LCM firmware upgrade method and aging board and aging test equipment used for the method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of firmware update, in particular to a firmware upgrade method for LCM and an aging board and aging test equipment used for the method. The method performs firmware upgrades through an aging test equipment. When products are connected to the aging board one by one, each time a aging board is connected to the product, ensuring that the connection is normal and powered on, the aging board executes a firmware update process, and confirms whether to perform a firmware update by comparing the versions of the firmware master stored in the product and the aging board; and when the product firmware is the latest, the host computer communicates with the host computer, and after receiving the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board and instructs each aging board to execute a firmware synchronization program respectively, update the firmware master stored therein, and then execute the firmware update process. It can not only solve the problem of online batch upgrade of LCM firmware, but also adapt to the requirement of batch upgrading firmware for LCMs with different firmware when LCMs with different firmware are produced on the same line, and is suitable for the production of various types of LCMs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of firmware updating, in particular to a method for upgrading the firmware of an LCM and an aging board and aging test equipment used in the method. Background Art

[0002] Firmware refers to the device "driver" stored inside the device. It is the underlying code that connects the hardware and the operating system when the device starts. It is the most basic and low-level software and usually cannot be directly read or modified by the user, such as the Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) on a computer motherboard.

[0003] As we enter the era of the Internet of Everything, users urgently need to modify firmware to adapt to the ever-changing hardware environment. Therefore, currently, users can generally upgrade firmware through specific flash programs. However, such upgrades are mainly due to hardware optimization and innovation, as well as changes and updates to adapt to the used software and hardware environment. However, some hardware in the device has fixed and single functions, so the necessary ports for firmware upgrades are not provided during design, such as LCM.

[0004] An LCM (LCD Module), or LCD display module, refers to an assembly that combines a liquid crystal display device, connectors, peripheral circuits such as control and drive circuits, PCB circuit boards, backlight sources, and structural components. The LCM's external connections primarily provide power and display signal input. It lacks connectivity to the internet and lacks a data port for firmware upgrades. Firmware availability and performance must be ensured during the production phase. Consequently, frequent firmware updates are typically required during the trial production phase of new LCM products, and occasionally occur during mass production.

[0005] However, the standard LCM production process doesn't include a firmware upgrade station. Therefore, whenever an upgrade is needed, a temporary firmware upgrade station must be set up outside the production line. To upgrade the LCM firmware, the LCMs are typically removed from the production line after the burn-in test is complete and the product has cooled. These stations are then taken to the upgrade station outside the production line, where each LCM is upgraded using a computer. Because the upgrade station is located outside the production line, the LCMs are easily damaged by shaking and other collisions during transport, and the labor and time costs are high.

[0006] To address the issues with traditional upgrade methods, the invention patent application number 202111220120.9, titled "A Method for Replacing Programs on Multiple LCM Testers," utilizes a central control machine or computer to connect to a router via network communication, which in turn connects the router to the testers via a wireless network. Programs can then be reprogrammed on the testers via the central control machine, or by downloading and opening the host computer software on a computer. The core of this method is to connect the LCMs and upgrade sites via a wireless network, thus resolving the issue of requiring individual upgrades after the aging test is complete and the system has cooled.

[0007] However, the aforementioned patent uses batch firmware updates. In actual production, LCMs of varying specifications, or even from different customers, may be produced on the same production line. Therefore, there's no guarantee that LCMs from the same batch in the burn-in chamber will be compatible with the same firmware. Furthermore, during the trial production phase of new products, batches are smaller and typically produced on the same production line. However, firmware updates are frequent, and even different firmware may be used for comparative testing within the same batch of trial products. Therefore, the aforementioned patent's method is unsuitable for actual production requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: to provide an LCM firmware upgrade method and an aging board and aging test equipment used for this method, which can not only solve the problem of online batch upgrade of LCM firmware, but also adapt to the requirement of batch upgrade of firmware of LCMs with different firmware when LCMs with different firmware are produced on the same line.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is:

[0010] The LCM firmware upgrade method uses the LCM aging test equipment to upgrade the firmware of the product to be tested. The aging test equipment includes a host computer and multiple aging boards connected to the host computer. The aging boards are provided with a memory for storing the firmware master copies of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line; the products to be tested are connected to each aging board one by one. After each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and the connection is ensured to be normal and powered on, the aging board that has completed the connection and powered on executes the firmware update procedure according to the following steps:

[0011] A1. The burn-in board reads the product and firmware information of the product to be tested connected to it, and determines the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory;

[0012] A2. The burn-in board compares the version of the firmware on the product to be tested connected to it with the version of the firmware master copy determined in step A1. If the two versions are consistent, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited. If the firmware master copy determined in step A1 is the latest version, step A3 is executed. If the firmware of the product to be tested connected to the burn-in board is the latest version, step A4 is executed.

[0013] A3. The aging board updates the firmware of the connected product to be tested based on the firmware master copy determined in step A1. After the update is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited.

[0014] A4. The aging board extracts the latest version of firmware from the product to be tested connected to it, stores it in its memory, and replaces the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory with the latest version of firmware; at the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of firmware to the host computer. After completion, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for;

[0015] After receiving the latest version of the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board and instructs each aging board to execute the firmware synchronization program according to the following steps:

[0016] B1. The aging board receives the latest firmware version information from the host computer and determines the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest firmware version;

[0017] B2. The aging board compares the version of the latest version of the firmware with the version of the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware;

[0018] B3. If the latest version of the firmware is updated, the aging board will download the latest version of the firmware and replace the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware in its memory with the latest version;

[0019] B4. Execute the firmware update procedure on the aging board.

[0020] Furthermore, step A4 includes the following steps:

[0021] A41. The burn-in board extracts the latest version of the firmware from the connected product to be tested and stores it in a temporary storage area of its memory; A42. The burn-in board writes the firmware stored in the temporary storage area back to the product to be tested from which the firmware was extracted;

[0022] A43. The aging board reads the status information of the product to be tested after the reverse firmware is written and determines its working status. If the working status is normal, step A45 is executed; if the working status is abnormal, step A44 is executed;

[0023] A44. The aging board restores the firmware of the product under test based on the firmware master copy corresponding to the product specifications of the product under test. After the restoration is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for;

[0024] A45. Use the firmware stored in the temporary storage area to replace the firmware master corresponding to the product to be tested on the memory with the latest version of the firmware. At the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of the firmware to the host computer. After completion, terminate the firmware update program and wait for the next instruction.

[0025] Specifically, after receiving the latest version of the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board by broadcasting an update event.

[0026] Specifically, the latest version of the firmware received by the host computer is: the latest version of the firmware uploaded by the aging board or the latest version of the firmware received by the host computer through the local network.

[0027] As an implementation method, after the last product to be tested is connected to the aging board and completes the firmware update procedure, the aging board communicates with the host computer to update the device status of the host computer to update and complete the aging test.

[0028] As an implementation method, after the device is started, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network; after each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes the firmware synchronization program respectively.

[0029] As an embodiment, the host computer is provided with a storage for storing the firmware masters of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line. After each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes the firmware synchronization program for all the firmware masters stored in its memory.

[0030] As an implementation method, during the aging test, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network. After the aging test is completed, the host computer instructs each aging board to execute a firmware synchronization program.

[0031] At the same time, the present invention also provides an LCM burn-in board, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores firmware masters corresponding to all specifications of products on the production line and a computer program that can be run on the processor of the burn-in board, and when the processor of the burn-in board executes the computer program, the firmware update program and firmware synchronization program of the LCM firmware update method described above are implemented. And an LCM burn-in test device, comprising a host computer and multiple burn-in boards connected to the host computer, wherein the burn-in boards are the burn-in boards of the LCM described above; the host computer comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory of the host computer stores firmware masters corresponding to all specifications of products on the production line and a computer program that can be run on the processor of the host computer, and when the processor of the host computer executes the computer program, the portion of the LCM firmware update method described above involving the host computer is implemented.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0033] First, the updating method of the present invention utilizes the aging test equipment to update the firmware of the LCM, thus solving the problem of online batch upgrading of the LCM firmware. There is no need to upgrade them one by one after the aging test is completed and the temperature is lowered, thus avoiding possible damage to the product during the transportation of the LCM. Secondly, the updating method of the present invention mainly utilizes the time gap of connecting the products to be tested with the aging board one by one, which belongs to the time gap in the process. Therefore, it will not affect the process arrangement and production rhythm of the production line, and the increase in labor cost can be almost ignored. Thirdly, the updating method of the present invention uses the aging board to judge the products to be tested connected to it one by one. and upgrade. After discovering the existence of updated firmware, it will also communicate with the host computer and trigger the firmware synchronization program. Therefore, it can adapt to the requirements of batch upgrading the firmware of LCMs with different firmware when LCMs with different firmware are produced on the same line, and can adapt to more flexible production organization methods; Fourthly, the update method of the present invention, except that some aging boards use EPROM with small capacity and need to be upgraded to a larger capacity memory, such as flash memory, to meet the storage of the firmware master copies of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line, there is almost no need to upgrade and transform the existing aging test equipment. Therefore, it almost does not increase the cost of equipment transformation, is highly operational, and is extremely convenient to implement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 , a flowchart of the firmware update procedure of the firmware upgrade method of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 , a flowchart of the firmware review and recovery procedure in the firmware update procedure of the firmware upgrade method of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 , a flowchart of the firmware synchronization program of the firmware upgrade method of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 , a schematic diagram of an aging test device used in the firmware upgrade method of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 , a schematic diagram of an aging board used in the firmware upgrade method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The firmware upgrade method of the LCM of the present invention is to upgrade the firmware of the product to be tested through the aging test equipment of the LCM. The aging test equipment includes a host computer and multiple aging boards connected to the host computer. The aging boards are provided with a memory for storing the firmware master of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line. The products to be tested are connected to each aging board one by one. After each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and the connection is ensured to be normal and powered on, the aging board that has completed the connection and powered on performs the following steps: Figure 1 Firmware update procedure shown:

[0040] A1. The burn-in board reads the product and firmware information of the product to be tested connected to it, and determines the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory;

[0041] A2. The burn-in board compares the version of the firmware on the product to be tested connected to it with the version of the firmware master copy determined in step A1. If the two versions are consistent, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited. If the firmware master copy determined in step A1 is the latest version, step A3 is executed. If the firmware of the product to be tested connected to the burn-in board is the latest version, step A4 is executed.

[0042] A3. The aging board updates the firmware of the connected product to be tested based on the firmware master copy determined in step A1. After the update is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited.

[0043] A4. The aging board extracts the latest version of firmware from the product to be tested connected to it, stores it in its memory, and replaces the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory with the latest version of firmware; at the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of firmware to the host computer. After completion, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for;

[0044] After receiving the latest version of the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board and instructs each aging board to execute the following steps: Figure 3 The firmware synchronization procedure shown:

[0045] B1. The aging board receives the latest firmware version information from the host computer and determines the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest firmware version;

[0046] B2. The aging board compares the version of the latest version of the firmware with the version of the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware;

[0047] B3. If the latest version of the firmware is updated, the aging board will download the latest version of the firmware and replace the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware in its memory with the latest version;

[0048] B4. Execute the firmware update procedure on the aging board.

[0049] As described above, the update method of the present invention essentially involves: confirming the latest version of the firmware by comparing the product under test, the firmware stored in the host computer, and the firmware stored in the burn-in board; and updating the firmware of the product under test using the master firmware as the update reference by providing a memory on the burn-in board that stores the master firmware for all specifications of products on the corresponding production line. Specifically, there are three scenarios:

[0050] If the host computer is the latest, then the firmware master on the aging board is updated to the latest version through the firmware synchronization program, and the latest version of the firmware received by the host computer is: the latest version of the firmware uploaded by the aging board or the latest version of the firmware received by the host computer through the local network;

[0051] If the firmware on the aging board is the latest, then the firmware of the product to be tested is updated through the aging board. The latest firmware on the aging board comes from the host computer.

[0052] If the firmware on the product to be tested is the latest, the firmware master is updated through the aging board, uploaded to the host computer, and other aging boards are notified to perform synchronous updates.

[0053] The above three situations can correspond to the following situations in actual production:

[0054] 1) The supplier or customer notifies that the firmware needs to be updated and provides an update package. At this time, the upgrade can be carried out in two ways. One is to use a product as a sample for firmware upgrade, and add the sample to the product to be tested during the burn-in test, and upgrade it when the product to be tested is the latest version. The other is to decompress the update package to obtain the new version of the firmware, and store it in the host computer of the burn-in test equipment through the local network, and upgrade it when the host computer is the latest version.

[0055] 2) If the supplier or customer has updated the firmware but has not notified you, or has notified you but has not provided an update package, you only need to add the latest materials to the production line. During the aging test, you can use the firmware attached to the latest materials and upgrade the product to be tested as if it is the latest.

[0056] In these cases, the firmware provided by the supplier or customer has already passed their testing and is therefore considered usable by default. Of course, you can also test the firmware before releasing it to production.

[0057] However, it should be noted that the update method of the present invention uses a backup copy method to update, rather than installing the installation package through dedicated software. Therefore, during the update, if the firmware does not match, the dedicated software will not report an error. In actual production, there will inevitably be unexpected situations, such as: during the assembly process of the LCM, there is a mix-up, that is, the firmware of the LCM to be tested may not match the firmware. Therefore, in order to correct it in time and avoid the occurrence of incorrect updates, further, in step A4, for the case where the product to be tested is the latest, the following is added: Figure 2 The firmware review and recovery procedure shown includes the following steps:

[0058] A41. The burn-in board extracts the latest version of the firmware from the connected product to be tested and stores it in a temporary storage area of its memory; A42. The burn-in board writes the firmware stored in the temporary storage area back to the product to be tested from which the firmware was extracted;

[0059] A43. The aging board reads the status information of the product to be tested after the reverse firmware is written and determines its working status. If the working status is normal, step A45 is executed; if the working status is abnormal, step A44 is executed;

[0060] A44. The aging board restores the firmware of the product under test based on the firmware master copy corresponding to the product specifications of the product under test. After the restoration is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for;

[0061] A45. Use the firmware stored in the temporary storage area to replace the firmware master corresponding to the product to be tested on the memory with the latest version of the firmware. At the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of the firmware to the host computer. After completion, terminate the firmware update program and wait for the next instruction.

[0062] To help those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the firmware update method of the present invention is described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0063] At the same time, in any embodiment of the present invention, multiple aging boards, the product to be tested, and the host computer can transmit data or signals to each other via wired (such as cables, USB cables) or wireless (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, network connection) solutions. Therefore, when the LCM is performing a firmware upgrade through a certain method and an interruption occurs, another transmission method can be immediately activated to seamlessly continue the upgrade. This saves upgrade time and improves overall efficiency. This is explained here.

[0064] Example 1

[0065] The burn-in test equipment consists of a host computer and 200 burn-in boards connected to the host computer. The burn-in boards are equipped with Flash memory for storing the master firmware copies of all specifications of the corresponding production line products. Each burn-in board can be connected to two products to be tested. After each burn-in board is connected to the product to be tested, ensuring that the connection is normal and powered on, the burn-in board with the completed connection and power is executed according to the following steps.

[0066] A1. The MCU (Micro Controller Unit) of the aging board extracts the model information, MD5 information (Message Digest Algorithm, Message Digest Algorithm Version 5), firmware version number and Bundle ID from the firmware data of the two products to be tested connected to it, and calculates the firmware Checksum; then, the MCU of the aging board reads the model information, MD5 information, firmware version number and Bundle ID in the data of each firmware master in its Flash, and calculates the Checksum of each firmware master; the MCU of the aging board matches the Checksum of each firmware master with the Checksum of the two products to be tested, and determines the firmware master corresponding to the two products to be tested in the Flash. The above-mentioned Bundle ID, also known as the AppBundle ID (Bundle identifier), is the unique identification ID of the system APP, which is used for bundle identification and indicates the difference between the application and other apps. The App Bundle ID is generally used for special strings that software developers need to bundle when generating software, and each APP has only one proprietary Bundle ID, which cannot be used for other software development. The above checksum is a checksum. In the fields of data processing and data communication, a checksum is the sum of a group of data items used for verification purposes. The data items can be numbers or other strings that are treated as numbers in the checksum calculation process. It is used to ensure the integrity and accuracy of data in communication.

[0067] A2. The MCU of the aging board compares the firmware versions of the two connected products to be tested with the corresponding firmware master versions determined in step A1 according to the firmware version numbers.

[0068] If the version of the firmware on the product to be tested is consistent with the version of the firmware master, terminate the firmware update program and wait for the next instruction from the host computer; if the firmware master determined in step A1 is the latest version, execute step A3; if the firmware of the product to be tested connected to the aging board is the latest version, execute step A4.

[0069] A3. The MCU of the aging board reads the firmware master copy determined in the above steps on its Flash and updates the firmware of the corresponding product to be tested connected to it. After the update is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction from the host computer is waited for.

[0070] A4. The MCU of the aging board extracts the latest version of the firmware from the corresponding product to be tested connected to it and stores it in the temporary storage area of its Flash; then, the MCU of the aging board reversely writes the firmware stored in the temporary storage area to the product to be tested from which the firmware was extracted; then, the MCU of the aging board reads the status information of the product to be tested after the reverse firmware is written and determines its working status. If the working status is normal, the update step is executed; if the working status is abnormal, the recovery step is executed. Since the aging board itself is used for the aging test of the LCM, it can complete the test and judgment of the working status of the LCM without the need to improve it.

[0071] Recovery steps:

[0072] The MCU of the burn-in board restores the firmware of the product to be tested based on the firmware master copy of the product specification of the product to be tested. After the restoration is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction from the host computer is waited for;

[0073] Update steps:

[0074] The MCU of the aging board uses the firmware stored in the temporary storage area to replace the firmware master corresponding to the product to be tested on its Flash with the latest version of the firmware. At the same time, the MCU of the aging board uploads the latest version of the firmware to the host computer. After completion, the firmware update program is terminated and waits for the next instruction from the host computer.

[0075] After receiving the latest version of the firmware uploaded by the aging board, the host computer communicates with each aging board by broadcasting update events and instructs each aging board to execute the firmware synchronization program according to the following steps:

[0076] B1. The MCU of the aging board receives the model information, MD5 information, firmware version number and Bundle ID of the latest version of the firmware from the host computer, and calculates the firmware checksum; the aging board reads the model information, MD5 information, firmware version number and Bundle ID from the data of each firmware master in its Flash, and calculates the checksum of each firmware master; the MCU of the aging board matches the checksum of each firmware master with the checksum of the firmware information sent by the host computer, and determines the firmware master in its Flash that corresponds to the latest version of the firmware.

[0077] B2. The MCU of the aging board compares the version of the latest version of the firmware with the version of the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware according to the version number of the firmware.

[0078] B3. If the latest version of the firmware is updated, the MCU of the aging board will download the latest version of the firmware and write it into its Flash, replacing the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware on its Flash with the latest version.

[0079] B4. The MCU of the aging board executes the firmware update procedure.

[0080] In this embodiment, the upgrade of two products to be tested that are connected to the aging board is parallel processing, and its efficiency is higher. Of course, the mode of sequential processing can also be adopted, first updating one, and then updating the other.

[0081] In the above-mentioned firmware update program, the firmware update program is terminated and the next step instruction is waited for. The instruction may be the instruction of the aging test sent by the host computer, or may be the instruction of the firmware synchronization program sent by the host computer, or other relevant instructions. After each aging board completes the firmware update program, the product can be subjected to aging test. However, in order to avoid the intersection of updating and aging test between each aging board, the program is simplified. In the present embodiment, after the last product to be tested is connected to the aging board and completes the firmware update program, the aging board communicates with the host computer and the device status of the host computer is updated to be updated to complete the aging test.

[0082] Example 2

[0083] While the first embodiment is for the case where the product to be tested is the latest, this embodiment is for the case where the host computer is the latest and the devices are identical. In this embodiment, the host computer receives the latest version of the distributed firmware via the local network. After receiving the latest version of the firmware, it uses the broadcast update event method to communicate with each aging board and instructs each aging board to execute the firmware synchronization procedure according to the following steps:

[0084] B1. The MCU of the aging board receives the model information, MD5 information, firmware version number and Bundle ID of the latest version of the firmware from the host computer, and calculates the firmware checksum; the aging board reads the model information, MD5 information, firmware version number and Bundle ID from the data of each firmware master in its Flash, and calculates the checksum of each firmware master; the MCU of the aging board matches the checksum of each firmware master with the checksum of the firmware information sent by the host computer, and determines the firmware master in its Flash that corresponds to the latest version of the firmware.

[0085] B2. The MCU of the aging board compares the version of the latest version of the firmware with the version of the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware according to the version number of the firmware.

[0086] B3. If the latest version of the firmware is updated, the MCU of the aging board will download the latest version of the firmware and write it into its Flash, replacing the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware on its Flash with the latest version.

[0087] B4. The MCU of the aging board executes the firmware update procedure.

[0088] Since there are many situations when the host computer receives the latest version of the distributed firmware through the local network, such as before the device is started and when it is connected to the product to be tested, this embodiment is further divided into the following triggering situations:

[0089] Scenario 1: After the device is started, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network; after each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes the firmware synchronization program separately.

[0090] Scenario 2: During the aging test, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network. After completing the aging test, the host computer instructs each aging board to execute the firmware synchronization program.

[0091] Example 3

[0092] This embodiment is essentially the same as the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware via the local network after the device is started. After the burn-in board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes a firmware synchronization procedure. In this embodiment, however, the host computer is equipped with a memory for storing the master firmware copies of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line. After each burn-in board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes a firmware synchronization procedure for all the master firmware copies stored in its memory. In other words, in this embodiment, after the burn-in board is powered on, it performs a self-test procedure on the master firmware copy to ensure version consistency.

[0093] Example 4

[0094] LCM's aging test equipment includes a host computer and 200 aging boards connected to the host computer, such as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 Only one aged board is shown.

[0095] Aging board, such as Figure 5 As shown, it includes an MCU controller, Flash memory, display system, network communication module, power supply module, start switch, backlight driver and connection interface.

[0096] Among them, the Flash memory stores the firmware master copies of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line and the computer program that can be run on the processor of the aging board; the MCU controller, that is, the processor of the aging board, is used to execute the computer program to implement the firmware update program and firmware synchronization program of the firmware update method of the LCM as described above; the network communication module is used to communicate with the host computer; the power supply module is used to supply power to the system composed of the aging board and the product to be tested; the start switch is used to turn on and off the system composed of the aging board and the product to be tested; the backlight driver is used to provide a driving signal for the backlight source of the product to be tested; the connection interface is used to connect the product to be tested; the display system is used to generate the display test signal of the LCM. Each aging board can be connected to two products to be tested, so the backlight driver includes backlight driver one and backlight driver two, and the connection interface includes connection interface one and connection interface two.

[0097] The host computer is a computer that includes a CPU processor, hard disk storage, and a network communication module. Its hard disk storage stores the master firmware for all specifications of products on the corresponding production line, as well as a computer program that can be run on its processor. The CPU processor is used to execute the computer program to implement the portion of the LCM firmware update method described above that involves the host computer, namely, receiving the new version estimate and triggering the firmware synchronization program of the aging board by broadcasting the update event. The network communication module is used to communicate with the aging board.

Claims

1. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware is characterized in that: The firmware of the product to be tested is upgraded through the LCM aging test equipment, which includes a host computer and multiple aging boards connected to the host computer. The aging boards are provided with a memory for storing the master firmware of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line; Connect the product to be tested to each aging board one by one. After completing the connection between each aging board and the product to be tested and ensuring that the connection is normal and powered on, the aging board that has been connected and powered on will execute the firmware update procedure according to the following steps: A1. The burn-in board reads the product and firmware information of the product to be tested connected to it, and determines the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory; A2. The burn-in board compares the version of the firmware on the product to be tested connected to it with the version of the firmware master copy determined in step A1. If the two versions are consistent, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited. If the firmware master copy determined in step A1 is the latest version, step A3 is executed. If the firmware of the product to be tested connected to the burn-in board is the latest version, step A4 is executed. A3. The aging board updates the firmware of the connected product to be tested based on the firmware master copy determined in step A1. After the update is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is awaited. A4. The aging board extracts the latest version of firmware from the product to be tested connected to it, stores it in its memory, and replaces the firmware master copy corresponding to the product to be tested in its memory with the latest version of firmware; at the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of firmware to the host computer. After completion, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for; After receiving the latest version of the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board and instructs each aging board to execute the firmware synchronization program according to the following steps: B1. The aging board receives the latest firmware version information from the host computer and determines the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest firmware version; B2. The aging board compares the version of the latest version of the firmware with the version of the firmware master of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware; B3. If the latest version of the firmware is updated, the aging board will download the latest version of the firmware and replace the firmware master copy of the product corresponding to the latest version of the firmware in its memory with the latest version; B4. Execute the firmware update procedure on the aging board.

2. The LCM firmware upgrade method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step A4 includes the following steps: A41. The burn-in board extracts the latest version of the firmware from the product to be tested connected to it and stores it in a temporary storage area of its memory; A42, the aging board writes the firmware stored in the temporary storage area back to the product to be tested from which the firmware was extracted; A43, the aging board reads the status information of the product to be tested after the reverse firmware is written and determines its working status. If the working status is normal, execute step A45; If the working status is abnormal, execute step A44; A44. The aging board restores the firmware of the product under test based on the firmware master copy corresponding to the product specifications of the product under test. After the restoration is completed, the firmware update program is terminated and the next instruction is waited for; A45. Use the firmware stored in the temporary storage area to replace the firmware master corresponding to the product to be tested on the memory with the latest version of the firmware. At the same time, the aging board uploads the latest version of the firmware to the host computer. After completion, terminate the firmware update program and wait for the next instruction.

3. The LCM firmware upgrade method according to claim 1, wherein: After receiving the latest version of the firmware, the host computer communicates with each aging board by broadcasting an update event.

4. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein: The latest version of the firmware received by the host computer is: the latest version of the firmware uploaded by the aging board or the latest version of the firmware received by the host computer through the local network.

5. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware according to claim 4, wherein: After the last product to be tested is connected to the aging board and completes the firmware update procedure, the aging board communicates with the host computer and updates the device status of the host computer to update and complete the aging test.

6. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware according to claim 4, wherein: After the device is started, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network; after the aging board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes the firmware synchronization program.

7. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware according to claim 4, wherein: The host computer is provided with a memory for storing the firmware masters of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line. After each aging board is connected to the product to be tested and powered on, it executes a firmware synchronization program for all the firmware masters stored in its memory.

8. The method for upgrading the LCM firmware according to claim 4, wherein: During the aging test, the host computer receives the latest version of the firmware through the local network. After the aging test is completed, the host computer instructs each aging board to execute a firmware synchronization program. 9.LCM burn-in board, including processor, characterized by: It also includes a memory, which stores firmware masters for all specifications of products on the corresponding production line and a computer program that can be run on the processor of the aging board. When the processor of the aging board executes the computer program, it implements the firmware update program and firmware synchronization program of the LCM firmware update method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8. 10.LCM aging test equipment, including a host computer and multiple aging boards connected to the host computer, characterized by: The aging board is the aging board of the LCM as described in claim 9; the host computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory of the host computer stores the firmware master of all specifications of products on the corresponding production line and a computer program that can be run on the processor of the host computer. When the processor of the host computer executes the computer program, it implements the part of the LCM firmware update method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 involving the host computer.

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