CAPTURING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

• US 20120271461A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Spata, Gregory P.
• Application Number:
  US13/222,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/35 for science, e.g. meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/08 Adaptations of balloons, missiles, or aircraft for meteorological purposes; Radiosondes transmission of measurements G01D; transmitting circuits H04B; balloons in general B64B; aeroplanes in general B64D; missiles in general F42B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2001/006 Main server receiving weather information from several sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

In general, a method includes receiving environmental information collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the environmental information being associated with one or more conditions of a data center, storing the environmental information on one or more memory devices that are accessible by the one or more computing devices, determining, based on the environmental information, that an event has occurred, and performing, by the one or more computing devices and based on determining that the event has occurred, one or more actions.

Claims

1. A method performed on one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving environmental information collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the environmental information being associated with one or more conditions of a data center;

storing the environmental information on one or more memory devices that are accessible by the one or more computing devices;

determining, based on the environmental information, that an event has occurred; and

performing, by the one or more computing devices and based on determining that the event has occurred, one or more actions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information is associated with one or more of a temperature and a humidity level of at least a portion of the data center.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the event has occurred comprises determining that the temperature or the humidity level associated with the at least a portion of the data center falls outside a predetermined range.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein performing the one or more actions comprises activating a cooling system associated with the at least a portion of the data center.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein performing the one or more actions comprises adjusting an air vent associated with the at least a portion of the data center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the air vent alters a flow of air through the at least a portion of the data center.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more actions comprise causing the UAV to travel to the at least a portion of the data center to collect additional environmental information.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the additional environmental information is associated with one or more of a second temperature and a second humidity level that falls outside the predetermined range; and

providing a notification.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the notification comprises providing at least one of either:

an on screen pop-up message, or an automated email, or a short message service (SMS) message, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the event has occurred comprises determining that a cooling system has been disabled.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein performing the one or more actions comprises:

altering an operation of one or more other cooling systems; and

causing the UAV to travel to one or more portions of the data center to collect additional environmental information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising altering a frequency with which the UAV collects environmental information associated with a portion of the data center that is associated with the disabled cooling system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information specifies that the UAV has experienced a navigation deviation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining that the event has occurred comprises determining, based on the navigation deviation, that a mechanical change has occurred in the data center.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the mechanical change has occurred comprises determining that a door located in the data center is ajar.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the event has occurred comprises determining that a predetermined amount of environmental information has been received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the action comprises analyzing the environmental information to determine the location of one or more portions of the data center that are associated with environmental information that falls outside of a predetermined range.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the event has occurred comprises determining that environmental information has not been collected for a portion of the data center.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining that the portion of the data center is inaccessible by the UAV.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining that a size of the portion of the data center exceeds a predetermined size.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising causing the UAV to collect environmental information for the portion of the data center based on determining that the size of the portion of the data center exceeds the predetermined size.

22. One or more computer storage devices comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

receiving environmental information collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the environmental information being associated with one or more conditions of a data center;

storing the environmental information on one or more memory devices that are accessible by the one or more computing devices;

determining, based on the environmental information, that an event has occurred; and

performing, by the one or more computing devices and based on determining that the event has occurred, one or more actions.

23. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more memory devices comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

receiving environmental information collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the environmental information being associated with one or more conditions of a data center;

storing the environmental information on one or more memory devices that are accessible by the one or more computing devices;

determining, based on the environmental information, that an event has occurred; and

performing, by the one or more computing devices and based on determining that the event has occurred, one or more actions.