APPARATUS AND METHOD OF DISPLAYING HARDWARE STATUS USING AUGMENTED REALITY

• US 20130026220A1
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Whelihan, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,965,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes

Abstract

A method of accessing equipment status information in a data center includes detecting, by a mobile computing device, a fiduciary marker within at least one image captured by an image capture device, decoding the equipment identification data from the fiduciary marker, providing the equipment identification data to a data center management system for the data center through a communications network, receiving status information for the piece of equipment from the data center management system through the communication network, and displaying the status information on a display screen of the mobile computing device. The fiduciary marker is configured to contain encoded equipment identification data associated with a piece of equipment.

Claims

1. A method of accessing equipment status information in a data center, the method comprising:

detecting within the data center, by a mobile computing device, a fiduciary marker within at least one image captured by an image capture device coupled to the mobile computing device, the fiduciary marker configured to contain encoded equipment identification data associated with a piece of equipment;

decoding, by the mobile computing device, the equipment identification data from the fiduciary marker;

providing, by the mobile computing device, the equipment identification data to a data center management system for the data center through a communications network;

receiving, by the mobile computing device, status information comprised of at least one of an alert message, an alarm message, a sensor value, and a group name for the piece of equipment from the data center management system through the communication network; and

displaying the status information on a display screen of the mobile computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fiduciary marker includes a two-dimensional barcode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the status information includes superimposing the status information upon the at least one image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the mobile computing device and through the communication network, a control command to the piece of equipment through the data center management system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the piece of equipment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes a serial number of the piece of equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the piece of equipment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes a hostname associated with the piece of equipment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes a model number of the piece of equipment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the equipment identification data includes a location of the piece of equipment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the status information via a GUI and receiving and displaying additional information of at least one of an alert message, an alarm message, a sensor value, and a group name.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one image includes a live video feed.

13. An apparatus for accessing equipment status information in a data center, the apparatus comprising:

a camera; and

a mobile computing device having a processor, a display screen and a wireless communication unit, the mobile computing device coupled to the camera and configured to receive at least one image captured by the camera;

the processor configured to;

detect a fiduciary marker within the at least one image, the fiduciary marker configured to contain encoded equipment identification data associated with a piece of equipment in the data center;

decode the equipment identification data from the fiduciary marker;

send the equipment identification data to a data center management system for the data center using the wireless communication unit;

receive status information comprised of at least one of an alert message, an alarm message, a sensor value, and a group name for the piece of equipment from the data center management system using the wireless communication unit; and

display the status information on the display screen.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fiduciary marker includes a two-dimensional barcode.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to display the status information superimposed upon the at least one image.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to send a control command to the piece of equipment through the data center management system using the wireless communication unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the equipment identification data includes at least one of an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the piece of equipment, a serial number of the piece of equipment, a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the piece of equipment, a hostname associated with the piece of equipment, a model number of the piece of equipment, and a location of the piece of equipment.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to send a request for additional information pertaining to the status information, which includes at least one of an alert message, an alarm message, a sensor value, and a group name.

19. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on a processor perform the acts of:

detecting, within a data center, a fiduciary marker within at least one image captured by an image capture device coupled to the processor, the fiduciary marker configured to contain encoded equipment identification data associated with a piece of equipment;

decoding the equipment identification data from the fiduciary marker;

providing the equipment identification data to a data center management system for the data center through a communications network;

receiving status information comprised of at least one of an alert message, an alarm message, a sensor value, and a group name for the piece of equipment from the data center management system through the communication network; and

displaying the status information on a display screen coupled to the processor.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the fiduciary marker includes a two-dimensional barcode having hardware identification data encoded therein.