A method and system for upgrading pcs firmware through a collector

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of methods and systems for upgrading PCS firmware by collector, it is related to firmware upgrade technical field, including obtaining the upgrade protocol document of PCS, and according to upgrade protocol document in the upgrade program of PCS cloud upgrade service platform is written;PCS firmware is uploaded to PCS cloud upgrade service platform by PCS firmware management module, and the upgrade program used is specified;Upgrade command is sent to collector by PCS cloud upgrade service platform;PCS firmware and upgrade program are downloaded to collector local storage space by firmware upgrade control module, and upgrade program interpreter is run using upgrade program by upgrade command;Complete PCS firmware upgrade, collector exits upgrade process, in the case where not updating collector firmware, quickly develop PCS firmware upgrade program, and complete the remote upgrade of PCS by the cooperation of collector and PCS cloud upgrade service platform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of firmware upgrade technology, and in particular to a method and system for upgrading PCS firmware via a collector. Background Technology

[0002] A photovoltaic inverter (PCS) contains an embedded software system, which frequently requires software upgrades, whether for maintenance or to add new features. Typically, an inverter upgrade process includes several steps: initiating the upgrade, downloading firmware, message interaction during the upgrade process, error handling, data verification, and ending the upgrade.

[0003] The main upgrade methods for PCS are: on-site upgrade, which involves downloading and upgrading to the new version by connecting to the physical upgrade interface of the PCS. This method requires maintenance personnel to go to the equipment site, which is costly and requires highly skilled maintenance personnel. Remote upgrade is performed by a data acquisition unit connected to the PCS. However, this method places high demands on the data acquisition unit because there are many types of PCS on the market, and even PCS from the same manufacturer may have multiple versions. The upgrade process and communication protocols also differ, requiring the data acquisition unit to develop different firmware for each type of PCS. This results in a long development cycle, multiple versions, and difficulties in maintenance and after-sales service. Moreover, if multiple PCS upgrades are to be supported simultaneously, it will inevitably lead to an increase in the size of the data acquisition unit's firmware code, making it more difficult or even impossible to add new functions or new PCS upgrade functions in the future. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings in the current firmware upgrade technology field, the present invention provides a method and system for upgrading PCS firmware through a collector. This method allows for the rapid development of PCS firmware upgrade programs without updating the collector firmware. By cooperating with the collector and the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, remote upgrades of the PCS can be completed, significantly reducing the development cycle and collector firmware code, and simplifying maintenance and after-sales service.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] A method for upgrading PCS firmware via a collector includes a PCS cloud upgrade service platform and a collector connected thereto. The PCS cloud upgrade service platform includes a PCS firmware management module, and the collector includes an upgrade program interpreter and a firmware upgrade control module. The method further includes the following steps:

[0007] S1: Obtain the PCS upgrade agreement document and write the upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the upgrade agreement document;

[0008] S2: Upload the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specify the upgrade program to be used;

[0009] S3: Send upgrade commands to the collector via the PCS cloud upgrade service platform;

[0010] S4: Download the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector through the firmware upgrade control module, and run the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command;

[0011] S5: PCS firmware upgrade complete, collector exits upgrade process.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, in the process of obtaining the PCS upgrade protocol document and writing the upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the upgrade protocol document, the development of the upgrade program is carried out in the background, forming an upgrade program for the same type of PCS, and is uniformly managed on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, in the step of uploading PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specifying the upgrade program to be used, the number of devices to be upgraded is one or more.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the upgrade command is sent to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, and the upgrade command includes at least the download address of the PCS firmware and the upgrade program.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, the PCS firmware and upgrade program are downloaded to the local storage space of the collector via the firmware upgrade control module. During the upgrade program execution via the upgrade command using the upgrade program interpreter, the collector sets interface parameters, divides the upgrade program into several data blocks, encapsulates the data blocks and adds necessary information, and notifies the PCS to enter the upgrade mode. The necessary information includes the burning position and length of the data block, the offset or sequence number in the upgrade program, and the data verification information.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, after the PCS firmware upgrade is completed, the collector exits the upgrade process, the PCS restarts after the firmware upgrade is completed, and returns from the upgrade mode to the normal operation mode.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, in the step of downloading the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector through the firmware upgrade control module, and running the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command, the work of the collector is to interact with the upgrade program in the PCS to complete the block transmission of the PCS firmware, data verification, data error retransmission and interrupted upgrade.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, in the process of downloading the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector through the firmware upgrade control module, and running the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command, the work of the collector also includes network speed testing, download progress reporting, upgrade progress reporting, and upgrade result reporting.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the upgrade result includes upgrade success, upgrade failure, and upgrade alarm.

[0020] A system for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector includes a PCS cloud upgrade service platform and a data collector connected to it. The PCS cloud upgrade service platform includes a PCS firmware management module for uploading user-provided inverter firmware. The data collector includes an upgrade program interpreter module for analyzing the upgrade script, setting global variables, starting a clock, and running the script line by line. The system also includes:

[0021] The upgrade management module is used to obtain the PCS upgrade agreement document and write upgrade programs;

[0022] The firmware upgrade control module is used by the collector to download the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space, and to run the upgrade program through the upgrade program interpreter module.

[0023] The advantages of this invention are as follows: It obtains the PCS upgrade protocol document and writes an upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the protocol document; it uploads the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specifies the upgrade program to be used; it sends the upgrade command to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform; it downloads the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the collector's local storage space through the firmware upgrade control module, and runs the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command; after completing the PCS firmware upgrade, the collector exits the upgrade process. This allows for rapid development of the PCS firmware upgrade program without updating the collector's firmware, and through the cooperation of the collector and the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, remote PCS upgrades are completed, significantly reducing development time and collector firmware code, and simplifying maintenance and after-sales service. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1This is a flowchart illustrating a method and system for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector, as described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] This invention discloses a method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector. Based on extensive research into PCS upgrade processes and data interactions, it summarizes the common characteristics of PCS upgrades and decomposes the upgrade process into multiple steps, including upgrade environment preparation, firmware download, firmware segmentation, data transmission and response, error handling, data verification, and upgrade termination. A set of interpreted programming languages ​​is extracted, and by combining statements according to syntax, a text-based program is generated that can completely describe the entire upgrade process. Therefore, by simply adding an interpreter for the aforementioned upgrade program to the data collector's firmware, the firmware upgrade program can be restored, and running the program completes the PCS firmware upgrade.

[0029] Due to functional and cost constraints, data acquisition devices typically use resource-constrained microcontrollers (MCUs) as their central processing unit (CPU), and are mostly programmed in C language. The compiled programs have fixed functions and cannot be modified online to meet actual needs; they can only be recompiled and the firmware upgraded. They also do not support higher-level and more flexible programming languages ​​such as JavaScript or Python. This method develops an interpreted programming language for PCS upgrades, similar to a scripting language (hereinafter referred to as "script"). The program is in text format and can be written offline for different PCS upgrade protocols. It is then downloaded to the data acquisition device, where a C-language upgrade program interpreter interprets and runs the script to complete the upgrade process. This scripting language is highly targeted, simple to use, and both the written script and the interpreter have a small footprint, making it suitable for running on resource-constrained MCUs. In addition to general syntax such as variable definition, numerical operations, and loop statements, this programming language primarily defines the following primitives for inverter upgrade applications: FLASH (non-volatile memory) read primitive, used to read upgrade files from FLASH; serial port send primitive, used to send serial port data; serial port read primitive, which, when read by the interpreter, will be used as a callback entry point, allowing the program to pass serial port data to the script for processing after receiving it; multiple data verification methods, which can generate data verification codes by calling specified methods; timing primitives, which can define single and cyclic clocks to complete timing, timeout, and other processing; and upgrade status reporting primitives, used to report the status of the upgrade process, such as upgrade success, failure, upgrade stage, and upgrade completion percentage.

[0030] The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector includes setting up a PCS cloud upgrade service platform and a data collector connected to it. The PCS is connected to the host computer / data collector via a serial port, which normally serves as a data acquisition interface and during the PCS upgrade process, serves as the interface for transmitting upgrade firmware and controlling the upgrade process. The method also includes setting up an upgrade management module, a PCS firmware management module, and an upgrade script management module running on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, as well as an upgrade script module, an upgrade program interpreter module, and a firmware upgrade control module running on the data collector. The method further includes the following steps:

[0031] S1: Obtain the PCS upgrade agreement document and write the upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the upgrade agreement document.

[0032] Based on the inverter upgrade protocol document provided by the user, an upgrade script program is written and uploaded to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the upgrade script management module. A downloadable secure network address is generated for the program. Upgrade program development is carried out in the background, creating upgrade programs specific to a particular type of PCS. These programs are centrally managed on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform and can be deployed and released according to user requirements. The user equips and uses a general-purpose data acquisition unit, which includes an upgrade program interpreter, connects to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, and functions normally. The upgrade process is initiated by the host computer / data acquisition unit. PCS defines specific commands, including setting serial port parameters and commands to start and stop the upgrade. The host computer / data acquisition unit initiates the upgrade via the serial port according to the user-defined process.

[0033] S2: Upload the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module, and specify the upgrade program to be used.

[0034] Users specify one or more devices requiring upgrades through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, preparing for the upgrade. The PCS firmware management module of the PCS cloud upgrade service platform uploads the user-provided inverter firmware to the platform and generates a downloadable secure network address for the firmware. The host computer / data collector divides the upgrade file into several small data blocks, encapsulates each block, and adds necessary information, including but not limited to specifying the data block's burning location, length, offset or sequence number within the upgrade file, and data verification information.

[0035] S3: Send upgrade commands to the collector via the PCS cloud upgrade service platform.

[0036] Users activate the upgrade management module through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, search for the collectors that need to be upgraded, send the upgrade command to the collector, which contains the download address of the PCS firmware and upgrade program, and start and monitor the upgrade process.

[0037] S4: Download the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector through the firmware upgrade control module, and run the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command.

[0038] The firmware upgrade control module on the data collector sequentially downloads the upgrade program to the local script storage area, downloads the PCS firmware to the upgrade firmware storage area, and starts the upgrade program interpreter module. The data collector runs the upgrade program, interacts with the upgrade program in the PCS, and completes processes such as block transmission of the PCS firmware, data verification, data error retransmission, and interrupted upgrade. The upgrade program interpreter analyzes the upgrade script, sets global variables, starts the clock, and runs the script line by line. The data collector first sets local serial port parameters, such as modifying the baud rate, sends serial port data to the PCS, and notifies the PCS to enter upgrade mode. The data collector monitors the input data of the inverter's serial port and passes the received serial port data to the script for processing. The data collector can also perform network speed testing, download progress reporting, upgrade progress reporting, and upgrade result reporting. During network speed testing, if the network speed is too low, the user will be prompted to adjust it. Upgrade results include upgrade success, upgrade failure, and upgrade alarms. The host computer / data acquisition unit sends the divided data blocks to the PCS in sequence through the configured serial port. After sending each message, it waits for the PCS to send an acknowledgment message, such as whether the received data is complete, whether the verification is successful, and whether the burning is normal.

[0039] The upgrade script reads some inverter firmware data from FLSAH, formats the data (e.g., adding the burning address, offset, calculating and adding data checksums), and sends the generated data to the PCS via serial port. The script waits for a response from the PCS on the serial port and repeats this process. If the script encounters an error during data processing and retransmits, the upgrade process is interrupted. The script reports the upgrade progress and results via reporting primitives. Upon receiving this report, the firmware upgrade control module, along with other upgrade information such as network speed test data, reports it to the upgrade management module in the cloud.

[0040] S5: PCS firmware upgrade complete, collector exits upgrade process.

[0041] If all data is transmitted correctly, the host computer / data collector will notify the PCS to complete the upgrade. The PCS will typically restart and use the new firmware. Once the upgrade process is complete, the upgrade program interpreter module and firmware upgrade control module exit, and the data collector returns to normal operating mode. The upgrade management module reports and records the upgrade results. After the firmware upgrade is complete, the PCS returns from upgrade mode to normal operating mode.

[0042] The advantages of this invention are as follows: It obtains the PCS upgrade protocol document and writes an upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the protocol document; it uploads the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specifies the upgrade program to be used; it sends the upgrade command to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform; it downloads the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the collector's local storage space through the firmware upgrade control module, and runs the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command; after completing the PCS firmware upgrade, the collector exits the upgrade process. This allows for rapid development of the PCS firmware upgrade program without updating the collector's firmware, and through the cooperation of the collector and the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, remote PCS upgrades are completed, significantly reducing development time and collector firmware code, and simplifying maintenance and after-sales service.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] A system for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector is disclosed, based on a method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector as described in Embodiment 1. The system includes a PCS cloud upgrade service platform and a data collector connected to it, enabling rapid development of PCS firmware upgrade programs without updating the data collector's firmware. Based on extensive research into PCS upgrade processes and data interactions, this invention summarizes the common characteristics of PCS upgrades, decomposing the upgrade process into multiple steps: upgrade environment preparation, firmware download, firmware segmentation, data transmission and response, error handling, data verification, and end of the upgrade. A set of interpreted programming languages ​​is extracted, and text-based programs are generated through the combination of statements according to syntax, which can completely describe the entire upgrade process. Thus, by simply adding an interpreter for the aforementioned upgrade program to the data collector's firmware, the firmware upgrade program can be restored, and running the program completes the PCS firmware upgrade.

[0045] This embodiment includes:

[0046] The upgrade management module is used to search for data collectors that need to be upgraded, send the download address of the upgrade program and the download address of the inverter firmware to the data collector, start the upgrade process, and monitor the upgrade process.

[0047] The PCS firmware management module is used to upload user-provided inverter firmware.

[0048] The upgrade script management module uploads the written upgrade script program to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform and generates a downloadable secure network address for the program.

[0049] The upgrade program interpreter module is used to analyze the upgrade script, set global variables, start the clock, and run the script line by line.

[0050] The firmware upgrade control module is used to download the upgrade program to the local script storage area and download the inverter firmware to the upgrade firmware storage area.

[0051] The upgrade script module reads the inverter firmware data from the FLASH memory, formats the data (e.g., adding the programming address, offset, calculating and adding a data checksum), and sends the generated data to the inverter via serial port, waiting for the inverter's response. This process is repeated.

[0052] The advantages of this invention are as follows: It obtains the PCS upgrade protocol document and writes an upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the protocol document; it uploads the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specifies the upgrade program to be used; it sends the upgrade command to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform; it downloads the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the collector's local storage space through the firmware upgrade control module, and runs the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command; after completing the PCS firmware upgrade, the collector exits the upgrade process. This allows for rapid development of the PCS firmware upgrade program without updating the collector's firmware, and through the cooperation of the collector and the PCS cloud upgrade service platform, remote PCS upgrades are completed, significantly reducing development time and collector firmware code, and simplifying maintenance and after-sales service.

[0053] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading PCS firmware via a collector, comprising a PCS cloud upgrade service platform and a collector connected thereto, wherein the PCS cloud upgrade service platform includes a PCS firmware management module, characterized in that, The collector includes an upgrade program interpreter and a firmware upgrade control module, and also includes the following steps: Obtain the PCS upgrade agreement document, and write the upgrade program on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform according to the upgrade agreement document. The development of the upgrade program is carried out in the background, forming upgrade programs for the same type of PCS, and managed uniformly on the PCS cloud upgrade service platform. Upload the PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform through the PCS firmware management module and specify the upgrade program to be used; The upgrade command is sent to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform; The firmware upgrade control module downloads the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector. The upgrade program is run by the upgrade program interpreter through the upgrade command. The collector's work is to interact with the upgrade program in the PCS to complete the block transmission of the PCS firmware, data verification, data error retransmission and interrupted upgrade. The PCS firmware upgrade is complete, and the collector exits the upgrade process.

2. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of uploading PCS firmware to the PCS cloud upgrade service platform via the PCS firmware management module and specifying the upgrade program to be used involves one or more devices being prepared for upgrade.

3. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upgrade command is sent to the collector through the PCS cloud upgrade service platform. The upgrade command includes at least the download address of the PCS firmware and the upgrade program.

4. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process involves downloading the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector via the firmware upgrade control module, and running the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter via the upgrade command. During this process, the collector sets interface parameters, divides the upgrade program into several data blocks, encapsulates the data blocks and adds necessary information, and notifies the PCS to enter upgrade mode. The necessary information includes the burning position and length of the data blocks, the offset or sequence number in the upgrade program, and the data verification information.

5. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 4, characterized in that, Once the PCS firmware upgrade is complete, the collector exits the upgrade process. The PCS restarts after the firmware upgrade is finished and returns from the upgrade mode to the normal operating mode.

6. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of downloading the PCS firmware and upgrade program to the local storage space of the collector via the firmware upgrade control module, and running the upgrade program using the upgrade program interpreter via the upgrade command, also includes the collector's work of network speed testing, download progress reporting, upgrade progress reporting, and upgrade result reporting.

7. The method for upgrading PCS firmware via a data collector according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upgrade results include upgrade success, upgrade failure, and upgrade alarm.

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