System and method for producing production control software

• US 6,385,494 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Leslie W., McCarron, Paul M., Day, Bruce W., Monday, Steven D., Roling, Catherine A., Blahnik, David G., Peacock, Allen B., Jackson, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US08/720,399
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/26-29, 701/35, 701/50, 701/88, 701/206, 701/102, 701/115, 700/17, 700/18, 700/28, 700/75, 700/87, 700/83, 700/86, 700/95-98, 706/921, 706/922, 706/923, 706/919
• US Class Current: 700/86
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/919 Designing, planning, programming, CAD, CASE
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/922 Computer program preparation

Abstract

A method and system for producing production control software for a plurality of electronic control modules, is provided. The electronic control modules are located on production machines. Each production machine includes a subset of the electronic control modules. The system includes a part file staging area for receiving and storing new production control software from a design engineering group. A product engineering workstation is coupled to the part file staging area and operated by a product engineering user. The product engineering user can review, modify and approve the new production control software. A production staging area, coupled to the product engineering workstation, receives and stores approved production control software and receives an order for a production machine. A production workstation, coupled to the production staging area, receives the order for a production machine, determines the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered production machine, and retrieves the production control software corresponding to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered production machine. The production workstation is coupled to the ordered production machine and adapted to download the production control software from the production staging area to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered production machine.

Claims

1. A system for producing production control software for a plurality of electronic control modules, the electronic control modules being located on earthmoving machines for controlling machine operation, each machine having a subset of the electronic control modules, comprising:

a part file staging area for receiving and storing new production control software from a design engineering group;

a product engineering workstation coupled to the part file staging area, the product engineering workstation operated by a product engineering user, the product engineering user being able to review, modify and approve the new production control software, the product engineering workstation being adapted to produce approved production control software;

a production staging area coupled to the product engineering workstation for receiving and storing approved production control software and for receiving an order for production of an earthmoving machine;

a production workstation coupled to the production staging area for receiving the order, determining the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered earthmoving machine, and retrieving approved production control software corresponding to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine, the production workstation being coupled to the ordered machine and adapted to download the production control software from the production staging area to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine.

2. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the machine orders are processed in a batch mode.

3. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the machine orders are processed interactively with an operator.

4. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the production control software is transferred within the system using file transfer protocol.

5. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein a product engineering group provides a sequential file containing a plurality of orders for production of earthmoving machines.

6. A system, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the sequential file contains orders for the next 3-5 days.

7. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a transaction type.

8. A system, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the transaction type is one of an ADD, CHANGE, or DELETE value.

9. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a shipping order number.

10. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a serial number.

11. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a build date.

12. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a build sequence number.

13. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a unique part number associated with the earthmoving machine.

14. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a change level number.

15. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes an engineering model associated with the machine.

16. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes a sales model associated with the machine.

17. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes an ECM type associated with each ECM on the machine.

18. A system, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the ECM type is one of a ENGINE, IMPLEMENT, POWERTRAIN, SERVICE GROUP, or information manager type.

19. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes an ECM part number associated with each ECM on the machine.

20. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes an ECM class code.

21. A system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the order includes an ECM change level.

22. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including a history staging area coupled to the production staging area for receiving and storing a history of the earthmoving machines and ECM'"'"'s for which production control software was loaded.

23. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including a component staging area coupled to the production staging area, the component staging area containing a database of configuration files for specific components of the earthmoving machine.

24. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including a design engineering component implemented in software run on a design engineering workstation, the design engineering component adapted to allow the design engineering user to add production control software to the system.

25. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including a product engineering component implemented in software run on the product engineering workstation, the product engineering component adapted to allow the product engineering user to approve and modify production control software.

26. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including a release engineering component implemented in software run on the product engineering workstation, the product engineering component adapted to allow the product engineering user to release production control software and to give the production control software a release effective date.

27. A system, as set forth in claim 1, including an assembly component implemented in software run on the production workstation, the assembly component adapted to allow an assembly user to download the production control software to the ECM'"'"'s located on the production machine.

28. A system for producing production control software for a plurality of electronic control modules, the electronic control modules being located on earthmoving machines, each machine having a subset of the electronic control modules, comprising:

a part file staging area for receiving and storing new production control software from a design engineering group;

a product engineering workstation coupled to the part file staging area, the product engineering workstation operated by a product engineering user, the product engineering user being able to review, modify and approve the new production control software, the product engineering workstation being adapted to produce approved production control software;

a production staging area coupled to the product engineering workstation for receiving and storing approved production control software in a pre-production repository and for receiving an order for production of an earthmoving machine in a build schedule staging area;

a release workstation coupled to the production staging area, the release workstation operated by a release user, the release user being able to determine an effective date of the approved control software, the release workstation being adapted to copy the approved control software from the pre-production repository to a production repository located at the production staging area on the effective date;

a production workstation coupled to the production staging area for retrieving the order from the build schedule staging area, determining the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine, and retrieving the production control software corresponding to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine, the production workstation being coupled to the ordered production machine and adapted to download the production control software from the production repository to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine.

29. A method for producing production control software for a plurality of electronic control modules implemented in software on a network of computers, the electronic control modules being located on earthmoving machines, each machine having a subset of the electronic control modules, including the steps of:

receiving new control software from a design engineering group and storing the new control software;

producing approved production control software by allowing a product engineering user to review, modify and approve the new control software for production;

receiving and storing approved production control software and for receiving an order for production of an earthmoving machine;

receiving the order, determining the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine, and retrieving the production control software corresponding to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine;

downloading the production control software from the production staging area to the subset of electronic control modules located on the ordered machine.