SYSTEM FOR FIRMWARE UPGRADE IN AMI AND METHOD THEREOF

摘要

A system and method for firmware upgrade in an AMI are provided. A remote server provides a firmware image file. After receiving the firmware image file and verifying the remote server, a data concentrator transmits at least one encoding symbol generated from the firmware image file to at least one meter through broadcasting and a retransmission mechanism of minimum retransmission contents. Upon receiving a predetermined number of encoding symbols, each meter recovers the original firmware image file from the received encoding symbols. Then, each meter receives and verifies an activation code generated by the remote server before carrying out the firmware upgrade.

主权项

1. A system for firmware upgrade in an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), comprising:
a remote server including a database to store a firmware image file and a security module to generate a digital signature and an activation code; a data concentrator connected to the remote server, including: a verification module to verify the firmware image file from the remote server using the digital signature; and a broadcasting module to broadcast a predetermined number or more of encoding symbols generated from the firmware image file, to obtain minimum retransmission contents based on a receiving status of the encoding symbols, and further to broadcast new encoding symbols, wherein the amount of which matches the minimum retransmission contents; and
at least a meter connected to the data concentrator to receive the encoding symbols, the meter including:a forward error correction (FEC) decoder to decode the encoding symbols from the data concentrator and recover the firmware image file based on the encoding symbols; anda verification module to check the status of completion of the firmware image file recovered by the FEC decoder, and to obtain the activation code generated by the remote server from the data concentrator, the activation code after successful verification being used to drive firmware upgrade of the meter.