JP-7855339-B2 - Server, Server Connection Method, and Test and Measurement System

JP7855339B2JP 7855339 B2JP7855339 B2JP 7855339B2JP-7855339-B2

Inventors

トーマス・ブイダ
アダム・エム・リーブス
フレデリック・ビー・クールマン・ザ・サード
マーク・アンダーソン・スミス

Assignees

テクトロニクス・インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20211126
Priority Date: 20210930

Claims (7)

A server for connecting to a measuring device, One or more ports for receiving connection requests and configuration settings from the above measuring device, and user-entered codes and credentials from a communication device, An activation code generation unit configured to generate an activation code and associate the activation code with the above-mentioned measuring device, An authentication unit authenticates the user based on the above credentials and determines whether the user input code and the activation code are the same. A server comprising: a key generation unit that, when the above-mentioned user is authenticated and the above-mentioned user input code and the above-mentioned activation code are the same, generates an access key that provides access based on the above-mentioned configuration settings and transmits the access key to a measuring device.
The server according to claim 1, wherein the above configuration settings include a setting to cancel the server's access to the measuring device when a time limit is exceeded or an event occurs, a setting to restrict access to the server based on one or more Internet Protocol addresses, and a command or metadata to disconnect the connection when an event occurs.
The authentication unit described above is further configured to transmit the configuration settings to the communication device and to receive confirmation of the configuration settings from the communication device, according to claim 1 or 2.
A method for securely connecting a server to a measuring device, The process involves receiving a request to connect from the above measuring device to the above server, along with the configuration settings. A process of generating an activation code and associating said activation code with the above measuring device, The process of receiving user credentials and user input codes from the communication device, The process of authenticating the above user credentials, The process involves determining whether the user input code matches the activation code, A server connection method comprising the process of establishing a connection with the measuring device based on the configuration settings when the above user credentials are authenticated and the above user input code matches the above activation code.
The server connection method according to claim 4, wherein the above configuration settings include a setting to cancel the server's access to the measuring device when a time limit is exceeded or an event occurs, a setting to restrict access to the server based on one or more Internet Protocol addresses, and a command or metadata to disconnect the connection when an event occurs.
The server connection method according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising the process of transmitting the above configuration settings to the above communication device and the process of receiving confirmation of the above configuration settings from the above communication device.
A test and measurement system, A user interface configured to receive database connection requests along with configuration settings, A port configured to receive an activation code, A measuring device having a display configured to display an activation code, A server connected to the above measuring device, One or more ports that receive the above connection request and configuration settings from the above measuring device, as well as user input codes and credentials from a communication device, An activation code generation unit configured to generate an activation code, associate the activation code with the measuring device, and transmit the activation code to the measuring device, An authentication unit configured to authenticate the user based on the above credentials and to determine whether the above user input code and the above activation code are the same, A test and measurement system comprising: a server having a key generation unit configured to generate an access key for the database that provides access based on the above configuration settings when the above user is authenticated and the above user input code and the above activation code are the same, and to transmit the access key to the above measuring device.

Description

This invention relates to systems and methods related to test and measurement systems, and more particularly to technologies for securely connecting measuring devices to cloud or web-based services. Measurement equipment, including test and measurement devices such as oscilloscopes and network analyzers, may require secure and efficient methods for connecting to cloud services, remote databases, and other application programming interface (API)-driven web services to enhance their operability, functionality, and performance. Users of measuring devices typically obtain secure access by providing a username and password, as well as some additional "factors" such as short message service (SMS) codes, email verification, security questions, paired authentication applications, or other "two-factor" authentication methods. Patent No. 3053527Special Publication No. 2009-534742Patent No. 6248329 Figure 1 is a block diagram of a test and measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2 shows an example of a window that may be displayed on the user interface of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 3 shows an example of a window that may be displayed on a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a test and measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following explanation uses several terms to cover a variety of topics. "Communication device" refers to a device capable of communicating with the cloud or a remote server, such as a smartphone, tablet, computing device, or a future device that replaces smartphones or tablets. A communication device has at least one communication link, which allows it to communicate with measurement devices, at least in terms of sending messages to them, and may also use this same or a different communication link to communicate with a remote server or storage (storage medium). A communication device has a processor, which, when programmed (code-executed), can communicate with cameras and other imaging sensors, actuators that activate the cameras/imaging sensors, and memory. The term "measuring device" as used in this application refers to, but is not limited to, test and measurement devices such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, and various meters, as well as devices that collect or generate data, such as sensors that collect environmental data such as temperature, wind speed, humidity, light intensity, and acoustic level. These are just a few examples, and the explanation is not limited to these specific examples. "Measurement device data" refers to data collected by a measurement device. This data may include, but is not limited to, any configuration or settings of the measurement device during its setup, screenshots of the measurement device's display screen, the measurement device's model number and serial number, specific tests performed by the measurement device on the device under test or specific processes during testing, waveform data applied to or obtained from the device under test, and status information of the measurement device (CPU load, measurement device setup information, software licenses available on the measurement device, and other status-based information). If the measurement device is a test measurement device, the information may also include connection information between the test measurement device and other measurement devices (such as other test measurement devices), and measurement data files. In embodiments where the measuring device is a sensor, the measuring device data may include the type of sensor, its current state, the sensor's manufacturer and model number, and samples of all parameters detected by the sensor, such as the time and date stamp of the samples stored by the sensor. The "user information" used in this application is typically collected from a communication device. This user information identifies the user and provides user account information, such as email accounts, cloud accounts, and other storage accounts, including usernames and passwords. This allows photographs, related data, and measurement device data (if separate) to be stored in that user's account. Figure 1 is a block diagram of a test and measurement system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary system 100 of Figure 1, the communication device 102 and the measuring device 104 are connected via a network 106 by communication links 108 and 110, respectively. Communication link 110 may also be connected to the measuring device 104 via port 118. Communication links 108 and 110 may be wired or wireless connections. Server 112 may be a dedicated server owned by the entity (such as a corporation or individual) that owns the measuring device 104 and the communication device 102, or it may be a cloud server for wh