Computing device, method, and computer program for controlling cooling fluid flow into a computer housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9723763-B2
Application number	US-201414319101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2014
Priority date	Oct 3, 2013
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A computing device having a housing; a temperature monitor to monitor a temperature within the housing; a cooling fluid drawing mechanism to draw cooling fluid into the housing; a cooling fluid drawing controller, when the computing device is installed within an enclosure as one of plural computing devices, to obtain a value representing the temperature, and if the value is within a predetermined range, to select an operating state for the mechanism from among a first state in which the mechanism draws fluid into the housing at a first rate, and a second state in which the mechanism draws cooling fluid into the housing at a second rate lower than the first rate, and to run the mechanism in the selected state; where the selection of the state is based on demand for cooling from other computing devices from among the plurality of computing devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computing device comprising:
a housing;
a temperature monitor configured to monitor a temperature within the housing;
a cooling fluid drawing mechanism configured to draw cooling fluid into the housing, the cooling fluid drawing mechanism being one or more fan;
a cooling fluid drawing controller being a processor and a memory of the computing device and being configured, when the computing device is installed within an enclosure as one of a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are installed within the enclosure, to obtain a value representing the monitored temperature, and;
when the value is within a predetermined range of values, to selects an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism from among a first operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a first rate, and a second operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a second rate lower than the first rate and to run the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the selected operating state,
when the value is above the predetermined ranged of values, to select an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is configured to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a rate equal to or above the first rate,
wherein the cooling fluid controller selects the first operating state when an exhaust temperature in a path of exhaust air from the plurality of computing devices is below an exhaust temperature threshold and the cooling fluid drawing controller selects the second operating state when the exhaust temperature is above the exhaust temperature threshold.

2. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is a plurality of fans spaced apart from one another.

3. The computing device according to claim 2 , wherein while running the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the second operating state, the cooling fluid drawing controller is configured to increase a speed of one or more of the plurality of fans and to decrease a speed of one or more other of the plurality of fans, without altering an aggregate speed of the plurality of fans.

4. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the cooling fluid draw controller selects the second operating state, the cooling fluid drawing controller is configured to determine a length of time for which to run the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the second operating state, and, following expiry of the determined length of time, to obtain the value representing the monitored temperature within the housing, and, when the value is within the predetermined range of values, to run the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the first operating state.

5. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the cooling fluid drawing controller is running the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the second operating state, the cooling fluid drawing controller is configured to monitor the exhaust temperature, and to change the operating state of the cooling fluid drawing mechanism from the second operating state to the first operating state in response to the exhaust temperature changing from being above the exhaust temperature threshold to being below the exhaust temperature threshold.

6. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein, the cooling fluid drawing controller is configured to periodically obtain the value representing the monitored temperature within the housing, and when the obtained value is below the predetermined range of values, the cooling fluid drawing controller is configured to run the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in an operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a rate less than the second rate.

7. A method of controlling a cooling fluid drawing mechanism configured to draw cooling fluid into a housing of a computing device installed within an enclosure as one of a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are installed within the enclosure, the cooling fluid drawing mechanism being one or more fans, the method comprising:
obtaining a value representing a temperature within the housing from a temperature monitor, and when the value is within a predetermined range of values, selecting an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism from among a first operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a first rate, and a second operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a second rate lower than the first rate, and
when the value is above the predetermined range of values, selecting an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is configured to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a rate equal to or above the first rate, and
running the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the selected operating state;
wherein the first operating state is selected when an exhaust temperature in a path of exhaust air from the plurality of computing devices is below an exhaust temperature threshold and the second operating state is selected when the exhaust temperature is above the exhaust temperature threshold.

8. A non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a computing device having a processor and a cooling fluid drawing mechanism configured to draw cooling fluid into a housing of the computing device installed within an enclosure as one of a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are installed within the enclosure, causes the computing device to perform a method comprising:
obtaining a value representing a temperature within the housing from a temperature monitor, and when the value is within a predetermined range of values, selecting an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism from among a first operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a first rate, and a second operating state in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is operable to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a second rate lower than the first rate,
when the value is above the predetermined range of values, selecting an operating state for the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in which the cooling fluid drawing mechanism is configured to draw cooling fluid into the housing at a rate equal to or above the first rate, and
running the cooling fluid drawing mechanism in the selected operating state;
wherein the first operating state is selected when an exhaust temperature in a path of exhaust air from the plurality of computing devices is below an exhaust temperature threshold and the second operating state is selected when the exhaust temperature is above the exhaust temperature threshold.

Assignees

• Fujitsu Ltd

Inventors

• Berghe Sven Van Den

Classifications

• G06F1/20

  Cooling means · CPC title

• H05K7/20745

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device · CPC title

• H05K7/20836 Primary

  Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control · CPC title

• H05K7/20736

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title