Electronic device environmental effect prediction

• US 7,222,043 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Malone, Christopher Gregory, Simon, Glenn Cochran, Augustin, Thom
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; John
• Application Number:
  US10/738,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20050137824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 702/99, 702/107, 702130-134, 324/760, 374/5, 374/43, 374/161, 62/492, 621/99, 703/6, 703/14, 428/195.1, 700/299, 700/276, 700/278, 361/103, 361/687, 73/75
• US Class Current: 702/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2862 Chambers or ovens; Tanks
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2874 related to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2881 related to environmental aspects other than temperature, e.g. humidity or vibrations

Abstract

An apparatus in one example comprises one or more control components that regulate one or more thermal test components to adjust one or more emulated operational characteristics for one or more electronic devices. The thermal test components are coupled with one or more rack-mount frames. The thermal test components create the emulated operational characteristics for the one or more electronic devices to generate one or more emulated environmental effects. The one or more control components obtain one or more measurements of one or more of the one or more emulated operational characteristics and the one or more emulated environmental effects. The one or more control components make a prediction of one or more of one or more actual operational characteristics and one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices through employment of one or more of the one or more measurements.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more control components that regulate one or more thermal-test actual components, coupled with one or more rack-mount frames, to adjust one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics for one or more electronic devices, wherein the one or more thermal-test actual components create the one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics for the one or more electronic devices to generate one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before a planned presence of the one or more electronic devices;

wherein the one or more control components obtain one or more actual measurements of one or more of;

the one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics; and

/or

the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects,

wherein one or more of the one or more thermal-test actual components stand in place of one or more of the one or more electronic devices while the one or more control components obtain the one or more actual measurements before the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices;

wherein the one or more control components make a prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of one or more of one or more actual operational characteristics and one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more control components make a prediction of correct operation of the one or more electronic devices in one or more test environments through employment of the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of the one or more of the one or more actual operational characteristics and the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein one or more of the one or more control components alter one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects through employment of one or more environmental control components, wherein the one or more environmental control components one or more of:

regulate actual air temperature in the one or more test environments;

regulate actual airflow in the one or more test environments;

regulate actual vibrational effects in the one or more test environment.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one or more of the one or more control components emulate the one or more test environments through employment of the one or more environmental control components.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the one or more control components emulate one or more operational failures of one or more of the one or more environmental control components.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more environmental control components comprise one or more heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system components.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 in combination with the rack-mount frame, wherein the rack-mount frame alters one or mare of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more control components validate the one or more electronic devices in the one or more test environments through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects comprise one or more of:

one or more physically-emulated thermal effects;

one or more physically-emulated vibrational effects; and

one or more physically-emulated airflow effects;

wherein the one or more control components make the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of the one or more of the one or more actual operational characteristics and the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices through employment of one or more of the one or more thermal effects, the one or more vibrational effects, and the one or more airflow effects of the one or more thermal-test actual components.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 in combination with the rack-mount frame, wherein the rack-mount frame conforms to an EJA RS-310 standard.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more first electronic devices;

one or more second electronic devices; and

one or more control components that regulate one or more thermal-test actual components that physically emulate one or more operational characteristics for the one or more first electronic devices to generate one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before a planned presence of the one or mare first electronic devices, wherein one or more of the one or more thermal-test actual components stand in place of one or more of the one or more first electronic devices to generate the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices;

wherein the one or more control components make a prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices through employment of one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects;

wherein the one or more control components make a prediction of correct operation of the one or more first electronic devices and the one or more second electronic devices in one or more rest environments through physical emulation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the one or more control components obtain one or more actual measurements of one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices;

wherein the one or more control components make the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more control components regulate the one or more thermal-test actual components based on one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more control components make a prediction of correct operation of the one or more first electronic devices in one or more test environments against one or more pre-determined standards through employment of the one or more actual measurements.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more control components validate the one or more first electronic components in the one or more test environments through employment of the one or more actual measurements.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more control components validate the one or more firs electronic components and the one or more second electronic components in the one or more test environments through physical emulation.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more actual operational characteristics comprise one or more first actual operational characteristics for the one or more first electronic devices, wherein the one or more second electronic devices comprise one or more second actual operational characteristics;

wherein one or more of the one or more first actual operational characteristics and one or more of the one or more second actual operational charactcristics comprise one or more same actual operational characteristics;

wherein the one or more first actual operational characteristics and the one or more second actual operational characteristics comprise a plurality of actual operational characteristics of a plurality of second electronic devices;

wherein the one or more control components make a prediction of one or more actual environmental effects of the plurality of second electronic devices through employment of only the one or more second electronic devices.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the one or more control components validate the plurality of second electronic devices in the one or more test environments through physical emulation.

19. A method, comprising the steps of:

regulating one or more thermal-test actual components to adjust one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics for one or more first electronic devices, wherein the one or more thermal-test actual components physically-emulate one or more operational characteristics for the one or more first electronic devices to generate one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before a planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, wherein one or more of the one or more thermal-test actual components stand in place of one or more of the one or more first electronic devices to generate the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices;

making a prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices through employment of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects; and

presenting an indication of the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices to a user-validator of the one or more thermal-test actual components in connection with the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices comprises the step of:

validating the one or more first electronic devices in one or more test environments through physical emulation.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices comprises the step of:

obtaining one or more actual measurements of one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices;

the method further comprising the step of;

making a prediction of correct operation of the one or more first electronic devices in one or more test environments through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of making the prediction of the correct operation of the one or more first electronic devices in the one or more test environments through employment of the one or more of the one or more actual measurements comprises the step of:

validating the one or more first electronic devices in the one or more test environments through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

coupling the one or more thermal-test actual components to a rack-mount frame that conforms to an EIA RS-310 standard before and/or contemporaneous with the step of regulating the one or more thermal-test actual components to adjust the one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics for the one or more electronic devices.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of regulating the one or more thermal-test actual components comprises the step of:

receiving one or more parameters for the one or more physically-emulated operational characteristics from the user-validator of the one or more thermal-test actual components through a user interface.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of presenting the indication of the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices to the user-validator of the one or more thermal-test actual components in connection with the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices comprises the step of:

storing the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices and the step of storing the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices comprise the step of:

validating the one or more first electronic devices to the user-validator of the one or more thermal-test actual components in connection with the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices through physical emulation in one or more test environments.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of storing the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices comprises the step of:

displaying the indication of the prediction of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices to the user-validator of the one or more thermal-test actual components in connection with the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more first electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices comprises the step of:

making a prediction of one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more first electronic devices and one or more second electronic devices in a test environment through physical emulation.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

means for physically emulating one or more operational characteristics for one or more electronic devices to generate one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before a planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, wherein the means for physically emulating stand in place of one or more of the one or more electronic devices to generate the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices;

means for measuring one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices; and

means for making a prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the means for measuring the one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects comprises:

means for obtaining one or more actual measurements of one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects;

means for regulating the means for physically emulating the one or more operational characteristics for the one or more electronic devices through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the means for making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices comprises:

means for physically validating the one or more electronic devices in one or more test environments.

32. An article of manufacture, comprising:

one or more computer-readable signal-bearing media;

means in the one or more media for regulating one or more thermal-test actual components that physically emulate one or more operational characteristics for one or more electronic devices to generate one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before a planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, wherein one or more of the one or more thermal-test actual components stand in place of one or more of the one or more electronic devices to generate the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more elecironic devices; and

means in the one or more media for making a prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices through employment of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the means in the one or more media for making the prediction, directed to the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices, of the one or more actual environmental effects of the one or more electronic devices through employment of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects comprises:

means in the one or more media for obtaining one or more actual measurements of one or more of the one or more physically-emulated environmental effects before the planned presence of the one or more electronic devices;

the apparatus further comprising;

means in the one or more media for making a prediction of correct operation of the one or more electronic devices in one or more test environments through employment of one or more of the one or more actual measurements.