Efficient software update of multiple

Abstract

The invention relates to software updating of a large number of low-voltage components (ED) with communication capability. In this case, the low-voltage elements (ED) are arranged in groups, and the individual groups of low-voltage elements (ED) are sequentially updated. In contrast, the low-voltage elements (ED) in the group are updated substantially simultaneously. In this way, software updating can be performed on the system complex of the low-voltage components more efficiently and more quickly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method, a control device and a system for updating the software of a large number of low-voltage components with communication capabilities. Background Art

[0002] In low-voltage technology, there are various types of protective switches that meet different protection functions. Common examples are residual current protection switches (also called RCD or residual current breaker), line protection switches (also called MCB or miniature circuit breaker) and fire protection switches (also called AFDD or arc fault detection device). Different functions can also be implemented in one switch, see DE 10 2010 021 068 A1 (AFDD+MCB), DE 10 2016 223 264 A1 (AFDD+RCD) and DE 10 2016 218 960 A1 (AFDD+RCBO, where RCBO (Residual current operated Circuit-Breaker with Overcurrent protection) combines the functions of RCD and MCB). The latest developments are aimed at protective switches based on semiconductor switches. These protection switches are classified under the term SSCB (solid state circuit breaker) and can in principle selectively implement the protection switch function by means of installed software.

[0003] In this case, a large number of circuit breakers are usually used together. These are often arranged together in a switch cabinet. Usually, a support rail or top hat rail is used for the arrangement, on which the switches are placed and secured by means of clamping mechanisms.

[0004] In recent years, circuit breakers have increasingly been equipped with interfaces for wireless communication. Figure 1 , shows how a plurality of low-voltage elements (e.g. low-voltage protection devices or circuit breakers) ED1, ED2, ED3 ... EDn are wirelessly connected to a data collector or data concentrator ZC. Communication takes place here via the Zigbee protocol. The data of the application can then be sent directly or indirectly to the cloud via the data collector ZC. The data in the cloud can also be made available flexibly via the data concentrator ZC, for example with regard to settings, data adjustment and sending options.

[0005] In this case, some of the low-voltage elements ED1, ED2, ED3, ... Edn may not have communication capability themselves. The communication capability is then achieved by mechanical coupling to a communication module. Such a module is described, for example, in DE 202021000293 U1.

[0006] When referring to low-voltage components with communication capabilities below, the combination of low-voltage components without independent communication capabilities (especially low-voltage switches without wireless communication interfaces, such as RCDs or MCBs) and such communication modules is also included in the term "low-voltage components with communication capabilities". Summary of the invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve the software update of a large number of low-voltage components.

[0008] This object is achieved by a method according to claim 1 , a control device according to claim 9 or a system according to claim 10 .

[0009] Advantageous developments of the subject matter of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0010] A method for updating the software (e.g. firmware) of a large number of low-voltage components with communication capabilities (in particular, protection switches, fuses with communication capabilities (smart fuses (Smart Fuse)) and measuring devices) is proposed. Here, the low-voltage components are arranged in groups, and these groups of low-voltage components are updated in sequence. In contrast, the low-voltage components in the group are not updated in sequence, but are updated substantially at the same time. "Substantially at the same time" means that the update of the individual low-voltage components is carried out in parallel to achieve the fastest possible update. Due to technical reasons, it may not be possible to update the individual low-voltage components completely at the same time. Here, the individual steps of the update process can also be carried out in sequence, for example, taking into account the resource-optimized download of software from a single data concentrator through multiple low-voltage components. However, in general, the overlap in time of the update of the individual low-voltage components is dominant, so this update of the low-voltage components in the group is described by the terms "parallel" or "substantially at the same time". The term "update (Aktualisierung)" refers to the situation where similar software is to be transmitted to multiple terminal devices. Here, this may also involve new software packages (e.g., transmission of license files). If an update in the narrow sense refers to a new version of software that is already present on the terminal, the term "update" is used.

[0011] In special cases, a group of low-voltage elements can also only include one element. Since the method can already be applied if there is at least one group with more than one element. This can be checked after the low-voltage elements have been arranged in groups. If there are no groups with more than one element, it can be switched to a continuous updating of the individual low-voltage elements.

[0012] The term “multiple” means “three or more.” This definition is also logical from a technical perspective, since the method can be run starting with three low-voltage elements (two groups of low-voltage elements, one group with two elements and one group with one element).

[0013] According to an extended solution of the method, a control device (or a system consisting of a control device) for controlling at least a portion of the update process communicates with the low-voltage element (for example, by means of a radio protocol such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread, etc.). However, if the update is successfully performed, at least the low-voltage element of the first group sends status information to the control device, and if all the low-voltage elements of the first group send status information to the control device, the status information signals that the update has been successfully performed, and then the update of the low-voltage element of the second group is started. Preferably, the low-voltage elements of all groups send status information to the control device, and in all groups, the update is performed only when all the low-voltage elements of the previous group in the processing sequence send status information that signals that the update has been successfully performed. In some cases, the control device can also be a system with multiple physical devices, which then preferably communicate with each other. When the group is very large (for example, all switches in a large building or factory are updated), this configuration can be conceived. According to an extended solution, when the update cannot be successfully performed, the low-voltage element of the first group also sends status information to the control device. This can prevent the message of waiting for the completion of the low-voltage element update ineffectively. In this case, it is conceivable to retry the unsuccessful update and, if successful, then start the update of the next group. As an exception, the repetition of the update can also be performed in parallel with the update of the next group. It is possible that when the status reports of all low-voltage elements of the first group to be updated are received, the update of the second group has already been started, regardless of whether these reports signal a successful update or an interruption of the update. This can be further improved in that, in order to start the update of the second group, a predetermined number or a predetermined percentage or proportion of updates must be successfully completed. For example, if this criterion is not met, first try to re-update the low-voltage elements of the first group for which the update was not correctly executed to the end when it was first started.

[0014] According to an extension of the embodiment described in the previous paragraph, the low-voltage component generates an error message when the update is interrupted, by which the progress of the interrupted update can be determined. This error message or information derived therefrom (e.g., characterizing the percentage of the successful update portion) is then sent to the control device together with the status information about the unsuccessful update.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the method of the present invention, it is provided that the update is initiated by an application of a terminal device (desktop, laptop, mobile phone, etc.). In order to initiate the update, the application then sends a message or command to the control device. According to an extended scheme, group status information is then generated based on the status information of the low-voltage components in the group, and the group status information is transmitted from the control device to the application. Preferably, the application continuously obtains the group status information of all groups in this way. In the process of transmitting the group status, the status of each terminal device can also be transmitted. However, the application preferably has a group division (the group division comes from the application or has been transmitted to the application by the control device), whereby each updated terminal device can be determined and optionally displayed based on a successful group update.

[0016] In the method according to the invention, the low-voltage components can be arranged into groups, for example, according to the type of low-voltage component (e.g. RCD, MCB, AFDD, Smart Fuse, measuring device, etc.), or according to the sameness of their software (low-voltage components with the same software are assigned to one group), in which case it is conceivable that the control device of the low-voltage component queries the identification information about the software (possibly including the software version, if it does not already exist). It is also possible that not all low-voltage components that meet the classification criteria of the group are assigned to one group. This may be the case, for example, if there are very many low-voltage components of one type and, in order to increase efficiency, these are divided into two or more groups for updating, i.e., only a subset of the low-voltage components of one type are then updated simultaneously.

[0017] The present invention also relates to a control device for controlling at least a part of the update process of the software (e.g. firmware) of a large number of low-voltage components with communication capabilities. The control device is then designed to arrange the low-voltage elements into groups; to support the continuous update of the groups of low-voltage elements; and to communicate with these low-voltage elements substantially simultaneously in order to update these low-voltage elements substantially simultaneously. In some cases, the control device can also be a system with multiple physical devices, which then preferably communicate with each other. The control device can be part of a system that includes a large number of low-voltage elements or components with communication capabilities, which have updateable software, and the system may also include a terminal device with an application, which is designed to start the update of the software of a large number of low-voltage elements with communication capabilities. For example, the low-voltage elements can be arranged into groups by the control device or by the application. In the former case, the logic or rules of the arrangement can be transmitted from the application to the control device; in the latter case, the arrangement can be transmitted from the application to the control device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a data collector and a low voltage protection device connected to each other by wireless means,

[0020] Figure 2 A flow chart showing updating of low voltage components according to the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 Shown according to Figure 2 A more detailed snippet of the updated process, and

[0022] Figure 4 A flow chart for determining an updated status message of a low-voltage component, possibly combined with information on the processing step at which the message was interrupted, is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] exist Figure 1 It is shown how a plurality of low-voltage elements (e.g. low-voltage protection devices or circuit breakers) ED1, ED2, ED3 and EDnn are wirelessly connected to a data collector or data concentrator ZC (ZC stands for Zigbee coordinator). In this case, communication takes place via the Zigbee protocol. The data of the application can then be sent directly or indirectly to the cloud via the data collector ZC. The data in the cloud can also be flexibly provided via the data concentrator ZC, for example with regard to settings, data adjustments and sending options. In the other direction, settings can be changed, software updated and tests started in the low-voltage elements ED1, ED2, ED3 and EDn via the data concentrator ZC. In the course of the method according to the invention, the data concentrator ZC assumes the control function and therefore corresponds to the control device used above in the embodiment of the subject matter of the invention.

[0024] Next, for the corresponding Figure 1 The method according to the invention is described with reference to a configuration of a plurality of low-voltage components, i.e. a plurality of low-voltage components communicating via a data concentrator ZC. Here, communicating via a data concentrator ZC is an optional embodiment. In a specific embodiment, the data concentrator ZC is also used for protocol matching. It is therefore also conceivable that the invention is used for a plurality of low-voltage components communicating without a data concentrator ZC. Figure 1 The low-voltage components ED1, ED2, ED3 ... EDn in the system usually form a complex or system, for example in that they are responsible for current distribution and current protection functions in a defined area as a whole. In the following, "system" or "system complex" also refers to the whole of these low-voltage components.

[0025] exist Figure 2, wherein an App (application) performs a software upgrade (hereinafter, the term "upgrade" is included in the term "update") of a low-voltage element EN configured as a Zigbee end device (hereinafter referred to as "end device", in the Zigbee protocol, this role is often represented by the abbreviation ED (End Device)) via a data concentrator ZC. The App is, for example, the Powerconfig PC Windows application of Siemens AG, and the data concentrator is a product sold by Siemens AG under the name "Powercenter 1000".

[0026] The App can be used to download and launch a system update package from the support portal of the manufacturer of the End Device ED. The update package contains the signed firmware image of all End Devices in the system complex, thus ensuring the compatibility of End Device interaction. The App identifies the device connected to the Zigbee Coordinator (in Figure 2These are devices of the data concentrator ZC). The same device type (e.g. AFDD) is divided into update groups or upgrade groups. The division logic is stored in the App. During a system upgrade, the App first updates the Zigbee coordinator ZC in two steps by transferring files via Modbus TCP to the programs "App Controller" and "Com Controller" (applications on the Powercenter1000) respectively. Then, the first device group is prepared for upgrading. The preparation for upgrading the device group is correspondingly carried out by means of a Modbus TCP command, which is forwarded by the Zigbee coordinator ZC to the end devices. The Zigbee coordinator is aware of the end devices to be upgraded during the upgrade of the corresponding group. The upgrade is then forwarded from the App to the Zigbee coordinator ZC via ModbusTCP and internal Modbus RTU communication and cached in the flash memory of the COMController (communication controller). The upgrade file in the Zigbee coordinator ZC exists in the standardized Zigbee OTA (Over-the-air) file format and contains a signed proprietary upgrade file in a proprietary format and can only be downloaded from the manufacturer's device. Once the upgrade file is available, the previously indicated Zigbee terminal device EN autonomously starts the download. After receiving the "Start FW Update" command, all devices poll the Zigbee coordinator ZC until it feedbacks that a suitable upgrade is available after receiving the "Start FW Update" command. The upgrade process ends after the upgrade is successful or timeout. According to the present invention, similar device groups are downloaded in parallel. As a result, the update time can be shortened by about half (1 hour instead of 2 hours in the case of 24 devices (e.g. AFDD); or 2 hours instead of 4 hours for so-called Zigbee sleepy end devices (Sleepy End Device SED is a type of Zigbee end device with a sleep state to reduce energy consumption), such as for a fuse with measuring and communication functions sold by Siemens AG under the name "SENTRON3NACOM LV HRC fuse link"). Each individual end device ED supports the update status (Update Status), i.e. reports the update status to the Zigbee coordinator ZG and evaluates it there.

[0027] exist Figure 3 The process of reporting upgrade status is shown in more detail in FIG. It shows that when reporting upgrade status for a group, such as Figure 2 A fragment of when group 1 in is upgraded.

[0028] Three terminal devices ED1, ED2 and ED3 are shown by way of example. In practice, the number of upgrade groups can vary greatly. For example, it is conceivable that an upgrade group includes only one terminal device ED in certain cases. In a typical application, an upgrade group is defined by corresponding similar low-voltage components of a switch cabinet. However, it is also conceivable that similar devices of large facilities (e.g. a group of buildings) are updated during an upgrade group. The number of terminal devices ED can then also be in the order of 10**2 to 10**3.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, after downloading or Download, each end device ED1, ED2 and ED3 sends a message about the upgrade status to the Zigbee coordinator ZG. The message can be in the form of a confirmation that the software or firmware update was successful. If the upgrade is unsuccessful, an error report is transmitted to the Zigbee coordinator ZG. The error report can also contain information about the stage at which the upgrade was interrupted or what percentage of the upgrade has been completed (see Figure 4 and description thereof).

[0030] Figure 4 A flow chart for determining an upgrade message and, if necessary, information for better locating the cause of the interruption is shown. Here, the following stages are divided: start the upgrade, prepare for download, download, verify, install and finally complete. For the case of interruption during each of these stages, an error code is assigned to the stage. If the upgrade cannot be started at all, the error code is 1; if the preparation for download is unsuccessful, the error code is 2; if there is a problem during the download of the new firmware, the error code is 3; if the authentication of the sender is unsuccessful or the sender does not obtain permission for the firmware upgrade, the error code is 4; if there is a problem when installing the downloaded software, the error code is 5; and if the completion of the upgrade is unsuccessful, the error code is 6. A percentage can be assigned to the error code, which is a measure of the progress of the upgrade before the error occurs. The error code or percentage can then be sent to the Zigbee coordinator ZC together with the error report. After all stages have been successfully completed, the Zigbee coordinator ZC receives the corresponding status report.

[0031] The progress of Zigbee end devices EN1, EN2 and EN3 is summarized at the Zigbee coordinator ZC and merged into a group state or gateway state ("gateway" refers to the control device and the end devices EN connected through it), and Figure 3 As shown, it is reported to the App. If the upgrade process is completed for one upgrade group, the process described above is repeated for the next group until all subordinate Zigbee terminal devices EN are updated.

[0032] The app displays the status of the system upgrade (i.e. the progress of each group upgrade), the status of each group upgrade, and the status of each subordinate device. The biggest advantage for users is that only a single upgrade process is required for the entire system, rather than up to 25 individual device upgrades. This greatly reduces the manual process (starting the upgrade, waiting for the upgrade, controlling the compatibility of each device, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for updating the software of a large number of low-voltage components (EDs) having communication capabilities, in which method, - arranging said low-voltage elements (ED) in groups, - Update the group of low voltage elements (ED) in sequence, and - Renewal of low voltage elements (ED) in a group substantially simultaneously.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that - a control device (ZC) for controlling at least a part of the updating process communicates with the low-voltage element (ED), - if the update is successfully performed, the low-voltage elements (ED) of the first group send status information to the control device (ZC), and - starting the updating of the low-voltage elements (ED) of the second group if all low-voltage elements (ED) of the first group have sent status information to the control device (ZC) which signals that the updating has been successfully performed.

3. The method according to claim 2, It is characterized in that - The low-voltage elements (ED) of the first group also send status information to the control device (ZC) when the updating cannot be successfully performed.

4. The method according to claim 3, It is characterized in that - the low-voltage element (ED) generates an error message when the update is interrupted, by means of which the progress of the interrupted update can be determined, and - sending the error information or information derived therefrom to the control device (ZC) together with status information about the unsuccessful updating.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, It is characterized in that - The update is initiated via the terminal device's application (App), and To initiate an update, the application (App) sends a message to the control device (ZC).

6. The method according to claim 5, It is characterized in that - generating group status information based on the status information of the low voltage elements (ED) in the group, and - transmitting the group status information from the control device (ZC) to the application (App).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The low-voltage components (ED) are arranged into groups according to their type or according to the sameness of their software.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The communication takes place by means of at least one radio protocol.

9. A control device (ZC) for controlling at least part of an update process of the software of a plurality of low-voltage components (ED) having communication capabilities, the control device being designed for: - arranging said low-voltage elements (ED) in groups, - supports continuous updating of groups of low voltage elements (EDs), and - For substantially simultaneous updating of the low voltage elements (ED), substantially simultaneous communication is performed with the low voltage elements.

10. A system, comprising: - a control device (ZC) according to claim 9, and A large number of communication-capable low-voltage components (ED) having updateable software.

11. The system according to claim 10, The system comprises a terminal device having an application (App) which is designed to initiate an update of the software of a plurality of low-voltage components (ED) having communication capabilities.

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