Cable plugging guidance facility for a network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10949632-B2
Application number	US-201815967798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2018
Priority date	May 1, 2018
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for facilitating cable plugging in a network by receiving, from a scanner associated with the network, wirelessly read connector identifying information from a tag accompanying a cable connector at one end of a cable to be plugged in the network, and using, by a processor, the connector identifying information to ascertain, from a database, applicable cable rules guidance for where to properly plug the cable connector in the network. Based on ascertaining the guidance, one or more indicators associated with one or more plug locations in the network are illuminated to assist in properly plugging the cable connector in the network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of facilitating cable plugging in a network, the method comprising:
sensing, via a proximity sensor associated with the network, presence of a tag accompanying a cable connector at one end of a cable being near a scanner associated with the network, the cable to be plugged in the network;
based on the sensing, initiating wireless reading, by the scanner, the tag to obtain wirelessly read connector identifying information from the tag accompanying the cable connector at the one end of the cable to be plugged in the network, the connector identifying information comprising identifying information specific to the cable connector at the one end of the cable;
using, by a processor, the connector identifying information to ascertain, from a database, applicable cable rules guidance for where to properly plug the cable connector in the network; and
based the guidance, illuminating one or more indicators associated with one or more plug locations in the network to assist in properly plugging the cable connector in the network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more plug locations are located in one or more components of the network at a same geographic location where wireless reading of the connector identifying information occurs.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables, the multiple components comprising multiple wireless scanners associated therewith capable of performing wireless scanning of the tag, the scanner being one wireless scanner of the multiple wireless scanners.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving, the using, and the illuminating occur, at least in part, within a common component of multiple components of the network, the multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wirelessly read connector identifying information and the illuminating one or more plug locations occur, at least in part, at different components of multiple components of the network, the multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor is associated with a component of the network comprising the scanner, the component being one component of multiple components of the network interconnecting by one or more cables.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tag is a passive tag, and the method further comprises wirelessly powering by the scanner the passive tag to read the connector identifying information from the passive tag.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more indicators comprise one or more light emitting diodes associated with the one or more plug locations in the network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the illuminating is for a predefined period of time within which the cable connector may be properly plugged into a plug location of the one or more plug locations.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cable connector further comprises a plug detect circuit associated therewith, and the method further comprises detecting, via the plug detect circuit, proper plugging of the cable connector in a plug location of the one or more plug locations in the network.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising updating, based on the detecting, a log identifying which cable connectors are plugged into which plug locations.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that the cable has not been plugged into the network as yet, and based at least in part thereon, the cable rules guidance is ascertained to minimize resultant cable tangling within the network.

13. A system of facilitating cable plugging in a network, the system comprising:
a memory; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the system performs a method comprising:
sensing, via a proximity sensor associated with the network, presence of a tag accompanying a cable connector at one end of a cable being near a scanner associated with the network, the cable to be plugged in the network;
based on the sensing, initiating wireless reading, by the scanner, the tag to obtain wirelessly read connector identifying information from the tag accompanying the cable connector at the one end of the cable to be plugged in the network, the connector identifying information comprising identifying information specific to the cable connector at the one end of the cable;
using the connector identifying information to ascertain, from a database, applicable cable rules guidance for where to properly plug the cable connector in the network; and
based on ascertaining the guidance, illuminating one or more indicators associated with one or more plug locations in the network to assist in properly plugging the cable connector in the network.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the network comprises multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables, the multiple components comprising multiple wireless scanners associated therewith capable of performing wireless scanning of the tag, the scanner being one wireless scanner of the multiple wireless scanners.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the receiving, the using, and the illuminating occur, at least in part, within a common component of multiple components of the network, the multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the wirelessly read connector identifying information and the illuminating one or more plug locations occur, at least in part, at different components of multiple components of the network, the multiple components interconnecting by one or more cables.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the proximity sensor is associated with a component of the network comprising the scanner, the component being one component of multiple components of the network interconnecting by one or more cables.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the tag is a passive tag, and the method further comprises wirelessly powering by the scanner the passive tag to read the connector identifying information from the passive tag.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more indicators comprise one or more light emitting diodes associated with the one or more plug locations in the network.

20. A computer program product for facilitating cable plugging in a network, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions being executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
sense, via a proximity sensor associated with the network, presence of a tag accompanying a cable connector at one end of a cable being near a scanner associated with the network, the cable to be plugged in the network;
based on the sensing, initiate wireless reading, by the scanner, the tag to obtain wirelessly read connector identifying information from the tag accompanying the cable connector at the one end of the cable to be plugged in the network, the connector identifying information comprising identifying information specific to the cable connector at the one end of the cable;
use the connector identifying information to ascertain, from a database, applicable cable rules guidance for where to properly plug the cable connector in the network; and
based on ascertaining the guidance, illuminate one or more indicators associated with one or more plug locations in the network to assist in properly plugging the cable connector in the network.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Werner John S
• Kearney Daniel J
• Cocchini Matteo
• Notohardjono Budy D
• Tsfasman Arkadiy O
• Mullady Robert K
• Singer Noah

Classifications

• G06Q10/20 Primary

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• G06K7/10366 Primary

  the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications · CPC title