Method and system for automatically locating equipment stored in a rack

• US 6,762,691 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2001
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Piazza, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY III, EDWIN C
• Application Number:
  US09/758,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.49, 340/10.1, 340/10.31, 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 235/385, 711/115, 700/213, 700/229
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409

Abstract

A method and system for automatically determining the location of equipment mounted in a rack is disclosed. The method and system comprises providing a plurality of signal emitting elements within the rack and transmitting positional information from the rack to the equipment via at least one signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements. The equipment receives the positional information transmitted by the at least one signal emitting element, and is capable of reporting the positional information, such that the location of the equipment can be determined.

Claims

1. A method for automatically determining the location of equipment mounted in a rack, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a plurality of signal emitting elements within the rack;

b) transmitting continuously and automatically positional information from the rack to the equipment via at least one signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements;

c) receiving the positional information in the equipment, and

d) causing the equipment to be capable of reporting the positional information, such that the location of the equipment can be determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) providing a microcontroller for driving the plurality of signal emitting elements, wherein the microcontroller is connected with the rack; and

(b2) driving each element of the plurality of signal emitting elements, one at a time in sequential order, to transmit a signal comprised of positional information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(c1) sensing the positional information through a detector mounted in the equipment; and

(c2) feeding the positional information sensed by the detector into a register, wherein an intelligent component in the equipment can read the positional information from the register.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of (e) providing the positional information to a system management software application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (e) of providing the positional information further comprises the step of (e1) collecting the positional information from the equipment by the system management software application.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein step (e) of providing the positional information further comprises the step of (e1) reporting the positional information by the intelligent component to the system management software application.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of signal emitting elements are located on an interior side wall of the rack and dispersed from a top to a bottom of the interior side wall.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein step (b1) of providing the microcontroller further comprises the step of (b1a) assigning an identification number to the microcontroller.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the signal includes the microcontroller'"'"'s identification number.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal further includes information identifying a position of an element of the plurality of signal emitting elements relative to the top of the interior side wall of the rack.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal further includes information identifying a position of an element of the plurality of signal emitting elements relative to the bottom of the interior side wall of the rack.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein step (c1) of sensing further includes the step of (c1a) providing an opening in the equipment through which the detector senses the positional information.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving step c) further comprises the step of (c3) updating the positional information in the equipment if the positional information is different from the positional information conveyed in a previously received signal.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one signal emitting element is the signal emitting element closest to the detector in the equipment.

15. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step (f) of displaying a graphical image of the location of the equipment.

16. A system for automatically determining the location of equipment mounted in a rack, comprising:

a plurality of signal emitting elements within the rack;

a microcontroller for driving each signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements to transmit continuously and automatically, one at a time in sequential order, positional information;

a receiver in the equipment for receiving the positional information transmitted by at least one signal emitting element, and

an intelligent component in the equipment for reporting the positional information received by the receiver, such that the location of the equipment can be determined.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the receiver further comprises:

a detector mounted in the equipment for sensing the positional information; and

a register into which the positional information is feed by the detector, wherein the intelligent component in the equipment reads the positional information from the register.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a system management software application for communicating with the equipment to determine the location of the equipment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the system management software application collects the positional information from the equipment.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the equipment reports the positional information to the system management software application.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the microcontroller is assigned an identification number.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the positional information includes the microcontroller'"'"'s identification number.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the positional information further includes information identifying a position of a signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements relative to a top of the rack.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the positional information further includes information identifying a position of a signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements relative to a bottom of the rack.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiver further comprises:

an opening in the equipment through which the detector senses the positional information.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the intelligent component updates the positional information if the positional information is different from the positional information conveyed in a previously received signal.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one signal emitting element is the signal emitting element closest to the detector in the equipment.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the system management software application displays a graphical image of the location of the equipment.

29. A method for automatically locating equipment stored in a rack, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a strip, wherein the strip is mounted vertically on an interior side wall of the rack, the strip having a plurality of signal emitting elements;

b) transmitting continuously and automatically positional information from the rack to the equipment via at least one signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements;

c) receiving the positional information in the equipment, and

d) causing the equipment to be capable of reporting the positional information, such that the location of the equipment can be determined.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the transmitting step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) providing a microcontroller for driving the plurality of signal emitting elements, wherein the microcontroller is connected with the strip; and

(b2) driving each signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements, one at a time in sequential order, to transmit a signal comprised of positional information.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the plurality of signal emitting elements comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

32. A system for automatically locating equipment stored in a rack, comprising:

a strip having a plurality of signal emitting elements, wherein the strip is mounted vertically on an interior side wall of the rack;

a microcontroller for driving each signal emitting element of the plurality of signal emitting elements to transmit continuously and automatically, one at a time in sequential order, positional information;

a receiver in the equipment for receiving the positional information transmitted by at least one signal emitting element; and

an intelligent component in the equipment for reporting the positional information received by the receiver, such that the location of the equipment can be determined.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the plurality of signal emitting elements comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.