COMPONENTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR ASSOCIATING SENSOR DATA WITH COMPONENT LOCATION

• US 20100245057A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiber Mountain, Inc. (Green Lambda Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Sutherland, James Scott, Webb, Dale Alan, Wagner, Richard Edward, Chamarti, Aravind, Downie, John David, Whiting, Matthew Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,264,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.420
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Components having one or more sensors adapted to provide sensor data relating to a condition(s) of the component are disclosed. The component is adapted to communicate with another mating component to associate sensor data with identity information of the mating component. The sensor and identity information can be communicated remotely including via radio-frequency communications employing RF identification devices (RFIDs). Location of the mating component can be determined using the identity information of the mating component. In this manner, the sensor data can be associated with the location of the mating component using the identity information in a “component-to-component” configuration to provide location-specific sensor data. Having the ability to localize sensor data to a specific location can assist in pinpointing areas where performance or other condition issues may exist in a component, a mating component, an article of manufacture associated with the components, and/or communication and/or transmissions lines coupled between components.

Claims

1. A component, comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC);

one or more electrical leads coupled to the IC; and

one or more sensors coupled to the IC configured to provide sensor data;

wherein the IC is configured to communicate with a mating component when the one or more electrical leads are coupled to one or more electrical leads on the mating component to associate the sensor data with identity information of the mating component.

2. The component of claim 1, wherein the IC is configured to communicate the sensor data over the one or more electrical leads to the mating component to associate the sensor data with the identity information of the mating component.

3. The component of claim 1, wherein the IC is configured to receive the identity information of the mating component over the one or more electrical leads to associate the sensor data with the identity information of the mating component.

4. The component of claim 1, wherein the IC is RFID-enabled and coupled to an antenna to provide an RFID-transponder configured to communicate to an RFID reader.

5. The component of claim 4, wherein the RFID transponder is configured to communicate the sensor data to the RFID reader.

6. The component of claim 4, wherein the RFID transponder is configured to:

receive the identity information of the mating component over the one or more electrical leads to associate the sensor data with the identity information of the mating component; and

communicate the identity information of the mating component to the RFID reader.

7. The component of claim 4, further comprising a power supply configured to supplementally power the RFID transponder.

8. The component of claim 1, further comprising:

a second IC electrically coupled to the IC; and

a second one or more sensors coupled to the second IC and configured to communicate second sensor data relating to the component to the second IC;

wherein the second IC is configured to communicate the second sensor data to the IC.

9. The component of claim 8, wherein the IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to an antenna to provide an RFID transponder configured to communicate either the sensor data, the second sensor data, or both the sensor data and the second sensor data to an RFID reader.

10. The component of claim 8, wherein the second IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to a second antenna to provide a second RFID transponder;

wherein the IC is configured to communicate the sensor data to the second RFID transponder.

11. The component of claim 10, wherein the second RFID transponder is configured to communicate either the sensor data, the second sensor data, or both the sensor data and the second sensor data to an RFID reader.

12. The component of claim 10, wherein the second RFID transponder is configured to:

receive the identity information of the mating component; and

communicate the identity information of the mating component to the RFID reader.

13. The component of claim 8, wherein the IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to an antenna to provide an RFID transponder and the second IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to a second antenna to provide a second RFID transponder;

wherein the RFID transponder is configured to communicate the sensor data over the antenna to the second RFID transponder via the second antenna.

14. The component of claim 1, further comprising the mating component comprising a second IC;

wherein the IC and the second IC are configured to communicate with each other when the one or more electrical leads are coupled to the second IC to associate the sensor data from the one or more sensors coupled to the IC, the second IC, or both the IC and the second IC, with identity information of the mating component.

15. The component of claim 14, wherein the mating component further comprises one or more second electrical leads coupled to the second IC;

wherein the IC and the second IC are configured to communicate with each other when the one or more electrical leads are coupled to the one or more second electrical leads.

16. The component of claim 14, wherein the second IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to an antenna to provide a second RFID transponder.

17. The component of claim 16, wherein the second RFID transponder is configured to communicate the sensor data to an RFID reader.

18. The component of claim 16, wherein the second RFID transponder is configured to communicate the identity information of the mating component to an RFID reader.

19. The component of claim 15, further comprising:

a third IC electrically coupled to the second IC; and

a second one or more sensors coupled to the third IC and configured to communicate second sensor data relating to the mating component to the third IC;

wherein the third IC is configured to communicate the second sensor data to the second IC.

20. The component of claim 19, wherein the third IC is RFID-enabled and is coupled to a third antenna to provide a third RFID transponder;

wherein the second IC is configured to communicate the sensor data to the third RFID transponder.

21. The component of claim 1, wherein the IC is further configured to receive power from the one or more electrical leads on the mating component.

22. The component of claim 1, wherein the IC includes a communication bus interface and is configured to exchange information over a communication bus.

23. The component of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the IC, wherein the IC is configured to communicate information regarding the component to the display.

24. The component of claim 23, wherein the display is comprised from the group consisting of a light emitting diode (LED), an alpha display, a numeric display, an alphanumeric display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and an electroluminescent display.

25. The component of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors are comprised of one or more from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a movement sensor, a proximity sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a power sensor, a mechanical strain sensor, an impact sensor, a biological sensor, a contact closure sensor, a shock sensor, an audible sensor, a stress sensor, a wavelength sensor, a signal strength sensor, a phase shift sensors, an impedance sensor, a shock sensor, an input voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) sensor, a signal quality sensor, an orientation sensor, a light level sensor, a contact sensor, and a flow sensor.

26. The component of claim 1, further comprising equipment comprised from the group consisting of fiber optic equipment, electrical equipment, power equipment, computer equipment, vehicle equipment, aviation equipment, network equipment, storage equipment, routing equipment, and telephony equipment in which the mating component is included to which the component is configured to connect.

27. A method for determining the location of sensor data regarding a component, comprising:

sensing information relating to a component via one or more sensors;

communicating the sensor data from one or more sensors to an integrated circuit (IC); and

associating the sensor data with identity information of a mating component when one or more electrical leads coupled to the IC are connected to one or more electrical leads of the mating component.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein associating the sensor data comprises communicating the sensor data over the one or more electrical leads to the mating component to associate the sensor data with the identity information of the mating component.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein associating the sensor data comprises receiving the identity information of the mating component over the one or more electrical leads to associate the sensor data with the identity information of the mating component.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising the IC communicating the sensor data via radio-frequency (RF) communications to an RFID reader.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising the IC communicating identity information of the mating component via radio-frequency (RF) communications to an RFID reader.

32. A system for determining the location of sensor data relating to a component, comprising:

an RFID reader configured to receive sensor data from one or more sensors associated with a component and identity information of a mating component connected to the component; and

a control system coupled to the RFID reader and configured to receive the sensor data and the identity information of the mating component, wherein the control system is further configured to;

review a file to determine a stored location of the mating component based on the identity information of the mating component; and

associate the location of the mating component with the sensor data to provide location-specific sensor data.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the mating component is further configured to receive the sensor data from the component, and the RFID reader is configured to receive the sensor data from the mating component.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the control system is further configured to report the location-specific sensor data to a display or another system.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the control system is further configured to generate an alarm or report in response to the sensor data exceeding a predefined threshold value.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the control system is further configured to receive an updated location of the mating component and store the updated location in the file.