Method and apparatus for hardware/firmware trap

• US 6,915,167 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Haerle, Mark, Schu, Carl A., Huelskamp, Paul J., Splett, Vincent E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaetzle, Kennedy
• Assistant Examiner(s): DROESCH, KRISTEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/953,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 607/30, 607/32, 607/59, 607/60, 128/903
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/362 Heart stimulators heart defibrillators A61N1/39
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/328 for runtime instruction patching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4486 Formation of subprogram jump address
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4812 by interrupt, e.g. masked

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for a hardware/firmware trap. At least one set of a firmware code is executed for operation of the device. Modification to the operation of the device is performed. The modification to the operation comprises: receiving a patch code; creating a firmware trap; generating an interrupt in response to the firmware trap; and executing the patch code in response to the interrupt.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

controlling an implantable medical device using a controller using a pre-emptive real-time operating system (RTOS) having a scheduling mechanism, said controller having a firmware architecture;

executing at least one set of a firmware code for operation of said implantable medical device performing a modification to said operation of said implantable medical device, said modification to said operation comprising;

receiving a patch code;

creating a firmware trap;

generating an interrupt in response to said firmware trap; and

executing said patch code in response to said interrupt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a patch code further comprises storing said patch code in a non-volatile memory location with said device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a firmware trap further comprises monitoring said execution of said firmware to determine a match of a program counter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a firmware trap further comprises monitoring said execution of said firmware to check for a predetermined event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a firmware trap further comprises flagging a predetermined location in a memory location within said device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an interrupt in response to said firmware trap further comprises generating a non-maskable interrupt.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating an interrupt in response to said firmware trap further comprises moving said patch code from a non-volatile memory to a random access memory (RAM).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein executing said patch code further comprises executing said patch code stored in said random access memory (RAM).