Online program upgrade methods and systems, air conditioners

Abstract

This invention discloses an online program upgrade method and system, and an air conditioner. The online program upgrade method includes: dividing the physical storage address of the device controller requiring program upgrade into at least a regular application program area and an upgrade processing program area; when the device controller establishes a communication connection with an external online upgrade device to prepare for upgrade, the device controller switches from the regular application program area to the upgrade processing program area to perform the upgrade, simultaneously exchanging logical data and upgrade data with the online upgrade device, and the online upgrade device replaces the device controller in controlling the device. This invention achieves non-stop device upgrades with fewer chip resources and lower cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of program upgrades and updates, and in particular to a method and system for online program upgrades that do not require interrupting normal equipment operation. Background Technology

[0002] In order to enable hardware products to continuously meet the ever-evolving needs of users, software upgrades are something that most devices need to consider.

[0003] Taking air conditioning equipment as an example, as consumers become more service-conscious, after-sales service for air conditioning products is becoming increasingly important. Some after-sales issues are resolved by upgrading the software of the indoor and / or outdoor unit controllers. Currently, the software in the indoor and outdoor unit controllers of air conditioners is basically embedded controller software.

[0004] There are typically several ways to upgrade existing embedded controller programs:

[0005] One option is to directly replace the indoor unit controller or outdoor unit controller. The disadvantage of this method is that it involves replacing the controller, which is costly.

[0006] The second method involves updating the program via the manufacturer's IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) and emulator. The disadvantage of this method is that it is very complicated to operate and the burning quality is unstable.

[0007] Third, the controller chip's online upgrade function is utilized to achieve automatic upgrades through communication data interaction.

[0008] Online upgrades are the most convenient solution compared to the previous two methods. However, online upgrades usually require the unit to be shut down first. For a special product like an air conditioner, shutting down can cause significant disruption to users' daily lives. Furthermore, with the increasing prevalence of air conditioners in commercial settings, some critical commercial environments have high operational requirements for the units. A shutdown of the unit could result in losses for the user.

[0009] Therefore, how to propose a low-cost online program upgrade method and system that can ensure normal equipment operation is a technical problem that the industry urgently needs to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0010] To address the technical problems of high costs and the need for equipment downtime for upgrades in existing technologies, this invention proposes an online program upgrade method and system, as well as an air conditioner.

[0011] The online program upgrade method proposed in this invention includes:

[0012] The physical storage address of the device controller that needs to be upgraded should be divided into at least a regular application area and an upgrade processing area;

[0013] When the device controller establishes a communication connection with an external online upgrade device to prepare for an upgrade, the device controller switches from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area to perform the upgrade. At the same time, it interacts with the online upgrade device to exchange logical data and upgrade data, and the online upgrade device takes over the control of the device controller.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0015] When the device controller upgrade is complete, the device controller switches from the upgrade processing area to the regular application area to control the device and notifies the online upgrade device that the upgrade is complete.

[0016] Furthermore, the device controller's switch from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area for upgrade is triggered by the online upgrade device sending an online upgrade command.

[0017] Furthermore, the online upgrade command is sent via button press.

[0018] Furthermore, the logical data includes the device's operating parameters and the device's control parameters.

[0019] Furthermore, the physical storage address of the online upgrade device is also divided into at least a regular application area and an upgrade processing area, which are the same as those of the device controller; when the online upgrade device or the device controller is powered on, its own identity is identified.

[0020] Furthermore, the device controller and / or online upgrade device identify themselves by selecting the interface circuit or DIP switch using pull-up / pull-down resistors.

[0021] Furthermore, the physical storage address of the online upgrade device is not partitioned, and the online upgrade device has a program that can perform the same functions as the programs in the regular application area and the upgrade processing program area.

[0022] The online program upgrade system proposed in this invention includes a device controller and an online upgrade device, wherein the device controller and the online upgrade device are upgraded using the online program upgrade method described in the above technical solution.

[0023] The air conditioner proposed in this invention adopts the above-mentioned online program upgrade system, and the device controller includes at least one of an indoor unit controller and an outdoor unit controller.

[0024] Furthermore, the equipment controller includes a first communication interface for communicating with the remaining nodes of the unit, and a second communication interface for communicating with the online upgrade device.

[0025] Furthermore, the first communication interface and / or the second communication interface are UART interfaces.

[0026] This invention partitions the device controller, burning the routine control program and the upgrade program into different partitions. It also provides an online upgrade device with its own corresponding program, enabling both routine control and upgrade functions. When the device needs upgrading, the online upgrade device communicates with the partition containing the upgrade program on the device controller. The online upgrade device sends control commands, which are then forwarded to the controlled loads by the device controller, thus achieving upgrades without shutting down the device.

[0027] The technical solution of this invention achieves online upgrades of the controller program without shutdown using fewer chip resources, which saves chip resources and reduces the cost of upgrades without shutdown. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0029] Figure 1 This is the main flowchart of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is an overall flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a structural topology diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the technical problems to be solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0033] Therefore, a feature pointed out in this specification is used to describe one feature of one embodiment of the invention, and does not imply that every embodiment of the invention must have the described feature. Furthermore, it should be noted that this specification describes many features. Although certain features may be combined to illustrate possible system designs, these features may also be used in other combinations not explicitly stated. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the described combinations are not intended to be limiting.

[0034] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the online program upgrade method of the present invention divides the physical storage address of the device controller requiring program upgrade into at least a regular application area and an upgrade processing area. For example, the physical storage address of the device controller is divided into two partitions: a regular application area and an upgrade processing area. The program in the regular application area is used to implement the normal operation of the device, while the program in the upgrade processing area is used to implement the device upgrade. The upgrade processing area only involves the upgrade and some supporting functions, thus occupying fewer chip resources.

[0035] Under normal circumstances, the device controller runs in the regular application area. When the device controller needs to be upgraded, an external online upgrade device capable of establishing a communication connection with the device controller can be prepared. For example, this external online upgrade device can establish a communication connection with the device controller via wired communication.

[0036] When the device controller establishes a communication connection with an external online upgrade device to prepare for an upgrade, the device controller switches from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area to perform the upgrade. Simultaneously, the device controller and the online upgrade device exchange logical and upgrade data. The online upgrade device replaces the device controller in controlling the device. This online upgrade device is reusable; multiple devices can share the same online upgrade device, reducing the hardware cost of the upgrade. Furthermore, the device controller continues to perform its original normal operation and upgrade functions; only the physical storage address is partitioned, without increasing the overhead of the device controller chip. During the device controller upgrade, the online upgrade device replaces the device controller's function of controlling the device's normal operation, enabling the device to undergo online upgrades without downtime. The overall technical solution is low-cost, simple to control, and achieves online upgrades without downtime.

[0037] When the device controller upgrade is complete, it switches from the upgrade processing area to the regular application area, resumes control of the device, and notifies the online upgrade device that the upgrade is complete. After receiving the upgrade completion signal, the online upgrade device stops controlling the device and returns to the initial upgrade preparation state.

[0038] In one embodiment, the device controller switches from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area for upgrade. This switching action can be triggered by an online upgrade command sent by the online upgrade device. The specific online upgrade command can be sent by pressing a button or by counting delay, etc. For example, after the online upgrade device establishes a communication connection with the device controller, the online upgrade device sends the online upgrade command after a delay of a few seconds. Those skilled in the art can also use other triggering command methods to trigger the online upgrade command, all of which are within the protection scope of this invention.

[0039] When the equipment controller is running in the upgrade processing area, the logical data exchanged between the equipment controller and the online upgrade device mainly includes the equipment's operating parameters and control parameters. Since all loads controlled by the equipment controller are connected to the equipment controller, the equipment controller needs to collect some operating parameters of the equipment, such as working status parameters, and then send them to the online upgrade device so that the corresponding program of the online upgrade device can provide the correct control parameters based on the obtained operating parameters. The control parameters will be transmitted from the online upgrade device to the equipment controller, and then the corresponding load or corresponding part of the equipment will be controlled.

[0040] The online upgrade device of the present invention has two implementation methods.

[0041] In one embodiment, the online upgrade device can be a copy of the device controller, meaning its physical storage address is also divided into at least the same regular application area and upgrade process area as the device controller. For example, the physical storage address of the online upgrade device may be divided into two partitions: a regular application area and an upgrade process area. In this case, since the programs running on the device controller and the online upgrade device are exactly the same, the device controller needs to identify itself when it powers on. Similarly, the online upgrade device also needs to identify itself when it powers on.

[0042] There are many ways to identify an entity. Device controllers and / or online upgrade devices can identify themselves using pull-up / pull-down resistors to select interface circuits or DIP switches. Those skilled in the art can also use other identification methods to allow the program to determine whether it is running on the device controller or the online upgrade device.

[0043] In another embodiment, the physical storage address of the online upgrade device may not be partitioned, as long as the online upgrade device has a program that can perform the same functions as the programs in the regular application area and the upgrade processing area. The program performing the same functions can be a single, integrated program that uses different modules to implement the functions of the programs burned into the regular application area of ​​the device controller and the programs burned into the upgrade processing area. Since the program burning method and code in the online upgrade device are different from those in the device processor, in this embodiment, the device processor and the online upgrade device do not need to identify themselves upon power-up; they can each run their own programs during mutual communication and interaction.

[0044] The present invention also protects the corresponding online program upgrade system, which includes a device controller and an online upgrade device. The device controller and the online upgrade device are upgraded using the online program upgrade method described in any of the embodiments of the above technical solutions.

[0045] This invention also protects air conditioners by employing the online program upgrade system of this invention. When the device is specifically an air conditioner, the device controller of this invention includes at least one of an indoor unit controller and an outdoor unit controller.

[0046] like Figure 3 As shown, the equipment controller has at least two communication interfaces, including a first communication interface for communicating with the other nodes of the unit, and a second communication interface for communicating with the online upgrade device. The remaining interfaces are used for system load control and detection. In one embodiment, the first and / or second communication interfaces are UART interfaces. The regular application area within the equipment controller primarily uses the unit communication protocol. Similarly, if the online upgrade device uses a copy of the equipment controller, its regular application area also uses the unit communication protocol, and the upgrade processing area of ​​the equipment controller primarily uses the upgrade processing protocol. Correspondingly, the upgrade processing area of ​​the online upgrade device in the figure also uses the upgrade processing protocol.

[0047] The following uses an air conditioner as a specific example to describe in detail a specific embodiment of the online program upgrade method of the present invention.

[0048] In this embodiment, the controller to be upgraded (which can be an indoor controller or an outdoor controller) uses the same main control chip, I / O port configuration, and program code as the online upgrade device.

[0049] The controller to be upgraded needs to include two or more UART or similar communication interfaces. One interface is responsible for communicating with the other nodes of the unit (the other nodes), the other interface is used for online upgrade processing, and the remaining interfaces are used for system load control and detection.

[0050] The online upgrade device, based on the controller requiring upgrades, retains only the minimum control system and communication interface, while simultaneously adding a storage module. The control system is used to execute system logic processing and online upgrade functions, the communication interface is used for data interaction with the controller requiring upgrades, and the storage module is used to store the required upgrade program.

[0051] Since the controller and online upgrade device use the same program code, they need to identify themselves upon power-up. This identification can be achieved using pull-up / pull-down resistors, selection circuits, or DIP switches.

[0052] The controller and online upgrade device requiring upgrades need to be partitioned into two main areas: a regular application area and an upgrade processing area. When the unit's controller is not in online upgrade mode, it runs in the regular application area; when it enters online upgrade mode, it runs in the upgrade processing area. The specific program area run by the online upgrade device is the exact opposite of that of the controller requiring upgrades.

[0053] Different partitions have different functions. The regular application area is mainly responsible for the unit's logical operation. The first communication interface is responsible for communicating with other nodes in the unit, and the second communication interface is responsible for communicating with the online upgrade device. When the second communication interface receives the corresponding instruction from the online upgrade device to enter the upgrade process area, it will switch to the upgrade processing area. The upgrade processing area completely removes the unit's operating logic, retaining only the unit's load control and communication functions to save chip resources.

[0054] The specific upgrade mode of the unit's controller can be accessed through button presses or other operations.

[0055] There are two main types of interaction protocols used by the controller that needs to be upgraded for the unit. The first communication interface uses the unit's regular operating protocol, while the second communication interface uses the upgrade processing protocol.

[0056] The data involved in this upgrade processing protocol mainly includes the following.

[0057] 1. The necessary operating parameters of the system detected by the unit controller itself and other nodes, such as the ambient temperature of the unit, the user-set temperature of the unit, and the system pressure;

[0058] 2. The online upgrade device calculates system load control parameters, such as compressor frequency, fan speed, and electronic expansion valve steps, according to the conventional application program.

[0059] 3. Online upgrade program data, i.e., the program code for the upgrade.

[0060] The unit's controller runs the unit's control logic through the conventional application area. The first communication interface maintains communication with the other nodes, while the second communication interface awaits online upgrade instructions.

[0061] The online upgrade device operates according to the upgrade processing procedure area, waiting for the online upgrade command issued by the user. The online upgrade device triggers the online upgrade command through methods such as buttons, and transmits it to the controller of the unit that needs to be upgraded through the second communication interface.

[0062] The controller that needs to be upgraded for the unit switches to the upgrade processing area and returns to the upgrade state, the current operating state of the unit, and the system operating parameters. During this process, the original load output remains unchanged.

[0063] The online upgrade device switches to the regular application area and runs the control logic according to the operating parameters (such as system parameters) returned by the controller that needs to be upgraded, and returns the latest calculated load control parameters. Simultaneously, the online upgrade device reads the program code to be upgraded from its own storage device or obtains it through other external devices, and sends it to the controller that needs to be upgraded, along with the load control parameters, in frames.

[0064] The controller requiring upgrade operates the load according to the calculations of the online upgrade device and maintains interaction with other nodes via the first communication interface according to the unit protocol. Simultaneously, the controller requiring upgrade upgrades upgrades its own regular application area based on the received program code. After the upgrade of the regular application area of ​​the controller requiring upgrade is complete, it returns a completion flag to the online upgrade device. The online upgrade device then returns to its initial state, awaits the next upgrade, and returns an upgrade completion flag to the controller requiring upgrade.

[0065] The unit controller switches back to the regular application area and continues to operate according to logical calculations based on the current operating parameters.

[0066] The reason why the online upgrade device of the present invention runs a conventional application program is to ensure that the unit does not shut down during the upgrade process. If the unit's controller runs the upgrade program directly, then the unit's control must be stopped during the upgrade process.

[0067] In addition, since the online upgrade device is only a temporary upgrade device and needs to be removed after the upgrade is completed, it will not be left in the unit to replace the unit's controller indefinitely.

[0068] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for online program upgrades, characterized in that, include: The physical storage address of the device controller that needs to be upgraded is divided into at least a regular application area and an upgrade processing area. The program in the regular application area is used to implement the normal operation of the device, while the upgrade processing area deletes the device's operating logic and only retains the load control and communication functions. When the device controller establishes a communication connection with an external online upgrade device to prepare for an upgrade, the device controller switches from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area to perform the upgrade. At the same time, it interacts with the online upgrade device to exchange logical data and upgrade data, and the online upgrade device takes over the control of the device controller. The logical data includes the device's operating parameters and control parameters. The device controller collects the device's operating parameters and sends them to the online upgrade device. The program corresponding to the online upgrade device runs the control logic based on the acquired operating parameters to provide the latest calculated control parameters. The program code to be upgraded and the control parameters are transmitted to the device controller in frames. The device controller controls the device according to the control parameters calculated by the online upgrade device and upgrades the regular application area according to the received code.

2. The online program upgrade method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: When the device controller upgrade is complete, the device controller switches from the upgrade processing area to the regular application area to control the device and notifies the online upgrade device that the upgrade is complete.

3. The online program upgrade method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The device controller switches from the regular application area to the upgrade processing area for upgrades, triggered by an online upgrade command sent by the online upgrade device.

4. The online program upgrade method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The online upgrade command is sent via button press.

5. The online program upgrade method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The physical storage address of the online upgrade device is also divided into at least a regular application area and an upgrade processing area, which are the same as those of the device controller; when the online upgrade device or the device controller is powered on, its own identity is identified.

6. The online program upgrade method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The device controller and / or online upgrade device identify themselves by selecting the interface circuit or DIP switch using pull-up / pull-down resistors.

7. The online program upgrade method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The physical storage address of the online upgrade device is not partitioned, and the online upgrade device has a program that can perform the same functions as the programs in the regular application area and the upgrade processing program area.

8. An online program upgrade system, comprising a device controller and an online upgrade device, characterized in that, The device controller and online upgrade device are upgraded using the online program upgrade method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An air conditioner, characterized in that, The system employs the online program upgrade system as described in claim 8, wherein the device controller includes at least one of an indoor unit controller and an outdoor unit controller.

10. The air conditioner as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The equipment controller includes a first communication interface for communicating with the other nodes of the unit, and a second communication interface for communicating with the online upgrade device.

11. The air conditioner as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first communication interface and / or the second communication interface are UART interfaces.

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