Internet of things (IOT) system for cabling infrastructure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11558680-B2
Application number	US-202017015328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2020
Priority date	Sep 12, 2019
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

A system for cabling infrastructure that includes at least one port, at least one shutter, at least one sensor and a gateway is provided. The port is configured to be selectively coupled to a connector. Each shutter is configured to have an open state that allows access to an associated port and a closed state that covers the port. Each sensor is configured to sense the open state and the closed state of an associated shutter and generate shutter state signals that include information relating to a current sensed state of the associated shutter and an identification of a port that is associated with the associated shutter. The gateway is in wireless communication with each sensor to receive the shutter state signals. The gateway is configured to communicate the shutter state signals that indicate a change in a state of an associated shutter to a remote location.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for cabling infrastructure, the system comprising:
at least one port configured to be selectively coupled to a connector;
at least one shutter, the at least one shutter configured to have an open state that allows access to an associated port of the at least one port and a closed state that covers the associated port;
at least one sensor, each sensor configured to sense the open state and the closed state of an associated shutter of the at least one shutter and generate shutter state signals that include information relating to at least a current sensed state of the associated shutter and an identification (ID) of a port that is associated with the associated shutter, wherein the current sensed state of the associated shutter is communicated by modifying the ID of the port that is associated with the associated shutter; and
a gateway in wireless communication with each sensor to receive the shutter state signals of each sensor, the gateway configured to communicate shutter state signals of the received shutter state signals that indicate a change in a state of an associated shutter to a remote location.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an independent power source for at least one sensor of the at least one sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each sensor of the at least one sensor further comprises:
a sensor memory to store sensed states of the associated shutter and the associated ID of the associated port.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway and each sensor communicate wirelessly via one of Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth mesh and passive radio frequency identification protocols.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gateway further comprises:
a gateway controller configured to use an internet protocol (IP) address of the gateway in communicating with the remote location via an internet;
a clock, the gateway controller configured to use the clock to poll each sensor periodically to send a current shutter state signal; and
a gateway memory to store information in received shutter state signals, the gateway controller further configured to determine if information in received shutter state signals are different than stored information associated with each shutter and forward on information that is different to the remote location via the internet.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each sensor is one of a shutter position change sensor that senses changes in a position of an associated shutter, an open/closed circuit sensor, an object proximity sensor, an inductive sensing sensor, a capacitive sensing sensor and a magnetic sensing sensor.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a management system in a remote network in the remote location configured to update and configure new connections automatically based on received information sent by the gateway.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a bias member for each shutter configured to bias the shutter in the closed state when the shutter's associated port is not in use.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein each sensor further comprises:
a sensor controller configured to generate the sensor's shutter state signals.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the sensor controller is configured to further include further information in the sensor's shutter state signals relating to at least one of alarms, associated port type, manufacturing date, product ID, performance parameters and mapping.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an independent power source for at least one sensor of the at least one sensor that includes a system that generates a voltage when an associated shutter is at least opened.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein modifying the ID of the port to communicate the current sensed state of the associated shutter includes using a first bit state in the ID of the port to indicate the associated shutter is open and a second bit state in the ID of the port to indicate the associated shutter is closed.

13. A system for cabling infrastructure, the system comprising:
at least one port configured to be selectively coupled to a connector of a patch panel;
a shutter for each port, each shutter configured to have an open state which allows access to an associated port of the shutter and a closed state that covers the associated port;
a sensor for each shutter configured to sense a state of the shutter, the sensor configured to wirelessly transmit shutter state signals that include information relating to at least a current sensed state of the shutter and an identification (ID) of the shutter's associated port, wherein the current sensed state of the associated shutter is communicated by varying the ID of the shutter's associated port by encoding the current sensed state of the associated shutter in a bit of the ID of the shutter's associated port;
a power source for each sensor to at least power a transmission of the sensor's shutter state signals;
a gateway in wireless communication with each sensor to receive the shutter state signals from each sensor, the gateway configured to communicate information indicating a change in a state of an associated shutter to a remote location; and
a management system in a remote network in the remote location configured to update and configure a system automatically based on received information sent by the gateway.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the gateway further comprises:
a gateway controller;
a clock, the gateway controller configured to use the clock to poll each sensor periodically to send a current shutter state signal; and
a gateway memory to store information in received shutter state signals, the gateway controller further configured to determine if information in receive shutter state signals are different than stored information associated with each shutter and forward on information that is different to the remote location.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor of each shutter is configured to transmit a shutter state signal upon a detection of a change of state of the sensor's shutter.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor of each shutter is one of a shutter position change sensor that senses changes in an associated shutter position, an open/closed circuit sensor, an object proximity sensor, an inductive sensing sensor, a capacitive sensing sensor and a magnetic sensing sensor.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein communication between the gateway and the remote location is at least in part via an internet using an internet protocol (IP) address of the gateway.

18. A method of configuring a cabling infrastructure, the method comprising:
monitoring a current state of a shutter with a sensor, wherein the state of the shutter is one of an open state which allows access to an associated port and a closed state that covers the associated port;
wirelessly communicating a shutter state signal to a gateway, the shutter state signal including information relating to at least a current sensed state of the shutter by the sensor and an identification (ID) of the associated port, wherein the current sensed state of the associated shutter is communicated by modifying the ID of the associated port;
communicating information in shutter state signals that indicate a change of state of the shutter to a system in remote location; and
automatically configuring the system based on the communicated information from the gateway.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
periodically polling the sensor to co

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• German Michael Gregory
• Carl Leaann Harrison
• Enge Ryan E
• Kiener Matthew R

Classifications

• G16Y40/10

  Detection; Monitoring · CPC title

• H04Q1/13 Primary

  Patch panels for monitoring, interconnecting or testing circuits, e.g. patch bay, patch field or jack field; Patching modules · CPC title

• H04Q1/136 Primary

  having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements · CPC title

• H04Q9/02

  Automatically-operated arrangements · CPC title

• H04Q2209/88

  Providing power supply at the sub-station · CPC title