LOW-COST HIGH-FIDELITY ASSET TRACKING IN DATA CENTER FACILITIES

• US 20110298607A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Priyantha, Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi, Liu, Jie, Lymberopoulos, Dimitrios, Hern, Mari, Timmons, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,674,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836

Abstract

In one embodiment, an activation unit may render a passive radio frequency identification tag visible to a tracking infrastructure. A radio frequency identification reader may read at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag 304 attached to a server 302. A controller may create an active radio frequency signal for the server 302. A radio antenna may transmit the active radio frequency signal to a position infrastructure node 160.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for identifying a server, comprising:

reading at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag attached to the server;

creating an active radio frequency signal representing the server; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal to a position infrastructure node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the passive radio frequency identification tag is attached to the server by a spring loaded hinge near a rack face of the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the passive radio frequency identification tag with a rack mounted reader strip of a rack mounted server identifier; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal with a rack mounted antenna of the rack mounted server identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a rack slot holding the server in the active radio frequency signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

indicating with a light emitting diode whether the passive radio frequency identification tag is being read properly in the rack slot.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a rack section of the server in the active radio frequency signal.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying with a radio frequency identification reader a rack slot holding a misaligned server in the active radio frequency signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the passive radio frequency identification tag with a radio frequency antenna of a snap-on wireless mote; and

transmitting the active radio frequency signal with a radio of the snap-on wireless mote.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

discovering a neighbor snap-on wireless mote with the snap-on wireless mote.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting an environmental factor of the server with the snap-on wireless mote.

11. A snap-on wireless mote, comprising:

a snap-on connector that attaches to a server;

a radio frequency antenna that reads at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag attached to the server; and

a radio that transmits an active radio frequency signal representing the server to a position infrastructure node.

12. The snap-on wireless mote of claim 11, wherein the radio discovers a neighbor snap-on wireless mote.

13. The snap-on wireless mote of claim 12, further comprising:

a microcontroller to execute a mesh network protocol regarding the neighbor snap-on wireless mote.

14. The snap-on wireless mote of claim 11, further comprising:

a sensor to detect an environmental factor of the server.

15. The snap-on wireless mote of claim 14, wherein the environmental factor is at least one of temperature, humidity, and acceleration.

16. A rack mounted server identifier, comprising:

a rack mounted reader strip that reads at close range a passive radio frequency identification tag attached to a server; and

a rack mounted antenna that transmits an active radio frequency signal representing the server to a position infrastructure node.

17. The rack mounted server identifier of claim 16, wherein the passive radio frequency identification tag is attached to the server by a spring loaded hinge near a rack face of the server.

18. The rack mounted server identifier of claim 16, wherein the rack mounted reader strip has a slot radio frequency identification reader to detect a rack slot holding the server.

19. The rack mounted server identifier of claim 16, wherein the rack mounted reader strip has a sectional radio frequency identification reader to detect a server rack section with the server.

20. The rack mounted server identifier of claim 16, wherein the rack mounted reader strip has a radio frequency identification reader in a slider that moves along a track.