Components, systems, and methods for associating sensor data with component location

#1. Field of the Disclosure

#The field of the disclosure relates to a sensor included in a component for sensing information relating to or surrounding the component location. The component can be attached to an article of manufacture and configured to be mated with a mating component. The component may include radio-frequency (RF) communication capability for communicating information, including the sensed information.

#2. Technical Background

#FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary component mating system configured to associate sensor data relating to a condition(s) of the components with identity information of a mating component;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of exemplary equipment having a plurality of fixed, mating components with one or more removable components connected to the mating components;

#FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary circuit for coupling RFID-enabled integrated circuit (IC) chips in connected RFID-equipped components;

#Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments are shown. Indeed, the embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.

#Embodiments disclosed in the detailed description include components having one or more sensors adapted to sense and provide localized sensor data. Having the ability to localize sensor data to a specific location rather than generalized areas or locations can assist in quickly pinpointing areas where performance or other condition issues may exist in components and equipment associated with components. In this regard, the components disclosed herein are adapted to communicate with a mating component. Sensor data from the one or more sensors can be associated with identity information of the mating component. The identity information of the mating component can be used to determine the location of the mating component, whether a fixed location or a relative location to another component or particular equipment. In this manner, the sensor data can be associated with the location of the mating component in a “component-to-component” configuration to provide location-specific sensor data. The specific location may be to a resolution down to centimeters (cm) scale as an example. The association of the sensor data with a location can be performed by the component or mating component, or a communication system coupled to the components, including a radio-frequency (RF) identification (RFID) reader and/or component management system. The components may be associated with any type of article of manufacture desired, including but not limited to equipment, including electrical and/or fiber optic equipment.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a component mating system 10(1) where sensor data from a sensor associated with a component can be associated with the location of a component to provide location-specific sensor data. In this regard as illustrated in FIG. 1, two components 12(1), 12(2) are mated to each other. In this example, the component 12(1) is a removable component that is mated with a mating component 12(2). The mating component 12(2) is a fixed component in this embodiment, meaning that the mating component 12(2) is attached to an article of manufacture 14. The article of manufacture 14 may be equipment, including but not limited to electrical or fiber optic-based equipment. The component 12(1) may be attached to a cable or cord that is plugged into the fixed, mating component 12(2). Note that although this embodiment is discussed in terms of the component 12(1) mating with the mating component 12(2), these terms are used for convenience only. The mating component 12(2) could be considered to be the component and the component 12(1) considered to be the mating component. The term “mating component” is simply any component that can be connected, mated to or receive another component, or vice versa.