WO2019188677A1 - Communication system, communication module, server, control method and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

This communication system conforms to a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from this communication module to this server is not specified. The communication module transmits, to a corresponding server, a notification that indicates a change in a resource for which monitoring by the server has been requested. The server executes, on the basis of reception of the notification, a software update-related process.

Description

Communication system, communication module, server, control method, and control program Cross-reference of related applications

This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-62566, filed in Japan on March 28, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to a communication system, a communication module, a server, a control method, and a control program.

Conventionally, a communication system that collects data measured by a measuring device in a server is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that transmits data measured by a measuring device to a server by a terminal.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-209111

A communication system according to an embodiment includes a communication module and a server.
The communication system conforms to a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from the communication module to the server is not defined.
When the software in the communication module is updated, the communication module transmits a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server.
The server executes processing related to the software update based on the reception of the notification.

The communication module according to an embodiment complies with a standard in which resources for requests to be transmitted to the server are not defined.
When the software in the communication module is updated, the communication module transmits a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server.

The server according to an embodiment complies with a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from the communication module is not specified.
When the server receives a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server when the software is updated in the communication module, the server updates the software based on the reception of the notification. Perform processing related to.

A control method according to an embodiment is a communication module control method that complies with a standard in which resources for requests to be transmitted to a server are not defined.
When the software in the communication module is updated, the method for controlling the communication module includes a step of transmitting a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server.

A control method according to an embodiment is a server control method that complies with a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from a communication module is not defined.
The server control method is:
Receiving a notification from the communication module indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server when software is updated in the communication module;
Executing a process related to the update of the software based on receiving the notification;
including.

A communication module control program according to an embodiment is:
A computer that controls a communication module that conforms to a standard that does not specify the resource of the request sent to the server.
When updating software in the communication module, a step of transmitting a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server is executed.

A server control program according to an embodiment causes a computer that controls a server compliant with a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from a communication module is not specified to execute the following steps.
(1) receiving from the communication module a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server when the software is updated in the communication module; and (2) based on the reception of the notification, the software To perform processing related to update

1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a communication system according to an embodiment. It is a figure explaining the example of FOTA in the system based on the standard of LwM2M. It is a figure explaining the example of FOTA in the existing system. It is a figure explaining the example of FOTA in the communication system which concerns on one Embodiment.

In conventional communication systems, for example, with the spread of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, further improvement in convenience is required. The present disclosure relates to providing a highly convenient communication system, communication module, server, control method, and control program. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a highly convenient communication system, communication module, server, control method, and control program. In recent years, with the increasing interest in IoT, development of technology related to communication between machines (Machine to Machine (M2M)) has been promoted. As a technology expected to be utilized in IoT / M2M, there is a wireless communication method called LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) that targets a wide area with power saving. For example, OMA Lightweight M2M (LwM2M) by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) has been proposed as a standard suitable for communication as in LPWA.
(Reference URL http://openmobilealliance.org/iot/lightweight-m2m-lwm2m)

LwM2M is a standard standardized by OMA for device management in IoT / M2M. Many of the target devices assumed by LwM2M have limited resources. For this reason, LwM2M employs a lightweight and compact resource data model. LwM2M also has extensibility so that it can adapt to the requirements of various applications. The LwM2M collectively manages the management target resources in units of “objects” and adopts a flat data structure. The specification of LwM2M is described in detail in “Lightweight-Machine-to-Machine-Technical-Specification,“ Approved-Version ”1.0--08-Feb-2017” (hereinafter abbreviated as “specification”).

On the other hand, a technology for wirelessly distributing firmware of communication devices such as smartphones (Firmware On-The-Air (FOTA)) is also known. According to FOTA, the firmware can be updated by a single communication device such as a smartphone without a personal computer (PC), for example. Currently, 3G, LTE, WiFi, and the like can be cited as wireless networks that realize FOTA.

For example, if a technology for distributing and / or updating software wirelessly, such as FOTA, can be realized in a communication system compliant with a standard such as LwM2M, for example, for IoT device users, and for example, supplying IoT devices Convenience can be remarkably improved for the trader.

Hereinafter, a communication system that realizes FOTA in a communication system compliant with a standard such as LwM2M will be described.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a communication system 1 according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 according to an embodiment includes at least one communication module 10 and a server 20. The communication system 1 according to an embodiment may be a communication system compliant with a standard such as LwM2M. The communication system 1 can be compliant with the LwM2M specification described in the above specification and the revised version thereof. The communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes three communication modules, a communication module 10A, a communication module 10B, and a communication module 10C. However, the communication system 1 according to an embodiment may be configured to include at least one communication module, such as the communication module 10A. The communication module 10A, the communication module 10B, and the communication module 10C may have the same configuration or different configurations. Hereinafter, when the communication module 10A, the communication module 10B, and the communication module 10C are not distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as “communication module 10”.

The communication module 10 according to an embodiment can realize various functions including wireless communication. The communication module 10 may realize communication based on LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) technology. The communication module 10 may realize communication by various communication methods such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). Hereinafter, the communication module 10 will be described as including a modem whose communication method is standardized in ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector). The communication module 10 may be an IoT module, for example. The communication module 10 may wirelessly communicate with an external device via an antenna.

The communication module 10 according to an embodiment may be built in, for example, an IoT unit. Here, the IoT unit including the communication module 10 may include, for example, at least one sensor that detects various types of information. In this case, the IoT unit can transmit information detected by the sensor to an external device such as the server 20 by the communication module 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication module 10 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, and a storage unit 13.

The communication unit 11 can be various components that realize a signal transmission / reception function in general wireless communication. For example, the communication unit 11 may include an antenna that transmits and receives signals to and from an external device such as the server 20. In addition, the communication unit 11 can be configured with components including at least a general RF (radio frequency) unit. The communication unit 11 can typically transmit the signal processed through the antenna after modulating the signal processed in the baseband unit. Further, the communication unit 11 can demodulate a signal received via, for example, an antenna and pass it to the baseband unit. The communication unit 11 may include at least a part of, for example, an RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit), a power amplifier, a filter, a switch element, and the like.

The control unit 12 includes at least one processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in order to provide control and processing capability for executing various functions. The processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. An integrated circuit is also referred to as an IC (Integrated Circuit). The processor may be implemented as a plurality of communicably connected integrated circuits and discrete circuits. The processor may be implemented based on various other known techniques. In one embodiment, the control unit 12 may perform an operation in a client terminal compliant with the LwM2M standard.

The storage unit 13 may be composed of a semiconductor memory or a magnetic memory. The storage unit 13 stores various information and programs executed by the control unit 12. The storage unit 13 may function as a work memory for the control unit 12. The storage unit 13 may be included in the control unit 12. In one embodiment, the storage unit 13 may store various types of information necessary for operation in a client terminal that conforms to the LwM2M standard.

As described above, when the communication module 10 is built in the IoT unit, the control unit 12 may be connected to at least one sensor. In this case, the sensor connected to the control unit 12 may include at least one of, for example, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an illuminance sensor in order to acquire information on the external environment. Such a sensor may include, for example, at least one of an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor in order to obtain information regarding at least one of the position, movement, and posture of the sensor itself. The angular velocity sensor can detect the angular velocity of a device or the like provided with the sensor. The acceleration sensor can detect acceleration generated in a device or the like provided with the sensor. The geomagnetic sensor can detect the direction of geomagnetism. The sensor may include a position sensor. The position sensor detects position information of a device or the like provided with the sensor based on a detection result of radio waves of short-range wireless communication such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier), IEEE802.11, Bluetooth (registered trademark). It's okay. In this way, the sensor may detect information regarding the status of the IoT unit including the communication module 10. The sensor may include at least one sensor used for the IoT device.

In one embodiment, what is included in the above-described sensor is not limited to an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor may be, for example, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature around the IoT unit including the communication module 10. Moreover, a sensor is good also as a humidity sensor which detects the humidity around the IoT unit containing the communication module 10, for example. Moreover, a sensor is good also as an illumination intensity sensor which detects the illumination intensity of the light in the predetermined part of the IoT unit containing the communication module 10, for example. In one embodiment, the sensor may include other sensors than the sensors described above. Further, the sensor is not limited to a sensor built in the IoT unit including the communication module 10, and may be provided in an external device connected to the IoT unit including the communication module 10. In this case, the sensor provided in the external device may be connected to the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 via the external terminal.

Further, the communication module 10 may acquire the position information of the communication module 10 based on GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology or the like. That is, the communication module 10 may be able to acquire the position information of the IoT unit including the communication module 10. The GNSS technology may include any satellite positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS, Galileo, and Quasi-Zenith Satellite (QZSS). The position information of the communication module 10 may include information on at least one of latitude, longitude, and altitude. The communication module 10 may acquire information related to the position of the IoT unit including the communication module 10 by a component other than the communication module 10. For example, the IoT unit including the communication module 10 may incorporate a location information income device such as a GPS module as a sensor. Further, the communication module 10 may be mountable on a device that acquires information regarding the position of the IoT unit including the communication module 10. For example, a location information income device such as a GPS module may be connected to the control unit 12 as an external device. In this case, the position information income device as an external device may be connected to the control unit 12 via an external terminal.

As described above, the control unit 12 may transmit the detection result of the sensor or the position information of the communication module 10 to an external device such as the server 20 via the communication module 10.

The server 20 according to an embodiment can realize various functions including wireless communication. The server 20 may realize communication based on LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) technology. The server 20 may realize communication using various communication methods such as LTE (Long Term Evolution). Hereinafter, the server 20 will be described as including a modem whose communication method is standardized in ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector). For example, the server 20 may be a server that performs wireless communication with the IoT module. The server 20 may wirelessly communicate with a client terminal such as the communication module 10 via an antenna.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server 20 includes a communication unit 21, a control unit 22, and a storage unit 23.

The communication unit 21 can be various components that realize a signal transmission / reception function in general wireless communication. For example, the communication unit 21 may include an antenna that transmits and receives signals to and from a client terminal such as the communication module 10. Moreover, the communication part 21 can be comprised with components containing at least a general RF (radio frequency) part etc. FIG. The communication unit 21 can typically transmit the signal processed through the antenna after modulating the signal processed in the baseband unit. Further, the communication unit 21 can demodulate a signal received through, for example, an antenna and pass it to the baseband unit. The communication unit 21 may include at least a part of, for example, an RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit), a power amplifier, a filter, a switch element, and the like.

The control unit 22 includes at least one processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) in order to provide control and processing capability for executing various functions. The processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. An integrated circuit is also referred to as an IC (Integrated Circuit). The processor may be implemented as a plurality of communicably connected integrated circuits and discrete circuits. The processor may be implemented based on various other known techniques. In one embodiment, the control unit 22 may perform an operation in a server compliant with the LwM2M standard.

The storage unit 23 may be composed of a semiconductor memory or a magnetic memory. The storage unit 23 stores various information and programs executed by the control unit 22. The storage unit 23 may function as a work memory for the control unit 22. The storage unit 23 may be included in the control unit 22. The storage unit 23 may be an external storage connected to the server 20. The storage unit 23 may be a storage unit of another server that communicates with the server 20 via the communication unit 21. In one embodiment, the storage unit 23 may store various types of information necessary for operation in a server compliant with the LwM2M standard.

Next, the operation of the communication system 1 according to an embodiment will be described.

First, in order to describe the operation of the communication system 1 according to an embodiment, FOTA assumed in a standard such as LwM2M will be described. Here, FOTA performed in the communication system 1 according to an embodiment means that the firmware of the communication module 10 is distributed wirelessly from the server 20 (Firmware On-The-Air). The communication module 10 can update the firmware by downloading the firmware distributed wirelessly from the server 20 using FOTA.

In LwM2M, various requests transmitted from the server 20 to the communication module 10 that is a client device are defined. That is, in LwM2M, the server 20 can take the lead and control the communication module 10. On the other hand, in LwM2M, a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is not defined. That is, in LwM2M, the operation of controlling the server 20 under the initiative of the communication module 10 is not defined. For this reason, when performing FOTA, it is assumed that the server 20 takes the lead.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of FOTA in a communication system compliant with the LwM2M standard. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the exchange between the communication module 10 and the server 20 in the communication system 1. Hereinafter, an example of FOTA in the communication system 1 compliant with the LwM2M standard will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the communication system 1, the server 20 starts FOTA. When the operation shown in FIG. 2 starts, it is assumed that the server 20 knows the firmware version information of the communication module 10 and determines that the firmware of the communication module 10 needs to be updated.

In the following description, various operations performed by the communication module 10 are performed by the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 controlling each functional unit of the corresponding communication module 10. In particular, the operation in which the communication module 10 transmits and receives various types of information is performed by the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 controlling the communication unit 11. For example, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may perform control so that information stored in the storage unit 13 or information detected by a sensor is transmitted from the communication unit 11 to the server 20 or the like. For example, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may perform control so that information received from the server 20 or the like by the communication unit 11 is stored in the storage unit 13.

Similarly, in the following description, various operations performed by the server 20 are performed by the control unit 22 of the server 20 controlling each functional unit of the corresponding server 20. In particular, the operation in which the server 20 transmits and receives various types of information is performed by the control unit 22 of the server 20 controlling the communication unit 21. For example, the control unit 22 of the server 20 may perform control such that information stored in the storage unit 23 is transmitted from the communication unit 21 to the communication module 10 or the like. For example, the control unit 22 of the server 20 may perform control so that information received from the communication module 10 or the like by the communication unit 21 is stored in the storage unit 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, when FOTA is started, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to start downloading the firmware difference file ((1) shown in FIG. 2). Following the difference file download start request shown in (1), the server 20 transmits the firmware difference file to the communication module 10, and the communication module 10 receives the firmware difference file from the server 20. That is, the communication module 10 downloads a firmware difference file from the server 20 ((2) shown in FIG. 2). In (2), one or more difference files of firmware may be downloaded. When all the difference files shown in (2) have been downloaded, the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the difference file has been downloaded ((3) shown in FIG. 2). With the above operation, the firmware download process in the communication module 10 of the communication system 1 is completed.

When the download of the difference file shown in (3) is completed, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to start updating the firmware ((4) shown in FIG. 2). In response to the update request shown in (4), the communication module 10 performs a firmware update process ((5) shown in FIG. 2). When the firmware update process shown in (5) is performed, the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the firmware update is completed ((6) shown in FIG. 2). With the above operation, the firmware update process in the communication module 10 of the communication system 1 is completed.

As described above, according to the initiative of the server 20, FOTA can be performed even in a communication system compliant with the LwM2M standard. However, as described above, in LwM2M, a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is not defined. For this reason, in the communication system 1 compliant with the LwM2M standard, FOTA cannot be performed using the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger.

On the other hand, in the communication system 1 compliant with a standard other than LwM2M, if a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is specified, FOTA may be performed using an operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger. it can. Hereinafter, such a case will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of FOTA in a communication system compliant with standards other than LwM2M. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the exchange between the communication module 10 and the server 20 in the communication system 1, as in FIG. Hereinafter, an example of FOTA in a standard other than LwM2M will be described with reference to FIG. Standards other than LwM2M may be, for example, FUMO (Firmware Update Management Object). FUMO is an OMA device management specification that allows firmware to be updated over the air (Over-the-air (OTA)). The specification of FUMO is described in “Firmware Update Management Object Object Architecture, Approved Version 1.0 1.0-Feb 2007, etc.” by OMA. In the communication system shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is specified.

When the operation shown in FIG. 3 starts, first, the communication module 10 starts FOTA ((1) shown in FIG. 3). Thereby, the communication module 10 can download the firmware from the server 20 at an arbitrary timing.

When the FOTA shown in (1) is started, the communication module 10 requests the server 20 to check whether there is a firmware difference file ((2) shown in FIG. 3). In response to the confirmation request shown in (2), the server 20 inquires the communication module 10 about the firmware version information of the communication module 10 ((3) shown in FIG. 3). In response to the inquiry shown in (3), the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 of the firmware version information of the communication module 10 ((4) shown in FIG. 3).

Based on the version information notification shown in (4), the server 20 determines whether the firmware of the communication module 10 needs to be updated. For example, if the firmware version information notified from the communication module 10 indicates the latest firmware, the server 20 determines that the firmware of the communication module 10 need not be updated. In this case, the server 20 notifies the communication module 10 that there is no firmware difference file to be downloaded ((5) shown in FIG. 3). Then, the communication module 10 may end the operation illustrated in FIG. 3 without downloading firmware and without performing firmware update processing.

On the other hand, when the notification of the version information shown in (4) indicates that the firmware of the communication module 10 is not the latest, for example, the server 20 determines that the firmware of the communication module 10 needs to be updated. In this case, the server 20 notifies the communication module 10 that there is a firmware difference file to be downloaded ((5) shown in FIG. 3).

When notified that there is a difference file shown in (5), the communication module 10 requests the server 20 to download the firmware difference file ((6) shown in FIG. 3). In response to the difference file download request shown in (6), the server 20 starts transmitting the firmware difference file to the communication module 10, and the communication module 10 starts receiving the firmware difference file from the server 20. . That is, the communication module 10 starts downloading the firmware difference file from the server 20 ((7) shown in FIG. 3).

When the download is started in (7), a firmware difference file is downloaded from the server 20 to the communication module 10 ((8) to (9) shown in FIG. 3). In (8) to (9), one or more difference files of firmware may be downloaded. When all the difference files shown in (8) to (9) have been downloaded, the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the download of the difference file has been completed ((10) shown in FIG. 3).

When the completion of download is notified in (10), the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to start the firmware update ((11) shown in FIG. 3). In response to the update start request shown in (11), the communication module 10 updates the firmware ((12) shown in FIG. 3). When the update shown in (12) is completed, the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the FOTA has been completed ((13) shown in FIG. 3). After notifying that the FOTA is completed in (13), the communication module 10 completes the FOTA of its own device ((14) shown in FIG. 3).

Note that the start of FOTA shown in (1) of FIG. 3 may be based on, for example, a trigger issued by the control unit 12 of the communication module 10. Also, the start of FOTA in (1) of FIG. 3 may be based on a trigger issued by an IoT unit including the communication module 10, or may be based on a trigger issued by another functional unit connected to the communication module 10. .

Further, after (14) of FIG. 3, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may set the DM_IND signal to Low to indicate that other functional units connected to the communication module 10 are not in FOTA, for example. .

As described above, in a communication system compliant with a standard such as FUMO other than LwM2M, it can be assumed that FOTA is performed at the initiative of the communication module 10 as a client. However, as described above, in LwM2M, a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is not defined. For this reason, in the communication system 1 compliant with the LwM2M standard, FOTA cannot be performed using the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger as shown in FIG.

Specifically, for example, a command for requesting the server 20 from the communication module 10 to confirm whether there is a firmware difference file shown in (2) of FIG. 3 is not defined in the LwM2M. Also, for example, a command that requests the server 20 from the communication module 10 to download the difference file shown in (6) of FIG. 3 is not defined in the LwM2M. Further, for example, a command for notifying the server 20 from the communication module 10 that the FOTA shown in (13) of FIG. 3 has been completed is not defined in the LwM2M. Therefore, in a system compliant with a standard such as normal LwM2M, FOTA cannot be performed with the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger according to the operation shown in FIG.

In the communication module 10, after updating the firmware, reset processing or restart may be required. For this reason, for example, if a restart is executed during the operation of the communication module 10, a problem such as interruption of the process being executed is also assumed. If the firmware can be downloaded and / or updated by a trigger from the communication module 10 at a timing suitable for the communication module 10, the convenience of the communication system can be improved.

Therefore, the communication system 1 according to the embodiment enables FOTA to be triggered by the operation on the communication module 10 side even if the communication system 1 conforms to a standard such as LwM2M.

As described above, the LwM2M specification is described in detail in the specification. The LwM2M enabler protocol stack is also described in the above specification. The interface of LwM2M information reporting (Information Reporting) is specified in 5.5 Specification Information Reporting Interface of the specification. According to the specification, monitoring (Observe) and monitoring cancellation (Cancel Observation) defined as downlink operations and notification (Notify) defined as uplink operations are defined. Further, the specification stipulates that the LwM2M server and the LwM2M client must support all operations of this interface.

According to the specification, LwM2M does not stipulate that a “request” is transmitted from the client to the server. However, in LwM2M, “notification” such as Notify can be performed from the client to the server. Therefore, in one embodiment, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor a predetermined resource, and when there is a change in the resource requested to be monitored, a notification indicating the change is transmitted to the server 20. To be. Note that the server 20 requesting the communication module 10 to monitor the predetermined resource can be read as “the server 20 monitors the predetermined resource of the communication module 10”. The server 20 may monitor a predetermined resource of the communication module 10, and when there is a change in the resource to be monitored, a notification indicating the change may be transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20. Here, the “resource” may be defined by the specification of the LwM2M standard. It can also be said that a resource is a definition possessed by an arbitrary value and can be recognized by the communication module 10 (client) and the server 20.

In order to realize such an operation, the communication system 1 prepares a predetermined resource for requesting monitoring. Here, the predetermined resource to be prepared may be a new resource, a free resource among existing resources, or an existing resource may be redefined. Any resource may be adopted as long as it is a resource associated between the server 20 and the communication module 10. Then, the server 20 requests that the predetermined resource be monitored in the communication module 10 (Observe).

In such a situation, the communication module 10 changes the value of the resource that is requested to be monitored when the firmware is updated. In LwM2M, when the value of a resource is changed in this way, a notification indicating a change in the resource is transmitted from the client terminal to the server (Notify). Therefore, the server 20 can execute processing related to firmware update at the timing when such notification is received.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of FOTA that is performed using the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger in the communication system 1 according to the embodiment. Hereinafter, FOTA triggered by the operation on the communication module 10 side will be described with reference to FIG.

In the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 4, the communication module 10 may have a function included in the Release 13 specification of 3GPP (3rd GenerationrdPartnership Project), for example. The Release 13 specification of 3GPP includes functions supported in the UE (User Equipment) category M1 and functions supported in the NB-IoT (Narrow Band IoT) category. Hereinafter, a part of communication functions defined by 3GPP will be described.

[DRX]
From Release 8 of 3GPP, discontinuous reception called DRX (Discontinuous Reception) has been defined as a technique for reducing the power consumption of communication by a communication apparatus. Hereinafter, such discontinuous reception is appropriately abbreviated as “DRX”. DRX is a technology that suppresses power consumption by intermittently receiving a signal and stopping an RF (Radio Frequency) function unit during a period in which the signal is not received to enter a sleep state. The DRX operation is applied when a downlink control channel (PDCCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel) signal is intermittently received in an RRC (Radio Resource Control) idle state (RRC_IDLE) and an RRC connection state (RRC_CONNECTED). The The DRX cycle is defined as a maximum of 2.56 seconds. Since DRX is defined in detail in 3GPP, more detailed description is omitted.

In one embodiment, the communication module 10 may transmit and receive radio waves from an antenna based on DRX technology defined in the 3GPP specifications. In the following description, the DRX technology may include an eDRX (extended DRX) technology described later. In one embodiment, the DRX technology is a technology that can reduce the power consumption of the communication module 10 by causing the communication module 10 to intermittently receive radio waves. When transmitting and receiving radio waves based on the DRX technology, the communication module 10 can realize intermittent radio wave transmission and reception by stopping radio wave transmission and reception over a predetermined period. The period from when the communication module 10 starts DRX to the end of DRX is also referred to as a DRX period. Hereinafter, the predetermined period in which transmission / reception of radio waves is stopped based on the DRX technique is also referred to as a sleep period in DRX as appropriate.

[EDRX]
In addition, from Release 13 of 3GPP, in order to further extend the DRX cycle, extended intermittent reception (extended DRX) that significantly extends the period of intermittent signal reception has been defined. Hereinafter, such extended discontinuous reception (extended DRX) is abbreviated as eDRX as appropriate. In eDRX, the sleep state is extended in order to improve the power saving of the battery. In RRC_CONNECTED, 10.24 seconds (LTE) can be set as the maximum eDRX cycle. In RRC_IDLE, as the maximum eDRX cycle, 43.96 minutes (eMTC) can be set for category M1, and 2.91 hours (NB-IoT) can be set for NB-IoT. Since eDRX is also defined in detail in 3GPP, a more detailed description is omitted. In the following description, eDRX may be simply referred to as DRX as appropriate. In addition, the predetermined period during which transmission / reception of radio waves is stopped based on the eDRX technology is also referred to as a sleep period in eDRX as appropriate.

[PSM]
Further, in 3GPP, in addition to the conventional idle state and connection state, a power saving mode is defined. Hereinafter, such a power saving mode (Power Saving Mode) is abbreviated as PSM as appropriate. PSM is an operation in which a terminal transits to the same state as power off in a pseudo manner for a certain period of time while maintaining registration on the network. In this PSM, since the communication device is in a sleep state in which it does not receive paging from the base station, it cannot be seen from the network, but data transmission can be performed at any time. In the Cat1 PSM defined in Release 12 of 3GPP, when it is assumed that data of about 1 KB is sent once a day, two AA batteries can be used for more than 10 years. Since PSM is also defined in detail in 3GPP, more detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, in order to issue a FOTA trigger from the communication module 10, the server 20 monitors the resource for checking whether or not a difference file exists. Request to (Observe). In order to perform such an operation, a resource (CheckUpdate) for confirming the presence / absence of a difference file is added in advance in the communication system 1. Then, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor the resource ((1) shown in FIG. 4).

After the resource monitoring is requested in (1), the communication module 10 can trigger FOTA at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, for example, another functional unit connected to the communication module 10 may start FOTA by issuing AT + KFOTA which is an AT command for starting FOTA. For example, FOTA may be started based on an input by the user of the communication module 10. In the following description, it is assumed that the communication module 10 starts FOTA at an arbitrary timing in the communication module 10 by an arbitrary method ((2) shown in FIG. 4).

When FOTA is started in (2), the communication module 10 may stop eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM described above, for example ((3) shown in FIG. 4). Here, when the communication system 1 does not support eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM, the operation shown in (3) may not be performed. Further, even if the communication system 1 is compatible with eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM, the operation shown in (3) may be omitted. *

When FOTA is started as shown in (2), or when eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM is stopped as shown in (3), the communication module 10 sets TRUE as the value of the resource requested to be monitored. It is set ((4) shown in FIG. 4).

Further, after (3) the operation (if the operation of (3) is not performed, after the operation of (2)), for example, to indicate that another function unit connected to the communication module 10 is in FOTA The control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may set the DM_IND signal to High.

When the resource value is set in (4), the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the CheckUpdate resource value has changed to TRUE ((5) shown in FIG. 4). As described above, when the value of a resource is changed in (4) according to the LwM2M specification, information indicating a change in the resource is transmitted from the client terminal to the server (Notify).

When notified in (5), the server 20 inquires about the version information of the firmware of the communication module 10 ((6) shown in FIG. 4), as described in (3) of FIG. In this case, as shown in (6) of FIG. 4, the server 20 may read the value of the Firmware Version resource of the communication module 10 by issuing a Read command, for example. In response to the version inquiry shown in (6), the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 of the firmware version information (Version) of the communication module 10 ((7) shown in FIG. 4).

When the version information is received as shown in (7), the server 20 communicates so as to cancel monitoring of the resource (CheckUpdate) for checking whether there is a difference file (Cancel Observation) as shown in (8) of FIG. Request to module 10. By canceling the monitoring of the resource requested to be monitored in (1) in (8), it is possible to prevent the communication module 10 from repeatedly transmitting a notification such as Notify to the server 20 thereafter. Note that “requesting the communication module 10 so that the server 20 cancels resource monitoring” can be read as “the server 20 stops monitoring the resource of the communication module 10”.

When the resource monitoring is canceled in (8), the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor the download start resource (Observe). In order to perform such an operation, a download start resource (StartDownload) is added in advance in the communication system 1. Then, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor the resource ((9) shown in FIG. 4). After the resource monitoring is requested as shown in (9), the communication module 10 can trigger downloading of the firmware at an arbitrary timing.

When resource monitoring is requested in (9), the server 20 notifies the communication module 10 of the result of confirmation of the presence or absence of the difference file by issuing, for example, a Write command to the result confirmation resource (CheckUpdateResult). ((10) shown in FIG. 4). When receiving the result indicating that there is no difference file in (10), the communication module 10 may end the operation shown in FIG. 4 without downloading the firmware and without performing the firmware update process.

On the other hand, when receiving the result that there is a difference file in (10), the communication module 10 sets TRUE as the value of the resource requested to be monitored ((11) shown in FIG. 4). When the resource value is set in (11), the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the StartDownload resource value has changed to TRUE ((12) shown in FIG. 4).

When the server 20 is notified in (12), as shown in (13) of FIG. 4, the server 20 informs the communication module 10 to cancel monitoring of the download start resource (StartDownload) (Cancel Observation). Request. By canceling monitoring of the resource that requested monitoring in (9) in (13), it is possible to prevent notifications such as Notify from being repeatedly transmitted to the server 20 from the communication module 10 thereafter.

When the resource monitoring is canceled in (13), the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor the resource for the update result notification (Observe). In order to perform such an operation, an update result notification resource (UpdateResult) is added in advance in the communication system 1. Then, the server 20 requests the communication module 10 to monitor the resource ((14) shown in FIG. 4).

When resource monitoring is requested in (14), the server 20 issues a Write command to the communication module 10 by issuing, for example, a Write command to the resource (Package / PackageURI) for specifying the path of the differential file. ((15) shown in FIG. 4).

When the difference file path is notified in (15), the firmware difference file is downloaded from the server 20 to the communication module 10 ((16) to (17) shown in FIG. 4). In (16) to (17), one or more difference files of firmware may be downloaded. When all of the difference files shown in (16) to (17) have been downloaded, the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the download of the difference file has been completed ((18) shown in FIG. 4).

When the completion of downloading is notified in (18), the communication module 10 updates the firmware ((19) shown in FIG. 4). When the update shown in (19) is completed, the communication module 10 sets the “result” of the update as the value of the resource requested to be monitored ((20) shown in FIG. 4). When the resource value is set in (20), the communication module 10 notifies the server 20 that the resource value of UpdateResult has changed to the update “result” ((21 shown in FIG. 4). )).

When the notification is made in (21), the communication module 10 completes the FOTA of its own device ((22) shown in FIG. 4). After the operation shown in (22), the communication module 10 may resume the eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM stopped in (3) ((23) shown in FIG. 4). When eDRX (DRX) and / or PSM is resumed, the communication module 10 can reduce subsequent power consumption.

Further, after the operation (23) (after the operation (22) when the operation (23) is not performed), for example, to indicate that other functional units connected to the communication module 10 are not in FOTA. The control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may set the DM_IND signal to Low.

4 may be based on an AT command issued by another functional unit connected to the communication module 10, for example. Hereinafter, for example, a case where FOTA is started by an AT command issued by another functional unit connected to the communication module 10 will be described.

When the FOTA start in (2) of FIG. 4 is performed by an AT command, for example, another functional unit connected to the communication module 10 may issue AT + KFOTA, which is an AT command for FOTA start. And the control part 12 of the communication module 10 may start FOTA in (2) of FIG. 4 according to AT + KFOTA which is AT command of FOTA start. When FOTA is started in this way, for example, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 sets the DM_IND signal to High to indicate that other function units connected to the communication module 10 are in FOTA. Also good.

When the difference file path is notified in (15) of FIG. 4, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 sends an AT command for unsolicited results to other functional units connected to the communication module 10, for example. + FOTA: DLSTART may be issued. This is an unsolicited result for notifying other functional units connected to the communication module 10 that the download of the difference file has started.

Also, when the difference file shown in (16) to (17) of FIG. 4 is downloaded, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 does not make any other function unit connected to the communication module 10 to You may issue + FOTA: DLOK, which is an AT command for billing results. This is an unsolicited result for notifying other functional units connected to the communication module 10 that the download of the difference file has been completed normally.

In addition, before the update process is started in (19) of FIG. 4, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 uses, for example, an AT command for an unsolicited result to another function unit connected to the communication module 10. A certain + FOTA: UPSTART may be issued. This is an unsolicited result for notifying other functional units connected to the communication module 10 that the firmware update process has started.

Further, after the update process is performed in (19), the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may perform a reset process of the communication module 10. In this case, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 sets the DM_IND signal to Low once for the other functional units connected to the communication module 10 after the update process shown in (19) and before the reset process. Also good. In addition, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may set the DM_IND signal to High again for other functional units connected to the communication module 10 after the reset process.

Thereafter, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 may issue, for example, + FOTA: UPOK, which is an AT command for an unsolicited result, to another functional unit connected to the communication module 10. This is an unsolicited result for notifying other functional units connected to the communication module 10 that the firmware update process has been completed normally.

Further, after the notification is performed in (21) of FIG. 4, the control unit 12 of the communication module 10 sends the + FOTA which is an AT command for an unsolicited result to other functional units connected to the communication module 10, for example. : OK may be issued. This is an unsolicited result for notifying other functional units connected to the communication module 10 that a series of FOTA processing has been completed normally.

As described above, the communication system 1 according to the embodiment includes at least one communication module 10 and the server 20. Further, the communication system 1 according to an embodiment conforms to a standard in which a resource of a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 is not specified. In particular, such a standard may be a request that is a request transmitted from the communication module 10 to the server 20 and that does not define a resource for a software update request. In the communication system 1 according to an embodiment, when the communication module 10 updates software in the communication module 10, the communication module 10 transmits a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server 20 to the server 20. In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the server 20 executes processing related to software update based on reception of a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server 20.

As described above, according to the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, software such as firmware can be downloaded and / or updated at a timing suitable for the communication module 10 by a trigger from the communication module 10 side. . For this reason, according to the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, there is no inconvenience that, for example, the restart is executed during the operation of the communication module 10 and the process being executed is interrupted. Therefore, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved.

In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may start updating the software in the communication module 10 based on a predetermined command such as an AT command, for example. In particular, the communication module 10 may start updating the software in the communication module 10 based on, for example, a predetermined command (for example, an AT command) input from an electronic device connected to the communication module 10.

According to such a communication system 1, the software update in the communication module 10 is started at a timing desired by the user of the communication module 10 or at a timing desired by the user of the electronic device connected to the communication module 10. Can do. For this reason, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved.

In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the server 20 may request the communication module 10 to monitor the change in the resource before receiving the notification indicating the change in the resource.

According to such a communication system 1, even if it complies with a standard such as LwM2M, for example, the software update can be started with the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger. For this reason, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved.

Further, in the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may transmit a notification indicating a change in resources for checking whether or not software update is necessary to the server 20. Further, the server 20 may execute a process related to confirmation of necessity of software update based on the reception of such a notification. In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may transmit a notification indicating a change in resources for downloading a program related to software update from the server 20 to the server. In this case, the server 20 may execute processing for transmitting the program to the communication module 10 based on reception of such a notification. In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may use a resource for notifying the result of the software update in the communication module 10 and transmit the result to the server.

According to such a communication system 1, the server 20 can execute processing related to software update using the operation on the communication module 10 side as a trigger even if the communication system 1 conforms to a standard such as LwM2M. . For this reason, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved.

In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the server 20 may request to cancel monitoring by the communication module 10 of the change in the resource after receiving the notification indicating the change in the resource.

According to such a communication system 1, it is possible to prevent such notifications from being repeatedly transmitted after the server 20 receives a notification corresponding to the monitoring requested by the server 20 from the communication module 10. For this reason, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved.

In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may stop the intermittent reception (DRX) by the communication module 10 when updating the software. In the communication system 1 according to the embodiment, the communication module 10 may stop the power saving mode (PSM) of communication performed by the communication module 10 when updating the software.

According to such a communication system 1, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the communication module 10 when the software is not updated while the communication is appropriately performed when the software is updated. For this reason, according to the communication system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment, the convenience of a communication system can be improved. In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the example which implement | achieves FOTA in the communication system based on standards, such as LwM2M, was mainly demonstrated, one Embodiment is not limited to such an aspect. The above-described embodiment can be applied to a technique (On-The-Air (OTA)) that realizes wireless distribution of software in general and update based on the software.

Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various changes or modifications based on the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be noted that these variations or modifications are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each functional unit can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction. A plurality of functional units or the like may be combined into one or divided. Each of the embodiments according to the present disclosure described above is not limited to being performed faithfully to each of the embodiments described above, and may be implemented by appropriately combining the features or omitting some of the features. .

For example, the above-described embodiment is not limited to the implementation as the communication system 1 including the communication module 10 and the server 20. For example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a communication module included in a system such as the communication system 1 or may be implemented as a server included in a system such as the communication system 1. Further, for example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a method for controlling a communication module such as the communication module 10 or may be implemented as a method for controlling a server such as the server 20. Furthermore, for example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a control program for a communication module such as the communication module 10 or a control program for a server such as the server 20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication system apparatus 10 Communication module 11 Communication part 12 Control part 13 Storage part 20 Server 21 Communication part 22 Control part 23 Storage part

Claims (15)

A communication system including a communication module and a server,
The communication system conforms to a standard in which resources for requests to be transmitted from the communication module to the server are not defined,
When the communication module updates the software in the communication module, the communication module sends a notification indicating a change in the resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server,
The server performs processing related to the software update based on reception of the notification.
Communications system. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication module starts updating software in the communication module based on a predetermined command. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the communication module starts updating software in the communication module based on a predetermined command input from an electronic device. The communication module sends a notification indicating a change in a resource for checking whether the software needs to be updated to the server;
The server executes processing related to confirmation of necessity of updating the software based on reception of the notification.
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The communication module sends a notification indicating a change in a resource for downloading a program related to the software update from the server to the server;
The server executes a process of transmitting the program to the communication module based on reception of the notification.
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the communication module transmits the result to the server by using a resource for notifying a result of the software update in the communication module. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the server requests the communication module to monitor a change in the resource before receiving the notification. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the server requests to cancel monitoring by the communication module of a change in the resource after receiving the notification. The communication module stops at least one of intermittent reception (DRX) by the communication module and power saving mode (PSM) of communication by the communication module when updating software in the communication module. The communication system in any one. A communication module that conforms to a standard that does not specify the resource of the request to be sent to the server,
A communication module that, when updating software in the communication module, transmits a notification indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server. A server that complies with a standard for which the resource of a request transmitted from a communication module is not defined,
When a notification indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server is received from the communication module when the software is updated in the communication module, processing related to the software update is received based on the reception of the notification. Run the server. A method for controlling a communication module that complies with a standard for which a resource of a request to be transmitted to a server is not defined,
A method for controlling a communication module, comprising: when updating software in the communication module, sending a notification indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server. A server control method that complies with a standard that does not specify the resource of a request transmitted from a communication module,
Receiving a notification from the communication module indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server when software is updated in the communication module;
Executing a process related to the update of the software based on receiving the notification;
Including a server control method. A computer that controls a communication module that conforms to a standard that does not specify the resource of the request sent to the server.
A communication module control program that, when updating software in the communication module, executes a step of sending a notification indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server to the server. A computer that controls a server that conforms to a standard that does not specify the resource of the request sent from the communication module.
Receiving a notification from the communication module indicating a change in a resource requested to be monitored by the server when software is updated in the communication module;
Executing a process related to the update of the software based on receiving the notification;
A server control program that executes

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