LIGHTPATH DIAGNOSTICS WITH VOICE ALERTS

• US 20120290886A1
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wilson, Phillip S. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,677,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to identifying and locating a failed or failing system component within a computer system, and more specifically to providing indicator lights and/or associated voice alerts to indicate, identify, and locate failed or failing system components within a computer system. A method for indicating a fault in a computer system in accordance with an embodiment includes: detecting a fault in the computer system; obtaining a problem definition associated with the fault; and generating an audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition.

Claims

1. A method for indicating a fault in a computer system, comprising:

detecting a fault in the computer system;

obtaining a problem definition associated with the fault; and

generating an audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

retrieving a prerecorded voice file from memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

outputting the prerecorded voice file using an audio system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

retrieving a text file from memory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

converting the text file to speech using a text-to-speech system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a language from a plurality of languages; and

generating the audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition in the selected language.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

generating the audible voice alert using natural language.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

illuminating at least one indicator light adjacent a component of the computer system associated with the fault.

9. A system for indicating a fault in a computer system, comprising:

a system for detecting a fault in the computer system;

a system for obtaining a problem definition associated with the fault; and

a fault identifying voice system for generating an audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system for obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

a system for retrieving a prerecorded voice file from memory.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system for generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

a system for outputting the prerecorded voice file using an audio system.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the system for obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

a system for retrieving a text file from memory.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system for generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

a system for converting the text file to speech using a text-to-speech system.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a system for selecting a language from a plurality of languages; and

a system for generating the audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition in the selected language.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the system for generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises:

a system for generating the audible voice alert using natural language.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a system for illuminating at least one indicator light adjacent a component of the computer system associated with the fault.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when executed by a computer system, performs a method for indicating a fault in the computer system, the method comprising:

detecting a fault in the computer system;

obtaining a problem definition associated with the fault; and

generating an audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

retrieving a prerecorded voice file from memory; and

wherein the generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises;

outputting the prerecorded voice file using an audio system.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the obtaining the problem definition associated with the fault further comprises:

retrieving a text file from memory; and

wherein the generating the audible voice alert corresponding to the problem definition further comprises;

converting the text file to speech using a text-to-speech system.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

selecting a language from a plurality of languages; and

generating the audible voice fault alert corresponding to the problem definition in the selected language.