DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN MOTORS

• US 20090315498A1
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluffton Motor Works LLC (Wpa Participações e Serviços SA)
• Original Assignee: Sail Sustainable Louisiana Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Jeung, Young-Chun, Cain, Thomas Earl
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/558
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/343 in operation
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 31/00 Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors not provided for in groups H02P1/00 - H02P5/00, H02P7/00 or H02P21/00 - H02P29/00

Abstract

A method for transferring existing data from a source motor to a target motor includes retrieving the existing data from the source motor, optionally converting the existing data into a new format, and at least one of storing, erasing, writing, overwriting, or replacing software and/or data on the target motor such that the existing data is stored on the target motor in a format compatible with the target motor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating a transfer of data from a source motor to a target motor, the apparatus comprising:

a data transfer interface configured to connect the apparatus to a motor memory device;

a processor connected to the data transfer interface;

a translation module comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

determine whether a source data model used by the source motor is compatible with a target data model used by the target motor; and

convert a source data structure into a target data structure compatible with the target data model when it is determined that the source data model is not compatible with the target data model; and

a data transfer module comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

receive the source data structure from the source motor;

generate the target data structure using the translation module; and

transfer the target data structure to the target motor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transfer interface is configured to connect to at least one of the source motor or the target motor over a data network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transfer interface comprises a wireless data network interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the translation module is configured to use a field name library to map data in the source data structure to data fields in the target data structure.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a motor identification module configured to identify a data model used by a particular motor.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the motor identification module is configured to electronically query the motor in order to identify the data model used by the motor.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the motor identification module comprises instructions executable by the processor to:

request motor identification information;

receive the requested motor identification information;

compare the motor identification information with data about particular motors in a motor identification library to identify a matching motor; and

based on the comparison, identify a data model associated with the matching motor.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the data transfer module is configured to use the motor identification module to identify the source data model.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data transfer module is configured to use the motor identification module to identify the target data model.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a motor configuration utility that installs motor control software on the target motor.

11. A system for transferring data between motors, the system comprising:

a source motor comprising;

a source memory device storing source motor control software;

a source motor electronic control system configured to execute the source motor control software on a source processor; and

at least one source data structure stored in the source memory device;

a target motor comprising;

a target memory device storing target motor control software; and

a target motor electronic control system configured to execute the target motor control software on a target processor; and

a data transfer interface configured to receive the at least one source data structure from the source motor and transfer at least a portion of the at least one source data structure to the target motor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the data transfer interface comprises a cable connecting the source motor to the target motor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the data transfer interface comprises a wireless data connection between the source motor and the target motor.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the data transfer interface comprises a data transfer device separate from the source motor and the target motor, wherein the data transfer device facilitates a transfer of data from the source motor to the target motor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the data transfer device is configured to be connected to the source motor and the target motor simultaneously.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the data transfer device is configured to be connected to the source motor and the target motor sequentially.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the data transfer device comprises a translation module configured to convert the source data structure into a data model compatible with the target motor electronic control system.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the source data structure comprises operational parameters used by the source motor electronic control system to govern operation of the source motor.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the source motor initiates a transfer of data by pushing data to the target motor.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the target motor initiates a transfer of data by requesting data from the source motor.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the target motor further comprises a switch configured to allow a person to initiate a transfer of data from the source motor by activating the switch.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the source motor and the target motor use a standardized data model.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the target motor comprises a translation module configured to convert the source data structure into a data model compatible with the target motor electronic control system.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the target motor comprises an interpreter configured to allow the target motor electronic control system to use the source data structure when the source data structure employs one of a preselected plurality of data models.