Control device, display device, firmware updating method, and firmware updating program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804831-B2
Application number	US-201214651186-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2012
Priority date	Dec 20, 2012
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A control device includes: a storage unit that stores own-device version information indicating a version of firmware that an own device has; a version information acquisition unit that imports, from a plurality of control devices, other-device version information indicating a version of firmware that each of the plurality of control devices has; and a version management unit that compares an own-device version indicated by the own-device version information stored in the storage unit with each of a plurality of other-device versions indicated by the other-device version information imported by the version information acquisition unit, when the version management unit determines according to a result of the comparison that the own-device version is older than a newest other-device version in the plurality of other-device versions, the version management unit issuing a transfer request for firmware corresponding to the newest other-device version, to a control device corresponding to the newest other-device version.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device, comprising:
a storage unit that stores own-device version information indicating a version of firmware that an own device has and a backup of the firmware that the own device has;
a processor of a computer executing a version information acquisition unit that imports, from a plurality of control devices among a control device group including the own device and the plurality of control devices, other-device version information indicating an other-device version of firmware running on each of the plurality of control devices; and
a version management unit that compares an own-device version indicated by the own-device version information stored in the storage unit with each of a plurality of other-device versions indicated by the other-device version information imported by the version information acquisition unit,
when the version management unit determines according to a result of the comparison that the other-device version of a first control device included in the plurality of control devices is newest among the plurality of other-device versions and the own-device version is older than the other-device version of the first control device, the version management unit requesting the first control device to transfer, to the own device and all of control devices of which the other-device version is older than the other-device version of the first control device among the plurality of control devices, firmware of which the other-device version is newest,
wherein, when the version management unit determines according to the result of the comparison that the own-device version is newer than or equal to an other-device version that is newest among the plurality of other-device versions, the version management unit transfers the backup of the firmware, which is read out from the storage unit and corresponds to the own-device version, to all of control devices of which the other-device version is older than the own-device version among the plurality of control devices.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an update unit that imports firmware supplied from the first control device, the update unit executing an update process by using the imported firmware, the update unit updating the own device version information stored in the storage unit by using version information indicating a version of the imported firmware.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein only version information is first received from each of the plurality of the control devices to perform a version comparison with the own-device version.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first control device transfers by multicast the firmware of which the other-device version is newest.

5. A display device, comprising:
a storage unit that stores own-device version information indicating a version of firmware that an own device has and a backup of the firmware that the own device has;
a processor of a computer executing a version information acquisition unit that imports, from a plurality of display devices among a display device group including the own device and the plurality of display devices, other-device version information indicating an other-device version of firmware running on each of the plurality of display devices; and
a version management unit that compares an own-device version indicated by the own-device version information stored in the storage unit with each of a plurality of other-device versions indicated by the other-device version information imported by the version information acquisition unit,
when the version management unit determines according to a result of the comparison that the other-device version of a first display device included in the plurality of display devices is newest among the plurality of other-device versions and the own-device version is older than the other-device version of the first display device, the version management unit requesting the first display device to transfer, to the own device and all of display devices of which the other-device version is older than the other-device version of the first display device among the plurality of display devices, firmware of which the other-device version is newest,
wherein, when the version management unit determines according to the result of the comparison that the own-device version is newer than or equal to an other-device version that is newest among the plurality of other-device versions, the version management unit transfers the backup of the firmware, which is read out from the storage unit and corresponds to the own-device version, to all of display devices of which the other-device version is older than the own-device version among the plurality of display devices.

6. The display device according to claim 5 , wherein only version information is first received from each of the plurality of the display devices to perform a version comparison with the own-device version.

7. A firmware updating method, comprising:
importing, from a plurality of control devices among a control device group including the own device and the plurality of control devices, other-device version information indicating an other-device version of firmware running on each of the plurality of control devices;
comparing an own-device version indicated by own-device version information stored in a storage unit with each of a plurality of other-device versions indicated by the imported other-device version information, the storage unit storing the own-device version information indicating a version of firmware that an own device has and a backup of the firmware that the own device has; and
requesting, when it is determined according to a result of the comparison that the other-device version of a first control device included in the plurality of control devices is newest among the plurality of other-device versions and the own-device version is older than the other-device version of the first control device, the first control device to transfer, to the own device and all of control devices of which the other-device version is older than the other-device version of the first control device among the plurality of control devices, firmware of which the other-device version is newest,
wherein, when it is determined according to the result of the comparison that the own-device version is newer than or equal to an other-device version that is newest among the plurality of other-device versions, the backup of the firmware, which is read out from the storage unit and corresponds to the own-device version, is transferred to all of control devices of which the other-device version is older than the own-device version among the plurality of control devices.

8. The firmware updating method according to claim 7 , wherein only version information is first received from each of the plurality of the control devices to perform a version comparison with the own-device version.

Assignees

• Shimizu Takashi
• Nec Display Solutions Ltd

Inventors

• Shimizu Takashi

Classifications

• G06F8/654

  using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G09G5/363 Primary

  Graphics controllers · CPC title

• G09G2360/125

  using unified memory architecture [UMA] · CPC title

• G06F8/665

  Physics · mapped topic