Methods and systems for distributing firmware through an over-the-air network
Systems and methods for over-the-air firmware distribution to battery-powered devices are disclosed. Such over-the-air distribution is accomplished, for example, using a non-battery-powered device as a buffer, for example, to reduce or eliminate the delay time of the over-the-air network. The firmware can be sent to and stored on a nearby, non-battery-powered device and then sent from there to the battery-powered endpoint device. The distribution of firmware to battery-powered devices may be implemented in an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system, a mesh network, a multi-channel radio network, or any other environment in which firmware distribution is desirable.
1. A method comprising:
providing a mesh network comprising network node devices;
providing firmware to a non-battery-powered network node device of the mesh network;
storing the firmware on the non-battery-powered network node device in a memory; and
providing the firmware to a battery-powered network node device of the mesh network from the memory of the non-battery-powered network node device, the battery-powered node comprising a battery and transmission hardware, wherein the battery-powered network node sends data to the non-battery-powered network node and remains awake after sending data only while awaiting an acknowledgement and is asleep without the transmission hardware draining the battery for at least a portion of the time that the firmware is provided to the non-battery-powered network node.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the non-battery-powered network node device based on its network proximity to the battery-powered network node device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the firmware on the battery-powered network node device is different from firmware controlling the operation of the non-battery-powered network node device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the firmware on the battery-powered network node device is the same as firmware controlling the operation of the non-battery-powered network node device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the network node devices are endpoint devices.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the endpoint devices collect commodity consumption-related data.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-battery-powered network node device comprises transmission hardware powered by a non-battery power source.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system is an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system.
9. A method comprising:
providing a mesh network comprising network node devices;
storing firmware in a memory of a non-battery-powered network node device of the mesh network, wherein a battery-powered node comprising a battery and transmission hardware was asleep without the transmission hardware draining the battery for at least a portion of the time that the firmware was provided to the non-battery-powered network node;
configuring a transmission component of the battery-powered network node to send data to the non-battery-powered network node and remain awake after sending data only while awaiting an acknowledgement;
providing a first portion of the firmware in a first transmission to the battery-powered network node device of the mesh network from the memory of the non-battery-powered network node device,
providing a second portion of the firmware in a second transmission to the battery-powered network node device of the mesh network from the memory of the non-battery-powered network node device.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first transmission is a first acknowledgement transmission and the second transmission is a second acknowledgement transmission.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data is commodity consumption or event data.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transmission component of the battery-powered network node is asleep for a period of time between a receipt of the first acknowledgement and a receipt of the second acknowledgement.
13. A method comprising:
providing a mesh network comprising network node devices;
configuring a transmission component of the battery-powered network node to send data to the non-battery-powered network node and remain awake after sending data only while awaiting acknowledgement of receipt of the data;
storing firmware in a memory of a non-battery-powered network node device of the mesh network; and
providing the firmware in a series of acknowledgement transmissions to the battery-powered network node device from the memory of the non-battery-powered network node device, each of the acknowledgment transmissions acknowledging receipt of data from the battery-powered network node and comprising a portion of the firmware;
wherein the transmission component of the battery-powered network node is not awake for a download time period over which the firmware is provided to the battery-powered network node.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transmission component of the battery-powered network node is not awake for a time period after each acknowledgement of the series of acknowledgements is received.
15. A system comprising:
a firmware-providing host for providing firmware to network node devices; and
a mesh network comprising network node devices;
wherein a battery-powered network node device of the mesh network comprises a battery, transmission hardware, and firmware downloaded from a non-battery-powered network node device to the battery-powered network node device, the firmware originating from the firmware-providing host and stored on the non-battery-powered network node device before download to the battery-powered network node device, wherein the battery-powered network node is configured to send data to the non-battery-powered network node and remain awake after sending data only while awaiting an acknowledgement and to be asleep without the transmission hardware draining the battery for at least a portion of the time that the firmware is downloaded from the firmware-providing host to the non-battery-powered network node.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware downloaded from the non-battery-powered network node device to the battery-powered network node device is different from firmware controlling the operation of the non-battery-powered network node device.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the firmware downloaded from the non-battery-powered network node device to the battery-powered network node device is the same as firmware controlling the operation of the non-battery-powered network node device.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least some of the network node devices are endpoint devices.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the endpoint devices collect commodity consumption-related or event data.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the battery-powered network node device comprises two storage areas.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the non-battery-powered network node device is capable of operating without interruption as new firmware is downloaded.
22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the system is an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system.