# US 10,501,179 B2 · Technologies for managing data center assets using unmanned aerial vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,501,179 B2 - Document ID: US10501179B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/955,346 - Filed: 2018-04-17 - Published: 2018-12-27 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-29 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Igor Ljubuncic; Raphael Sack; Tomer Rider; Shahar Taite; Robert L. Vaughn; Vishwa Hassan; William L. Giard - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501179B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - G06F 30/13: Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads - G06V 10/225: {based on a marking or identifier characterising the area} - G06V 10/44: Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components - G06V 20/10: Terrestrial scenes (scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59) - G06V 20/13: Satellite images - G06V 20/17: taken from planes or by drones - G06V 30/224: of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks - G08G 5/26: Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft and ground stations - G08G 5/55: for a single aircraft - G08G 5/57: for unmanned aircraft - G08G 5/74: for monitoring terrain - H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication} - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - B64U 2201/10: autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] - B64U 2201/20: Remote controls - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR ## Abstract Technologies for managing assets of a data center include a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communicatively coupled to a remote computing device. The UAV is configured to navigate throughout a data center and capture data center mapping information during the navigation usable to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the data center. The UAV is further configured to transmit the captured data center mapping information to a remote computing device. Accordingly, the UAV can receive instructions from a remote computing device that define a type of task to be performed by the UAV in the data center and perform such a task (e.g., a data center map update task, an asset inventory task, a maintenance task, a visual inspection task, etc.) based on the received task instructions. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for managing assets of a data center, the UAV comprising: one or more processors; and one or more data storage devices having stored therein a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the UAV to: navigate throughout a data center; identify assets of the data center comprising one or more of server racks or servers based on known characteristics of the assets; capture data center mapping information during the navigation, wherein the data center mapping information is usable to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the data center including the identified assets of the data center; and transmit the captured data center mapping information to a remote computing device wirelessly coupled to the UAV. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: generate the 3D model of the data center; detect boundaries and obstructions within the data center based on the data center mapping information; and update the 3D model to include the detected boundaries and obstructions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The UAV of claim 2, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: identify assets of the data center based on the detected obstructions; and update the 3D model to include the identified assets of the data center. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The UAV of claim 3, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to generate one or more flight paths throughout the data center based on the updated 3D model and the identified assets, wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate throughout the data center based on a predetermined flight path. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein to capture the data center mapping information comprises capturing a series of images usable to generate the 3D model of the data center, and wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate in a flight pattern conducive to capturing the series of images from which the 3D model of the data center is capable of being generated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to receive an indication from the remote computing device, wherein the indication indicates to map the data center and includes instruction on a flight path to be navigated throughout the data center, and wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate throughout the data center in response to having received the indication from the remote computing device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The UAV of claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: receive task instructions from the remote computing device, wherein the task instructions define a type of task to be performed by the UAV in the data center; and perform a task in the data center based on the received task instructions, wherein the task instructions include data collection settings that define which types of data are to be collected during performance of the task. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The UAV of claim 7, wherein the type of task to be performed indicates to perform an identification of one or more of a plurality of server racks, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of a server rack of the plurality of server racks to be identified based on the task instructions; detect, upon having navigated to the server rack, one or more identification characteristics of the server rack, wherein the one or more detected identification characteristics are usable to identify at least one of a type of the server rack and an orientation of the server rack; and transmit the one or more detected identification characteristics to the remote computing device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The UAV of claim 7, wherein the type of task to be performed indicates to perform an inventory of a plurality of servers of the data center, wherein each of the plurality of servers is housed in one of a plurality of server racks of the data center, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of the server relative to a server rack of the plurality of server racks to be inventoried based on the task instructions; scan a presently unscanned portion of the server rack; determine whether a server of the plurality of servers has been detected by the scan; collect, in response to a determination that the server has been detected by the scan, server inventory data of the detected server; and transmit the collected server inventory data to the remote computing device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The UAV of claim 9, wherein to collect the server inventory data comprises to collect at least one of identifying information of the server, status information of the server, and position information of the server relative to a bay of the server rack in which the server is housed. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The UAV of claim 7, wherein the type of task to be performed indicates to perform maintenance on a server of a plurality of servers of the data center, wherein each of the plurality of servers is housed in one of a plurality of server racks of the data center, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of the server relative to a server rack of the plurality of server racks in which the server is housed; connect to the server via a wireless communication channel; and perform maintenance on the server based on the task instructions. ### Claim 12 One or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that in response to being executed cause an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to: navigate throughout a data center; identify assets of the data center comprising one or more of server racks and servers based on known characteristics of the assets; capture data center mapping information during the navigation, wherein the data center mapping information is usable to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the data center including the identified assets of the data center; and transmit the captured data center mapping information to a remote computing device wirelessly coupled to the UAV. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: generate the 3D model of the data center; detect boundaries and obstructions within the data center based on the data center mapping information; and update the 3D model to include the detected boundaries and obstructions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: identify assets of the data center based on the detected obstructions; and update the 3D model to include the identified assets of the data center. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to generate one or more flight paths throughout the data center based on the updated 3D model and the identified assets, wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate throughout the data center based on a predetermined flight path. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein to capture the data center mapping information comprises to capture a series of images usable to generate the 3D model of the data center, and wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate in a flight pattern conducive to capturing the series of images from which the 3D model of the data center is capable of being generated. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to receive an indication from the remote computing device, wherein the indication indicates to map the data center and includes instruction on a flight path to be navigated throughout the data center, and wherein to navigate throughout the data center comprises to navigate throughout the data center in response to having received the indication from the remote computing device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: receive task instructions from the remote computing device, wherein the task instructions define a type of task to be performed by the UAV in the data center; and perform a task in the data center based on the received task instructions, wherein the task instructions include data collection settings that define which types of data are to be collected during performance of the task. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the type of task to be performed indicates to perform an identification of one or more of a plurality of server racks, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of a server rack of the plurality of server racks to be identified based on the task instructions; detect, upon having navigated to the server rack, one or more identification characteristics of the server rack, wherein the one or more detected identification characteristics are usable to identify at least one of a type of the server rack and an orientation of the server rack; and transmit the one or more detected identification characteristics to the remote computing device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The one or more non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the type of task to be performed indicates to perform an inventory of a plurality of servers of the data center, wherein each of the plurality of servers is housed in one of a plurality of server racks of the data center, and wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of the server relative to a server rack of the plurality of server racks to be inventoried based on the task instructions; scan a presently unscanned portion of the server rack; determine whether a server of the plurality of servers has been detected by the scan; collect, in response to a determination that the server has been detected by the scan, server inventory data of the detected server; and transmit the collected server inventory data to the remote computing device. ### Claim 21 An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for managing assets of a data center, the UAV comprising: one or more processors; and one or more data storage devices having stored therein a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the UAV to: navigate to a location of a server in a data center; connect to the server via a wireless communication channel; perform maintenance on the server; and transmit results of the maintenance on the server to a remote computing device wirelessly coupled to the UAV. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The UAV of claim 21, wherein to perform maintenance on the server comprises one or more of (i) to perform a diagnostic check on the server; (ii) to apply an update to the server; or (iii) to connect a data cable to the server. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The UAV of claim 21, wherein to navigate to the location of the server in the data center comprises (i) to navigate to a position at which a server rack in which the server is located; or (ii) to navigate to a server console at which a server rack in which the server is located.