Method and system for calibrating an electrical device

• US 7,280,931 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lingafelt, Charles S., Kim, Nathaniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): KUNDU, SUJOY K
• Application Number:
  US11/436,951
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 702/81, 700/286
• US Class Current: 702/81
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31034 Component identifier and location indicator corresponding to component
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0889 Techniques to speed-up the configuration process
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

In general, the present invention provides a method and system for calibrating an electrical device that utilizes a data networking protocol (e.g., 802.1X) over a power delivery network. Specifically, the present invention leverages information gathered and stored during the authentication and operation of the electrical device to determine whether the electrical device should be calibrated. In general, the present invention makes this determination based on time elapsed since a previous calibration and/or cumulative usage of the device.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an electrical device, comprising:

connecting the electrical device to a power delivery network through a power socket via a power cord;

receiving on a remote server from the electrical device, via the power delivery network powering the electrical device, the following information;

identifying information that identifies the electrical device and provides a physical location of the electrical device, the providing of the physical location based on location information selected from the group consisting of;

information from a global positioning device, information from triangulation methods based on known radio locations of the electrical device, and a user supplied location inputted on the electrical device;

activation information that indicates that the electrical device has been activated and determines a length of time that the device has been in use;

information indicative of an elapsed time since a last calibration of the electrical device; and

deactivation information that indicates that the electrical device has been deactivated;

storing the received information in a devices information database;

determining whether the electrical device needs to be calibrated based on the information in the devices information database, including;

using the elapsed time since the last calibration of the electrical device to determine whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a previous calibration of the electrical device, and

using the activation information and deactivation information to calculate a cumulative usage of the electrical device and determining whether the cumulative usage exceeds a predetermined usage threshold;

in response to a determination that the electrical device should be calibrated, sending a request for calibration, the request for calibration including the identifying information and the physical location of the electrical device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating the electrical device if the predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last calibration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising calibrating the electrical device if the cumulative usage exceeds the predetermined threshold of cumulative usage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol, and wherein the data networking protocol comprises port-based access control.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote server is an authentication server, wherein the authentication server receives the information indicative if usage or the elapsed time from an authentication component over the power delivery network, and wherein the receiving and determining steps are performed by the authentication server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the electrical device is connected to the power socket via a power bar.

7. A system for calibrating an electrical device, comprising:

a power socket for connecting the electrical device to a power delivery network via a power cord;

a database access system for obtaining information for the electrical device from a database, the information including;

identifying information that identifies the electrical device and provides a physical location of the electrical device, the providing of the physical location based on location information selected from the group consisting of;

information from a global positioning device, information from triangulation methods based on known radio locations of the electrical device, and a user supplied location inputted on the electrical device;

activation information that indicates that the electrical device has been activated and determines a length of time that the device has been in use;

information indicative of an elapsed time since a last calibration of the electrical device; and

deactivation information that indicates that the electrical device has been deactivated;

a time system for determining whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a previous calibration of the electrical device based on the information;

a usage system for computing a cumulative usage of the electrical device based on the information, and for determining whether the cumulative usage exceeds a predetermined threshold of cumulative usage; and

means for, in response to a determination that the predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a previous calibration of the electrical device or that the cumulative usage exceeds the predetermined threshold of cumulative usage, sending a request for calibration, the request for calibration including the identifying information and the physical location of the electrical device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the database access system, the time system and the usage system are located on an authentication server with which the electrical device communicates over a power delivery network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the electrical device connects to the power socket via a power bar.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the data networking protocol comprises port-based access control.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the wherein the database access system, the time system and the usage system are each implemented using technology selected from the group consisting of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

13. A program product stored on a computer useable medium for calibrating an electrical device, the computer useable medium comprising program code for causing a computer to perform the following steps:

connecting the electrical device to a power delivery network through a power socket via a power cord;

obtaining information for the electrical device from a database, the information including;

identifying information that identifies the electrical device and provides a physical location of the electrical device, the providing of the physical location based on location information selected from the group consisting of;

information from a global positioning device, information from triangulation methods based on known radio locations of the electrical device, and a user supplied location inputted on the electrical device;

activation information that indicates that the electrical device has been activated and determines a length of time that the device has been in use;

information indicative of an elapsed time since a last calibration of the electrical device; and

deactivation information that indicates that the electrical device has been deactivated;

determining whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a previous calibration of the electrical device based on the information;

computing a cumulative usage of the electrical device based on the information, and determining whether the cumulative usage exceeds a predetermined threshold of cumulative usage; and

in response to a determination that the predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a previous calibration of the electrical device or that the cumulative usage exceeds the predetermined threshold of cumulative usage, sending a request for calibration, the request for calibration including the identifying information and the physical location of the electrical device.

14. The program product of claim 13, wherein the program product is loaded on an authentication server with which the electrical device communicates over a power delivery network.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein the electrical device connects to the power socket via a power bar.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein the data networking protocol comprises port-based access control.