Polara Updater Software: System Overview

The Polara Updater is a PC application which provides the ability to remotely (i.e. from a municipality’s network) perform iCCU and iNS firmware updates.

Historically, firmware updates on the Accessibility product line (iNavigator & iCCU units) have required a direct communication link with the device which requires the firmware update. For example, at an intersection with an iCCU connected to 8 iNS units a technician must individually connect to each device (9 devices in total) and perform the firmware update independently to each device, each of which requires about 5-10 minutes to complete.

The Polara Updater allows for a “Network Firmware Upgrade” process which enables firmware updates to be transmitted through the PLC 2-Wire network from the iCCU to the connected iNS2 units. This allows the user to update the firmware to an entire intersection (all iNS2 units and the iCCU) requiring only a single firmware transfer to the iCCU by the installer.

The feature requires the intersection to be made up entirely of iNS generation units (it is not compatible with legacy iNav units), connected via the 2-Wire interface to an iCCU. Additionally, the process must be initiated via an Ethernet connection to the iCCU. It is expected that the process will be controlled remotely via an Ethernet connection to the Traffic Management Center (TMC).

The Polara Updater is installed on a PC in the TMC. Each network connected iCCU unit’s IP Address and Port can be added to the Polara Updater’s Intersection List. The Polara Updater automatically monitors the Polara Cloud for the latest available firmware. Either at a scheduled time or via a manually initiated process, the Polara Updater will query each iCCU and all its connected iNS units and determine which units do not have the latest firmware. For each intersection needing updates, the Polara Updater will transfer the necessary firmware to the iCCU via the Ethernet connection and initiate the firmware update process. Firmware can be transferred to multiple iCCUs simultaneously.

On each intersection receiving firmware, as soon as the iCCU receives the new firmware files, the iCCU will begin a transfer process over the 2-Wire network to each iNS unit requiring an update. In an intersection with optimal PLC connection quality, the process should take approx. six minutes per iNS to complete. So, for an intersection of 8 units, the total firmware update time could be under an hour. For iNS units with poor quality PLC connections to the iCCU, the transfer time may take significantly longer. Therefore, it is expected that the technician will schedule these updates to occur overnight to minimize the impact on any pedestrian traffic. While the firmware transfer is in process, the intersection will be in Maintenance Mode. This means that the iNS unit will not be operational, the pilot LED will blink in a 3-Flash pattern, and the iCCU will place constant calls.

Once all iNS units have received the updated firmware files from the iCCU, if the iCCU also needs a firmware update, it will be applied first. Then each iNS unit will be restarted sequentially to apply the new update. As they are restarted, the iCCU monitors each unit to ensure the update succeeded.

As each firmware update process occurs across each iCCU (and their connected iNS units), the Polara Updater monitors each iCCU unit and reports the current progress for each intersection. As they complete, the success or failure of the process is captured and saved for review. The technician can see the overall status of each intersection and see at a glance the intersections that have received the latest updates and are in good standing.