Abstract:
Systems and methods are disclosed to adapt RFID tags in a master-slave configuration and to connect them by a connector. Upon a request from a reader, the slave RFID tag will transmit via the connector data to the master RFID tag which will concatenate the latter with its own data and transmit a concatenated series of data to the reader. Such RFID tags are presented in use in a system for managing a plurality of equipment stored in a plurality of housings, as is the case for a room of IT servers. Each such slave RFID tag is fastened preferably onto a housing, contains information on the housing, and is connected to the master RFID tag preferably fastened onto the equipment stored in the housing and containing information on the equipment. A user thereby knows in a single reading information about the equipment and the housing that it occupies.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 13 53448 filed on Apr. 16, 2013, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system for managing by Radio Frequency IDentification tags (RFID tags) equipment arranged in various housings. 
         [0003]    In the field of equipment management, for example of management of electronic equipment such as servers, the use of RFID tags is known, typically by associating an RFID tag with each equipment. This makes it possible to know at any moment, by performing a reading of the RFID tags, which equipment is present in a given read zone, such as a room or a warehouse. However, the reading of an RFID tag does not give the location of an RFID tag with precision. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,418 describes a system for locating and managing objects using RFID tag assemblies. Objects that must be moved between various positions are equipped with RFID tags including information on the identities of the objects. The positions also include RFID tags containing information on the positions. A transport vehicle intended to move the objects is equipped with an RFID tag reader. A processor incorporated into the reader sends information on the identity of a moved object and on the sitting of the vehicle to an operator, and gives instructions on the motion of the objects to the operator of the vehicle in order to move them to the appropriate position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,089 describes an improvement of such a system and proposes a combination of a plurality of RFID antennas, a first on a fixed part of the mast of a forklift truck and at least a second on the mobile part of the forklift truck, each of the antennas being able to interrogate an RFID tag fixed on an object. Thus it is possible to know the exact position of an object present on the forklift truck. However, such a system does not make it possible to associate the information contained in the RFID tag of the position with the information contained in the RFID tag of the equipment into a single item of information in order to know the position of each object after it has been moved. 
         [0005]    The subject of the subject matter disclosed herein aims to remedy all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system for managing a plurality of equipment stored in a plurality of housings. The management system comprises a reader, a plurality of RFID tags of a first type, denoted slave, each comprising a transmitter and a plurality of RFID tags of a second type, denoted master, each also comprising a transmitter. The management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein is noteworthy in that each housing includes an RFID tag of one type, either master or slave, and each equipment includes an RFID tag of the other type which is connected via a connector to the RFID tag of the housing in which the equipment is stored. Moreover, each RFID tag of the master type is configured to transmit to the reader a series of data output by the slave RFID tag to which it is connected and a series of data output by the master RFID tag, in response to the request of a reader. 
         [0007]    According to a preferred embodiment, each housing of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein includes a slave RFID tag and each equipment of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein includes a master RFID tag. 
         [0008]    Advantageously, the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein moreover includes a connector on each slave RFID tag configured to receive the connector or a free connector, denoted inhibitor, configured to be connected to the connector. 
         [0009]    In the preferred embodiment, each slave RFID tag of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein comprises:
       a mechanism for detecting a connection on the connector;   an inhibitor configured to deactivate the transmitter of the RFID tag, in the event of a connection being detected on the connector; and   a sender configured to send a series of data in response to a request from the reader, in the event of a connection on the connector.       
 
         [0013]    In the preferred embodiment, each master RFID tag of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein comprises:
       a receiver configured to receive a series of data originating from the slave RFID tag connected to the master RFID tag;   a mechanism for detecting a connection of the receiver; and   a concatenator configured to concatenate the series of data received from the slave RFID tag with another series of data into a concatenated series of data, intended to be transmitted to the reader in response to a request from the reader.       
 
         [0017]    In a variant embodiment, at least one of the master RFID tags of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein comprises a connector for connecting to the slave RFID tag. 
         [0018]    In another variant embodiment, the connector of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein is chosen from among a cable and a jumper wire. 
         [0019]    According to a second aspect, the subject matter disclosed herein proposes a method for managing a plurality of equipment stored in a plurality of housings. The management method according to the subject matter disclosed herein implements a management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein, described above, and comprises a step of the reader emitting a request in the direction of a housing and of the reader receiving a series of data. The method according to the subject matter disclosed herein is noteworthy in that it comprises, for each housing receiving equipment, a step of connecting the RFID tag associated with the housing to the RFID tag associated with the equipment stored in the housing or to an inhibitor. 
         [0020]    In one embodiment, the method according to the subject matter disclosed herein includes, for each equipment stored in a housing, subsequently to the step of connecting the slave RFID tag, a step of the master RFID tag concatenating a series of data received from the slave RFID tag with a series of data output by the slave RFID tag. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0021]    Other features, details and advantages of the subject matter disclosed herein will become clearer from the detailed description given below for indicative purposes, with reference to the appended drawings in which: 
           [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an electronics rack comprising housings able to receive equipment; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  illustrates an RFID tag of slave type connected with an RFID tag of master type; 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates an RFID tag of slave type according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  illustrates an RFID tag of master type according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates a slave RFID tag connected to an inhibitor according to the subject matter disclosed herein; 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  illustrates a concatenation of series of data; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates a room comprising several electronics racks. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system for managing an electronics rack  30  including a plurality of housings  31  and a plurality of equipment  33  arranged in said housings  31 . In the example shown, the rack  30  includes sixteen housings generically denoted  31  and individually denoted  31   a - p . In these various housings  31  are placed equipment, here nine in number, generically denoted  33  and individually denoted  33   a - c,f - h,j,l,o . The equipment  33  shown are of single  33   a - c,f,g,  double  33   h,j,l  or triple  33   o  size. 
         [0030]    Equipment  33  of single size (1 unit) denotes equipment that is received in any single housing  31 . Consequently, equipment  33  of double size is equipment that is received in two contiguous housings  31 . Similarly, equipment  33  of size n is equipment that is received in n contiguous housings  31 . 
         [0031]    According to an embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein, each housing  31  is associated with a slave RFID tag generically denoted by the reference  32  and individually denoted by the references  32   a - 32   p  and each equipment  33  is associated with a master RFID tag denoted by the reference  34  and individually denoted by the reference  34   a - c,f - h,j,l,o.    
         [0032]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the RFID tags are fixed by adhesion or any other equivalent means onto the equipment or onto an edge of the cabinet forming the rack facing the housing  31  with which they are associated. 
         [0033]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the slave RFID tag  32  of the housing  31  is connected by a jumper wire or a cable  18  to the master RFID tag  34  of the equipment  33  placed in the housing. In the case of multiple housings  31  being occupied by one equipment  33 , the housing  31  of which the RFID tag  32  is connected is chosen arbitrarily. Thus in the example illustrated, the first housing  31  occupied starting from the top is selected. Any other choice would be possible. 
         [0034]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , each RFID tag  32  of slave type comprises, in a known manner, a base  2  on which a processor  3  or chip is arranged, connected to an antenna  5 . An RFID tag of slave type  32  is typically passive, in that it does not include its own power source. An RFID tag of slave type  32  is able to be interrogated by a reader  22 . To do this the slave RFID tag  32  also comprises a transmitter  4 . This transmitter  4  comprises hardware devices, including the antenna  5 , and a software part accessible to the chip  3 . This transmitter  4  is able to transmit wirelessly a series of housing data  9  specific to the slave RFID tag  32  in response to a request from a reader  22 . The series of housing data  9  of a slave RFID tag  32  comprises information characterizing said housing  31  such as the position of the RFID tag in the rack  30  and/or in the room  35  (as will be described below), its dimensions in the case where not all the housings  31  have the same dimensions, or any other feature beneficial to a management system. Such information can be expressly included in the series of housing data  9 . 
         [0035]    According to an embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein, each slave RFID tag  32  comprises a sender  6  and a connector  7 . This sender  6  comprises hardware devices, including the connector  7 , and a software part accessible to the chip  3 . 
         [0036]    Each slave RFID tag  32  furthermore comprises an inhibitor  8  for inhibiting the transmitter  4  allowing the disconnection of the antenna  5  from the transmitter  4  of the RFID tag  32 . This inhibitor  8  comprises hardware devices such as an interface with the connector  7 , an interface with the transmitter  4  and/or the antenna  5  and a software part accessible to the chip  3 . 
         [0037]    The detection of the connection of the sender  6  is performed, preferably, by a mechanism of switch type arranged in the connector  7 . The mechanism is actuated by the introduction into the connector  7  of a mating connector. 
         [0038]    In a manner similar to the slave RFID tag  32 , each RFID tag of master type  34  (illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) comprises a base  12  on which a processor  13  or chip is arranged, connected to an antenna  15 . The master RFID tag  34  is typically passive, in that it does not include its own power source. Each master RFID tag  34  is able to be interrogated by a reader  22 . To do this each master RFID tag  34  comprises a transmitter  14 . This transmitter comprises hardware devices, including the antenna  15  and a software part accessible to the chip  13 . This transmitter  14  is able to transmit wirelessly a series of equipment data  19  specific to the master RFID tag  34  in response to a request from a reader  22 . 
         [0039]    According to the subject matter disclosed herein, each master RFID tag  34  comprises a receiver  16  and a connector  17 . This receiver comprises hardware devices, including the connector  17  and a software part accessible to the chip  13 . This receiver  16  is selectively connectable, in that it can be connected in order to establish a connection or disconnected, according to choice. 
         [0040]    The receiver  16  allows the master RFID tag  34  to connect via a cable or jumper wire  18  to the sender  6  of a slave RFID tag  32  and to receive the series of data  9  from said slave RFID tag  32 . 
         [0041]    The detection of the connection of the receiver  16  is performed, preferably, by a mechanism of switch type arranged in the connector  17 . The mechanism is actuated by the introduction into the connector  17  of a mating connector. 
         [0042]    In a manner similar to the slave RFID tag, the series of equipment data  19  comprises information characterizing said equipment  33 . Thus can be characterized the dimension of the equipment in numbers of necessary housing units, or the model of the equipment  33 , its series number, its software version, its power, its number of processable rows, its bandwidth, or any other specification of the equipment, or any other feature beneficial to a management system. 
         [0043]    Each master RFID tag  34  also comprises a concatenator  23 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , such a concatenator  23  according to the subject matter disclosed herein is configured to concatenate the series of equipment data  19  specific to the master RFID tag  34  with the series of housing data  9  received from a slave 
         [0044]    RFID tag  32 . This concatenation forms a new series of data, which will be named concatenated series of data  24 . 
         [0045]    It will be noted that a series of housing data  9  or equipment data  19 , from a slave RFID tag  32 , or a master RFID tag  34  respectively, comprises a type IDentification, indicating that it is an RFID tag of slave or master type respectively. 
         [0046]    The type indicator makes it possible, among other things, not to impose any order for concatenating two series of data. 
         [0047]    It will be noted that so as not to have to modify the series of housing data  9  or equipment data  19  and to not be limited by its storage size, all these data can be stored in a more easily editable table, and indexed by a single IDentification, for example. 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  illustrates a slave RFID tag of a housing, connected to an inhibitor  21 . 
         [0049]    Such an inhibitor  21  takes the form of a connector similar to the connector present at the end of the cable  18 . In the absence of a complete cable  18 , no link with a master RFID tag  34  is made, but the slave RFID tag  32  “sees” a connection. Thus the inhibitor  8  is actuated and deactivates the transmitter  4 . It should be noted that such a slave RFID tag  32  connected to an inhibitor  21  is then rendered totally mute. 
         [0050]    The operation of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein will now be described with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
         [0051]    In this example, the equipment  33   a /RFID tag  34   a  is associated with or connected to the housing  31   a /RFID tag  32   a.  The equipment  33   b /RFID tag  34   b  is associated with or connected to the housing  31   b /RFID tag  32   b.  The equipment  33   c /RFID tag  34   c  is associated with or connected to the housing  31   c /RFID tag  32   c.    
         [0052]    The two housings  31   d - e /RFID tags  32   d - e  are free or disconnected. 
         [0053]    The equipment  33   f /RFID tag  34   f  is associated with/connected to the housing  31   f /RFID tag  32   f.  The equipment  33   g /RFID tag  34   g  is associated with/connected to the housing  31   g /RFID tag  32   g.  The equipment  33   h /RFID tag  34   h  is associated with/connected to the housing  31   h /RFID tag  32   h.    
         [0054]    The housing  31   i  is occupied by the equipment  33   h,  but its RFID tag  32   i  is not connected to an RFID tag. On the contrary, the RFID tag  32   i  is inhibited by introducing an inhibitor  21 . 
         [0055]    The equipment  33   j /RFID tag  34   j  is associated with/connected to the housing  31   j /RFID tag  32   j.    
         [0056]    The housing  31   k  is occupied by the equipment  33   j,  but its RFID tag  32   k  is not connected to an RFID tag. On the contrary, the RFID tag  32   k  is inhibited by introducing an inhibitor  21 . 
         [0057]    The equipment  33   l /RFID tag  34   l  is associated with or connected to the housing  31   l /RFID tag  32   l.    
         [0058]    The housing  31   m  is occupied by the equipment  33   l , but its RFID tag  32   m  is not connected to an RFID tag. On the contrary, the RFID tag  32   m  is inhibited by introducing an inhibitor  21 . 
         [0059]    The equipment  33   n /RFID tag  34   n  is associated with or connected to the housing  31   n /RFID tag  32   n.    
         [0060]    The housings  31   o - p  are occupied by the equipment  33   n,  but their RFID tags  32   o - p  are not connected to an RFID tag. On the contrary, the RFID tags  32   o - p  are inhibited by introducing an inhibitor  21  into each. 
         [0061]    Thus, during interrogation by reader  22  of the management system, the following discriminating responses are obtained:
       the master RFID tag  34 , the associated equipment  33  of which is arranged in a housing  31  is connected with the slave RFID tag  32  of one of the housings  31  occupied by the equipment  33 . This is the case of the pairs of equipment RFID tags  34   a - c,f,h,j,l,n  associated with the housing RFID tags  32   a - c,f,h,j,l,n  respectively.       
 
         [0063]    This connection is performed manually by an operator who connects a jumper wire/cable  18  between the two RFID tags  32 ,  34  after having put equipment  33  in place in its housing(s)  31 . 
         [0064]    Upon this connection, the detector for detecting the slave RFID tag  32  detects a connection of the sender  6  to a master RFID tag. In response to this detection, the inhibitor  8  deactivates the transmitter  4 . Thus, the RFID tag  32  is no longer able to respond to a request from the reader  22 . 
         [0065]    The detector for detecting the master RFID tag  34  detects a connection of the receiver  16  of the master RFID tag with the sender  6  of the slave RFID tag  32 . Thus, the master RFID tag  34  can receive the series of housing data  9  originating from the slave RFID tag  32 . 
         [0066]    After receiving the series of housing data  9  from the slave RFID tag, the concatenator  23  assembles the series of housing data  9  with the series of equipment data  19  to form the concatenated series of data  24 . 
         [0067]    The transmitter  14  of the master RFID tag  34  transmits said concatenated series of data  24  in response to the request from the reader  22 . In this way the series of housing data  9  received from the slave RFID tag  32  is relayed by the master RFID tag  34  in order to be transmitted to the reader  22 . 
         [0068]    It is understood that such a connected pair of master  34  and slave  32  RFID tags will transmit a concatenated series of data  24  comprising on one hand the series of equipment data  19  and on the other hand the series of housing data  9 . This concatenated series of data  24  informs that such equipment  33  is arranged in such housing  31  and thus that the corresponding housing  31  is occupied.
       The slave RFID tag  32 , whose the associated housing  31  is free, such as the RFID tags  32   d - e , will transmit its series of housing data  9  alone. The reception by the reader  22  of a series of housing data alone indicates an empty housing  32 .   The slave RFID tag  32 , whose the associated housing  31  is occupied by an equipment occupying several housings  31  and the master RFID tag of which is already connected to a slave RFID tag, is connected to inhibitor  21 , such as the RFID tags  32   i,k,m,o - p.      This connection to an inhibitor is performed manually by an operator who connects an inhibitor  21  to the connector  7  of the slave RFID tag  32 .       
 
         [0072]    Upon this connection, the detector for detecting the slave RFID tag  32  detects a connection of the sender  6  to a master RFID tag. In response to this detection, the inhibitor  8  deactivates the transmitter  4 . Thus, the RFID tag  23  is no longer able to respond to a request from the reader  22 . 
         [0073]    In response to the request from the reader  22 , such a slave RFID tag  32  will not transmit any series of data. The total of present housings  31  being known, the absence of direct reception by the reader  22  of an alone series of data  9 , can be determined by measuring the difference, and indicates an occupied housing  31 .
       The master RFID tag  34 , whose the associated equipment  33  is not arranged in a housing  31 , corresponding for example to one equipment  33  in reserve, not being connected, will transmit its series of equipment data  19  alone. Thus, the reception by the reader  22  of an alone series of equipment data  19  indicates an equipment  33  that is not arranged in a housing  31  and therefore available.       
 
         [0075]    An inhibitor  21  can be associated with a master RFID tag of such an equipment to indicate a non-functional equipment  33  and thus distinguish it from a functional equipment  33  in reserve. 
         [0076]    Although the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein described above employs a slave RFID tag  32  for the housings  31  and a master RFID tag  34  for the equipment  33 , it is possible to invert the RFID tags while complying with the fact that the RFID tags associated with the equipment  34  are of a type, either slave or master, different from the type of the RFID tags associated with the housings  31 . 
         [0077]      FIG. 8  illustrates the application of the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein to an electronics/IT room  5 . In this room  35  are arranged, in a known manner, several racks  30  comprising housings  31  able to receive equipment  33 . 
         [0078]    Various types of readers are also illustrated, generically denoted  22  and individually  22   a - d . A reader  22  can thus be a mobile reader. It is thus possible to discern a reader  22   a  carried by a mobile trolley able to be moved or to move autonomously in the room  35  or else a reader  22   b,  lighter, in order to be portable by an operator. A reader  22  can also be a fixed reader, such as a reader  22   d  installed at a fixed station on a rack  30  or on a wall of the room  35 . Another fixed reader is a reader  22   c  arranged at the level of the door of the room  35 . Such a reader  22   c  is particularly advantageous in that it detects any entry or exit of equipment  33  and/or of a housing  31 . This makes it possible to automatically keep updated an inventory of the contents of the room  35 . 
         [0079]    One or more of these readers  22 , where applicable in collaboration, allow the system to interrogate/read all the RFID tags as slave associated with the  32  that master  34  and to collect all the corresponding series of data in order to establish an inventory at a given instant of the contents of the room  35 . Such an interrogation can be performed periodically or on request when the configuration is modified. Such a set of readers  22  collects all the simple or concatenated series of data. These series of data are then processed. This processing can be performed by the reader(s)  22  and/or by a dedicated software package. 
         [0080]    Such a management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein comprises a human-machine interface able to present the processed information. 
         [0081]    This human-machine interface comprises a display for displaying the configuration of the type at least one display screen and a processing and display software package. The display displays a schematic map positioning the various housings  31 . On this schematic map, the display displays, in overlay, information arising from the processed series of data. 
         [0082]    Such a display, possibly modifiable on demand as a function of the particular features that one wishes to make appear, allows an operator to obtain a global picture of the configuration, in order to know which equipment  33  is arranged in which housing(s)  31 , which housing  31  is empty/available, etc. Other synthetic data can also be determined and displayed, such as number of empty housings  31 , numbers of occupied housings  31 , total aggregated capacity or power of the equipment  33 , map of the surrounding conditions etc., in an ergonomic form for the attention of an operator. 
         [0083]    In a variant embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein, at least one slave  32  or master  34  RFID tag of the management system comprises measurement means  25 , for measuring the temperature, atmospheric pressure, electrical consumption, noise level type or any other measurement sensor. The sensor is incorporated into the RFID tag  32 ,  34 . 
         [0084]    Alternatively, for reasons of limited space inside the RFID tag  32 ,  34 , the sensor is separate from the RFID tag  32 ,  34  and interfaced with the latter. An example of an interface is an IC 2  bus. This advantageously makes it possible to remove the sensor if needed. 
         [0085]    The measurement means  25  is able to insert the atmospheric measurements thus obtained into the series of data  9 ,  19  of the RFID tag  32 ,  34 . Thus, the surroundings measurement(s) can be transmitted to a reader  22 . 
         [0086]    If the RFID tag  32 ,  34  that comprises a measurement means  25  is passive, a measurement can only be performed when the RFID tag  32 ,  34  is activated, i.e. only during an interrogation by a reader  22 . In order to be able to lift this restriction and to be able to perform an atmospheric measurement at some other moment, a sensor, a measurement means  25  or else an RFID tag  32 , 34  can advantageously comprise its own independent power supply, for example by a battery, and thus be active or semi-active. 
         [0087]    Although the management system according to the subject matter disclosed herein has been described with particular RFID tags, modifications can be envisaged without altering the spirit of the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, in a variant embodiment, the connector  7  of the master or slave RFID tag is replaced by a cable on a permanent basis, thus making it possible to link this RFID tag to a corresponding slave or master RFID tag  34 . In such an example, the operator does not have to take any cables in order to ensure the various connections. In another variant embodiment, the connection detection mechanism, included in a slave or in a master RFID tag, is linked to the switch via an electronic and/or software processing module.