Method and apparatus for installing data in a memory on a work machine

• US 7,506,097 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Wood, Daniel C., O'Neal, Steven W., Ferguson, Alan L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; Hyung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh; Ngoc V
• Application Number:
  US09/962,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,730 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment

Abstract

Method and apparatus for installing data stored on electronic control modules on a remotely-located machine. The control modules installed on the machine store information regarding the data which should be stored on the other installed control modules. A processor may poll the control modules to determine if a control module is missing or blank and, if so, determine which data is missing from the machine based upon the information stored on the other control modules. The processor may communicate with an off board system to identify the appropriate software for the blank control module. The software is downloaded and flashed into the blank control module.

Claims

1. A method for storing data in a non-volatile memory on a work machine, the work machine including a plurality of discrete non-volatile memories, comprising:

mounting the plurality of discrete non-volatile memories on the work machine, wherein at least one of said plurality of discrete non-volatile memories is disposed within an engine electronic control module;

storing in at least a portion of a first discrete memory an identifier associated with data desired to be stored in a second discrete memory;

comparing said stored identifier with data stored in said second discrete memory using a machine processor to identify missing data;

requesting said missing data from a data storage system that is remote from said work machine; and

storing said missing data in at least one of said plurality of discrete memories when said missing data is received from said data storage system.

2. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said comparing step includes the steps of:

determining a desired configuration by identifying said desired data from said identifier stored in said first discrete memory;

determining a current configuration by identifying data currently stored in the plurality of discrete memories; and

comparing said desired configuration to said current configuration to determine said missing data.

3. The method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said requesting step includes requesting said missing data from said data storage system by relaying said identifier associated with said missing data.

4. The method, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said step of determining the desired configuration includes the step of polling said plurality of discrete memories with a machine processor to retrieve said identifier stored in said first discrete memory.

5. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said identifier is an identifier associated with data previously stored on said work machine.

6. A method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of comparing said identifier includes the step of reviewing said identifier for missing data previously located on said work machine.

7. A method for storing data in a non-volatile memory on a work machine, the work machine including a plurality of discrete non-volatile memories, at least one of said discrete memories having identifying data stored therein that indicates what data should be stored on an other one of said discrete memories, comprising:

mounting the plurality of discrete non-volatile memories on the work machine, wherein at least one of said plurality of discrete non-volatile memories is disposed within an engine electronic control module;

comparing the identifying data with data stored in said other one of said discrete memories to identify missing data that was previously located on said work machine;

obtaining said missing data from a storage system located remotely from said work machine through a communications system; and

storing said missing data in at least one of said plurality of said discrete memories onboard the work machine.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said comparing step includes the steps of:

determining with a machine processor onboard the work machine a desired configuration by identifying data desired to be stored in said plurality of discrete memories;

determining onboard the work machine a current configuration by identifying data currently stored in said plurality of discrete memories; and

comparing onboard the work machine said desired configuration and said current configuration to identify said missing data not present in one of the discrete memories of the current configuration but present in the desired configuration.

9. The method, as set forth in claim 8, further including a first step of:

storing in at least a portion of at least a first discrete memory at least one identifier associated with data desired to be stored in at least a second discrete memory, and

wherein said first determining step includes determining said desired configuration by identifying said desired data from said at least one identifier stored in said at least first discrete memory.

10. The method, as set forth in claim 9, wherein said first determining step includes polling said plurality of discrete memories to retrieve said at least one identifier stored in said at least first discrete memory.

11. A method, as set forth in claim 7, wherein said communication includes a wireless communication system.

12. An apparatus for storing data in a non-volatile memory in a work machine, the work machine including a plurality of discrete non-volatile memories, comprising:

a control system of the work machine including the plurality of discrete non-volatile memories mounted on the work machine, wherein at least one of said plurality of discrete non-volatile memories is disposed within an engine electronic control module;

a data storage system located remotely from the work machine for storing data associated with each of said discrete non-volatile memories of the work machine; and

a processor onboard the work machine for comparing an identifier located in a first discrete memory that identifies data that should be present in a second discrete memory with data stored in said second discrete memory to identify missing data, requesting from said data storage system said missing data, and storing said requested data in at least one of said plurality of discrete memories.

13. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 12, wherein said processor determines a desired configuration by identifying data desired to be stored in said plurality of discrete memories and determines a current configuration by identifying data currently stored in said plurality of discrete memories.

14. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said missing data is not present in one of said discrete memories of the current configuration but present in the desired configuration.

15. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said processor determines said desired configuration by identifying said desired data from said at least one identifier stored in said at least one discrete memory.

16. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 15, wherein said processor polls said plurality of discrete memories to retrieve said at least one identifier stored in said at least one discrete memory.

17. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 15, further including:

a communications system for communicating between said processor and said data storage system.

18. An apparatus for storing data in a non-volatile memory in a work machine comprising:

a plurality of non-volatile discrete memories mounted on the work machine, at least one of said discrete memories having data stored therein and being disposed within an engine electronic control module, at least a portion of at least one of said discrete memories storing at least one identifier associated with data desired to be stored in at least a second discrete memory;

a data storage system for storing said at least one identifier and associated data, and being located remotely from the work machine; and

a processor for comparing said at least one stored identifier from said first discrete memory with actual data stored in said second discrete memory to identify missing data, requesting from said data storage system said missing data by relaying said associated identifier to said data storage system, and storing said requested data in at least one of said plurality of discrete memories when received from said data storage system.

19. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said processor determines a desired configuration by identifying data desired to be stored on the work machine in the plurality of discrete memories from said at least one identifier stored in said at least one discrete memory and determines a current configuration by identifying said data currently stored in said plurality of discrete memories.

20. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 19 wherein said missing data is data not present in on one of said discrete memories of the current configuration but present in the desired configuration.

21. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said processor further polls said plurality of discrete memories to retrieve said at least one identifier stored in said at least one discrete memory.

22. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said processor is located on said work machine.

23. The apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, further including:

a communications system for communicating between said processor and said data storage system.

24. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, wherein said identifier is an identifier associated with data previously stored on one of said discrete memories of said work machine.

25. A method for storing data in a non-volatile memory on a machine, the machine including a plurality of discrete non-volatile memories comprising;

storing in at least a portion of a first discrete memory an identifier associated with data desired to be stored in a second discrete memory;

comparing said stored identifier with data stored in said second discrete memory using a machine processor to identify missing data;

requesting a replacement non-volatile discrete memory be installed in response to said missing data;

requesting said missing data from a data storage system that is remote from said machine; and

storing said missing data in at least one of said plurality of discrete memories when said missing data is received from said data storage system.

26. A method for storing data in a non-volatile memory on a machine, the machine including a plurality of discrete non-volatile memories, comprising:

storing in at least a portion of a first discrete memory an identifier associated with data desired to be stored in a second discrete memory;

comparing said stored identifier with data stored in said second discrete memory using a machine processor to identify missing data;

requesting said missing data from a data storage system that is remote from said machine;

storing said missing data in at least one of said plurality of discrete memories when said missing data is received from said data storage system;

determining whether a blank non-volatile discrete memory is located on said machine; and

relaying off of said machine an indication that the blank non-volatile discrete memory does not correspond to said missing data.

27. A work machine comprising:

a plurality of discrete control modules mounted on the work machine that each include a first memory and a second memory, wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete control modules is an engine electronic control module;

each said first memory being for data specific to that respective control module, and each said second memory including identifier data that identifies what data should be stored in each first memory of the plurality of discrete control modules;

a machine processor operably connected to said discrete control modules;

means, including said machine processor and said identifier data, for comparing the identifier data of each second memory to actual data stored in each first memory to identify missing data; and

means, including said machine processor, for automatically retrieving said missing data from a data storage system that is remote from the work machine.