FOTA Update Feedback Mechanism for Failure Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Firmware Over the Air (FOTA) updates often fail due to issues like flash reading errors and version mismatches, preventing timely failure detection and impacting user experience and technology adoption.

Innovation Solution

A method and device for processing FOTA upgrades that involve transmitting an upgrade package, detecting and transmitting identification information from the receiving terminal to determine the upgrade result, using statistical information in sequence or bit form, and stopping upgrades in groups where failures exceed a threshold.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If FOTA update is implemented to enable remote firmware updates, then user convenience and software update efficiency are improved, but failure detection capability deteriorates because the server cannot acquire failure information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser convenienceVSAvoidfailure detection capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the receiving terminal transmits identification information (success/failure status) back to the transmitting terminal after completing the upgrade process. This allows the server to acquire failure information and properly handle update failures, resolving the contradiction between user convenience and failure detection capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If upgrade packages are transmitted to multiple receiving terminals, then update efficiency is improved, but system reliability deteriorates when failures occur in groups

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveupdate efficiencyVSAvoidsystem reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides receiving terminals into groups based on their upgrade needs and transmits upgrade packages to multiple groups simultaneously. This segmentation allows parallel processing of updates across different terminal groups, improving overall update efficiency while maintaining system reliability through organized failure management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback collection from receiving terminals after upgrade attempts. When failures occur in a group, the transmitting terminal receives identification information indicating the failure status, allowing it to properly handle and manage these failures while continuing operations with other groups, thus maintaining both efficiency and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2456241B1Processing method and system for FOTA update
Publication Date: 2018.03.21 ZTE CORP
  • EP2456241B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2456241B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP2456241B1 patent drawingFigure 6

AI summary

The invention discloses a method and device for processing the FOTA upgrade. The method comprises: a transmitting terminal configures resources and transmits an upgrade package for version upgrade to a receiving terminal; the receiving terminal is upgraded by the received upgrade package and transmits identification information which is used for indicating the upgrade result of the receiving terminal to the transmitting terminal over the resources corresponding to the upgrade package; and the transmitting terminal determines the upgrade result of the receiving terminal according to the identification information. The invention improves the reliability and stability of the system.