JP2852252B2 - Control program update control method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control program update control method, and more particularly, to preventing a control program downloaded to a radio base station or the like of a mobile communication system from being inadvertently updated due to an accidental reset. And a control program update control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known in mobile communication systems, for example, a plurality of radio base stations are connected to a radio control station, and each radio base station is controlled by the radio control station. The control of the radio base station is performed by downloading a control program from a radio control station which is a higher-level station.When the radio control station changes the control content of the radio base station,
It is necessary to change the control program of each wireless base station all at once. Since downloading the program takes time, for example, a new control program is downloaded to each wireless base station in the daytime, and an update instruction is simultaneously issued from the wireless control station to each wireless base station during the night when the traffic volume is small. Is issued, and each wireless base station switches the control program at the time of starting the apparatus according to the update instruction.

However, if a new control program is downloaded to the radio base station and the radio base station is reset unexpectedly before an instruction to update the control program is received from the radio control station, the control program is executed only by the radio base station. It will be updated and will not be synchronized with other wireless base stations. Therefore, each wireless base station needs a control program update control means for preventing the downloaded control program from being updated by an accidental reset.

[0004] This type of control program update control means can also be configured using a prior art (hereinafter referred to as a first prior art) disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-219822 "File Update Method". It is possible. This first prior art secures an area for storing two system files in a storage unit in a single computer system for the purpose of updating files while minimizing system downtime. When the file identification program is started when the system is started, the active file information indicating which of the two areas the active file has been set to, and whether to start with the new or old version of the file. Although the configuration is such that the file is updated based on the information of the DIP switch to be set, the file to be started can be determined by the start-up information set from the outside when the system is started, so that the wireless base station as described above Prevents downloaded control programs from being updated without permission due to accidental reset It is possible to configure the control program update control means.

Further, Japanese Patent Application No. 64-81060, entitled "Program Updating Method in Data Processing Apparatus" (hereinafter referred to as "second prior art") discloses a method of storing a plurality of program areas in an external storage device and storing these program storage areas. A method of having a current program storage area flag indicating any of them, changing the current program storage area flag by a command, and transferring a program from the area indicated by the current program storage area to the main storage device when the central processing unit is initialized Discloses a configuration for updating a file.

[0006]

However, when the first prior art described above is used for program update control of a radio base station of a mobile communication system, it is necessary to set a dip switch to select a file to be started. Problem. In the second prior art, it is necessary to go to a place where an external device is set in order to set a program in an external storage device. However, when updating a control program of a radio base station in a mobile communication system, a radio base station is required. Since stations are set up in various places, there is a problem that remote file updating means is required.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and is most suitable when it is necessary to simultaneously update control programs at remote locations, such as a control program for a radio base station in a mobile communication system. It is intended to provide a control program update control method.

[0008]

When a control program update control method according to the present invention is applied to, for example, a mobile communication system, a new control program is downloaded from a radio control station to each radio base station, and then the radio control station is updated. If a reset occurs in the wireless base station before a switching instruction to the new control program is issued from the user, the control program that has been operating so far and stored in the IC card is returned to the SDM,
, The control program is transferred to the program area, the system is started up, and the radio control station downloads the new control program again.

Specifically, a plurality of lower-level devices are connected to the higher-level device, a new control program is appropriately downloaded from the higher-level device to the plurality of lower-level devices, and a control program update instruction command from the higher-level device is transmitted. After receiving the plurality of lower devices, in a control program update control method in which the lower devices simultaneously update a control program when the devices start up, at least an operation memory for downloading a new control program to the lower devices is downloaded. A backup memory for storing a previous control program, a download execution flag indicating whether a new control program has been downloaded from the host device, and a control program indicating whether a control program update instruction command has been received. A switching flag. At startup, referring to the download execution flag and the control program switching flag, if the new control program has been downloaded but the control program update instruction command has not been received, the device operation is started with the control program in the backup memory In addition to the above, there is provided a means for starting the operation of the apparatus by a control program in the operation memory (by transferring the control program in the backup memory to the operation memory when there is no control program in the operation memory). I do.

In a mobile communication system in which a plurality of radio base stations are connected to a radio control station via a network,
The new control program is appropriately downloaded from the radio control station to the plurality of radio base stations, and after the plurality of radio base stations receive the control program update instruction command from the radio control station, the In a control program update control method for a mobile communication system that simultaneously updates a control program at startup, the communication control unit receives at least the control program transmitted by the radio control station and a plurality of commands to the radio base station. A first storage means (hereinafter referred to as SDM) for storing the control program when the radio base station is started up, and for storing the received new control program when the new control program is received; A second storage means for storing a control program to be executed (hereinafter referred to as a program area); Stores grams advance, a third storage means for storing control program in operation stored in said SDM when downloading a new control program from during operation the radio control station (hereinafter, referred to as IC card)
Means for transferring the control program from the SDM to the program area; and
A fourth storage unit (hereinafter referred to as R) that stores in advance an initial processing program including a process of transferring the control program to the DM.
OM), a download execution flag indicating that the download is being executed, and a switch flag for storing a switch instruction to the new control program, and when the wireless base station starts up, the initial processing program switches the download execution flag and the switch. From the flag, it is determined whether to return the control program stored in the IC card to the SDM or read the new control program stored in the SDM as it is, and issue a switching instruction command to the new control program. A means for preventing the new control program from being read before receiving is provided.

The control program update control method according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and when a reset occurs while a new control program downloaded from a radio control station is stored in the radio base station, the radio control is performed. It is possible to prevent only the base station from being controlled by the new control program, and to return to the control program that has been operated so far, so that synchronization with other wireless base stations does not shift.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a radio base station of a mobile communication system using the control program update control method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation when starting up the radio base station in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation when downloading a new control program in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a radio base station 1 includes a central monitoring control unit 2 for controlling the entire radio base station, a communication control unit 3 for communicating with a radio control station 10 via a network 11, A memory (semiconductor dynamic memory, hereinafter abbreviated as SDM) 4 for temporarily storing a control program from the IC card 6 or a new control program sent from the wireless control station 10 at power-on, and an SDM 4 And a program area 5 which is a transfer destination of a control program for executing the control program stored in the SDM 4 when the control program is stored in advance and a new control program is received. A rewritable / removable IC card 6, a ROM 7 storing an initial processing program, A download execution flag 8 indicates that a new control program has been downloaded by the radio control station 10 and a flag 9 indicates that the radio control station 10 has issued an instruction to switch to the downloaded new control program. Have been.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. When starting the system, the central control unit 2
7 (S20)
The initial processing program is started in 1), and determines whether or not the SDM 4 has a control program (S202). If there is no control program in SDM4, power is turned on.
When the system is started up, the control program stored in the IC card 6 is transferred to the SDM 4 (S20).
3). Then, the transferred control program is stored in the program area 5 (S206). Therefore, the control program stored in the program area 5 is a control program stored in the IC card 6 in advance.

If there is a control program in the SDM 4 in step S202, the download execution flag 8 is referred to to determine whether or not this control program is a new control program (S204). The switching flag 9 is referred to in order to determine whether or not a switching instruction has been issued from the control station 10 (S205).
If the download execution flag 8 is ON and the switching flag 9 is OFF, it is determined that an unexpected reset has occurred before accepting the switching command for switching to the new control program from the wireless control station 10 and step S2 is performed.
03, the new control program in the SDM 4 is discarded, the previous control program stored in the IC card 6 is transferred to the SDM 4, and the control program is stored in the program area 5 (S206). Therefore, the control program stored in the program area 5 is a conventional control program stored in the IC card 6 in advance.

In these cases, the central control unit 2
Starts the system using the previous control program stored in the program area 5 (S207), and operates the wireless base station 1. Then, the central control unit 2 starts up the system,
When the download execution flag 8 is ON and the switching flag 9 is OFF (S208, S209), the communication control unit 3 issues a command requesting the wireless control station 10 to re-download the new control program (S21).
0), the download execution flag 8 and the switching flag 9 are cleared (S211). When receiving a command requesting re-downloading of a new control program from the wireless base station 1, the wireless control station 10 transmits the new control program to the wireless base station 1 via the network 11.

Next, the operation when the radio base station downloads a new control program in response to a request from the radio control station will be described. When the control program needs to be updated during system operation, the radio control station 10 transmits a download request command to the radio base station, transmits a new control program, and transmits a switching instruction command to the new control program. Therefore, the central processing unit 2 of the wireless base station 1 determines the content of the reception from the wireless control station 10 received by the communication control unit 3 (S301), and in the case of a command, determines the type of the received command (S302). . And step S3
01, if the content received in S302 is a download request command, the control program stored in the SDM 4 is stored in the IC card 6 (S303), and the download execution flag 8 is turned on (S304).
Transmits a download response command to the wireless control station 10 using the communication control unit 3 (S305). Next, step S
When the new control program is received at 301, the central control unit 2 stores the new control program received by the communication control unit 3 in the SDM 4 while operating the wireless base station 1 with the previous control program (S309). And step S
When the control program switching command is received in 301 and S302, the new control program stored in the SDM 4 is transferred to the program area 5 (S306), the switching flag is turned on (S307), and the start-up process is started (S308). Further, the radio base station 1
If a reset occurs before receiving a switching command for switching to the new control program from the first control program, the wireless base station 1 executes the processing from S201 in FIG. 2 again, and executes the previous control program before switching to the new control program. To operate the radio base station 1 and have the radio control station 10 download the new control program again.

In the above-described embodiment, the control program update control in the radio base station of the mobile communication system has been described.
The new control program is appropriately downloaded from the higher-level device to the plurality of lower-level devices, and after the plurality of lower-level devices receive the control program update instruction command from the higher-level device, the lower-level devices are simultaneously activated when the devices start up. It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to all systems for updating the control program.

[0019]

As described above, according to the control program update control method of the present invention, even if an accidental reset occurs in the radio base station before an instruction to switch to the new control program downloaded from the radio control station is issued, The old control program that has been operated and stored on the IC card is stored in the SD card.
M, and the system is started by transferring from the SDM to the program area, so that synchronization with other radio base stations can be prevented from being out of synchronization. In addition, since the re-download request command is transmitted from the radio base station autonomously, the radio control station can easily manage the version of the control program operated by each radio base station.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a radio base station of a mobile communication system for implementing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation at the time of startup of a wireless base station according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation when downloading a new control program of the wireless base station according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 radio base station 2 central control unit 3 communication control unit 4 SDM 5 program area 6 IC card 7 ROM 8 download execution flag 9 switching flag 10 radio control station

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of lower-level devices are connected to a higher-level device,
The new control program is appropriately downloaded from the higher-level device to the plurality of lower-level devices, and after the plurality of lower-level devices receive the control program update instruction command from the higher-level device, the lower-level devices are simultaneously activated when the devices start up. In a control program update control method for updating a control program, at least the operation memory for downloading the new control program to the lower device, the backup memory for storing the control program before the download, and the new control from the higher device. A download execution flag indicating whether or not the program has been downloaded; and a control program switching flag indicating whether or not a control program update instruction command has been received. And the control program Referring to the switching flag, if the new control program has been downloaded but the control program update instruction command has not been received, the device operation is started with the control program in the backup memory, and otherwise, the control program in the operation memory is Means for starting device operation (by transferring the control program in the backup memory to the operation memory when the control program is not present in the operation memory). 2. In a mobile communication system in which a plurality of radio base stations are connected to a radio control station via a network, a new control program is downloaded from the radio control station to the plurality of radio base stations as appropriate. After receiving the control program update instruction command from the radio control station by the plurality of radio base stations, in the control program update control system of a mobile communication system in which the radio base station updates the control program at the same time when the device starts up, A communication control unit that receives at least the control program transmitted by the radio control station and a plurality of commands in the radio base station; and stores the control program when the radio base station starts up, and receives the new control program. In this case, the first storage means (hereinafter referred to as S
DM), and second storage means (hereinafter, referred to as a program area) for storing the control program for executing the control program.
When the control program is stored in advance and the new control program is downloaded from the radio control station during operation, the S
A third storage unit (hereinafter referred to as an IC card) for storing the operating control program stored in the DM, a unit for transferring the control program from the SDM to the program area, A fourth storage unit (hereinafter, referred to as a ROM) that stores an initial processing program including a process of transferring the control program to the SDM, a download execution flag indicating that download is being executed, and an instruction to switch to the new control program. A switching flag to be stored, when the radio base station rises, an initial processing program returns the control program stored in the IC card to the SDM from the download execution flag and the switching flag, Whether to read the new control program stored in the SDM as it is We are determined,
Means for preventing the new control program from being read before receiving a switching instruction command to the new control program. A control program update control method for a mobile communication system, comprising: