Interlock for preventing human error in hot pluggable systems
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWindsor Wee Sun Hsu, Stephen Paul Morgan, Shauchi Ong, Honesty Cheng Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hot pluggable system includes an interlock between a component fail detect module and a component lock mechanism, such that the component is locked in place when it operates properly and is automatically released to permit a person to remove the component from the system when the component fails. In this way, the risk of human errors in removing the wrong component is reduced.
Claims25
A hot pluggable system, comprising:
- at least one hot pluggable component including a housing;
- at least one component bay configured for receiving the component therein, the component being positionable in an operate position in the bay;
- at least one failure detect module associated with the component and generating a fail signal at least if the component malfunctions;
- at least one lock associated with the bay and movable between a lock position, wherein the lock engages the housing to hold the component in the bay, and a release position, wherein the lock is distanced from the housing and the component can be moved from the operate position, the lock being automatically moved to the release position in response to the fail signal, the lock being automatically moved to the lock position only when the component is both active and functional, the component being at least one hard disk drive that is active and functional only when it is properly configured for operation in a system having plural disk drives.
A computer-implemented method for unlocking a hot pluggable component from an associated system device, comprising:
- locking the hot pluggable component into the system device only if the component is both active and functional, the component being at least one hard disk drive that is active and functional only when it is properly configured for operation in a system having plural disk drives;
- receiving a signal representative of a malfunction of the component;
- and
- in response to the signal, automatically unlocking the component from the system device.
A hot pluggable system, comprising:
- at least one system device including at least one lock mechanism;
- at least one hot pluggable component automatically engageable with the lock mechanism only if the component is active, the component being at least one hard disk drive that is active only when it is properly configured for operation;
- at least one fail detect module coupled to the component to detect malfunctions thereof and to generate fail signals in response thereto;
- and
- at least one interlock module coupled to the fail detect module and also coupled to the lock mechanism to automatically actuate the lock mechanism if a fail signal is received, the modules cooperating to establish an interlock between fail detection and component locking.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.