Tracking information technology (IT) assets

• US 9,858,797 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cai, Mingming, Li, Yubo, Wang, Qing, Xue, Chao
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US14/861,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20170084159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An association connection is established between a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and a second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment. An association connection is established between the second BLE device and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, and the association information stored in the second BLE device to the third BLE via one or more broadcasting frames is periodically transmitted. Based on current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, an identity of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, and the physical location of the second BLE device within the asset management environment is identified.

Claims

1. A method for management of assets in an asset management environment, the method comprising:

establishing an association connection between a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and a second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment, and exchanging one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the second BLE device;

establishing an association connection between the second BLE device and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, and periodically transmitting the association information stored in the second BLE device to the third BLE device via one or more broadcasting frames;

maintaining, by the third BLE device, current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, based on the transmitted association information;

receiving, by the one or more computer processors from the third BLE device, the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device; and

identifying assets in the asset environment, by the one or more computer processors, based on the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, an identity of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, and the physical location of the second BLE device within the asset management environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the association connection between the first BLE device, and the second BLE device, and exchanging one or more association request frames comprises:

responsive to determining that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that indicates a signal power between the first BLE device and the second BLE device exceeds a predefined threshold, transmitting, by the first BLE device, an association request to the second BLE device; and

establishing an association connection between the first BLE device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and the second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment, and exchanging one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the second BLE device.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

initializing, by the second BLE device, a time-out condition for the association request received by the second BLE device;

determining, by the second BLE device, whether the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition;

responsive to determining that the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition, confirming, by the second BLE device, the association connection between the first BLE device and the second BLE device; and

updating, by the second BLE device, the association information stored in the second BLE device.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

responsive to determining that the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition, resetting, by the second BLE device, a timer for the time-out condition; and

responsive to determining that the association request frame was not received before the timer time-out, dissociating the first BLE device from the second BLE device.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

responsive to determining that an RSSI does not exceed a predefined threshold, updating, by the second BLE device, the association information to indicate that the first BLE device is not associated with the second BLE device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the RSSI is based in part on a distance between a first BLE device and a second BLE device, such that a greater distance between the first BLE device and the second BLE device results in a lesser RSSI.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the association connection between the first BLE device, and the second BLE device, and exchanging one or more association request frames comprises:

responsive to determining that RSSIs indicate a signal power between the first BLE device and each of a plurality of second BLE devices exceeds a predefined threshold, identifying, by the first BLE device, one of the plurality of second BLE devices associated with the greatest RSSI; and

establishing an association connection between the first BLE device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and the identified second BLE device, and exchanging one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the identified second BLE device.

8. A method for asset management in an asset environment, first BLE devices operating in central mode and attached to assets to track, second BLE devices operating in peripheral mode, and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, the method comprising:

establishing association connections between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices, such that one or more frames can be exchanged to exchange current association information;

establishing association connections between the second BLE devices and the third BLE device, such that the third BLE device can receive current association information that includes association connection statuses between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices;

maintaining, by the third BLE device, current association information between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices, based on the current association information;

receiving, by the one or more computer processors from the third BLE devices, the current association information between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices; and

identifying assets in the asset environment, by the one or more computer processors, based on the current association information between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices, an identity of the asset to which one of the first BLE devices is attached, and the physical location of one of the second BLE devices within the asset management environment.

9. The method of claim 8, establishing association connections between the first BLE devices and the second BLE devices, such that one or more frames can be exchanged to synchronize association information comprises:

responsive to determining that more than one of the second BLE devices and one of the first BLE devices has an RSSI that exceeds a predefined threshold, identifying, by the one of the first BLE devices, one of the more than one of the second BLE devices associated with the greatest RSSI; and

transmitting, by the one of the first BLE devices, an association request to the identified second BLE device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

accepting, by the identified second BLE device, the transmitted association request to establish an association connection.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

initializing, by the identified second BLE device, a time-out condition for the association request received by the identified second BLE devices;

determining, by the identified second BLE device, whether the association request transmitted by the one of the first BLE devices is received by the identified second BLE device before the time-out condition;

responsive to determining that the association request transmitted by the one of the first BLE devices is received by the identified second BLE device before the time-out condition, confirming, by the identified second BLE device, the association connection between the one of the first BLE devices and the identified second BLE device; and

updating, by the identified second BLE device, the association information stored in the second identified BLE device.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

broadcasting, by the second BLE devices, a broadcasting frame to indicate association connection statuses between the second BLE devices and the first BLE devices.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting, by the third BLE device, an acknowledgement frame to indicate confirmed association connection statuses between the second BLE devices and the first BLE devices.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting, by the first BLE devices, an association request frame to identify the first BLE devices establishing an association request with the second BLE devices.

15. A computer system for management of assets in an asset management environment, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors, one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to establish an association connection between a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and a second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment, and exchange one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the second BLE device;

program instruction to establish an association connection between the second BLE device and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, and periodically transmitting the association information stored in the second BLE device to the third BLE device via one or more broadcasting frames;

program instructions to maintain current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, based on the transmitted association information;

program instructions to receive the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device; and

program instructions to identify assets in the asset environment based on the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, an identity of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, and the physical location of the second BLE device within the asset management environment.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to establish the association connection between the first BLE device, and the second BLE device, and exchange one or more association request frames comprise:

program instructions to, responsive to determining that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) that indicates a signal power between the first BLE device and the second BLE device exceeds a predefined threshold, transmit an association request to the second BLE device; and

program instructions to establish an association connection between the first BLE device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and the second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment, and exchange one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the second BLE device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

program instructions to initialize a time-out condition for the association request received by the second BLE device;

program instructions to determine whether the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition;

program instructions to, responsive to determining that the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition, confirm the association connection between the first BLE device and the second BLE device; and

program instructions to update the association information stored in the second BLE device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

program instructions to, responsive to determining that the association request transmitted by the first BLE device is received by the second BLE device before the time-out condition, reset a timer for the time-out condition; and

program instructions to, responsive to determining that the association request frame was not received before the timer time-out, dissociate the first BLE device from the second BLE device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions further comprise:

program instructions to, responsive to determining that an RSSI does not exceed a predefined threshold, update the association information to indicate that the first BLE device is not associated with the second BLE device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions to establish the association connection between the first BLE device, and the second BLE device, and exchange one or more association request frames comprise:

program instructions to, responsive to determining that RSSIs indicate a signal power between the first BLE device and each of a plurality of second BLE devices exceeds a predefined threshold, identify one of the plurality of second BLE devices associated with the greatest RSSI; and

program instructions to establish an association connection between the first BLE device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and the identified second BLE device, and exchange one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the identified second BLE device.