Real-Time AR Tablet for Data Center Asset Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data center workers face challenges in efficiently inventorying and identifying components within large data center environments due to the sheer number of items and similarities in equipment, leading to time-consuming troubleshooting and difficulty in locating specific equipment based on alarms or notifications.
Innovation Solution
A mobile electronic device with a camera and processor is used to capture images of equipment and ID devices, transmitting them to a remote DCIM system for real-time identification and information retrieval, displaying relevant data on the device's display, and providing turn-by-turn navigation to locate equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual entry of component information is used, then inventory data can be recorded in a database, but time consumption increases and error probability increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual entry system with an automated optical recognition system. The mobile device captures images of equipment and ID devices, and the processor automatically extracts identification information from these images, eliminating the need for manual keyboard entry and reducing both time and errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables equipment to identify itself through visual markers and ID devices that contain identification information. The mobile device automatically reads this information through image capture and processing, allowing the equipment to provide its own identification data without human intervention.
2Productivity
If visual location of equipment is performed manually in large data centers, then equipment can be located, but time consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual markers and ID devices as intermediaries between the equipment and the worker. These markers are placed on or near equipment and contain identification information that can be quickly captured by the mobile device's camera, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between the worker and the equipment without requiring physical search.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a visual dimension to equipment identification by placing visible markers and ID devices on equipment. Instead of relying on physical location search alone, the system creates a visual layer of information that can be captured remotely through imaging, transforming the identification process from a spatial search problem to a visual recognition problem.
3Loss of information
If detailed information about equipment is made available, then troubleshooting accuracy improves, but information management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves multiple functions: capturing images of equipment, processing these images to extract identification information, retrieving detailed equipment specifications from a database, and displaying this information to the worker. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single universal device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a database as an intermediary between the identification information extracted from images and the detailed equipment specifications. The database stores and manages the complex information, while the mobile device acts as an intermediary to retrieve and display only the relevant information needed for the current task, simplifying the user interface while maintaining comprehensive information availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed which is adapted to manage assets in a predetermined environment. An identification (ID) device may be disposed on at least one of a specific asset or an equipment rack in which the specific asset resides. A mobile electronic device may have a processor having processor executable code; a display; a camera for obtaining an image of the ID device; and a memory for storing asset information concerning a plurality of different assets. The executable code may be used to determine in real time, from the image and the stored asset information, information pertaining to the specific asset. The information may be displayed on the display.