Component Health Tracking for Secure Electronics Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in efficiently tracking the remaining life and predicting future failures of information handling system components for reuse, while minimizing environmental impact and information security risks, and optimizing carbon footprint during manufacturing and logistics.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that tracks component lifecycle information at geographically distributed micro manufacturing centers, using robotic tools and secure end-user interaction data to schedule repairs and remanufacture, considering cost and carbon footprint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If components are harvested from failed information handling systems for reuse, then environmental impact is reduced and system costs are reduced, but the expense of breaking down systems, testing components and rebuilding systems becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary tracking of component health states and usage data during the operational phase of information handling systems. This preliminary action captures component lifecycle information, health metrics, and performance data before components fail, enabling automated decisions about reuse eligibility without requiring extensive post-failure testing and manual assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes of disassembly, physical testing, and inspection with automated electronic tracking systems and data-driven decision-making. Component health is monitored through embedded sensors and software agents that automatically collect and analyze usage data, eliminating the need for manual component harvesting and testing operations
2Productivity
If component health state is tracked to enable informed reuse decisions, then component reuse is optimized, but information security risks increase due to tracking end user interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary component-level usage data and health metrics required for reuse decisions, while deliberately excluding end-user interaction data and sensitive information. The tracking system focuses on component performance parameters such as cycle counts, operational hours, and error rates, separating these from any data that could reveal user behavior or sensitive operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different tracking characteristics for different components, monitoring only the specific parameters relevant to each component type's health and reliability. This localized approach ensures that tracking is tailored to component needs rather than universally monitoring all system data, minimizing information security exposure while maintaining reuse optimization
3Reliability
If information handling systems are repaired by replacing failed components, then system reliability is restored, but functional components are committed to landfills increasing environmental impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a component recovery and reuse program that identifies components suitable for continued service rather than discarding them during repairs. By tracking component health states and predicting remaining useful life, the system recovers functional components for reuse in other systems, directly reducing the volume of functional components sent to landfills while maintaining system reliability through strategic component replacement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the decision parameters for component replacement from binary (replace or keep) to a continuous assessment based on component health metrics, usage patterns, and predicted reliability. This parameter-based approach enables optimization of replacement decisions to maximize component utilization while maintaining required system reliability levels
4Productivity
If component lifecycle information is tracked securely, then component reuse is enhanced, but tracking complexity and data management requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the component tracking system into modular components, with each information handling system or component group having its own tracking agent that collects and manages data locally. This segmentation distributes data management responsibilities and reduces the complexity burden on any single system, while enabling centralized analysis for reuse optimization decisions
Data Source
AI summary
A life cycle agent stored in non-transitory memory and executing on an information handling system processor detects lifecycle information associated with a component of the information handling system to communicate to a network location so that the lifecycle information is available at breakdown of the information handling system for reuse. A scannable code on the component includes an identifier stored with the lifecycle information so that component health is evaluated at information handling system breakdown. Lifecycle information of one component is stored on other components when relevant to the lifecycle of the other components, such as detection of liquid at a keyboard membrane, which is stored locally in a motherboard lifecycle non-transitory memory.