Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F9/00—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units
  • G06F9/06—Arrangements for program control, e.g. control units using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
  • G06F8/60—Software deployment
  • G06F8/65—Updates
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
  • G06K7/0013—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by galvanic contacts, e.g. card connectors for ISO-7816 compliant smart cards or memory cards, e.g. SD card readers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
  • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
  • H04N21/41—Structure of client; Structure of client peripherals
  • H04N21/418—External card to be used in combination with the client device, e.g. for conditional access
  • H04N21/4184—External card to be used in combination with the client device, e.g. for conditional access providing storage capabilities, e.g. memory stick
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
  • H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
  • H04N21/45—Management operations performed by the client for facilitating the reception of or the interaction with the content or administrating data related to the end-user or to the client device itself, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies, resolving scheduling conflicts
  • H04N21/458—Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations
  • H04N21/4586—Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
  • H04N21/80—Generation or processing of content or additional data by content creator independently of the distribution process; Content per se
  • H04N21/81—Monomedia components thereof
  • H04N21/8166—Monomedia components thereof involving executable data, e.g. software
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N7/00—Television systems
  • H04N7/16—Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems
  • H04N7/162—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
  • H04N7/163—Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing by receiver means only

Definitions

• the present invention relates to techniques for updating computer code in computer controlled devices and, more particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for updating computer code in computer controlled devices utilizing an integrated circuit card (smart card) interface.
• integrated circuit card smart card
• the disadvantages associated with the prior art are overcome by the invention of a method and apparatus for providing computer code through a smart card interface.
• the invention utilizes a memory card, i.e., a smart card containing a solid state memory device, that stores software that is used to update (or otherwise supplement) the software within a computer controlled device.
• the smart card interface within the computer controlled device determines whether the card that is inserted into the smart card interface is either a memory card or a conventional smart card.
• a memory card has a connector arrangement that complies with ISO standard 781 6-2 and high speed data ports of an NRSS-type card such that the software update can be performed through the smart card interface.
• the interface requests data from the card. Specifically, the interface provides an NRSS-type clock signal to the memory card causing the NRSS data port to supply the computer code update from the memory card at the rate of about 42 Mbits/second.
• the smart card interface reads the data stream header within the data being supplied by the memory card such that the interface makes a decision to accept the computer code data or reject that data.
• the header information also supplies the interface with operation termination conditions e.g., end of file information.
• the interface provides the computer code to the memory of the computer controlled device to update the computer code therein.
• the technique of the present invention can be widely used in any type of firmware updateable embedded system. It is very convenient for a service person to update the product software in the field as well as for the customer to update the product software themselves. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a software updating system including a smart card interface that operates in accordance with the present invention
• FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram showing the operation of the present invention.
• identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.
• the method and apparatus of the present invention are applicable in performing computer code updates within any computer controlled device having an integrated circuit card interface (commonly known as a smart card interface).
• a computer controlled device having an integrated circuit card interface (commonly known as a smart card interface).
• Such computer controlled devices are in broad use in consumer electronics components such as direct broadcast satellite television systems, set top boxes for cable and video-on-demand systems, high definition television systems, and the like.
• Figure 1 depicts a software updating system 1 00 comprising a computer controlled device 1 02 having a smart card interface 1 20 and a memory card 104.
• the computer controlled device 1 02 comprises a microcontroller 1 08, a computer controlled system 106 (for example, the video processing functions of a television), and a memory 1 10 wherein the computer code 1 22 to be updated is stored.
• the computer controlled device 1 02 further contains a card reader 1 1 2 for a smart card and a connector 1 1 8 that forms the smart card interface 120 to a smart card 104.
• the smart card interface 120 can read either conventional smart cards which comply with the ISO standard 781 6 smart card format or an NRSS type smart card, i.e., a 781 6 compliant card having two high speed data ports.
• the NRSS smart card contains a memory unit 1 1 4 and a memory controller 1 1 6 which together form the memory card 1 04.
• the connector 1 1 8 comprises eight conductive paths for activating and accessing the card 1 04. These paths include six paths 1 26 that comply with ISO standard 781 6-2, namely: supply voltage, reset signal, clock signal, ground, programming voltage, data input/output.
• the card 1 04 includes two paths 1 28 for a high-speed data input and a high-speed data output.
• Other embodiments of the invention may supply the software through the conventional 781 6 I/O port, or through a completely different pin and port arrangement.
• the interface 1 20 determines whether the smart card is a conventional smart card or a memory card 104 containing the computer code update 1 24.
• the microcontroller 1 08 activates an NRSS interface (as opposed to a conventional ISO standard 781 6 interface) to utilize the high speed data ports and extracts the data (the executable computer code 1 24) from the memory card at about 42 Mbits/second.
• the computer code 1 24 is channeled to the memory 1 1 0 and used to update the contents of the memory 1 1 0. In this manner, 3.5 Mbits code size can be updated in the computer controlled device 1 02 in less than two minutes.
• FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of the process 200 used to update the computer code of a computer controlled device.
• the computer code update process 200 is performed in two stages.
• the first stage 202 identifies a memory card as opposed to other types of smart cards and the second stage 204 loads the data from the memory card into the memory of the microcontroller.
• the microcontroller In the memory card identification stage 202, the microcontroller, at step
• a conventional smart card In the reset state, a conventional smart card is in sleep mode, and will not respond to an external signal. As such, any signal applied to any of the pins of the smart card would be ignored by a conventional 781 6 smart card.
• a memory card although in sleep mode, monitors the clock input path, e.g. a SC_CLK input terminal.
• the microcontroller applies a pulse signal to the smart card's SC_CLK terminal. The pulse signal, for example, transitions to high from low and back to high again. In response, the data input/output path of a memory card produces an opposite state signal.
• the microcontroller monitors the data input/output path of the interface connection for a responsive signal. As such, the microcontroller will consider, at step 21 2, the inserted card as a memory card if the data input/output signal transitions from low to high and then to low, i.e., the data input output signal is opposite the applied clock signal. Otherwise, the routine 200 proceeds to step 214 and stops. After card identification stage is complete 202, the system starts to request data from the card in stage 204.
• the controller In the data requesting stage 204, the controller, at step 21 6, utilizes the NRSS interface, i.e., using NRSS CLK and NRSS_DATA control input, to extract data, i.e., the new updated executable code, from the memory card at a about 42 MB/second rate.
• the data stream header is analyzed at step 21 8. According to the data stream header, the microcontroller will make a decision to accept the code data or reject it, as well as obtain operation termination conditions, i.e., obtain an end-of-file identifier. If the data is rejected, the routine 200 proceeds to step 220. If the data is accepted, at step 222, the data is sent to the memory within the computer controlled device for storage.
• the routine stops, at step 224, when a termination condition is met, i.e., an error occurs or a data file end-of-file code is reached.
• the inventive technique can be widely used on any type of firmware updateable imbedded systems such as set top boxes, consumer electronics equipment and the like. It is very convenient for the service person to update the product software in the field, as well as for the customer to update the product software themselves.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Software Systems (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Artificial Intelligence (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (AREA)
• Stored Programmes (AREA)
• Communication Control (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
• Information Transfer Systems (AREA)

Priority Applications (9)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=22313394

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Cited By (13)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (19)

• 1999
  • 1999-11-03 US US09/830,235 patent/US7124210B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-03 BR BR9914820-0A patent/BR9914820A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-11-03 AT AT99956723T patent/ATE287557T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-11-03 IL IL14258099A patent/IL142580A0/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-11-03 AU AU13266/00A patent/AU770251B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-11-03 ES ES99956723T patent/ES2235535T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-11-03 CN CNB998127248A patent/CN1249578C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-03 KR KR1020017004993A patent/KR100642216B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-03 JP JP2000580082A patent/JP4913946B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-03 CA CA002349006A patent/CA2349006C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-11-03 WO PCT/US1999/025253 patent/WO2000026767A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-11-03 DE DE69923352T patent/DE69923352T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-11-03 EP EP99956723A patent/EP1145112B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2001
  • 2001-04-20 ZA ZA200103237A patent/ZA200103237B/en unknown

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events