Server inventory of non-electronic components

• US 9,379,781 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Browne, Jason A., Steele, Matthew A., Suffern, Edward S., Wray, Andrew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US14/642,834
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 726/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information

Abstract

A system contains one or more non-electronic components, each of which has a near field communication (NFC) identification chip attached thereon and/or associated therewith. A non-electronic component inventory controller identifies the non-electronic components in the system by interrogating the NFC identification chips with an NFC electromagnetic field that is emitted an NFC electromagnetic field emitter.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more non-electronic components, each having a unique Near Field Communication (NFC) identification chip affixed thereto;

an NFC emitter; and

a non-electronic component inventory controller, wherein the system is a blade server within a blade chassis, wherein the non-electronic components are in the blade server, and wherein the non-electronic components are one or more components from a group consisting of a server cover, a heat sink on a processor, an air duct, and a chip slot filler.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

comparison logic that compares a table of all potential non-electronic components that are designed to be components of the system with non-electronic components that are identified by the NFC identification chips as actually being present within the system; and

a fault message generator, wherein the fault message generator generates a fault message on a display in response to the designed components of the system failing to match the non-electronic components that are identified by the NFC identification chips.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a management controller, wherein the management controller manages electronic and non-electronic components within the system, and wherein the non-electronic component inventory controller is a component of the management controller.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an enclosure around the system, wherein an NFC electromagnetic field generated by the NFC emitter is confined within the enclosure.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the NFC identification chips are NFC dots.

6. A method of inventorying non-electronic components of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a Near Field Communication (NFC) receiver within a non-electronic component inventory controller, an identification signal, wherein the identification signal is generated by an NFC identification chip, wherein the NFC identification chip is affixed to a specific non-electronic component within an electronic device, and wherein the identification signal is generated in response to an NFC electromagnetic field inducing a current in the NFC identification chip to cause a transmission of the identification signal from the NFC identification chip; and

inventorying, by a non-electronic component inventory controller, non-electronic components of the electronic device according to received identification signals, wherein the electronic device is a blade server within a blade chassis, wherein the non-electronic components are in the blade server, and wherein the non-electronic components are one or more components from a group consisting of a server cover, a heat sink on a processor, an air duct, and a chip slot filler.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the NFC electromagnetic field is emitted from an NFC electromagnetic field emitter.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing, by the non-electronic component inventory controller, identities of the non-electronic components identified by NFC identification chips in a first table, wherein the first table identifies all electronic components within the electronic device that are designed to be coupled to particular non-electronic components.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing, by the non-electronic component inventory controller, the first table with a second table that contains identities of non-electronic components that are designed components of the electronic device; and

generating, by a fault message generator, a fault message on a display in response to the first table failing to match the second table.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic device is being assembled on an assembly line, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting the fault message to the assembly line, wherein the fault message identifies a missing non-electronic component and an electronic component to which the missing non-electronic component is to be coupled with.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the NFC electromagnetic field is confined within the enclosure around the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein NFC identification chips are NFC dots.

13. A computer program product for inventorying non-electronic components in an electronic device, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and wherein the program code is readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

emitting, from a Near Field Communication (NFC) electromagnetic field emitter within a non-electronic component inventory controller, an NFC electromagnetic field, wherein the non-electronic component inventory controller inventories non-electronic components of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device is a blade server within a blade chassis, wherein the non-electronic components are in the blade server, and wherein the non-electronic components are one or more components from a group consisting of a server cover, a heat sink on a processor, an air duct, and a chip slot filler; and

receiving, by an NFC receiver within the non-electronic component inventory controller, an identification signal, wherein the identification signal is generated by an NFC identification chip, wherein the NFC identification chip is affixed to a specific non-electronic component within an electronic device, and wherein the identification signal is generated in response to the NFC electromagnetic field inducing a current in the NFC identification chip to cause a transmission of the identification signal from the NFC identification chip.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

storing, by the non-electronic component inventory controller, identities of the non-electronic components identified by NFC identification chips in a first table, wherein the first table identifies which electronic components within the electronic device are designed to be coupled to particular non-electronic components.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

comparing, by the non-electronic component inventory controller, the first table with a second table that contains identities of non-electronic components that are designed components of the electronic device; and

generating, by a fault message generator, a fault message on a display in response to the first table failing to match the second table.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the NFC identification chips are NFC dots.