electronic machines

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device that can prevent situations where firmware update processing cannot be retried due to the inability to prepare terminal equipment compatible with the communication method. [Solution] The electronic device includes an update retry control unit that, when a firmware update process terminates abnormally, allows a retry of the update process by communicating with a first terminal device using a first communication method, and prohibits a retry of the update process by communicating with a second terminal device using a second communication method, when a first situation is recognized as occurring, and allows a retry of the update process by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and a retry of the update process by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method, when a second situation different from the first situation is recognized as occurring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device that performs firmware update processing.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a printing system having communication functions by two types of communication methods, when the update of firmware using communication by one communication method fails, a technique of performing a recovery operation using the other communication method is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that performs a function limitation of executing only communication by USB (registered trademark) without executing network communication in a recovery operation when the update of firmware using network communication fails.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the update of firmware fails and recovery is performed, network communication among the two types of communication methods cannot be used. Therefore, the user needs to prepare a terminal device such as a personal computer that can be connected by USB to perform recovery. If a terminal device cannot be prepared, recovery cannot be performed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The electronic device of this disclosure includes: a firmware update unit that performs firmware update processing stored in a storage unit using update data acquired by communicating with a first terminal device using a first communication method, or by communicating with a second terminal device using a second communication method; a status recognition unit that recognizes an abnormal termination status, which is the situation at the time the abnormal termination occurred, when the update processing terminates abnormally; and an update retry control unit that, when the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a first status, allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and prohibits a retry of the update processing by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method, and when the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a second status different from the first status, allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Configuration diagram of the printing apparatus in the embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating the mapping of Flash ROM. [Figure 3] A flowchart of the firmware update process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] [1. Printing device configuration] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of the printing apparatus 1 in this embodiment. The printing apparatus 1 corresponds to the electronic equipment of this disclosure. The printing device 1 has communication functions using USB®, Ethernet®, and Wi-Fi®. The USB communication method corresponds to the first communication method, which is a one-to-one communication method that does not use the network described in this disclosure. The Wi-Fi communication method corresponds to the second communication method, which is a communication method that uses the network described in this disclosure.

[0008] The printing device 1 includes a processor 10, a USB interface 20, an Ethernet interface 21, a Wi-Fi interface 22, RAM 30, Flash ROM 31, and a touch panel display unit 40. The Flash ROM 31 corresponds to the storage unit in this disclosure.

[0009] The printer 1 is connected to the PC (Personal Computer) 60 via a USB interface 20 or an Ethernet interface 21. The printer 1 is also connected to the PC via a USB cable 61. Furthermore, the printer 1 is connected to the PC 60 and the mobile terminal 70 wirelessly via a router 50 using a Wi-Fi interface 22. The mobile terminal 70 is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or mobile phone. The PC 60 corresponds to the first communication terminal in this disclosure, and the mobile terminal 70 corresponds to the second terminal device in this disclosure.

[0010] Router 50 is connected to network 100, and PC 60 and mobile terminal 70 communicate with maintenance server 110, which is also connected to network 100, via Router 50. Maintenance server 110 provides update data for firmware and other software used in the printing device 1.

[0011] The printing device 1 comprises a processor 10, RAM 30, Flash ROM 31, and a touch panel display unit 40. The RAM 30 is a rewritable volatile memory, and the Flash ROM 31 is a rewritable non-volatile memory.

[0012] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the Flash ROM 31 mapping. As shown in Figure 2, the Flash ROM 31 is divided into four areas for storing firmware: area 1 31a, area 2 31b, area 31c, and area 4 31d. Area 1 31a is mapped as the storage area for the IPL (Initial Program Loader), and area 2 31b is mapped as the storage area for the second communication module. The IPL contains modules necessary for USB communication, and the second communication module contains modules necessary for Wi-Fi communication.

[0013] The third area 31c is mapped as the storage area for the device function module, and the fourth area 31d is mapped as the storage area for the database, etc. The device function module includes a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function module provided by the display unit 40. The third area 31c, where the device function module is stored, is larger than the second area 31b, where the second communication module is stored. The rewriting of stored data by the firmware update process, described later, targets the second area 31b and the third area 31c of the first to fourth areas 31a to 31d, and is executed in the order from the second area 31b to the third area 31c.

[0014] The processor 10 functions as a communication control unit 11, a firmware update unit 12, a status recognition unit 13, an update retry control unit 14, and an abnormal termination notification unit 15 by reading and executing the IPL from the Flash ROM 31.

[0015] The communication control unit 11 performs communication control via USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. When the IPL (Initial Program Load) is executed, the communication control unit 11 only supports USB communication. By executing the second communication module, it becomes possible to support Ethernet and Wi-Fi communication.

[0016] The firmware update unit 12 executes an update process (upgrade process) of the firmware stored in the Flash ROM 31 in response to an operation of the PC 60 or the mobile terminal 70 by the user U of the printing apparatus 1. A usage application (application program) of the printing apparatus 1 is installed in the PC 60 and the mobile terminal 70, and the user U operates the usage application to instruct an update (upgrade) of the firmware.

[0017] In response to an instruction for firmware update, the usage application accesses the maintenance server 110 via the network 100, downloads an update program of the firmware from the maintenance server 110, and transmits it to the printing apparatus 1. The firmware update unit 12 stores the update program received from the PC 60 or the mobile terminal 70 in the RAM 30, executes the update program stored in the RAM 30, and rewrites the data stored in the second area 31b and the third area 31c of the Flash ROM 31.

[0018] When the firmware update process is interrupted due to power-off of the printing apparatus 1 (resulting from unplugging the power plug, power failure, etc.) and the update process abnormally terminates, the situation recognition unit 13 recognizes the situation (the situation at the time of abnormal termination) in which the abnormal termination has occurred. Due to the power-off, the update program stored in the RAM 30 is lost, and it becomes impossible to continue the firmware update process. Therefore, it is necessary to transmit the firmware update program to the printing apparatus 1 again from the PC 60 or the mobile terminal 70.

[0019] The update retry control unit 14 switches the control of retrying the firmware update process according to the situation at the time of abnormal termination. The abnormal termination notification unit 15 displays an abnormal notification on the display unit 40 when an abnormal termination occurs.

[0020] [2. Firmware Update Process] The procedure of the firmware update process executed by the firmware update unit 12, the situation recognition unit 13, and the update retry control unit 14 will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3.

[0021] In step S1 of FIG. 3, the firmware update unit 12 starts the update process of the firmware stored in the Flash ROM 31. As described above, the firmware update unit 12 rewrites the data of the second communication module stored in the second area 31b of the Flash ROM 31 and the device function module stored in the third area 31c by the update process.

[0022] In the loop of subsequent steps S2 and S10, the situation recognition unit 13 determines in step S2 whether the initial process (error check of the update program stored in the RAM 30, etc.) by the firmware update unit 12 has ended. Also, in step S10, the situation recognition unit 13 determines whether a power-off has occurred. Then, when the initial process has ended, the situation recognition unit 13 advances the process from step S2 to step S3. Also, when a power-off has occurred, the situation recognition unit 13 advances the process from step S10 to step S11.

[0023] In step S11, the update retry control unit 14 sets the startup support in the recovery mode as the setting for retrying the firmware update process for an abnormal end. In step S10, when a power-off occurs, since the rewriting of the second communication module has not started, the data of the second communication module is in a situation where it is not broken (the state at the time of the second abnormal end of the present disclosure), and Wi-Fi communication using the second communication module is possible.

[0024] Therefore, the update retry control unit 14 sets the startup support in the recovery mode for performing the firmware update process by Wi-Fi communication or USB communication, and advances the process to step S7. Also, the abnormal end notification unit 15 displays an error code indicating that the firmware update process has ended abnormally and that retrying the firmware update process in the recovery mode is possible on the display unit 40. Note that instead of or together with the error code, it may be displayed in characters that retrying the firmware update process in the recovery mode is possible.

[0025] This allows for retries of the firmware update process using Wi-Fi and USB. In recovery mode, user U can connect the mobile terminal 70 and the printer 1 via Wi-Fi and retry the firmware update process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where user U is unable to retry the firmware update process because they do not have a PC 60 capable of USB connection or a USB connection cable 61 available.

[0026] In step S3, the firmware update unit 12 starts rewriting the second communication module. Through the subsequent loop processing of steps S4 and S20, the status recognition unit 13 determines in step S4 whether the rewriting of the second communication module by the firmware update unit 12 has finished. The status recognition unit 13 also determines in step S20 whether a power outage has occurred. The status recognition unit 13 then proceeds from step S4 to step S5 when the rewriting of the second communication module is finished. The status recognition unit 13 also proceeds from step S20 to step S21 when a power outage has occurred.

[0027] In step S21, the update retry control unit 14 sets the startup response to degraded mode as a setting for retrying the firmware update process in case of abnormal termination. If a power outage occurs in step S20, the data in the second communication module is corrupted due to a power outage while the rewriting of the second communication module is in progress (the first situation in this disclosure), and Wi-Fi communication becomes impossible.

[0028] Therefore, the update retry control unit 14 sets the startup configuration to allow firmware update processing via USB communication and prohibit firmware update processing via Wi-Fi, and proceeds to step S7. The abnormal termination notification unit 15 displays an error code on the display unit 40 indicating that the firmware update processing has terminated abnormally and that it is possible to retry the firmware update processing in degraded mode. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the error code, the system may display text indicating that it is possible to retry the firmware update processing in degraded mode.

[0029] In degraded mode, user U cannot connect the mobile terminal 70 to the printer 1 via Wi-Fi communication. Therefore, user U needs to prepare a PC 60, connect the PC 60 to the printer 1 via USB communication, and retry the firmware update process. Alternatively, user U needs to bring or send the printer 1 to a service center or similar facility to request completion of the firmware update process.

[0030] In step S5, the firmware update unit 12 starts rewriting the device function module. Through the subsequent loop processing of steps S6 and S30, the status recognition unit 13 determines in step S6 whether the rewriting of the device function module by the firmware update unit 12 has finished. Also, in step S30, the status recognition unit 13 determines whether a power outage has occurred. If the rewriting of the device function module is finished, the status recognition unit 13 proceeds from step S6 to step S7 (the firmware has finished successfully). If a power outage occurs, the status recognition unit 13 proceeds from step S30 to step S31.

[0031] In step S31, the update retry control unit 14 sets a recovery boot response as a setting for retrying the firmware update process in response to an abnormal termination. In step S30, if a power outage occurs, the rewriting of the second communication module has already been completed, so the data in the second communication module is not corrupted (the second abnormal termination state in this disclosure). Therefore, Wi-Fi communication using the second communication module is possible.

[0032] Therefore, the update retry control unit 14 sets the system to boot into recovery mode, which performs the firmware update process via Wi-Fi or USB communication, and proceeds to step S7. The abnormal termination notification unit 15 also displays an error code on the display unit 40, similar to step S11, indicating that the firmware update process has terminated abnormally and that it is possible to retry the firmware update process in recovery mode.

[0033] [3. Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, a printing device 1 is disclosed as the electronic device of this disclosure. The electronic device of this disclosure may be any electronic device that performs firmware update processing by communication, for example, a scanner, a projector, etc.

[0034] In the above embodiment, USB was used as an example of a one-to-one first communication method that does not use the network of this disclosure, but the first communication method may be other communication methods such as Bluetooth®.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the first situation of this disclosure is illustrated as a case in which the firmware update process terminates abnormally due to a power outage during the rewriting of the second communication module. The second situation of this disclosure is illustrated as a case in which the firmware update process terminates abnormally due to a power outage before the rewriting of the second communication module is started or after the rewriting of the second communication module is completed. In other embodiments, the first and second situations may be represented by the following Examples 1 to 3. The update retry control unit 14 sets startup in degraded mode for the first situation and startup in recovery mode for the second situation.

[0036] (Example 1) Situation 1: A situation in which the firmware update process terminates abnormally after a predetermined time period has elapsed from the start of the firmware update process, but before a second predetermined time period, which is longer than the first predetermined time period, has elapsed from the start of the firmware update process. Situation 2: A situation in which the firmware update process terminates abnormally either before the first predetermined time has elapsed from the time the firmware update process started, or after the second predetermined time has elapsed from the time the firmware update process started. Here, the first predetermined time is set assuming the time from when the firmware update process starts in step S1 in Figure 3 until when the rewriting of the second communication module starts in step S3. The second predetermined time is set assuming the time from when the firmware update process starts in step S1 in Figure 3 until when the rewriting of the second communication module is completed in step S4.

[0037] (Example 2) Situation 1: An abnormal termination of the firmware update process occurs after the first predetermined amount of data processing has been completed, but before the second predetermined amount of data processing has been completed. The second predetermined amount of data is greater than the first predetermined amount of data. Situation 2: An abnormal termination of the firmware update process occurs either before the first predetermined amount of data processing is completed after the firmware update process has started, or after the second predetermined amount of data processing has been completed after the firmware update process has started. Here, the first predetermined data amount is set assuming the amount of data processed during the firmware update process from step S1 in Figure 3 until the rewriting of the second communication module begins in step S3. The second predetermined data amount is set assuming the amount of data processed during the firmware update process from step S1 in Figure 3 until the rewriting of the second communication module is completed in step S4.

[0038] (Example 3) Situation 1: A situation in which the firmware update process terminates abnormally after the first predetermined percentage of the update process has been completed, but before the second predetermined percentage of the update process has been completed. The second predetermined percentage is greater than the first predetermined percentage. Situation 2: An abnormal termination of the firmware update process occurs either before the first predetermined percentage of the update process is completed, or after the second predetermined percentage of the update process has been completed, after the firmware update process has started. Here, the first predetermined ratio is set assuming that the processing volume from the start of the firmware update process in step S1 in Figure 3 until the start of rewriting the second communication module in step S3 accounts for the total processing volume of the firmware update process. The second predetermined ratio is set assuming that the processing volume from the start of the firmware update process in step S1 in Figure 3 until the end of rewriting the second communication module in step S4 accounts for the total processing volume of the firmware update process.

[0039] [4. Summary of this disclosure] A summary of this disclosure is provided below.

[0040] (Note 1) Electronic device comprising: a firmware update unit that executes firmware update processing stored in a storage unit using update data acquired by communicating with a first terminal device using a first communication method, or by communicating with a second terminal device using a second communication method; a status recognition unit that recognizes the abnormal termination status, which is the situation at the time the abnormal termination occurred, when the update processing terminates abnormally; and an update retry control unit that, when the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a first situation, allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and prohibits a retry of the update processing by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method, and when the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a second situation different from the first situation, allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and allows a retry of the update processing by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method.

[0041] This allows the firmware to be updated using a terminal device capable of communication via either the first or second communication method if the firmware update process terminates abnormally, provided that the second situation occurs. Therefore, it prevents situations where the firmware update process cannot be retried due to the inability to provide a terminal device that supports the first communication method.

[0042] (Note 2) The electronic device described in Appendix 1, wherein the first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after a first predetermined time has elapsed from the time the update process has started, but before a second predetermined time, which is longer than the first predetermined time, has elapsed from the time the update process has started, and the second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs before the first predetermined time has elapsed from the time the update process has started, or after the second predetermined time has elapsed from the time the update process has started.

[0043] This allows the system to recognize whether the situation at the time of the abnormal termination was the first or second situation, based on the elapsed time from when the firmware update process started until when the abnormal termination occurred.

[0044] (Note 3) The first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the update process has started and after the processing of a first predetermined amount of data of the update process has been completed, or before the processing of a second predetermined amount of data greater than the first predetermined amount of data of the update process has been completed, and the second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs before the processing of the first predetermined amount of data of the update process has been completed, or after the processing of the second predetermined amount of data of the update process has been completed, as described in Appendix 1.

[0045] This allows the system to recognize whether the situation at the time of the abnormal termination was the first or second situation, based on the amount of data processed during the firmware update process from the start of the process until the abnormal termination occurred.

[0046] (Note 4) The first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the start of the update process and after the completion of a first predetermined percentage of the total processing volume of the update process, but before the completion of a second predetermined percentage of the update process that is greater than the first predetermined percentage of the update process, and the second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs before the completion of the first predetermined percentage of the update process, or after the start of the update process and after the completion of the second predetermined percentage of the update process, as described in Appendix 1.

[0047] This allows the system to recognize whether the situation at the time of the abnormal termination was the first or second situation, based on the progress of the firmware update process from the start of the process until the abnormal termination occurred.

[0048] (Note 5) The firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication according to the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication according to the second communication method, and a device function module for performing a predetermined function of the electronic device, wherein the firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module, and after performing a process to update the second communication module, performs a process to update the device function module, as described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 4.

[0049] This allows the process of updating the second communication module to be performed before the process of updating the device function module, thereby preventing the update process from terminating abnormally while the second communication module is being updated, which could render communication using the second communication method impossible.

[0050] (Note 6) The firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication according to the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication according to the second communication method, and a device function module for performing a predetermined function of the electronic device, wherein the firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module, the first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs while the process for updating the second communication module is being executed in the update process, and the second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs in the update process before the process for updating the second communication module is started or after the process for updating the second communication module is completed, as described in Appendix 1.

[0051] This allows a second status to be set as the situation where communication using the second communication method is possible, either before or after the process of updating the second communication module is executed, due to an abnormal termination of the update process.

[0052] (Note 7) The electronic device as described in Appendix 6, wherein the firmware update unit, in the update process, performs a process to update the second communication module, and then performs a process to update the device function module.

[0053] This allows the process of updating the second communication module to be performed before the process of updating the device function module, thereby preventing the update process from terminating abnormally while the second communication module is being updated, which could render communication using the second communication method impossible.

[0054] (Note 8) The first communication method is a one-to-one communication method that does not use a network, and is an electronic device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 7.

[0055] This allows the update process to be retried by communicating with the first terminal device using a one-to-one first communication method, regardless of whether the update process terminated abnormally under the first or second condition.

[0056] (Note 9) The second communication method is a communication method via a network, and is an electronic device as described in any one of the appendices 1 to 8.

[0057] As a result, if the update process terminates abnormally, the second situation can be resolved by communicating with the second terminal device via the network using a second communication method, and retrying the update process.

[0058] (Note 10) The electronic device described in any one of the appendices 1 to 9, comprising an abnormal termination notification unit that displays the occurrence of the first situation and the occurrence of the second situation in different display modes on a display unit provided in the electronic device.

[0059] This allows us to inform users of electronic devices whether the situation when an update process terminates abnormally is the first situation or the second situation.

[0060] (Note 11) The electronic device is a printing device having a display unit, the storage unit is a rewritable non-volatile memory, the firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication according to the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication according to the second communication method, and a device function module for performing a predetermined function of the electronic device, the firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module, and the predetermined function includes at least the function of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display unit, as described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 10.

[0061] This makes it possible to prevent situations where, when updating the firmware of an electronic device such as a printing device, including the GUI function module, the update process terminates abnormally, making it impossible to retry the update process by communicating using the second communication method.

[0062] (Note 12) The electronic device as described in Appendix 11, wherein in the memory unit, the area occupied by the device function module is larger than the area occupied by the second communication module, and the firmware update unit, in the update process, performs a process to update the second communication module first, and then performs a process to update the device function module.

[0063] This allows the second communication module, which has a smaller data volume than the device function module, to be updated before the device function module. This prevents the update process from terminating abnormally while the second communication module is being updated, thus preventing communication using the second communication method from becoming impossible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...Printing device (electronic device), 10...Processor, 11...Communication control unit, 12...Firmware update unit, 13...Status recognition unit, 14...Update retry control unit, 15...Abnormal termination notification unit, 20...USB interface, 21...Ethernet interface, 22...Wi-Fi interface, 30...RAM, 31...Flash ROM, 31a...First area, 31b...Second area, 31c...Third area, 31d...Fourth area, 40...Display unit, 50...Router, 60...PC, 61...USB cable, 70...Mobile terminal, 100...Network, 110...Maintenance server, U...User.

Claims

1. A firmware update unit that performs firmware update processing stored in a storage unit using update data acquired by communicating with a first terminal device using a first communication method, or by communicating with a second terminal device using a second communication method, If the update process terminates abnormally, a status recognition unit recognizes the abnormal termination status, which is the situation at the time the abnormal termination occurred. If the update process terminates abnormally, and the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a first status, the update retry control unit allows a retry of the update process by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and prohibits a retry of the update process by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method. If the status recognition unit recognizes that the abnormal termination status is a second status different from the first status, the update retry control unit allows a retry of the update process by communicating with the first terminal device using the first communication method, and a retry of the update process by communicating with the second terminal device using the second communication method. Electronic devices equipped with the following features.

2. The first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after a first predetermined time has elapsed from the time the update process started, but before a second predetermined time, which is longer than the first predetermined time, has elapsed from the time the update process started. The second situation is a situation in which a pre-abnormal termination occurs before the first predetermined time elapses from the time the update process is started, or after the second predetermined time elapses from the time the update process is started. The electronic device according to claim 1.

3. The first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the update process has started and after the processing of a first predetermined amount of data in the update process has been completed, but before the processing of a second predetermined amount of data, which is greater than the first predetermined amount of data in the update process, has been completed. The second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the update process has started but before the processing of the first predetermined amount of data in the update process is completed, or after the update process has started but after the processing of the second predetermined amount of data in the update process is completed. The electronic device according to claim 1.

4. The first situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the update process has started and a first predetermined percentage of the total processing volume of the update process has been completed, but before a second predetermined percentage, which is larger than the first predetermined percentage of the update process, has been completed. The second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs after the update process has started but before the first predetermined percentage of the update process has been completed, or after the update process has started but after the second predetermined percentage of the update process has been completed. The electronic device according to claim 1.

5. The firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication using the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication using the second communication method, and a device function module for performing predetermined functions of the electronic device. The firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module, and after performing the process to update the second communication module, it performs the process to update the device function module. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication using the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication using the second communication method, and a device function module for performing predetermined functions of the electronic device. The firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module. The first situation described above is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurred during the process of updating the second communication module in the update process. The second situation is a situation in which the abnormal termination occurs in the update process either before the process for updating the second communication module is started, or after the process for updating the second communication module has finished. The electronic device according to claim 1.

7. The firmware update unit, in the update process, executes a process to update the second communication module, and then executes a process to update the device function module. The electronic device according to claim 6.

8. The first communication method is a one-to-one communication method that does not use a network. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6, or 7.

9. The second communication method is a communication method via a network. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6, or 7.

10. The system includes an abnormal termination notification unit that displays the occurrence of the first situation and the occurrence of the second situation on a display unit provided in the electronic device using different display modes. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6, or 7.

11. The electronic device is a printing device having a display unit, The aforementioned storage unit is a rewritable non-volatile memory, The firmware includes a first communication module for performing communication using the first communication method, a second communication module for performing communication using the second communication method, and a device function module for performing predetermined functions of the electronic device. The firmware update unit performs the update process targeting the second communication module and the device function module. The predetermined function includes at least the functions of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display unit. The electronic device according to claim 1.

12. In the memory unit, the area occupied by the device function module is larger than the area occupied by the second communication module. The firmware update unit, in the update process, executes a process to update the second communication module, and then executes a process to update the device function module. The electronic device according to claim 11.

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