# US 10,245,727 B2 · Automated data center

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- Number: US 10,245,727 B2
- Document ID: US10245727B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/936,883
- Filed: 2018-03-27
- Published: 2018-08-02
- Granted: 2019-04-02
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-21
- Assignees: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
- Applicants: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
- Inventors: Robert J. Morrill; Jared E. Wray
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245727B2

## CPC

- B25J 9/1666: {Avoiding collision or forbidden zones}
- B25J 5/02: travelling along a guideway
- B25J 9/0093: {co-operating with conveyor means}
- B25J 9/1664: {characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning}
- G11B 15/68: Automatic cassette changing arrangements; {automatic tape changing arrangements}
- G11B 15/6885: {the cassettes being conveyed within a cassette storage location, e.g. within a storage bin or conveying by belt}
- G11B 17/22: from random access magazine of disc records
- H05K 7/1498: {Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location (thermal management H05K7/20836)}
- Y10S 901/02: Arm motion controller
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

An automated data center management system includes one or more equipment racks housing at least one server farm equipment, each of the at least one server farm equipment having a respective attachment point, a spare equipment repository having at least one replacement equipment, and a hardware management robot. The hardware management robot includes a robotic arm having an interface point, the interface point configured to couple to the attachment point. A hardware management controller is communicates with the hardware management robot, the hardware management controller including at least one processor, and non-transitory computer readable media having encoded thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions to receive a service request indicating a server farm equipment needing service, determine a location of the server farm equipment, generate a path to the location of the server farm equipment, and transmit the path to the hardware management robot.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automated data center management system, comprising:
one or more equipment racks, each equipment rack configured to house at least one server farm equipment, each of the at least one server farm equipment having an attachment point;
a spare equipment repository having at least one replacement equipment; and
a first hardware management robot comprising a robotic arm having an interface point, the interface point configured to couple to the attachment point of the at least one server farm equipment;
a hardware management controller in communication with the first hardware management robot, the hardware management controller comprising:
at least one processor;
non-transitory computer readable media having encoded thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the hardware management controller to:
receive a service request, wherein the service request indicates server farm equipment needing service;
determine a location of the server farm equipment;
determine whether one or more objects are located between the first hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
generate a path from the first hardware management robot to the location of the server farm equipment, wherein the path that is generated takes into account a location of each of at least one of the one or more objects that are determined to be located between the first hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
transmit information regarding the path to the first hardware management robot;
wherein, in response to receiving the information regarding the path, the first hardware management robot is configured to follow the path to the server farm equipment and to replace the server farm equipment with replacement equipment of the at least one replacement equipment.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the automated data center management system further comprises a track, wherein the first hardware management robot is operably coupled to the track to move along the track.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the track is coupled to a ceiling of a data center.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the track is coupled to a floor of a data center.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the track is a looped track, and wherein the track comprises one or more track junctions that join a main segment of the track to at least one secondary segment of the track, wherein each track junction is configured to allow the first hardware management robot to select whether to traverse the main segment or one or more of the at least one secondary segment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the path includes a return path from the location of the server farm equipment, wherein the path further includes an alternate return path configured to allow the first hardware management robot to avoid obstructions along the return path.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the alternate return path guides the first hardware management robot to a conveyor belt position, wherein the conveyor belt is configured to carry recovered equipment to a failed equipment service area.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the first hardware management robot is in communication with at least one second hardware management robot, and wherein the first hardware management robot determines the alternate return path based on communication from the at least one second hardware management robot.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first hardware management robot is in communication with at least one second hardware management robot, and wherein the first hardware management robot determines an alternate path to the location of the server farm equipment based on communication from the at least one second hardware management robot.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the interface point is chosen from a set of interchangeable interface points including at least one of a screw-type, a magnetic-type, a suction-type, a hook-type, a finger-type, or a clamp-type interface point.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions executable by the at least one processor further causes the hardware management controller to identify, based at least in part on the service request, replacement equipment among the at least one replacement equipment available in the spare equipment repository with which to replace the server farm equipment.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions executable by the at least one processor further causes the hardware management controller to create an indicator with which to tag recovered equipment.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the server farm equipment is associated with at least one of a tag, a barcode, or a label, wherein the first hardware management robot is further operable to read the at least one of the tag, the barcode, or the label to identify the server farm equipment.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the tag, the barcode, or the label comprises a radio frequency identification handle or near-field communication chip.

### Claim 15

A method for automating a data center, comprising:
receiving, with a hardware management controller, a request to service server farm equipment;
determining, with the hardware management controller, a location of the server farm equipment;
determining, with the hardware management controller, whether one or more objects are located between a hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
generating, with the hardware management controller, a path from the hardware management robot to the location of the server farm equipment, wherein the path that is generated takes into account a location of each of at least one of the one or more objects that are determined to be located between the hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
traversing, with the hardware management robot, the path to the location of the server farm equipment; and
replacing, with the hardware management robot, the server farm equipment with replacement equipment.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
identifying, with the hardware management controller, replacement equipment available in a spare equipment repository with which to replace the server farm equipment; and
retrieving, with the hardware management robot, the identified replacement equipment from the spare equipment repository.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the path includes a return path from the location of the server farm equipment, wherein the method further comprises:
generating, with the hardware management controller, an alternate return path configured to allow the hardware management robot to avoid obstructions along the return path;
determining, with the hardware management robot, that an obstruction is blocking the return path; and
traversing, with hardware management robot, the alternate return path in response to determining that the return path is blocked.

### Claim 18

An automated data center hardware management controller, comprising:
at least one processor;
non-transitory computer readable media having encoded thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the automated data center hardware management controller to:
receive a service request, wherein the service request indicates server farm equipment needing service;
determine a location of the server farm equipment;
determine whether one or more objects are located between a hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
generate a path from the hardware management robot to the location of the server farm equipment, wherein the path that is generated takes into account a location of each of at least one of the one or more objects that are determined to be located between the hardware management robot and the server farm equipment;
transmit information regarding the path to the hardware management robot.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The automated data center hardware management controller of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions executable by the at least one processor further causes the hardware management controller to identify, based at least in part on the service request, an identifier of the server farm equipment needing service, wherein the location of the server farm equipment is determined based on the identifier of the server farm equipment.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The automated data center hardware management controller of claim 18, wherein the set of instructions executable by the at least one processor further causes the hardware management controller to identify replacement equipment available in a spare equipment repository with which to replace the server farm equipment.