As time goes by, new equipment changes and new versions of software must be upgraded according to user's various needs. Firmware, which is located between software and hardware and connects to each other, is mainly upgraded.

Firmware is generally a microprogram that controls the hardware stored in the ROM. From the point of view of the program, it is the same as the software, but it has a close relation with the hardware. Therefore, the firmware is distinguished from the general application software and has both the software and the hardware. For example, when you create a hardware that performs a certain function, if you make all the circuits that control it only as hardware, the structure becomes complicated and it becomes difficult to express the logical expression. In this case, a large part of the software is replaced by software, but the storage of the software as a central part of the hardware control circuit can solve the problem simply and at low cost. The hardware software is called firmware.

2. Description of the Related Art [0002] In recent years, a software upgrade process for a mobile phone, a smart phone terminal device or an object intelligence communication (M2M) terminal device having a wireless communication function is performed wirelessly by a method called FOTA. That is, a method of wirelessly upgrading the software or firmware of a device via a wireless communication function is recently used instead of an inconvenient method of upgrading the software by directly connecting to the device.

Here, while a mobile phone or a smart phone terminal device is usually kept in a standby state since the power is always applied, in the case of an M2M terminal device, it is often used for a special purpose. In most cases, There is a problem that the upgrade process of the FOTA method performed on a mobile phone or a smartphone terminal device is not smoothly performed.

That is, the FOTA method generally supports the software upgrade service in three ways. A push method, a polling method, and a pull method are typical examples. In the push method, a server transmits a software upgrade notification to a terminal and a terminal connects to a server to perform an upgrade. The pull method is a method of upgrading after connecting to the server upon inputting an upgrade request signal on the user interface screen of the terminal.

Among these methods, since the M2M terminal device often does not provide a user interface, it is difficult to use the pull method, and the software upgrade processing is performed using the push method or the polling method.

However, since the M2M terminal device is often not powered at all times due to its characteristics, if the push notification is transmitted from the server to the terminal when the push method is used, there is a problem that the upgrade process is not performed when the power of the M2M terminal device is turned off have.

In the case of the polling method, the terminal periodically connects to the server to check whether or not to upgrade. Since the power is irregularly applied according to the use of the user, the M2M terminal device is difficult to connect to the server periodically. It is connected to the server to confirm whether or not to upgrade.

As described above, a technique for performing upgrade processing every time power is applied to a terminal is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-0038828.

However, when the M2M terminal device is connected to the server for performing the software upgrade process every time the power of the M2M terminal device is applied, unnecessary connection processing is performed each time, which causes a problem of increasing the load on the wireless network.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method for increasing the software upgrade success rate of the terminal while reducing the load on the wireless network.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved software upgrade algorithm capable of reducing a load on a wireless network while effectively performing a software upgrade process in an M2M terminal or the like, There is a purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be described hereinafter and will be understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Further, objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and the combination shown in the appended claims.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for upgrading software of a wireless terminal through a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of: (a) Checking connection cycle information of the connection period; (b) the wireless terminal determines whether the connection period to the identified upgrade server has elapsed; (c) connecting to the upgrade server when the access period has elapsed as a result of the determination in the wireless terminal; And (d) the wireless terminal performing the upgrade according to the terminal software upgrade instructions from the connected upgrade server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless terminal device for upgrading software through a wireless network, the wireless terminal device comprising: a connection period checking module for checking connection period information to a preset upgrade server when power is applied; A cycle lapse determining module for determining whether a connection cycle to the upgrade server confirmed through the connection cycle check module has elapsed; A connection processing module for connecting to the upgrade server when a connection period has elapsed as a result of the determination in the periodic lapse determination module; And an upgrade processing module for performing an upgrade according to terminal software upgrade instructions from the connected upgrade server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium on which is recorded a program installed in a wireless terminal and upgraded with software through a wireless network, comprising: a procedure of confirming connection cycle information to an upgrade server preset at power- A procedure for determining whether or not the connection period to the upgrade server has elapsed; and a procedure for connecting to the upgrade server when the connection period has elapsed as a result of the determination. According to the terminal software upgrade instructions from the connected upgrade server There is provided a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing a procedure for performing an upgrade.

According to the present invention, when the power of the M2M terminal device (credit payment machine, golf cart, etc.) which can not be always powered is checked, the period set in the terminal is checked, and only when the period has expired, It improves the software upgrade algorithm and improves the success rate of the software upgrade, thereby reducing load caused by frequent connection of the wireless network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description of the invention below, And should not be construed as limiting.
1 is a block diagram illustrating a system in which a method for upgrading a software of a wireless terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is implemented.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless terminal device in which a software upgrade method according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed.
3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure of a software upgrade method of a wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure performed by a terminal and a server according to a software upgrade method of a wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms, and the inventor should appropriately interpret the concepts of the terms appropriately It should be interpreted in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a system in which a method for upgrading a software of a wireless terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

1, a system in which a software upgrading method of a wireless terminal according to the present invention is implemented includes a wireless terminal 100 for upgrading software through a wireless network and software And an upgrade server 200 for supporting and managing upgrades.

In the present invention, the upgrade server 200 performing software upgrade processing for a plurality of wireless terminals 100 performs a software upgrade process of the wireless terminal 100 through a wireless network, It is a way to reduce the load of the server connecting through the wireless network.

The wireless terminal 100 is a terminal device capable of data communication through a wireless network connection function and a wireless network. The wireless terminal 100 may be configured in various forms according to the purpose of use, and includes a smart phone (M2M) terminal including a mobile phone and a smart phone. In addition, the wireless terminal 100 is provided with a software upgrade function through a wireless network using a wireless network connection function. The software upgrade function through the wireless network may be performed according to a firmware over the air (FOTA) scheme.

In addition, the object intelligent communication terminal (hereinafter, referred to as M2M terminal) is a wireless terminal to which power is applied irregularly, and is a terminal that is irregularly supplied with power according to the need of the user, . Examples of the M2M terminal include a wireless card payment terminal, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal such as navigation and a black box, and the like.

In the wireless terminal 100, software is loaded to perform a function according to a specific use. The software includes operating system software for driving a terminal and controlling various functions, firmware software for controlling the hardware, And application software installed and executed.

As described above, the version information is recorded in the software installed in the terminal, and the upgrading process can be performed with the latest software improved when the software is improved.

The upgrade server 200 supports and manages a software upgrade process to the wireless terminals 100. The upgrade server 200 can perform a software upgrade process by wireless data communication through a wireless network. The upgrade server 200 may provide the connection period information to the wireless terminals 100 and allow the server 200 to access the server 200 when the connection period arrives to proceed with the software upgrade process.

The upgraded server 200 receives updated latest software from an operator or a developer, updates and stores the updated software in the database 250, and provides the latest software in the upgrade process so that the latest software can be provided to the wireless terminal 100 do. The upgrade server 200 stores and manages the server connection cycle from the operator or the developer and stores the server connection cycle in the database 250. The upgrade server 200 provides the server connection cycle information set at the connection of the wireless terminal 100, . The upgrade server 200 may be included in a DMS (Device Management Server) that is a terminal device management server.

According to the present invention, in order to upgrade the software installed in the wireless terminal 100, the access period information provided by the upgrade server 200 is referred to and the server 200 is accessed at the time of the connection period, It is determined whether or not the software installed in the terminal 100 is upgraded, and the upgrading process is performed if necessary. At this time, when the power is applied to the wireless terminal 100, it is first determined whether or not the connection period has elapsed at the present time based on the current time information and the connection period information stored in the terminal, The connection processing is performed by the upgrade server 200 only. On the other hand, when the connection period is not elapsed when the power is turned on, the server connection processing is not performed, and unnecessary wireless network connection and server connection are restricted so that the processing load of the wireless network and the server can be reduced.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a wireless terminal device in which a software upgrade method according to the present invention is performed will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless terminal device in which a software upgrade method according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed.

Referring to the drawings, a wireless terminal device 100 according to the present invention is a terminal device that accesses an upgrade server through a wireless network and upgrades software installed in the terminal, and includes a connection period checking module 110, An access processing module 120, an access processing module 130, an upgrade processing module 140, a connection period update module 150, and the like.

The connection period checking module 110 checks the connection period information stored in the terminal when the wireless terminal is powered on. That is, the operation of confirming the upgrade server connection cycle information recorded in advance in the terminal at the time of starting the operation in accordance with the power supply of the wireless terminal is performed for the first time. At this time, the connection period information is received from the upgrade server through the connection period update module 150, which will be described later, and is stored and managed in the terminal.

The periodic lapse determination module 120 determines whether a connection period to the upgrade server has arrived. The periodic lapse determining module 120 determines whether the connection period to the server that has been checked through the connection period checking module 110 has elapsed. At this time, the time period determining module 120 calculates the time information at the current time, . That is, power is applied to the terminal to check the connection period when the terminal is activated, calculates the current time, and determines whether or not the connection period has elapsed or expired at the present time.

Therefore, even in the case of the M2M terminal in which the power supply is irregular and the power is applied only when necessary, the periodic lapse determining module 120 accurately determines the connection period without connecting to the upgrade server every time the power is turned on .

The connection processing module 130 performs connection processing to the upgrade server through the wireless network, and controls the connection processing only when the connection period has elapsed. That is, when it is determined in the periodic lapse determination module 120 that the connection period has elapsed or expired at the current time, the wireless access process to the upgrade server is performed through the wireless network.

The upgrade processing module 140 determines whether or not a software upgrade of the terminal is required when accessing the upgrade server, and performs a software upgrade process of the terminal through the server when the upgrade is required. The upgrade processing module 140 includes a version comparison unit 142, a download unit 144, an upgrade unit 146, and the like.

The version comparing unit 142 receives the latest software version information from the server when accessing the upgrade server, and compares the latest software version information with the software version loaded on the terminal. As a result of the comparison, if the version information is the same, the upgrade process is skipped, and if the version information is different, the software upgrade process is performed through the server.

When the version comparing unit 142 controls the download unit 144 to perform the software upgrade process, the download unit 144 downloads the latest software from the upgrade server. At this time, the software data is downloaded to the wireless data communication through the wireless network.

When the downloading of the software from the server is completed through the downloading unit 144, the upgrading unit 146 re-installs and updates (or updates) the software loaded in the terminal with the latest software downloaded. In this way, the latest software provided by the upgrade server is loaded on the terminal.

When the connection to the upgrade server or the software upgrade process is performed through the upgrade server, the connection cycle update module 150 receives the connection cycle information from the upgrade server and updates and stores the connection cycle information stored and managed in the terminal . This allows the operator to adjust the access period to the server of the terminal on the server side. When the upgrade is completed or the connection period information update is completed, a process of terminating the connection with the upgrade server can be performed.

3 is a diagram illustrating a procedure of a software upgrade method of a wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the software upgrade procedure performed by the wireless terminal will be described. First, in a state where the power of the M2M terminal according to the special purpose is cut off, power is applied to the terminal according to the user's need. Of course, even in the case of a mobile phone or a smartphone to which power is always applied, the power is cut off and the power is again applied. (S10)

A procedure for extracting the connection period information to the upgrade server stored in the terminal is first performed according to the power-on of the terminal. At this time, the connection period information stored in the terminal is updated and stored period information provided when the server is connected to the server (S11)

Upon extracting the connection period information, the terminal proceeds to a procedure of calculating time information of the current time point. At this time, the time information calculation may be performed through the time measuring means operating in the terminal, or the current time information may be received through the external time information providing means. (S12)

The terminal determines whether or not the connection period to the server has elapsed through the connection period and the current time information. That is, it is determined whether the connection period in which the current time has been extracted has elapsed or the connection period has expired (S13)

If it is determined that the connection cycle has not elapsed or has not expired, control is performed so that connection processing to the server is not performed. If it is determined that the connection cycle has elapsed or has expired, connection processing to the upgrade server The proceeding procedure is performed. (S14)

After connecting to the upgrade server, the terminal performs software upgrade processing of the terminal according to the instructions of the upgrade server. At this time, the FOTA method can be used for the upgrade processing. Of course, when the software upgrade process of the terminal is not required according to the upgrade instructions, the upgrade process is not performed (S15)

After performing the upgrade process with the upgrade server, the terminal receives the connection cycle information from the server, and updates the connection cycle information stored in the terminal and proceeds to store the information. Through this, the connection period to the next server is set (S16)

Through the above procedure, the present invention can perform planned server connection and upgrade processing according to connection period information rather than unconditionally connecting and upgrading the server when power is applied to the terminal, And to perform an accurate and efficient upgrade process for the terminal.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure performed by a terminal and a server according to a software upgrade method of a wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the power is applied to the wireless terminal, in particular, the M2M terminal, and a procedure for starting the wireless terminal proceeds. (S20)

The M2M terminal is activated and a procedure for confirming the period set in the terminal is performed. That is, when power is applied, a process of confirming the server connection period set in the terminal is performed without accessing the upgrade server unconditionally. (S21)

If it is determined that the connection period has not elapsed as a result of checking the server connection period, control is performed so that connection processing to the server is not performed until the connection period arrives. If connection period has elapsed, connection to the upgrade server (S22)

The upgrade server connects the terminal according to the connection request of the terminal, and inquires about the version information of the latest software being stored and managed in the server. The version information inquiry may be performed according to the request of the terminal or may be performed by automatically inquiring the version information when the terminal is connected (S23)

The upgrade server transmits the version information of the searched latest software to the connected M2M terminal. The software at this time may be the firmware or the operating system software, and may be general application software (S24).

The M2M terminal refers to the software version information received from the server and compares the information with the version information of the software loaded on the terminal. (S25) At this time, if the version information coincides with each other, the terminal software upgrade process is omitted . That is, since the software installed in the terminal is in the latest state, it is determined that a separate upgrade is not necessary (S25)

On the other hand, as a result of the version comparison, when it is confirmed that the versions are different from each other, it is determined that a software upgrade is required, and a procedure for requesting download of the latest software to the upgrade server is performed (S26)

In the upgrade server, a process of extracting the latest software data, software package, or update-minute data stored in the database is performed according to the download request (S27)

The upgrade server extracts the software from the database and then proceeds to transmit the software through the wireless network to the wireless terminal that requested the download (S28)

Thereafter, the M2M terminal performs a procedure of upgrading and installing the software installed in the terminal, using the software downloaded from the server. (S29) In addition to this, the M2M terminal receives the connection cycle information from the server, .

When the upgrade installation is completed, the M2M terminal ends the connection with the server through the wireless network and ends the procedure.

As described above, according to the procedure of the present invention, when the M2M terminal having irregular power supply is connected to the server every time the power is turned on, It is possible to connect to the server and perform upgrade processing only when the period has elapsed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce wireless network resource waste and server load due to unnecessary server connection. Also, terminals with irregular power supply can be connected to the server every predetermined period to check whether or not the upgrade is performed, thereby improving the software upgrade success rate of the terminal and efficiently upgrading the terminal.

The method of the present invention as described above may be embodied as a program and stored in a computer-readable recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, a RAM, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk).

While the specification contains many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the scope of the claims. In addition, the features described in the individual embodiments herein may be combined and implemented in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described herein in a single embodiment may be implemented in various embodiments individually or in a suitable subcombination.

It is to be understood that, although the operations have been described in a particular order in the figures, it should be understood that such operations are performed in a particular order as shown, or that a series of sequential orders, or all described operations, . In some circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. It should also be understood that the division of various system components in the above embodiments does not require such distinction in all embodiments. The above-described program components and systems can generally be implemented as a single software product or as a package in multiple software products.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the drawings.

100: M2M terminal
200: Upgrade Server
250: Database

Claims (15)

A method for upgrading software of a wireless terminal over a wireless network,
(a) confirming connection cycle information to a preset upgrade server when the power supply is turned on;
(b) the wireless terminal determines whether the connection period to the identified upgrade server has elapsed;
(c) connecting to the upgrade server when the access period has elapsed as a result of the determination in the wireless terminal; And
(d) The wireless terminal performs the upgrade according to the terminal software upgrade instructions from the connected upgrade server. The method according to claim 1,
After the step (b)
And not connecting to the upgrade server when the connection period has not elapsed as a result of the determination. The method according to claim 1,
The step (a)
Wherein the wireless terminal confirms the connection period information previously received from the upgrade server and stored in the terminal. The method according to claim 1,
The step (b)
And checking whether the connection period has elapsed by calculating the connection period information and the current time point. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the wireless terminal is an intelligent communication (M2M) terminal to which power is irregularly applied. The method according to claim 1,
After the step (d)
(f) receiving the new connection period information from the upgrade server and updating and storing the new connection period information in the terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein, in the step (d)
And upgrading the software of the wireless terminal through a wireless network in accordance with a Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) scheme. The method according to claim 1,
The step (d)
(1) receiving latest software version information of the connected upgraded server and comparing it with software version information of the current wireless terminal;
(2) downloading the latest software from the upgrade server when the software version information is different from the comparison result; And
(3) upgrading the latest software downloaded to the mobile terminal to the wireless terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the software of the wireless terminal is Firmware software or operating system software of the wireless terminal. 1. A wireless terminal device for upgrading software through a wireless network,
A connection period confirmation module for confirming connection period information to a preset upgrade server when power is applied;
A cycle lapse determining module for determining whether a connection cycle to the upgrade server confirmed through the connection cycle check module has elapsed;
A connection processing module for connecting to the upgrade server when a connection period has elapsed as a result of the determination in the periodic lapse determination module; And
And an upgrade processing module for performing an upgrade according to terminal software upgrade instructions from the connected upgrade server. 11. The method of claim 10,
The connection processing module,
And does not connect to the upgrade server when the connection period has not elapsed as a result of the determination in the periodicity determination module. 11. The method of claim 10,
The connection period checking module includes:
Wherein the connection period information received from the upgrade server and previously stored in the terminal is confirmed. 11. The method of claim 10,
Upon connection to the upgrade server via the connection processing module,
Further comprising: a connection period update module that receives new connection period information from the upgrade server and updates and stores the connection period information in the terminal. 11. The method of claim 10,
The upgrade processing module includes:
A version comparison unit for receiving latest software version information of the connected upgrade server and comparing the latest software version information with software version information of the current wireless terminal;
A download unit for downloading the latest software from the upgrade server when the software version information is different from the version comparison unit; And
And an upgrade unit for upgrading the latest software downloaded through the download unit to the wireless terminal. A program recorded on a wireless terminal for upgrading software via a wireless network,
A procedure for confirming connection cycle information to a preset upgrade server when the power is turned on at the wireless terminal,
Determining whether the connection period to the upgrade server has elapsed;
A procedure for accessing the upgrade server when the connection period has elapsed as a result of the determination; and
And performing upgrade in accordance with a terminal software upgrade instruction from the connected upgrade server.

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