Systems and methods for performing protocol conversions in a machine

• US 7,532,640 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Jenkins, Brian L., Kelly, Thomas J., Meiss, Trent R., Wood, Daniel C., Swanson, Andrew J., Ferguson, Alan L., Bierdeman, Paul W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad; Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Chuong T
• Application Number:
  US10/646,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20050002417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,087 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.53, 370/389, 370/395.51, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370/395.54, 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/352, 370/353, 370/40, 370/401, 370/313, 709/230, 710/306, 710/315
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for performing protocol conversions in an environment including a work machine having one or more modules coupled to one or more data links. Such methods and systems may leverage one or more gateways to perform tunneling, translating, and bridging operations. Tunneling processes may include receiving a message from a source module in a first protocol, encapsulating the message within transmission units of a second protocol, and transmitting the encapsulated message via the second protocol. Translating processes may include receiving, by the gateway, a message in a first data link protocol including a parameter identifier. The gateway may match the parameter identifier with a parameter identifier included in a translation table and scale associated parameter data using a scale factor corresponding to a second data link protocol. The gateway may then provide the scaled parameter data to a module using the second data link protocol.

Claims

1. A method for translating messages in a multi-protocol environment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a gateway onboard a machine, a first message from a module onboard the machine in a first data link protocol used by the onboard module, the message including a first parameter identifier, and a second message from a module off-board the machine in a second data link protocol used by the off-board module, the message including a second parameter identifier;

determining, by the gateway, whether the first parameter identifier and the second parameter identifier match corresponding parameter identifiers included in a translation table associated with the gateway;

scaling a first parameter value contained in the first message to a parameter value consistent with the second data link protocol using a scale factor associated with the matched first parameter identifier, and a second parameter value contained in the second message to a parameter value consistent with the first data link protocol using a scale factor associated with the matched second parameter identifier; and

sending a third message including the scaled first parameter value consistent with the second data link protocol to the off-board module using the second data link protocol, and a fourth message including the scaled second parameter value consistent with the first data link protocol to the onboard module using the first data link protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data link protocol is a proprietary data link protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data link protocol is a non-proprietary protocol including one of a J1939 protocol, a CAN protocol, a MODBUS protocol, a serial standard data link protocol, and an Ethernet protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, further including controlling, by the onboard module, a function performed by the machine based on the scaled second parameter value consistent with the first data link protocol contained in the fourth message.

4. A system for exchanging information in a multi-protocol environment, the system comprising:

a translation table implemented in a memory device, the translation table including;

at least one parameter identifier,

a plurality of scale factors associated with the at least one parameter identifier, wherein each of the plurality of scale factors corresponds to a different data link protocol, and

a universal storage section for storing a parameter value associated with the at least one parameter identifier; and

a gateway residing onboard a machine and configured to access the translation table, wherein the gateway is configured to;

receive a first message from a module onboard the machine including a first parameter identifier and a first parameter value via a first data link used by the onboard module, and a second message from a module off-board the machine including a second parameter identifier and a second parameter value via a second data link used by the off-board module;

determine whether the first parameter identifier and the second parameter identifier match the at least one parameter identifier in the translation table;

when a match is found by the gateway, scale the first parameter value to a value compatible with the second data link, and scale the second parameter value to a value compatible with the first data link, using the scale factor corresponding to the matched parameter identifier; and

output a third message containing the scaled first parameter value compatible with the second data link to the off-board module via the second data link, and a fourth message containing the scaled second parameter compatible with the first data link protocol to the on-board module via the first data link.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first data link protocol is a proprietary data link protocol.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first data link protocol is a non-proprietary protocol including one of a J1939 protocol, a CAN protocol, a MODBUS protocol, a serial standard data link protocol, and an Ethernet protocol.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the second data link protocol is a non-proprietary protocol including one of a J1939 protocol, a CAN protocol, a MODBUS protocol, a serial standard data link protocol, and an Ethernet protocol.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the onboard module is configured to control a function performed by the machine based on the scaled second parameter value compatible with the first data link contained in the fourth message.