TW202504343A - Wireless devices and wireless communication systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A wireless device capable of rapidly performing a FOTA operation is provided. In (20), in a multi-hop communication network including a plurality of wireless devices, a wireless device can send and receive firmware data with other wireless devices. The wireless device comprises a control device (21) and a communication device. The control device, when receiving data other than the firmware from other wireless devices via the communication device, sends a beacon in a first cycle and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after the sending of the beacon. When receiving data of the firmware from other wireless devices via the communication device, the control device sends a beacon in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle and sends a data request and receives the firmware data in the first reception waiting state after the sending of the beacon.

Description

Wireless devices and wireless communication systems

The present disclosure relates to a wireless device and a wireless communication system capable of sending and receiving firmware data.

As a conventional wireless device, there is known a wireless communication device such as that shown in Patent Document 1. The host of this wireless communication device sends a notification about firmware update to a lower wireless communication device connected to the host device, i.e., a slave, through a second communication method. In response to this notification, the slave attempts to establish communication with the server through the first communication method. Here, if this communication is not established, the slave downloads the firmware and updates it through communication formed by the second communication method with the host. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-200620

Invention Problems to be Solved

The slave of this patent document 1 receives firmware from the host when it cannot receive firmware from the server. Since the amount of data in this firmware is larger than the amount of data that can be sent from the host to the slave in one sending operation, the host must divide the firmware and send the divided data to the slave multiple times, which will cause a problem that it takes a long time to send the firmware.

This disclosure is an invention completed to solve such a problem, and its purpose is to provide a wireless device and a wireless communication system that can quickly perform FOTA operations. Means for solving the problem

A wireless device in a certain aspect of the present disclosure is a wireless device that can send and receive firmware data with other wireless devices in a multi-hop communication network including a plurality of wireless devices. The wireless device includes a control device and a communication device. The control device, when receiving data other than the firmware from other wireless devices via the communication device, sends a beacon in a first cycle and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after the sending of the beacon. When receiving firmware data from other wireless devices via the communication device, the control device sends a beacon in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle and sends a data request and receives the firmware data in the first reception waiting state after the sending of the beacon.

A wireless communication system of a certain aspect of the present disclosure has a plurality of wireless devices included in a multi-hop communication network. Among the plurality of wireless devices, the wireless device that receives data other than firmware sends a beacon in the first cycle and receives the data in the first reception waiting state after sending the beacon. The wireless device that receives data from the firmware sends the beacon in the second cycle shorter than the first cycle and sends a data request, and receives the data from the firmware in the first reception waiting state after sending the beacon. Effect of the invention

According to the present disclosure, for example, when the amount of firmware data is larger than the amount of data that the wireless device can transmit at one time, the wireless device transmits the firmware data in divided portions. In this case, since the wireless device transmits a beacon at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle in the FOTA operation of transmitting and receiving firmware data, the time interval for receiving firmware data in the first reception waiting state subsequent to the transmission of the beacon becomes shorter, and the FOTA operation can be performed quickly.

The above-mentioned object, other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure can be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the preferred implementation modes with reference to the drawings.

The form used to implement the invention

<Wireless communication system> As shown in FIG. 1 , a wireless communication system 10 of an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of wireless devices 20 and a central device 30. In the wireless communication system 10, data related to a meter 11 for measuring the amount of gas used by a user, such as city gas, LP gas, and hydrogen, is sent from the wireless device 20 to the central device 30, thereby collecting the data in the central device 30. Although the metering object of the meter 11 is described below as gas, the metering object is not limited to gas, and may also be electricity, tap water, etc.

The wireless device 20 is connected to the user's meter 11 in a communicable manner and performs data communication with the meter 11. The wireless device 20 has a communication function using the first communication network 12 and a communication function using the second communication network 13. Thus, the wireless device 20 is connected to the central device 30 in a communicable manner using the first communication network 12 or the second communication network 13 and performs data communication with the central device 30.

This data includes data related to the meter 11 and the wireless device 20. The data related to the meter 11 includes the meter value indicating the gas usage measured by the meter 11 and the abnormal alarm indicating the gas usage measured by the meter 11, and is sent from the wireless device 20 to the central device 30. The data related to the wireless device 20 includes the time data of the wireless device 20, the firmware version and data, and is sent from the central device 30 to the wireless device 20.

The first communication network 12 may also be a communication network such as a WAN (Wide Area Network), which has communication equipment such as a base station 12a, a switching station, and a cable to connect to the Internet. In addition, the second communication network 13 is a communication network different from the first communication network 12, such as a FAN (Field Area Network), and is a wireless multi-hop method in which a plurality of wireless devices 20 transmit data in a relay manner. For example, when the metering object of the meter 11 is gas, the second communication network 13 may also be a communication method standardized by the WI-SUN Alliance, namely WISUN-JUTA.

The central device 30 has a server function for collecting data from the wireless device 20, and provides services and information based on the collected data to users or businesses that manage the meter 11. For example, the central device 30 collects the metering value of the meter 11, calculates the gas usage based on the metering value, and sends it to the user or business. In addition, the central device 30 collects alarms from the meter 11, and sends an instruction to shut off the gas flow path of the meter 11 in response to the alarm, so that the meter 11 shuts off the gas flow path.

Furthermore, the central device 30 has a management function for managing the wireless device 20, and transmits data related to the management of the wireless device 20 to the wireless device 20. For example, the central device 30 transmits time data to the wireless device 20, and causes the wireless device 20 to perform time correction actions according to the time data. Furthermore, the central device 30 transmits firmware data to the wireless device 20, and causes the wireless device 20 to perform FOTA (Firmware Over The Air, wireless firmware update) actions according to the firmware data.

<Central device> As shown in FIG. 2 , the central device 30 includes a central control device 31 and a central communication interface 32 electrically connected to the central control device 31. The central communication interface 32 is a communication interface for wired communication, and is connected to the first communication network 12 by a cable or the like. Thus, the central communication interface 32 receives data sent from the wireless device 20 via the first communication network 12 and inputs it to the central control device 31, or sends data to the wireless device 20 via the first communication network 12 according to the control of the central control device 31. In addition, the central communication interface 32 may also be a communication interface for wireless communication, and may also be connected to the first communication network 12 by wireless communication. Furthermore, the central communication interface 32 can also be connected to the Internet via wireless communication or wired communication, and can also communicate with the wireless device 20 via the Internet and the first communication network 12.

The central control device 31 is a computer having a central computing unit 33 and a central memory unit 34. The central memory unit 34 is a memory accessible from the central computing unit 33 and is composed of RAM and ROM. The central memory unit 34 stores programs for executing various processes such as data collection of the central device 30 and management of the wireless device 20, and data used in the programs. In addition, the central memory unit 34 stores data received from the wireless device 20 and data sent to the wireless device 20.

The central operation unit 33 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, and executes the program stored in the central memory unit 34. In this way, the central control device 31 controls the operation of the components of the central device 30 according to the input data from the central communication interface 32, and executes various processes related to data collection and management of the wireless device 20. In addition, the central control device 31 may be composed of a single device, or may be composed of a plurality of devices that are dispersed and configured so that the devices cooperate to perform the operation of the central control device 31.

<Radio> The radio 20 includes a control device 21, a battery 22, a communication device electrically connected to the control device 21, and a third communication interface 25. The battery 22 is a power source for the radio 20, is connected to the control device 21, the communication device, and the third communication interface 25, and supplies power to these devices and interfaces.

The control device 21 is a computer having a calculation unit 26 and a memory unit 27. The memory unit 27 is a memory accessible from the calculation unit 26 and is composed of RAM and ROM. The memory unit 27 stores programs for executing various operations such as FOTA operations of the wireless device 20 and data used in the programs. The memory unit 27 also stores data received from the meter 11, the central device 30, and other wireless devices 20, and data sent to these.

The calculation unit 26 is composed of a processor such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes the program stored in the memory unit 27. In this way, the control device 21 controls the operation of the components of the wireless device 20 according to the input data from the communication device and the third communication interface 25, and performs various processes such as FOTA operation. In addition, the control device 21 can also be composed of a single device, or can be composed of a plurality of devices that are dispersed and configured so that these devices cooperate to perform the operation of the control device 21.

The communication device has a first communication interface 23 and a second communication interface 24. The first communication interface 23 is a communication interface for wireless communication for the first communication network 12, and is electrically connected to the first antenna 28. Thus, the first communication interface 23 is connected to the base station 12a of the first communication network 12 by wireless communication through the first antenna 28. The first communication interface 23 receives data sent from the central device 30 through the first communication network 12 through the first antenna 28 and inputs it to the control device 21, or sends data to the central device 30 through the first communication network 12 through the first antenna 28 according to the control of the control device 21.

Furthermore, the second communication interface 24 is a communication interface for wireless communication used in the second communication network 13, and is electrically connected to the second antenna 29. Thus, the second communication interface 24 is connected to the second antenna 29 of the other wireless device 20 that can communicate via the second antenna 29 by wireless communication. The second communication interface 24 receives data sent from the other wireless device 20 via the second antenna 29 and inputs it to the control device 21, or sends data to the other wireless device 20 via the second antenna 29 according to the control of the control device 21.

Furthermore, the third communication interface 25 is a wired communication interface, and is connected to the meter 11 via a cable. Thus, the third communication interface 25 receives data from the meter 11 and inputs it to the control device 21, or sends data to the meter 11 according to the control of the control device 21. In addition, the wireless device 20 can also be connected to the meter 11 by wireless communication via the wireless communication interface.

<Communication Function> As shown in FIG. 1 , the plurality of wireless devices 20 in the wireless communication system 10 belong to the second communication network 13 and have a wireless handset 20a and a wireless host 20b that relays data transmission between the wireless handset 20a and the central device 30. Furthermore, the communication functions of these wireless handsets 20a and the wireless host 20b include: a first communication function of communicating using the first communication network 12 via the first communication interface 23, and a second communication function of communicating using the second communication network 13 via the second communication interface 24.

In order to relay the communication between the wireless slave 20a and the central device 30, the wireless host 20b enables the first communication function of the first communication interface 23 and the second communication function of the second communication interface 24. Thus, the wireless host 20b sends and receives data with the central device 30 via the first communication network 12, and sends and receives data with other wireless slaves 20a that can communicate via the second communication network 13.

When the first communication network 12 is used to communicate with the central device 30, the wireless slave 20a sets the first communication function to be valid. In this way, the wireless slave 20a directly transmits and receives data with the central device 30 through the first communication network 12 without going through the wireless host 20b. In addition, in this case, the wireless slave 20a can also set the second communication function to be invalid. In addition, the wireless slave 20a can also set the second communication function to be valid, and in this case, the first communication function can also be set to have priority over the second communication function.

When the wireless slave 20a wants to communicate with other wireless slaves 20a and wireless host 20b that can communicate using the second communication network 13, the first communication function is disabled and the second communication function is enabled. In this way, the wireless slave 20a sends and receives data with other wireless slaves 20a or wireless host 20b that can communicate in the second communication network 13, and relays data transmission between other wireless slaves 20a and wireless host 20b. In this way, the wireless slave 20a directly sends and receives data with the wireless host 20b without passing through other wireless slaves 20a, or sends and receives data with the wireless host 20b through one or more other wireless slaves 20a, thereby sending and receiving data with the central device 30 through the wireless host 20b.

<Second communication network> In the second communication network 13, data sent from the wireless slave 20a is transmitted from the wireless slave 20a to the wireless host 20b according to the level. This level is the minimum number of hops from the wireless slave 20a to the wireless host 20b, and is stored in the memory unit 27. The level of the wireless host 20b is the minimum value of 0, and the level of the wireless slave 20a that can communicate directly with the wireless host 20b without passing through other wireless slaves 20a is 1. And, the more the number of wireless slaves 20a relaying between the wireless host 20b increases, the more the level of the wireless slave 20a increases. The wireless devices 20 (wireless host 20b and wireless slave 20a) belonging to the second communication network 13 and their levels are updated by exchanging the hop table.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 1 , although there is one wireless host 20b in the second communication network 13, the number of wireless hosts 20b is not limited thereto. A plurality of wireless hosts 20b may belong to the same second communication network 13. In this case, the wireless slave 20a belonging to the second communication network 13 has a hop count for each of the plurality of wireless hosts 20b, and the smallest hop count among the plurality of hop counts is the level of the wireless slave 20a.

<FOTA Action> In this way, the wireless device 20 can communicate with the central device 30 via the first communication network 12, and can communicate with other wireless devices 20 via the second communication network 13. Therefore, the FOTA action of the wireless device 20 receiving firmware data includes: the first FOTA action using the first communication network 12, and the second FOTA action using the second communication network 13.

The communication speed of the first communication network 12 is faster than that of the second communication network 13, and the amount of data that can be sent at one time by the first communication network 12 is larger than that by the second communication network 13. Therefore, when sending the same amount of data, it is faster to use the first communication network 12 than to use the second communication network 13. Accordingly, when the wireless device 20 attempts to use the first FOTA operation of the first communication network 12 and fails to perform the first FOTA operation, it performs the second FOTA operation using the second communication network 13.

In this second FOTA operation, when the wireless device 20 receives firmware data from other wireless devices 20 via the second communication network 13, the wireless device 20 receives data from the upper wireless device 20 of a lower level than the local device in the second communication network 13. In this case, since the firmware version of the upper wireless device 20 is newer than the local device, the wireless host 20b, which is the wireless device 20 of the lowest level in the second communication network 13, will not receive firmware data from other wireless devices 20. Therefore, in the FOTA operation, the wireless host 20b does not execute the second FOTA operation, but executes the first FOTA operation. In contrast, the wireless slave 20a can execute the first FOTA operation and the second FOTA operation. In the second FOTA operation, data is received from the wireless slave 20a or the wireless host 20b at a higher level than the local machine in the second communication network 13, which has a lower level than the local machine.

Therefore, in the FOTA operation, when the central device 30 obtains a new version of the firmware, it sends a FOTA instruction to the wireless host 20b through the first communication network 12. The wireless host 20b executes the first FOTA operation according to the FOTA instruction, receives and stores the firmware data from the central device 30 through the first communication network 12, and updates to the new version of the firmware.

Furthermore, the wireless host 20b sends the FOTA instruction to the wireless slave 20a via the second communication network 13. In response, the wireless slave 20a performs the first FOTA action according to the FOTA instruction, receives and stores the firmware data from the central device 30 via the first communication network 12, and updates the firmware to a new one. However, for example, the wireless slave 20a cannot be connected to the first communication network 12, or the wireless slave 20a cannot start receiving firmware data within a predetermined time period even though it is connected to the first communication network 12, and the first FOTA action may not be performed. In this case, the wireless slave 20a executes the second FOTA operation, receives and stores the firmware data from the upper wireless slave 20a or the wireless host 20b via the second communication network 13, and updates the firmware to a new version.

<Periodic Action> As shown in FIG. 3, from the perspective of low power consumption, for example, the wireless device 20 communicates with other wireless devices 20 intermittently through the second communication network 13 in the RIT (Receiver Initiated Transmission) mode. This intermittent action includes the transmission of a beacon, the first reception waiting state after the beacon is transmitted, and the pause state after the first reception waiting state. In the periodic action, the intermittent action is executed periodically.

In this intermittent operation, power is consumed by the transmission of beacons and the first reception wait. Therefore, when the communication frequency of the wireless device 20 is low, such as when no data other than beacons is transmitted or received, or when the data transmission and reception times are small due to a small amount of data, if the transmission cycle of beacons is set to the shortest cycle that the wireless device 20 can transmit, for example, every 1 second, power consumption will increase. Therefore, if beacons are always transmitted every 1 second, the life of the battery 22 cannot be maintained for 10 years.

Therefore, when the communication frequency is low as shown in the example of FIG. 3, the wireless device 20 transmits the beacon at a first cycle longer than the shortest cycle, for example, every 5 seconds, thereby suppressing the power consumption of the beacon transmission and the first reception standby. For example, in the case of gas metering, according to the transmission frequency of metering values and alarms to the central device 30 and the reception frequency of maintenance communication from the central device 30, 5 seconds is used as the beacon transmission cycle with the minimum power consumption in 10 years, that is, the first cycle.

On the other hand, when the communication frequency of the wireless device 20 is high due to the large amount of data such as firmware data, the wireless device 20 transmits beacons at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle. In this way, the wireless device 20 can suppress the overall power consumption to be low on average.

In the cycle operation shown in Fig. 3, the transmission of beacons is indicated by dashed lines, and the transmission of data other than beacons is indicated by solid lines. In addition, although the operation is described below when a factor (data transmission factor) that requires the lower wireless device 20 to transmit data is generated in the second communication network 13, the operation can be performed in the same manner when a data transmission factor is generated in the upper wireless device 20.

Specifically, as shown in FIG3, all wireless devices 20 constituting the second communication network 13 transmit a beacon including an identification code of RIT Data Request, identification information of the second communication network 13 to which the wireless device belongs, identification information of the wireless device, and a level in the first cycle through the second communication network 13. Since the wireless device 20 is asynchronous with other wireless devices 20, the beacon is transmitted at the time of the wireless device.

In this case, the wireless device 20 enters the first reception waiting state in which data can be transmitted and received for a first time shorter than the first cycle after the beacon is transmitted. Furthermore, after the first reception waiting state, the wireless device 20 enters the suspended state in which the communication operation is suspended for a second time longer than the first time. In this way, the wireless device 20 performs a cycle operation in which the first cycle repeatedly includes beacon transmission, the first reception waiting state, and the suspended state. This suspended state can suppress power consumption.

For example, when the lower-level radio 20 is to transmit data such as metering values at regular intervals, a factor (data transmission factor) for transmitting data such as metering values at regular intervals is generated. And, from the generation of the data transmission factor, the lower-level radio 20 enters the second reception waiting state in which communication such as transmission and reception of data can be performed for a third time that is longer than the first time of the first reception waiting state. And, when the lower-level radio 20 receives a beacon from another radio 20 in the second reception waiting state, it transmits a link request to the radio 20 that is the transmission source of the beacon, that is, the upper-level radio 20.

When the upper wireless device 20 receives a connection request in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is transmitted, the identification information of the second communication network 13 and the transmission destination information contained in the connection request are compared with the identification information of the second communication network 13 and the identification information of the local device stored in the local device. And, if this information can be compared and confirmed, the upper wireless device 20 sends a connection confirmation to the connection request to the lower wireless device 20. Thus, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the connection confirmation, the connection between the lower wireless device 20 and the upper wireless device 20 is established.

Furthermore, when the upper radio 20 sends a connection acknowledgement, the time of the first reception waiting state is extended to be longer than the first time so as to be able to receive data from the lower radio 20. In contrast, when the lower radio 20 receives a connection acknowledgement from the upper radio 20 in the second reception waiting state, the data is sent to the upper radio 20. In contrast, when the upper radio 20 receives data in the first reception waiting state, after sending a reception response of the data to the lower radio 20, the connection with the lower radio 20 is released, the first reception waiting state is terminated, and the state becomes suspended. When the lower-level radio device 20 receives the reception response in the second reception waiting state, it releases the connection with the upper-level radio device 20, ends the second reception waiting state, and enters the suspended state before the next beacon is transmitted.

In addition, the upper wireless device 20 and the lower wireless device 20 also transmit beacons in the first cycle during the link establishment and data transmission and reception. However, when the transmission timing of the beacon is in the communication state such as the second reception waiting state, these wireless devices 20 skip the transmission of the beacon.

<Second FOTA action> When the data to be sent is larger than the amount of data that can be sent at one time, the wireless device 20 divides the data into multiple parts and repeats the sending of the divided data until all the divided data are sent. Therefore, when a much larger amount of data such as firmware is to be sent than the amount of data that can be sent at one time, the wireless device 20 needs a very long time to send all the data. For example, the amount of data that can be sent is 100 bytes, and the amount of firmware data is 1 million bytes.

During the transmission of the data, the wireless device 20 cannot communicate with other wireless devices 20. Therefore, the wireless device 20 may fail to transmit the metering value and other data in a timely manner. In addition, since the second communication network 13 formed by the wireless device 20 transmits data by relaying the data transmission, the transmission of the metering value and other data of other wireless devices 20 may fail.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 , when the firmware data is sent and received via the second communication network 13 in the second FOTA operation, the wireless device 20 sends a beacon at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle. For example, the second cycle is 1 second, which is the shortest cycle, compared to the first cycle of 5 seconds. In addition, although the wireless device 20 sends a beacon at the second cycle during the sending and receiving of data such as firmware data, if the beacon is sent in a communication state such as the second reception waiting state, the sending of the beacon is skipped. In FIG. 4 , as in FIG. 3 , the transmission of the beacon is indicated by a dotted line, and the transmission of data other than the beacon is indicated by a solid line.

Specifically, when the lower-level radio 20 performs the second FOTA operation in response to the FOTA instruction, a data transmission factor of the first data request is generated, and the first data request is the first data among the data requested for the firmware. As a result, the lower-level radio 20 enters the second reception waiting state for a third time longer than the first time from the generation of the data transmission factor of the first data request. Furthermore, when the lower-level radio 20 receives a beacon from another radio 20, that is, the upper-level radio 20, in this second reception waiting state, the link request is transmitted to the upper-level radio 20. In response to this, when the upper wireless device 20 receives a connection request in the first reception waiting state immediately after the beacon is transmitted, the identification information of the second communication network 13 and the transmission destination information contained in the connection request are compared with the identification information of the second communication network 13 and the identification information of the local device stored in the local device. If the information can be compared and confirmed, a connection confirmation is sent for the connection request. In this way, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the connection confirmation in the second reception waiting state, the connection between the lower wireless device 20 and the upper wireless device 20 is established. Furthermore, when the upper wireless device 20 sends the connection confirmation, the first reception waiting state is extended from the first time so that data from the lower wireless device 20 can be received.

Afterwards, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the link acknowledgement in the second reception waiting state, the first cycle is canceled for the subsequent beacon transmission cycle, and the cycle is set to the second cycle, and the beacon is transmitted in the second cycle. Furthermore, the lower wireless device 20 transmits the firmware data request, i.e., the first data request, to the upper wireless device 20. In addition, the lower wireless device 20 may also change the beacon transmission cycle from the first cycle to the second cycle when the data transmission factor of the first data request is generated.

When the upper wireless device 20 receives the first data request of the firmware in the first reception waiting state, a data transmission factor of transmitting the first data of the firmware is generated in response to the first data request. Therefore, the upper wireless device 20 cancels the first cycle and sets it to the second cycle for the subsequent beacon transmission cycle, and transmits the beacon in the second cycle. Furthermore, when the upper wireless device 20 receives the first data request, it sends the reception response of the first data request to the lower wireless device 20, ends the first reception waiting state, and enters the second reception waiting state triggered by the generation of the data transmission factor of the first data.

In response to this, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the reception response of the first data request in the second reception waiting state, the second reception waiting state is terminated and the state is suspended. Furthermore, the lower wireless device 20 terminates the suspension state and transmits a beacon at the time point of the second cycle, and enters the first reception waiting state after the beacon is transmitted.

The upper wireless device 20 receives the beacon in the second reception waiting state, and if the transmission source data of the beacon is consistent with the transmission source data of the first data request, the connection request is sent to the lower wireless device 20. When the lower wireless device 20 receives the connection request in the first reception waiting state, the identification information and the transmission destination information of the second communication network 13 included in the connection request are compared with the data stored in the local device. If the information can be compared and confirmed, the connection confirmation is sent to the upper wireless device 20. In this way, when the upper wireless device 20 receives the connection confirmation in the second reception waiting state, the connection between these wireless devices 20 is established. Furthermore, when the lower wireless device 20 transmits the link acknowledgment, the time of the first reception waiting state is extended to be longer than the first time so that the data from the upper wireless device 20 can be received.

Then, the upper wireless device 20 obtains the data of the firmware from the memory unit 27, divides the data, and obtains the first data in response to the first data request of the firmware. The first data is the divided data including the head data of the firmware. Furthermore, when the divided data to be sent after the first data remains in the firmware data, the upper wireless device 20 adds a flag indicating that there is the next data to the first data and sends it to the lower wireless device 20.

In contrast, when the lower radio 20 receives the first data from the upper radio 20 in the first reception waiting state, the first data is stored in the storage unit 27. Furthermore, when the flag of the next data is added to the first data, the lower radio 20 generates a data transmission factor of a second data request for requesting the second data, which is the next segmented data of the first data among the segmented data of the firmware. Therefore, when the lower radio 20 transmits the reception response of the first data to the upper radio 20, after the first reception waiting state is terminated, the second reception waiting state is entered triggered by the generation of the data transmission factor of the second data request.

Furthermore, the upper radio 20 receives the reception response of the first data from the lower radio 20 in the second reception waiting state. Thus, the lower radio 20 and the upper radio 20 can confirm that the segmented data has been transmitted and received. Then, when the upper radio 20 receives the reception response of the first data, the second reception waiting state is terminated and the state becomes suspended before the next beacon is transmitted.

In this way, the upper wireless device 20 and the lower wireless device 20 repeatedly perform a series of operations from sending a data request for the firmware's segmented data, sending the segmented data in response to the data request, and further receiving a reception response of the segmented data. In this way, the lower wireless device 20 sequentially receives the segmented data of the firmware and stores it in the memory unit 27. Furthermore, when there is no segmented data to be sent next in the firmware's segmented data, the upper wireless device 20 adds a flag of the final data to the final segmented data and sends it. In contrast, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the final segmented data and stores it in the memory unit 27, it sends its reception response. Furthermore, since the lower-level radio 20 does not generate a data transmission request for the next data request due to the flag of the final data, the lower-level radio 20 and the upper-level radio 20 terminate the second FOTA operation and change the beacon transmission cycle from the second cycle to the first cycle.

Then, the lower wireless device 20 performs a verification check on the acquired firmware, and if the firmware has been acquired correctly, the firmware currently used is updated to the firmware acquired by the second FOTA operation. Furthermore, the lower wireless device 20 changes (updates) the version of the firmware stored in the memory unit 27 to the updated version of the firmware.

<Radio Operation> The lower-level radio 20 is controlled by the control device 21 according to the flowchart of an example of a control method of the radio 20, such as FIG5 . First, the lower-level radio 20 monitors whether the FOTA instruction is obtained from the upper-level radio 20 (step S1). When the lower-level radio 20 obtains the FOTA instruction (step S1: yes), it determines whether the firmware data can be obtained through the first communication network 12 (step S2). Here, the lower-level radio 20 performs the first FOTA operation and obtains the firmware data through the first communication network 12 (step S3) when the firmware data can be obtained through the first communication network 12 (step S2: yes).

On the other hand, when the lower wireless machine 20 cannot obtain the firmware data through the first communication network 12 (step S2: No), it sends a firmware version request to the upper wireless machine 20 (step S4). When the upper wireless machine 20 receives the version request, it obtains the firmware version of the local machine and sends it to the lower wireless machine 20. When the lower wireless machine 20 receives the version from the upper wireless machine 20, it determines whether the received version of the upper wireless machine 20 is newer than the firmware version of the local machine (step S5). When the version of the upper wireless device 20 is the same as or older than the version of the local device, that is, when the version of the upper wireless device 20 is not updated than the version of the local device (step S5: No), the processing ends because there is no need to update the firmware.

In contrast, when the version of the upper wireless device 20 is newer than that of the lower wireless device 20 (step S5: Yes), the lower wireless device 20 generates a firmware data request as the transmission data. Therefore, the lower wireless device 20 executes the second FOTA action and establishes a connection with the upper wireless device 20. After that, the lower wireless device 20 changes the beacon transmission cycle from the first cycle to the second cycle which is shorter than the first cycle (step S6), and transmits the beacon in the second cycle.

Then, the lower wireless device 20 sends a data request for the firmware (step S7), and the upper wireless device 20 sends the divided data of the firmware in response to the data request. In response, the lower wireless device 20 receives the divided data of the firmware from the upper wireless device 20 in the first reception waiting state and stores it in the memory unit 27 (step S8). Thereafter, the lower wireless device 20 determines whether the divided data received from the upper wireless device 20 is the final data among the divided data of the firmware (step S9).

Here, when the segmented data received in step S8 is attached with a flag of the next data, the lower-level wireless device 20 determines that the segmented data is not final (step S9: No). Then, the lower-level wireless device 20 repeats the processing of steps S7 to S9 until the final segmented data is received. In this way, the lower-level wireless device 20 sequentially receives the segmented data of the firmware and stores it in the memory unit 27.

Then, when the segmented data received in step S8 is flagged with the final data, the lower wireless device 20 determines that the segmented data is final (step S9: Yes). Thus, since the lower wireless device 20 has received all the segmented data of the firmware, the second FOTA action is terminated, the beacon cycle is restored from the second cycle to the first cycle (step S10), and the beacon is sent with the first cycle.

In this way, the lower wireless device 20 receives the firmware data through the first FOTA operation of step S3 or the second FOTA operation of steps S8-S9. Thus, the lower wireless device 20 is updated to the firmware and the version stored in the memory unit 27 is changed to the updated firmware version.

According to the above configuration, when the lower wireless device 20 cannot obtain the firmware data through the first communication network 12, it obtains the firmware data through the second communication network 13. Thus, the lower wireless device 20 can receive the firmware data more reliably and update the firmware.

Furthermore, the lower-level wireless device 20 and the upper-level wireless device 20 transmit beacons at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle during the period of transmitting and receiving the segmented data of the firmware via the second communication network 13. Furthermore, the lower-level wireless device 20 receives the segmented data of the firmware in the first reception waiting state immediately after the beacon is transmitted. Thus, the interval of receiving the segmented data by the lower-level wireless device 20 is shortened, and the second FOTA operation of transmitting and receiving the data of the firmware can be performed quickly.

Furthermore, when a data transmission factor is generated, the wireless device 20 enters a second reception waiting state triggered by the generation of the factor. In the second reception waiting state, the wireless device 20 performs reception waiting for receiving a beacon from another wireless device 20, transmitting a connection request after receiving the beacon, receiving a connection acceptance in response to the connection request, transmitting data, and receiving a reception response of the data.

On average, the beacon reception waiting time is half of the beacon transmission cycle, and the data transmission and reception time is 0.1 seconds. Therefore, when the beacon transmission cycle is the first cycle, for example, 5 seconds, the beacon reception waiting time is 2.5 seconds. In this case, the time of the second reception waiting state is the data transmission and reception time 0.1 seconds + the beacon reception waiting time 2.5 seconds = 2.6 seconds, and the beacon reception waiting time accounts for more than 90% of the time of the second reception waiting state.

On the other hand, when the beacon transmission cycle is the second cycle which is shorter than the first cycle, for example, 1 second, the beacon reception waiting time is 0.5 seconds. In this case, the time of the second reception waiting state is the data transmission and reception time 0.1 seconds + the beacon reception waiting time 0.5 seconds = 0.6 seconds. In this way, the beacon transmission cycle is set from the first cycle to the second cycle, and the time of the second reception waiting state is 0.6 seconds/2.6 seconds × 100 = 23%. In this way, the time of the second reception waiting state is reduced to about 1/4, and the power consumption of the second reception waiting state is also reduced to about 1/4. According to this, the power consumption in the second reception standby state can be suppressed to a low level, and the replacement frequency of the battery 22 which is the power source of the radio device 20 can be reduced.

Furthermore, among all the wireless devices 20 included in the second communication network 13, the wireless devices 20 that transmit and receive firmware data in the second FOTA operation transmit beacons in the second cycle. In this way, the transmission cycle of the beacon is the second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle, thereby enabling the transmission and reception of firmware data accompanying the transmission of the beacon to be performed quickly. On the other hand, the wireless devices 20 that transmit and receive data other than the firmware transmit beacons in the first cycle that is longer than the second cycle, thereby enabling the increase in power consumption accompanying the transmission of the beacon to be suppressed.

<Variant 1> In the wireless communication system 10 of variant 1, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the control device 21 receives the time data together with the firmware version in the first reception waiting state, and corrects the time according to the time data.

Specifically, the lower-level wireless machine 20 periodically requests the time data from the wireless machine 20 higher than the local machine. Therefore, in the process of step S1 of FIG5 , the lower-level wireless machine 20 may also periodically request the firmware version together with the time data from the higher-level wireless machine 20. This time data is data for correcting the time of the wireless machine 20, and is periodically sent from the central device 30. In the second communication network 13, the higher-level wireless machine 20 sends the time data and version stored in the memory unit 27 to the lower-level wireless machine 20 in response to the request from the lower-level wireless machine 20.

When the lower wireless device 20 receives the time data, it stores it in the memory unit 27 and performs a time correction operation based on the time data. In the time correction operation, the lower wireless device 20 corrects the time maintained by the local device based on the time data. In this way, since the time data is sequentially sent from the upper wireless device 20 to the lower wireless device 20 in the second communication network 13, all the wireless devices 20 in the second communication network 13 perform time correction operations based on the same time data, and thus the time is synchronized.

Furthermore, when the lower wireless device 20 receives the firmware version, it executes the processing after step S5. In this way, the wireless device 20 receives the firmware version together with the time data, thereby reducing the number of communications compared to receiving the version and time data separately, and reducing power consumption.

In addition, even if the FOTA instruction of S1 of Fig. 5 is not obtained, the wireless device 20 still obtains the firmware version in conjunction with the regular time request. In this way, the wireless device 20 can judge whether FOTA is needed by itself.

<Variant 2> In the wireless communication system 10 of variant 2, in the above-mentioned embodiment and variant 1, the control device 21 sends a beacon in the first cycle after the second FOTA action is completed, and then sends a beacon in the third cycle longer than the first cycle within a predetermined time.

For example, the wireless device 20 is controlled by the control device 21 according to the flowchart of an example of the display control method of Fig. 6. In the flowchart of Fig. 6, the processes of steps S11 and S12 are executed between the processes of step S9 and step S10 of the flowchart of Fig. 5.

Specifically, the lower wireless device 20 transmits beacons in the second cycle from the start of the second FOTA operation at step S5: "Yes" to the end of the second FOTA operation at step S9: "Yes". Moreover, the upper wireless device 20 also transmits beacons in the second cycle during the execution of the second FOTA operation. Then, when the second FOTA operation is ended, these wireless devices 20 change the beacon transmission cycle from the second cycle shorter than the first cycle to the third cycle longer than the first cycle (step S11).

After that, these wireless devices 20 measure the elapsed time after the beacon transmission cycle is changed, and monitor whether the elapsed time reaches the predetermined time (step S12). Here, these wireless devices 20 transmit beacons in the third cycle before the elapsed time reaches the predetermined time (step S12: No). Since the first time of the first reception waiting state in the action of the third cycle is the same as that of the first cycle, the second time of the pause state in the cycle action of the third cycle is longer than that of the cycle action of the first cycle. As described above, since the pause state in the third cycle operation is longer than that in the first cycle operation, the power consumption in the third cycle operation can be suppressed to be lower than that in the first cycle operation.

Then, when the elapsed time reaches the predetermined time (step S12: Yes), these wireless devices 20 change the beacon transmission cycle from the third cycle to the first cycle (step S10). These wireless devices 20 transmit beacons in the first cycle in the cycle operation.

In this way, in the second FOTA operation, the radio 20 transmits the beacon in the second cycle, thereby shortening the time interval for receiving the firmware data in the first reception waiting state immediately after the beacon is transmitted, and the second FOTA operation can be performed quickly. In addition, during the predetermined time after the second FOTA operation, the beacon is transmitted in the third cycle in the cycle operation, thereby lengthening the time interval for transmitting the beacon, and reducing the power consumption caused by the beacon transmission. Accordingly, even if the power consumption increases in the second FOTA operation, the increase in power consumption can be mitigated overall by reducing the power consumption thereafter.

<Other variations> In the wireless communication system 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment and all variations, the wireless device 20 changes the beacon transmission cycle to the second cycle in the second FOTA action of sending and receiving firmware data. However, the case of changing the beacon transmission cycle to the second cycle is not limited to this. For example, the wireless device 20 can also change the beacon transmission cycle to the second cycle when the second communication network 13 is constructed and updated, when polling, and when relaying data transmission. In such a case, since the number of data transmissions is large, the wireless device 20 sends beacons in the second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle, thereby being able to quickly send and receive data while synchronizing with beacons.

Furthermore, when the wireless device 20 transmits or receives data exceeding a predetermined amount, the beacon transmission cycle may be changed to the second cycle. In this way, when the wireless device 20 transmits data exceeding a predetermined amount that is larger than the amount of data that can be transmitted at one time, the data is divided and transmitted, so it takes time to transmit all the data. Even in such a case, the wireless device 20 can still transmit beacons in the second cycle that is shorter than the first cycle, thereby quickly transmitting and receiving data while synchronizing with the beacon.

In the wireless communication system 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment and all the variations, although the firmware data is transmitted from the upper wireless device 20 to the lower wireless device 20 in the second communication network 13, the firmware data may be transmitted from the lower wireless device 20 to the upper wireless device 20 in the second communication network 13. In this case, when the firmware data is transmitted, the transmission cycle of the beacon may be set to the second cycle which is shorter than the first cycle, thereby quickly transmitting and receiving the firmware data.

In the wireless communication system 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment and all the variations, although the wireless device 20 sets the beacon transmission cycle to the second cycle shorter than the first cycle in the second FOTA operation, the beacon transmission cycle may be set to the fifth cycle shorter than the fourth cycle in the first FOTA operation.

That is, the wireless device 20 performs a periodic operation in the communication with the first communication network 12 of the central device 30. This periodic operation is similar to the periodic operation with the second communication network 13 of the other wireless devices 20 shown in the example of FIG. 3, and periodically repeats an intermittent operation including the transmission of a beacon, the first reception waiting state following the transmission, and the subsequent pause state. The periodic operation of the first communication network 12 is the same as the periodic operation of the second communication network 13 except for the period of the beacon. In the periodic operation of the first communication network 12, the wireless device 20 transmits a beacon in the fourth period (e.g., 15 seconds).

When the wireless device 20 transmits and receives data other than firmware with the central device 30, it transmits a beacon in the 4th cycle and receives data in the first reception waiting state after the beacon transmission. In contrast, when the wireless device 20 receives firmware data from the central device 30, it transmits a beacon in the 5th cycle shorter than the 4th cycle and transmits a data request to the central device 30. The central device 30 divides the firmware data and transmits the divided data in response to the data request to the wireless device 20. The wireless device 20 receives the divided data in response to the data request from the central device 30 in the first reception waiting state after the beacon transmission.

This first FOTA operation is the same as the second FOTA operation in the example of Fig. 4 except for the beacon cycle. In this way, since the radio 20 transmits the beacon in the fifth cycle, the time interval for receiving the firmware data in the first reception waiting state after the beacon transmission is shortened, so the first FOTA operation for receiving the firmware data can be executed quickly.

In addition, from the above description, it should be clear to those with ordinary knowledge in the art that many improvements and other implementations of the present disclosure should be known. Therefore, the above description should be interpreted as an example, and is provided for the purpose of teaching those with ordinary knowledge in the art to perform the best mode of the present disclosure. The details of its structure and/or function can be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

<Notes> According to the above description of the implementation forms and variations, the following technologies are disclosed. Technology 1 is a wireless device that can send and receive firmware data with other wireless devices in a multi-hop communication network including a plurality of wireless devices. The wireless device includes a control device and a communication device. The control device sends a beacon in a first cycle when receiving data other than the firmware from other wireless devices through the communication device, and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent. When receiving firmware data from other wireless devices through the communication device, the control device sends a beacon in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle, sends a data request, and receives the firmware data in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent.

According to this configuration, since the amount of firmware data is larger than the amount of data that the wireless device can send at one time, the wireless device divides the data and sends it. In this case, the wireless device sends the beacon at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle, thereby shortening the interval of receiving the firmware data in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent. Therefore, the wireless device can quickly perform the FOTA operation of sending and receiving the firmware data.

Technology 2 is a wireless device as described in Technology 1, wherein the control device sends the beacon in the second cycle when sending the data of the firmware to other wireless devices via the communication device, and receives the data request in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent, and sends the data of the firmware in response to the data request.

According to this configuration, the wireless device transmits beacons at a second cycle shorter than the first cycle, thereby shortening the interval of receiving firmware data requests in the first reception waiting state after the transmission of the beacon. Therefore, the interval of transmitting firmware data in response to data requests by the wireless device is shortened, and the FOTA operation of transmitting and receiving firmware data can be performed quickly.

Technique 3 is a wireless device as described in Technique 2, wherein the control device divides the data of the firmware when the data of the firmware is sent to other wireless devices through the communication device, and in the second reception waiting state, sends the divided data in response to the data request and receives the reception response of the divided data. According to this configuration, the wireless device can receive the reception response of the sent divided data from other wireless devices, thereby confirming that the divided data has been sent to other wireless devices.

Technique 4 is a wireless device as described in Technique 3, wherein the control device receives the segmented data of the firmware from other wireless devices through the communication device in the first reception waiting state, and when the segmented data is not the final data, transmits the data request for the next segmented data and receives the reception response of the data request in the second reception waiting state. According to this configuration, the wireless device can receive the reception response of the data request of the segmented data that has been transmitted from other wireless devices, thereby confirming that the data request of the segmented data has been transmitted to other wireless devices.

Technology 5 is a wireless device as described in any one of technologies 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of wireless devices included in the aforementioned communication network include: wireless slaves, and a wireless host that relays the communication between the aforementioned wireless slaves and a central device, and the aforementioned control device receives the data of the aforementioned firmware from the aforementioned wireless device having a level smaller than the level of the local device, and the aforementioned level is the smallest number of hops in the aforementioned communication network to the aforementioned wireless host.

According to this structure, in the communication network, the firmware data is sent from the upper wireless device with a lower level to the lower wireless device with a higher level. In this way, data conflicts can be suppressed, and the firmware data can be smoothly sent to the wireless device in the second communication network, so that the FOTA operation can be performed quickly.

Technology 6 is a wireless device as described in any one of technologies 1 to 5, wherein the control device changes the transmission cycle of the beacon from the first cycle to the second cycle when the version of the firmware received from other wireless devices is newer than the version of the firmware being stored, and receives data of the firmware in the first reception waiting state after the transmission of the beacon.

According to this configuration, when the version of the firmware received from another wireless device is older than the version of the firmware currently stored, the wireless device does not perform the FOTA operation to receive the firmware data. Therefore, since the firmware of the same version or older than the version stored in the wireless device is not sent or received, unnecessary FOTA operation execution can be avoided.

Technology 7 is a wireless device as described in technology 6, wherein the control device receives time data together with the version of the firmware, and corrects the time according to the time data.

According to this configuration, the wireless device collectively receives the firmware version and time data, thereby reducing the number of communications compared to the case where the firmware version and time data are received individually, thereby reducing the power consumption associated with the communication.

Technology 8 is a wireless communication system including a plurality of wireless devices included in a communication network with a multi-hop method. Among the plurality of wireless devices, the wireless device for receiving data other than firmware sends a beacon in a first cycle and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after sending the beacon, and the wireless device for receiving data of the firmware sends the beacon in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle and sends a data request and receives the data of the firmware in the first reception waiting state after sending the beacon.

According to this configuration, a radio unit that is performing FOTA operation transmits a beacon in the second cycle, thereby quickly performing FOTA operation to receive firmware data. Also, a radio unit that is not performing FOTA operation transmits a beacon in the first cycle, thereby suppressing power consumption caused by transmitting beacons.

10: Wireless communication system 11: Meter 12: First communication network 12a: Base station 13: Second communication network 20: Wireless device 20a: Wireless handset 20b: Wireless host 21: Control device 22: Battery 23: First communication interface (communication device) 24: Second communication interface (communication device) 25: Third communication interface 26: Calculation unit 27: Memory unit 28: First antenna 29: Second antenna 30: Central device 31: Central control device 32: Central communication interface 33: Central calculation unit 34: Central memory unit S1,S2,S3,S4,S5,S6,S7,S8,S9,S10,S11,S12: Steps

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a wireless communication system of an embodiment and a variant of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a central device and a wireless device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a cycle operation. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second FOTA operation. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a wireless device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of a wireless device of variant 1.

10: Wireless communication system

11: Metering table

12: No. 1 communication network

12a: Base station

13: Second communication network

20: Wireless

20a: Wireless handset

20b: Wireless host

21: Control device

22:Battery

23: 1st communication interface (communication device)

24: Second communication interface (communication device)

25: 3rd communication interface

26: Operation Department

27: Memory Department

28: Day 1

29: 2nd day line

30: Central device

31: Central control device

32: Central communication interface

33: Central Computing Department

34: Central Memory

Claims (8)

A wireless device is a wireless device that can send and receive firmware data with other wireless devices in a multi-hop communication network including a plurality of wireless devices. The wireless device includes a control device and a communication device. The control device sends a beacon in a first cycle when receiving data other than the firmware from other wireless devices through the communication device, and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent. When receiving firmware data from other wireless devices through the communication device, the beacon is sent in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle, and a data request is sent, and the firmware data is received in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent. A wireless device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device, when sending the data of the firmware to other wireless devices via the communication device, sends the beacon in the second cycle, receives the data request in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is sent, and sends the data of the firmware in response to the data request. A wireless device as in claim 2, wherein the control device divides the data of the firmware when sending the data of the firmware to other wireless devices via the communication device, and in a second receiving waiting state, sends the divided data in the firmware data in response to the data request and receives the receiving response of the divided data. A wireless device as in claim 3, wherein the control device receives the segmented data of the firmware from other wireless devices via the communication device in the first receiving waiting state, and when the segmented data is not final data, sends the data request for the next segmented data and receives a reception response to the data request in the second receiving waiting state. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless devices included in the communication network include: wireless slaves, and wireless hosts that relay the communication between the wireless slaves and the central device, The control device receives the firmware data from the wireless device with a lower level than the local device, and the level is the smallest number of hops in the communication network to the wireless host. A wireless device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device changes the beacon transmission cycle from the first cycle to the second cycle when the version of the firmware received from another wireless device is newer than the version of the firmware being stored, and receives data of the firmware in the first reception waiting state after the beacon is transmitted. A wireless device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control device receives the time data together with the version of the firmware, and corrects the time according to the time data. A wireless communication system includes a plurality of wireless devices included in a multi-hop communication network, wherein among the plurality of wireless devices, the wireless device receiving data other than firmware sends a beacon in a first cycle and receives the data in a first reception waiting state after sending the beacon, and the wireless device receiving data from the firmware sends the beacon in a second cycle shorter than the first cycle and sends a data request, and receives the data from the firmware in the first reception waiting state after sending the beacon.