WO2016189219A1

WO2016189219A1 - Method for updating an application embedded in an electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2016189219A1
Application number: PCT/FR2016/051135
Authority: WO
Inventors: David SOUHAMI
Original assignee: Softathome
Priority date: 2015-05-27
Filing date: 2016-05-13
Publication date: 2016-12-01
Also published as: FR3036819A1; FR3036819B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method which is implemented by a mobile terminal (TRM) in order to control an electronic device (EQ). The method comprises: a step (E10) of downloading, from a portal (STR) for downloading software applications compatible with the operating system (OS) of the terminal (TRM), a software application (APP) providing, when it is executed by the terminal, at least one application function (PIL) allowing a user of the mobile terminal to control (E110) said electronic device (EQ) or an application running on said electronic device; and a step (E40) of establishing communication between the mobile terminal (TRM) and said electronic device (EQ) via a local communication network or via a point-to-point link (COM2). The software application (APP) comprises a module (MAJ) for updating (E80) a system application (APSYS) embedded in said electronic device (EQ) and a module (COM2) for communicating with said electronic device (EQ) in order to update said system application (APSYS).

Description

Method for updating an embedded application in an electronic device

Background rinenvention

The present invention is in the context of updating embedded software in electronic equipment in general and telecommunication equipment in particular.

Telecom operators, pay and free TV operators, manufacturers of set-top boxes or connected objects provide embedded software associated with the connected hardware, which may need to be updated.

In the current state of the art, the updating of such equipment is most often done when an update software (in English "loader") embedded in the connected equipment, detects on the network ( IP, Broadcast) a new version to download. The new version is then downloaded via this network to the equipment for updating the software.

Therefore, in practice, all the electronic equipment to be updated solicit the network substantially at the same time, as the update becomes available on the network.

The network infrastructures necessary to absorb this one-off load are complex and require specific management. The actual update also generates significant network and human costs.

Thus the management of software updates is a major technological and financial challenge - especially for small operators who do not have sufficient technical and budgetary means. They are therefore forced to limit the number of software versions and space their deployment over time in order to reduce the impact on the update management platform and on the network band that this process requires.

The invention aims to solve these disadvantages. Obiet and summary of the invention

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method implemented by a mobile terminal for controlling electronic equipment, this method comprising:

a step of downloading, from a portal dedicated to downloading software applications compatible with the operating system of the terminal, a software application comprising a module for updating a system application embedded in the electronic equipment and a communication module with this electronic equipment for updating the system application;

a step of establishing a communication between the mobile terminal and said electronic equipment via a local communication network or via a point-to-point link.

According to the invention, the software application is not dedicated solely to updating the equipment; it comprises at least one application function allowing, when it is executed by the terminal, to a user of the mobile terminal, to control the electronic equipment or an application executing on said electronic equipment.

In a particular embodiment, the electronic equipment is constituted by a television set, a router or a decoder so that the software application can include an application function for selecting a television program, programming a delayed recording, adjusting the volume or any other function traditionally found on a TV or VCR remote control.

According to the invention, the software application includes a module for updating a system application embedded in the electronic equipment and a communication module with the electronic equipment for updating this system application.

Thus, the invention proposes, in order to facilitate the updating of the software of connected equipment to use the portal infrastructure (in English) "app-shops" dedicated to downloading software applications for mobile phones, tablets etc. . The app-shop platforms are designed and sized to handle millions of users and applications. They also allow the provision of free applications.

In a particular embodiment, the terminal is constituted by a mobile phone, a computer, or a digital tablet.

According to the invention, it is a question of inserting the new version of the system application of the equipment to be updated in a mobile application and to make it available on the portal ("app-shop"), the choice of this portal depending on the operating system of the mobile terminal.

The user of the on-board equipment (to be updated) downloads the application on his mobile / tablet from the portal concerned. Once the mobile application has been downloaded, and if the mobile terminal is on the same local area network (or has point-to-point communication means) as the equipment to be updated, the mobile application and the equipment will be able to exchange information necessary to update the equipment safely, and without the need for access to an external network. Thus the binary of the new version of the embedded software included in the mobile application is transferred from the mobile to the onboard equipment, then the equipment performs the replacement of the current software version by the new version.

In one embodiment, once the update is successfully completed, the updated equipment or the mobile application can return information to a dedicated management system to confirm the correct execution of the update.

If the update fails, the software application may inform the equipment management system of the problem so that actions can be taken to restore the proper functioning of the equipment.

According to the invention, the mobile application is not dedicated solely to updating the equipment, but it includes other functionalities for controlling the equipment or an application running on this equipment.

Thus, the user does not explicitly request the downloading of an update of the embedded software in the electronic equipment, but the update is done transparently from the application allowing him, from his terminal, to pilot the application functions of his equipment. When a new version of the embedded system application is prepared, it is integrated into a new version of the mobile application. The current version of the mobile application in the terminal detects the availability of this update and can download it.

It should be noted that the communication protocol between the mobile terminal and the electronic equipment is not necessarily the IP protocol. Indeed, many electronic devices communicate with other wired or local radio technologies such as Bluetooth, Z-Wave, infrared, etc. and therefore only have local connectivity. However, this local connectivity may allow the establishment of a local connection with a mobile / tablet type terminal.

The invention therefore allows an update of electronic equipment even if they do not have connectivity allowing them to connect to a remote update server.

The invention also makes it possible to spread over time the updating of the electronic equipment of a plurality of users.

In a particular embodiment, the method according to the invention comprises a step for verifying whether the updating of the system application of the electronic equipment is necessary.

The invention also relates to a mobile terminal comprising:

- Means for downloading, from a portal dedicated to downloading software applications compatible with the operating system of this terminal, a software application as mentioned above;

means for establishing communication between the mobile terminal and this electronic equipment via a local communication network or via a point-to-point link.

The invention also relates to a software application downloadable from a portal dedicated to the downloading of software applications compatible with the operating system of a terminal, this software application comprising an update module of an embedded system application in said electronic equipment and a communication module with said electronic equipment for updating said system application. This software application is not dedicated solely to updating the equipment because it includes at least an application function enabling when it is executed by the terminal, a user of the mobile terminal to control said electronic equipment or an application running on this electronic equipment.

Brief description of the drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment having no limiting character. In the figures:

- Figure 1 represents an electronic equipment;

FIG. 2 represents a terminal according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 represents a software application APP according to a particular embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 represents the main steps of a method according to a particular embodiment of the invention;

Detailed description of an embodiment

We will now describe in detail an example of implementation of the invention.

In this exemplary embodiment, the invention is implemented in a domestic environment in which electronic equipment EQ is installed.

This electronic equipment EQ can for example be constituted by a television, a router, or a decoder.

With reference to FIG. 1, this EQ equipment comprises, in this particular example, the hardware architecture of a computer. More specifically, this equipment comprises a CPU processor, a COM2 communication module, a MEM memory comprising a PG computer program, and an APSYS system application.

We will assume in this example that the system application

APSYS installed in the EQ equipment is a version VI application. According to the invention, this electronic equipment can be controlled by a TRM terminal, for example a mobile phone, a computer or a digital tablet, when an APP software application is installed in this terminal.

With reference to FIG. 2, the terminal TRM includes, in this particular example, the hardware architecture of a computer. More precisely, this terminal comprises a processor CPU, an HMI human-machine interface, a memory MEM comprising an operating system OS and in which the software application APP can be stored, a first communication module COM1, a second module of FIG. COM2 communication compatible with the COM2 communication module of the electronic equipment EQ, and a MODINST module for installing in the memory MEM new software applications downloaded from a portal STR dedicated to downloading software applications compatible with the system. operating OS terminal.

The first communication module COM1 can in particular be used to download the applications from the portal STR in order to install them in the memory MEM. This module COM1 can in particular be constituted by a WiFi module, a GSM module, UMTS or LTE.

FIG. 3 represents a software application APP according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

This APP software application includes in this example in particular:

a DRV communication driver (in English "driver") for communicating with the EQ equipment via the CPM2 communication means;

a PIL module for controlling the EQ equipment; and

a update module for updating the APSYS system application of the EQ equipment; this module including in this example a version

V2 of this APSYS system application.

Referring to Figure 4, we will now describe the main steps of a method according to a particular embodiment of the invention.

During a step E10, the terminal TRM downloads, from the portal STR, the software application APP of FIG. electronic equipment EQ. This APP software application is compatible with the OS operating system of the TRM terminal.

During a step E20, the user of the TRM terminal installs the APP software application in the TRM terminal using the MODINST installation module, then starts the execution of this application by the processor CPU of the terminal TRM during of a step E30.

During a step E40, the communication module COM2 of the terminal TRM establishes a communication with the communication module COM2 of the equipment EQ using the communication driver DRV.

The DRV communication driver comprises in particular instructions allowing the TRM terminal to interrogate the equipment EQ and to obtain, during the steps E50 and E60, the current version VI of the APSYS system application of the equipment EQ.

During a step E70, the CPU processor of the terminal TRM starts the update update module update to check whether the current version VI of the APSYS system application of the equipment EQ is before or after the version V2 downloaded with APP software application.

If the version V2 is newer than the current version VI, the terminal TRM sends the update version V2 to the equipment EQ during a step E80; the EQ equipment installs this new version of the APSYS system application during a step E90 and notifies the terminal TRM of the result of this installation during a step E100.

The user can then, during a general step E100, use the PIL module to control the EQ equipment.

Claims

A method implemented by a mobile terminal (TRM) for controlling electronic equipment (EQ), this method comprising:

a step (E10) of downloading, from a portal (STR) dedicated to the downloading of software applications compatible with the operating system (OS) of the terminal (TRM) of a software application (APP) comprising a an update module (E80) for a system application (APSYS) embedded in said electronic equipment (EQ) and a module (COM2) communicating with said electronic equipment (EQ) for updating said system application ( APSYS) ,,

a step (E40) for establishing a communication between the mobile terminal (TRM) and said electronic equipment (EQ) via a local communication network or via a point-to-point link (COM2),

said software application (APP) being characterized in that it is not dedicated solely to the updating of the equipment (EQ) and in that it comprises at least one application function (PIL) allowing when it is executed by the terminal, a user of the mobile terminal to control (El 10) said electronic equipment (EQ) or an application running on said electronic equipment.

2. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that said electronic equipment (EQ) is constituted by a TV, a router or a decoder.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said terminal (TRM) is constituted by a mobile phone, a computer, or a digital tablet.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a step (E70) for checking whether the update of said system application (APPSYS) is necessary.

5. Mobile Terminal (TRM) comprising: means (COM1) for downloading, from a portal (STR) dedicated to downloading software applications compatible with the operating system (OS) of the terminal (TRM) of a software application (APP) comprising a an update module (E80) for a system application (APSYS) embedded in said electronic equipment (EQ) and a module (COM2) communicating with said electronic equipment (EQ) for updating said system application ( APSYS);

means (COM2) for establishing a communication between the mobile terminal (TRM) and said electronic equipment (EQ) via a local communication network or via a point-to-point link;

6. Software application (APP) downloadable from a portal (STR) dedicated to downloading software applications compatible with the operating system (OS) of a terminal (TRM), said software application (APP) comprising a an update module (E80) for a system application (APSYS) embedded in said electronic equipment (EQ) and a module (COM2) communicating with said electronic equipment (EQ) for updating said system application ( APSYS)., Said software application (APP) being characterized in that it is not dedicated solely to the updating of the equipment (EQ) and in that it comprises at least one application function (PIL) allowing when executed by the terminal, a user of the mobile terminal to control (El 10) said electronic equipment (EQ) or an application running on said electronic equipment.