ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

Electronic device and a method for operating an electronic device providing an improved initialization of the electronic device. Operational data such as software components or configurational data are stored in a removable storage device during the operation of the device. By removing the removable storage device and inserting the removable storage device into another device, the other device can be automatically initialized and configured similar to the former electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a processing device configured to control the electronic device based on operational data, the operational data comprising an operating system and configuration data; and an interface communicatively coupled to the processing device and configured to receive a removable storage device; wherein the processing device is configured to store the operational data in the removable storage device inserted in the interface.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operational data further comprise at least one of a driver software, an application program, operational parameters or configuration parameters.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to read the operational data stored in the removable storage device and to control the electronic device based on the read operational data.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to update the operational data in the removable storage device when the operational data changes.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to encrypt or to sign the operational data stored in the removable storage device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, comprising a key memory adapted to store key data, wherein the processing device is configured to encrypt or sign the operational data based on the key data stored in the key memory.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the removable storage device is configured to provide a tamper-proof unique identifier, and the processing device is configured to encrypt or sign the operational data in the removable storage device based on a unique identifier of the removable storage device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to store the operational data in a first section of the removable storage device and a backup of the operational data in a second section of the removable storage device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processing device is configured to recover the operational data based on the backup data when detecting an integrity error of the data stored in the first section.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, comprising housing with a detachable cover, wherein the detachable cover is configured to prevent a removal of the removable storage device when the detachable cover is in a closed position.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the removable storage device comprises a non-volatile memory device, in particular a secure digital memory card.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a wireless communication device, in particular a software defined radio, or a measurement device, in particular a signal generator, a spectrum analyzer or an oscilloscope.

13. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising: controlling the electronic device based on operational data, the operational data comprising an operating system and configuration data; and storing the operational data in the removable storage device inserted in an interface of to the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operational data in the removable storage device are continuously updated when the operational data of the electronic device changes.

15. The method according of claim 13, comprising reading the operational data stored in the removable storage device when initializing the electronic device, wherein the electronic device is operated based on the read operational data.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the functions thereof, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments which are specified in the schematic figures of the drawings, in which:

[0052] FIG. 1: shows a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0053] FIG. 2: shows a schematic diagram of a memory configuration of a removable storage device used in an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0054] FIG. 3: shows a flow diagram of a method for operating an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0055] The appended drawings are intended to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and, in conjunction with the description, help to explain principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages mentioned become apparent in view of the drawings. The elements in the drawings are not necessarily shown in scale.

[0056] In the drawing, same, functionally equivalent and identical operating elements, features and components are provided with same reference signs in each case, unless stated otherwise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. The electronic device 1 may be any kind of electronic device which is controlled, at least in part, by software. For example, the electronic device 1 may be a communication device such as a wireless communication device, for example a software defined radio (SDR). The electronic device may be also, for example, a measurement device, for example a signal generator for generating test signals, a spectrum analyzer, a vector analyzer, an oscilloscope or the like. For example, the electronic device 1 may be a measurement device for testing mobile phones in a production line of mobile phones. Hence, when a failure in such a measurement device occurs, the measurement device should be replaced by another measurement device within a short period of time. It is for this purpose that the new measurement device which replaces a measurement device with a failure should be installed and configured as quickly as possible. However, any other electronic device, in particular any other electronic device which is controlled by a software or which requires a complex configuration by a user or via another external device, may be also possible.

[0058] The electronic device 1 comprises a processor 11 and an interface 12. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 may also comprise a key memory 13, an operating memory 14 and/or an input/output interface 15. Processing device 11 may be configured to control the operation of the electronic device 1. For this purpose, processing device 11 may comprise one or more processors which execute predetermined instructions for executing an operating system. For example, processing device 11, in particular the number of processors of processing device 11 may be communicatively coupled with an operating memory 14. Thus, processing device 11 may read instruction from memory 14 and execute the respective instructions. Furthermore, any kind of configuration data may be also stored, for example, in memory 14, and processing device 11 may read the configuration parameters and control the operation of the electronic device 1 based on the respective configuration data.

[0059] Processing device 11 may receive input signals such as measurement signals or the like, process the received signals and provide an output based on the processed input signal. For example, input signal may be a measurement signal which is processed in order to provide an appropriate measurement result. Furthermore, it may be also possible to receive specifications for generating a desired measurement signal which is provided to a device under test. If the electronic device 1 is a communication device, the processing device 11 may receive analog or digital data, process the received data and generate a wireless communication signal, for example a modulated wireless signal based on the received input signal. Furthermore, a modulated wireless signal may be received and demodulated in order to extract the data of the modulated signal. However, it is understood that any other kind of operation may be also performed by processing device 11.

[0060] For this purpose, appropriate software code may be provided to processing device 11 in order to perform the desired operations. The software code may also comprise, for example, software code for driving a further device or component of the electronic device 1. For example, the driver may be driver of an analog or digital interface or the like.

[0061] Furthermore, processor 11 may run one or more application programs in order to perform desired applications. For example, an application program may specify a desired signal waveform for generating a test signal. The application program may be also, for example, a specific kind of modulation or encryption for performing a desired operation. For example, a software defined radio may apply a specific encryption/decryption for secure communication. Additionally, any kind of configuration data may be also provided to processing device 11. For example, a user may enter specific parameters by means of an input/output interface 15. Furthermore, it may be possible to receive configuration data from an external device, for example by an appropriate communication interface. Thus, processing device 11 may perform desired operations based on the provided software code and/or the provided configuration data.

[0062] As already described above, processing device 11 is communicatively coupled with an interface 12. Interface 12 may be configured to receive a removable storage device 2. For example, the removable storage device may be a memory card such as a secure digital memory card or the like. SD cards comprise a unique and unchangeable identifier. This unique identifier may be used for identifying a specific removable storage device 2. Furthermore, the unique identifier may be used for encrypting and/or signing the data stored on the removable storage device 2. In this way, the privacy of the data stored in the removable storage device 2 is improved. However, depending on the application, it may be also possible to use removable storage device without a unique identifier, for example a USB stick or the like.

[0063] Removable memory device 2 may be also, for example, a solid state disc (SSD). However, it is understood that any other kind of removable storage device, in particular any kind of removable storage device providing a non-volatile memory may be also possible.

[0064] Processing device 11 may store all relevant operational data in the removable storage device 2 inserted into the interface 12. In particular, processing device 11 may store the software code of the operating system, the required drivers, the application programs and all configuration and parameter data in the removable storage device 2. In this way, all required information for the operation of processing device 11 are stored in the removable storage device 2. The data stored in the removable storage device 2 are kept up to date with respect to the software and the configuration data used by processing device 11. In other words, each time the software used by processing device 11 is updated, the respective data in the removable storage device 2 are updated, too. Furthermore, each time a configuration or a setting of the processing device 11 is changed, the respective data in the removable storage device 2 are also stored. In this way, all relevant data for the operation of the processing device 11 are available in the removable storage device 2.

[0065] In order to prevent an unauthorized removal of the removable storage device 2, the electronic device 1 may comprise a housing (not shown). The housing may comprise a detachable cover 19. The detachable cover 19 may cover the removable storage device 2 inserted into the interface 12 in such a manner that the removable storage device 2 cannot be removed without removing the detachable cover 19. In order to provide a further security feature, a special tool may be required for removing the detachable cover 19 before removing the removable storage device 2.

[0066] Alternatively, it may be also possible to arrange the electronic device 1 or at least the processing device 11 with the storage device 2 to in a lockable control cabinet or the like. For example, the control cabinet may comprise a lockable door. By looking at the door, an unauthorized access to the removable storage device 2 can be prevented.

[0067] The electronic device 1 may be replaced by another electronic device 1 for some reasons. For example, a failure may occur in the electronic device 1. When replacing the electronic device 1 by another electronic device 1, the removable storage device 2 may be removed from interface 12 and inserted into the new electronic device 1. Thus, all software components and all configuration data are available to the new electronic device 1 by the inserted removable storage device 2. When starting the new electronic device 1, processing device 11 may load the required software components from the removable storage device 2 and configure processing device 11 and the whole electronic device 1 based on the configuration data stored in the removable storage device 2. In this way, the new electronic device 1 is automatically initialized and configured identically to the former electronic device 1. In particular, no additional user action for installing software and/or configuring the electronic device 1 is required. Thus, the new electronic device 1 is starting its operation immediately when loading the respective data from the removable storage device 2.

[0068] In order to further improve the reliability and the security of the data stored in the removable storage device 2, the data may be encrypted and/or signed. For example, key data may be provided by a key memory 13. Thus, processing device 11 may encrypt the operational data before storing the operational data in the removable storage device 2. By providing same key data to a group of same electronic devices 1, all electronic devices 1 having same key data may access a removable storage device 2 comprising operation data which are encrypted based on the respective key data. In this way, an electronic device 1 having the appropriate key data may be easily replaced by another electronic data 1 having the same key data. Furthermore, the reliability of the operational data may be further improved by signing the data stored in the removable storage device 2. For this purpose, processing device 11 may also refer to appropriate key data of key memory 13 for signing the data stored in the removable storage device 2. For example, a hash value or the like may be computed for signing the operational data. It may be possible to compute a single signature for a whole set of operational data stored in the removable storage device 2. Furthermore, it may be also possible to sign each part of operational data separately. For example, the operating system, each driver and each application program may be separately signed. Furthermore, each group of configuration data may be also signed separately. In this way, it is only necessary to compute a signature for those data which have been changed when storing new data to the removable storage device 2. Thus, the computational effort for computing the signature may be reduced.

[0069] Furthermore, the encryption and/or the signature may be also related to an identifier of the removable storage device 2. For example, each removable storage device 2 may provide tamper-proof data such as an identifier or specific key data which cannot be changed. By considering such tamper-proof data of a removable storage device 2, for example by encrypting the data accordingly, the stored operational data are only valid for a specific removable storage device 2. In this way, copying the data stored in a removable storage device 2 to another removable storage device 2 can be prevented.

[0070] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a memory arrangement of a removable storage device 2. The memory of the removable storage device 2 comprises a first section 21, a second section 22 and a tamper-proof section 23. For example, the first section and the second section may relate to separate partitions of a recording medium. In a first section 21, the above described operational data of processing device 11 may be stored. Furthermore, each time a software component or a configuration of processing device 11 is changed, the respective data in the first section 21 of the removable storage device 2 are changed, too. In addition, backup data of the operational data stored in the first section 21 may be stored in the second section 22. For example, a copy of the data stored in the first section 21 may be stored in the second section 22. Furthermore, a history of the changes applied to the operational data may be stored in the backup section 22. For this purpose, an incremental storage of the changes may be recorded in the second section 22. However, any other approach for storing backup data and a history of the changes may be also possible. Thus, when an error in the data stored in the first section 21 is detected, the respective data may be recovered by referring to the backup data stored in the second section 22. Furthermore, it may be even possible to return to a previous version of the software and/or the configuration, when the operational data stored in the first section 21 may cause a malfunction or the like.

[0071] The tamper-proof section 23 may provide, for example, a unique identification of the respective removable storage device 2. For example, a unique identifier may be provided. Furthermore, appropriate key data for encrypting the data when storing the data in the removable storage device 2 may be provided. Hence, by using tamper-proof unique information provided by the tamper-proof section 23 when encrypting and/or signing the data stored in the removable storage device 2, an unauthorized copying of the data can be prevented. For example, this tamper-proof section 23 may be a read only memory section of the removable storage device 2 storing a unique identifier of the like. Especially, the tamper-proof section 23 may be a memory section of a SD card storing the unique ID of the SD card.

[0072] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method for operating an electronic device according to an embodiment. In a step S1, the electronic device is controlled based on operational data as described above. The operational data may comprise an operating system and configuration data. Furthermore, any other kind of operational data as described above may be also possible. In step S2, the operational data are stored in the removable storage device 2 which is inserted in an interface 12 communicatively coupled to the electronic device 1.

[0073] The operational data may be continuously updated in the removable storage device 2. In particular, the operational data may be updated each time when the operational data of the electronic device 1 changes.

[0074] When starting the electronic device 1, the electronic device 1 may be initialized by a step S3 of reading the operational data stored in the removable storage device 2. Accordingly, the electronic device 1 is operated based on the read operational data.

[0075] Summarizing, the present invention relates to an electronic device and a method for operating an electronic device providing an improved initialization of the electronic device. Operational data such as software components or configurational data are stored in a removable storage device during the operation of the device. By removing the removable storage device and inserting the removable storage device into another device, the other device can be automatically initialized and configured similar to the former electronic device.

[0076] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations exist. It should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Generally, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

[0077] In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped together in one or more examples or examples for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. It is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the scope of the invention. Many other examples will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reviewing the above specification.

[0078] Specific nomenclature used in the foregoing specification is used to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the specification provided herein that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed; obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Throughout the specification, the terms including and in which are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms comprising and wherein, respectively. Moreover, the terms first, second, and third, etc., are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on or to establish a certain ranking of importance of their objects.