Component identification system and method

• US 20080205910A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions LLC (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Chaudhry, Raheel Ashraf
• Granted Patent: US 8,752,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 399/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00585 Means for monitoring, testing or servicing the air-conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2345/0052 having wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 45/00 Arrangements for charging or discharging refrigerant

Abstract

A component identification system and method, including an identifier associated with a replacement component, a memory to store one or more identifiers for each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, and a processor to compare the identifier of the replacement component with the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component. The replacement component is acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component differs from the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component, and the replacement component is unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds to one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component. Prior to accepting the replacement component, one or more predetermined validation operations can be performed on the identifier of the replacement component, with the identifier being formed in a serial number or code type scheme.

Claims

1. A component identification system, comprising:

an identifier associated with a replacement component;

a memory to store one or more identifiers for each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component; and

a processor to compare the identifier of the replacement component with the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, wherein;

the replacement component is acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component differs from the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, and

the replacement component is unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds to one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component.

2. The component identification system of claim 1, wherein the identifier of an acceptable replacement component is stored in the memory.

3. The component identification system of claim 1, wherein the processor prior to accepting the identifier of the replacement component performs one or more predetermined validation operations on the identifier of the replacement component.

4. The component identification system of claim 3, wherein the one or more predetermined validation operations comprises comparing the identifier of the replacement component with a plurality of valid identifiers for corresponding replacement components, and wherein by the comparison:

the replacement component is determined acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds to one or more of the plurality of valid identifiers, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component does not correspond to one or more of the plurality of valid identifiers.

5. The component identification system of claim 3, wherein:

the identifier of the replacement component is formed to include a plurality of elements, and

the one or more predetermined validation operations comprises performing one or more predetermined operations on one or more of the plurality of elements to determine other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component, wherein

the replacement component is determined acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined operations results in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined operations does not result in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component.

6. The component identification system of claim 1, wherein:

the identifier of the replacement component is formed to include a plurality of elements, with one or more elements of the identifier accommodating a total number of replacement components to be associated with a corresponding identifier.

7. The component identification system of claim 1, wherein the replacement component is a filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit.

8. The component identification system of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a serial number in a hexadecimal format.

9. A component identification system, comprising:

an identifier associated with a replacement component;

a memory to store one or more predetermined validation operations to determine whether the identifier associated with the replacement component is a valid identifier; and

a processor to perform the one or more predetermined validation operations on the identifier of the replacement component, wherein;

the replacement component is determined acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component corresponding to the valid identifier, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component not corresponding to the valid identifier.

10. The component identification system of claim 9, wherein the identifier of an acceptable replacement component is stored in the memory.

11. The component identification system of claim 9, wherein the one or more predetermined validation operations comprises comparing the identifier of the replacement component with a plurality of valid identifiers for corresponding replacement components, and wherein by the comparison:

the replacement component is determined acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds to one or more of the plurality of valid identifiers, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component does not correspond to one or more of the plurality of valid identifiers.

12. The component identification system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of valid identifiers is stored in the memory.

13. The component identification system of claim 9, wherein:

the identifier of the replacement component is formed to include a plurality of elements, and

the one or more predetermined validation operations comprises performing one or more predetermined operations on one or more of the plurality of elements to determine other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component, wherein;

the replacement component is determined acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined operations results in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined operations does not result in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component.

14. The component identification system of claim 9, wherein the replacement component is a filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit.

15. The component identification system of claim 9, wherein the identifier comprises a serial number in a hexadecimal format.

16. A component identification system, comprising:

means for storing one or more predetermined validation operations to determine whether an identifier associated with a replacement component is a valid identifier; and

means for performing the one or more predetermined validation operations on the identifier of the replacement component, wherein;

the replacement component is determined acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component corresponding to the valid identifier, and

the replacement component is determined unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component not corresponding to the valid identifier.

17. The component identification system of claim 16, wherein:

the means for storing stores one or more identifiers for each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component; and

the means for performing compares the identifier of the replacement component with the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, wherein by the comparison;

the replacement component is acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component differs from the one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, and

the replacement component is unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds to one or more stored identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component.

18. The component identification system of claim 17, wherein the replacement component is a filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit.

19. The component identification system of claim 16, wherein the replacement component is a filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit.

20. The component identification system of claim 16, wherein the identifier comprises a serial number in a hexadecimal format.

21. A method of component identification, comprising:

performing one or more predetermined validation operations on an identifier associated with a replacement component;

determining the replacement component is acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component corresponding to a valid identifier; and

determining the replacement component is unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component not corresponding to the valid identifier.

22. The method of component identification of claim 21, further comprising:

comparing the identifier of the replacement component with one or more identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component;

determining the replacement component is acceptable where the identifier of the replacement component differs by the comparison from the one or more identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component; and

determining the replacement component is unacceptable where the identifier of the replacement component corresponds by the comparison to the one or more identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component.

23. The method of component identification system of claim 22, further comprising:

storing in a storage unit the one or more predetermined validation operations, the one or more identifiers of each previously used component corresponding to the replacement component, the identifier of the replacement component where determined acceptable, or combinations thereof.

24. The method of component identification of claim 21, further comprising:

forming the identifier of the replacement component to include a plurality of elements;

performing one or more of the predetermined validation operations on one or more of the plurality of elements to determine other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component;

determining the replacement component is acceptable where performing the one or more of the predetermined validation operations results in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component; and

determining the replacement component is unacceptable where performing the one or more of the predetermined validation operations does not result in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component.

25. The method of component identification of claim 24, further comprising:

associating the identifier with a replacement filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit as the replacement component.

26. The method of component identification of claim 21, further comprising:

associating the identifier with a replacement filter for an Air Conditioning (AC) recovery unit as the replacement component.

27. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon computer-executable instructions for execution of a component identification method by a processor, the method comprising:

performing one or more predetermined validation operations on an identifier associated with a replacement component;

determining the replacement component is acceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component corresponding to a valid identifier; and

determining the replacement component is unacceptable where performing the one or more predetermined validation operations results in the identifier of the replacement component not corresponding to the valid identifier.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the method embodied thereon in the computer-executable instructions further comprises:

performing one or more of the predetermined validation operations on one or more of a plurality of elements forming the identifier of the replacement component to determine other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component;

determining the replacement component is acceptable where performing the one or more of the predetermined validation operations results in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component; and

determining the replacement component is unacceptable where performing the one or more of the predetermined validation operations does not result in the corresponding other of the plurality of the elements of the identifier of the replacement component.