WO2022086555A1 - Mise à niveau de micrologiciel à l'aide de stations de charge à unités multiples - Google Patents

Mise à niveau de micrologiciel à l'aide de stations de charge à unités multiples Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022086555A1
WO2022086555A1 PCT/US2020/057039 US2020057039W WO2022086555A1 WO 2022086555 A1 WO2022086555 A1 WO 2022086555A1 US 2020057039 W US2020057039 W US 2020057039W WO 2022086555 A1 WO2022086555 A1 WO 2022086555A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
charging station
firmware
host
firmware upgrade
unit charging
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2020/057039
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Yi-Fan HSIA
Shao-Yu CHIANG
Hung-Lung Chen
Original Assignee
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. filed Critical Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Priority to PCT/US2020/057039 priority Critical patent/WO2022086555A1/fr
Publication of WO2022086555A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022086555A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F8/00—Arrangements for software engineering
    • G06F8/60—Software deployment
    • G06F8/65—Updates
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/00032—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries characterised by data exchange
    • H02J7/00034—Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0013—Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02J—CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J2310/00—The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load
    • H02J2310/10—The network having a local or delimited stationary reach
    • H02J2310/20—The network being internal to a load
    • H02J2310/22—The load being a portable electronic device

Definitions

  • Electronic devices such as laptops, notebooks, tablets, smart watches, and mobile phones may indude various firmware to perform different functions.
  • the firmware within an electronic device interchangeably referred to as a host device, may be upgraded for various purposes.
  • the firmware may be upgraded for fixing bugs, modifying existing features, and adding new features to the firmware.
  • a user may have to manually download and execute the firmware upgrade file on different host devices individually.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-unit charging station, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a host device, according to another example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • Figure 3 illustrates a computing environment implementing firmware upgrade, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • Figure 4 illustrates a method for upgrading firmware on a host device, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • Figure 5 illustrates a networking environment having a non-transitory computer readable medium for firmware upgrade, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • a firmware may be defined as a set of instructions that may be programmed on an electronic device.
  • the electronic devices also referred to as host devices, such as laptops, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants (PDA) may include firmware to perform different functions.
  • the firmware may provide instructions to host devices to communicate with other host devices and perform functions, such as basic input/output tasks, in another example, the firmware may provide a standardized operating environment for software that may be programmed on a host device.
  • a firmware may act as the host device's complete operating system that may perform all control, monitoring, and data manipulation functions. Further, same firmware or versions of same firmware may be present in multiple host devices of a user.
  • the firmware within a host device may be modified for various purposes.
  • the firmware may be upgraded for fixing bugs, modifying existing features, and adding new features to the firmware of the host device.
  • a user may have to manually download and execute a firmware upgrade file on different host devices individually.
  • the user of a host device may download the firmware upgrade file from a server maintained either by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the host devices or by a third-party source.
  • OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
  • the user may obtain a firmware upgrade file from an OEM of the host device and execute the firmware upgrade file on a first host device.
  • the user may further obtain another copy of the firmware upgrade file from the OEM on a second host device and execute the firmware upgrade file on the second host device.
  • the process may be executed every time when a firmware upgrade is released for the host devices. Therefore, the user may have to individually download and execute the firmware upgrade file on multiple host devices.
  • performing firmware upgrade from time to time on multiple host devices may be a tedious and time-consuming process.
  • downloading the firmware upgrade file on the multiple host devices may result in bandwidth congestion as the firmware upgrade files typically have a large file size.
  • a multi-unit charging station may be used for sharing a firmware upgrade file with multiple host devices connected to the multi-unit charging station.
  • the multi-unit charging station may indude multiple Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports to which the multiple host devices may be connected, for example, for charging the host devices.
  • USB Universal Serial Bus
  • the multi-unit charging station may receive a firmware upgrade file from a first host device and automatically share a copy of the firmware upgrade file with other host devices connected to the multi-unit charging station. The firmware on the multiple host devices may thus be automatically updated without user intervention.
  • the first host device may receive a firmware upgrade file from a central server of an OEM or a service provider for upgrading a firmware of the first host device.
  • the firmware upgrade file may then be executed on the first host device to upgrade the firmware of the first host device.
  • the first host device may share the fimnware upgrade file with the multi-unit charging station.
  • the first host device may indude a firmware update unit that may share the firmware upgrade file with a charging station processor of the multi-unit charging station using connection interfaces of the host device and the multi-unit charging station.
  • the charging station processor may save the firmware upgrade file in a memory of the multi-unit charging station.
  • a first host power delivery device of the first host device may subsequently send a firmware upgrade initiation message to the power delivery device of the multi-unit charging station, using the connection interfaces.
  • the firmware upgrade initiation message may indude instructions to initiate a firmware upgrade process for the other host devices connected to the multi-unit charging station based on the fimnware upgrade file received from the first host device.
  • the power delivery device of the multi-unit charging station may share the firmware upgrade initiation message with the charging station processor.
  • the multi-unit charging station may send the firmware upgrade available message to the host power delivery devices of the other host devices.
  • the host device may send a memory access request to the multi-unit charging station.
  • the charging station processor may accordingly allow the other host devices to access the memory to obtain the copy of the firmware upgrade file for upgrading the firmware of the other host devices.
  • the firmware update units may execute the firmware upgrade file on the other hosts devices to upgrade the firmware of the other host devices.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confinn if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the other host devices.
  • the firmware update units may accordingly execute the firmware upgrade file on ascertaining that the firmware upgrade file is compatible with the other host devices.
  • the present subject matter thus provides a convenient and efficient technique that may facilitate in optimizing time and resource utilization for upgrading firmware on multiple host devices.
  • Using the multi-unit charging station to automatically share the firmware upgrade with multiple host devices may help in reducing efforts and time of the user in upgrading firmware on multiple host devices as the user may not have to individually perform the upgrade on the multiple host devices.
  • the firmware upgrade file downloaded by a single host device is made accessible to the other host devices from the memory of the multi-unit charging station, the other host device may not have to individually download the firmware upgrade file, for example, from the central server managed by the OEM. As a result, the traffic on the central server of the OEM may be reduced.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-unit charging station 102.
  • a multi-unit charging station may be used to simultaneously charge multiple host devices connected to the multi-unit charging station.
  • host devices may include, but are not limited to, laptops, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), smart watches, and portable media players.
  • the host devices may be connected to the multi-unit charging station using wired connection.
  • the host devices may include host connection interfaces, such as USB ports that may be connected to device connection interface(s), such as USB ports of the multi-unit charging station 102 using connecting cables.
  • the host devices may include USB ports that may be directly connected with complementary USB ports of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may include a charging station processor 104 to receive a firmware upgrade file from a first host device (not shown in this figure) connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the charging station processor 104 include, but are not limited to, a processor, embedded controller, and a microcontroller.
  • the first host device may share the firmware upgrade file with the charging station processor 104 of the multi-unit charging station 102 using connection interfaces (not shown in this figure) of the first host device and the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the charging station processor 104 may store the firmware upgrade file in a memory, such as a memory 106, of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • Examples of the memory 106 may indude, but are not limited to, a flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), and Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM).
  • the first host device may further send a firmware upgrade initiation message to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade initiation message may indicate receipt of the firmware upgrade file from the first host device and instructions for the multi-unit charging station 102 to initiate a firmware upgrade process for the firmware installed on the other host devices, based on the firmware upgrade file.
  • the charging station processor 104 may accordingly share a firmware upgrade available message with other host devices (not shown in this figure) that may be connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the other host devices may send a memory access request to the charging station processor 104.
  • the charging station processor 104 may receive the memory access request from host connection interlaces (not shown in this figure) of the other host devices.
  • the charging station processor 104 may accordingly allow the other host devices to access the memory 106 to obtain a copy of the firmware upgrade file, interchangeably referred as firmware upgrade file, for upgrading the firmware of the other host devices.
  • Firmware update units (not shown in this figure) of the other host devices may access the memory 106 to obtain the firmware upgrade file and upgrade the firmware on the other host devices.
  • firmware upgrade file may be executable on the other host devices to upgrade the firmware of the other host devices.
  • the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with the other host devices of same type as the first host device. For instance, if the first host device is a mobile phone, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with other mobile phones connected to the multi-unit charging station 102. If the first host device is a laptop, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with other laptops connected to the multi-unit charging station 102. In another example, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with the other host devices of all types. The other host devices, in such a case may receive firmware upgrade file and verify if the firmware upgrade file is compatible with their firmware and accordingly choose to either execute or discard the firmware upgrade file.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a host device 202, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • the host device 202 may indude a laptop, a mobile phone, a tablet, a PDA, a smart watch, and a portable media player.
  • the host device 202 may indude a host power delivery device 204 to receive a firmware upgrade available message from a power delivery device of a multi-unit charging station, such as the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade available message may indicate availability of a firmware upgrade file with the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be received by the multi-unit charging station 102 from a first host device that may be connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be saved in a memory, such as the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the host device 202 may indude a firmware update unit 206 to obtain the firmware upgrade file saved in the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102 for upgrading the firmware on the host device 202.
  • the firmware update unit 206 may generate a memory access request in response to the firmware upgrade available message to obtain the firmware upgrade file from the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware update unit 206 may obtain the copy of the firmware upgrade file and execute the firmware upgrade file on the host device 202 to upgrade the firmware of the host device 202.
  • the host device 202 may receive the firmware upgrade file using the host connection interface while the host device 202 is being changed over the same host connection interface.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a computing environment 300 implementing firmware upgrade, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • the computing environment 300 may include the multi-unit charging station 102 that may receive multiple host devices 202-1, 202-2, 202-3, ..., 202-N.
  • the host devices 202-1, 202-2, 202-3, ..., 202-N are collectively referred to as host devices 202 and individually as host device 202.
  • the host devices 202 may include, a first host device 202-1, a second host device 202-2, a third host device 202-3, and a fourth host device 202-N. Examples of such host devices 202 may include, but are not limited to, laptops, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), smart watches and portable media players.
  • PDA personal digital assistants
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive multiple host devices 202 to charge batteries of the host devices 202.
  • the host devices 202 may include host connection interfaces 302, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports that may be connected to device connection interface(s) 304, such as USB ports of the multi-unit charging station 102 using connecting wires.
  • the host connection interfaces 302 of the host devices 202 may be directly connected with the device connection interface(s) 304 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • a first host connection interface 302-1 of the first host device 202-1 may be connected to a first device connection interface 304-1 of the multi-unit charging station 102 either directly or using connecting wires.
  • a second host connection interface 302-2 of the second host device 202-2 may be connected to a second device connection interface 304-2 of the multi-unit charging station 102 either directly or using connecting wires.
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may include the device connection interface(s) 304, power delivery device(s) 306, the charging station processor 104, the memory 106, and an interface hub 308.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may include the first device connection interface 304-1, the second device connection interface 304-2, a third device connection interface 304-3, and a fourth device connection interface 304-N.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may facilitate in connecting and exchanging data and power between the multi-unit charging station 102 and the host devices 202.
  • the first device connection interface 304-1, the second device connection interface 304-2, the third device connection interface 304-3, and the fourth device connection interface 304-N may receive the first host device 202-1, the second host device 202-2, the third host device 202-3, and the fourth host device 202-N, respectively, either directly or using connecting wires.
  • the host devices 202 may connect with the device connection interface(s) 304 using the host connection interfaces 302.
  • the power delivery device(s) 306 may include a first power delivery device 306-1 and a second power delivery device 306-2.
  • the power delivery device(s) 306 may manage power delivery and communication between the multi-unit charging station 102 and the host devices 202.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 may manage power delivery and communication between the first device connection interface 304-1 and the first host device 202-1 and between the second device connection interface 304- 2 and the second host device 202-2.
  • the second power delivery device 306-2 may manage power delivery and communication between the third device connection interface 304-3 and the third host device 202-3 and between the fourth device connection interface 304-N, and the fourth host device 202-N.
  • the host device 202 may include the host connection interface 302, the host power delivery device 204, the firmware update unit 206, host processor 310, a host device memory 312, and a central processing unit 314.
  • the first host device 202-1 may include the first host connection interface 302-1, a first host power delivery device 204-1, a first firmware update unit 206-1, a first host processor 310-1, a first host device memory 312-1, and a first central processing unit 314-1.
  • the second host device 202-2 may include the second host connection interface 302-2, a second host power delivery device 204-2, a second firmware update unit 206-2, a second host processor 310-2, a second host device memory 312-2, and a second central processing unit 314-2.
  • the host processors 310, the central processing units 314, and the charging station processor 104 may include microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any other devices that may manipulate signals and data based on computer-readable instructions.
  • the memory 106 and the host device memory 312 may indude any non- transitory computer-readable medium including, for example, volatile memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, and the like.
  • RAM Random Access Memory
  • EPROM Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory
  • flash memory and the like.
  • the host power delivery devices 204 may manage power delivery and communication between the multi-unit charging station 102 and the host devices 202.
  • the first host power delivery device 204-1 may manage power delivery and communication between the first host device 202-1 and the multi-unit charging station 102. Further, the host power delivery devices 204 may communicate with the power delivery device(s) 306 using Control and Communication Link (CC) interface established over the host connection interfaces 302 and the device connection interface(s) 304 when the host devices 202 are connected to the multi-unit charging station 102. In one example, the host power delivery devices 204 may communicate with the power delivery device(s) 306 using Vendor Defined Message (VDM) communication protocol.
  • VDM Vendor Defined Message
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may be used for sharing a firmware upgrade file with the multiple host devices 202 connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be shared with the host devices 202 while the host devices 202 are being charged using the device connection interface(s) 304.
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive the firmware upgrade file from one of the host devices 202 and share the firmware upgrade file with the other host devices 202.
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive the firmware upgrade file from the first host device 202-1.
  • the first host device 202-1 may initially receive a firmware upgrade file, interchangeably referred to as the new firmware upgrade file, for upgrading a firmware in the first host device 202-1.
  • the first host processor 310-1 of first host device 202-1 may receive or download the firmware upgrade file from a central server.
  • the central server may be maintained either by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the host devices 202 or by a third-party source.
  • the host devices 202 may be communicatively coupled with the central server using a communication network.
  • the communication network may be a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof.
  • the communication network may also be an individual network or a collection of many such individual networks, interconnected with each other and functioning as a single large network, for example, the internet or an infranet.
  • the communication network may be one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and the internet.
  • the communication network may include any communication network that uses any of the commonly used protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Transmission Control Protocol/lntemet Protocol (TCP/IP).
  • HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/lntemet Protocol
  • the first host device 202-1 may be connected to the multi-unit charging station 102 when the firmware upgrade file is received. In another example, the first host device 202-1 may be disconnected from the multi-unit charging station 102 when the firmware upgrade file is received.
  • the first host processor 310-1 may save the new firmware upgrade file in the first host device memory 312-1.
  • the first firmware update unit 206-1 of the first host device 202-1 may subsequently execute the new firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of the first host device 202-1.
  • the first firmware update unit 206-1 may further share the new firmware upgrade file with the charging station processor 104 of the multi- unit charging station 102 when connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the first firmware update unit 206-1 may share the firmware upgrade file with the charging station processor 104 using a communication link set-up between the first host connection interface 302-1 and the first device connection interface 304-1.
  • the first device connection interface 304-1 may receive the firmware upgrade file from the first host connection interface 302-1.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 of the multi-unit charging station 102 may share the firmware upgrade file with the charging station processor 104.
  • the first device connection interface 304-1 may share the firmware upgrade file with the charging station processor 104.
  • the charging station processor 104 may store the firmware upgrade file in the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the first host power delivery device 204-1 of the first host device 202-1 may share a firmware upgrade initiation message with the power delivery device(s) 306 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware initiation message may be a Vendor Defined Message (VDM) that may be sent by the first firmware update unit 206-1.
  • VDM Vendor Defined Message
  • the first host power delivery device 204-1 and the power delivery device(s) 306 may exchange the firmware upgrade initiation message using the first host connection interface 302-1 and the first device connection interface 304-1.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 of the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive the firmware upgrade initiation message from the first host power delivery device 204-1 of the first host device 202-1.
  • the firmware upgrade initiation message may indude instructions for the multi-unit charging station 102 to initiate a firmware upgrade process for other host devices 202, such as the second host device 202-2, the third host device, 202-3, and the fourth host device 202- N, based on the firmware upgrade file received from the first host device 202-1.
  • the power delivery device(s) 306 may share the firmware upgrade initiation message with the charging station processor 104.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 may share the firmware upgrade message with the charging station processor 104.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 may share the firmware upgrade initiation message with the charging station processor 104 using an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) protocol.
  • I2C Inter-Integrated Circuit
  • the charging station processor 104 may send a firmware upgrade available message to the other host devices 202 connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message through the power delivery device(s) 306 and the device connection interface(s) 304.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 and the second power delivery device 306-2 may obtain the firmware upgrade available message from the charging station processor 104.
  • the power delivery device(s) 306 of the multi-unit charging station 102 may send tire firmware upgrade available message to the host power delivery devices 204 of the other host devices 202 connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 may send the firmware upgrade available message to the second host power delivery device 204-2 of the second host device 202-2 and the second power delivery device 306-2 may send the firmware upgrade available message to a third host power delivery device (not shown) of the third host device 202-3 and a fourth host power delivery device (not shown) of the fourth host device 202-N.
  • the firmware upgrade available message may indicate availability of the firmware upgrade file that may be executable on the host devices 202 to upgrade a firmware of the host devices 202.
  • the firmware upgrade available message may be sent by the power delivery device(s) 306 as a VDM communication to the host power delivery devices 204 of the either host devices 202 connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the multi-unit charging station 102 may share the firmware upgrade file with the other host devices 202 of same type as the first host device 202-1. For instance, if the first host device 202-1 is a mobile phone, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with other mobile phones connected to the multi-unit charging station 102. If the first host device is a smart watch, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with other smart watches connected to the multi-unit charging station 102. In another example, the charging station processor 104 may share the firmware upgrade available message with the other host devices 202 of all types. "The other host devices 202, in such a case may receive the firmware upgrade file and verify if the firmware upgrade file is compatible with their firmware and accordingly choose to either execute or discard the firmware upgrade file.
  • the host power delivery devices 204 of the other host devices 202 may receive the firmware upgrade available message from the power delivery device(s) 306 and send the firmware upgrade available message to the firmware update units of the other host devices 202.
  • the second host power delivery device 204-2 may receive the firmware upgrade available message from the first power delivery device 306- 1.
  • the second host power delivery device 204-2 may send the firmware upgrade available message to the second host processor 310-2 that may further send the firmware upgrade available message to the second firmware update unit 206-2.
  • the host processors 310 of the other host devices 202 may further bigger an event on receiving the firmware upgrade available message to initiate firmware upgrade for the other host devices 202.
  • the host processors 310 may trigger an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) event to generate a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) notification for the firmware update units 206 of the host devices 202.
  • ACPI Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
  • WMI Windows Management Instrumentation
  • triggering of the event may instruct the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 to initiate a process to obtain the firmware upgrade file from the multi-unit charging station 102 for updating the firmware of the other host devices 202.
  • the firmware update units 206 may generate a memory access request to obtain a copy of the firmware upgrade file stored in the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware update units 206 may generate and send the memory access request to the host connection interface 302 of the host devices 202 for being sent to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the second firmware update unit 206-2 may send the memory access request to the second host connection interface 302-2.
  • the second host connection interface 302-2 may then forward the memory access request to the second device connection interface 304- 2.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 of the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive the memory access requests from the host connection interfaces 302. The device connection interface(s) 304 may then forward the memory access requests of the other host devices 202 to the charging station processor 104. In one example, the device connection interface(s) 304 may forward the memory access request to the charging station processor 104 using the interface hub 308.
  • the charging station processor 104 may provide the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 an access to the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102 to allow the other host devices 202 to copy the firmware upgrade file from the memory 106.
  • the charging station processor 104 may allow the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 to communicate with the charging station processor 104 using the host connection interfaces 302 of the other host devices 202.
  • the charging station processor 104 may send an access grant notification to the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 using the power delivery device(s) 306 and the host power delivery devices 204.
  • the access grant notification may indicate that the firmware update unit 206 has been granted access to the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 may obtain the firmware upgrade file saved in the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware update units 206 may obtain the copy of the firmware upgrade file using the device connection interface(s) 304.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may allow the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 to communicate with the charging station processor 104 using the host connection interface 302.
  • the second firmware update unit 206-2 of the second host device 202-2 may communicate with the charging station processor 104 using the second host connection interface 302-2 and the second device connection interface 304-2.
  • the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 may subsequently obtain the firmware upgrade file saved in the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the charging station processor 104 may send the copy of the firmware upgrade file to the interface hub 308.
  • the interface hub 308 may then share the copy of the firmware upgrade file with the device connection interface(s) 304.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may provide the copy of the firmware upgrade to the host connection interfaces 302 of the other host devices 202.
  • the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 may then obtain the copy of the firmware upgrade file from the host connection interfaces 302.
  • the second firmware update unit 206-2 of the second host device 202-2 may obtain the copy of the firmware upgrade file from the second host connection interface 302-2.
  • the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 may directly obtain the firmware upgrade file from the memory 106, by accessing the memory 106 using a communication path setup between the host connection interfaces 302, the device connection interface(s) 304, the interface hub 308, the charging station processor 104, and the memory 106.
  • the firmware update units 206 of the other host devices 202 may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of the other host devices 202.
  • the second firmware update unit 206-2 of the second host device 202-2 may execute the copy of the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware on the second host device 202-2.
  • the firmware update unit 206-2 may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confirm if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the second host device 202-2. The firmware update unit 206-2 may accordingly execute the firmware upgrade file on ascertaining that the firmware upgrade file is compatible with the host device 202-2.
  • Figure 4 illustrates an example method 400 for upgrading firmware on a host device, according to an exampie implementation of the present subject matter.
  • the order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the methods, or an alternative method.
  • the method 400 may be implemented by processing resource or computing device(s) through any suitable hardware, non-transitory machine readable instructions, or combination thereof.
  • the method 400 may be performed by programmed computing devices, such as the multi-unit charging station 102 and the host devices 202 as depicted in Figures 1-3, and other similar systems. Furthermore, the method 400 may be executed based on instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, as will be readily understood.
  • the non-transitory computer readable medium may include, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media, such as one or more magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media.
  • the method 400 is described below with reference to the multi-unit charging station 102 and the host devices 202 as described above, other suitable systems for the execution of the process may also be utilized. Additionally, implementation of the method is not limited to such examples.
  • a firmware upgrade file may be received from a firmware update unit of a first host device.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be received by a device connection interface of a multi-unit charging station to which the first host device may be connected.
  • the first host device may initially receive the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of the first host device.
  • the first host device may share the firmware upgrade file with the multi-unit charging station.
  • the first firmware update unit 206-1 of the first host device 202-1 may share the firmware upgrade file with the first device connection interface 304-1 of the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be saved in a memory of the multi-unit charging station.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may forward the firmware upgrade file to a charging station processor, such as the charging station processor 104.
  • the charging station processor may further store the firmware upgrade file in the memory, such as the memory 106.
  • a firmware upgrade initiation message may be received.
  • the firmware upgrade initiation message may indude instructions for the multi-unit charging station to initiate a firmware upgrade process for other host devices based on the firmware upgrade file received from the first host device.
  • the firmware upgrade initiation message may be received from a host power delivery device of the first host device.
  • a power delivery device such as the first power delivery device 306-1 of the multi-unit charging station may receive the firmware upgrade initiation message form the host power delivery device, such as the first host power delivery device 204-1 of the first host device 202-1.
  • the host power delivery device may further share the received firmware upgrade initiation message with the charging station processor of the multi-unit charging station.
  • a firmware upgrade available message may be sent to other host devices connected to the multi-unit charging station.
  • the charging station processor may subsequently generate the firmware upgrade available message after receiving the firmware upgrade initiation message.
  • the power delivery device(s) of the multi-unit charging station may obtain the firmware upgrade available message from the charging station processor and send the firmware upgrade available message to host power delivery devices of the other host devices.
  • the first power delivery device 306-1 may send the firmware upgrade available message to the second host power delivery device 204-2 of the second host device 202-2.
  • the host power delivery devices may further share the firmware upgrade available message with the firmware update units of the host devices.
  • the second host power delivery device 204-2 may share the firmware upgrade available message with the second firmware update unit 206-2 of the second host device 202-2.
  • a memory access request may be received from a host connection interface of the other host devices.
  • the charging station processor may receive the memory access request in response to the firmware upgrade available message.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may generate the memory access request
  • the memory access request may then be sent to the charging station processor using the host connection interfaces of the other host devices and the device connection interfaces of the multi-unit charging station.
  • the device connection interface(s) erf the multi-unit charging station may receive the memory access requests from the host connection interfaces.
  • the device connection interface(s) may then forward the memory access requests of the other host devices to the charging station processor.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may forward the memory access request to the charging station processor 104 using the interface hub.
  • firmware update units of the other host devices may be allowed to communicate with charging station processor using the host connection interface.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may allow the host connection interface(s) of the other host devices 202 to communicate with the charging station processor 104.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may subsequently obtain the firmware upgrade file saved in the memory of the multi-unit charging station for upgrading the firmware on the host device.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be executed to upgrade the firmware.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware on the other host devices.
  • a second firmware update unit may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of a second host device
  • a third firmware update unit may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of a third host device
  • a fourth firmware update unit may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware of a fourth host device.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confirm if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the other host devices.
  • the second firmware update unit of the second host device may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confirm if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the second host device.
  • the firmware update units may accordingly execute the firmware upgrade file on ascertaining that the firmware upgrade file is compatible with the other host device.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates an example networking environment 500 having a non- transitory computer readable medium 502 for firmware upgrade, according to an example implementation of the present subject matter.
  • the networking environment 500 may be a public networking environment or a private networking environment
  • the network environment 500 may include processing resource 504 communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer readable medium 502 through a communication link 506.
  • the processing resource 504 may be a processor of a multi- unit charging station, such as the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the non-transitory computer readable medium 502 may be, for example an internal memory device or an external memory device.
  • the communication link 506 may be a direct communication link, such as one formed through a memory read/write interface.
  • the communication link 506 may be an indirect communication link, such as one formed through a network interface.
  • the processing resource 504 may access the non-transitory computer readable medium 502 through a network 508.
  • the network 508 may be a single network or a combination of multiple networks and may use a variety of communication protocols.
  • the processing resource 504 and the non-transitory computer readable medium 502 may also be communicatively coupled to data sources 510 over the network 508.
  • the data sources 510 may indude, for example, databases and computing devices.
  • the data sources 510 may be used by the database administrators and other users to communicate with the processing resource 504.
  • the non-transitory computer readable medium 502 may include a set of computer readable instructions that may be executed by a processor, for example a charging station processor 512, of the multi-unit charging station.
  • a processor for example a charging station processor 512
  • the charging station processor 512 may implement the functionality of the charging station processor 104.
  • the set of computer readable instructions referred to as instructions hereinafter, can be accessed by the processing resource 504 through the communication link 506 and subsequently executed to perform acts for facilitating facsimile communication.
  • the charging station processor 512 may receive a firmware upgrade file from a first host device, such as the first host device 202-1, connected to the multi-unit charging station 102.
  • the firmware upgrade file may be executable on a host device 202 to upgrade the firmware of the host device 202.
  • the charging station processor 512 may further save the firmware upgrade file in a memory, such as the memory 106 of the multi-unit charging station. Subsequently, the charging station processor 512 may receive a firmware upgrade initiation message from a first host power delivery device of the first host device. In one example, the firmware upgrade initiation message may direct the multi-unit charging station to initiate a firmware upgrade process for other host devices based on the firmware upgrade file received from the first host device.
  • the charging station processor 512 may send a firmware upgrade available message to the other host devices connected to the mufti-unit charging station.
  • the firmware upgrade available message may instruct the other host devices to obtain the firmware upgrade file from the memory of the multi-unit charging station for upgrading the firmware of the other host devices.
  • firmware update units such as the firmware update units 206, of the other host devices may send a memory access request to the multi-unit charging station.
  • the charging station processor 512 may receive the memory access request from the firmware update units of the other host devices in response to the firmware upgrade available message. Subsequently, the firmware update units of the other host devices may be allowed to communicate with charging station processor 512 the multi-unit charging station using host connection interfaces, such as the host connection interfaces 302 of the other host devices and device connection interfacets), such as the device connection interface(s) 304 of the multi-unit charging station.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 of the multi-unit charging station 102 may receive the memory access requests from the host connection interfaces 302.
  • the device connection interface(s) 304 may then forward the memory access requests of the other host devices 202 to the charging station processor 104. In one example, the device connection interface(s) 304 may forward the memory access request to the charging station processor 104 using the interface hub 308.
  • the charging station processor 512 may allow the multi-unit charging station to provide the firmware update units of the other host devices an access to the memory of the multi-unit charging station to allow the other host devices to copy the firmware upgrade file from the memory.
  • the other host devices may be allowed to obtain the firmware upgrade file from the memory of the multi-unit charging station, for upgrading the firmware of the other host devices.
  • the firmware update units of the other host device may execute the firmware upgrade file to upgrade the firmware on the other host devices.
  • the firmware update units of the other host devices may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confirm if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the other host devices.
  • the second firmware update unit of the second host device may analyze the firmware upgrade file to confirm if the firmware upgrade file is compatible for the second host device.
  • the firmware update units may accordingly execute the firmware upgrade file on ascertaining that the firmware upgrade file is compatible with the other host devices.

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  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Software Systems (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Stored Programmes (AREA)
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Abstract

Un exemple de station de charge à unités multiples pour mettre à jour un micrologiciel est divulgué. Dans un exemple, la station de charge à unités multiples comprend un processeur de station de charge et une mémoire. Le processeur de station de charge stocke un fichier de mise à niveau de micrologiciel reçu en provenance d'un premier dispositif hôte connecté à la station de charge à unités multiples dans la mémoire de la station de charge à unités multiples. Le fichier de mise à niveau de micrologiciel est exécutable sur un dispositif hôte pour mettre à niveau un micrologiciel du dispositif hôte. Le processeur de station de charge partage un message de disponibilité de mise à niveau de micrologiciel avec d'autres dispositifs hôtes connectés à la station de charge à unités multiples. En outre, le processeur de station de charge peut permettre aux autres dispositifs hôtes d'obtenir le fichier de mise à niveau de micrologiciel à partir de la mémoire de la station de charge multi-unité, pour mettre à niveau le micrologiciel des autres dispositifs hôtes.
PCT/US2020/057039 2020-10-23 2020-10-23 Mise à niveau de micrologiciel à l'aide de stations de charge à unités multiples WO2022086555A1 (fr)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8650290B2 (en) * 2008-12-19 2014-02-11 Openpeak Inc. Portable computing device and method of operation of same
US8770482B2 (en) * 2006-04-26 2014-07-08 Roche Diagnostics Operations, Inc. Apparatus and method to administer and manage an intelligent base unit for a handheld medical device
US20170293483A1 (en) * 2015-09-24 2017-10-12 Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp. Ltd Mobile terminal, power adapter, and upgrade method thereof
US20190084723A1 (en) * 2007-12-29 2019-03-21 Apple Inc. Active Electronic Media Device Packaging

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8770482B2 (en) * 2006-04-26 2014-07-08 Roche Diagnostics Operations, Inc. Apparatus and method to administer and manage an intelligent base unit for a handheld medical device
US20190084723A1 (en) * 2007-12-29 2019-03-21 Apple Inc. Active Electronic Media Device Packaging
US8650290B2 (en) * 2008-12-19 2014-02-11 Openpeak Inc. Portable computing device and method of operation of same
US20170293483A1 (en) * 2015-09-24 2017-10-12 Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp. Ltd Mobile terminal, power adapter, and upgrade method thereof

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