# US 2019/0174650 A1 · Systems and methods for monitoring the presence of rack mounted equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0174650 A1 - Document ID: US20190174650A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/324,334 - Filed: 2017-08-28 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-31 - Assignees: CommScope Technologies LLC - Applicants: CommScope Technologies LLC - Inventors: Peter Smith - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190174650A1 ## CPC - H05K 7/1494: {having hardware for monitoring blades, e.g. keyboards, displays (methods or software therefore H05K7/1498)} - G06F 11/30: Monitoring - G06F 15/16: Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs {(coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B)} - H05K 7/1487: {Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade} - H05K 7/1498: {Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location (thermal management H05K7/20836)} - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Systems and methods for monitoring the presence of rack mounted equipment are described herein. In certain embodiments, a system includes one or more racks, each rack in the one or more racks configured to hold rack mounted equipment at one or more positions within the rack. The system also includes one or more sensor bars associated with each position in the one or more positions, wherein each sensor bar in the one or more sensor bars produces a signal that indicates whether the rack mounted equipment is located at the position associated with a respective sensor bar. Further, the system includes an analyzer configured to receive the signal produced by the sensor bar, wherein the analyzer provides an indication that rack mounted equipment is located at the position to an infrastructure management system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for monitoring for the presence of rack mounted equipment, the system comprising: one or more racks, each rack in the one or more racks configured to hold rack mounted equipment at one or more positions within the rack; one or more sensor bars associated with each position in the one or more positions, wherein each sensor bar in the one or more sensor bars produces a signal that indicates whether the rack mounted equipment is located at the position associated with a respective sensor bar; an analyzer configured to receive the signal produced by the sensor bar, wherein the analyzer provides an indication that rack mounted equipment is located at the position to an infrastructure management system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor bar comprises: a back plate having back plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the back plate, wherein the back plate holes extend through the back plate; a switching mechanism; a top plate having top plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the top plate, wherein the top plate holes are at locations associated with corresponding back plate holes, wherein the switching mechanism is between the back plate and the top plate such that the switching mechanism switches as the top plate moves toward the back plate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, further comprising a flexible layer between the back plate and the top plate, wherein the flexible layer cushions the movement of the top plate towards the back plate, wherein the flexible layer comprises flexible layer holes extending through the flexible layer, the flexible layer holes at locations associated with corresponding top plate holes and back plate holes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the flexible layer holes have a larger diameter than the top plate holes and the back plate holes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, further comprising one or more flanges on the back plate that limit the movement of the top plate towards the back plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the top plate is segmented. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the switching mechanism is comprised of a plurality of switches that extend along the length of the sensor bar. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of switches comprise a plurality of switching pairs, wherein each switching pair has a first switch coupled to a common conductor and a second switch coupled to a dedicated conductor, wherein the common conductor is shared by the first switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs and the second switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs has its own dedicated conductor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein one or more pairs of switches in the plurality of switches has an associated multi-drop bus. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a sensor bar is located on each side of the rack. ### Claim 11 A method for monitoring for the presence of rack mounted equipment, the method comprising: placing one or more sensor bars within a rack at locations configured to hold rack mounted equipment at one or more positions within the rack; transmitting a signal from the one or more sensor bars to an analyzer, wherein the signal indicates whether rack mounted equipment is located at the one or more positions associated with a respective sensor bar; providing communications from the analyzer to an infrastructure management system, wherein the communications provide an indication as to whether rack mounted equipment is located at the one or more positions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor bar comprises: a back plate having back plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the back plate, wherein the back plate holes extend through the back plate; a switching mechanism; a top plate having top plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the top plate, wherein the top plate holes are at locations associated with corresponding back plate holes, wherein the switching mechanism is between the back plate and the top plate such that the switching mechanism switches as the top plate moves toward the back plate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising a flexible layer between the back plate and the top plate, wherein the flexible layer cushions the movement of the top plate towards the back plate, wherein the flexible layer comprises flexible layer holes extending through the flexible layer, the flexible layer holes at locations associated with corresponding top plate holes and back plate holes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the flexible layer holes have a larger diameter than the top plate holes and the back plate holes. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising one or more flanges on the back plate that limit the movement of the top plate towards the back plate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the top plate is segmented into one or more segments. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the signal from the one or more sensor bars to the analyzer comprises transmitting a signal associated with a segment in the one or more segments. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the switching mechanism is comprised of a plurality of switches that extend along the length of the sensor bar. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the plurality of switches comprise a plurality of switching pairs, wherein each switching pair has a first switch coupled to a common conductor and a second switch coupled to a dedicated conductor, wherein the common conductor is shared by the first switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs and the second switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs has its own dedicated conductor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein one or more pairs of switches in the plurality of switches has an associated multi-drop bus. ### Claim 21 A system, the system comprising: one or more racks; one or more pieces of equipment mounted at one or more positions within the one or more racks; one or more sensor bars associated with the one or more positions, wherein each sensor bar in the one or more sensor bars produces a signal that indicates whether the one or more pieces of equipment are mounted within the one or more racks; and an infrastructure management system configured to receive an indication based on the signal as to whether the one or more pieces of equipment are mounted within the one or more racks. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, further comprising an analyzer configured to receive the signal and provide the indication to the infrastructure management system. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor bar comprises: a back plate having back plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the back plate, wherein the back plate holes extend through the back plate; a switching mechanism; a top plate having top plate holes that are periodically located along the length of the top plate, wherein the top plate holes are at locations associated with corresponding back plate holes, wherein the switching mechanism is between the back plate and the top plate such that the switching mechanism switches as the top plate moves toward the back plate. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, further comprising a flexible layer between the back plate and the top plate, wherein the flexible layer cushions the movement of the top plate towards the back plate, wherein the flexible layer comprises flexible layer holes extending through the flexible layer, the flexible layer holes at locations associated with corresponding top plate holes and back plate holes. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the flexible layer holes have a larger diameter than the top plate holes and the back plate holes. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, further comprising one or more flanges on the back plate that limit the movement of the top plate towards the back plate. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the top plate is segmented. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the switching mechanism is comprised of a plurality of switches that extend along the length of the sensor bar. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The system of claim 28, wherein the plurality of switches comprises at least one of: a plurality of switching pairs, wherein each switching pair has a first switch coupled to a common conductor and a second switch coupled to a dedicated conductor, wherein the common conductor is shared by the first switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs and the second switch in each of the plurality of switching pairs has its own dedicated conductor; and a multi-drop bus.