CABLE IDENTIFICATION USING A UNIQUE CABLE SLEEVE

• US 20130135616A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Tamer E., Moore, John E. Jr., Singi, Rajeshkumar N., Wentworth, Robert R.
• Application Number:
  US13/307,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135616A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/02 for measuring length, width or thickness G01B11/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/30 Measuring the intensity of spectral lines directly on the spectrum itself G01J3/42, G01J3/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/443 Emission spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/718 Laser microanalysis, i.e. with formation of sample plasma
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3895 identification of connection, e.g. right plug to the right socket or full engagement of the mating parts keying element on the plug or adapter G02B6/3831; keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical connection H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/368 being a sleeve, ferrule, tag, clip, label or short length strip

Abstract

A cable identification system is provided. The cable identification system includes a cable sleeve with some predetermined unique properties. The cable sleeve is adapted to receive a cable therein. The cable includes one or more electrical conductors therein. The cable identification system further includes a portable measuring device configured to detect the predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable.

Claims

1. A cable identification system, comprising:

a cable sleeve having one or more predetermined unique properties, the cable sleeve adapted to receive a cable therein, the cable including one or more electrical conductors therein; and

a portable measuring device configured to detect the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve when positioned adjacent the cable at any point along the cable.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more predetermined unique properties comprises a material composition of the cable sleeve.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more predetermined unique properties comprises a physical property of the cable sleeve.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the physical property comprises a length of the cable sleeve.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the physical property comprises a width of the cable sleeve.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the physical property comprises a color coating gradient of the cable sleeve.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a repository for storing an association between the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve and devices connected to opposing ends of the cable enclosed by the cable sleeve.

8. A method for identifying cables, comprising:

providing a cable sleeve having one or more predetermined unique properties, the cable sleeve adapted to receive a cable therein, wherein the cable comprises one or more electrical conductors therein;

inserting the cable into the cable sleeve;

connecting network devices at opposing ends of the cable;

storing an association between the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve and the network devices in a repository;

identifying the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve using a portable measuring device by positioning the portable measuring device adjacent the cable at any point along the cable; and

retrieving the association between the one or more predetermined unique properties of the cable sleeve and the network devices from the repository to identify the cable.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more predetermined unique properties comprises a material composition of the cable sleeve.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the one or more predetermined unique properties comprises a physical property of the cable sleeve.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a length of the cable sleeve.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a width of the cable sleeve.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a color coating gradient of the cable sleeve.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the repository comprises a database.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the measuring device comprises a memory unit for storing the detected properties of the cable sleeve.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the portable measuring device utilizes the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique to identify the material composition of the cable sleeve.