METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CALIBRATING AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE

• US 20080046211A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Charles Lingafelt, Nathaniel Kim
• Original Assignee: Charles Lingafelt, Nathaniel Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Nathaniel, Lingafelt, Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/854,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046211A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/85
• 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:

receiving on a remote server from the electrical device, via a power delivery network powering the electrical device, information indicative of usage of the electrical device or an elapsed time since a last calibration of the electrical device; and

determining whether the electrical device needs to be calibrated based on the information indicative of usage or the elapsed time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining whether a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last calibration.

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

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises:

computing a cumulative usage of the electrical device based on the information indicative of usage; and

determining whether the cumulative usage exceeds a predetermined threshold of cumulative usage.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising calibrating the electrical device if the cumulative usage exceeds the predetermined threshold of cumulative usage.

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

7. 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.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical device is connected to the power delivery network via a power socket.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the electrical device is connected to the power socket via a power bar.

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

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

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; and

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.

11. The system of claim 10, 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.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol and connects to the power delivery network via a power socket.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical device connects to the power socket via a power bar.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the data networking protocol comprises port based access control.

15. The system of claim 12, 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.

16. 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:

obtaining information for the electrical device from a database;

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

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.

17. The program product of claim 16, wherein the program product is loaded on an authentication server with which the electrical device communicates over a power delivery network.

18. The program product of claim 17, wherein the electrical device utilizes a data networking protocol and connects to the power delivery network via a power socket.

19. The program product of claim 18, wherein the electrical device connects to the power socket via a power bar.

20. The program product of claim 18, wherein the data networking protocol comprises port-based access control.