Efficient Firmware Update in a Narrow Bandwidth System

摘要

An advanced metering infrastructure may be configured for automated meter reading, such as of utility (electric, natural gas, etc.) meters. Within a network, a data collector communicates with, and receives meter data from, a plurality of endpoints. Firmware on the endpoints may be updated by transmission, from the data collector, of a new firmware image. In one example, the data collector sends an announcement of a firmware update to the plurality of endpoints. At a time indicated by the announcement, the data collector multicasts the firmware update a plurality of times. The data collector then receives indications from a plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast firmware update. In response, the data collector sends missing blocks to the plurality of endpoints according to the indications.

主权项

1. A method of updating in a plurality of endpoints configured within a network, comprising:
sending an announcement of an update to the plurality of endpoints configured as the network; multicasting the update to the plurality of endpoints a plurality of times, as indicated by the announcement, wherein multicasting the update comprises multicasting according to an interference matrix that segregates multicast times of nearby data collectors to reduce collisions of packets; receiving indications of missing blocks from at least one endpoint of the plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the update; and sending missing blocks to the at least one endpoint of the plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast update according to the received indications of the missing blocks.