ENTERPRISE WIDE SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR CONFIGURING, DIAGNOSING, AND UPDATING APPLIANCES

• US 20100131241A1
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Fabbro, Edi, Dal Bello, Giovanni, Frasson, Valdinei, Diodato, Claudio, Niessen, Wilhelm, Ragogna, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2633 Washing, laundry
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/02 Electric testing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0253 using browsers or web-pages for accessing management information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A system and methods to provide appliance field support personnel with a tool that, together with proper interface modules, simplifies the execution of diagnostic procedures and provides an easy way to configure, reconfigure, or update electronic boards in the home on a client side of an enterprise wide system. The electronic boards serve as electronic controllers in the appliances and are programmable generic service boards. With such a system, it is possible to update and re-configure electronic boards and interact directly with an electronic controller of an appliance while an appliance is operating. Software, configuration data, and control data are downloaded from a server-side configuration of the enterprise wide system to update the electronic boards.

Claims

1. A client-side configuration of an enterprise wide system to provide appliance field support, said client-side configuration comprising:

a portable field computer capable of accessing a web server of a server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a network;

a client software application residing on said portable field computer and including computer-executable instructions providing a uniform user interface which is independent of an appliance type under test and which is common across all appliances of the enterprise wide system; and

an appliance capable of operatively communicating with said portable field computer, wherein said appliance includes a programmable generic service board capable of being programmed for any appliance type of said enterprise wide system.

2. The client-side configuration of claim 1 further comprising an appliance connection kit capable of being used to operatively connect said portable field computer to said programmable generic service board of said appliance to facilitate said communicating.

3. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said communicating is wireless.

4. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said programmable generic service board includes reprogrammable memories.

5. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer, having said client software application residing thereon, is capable of operatively interacting with said programmable generic service board of said appliance while said appliance is operating.

6. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer is further capable of downloading any of software, control data, and configuration data directly from a web server of a server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a network.

7. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer, having said client software application residing thereon, is capable of being used to select to diagnose said appliance or to select to configure said programmable generic service board of said appliance.

8. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer, having said client software application residing thereon, is capable of automatically identifying said appliance when operatively connected thereto.

9. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said client software application includes computer-executable instructions providing a monitor form capable of being displayed by said portable field computer to show a current state of said appliance.

10. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said client software application includes computer-executable instructions providing a troubleshooting procedure and for displaying a series of dialog boxes that guide a user towards an actual reason for a detected fault.

11. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said client software application includes computer-executable instructions providing a graph form capable of being displayed by said portable field computer to show an evolution, over time, of at least one relevant parameter during diagnostic operations.

12. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said client software application includes computer-executable instructions providing an update dialog box capable of being displayed by said portable field computer to facilitate the updating of said programmable generic service board with any of software, control data, and configuration data from a web server of a server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a network.

13. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer, having said client software application residing thereon, is further capable of reporting service information back to a web server of a server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a network.

14. The client-side configuration of claim 1 wherein said portable field computer, having said client software application residing thereon, is further capable of receiving instructions from a web server of a server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a network instructing a user of said portable field computer to perform certain actions to verify malfunctioning of said appliance.

15. A server-side configuration of an enterprise wide system to provide appliance field support, said server-side configuration comprising:

a web server, serving as a portal site, capable of being accessed by a portable field computer of a client-side configuration of said enterprise wide system via a first network;

a first database server operatively connected to said web server;

a second database server operatively connected to said first database server; and

a third database server operatively connected to said first database server.

16. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said first database server is a central system database server storing at least one of appliance software updates, appliance configuration data, and appliance control data.

17. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said second database server is a product software storage (PSS) database server.

18. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said third database server is a technical documentation system (TDS) database server.

19. The server-side configuration of claim 15 further comprising at least one factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of said enterprise wide system and operatively connected to at least one of said second database server and said third database server via a second network.

20. The server-side configuration of claim 15 further comprising at least one research and development computer-based apparatus located at a research and development facility of said enterprise wide system and operatively connected to at least one of said second database server and said third database server via a second network.

21. The server-side configuration of claim 17 wherein said PSS database server is a SQL database server capable of receiving and storing data for programmable generic service boards from factory personnel and research and development personnel throughout the enterprise wide system.

22. The server-side configuration of claim 17 wherein said PSS database server stores data for each manufactured appliance of said enterprise wide system, wherein said data includes at least firmware and configuration files.

23. The server-side configuration of claim 18 wherein said TDS database server is a SQL database server capable of receiving technical documentation of appliances from at least one factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of said enterprise wide system and from at least one research and development computer-based apparatus located at a research and development facility of said enterprise wide system via a second network.

24. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said web server includes a web service portion allowing clients, via portable field computers, to download data and software updates from said first database server.

25. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said server-side configuration provides an open architecture through integration with web services and provides an extensible test executive through .NET plugins.

26. The server-side configuration of claim 15 further comprising at least one firewall and at least one virtual private network (VPN) operatively implemented to provide protection against unauthorized electronic access to said server-side configuration of said enterprise wide system.

27. The server-side configuration of claim 15 wherein said web server hosts a web site allowing individual technicians and service centers to request licenses, and allowing administrators to manage licenses, accounts, roles, and logs.

28. A method to provide appliance field support for an enterprise wide system having a client side and a server side, said method comprising:

operatively connecting a portable field computer to a generic electronic control board of an appliance on a client side of an enterprise wide system;

operatively connecting said portable field computer to a network on said client side of said enterprise wide system;

downloading at least one of configuration data and control data from a server, operatively connected to said network on a server side of said enterprise wide system, to said portable field computer;

updating said generic electronic control board by electronically transferring at least a portion of said at least one of configuration data and control data from said portable field computer to said generic electronic control board; and

commanding said portable field computer to perform a diagnostic procedure on said appliance via said generic electronic control board while said appliance is operating.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said generic electronic control board is installed in said appliance during said updating.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein said generic electronic control board is not installed in said appliance during said updating.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein at least one of said updating and said downloading uses a product number code (PNC)/engineering level code (ELC) to identify a model of said appliance.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein at least one of said updating and said downloading uses a service kit code (SKC) to identify a spare part for said generic electronic control board.

33. The method of claim 28 further comprising said portable field computer displaying a current state of said appliance.

34. The method of claim 28 further comprising said portable field computer displaying a graph showing an evolution, over time, of at least one relevant parameter during said diagnostic procedure.

35. The method of claim 28 further comprising said portable field computer reporting service information back to a web server on said server side of said enterprise wide system via said network in response to performing said diagnostic procedure.

36. The method of claim 28 further comprising said portable field computer receiving instructions from a web server on said server side of said enterprise wide system via said network instructing a user of said portable field computer to perform certain actions to verify malfunctioning of said appliance.

37. The method of claim 28 further comprising transmitting data for said generic electronic control board from a factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of said enterprise wide system to at least one of a product software storage (PSS) database server and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.

38. The method of claim 28 further comprising transmitting data for said generic electronic control board from a research and development computer-based apparatus located at a research and development facility of said enterprise wide system to at least one of a product software storage (PSS) database server and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.

39. The method of claim 28 further comprising a user of said portable field computer requesting a license, via said network, from a web site hosted on a web server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.

40. The method of claim 28 further comprising a user of a computer-based apparatus at a service center of said enterprise wide system requesting a license from a web site hosted on a web server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.

41. The method of claim 28 further comprising an administrator of said enterprise wide system managing at least one of licenses, accounts, roles, and logs using a web site hosted on a web server on a server side of said enterprise wide system.

42. An enterprise wide system to provide appliance field support for a plurality of appliance types, said enterprise wide system comprising:

a client-side configuration including a portable field computer having a client software application residing thereon providing a universal user interface which is common across all appliance types of said enterprise wide system, and an appliance capable of operatively communicating with said portable field computer and having a programmable generic service board capable of being programmed for any appliance type of said enterprise wide system;

a server-side configuration including a web server, a central system database server operatively connected to said web server, a product software storage (PSS) database server operatively connected to said central system database server, and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server operatively connected to said central system database server; and

a network capable of communicatively connecting said portable field computer of said client-side configuration to said web server of said server-side configuration.