Communication server switching controller

• US 7,631,056 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Lt.D
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Lt.D
• Inventors: Kouda, Toshihiko, Nakakoji, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elchanti; Hussein
• Application Number:
  US10/738,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20040162907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,184 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-225, 709/227, 709245-246, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The server switching controller system of the present invention includes a first server (2) and a second server (3) connected to a common controller (30, 20) installed in a vehicle (50) via communication means (14, 15, 8, 9, 10, and 11) to freely communicate with each other with said first server (2) and said second server (3) each having a server ID and an address (ID1 and ID2) for identifying itself; and with the controller (30, 20) having a controller ID and an address ID3 corresponding to the first server ID or an address ID4 corresponding to the second server ID, respectively such that the controller (30, 20) in the vehicle 50 will be connected either to first server (2) or to the second server (3) based on the address of the first server (2) or second server (3) respectively and program means for switching the address setting in the controller to permit the controller to selectively communicate with either the first or second server so as to operate either in a normal mode or in an overwrite mode.

Claims

1. A server switching controller in which a first server and a second server are connected to a common communication controller installed in a machine or vehicle via communication means to communicate with each other;

said first server and said second server each having a server ID and an address ID1, ID2 respectively, for identifying each server;

with said common communication controller having a controller ID and an address ID3 corresponding to the first server ID and an address 1D4 corresponding to the second server ID such that the common communication controller can communicate only with the first server when set at the address of the first server and can only communicate with the second server when set at the address of the second server;

and program means having a first program for recognizing the existence of a mismatch in the address of the server connection between the first server and the common communication controller such that before communication commences with the first server, the setting of the address in the common communication controller is switched to the address of the second server to permit the second server to send overwrite data to the common communication controller and to switch the address for communicating with the first server after a fixed duration of time has elapsed to allow for the completion of the transmission of said overwrite data or when the program means recognizes that the overwrite communication from the second server is completed.

2. The server switching controller as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first server is a normal operation server which transmits and receives data associated with machine and/or vehicle operating conditions to and from said controller during a normal mode of operation, and wherein said second server is an overwriting server that sends a new program to be written over the first program in the controller of the machine and/or vehicle when switched by said program means into an overwrite mode of operation.

3. The server switching controller as set forth in claim 2, wherein said first program will identify a mismatch between the address and server ID numbers of said first server and said second server for reconnecting the controller to the first server.