SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROGRAMMING OF A COOLING FAN ARRANGEMENT

• US 20130094973A1
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Krishnamoorthy, Ravishanker, Leong, Foo Leng, Susanto, Edy
• Granted Patent: US 9,334,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/44.11
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/001 Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/006 by influencing fluid temperatures

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method that comprises, based upon receipt of a mode command, changing an operating mode of a fan motor controller of a fan to a serial port communication protocol, programming a memory of the fan motor controller with an operating parameter of the fan, and based upon receipt of a serial port command, changing the operating mode of the fan motor controller from the serial port communication protocol to another protocol.

Claims

1. A method of programming a cooling fan arrangement, wherein the cooling fan arrangement includes (i) a fan, (ii) a fan motor, and (iii) a fan motor controller, the method comprising:

monitoring, by the fan motor controller, a pin of the cooling fan arrangement, wherein the fan motor controller is configured to selectively

(i) transmit, via the pin and from the fan motor controller to a first system that is external to the cooling fan arrangement, information associated with a fault of the cooling fan arrangement, or

(ii) receive, via the pin and from a second system that is external to the cooling fan arrangement, information for programming the cooling fan arrangement,

wherein monitoring, by the fan motor controller, the pin of the cooling fan arrangement comprises

detecting a pre-determined pattern in the pin, and

recognizing the pre-determined pattern as a mode command received from the second system, and

and wherein in response to recognizing the pre-determined pattern as the mode command received from the second system, the method further includes changing an operating mode of the fan motor controller to a programming mode to permit the fan motor controller to receive, via the pin, the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement from the second system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the pre-determined pattern in the pin further comprises:

determining that an output state of the pin is different from what is expected from an internal driving of the fan motor controller; and

in response to determining that the output state of the first pin is different from what is expected from an internal driving of the fan motor controller, detecting the pre-determined pattern in the pin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the cooling fan arrangement further comprises a memory; and

the method further comprises

subsequent to changing the operating mode of the fan motor controller to the programming mode, receiving the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement from the second system, wherein the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement comprises an operating parameter of the cooling fan arrangement; and

programming the memory of the fan motor controller with the operating parameter of the cooling fan arrangement.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, subsequent programming the memory of the fan motor controller with the operating parameter of the cooling fan arrangement:

receiving, on the pin from the second system, a serial port command to end the programming mode; and

in response to receiving on the pin from the second system the serial port command to end the programming mode, changing the operating mode of the fan motor controller from the programming mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein while the operating mode of the fan motor controller is in the programming mode, the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement is received by the fan motor controller, via the pin, from the second system in accordance with a serial port communication protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the cooling fan arrangement comprises a three-wire control arrangement; and

the serial port communication protocol is a one-wire serial port communication protocol.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the cooling fan arrangement comprises a four-wire control arrangement; and

the serial port communication protocol is a two-wire serial port communication protocol.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein programming the memory of the fan motor controller comprises programming the memory of the fan motor controller during production of the cooling fan arrangement.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein programming the memory of the fan motor controller comprises programming the memory of the fan motor controller subsequent to production of the cooling fan arrangement.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the operating parameter includes a temperature parameter that controls the cooling fan arrangement to achieve a predetermined temperature.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the operating parameter includes a rounds per minute parameter that controls a speed of the fan motor and thereby the fan.

12. A cooling fan arrangement comprising:

a fan;

a fan motor to drive the fan; and

a fan motor controller configured to

monitor a pin of the cooling fan arrangement, wherein the fan motor controller is configured to selectively (i) transmit, via the pin from the fan motor controller to a first system that is external to the cooling fan arrangement, information associated with a fault of the cooling fan arrangement, or (ii) receive, via the pin and from a second system that is external to the cooling fan arrangement, information for programming the cooling fan arrangement, wherein the fan motor controller is further configured to monitor the pin of the cooling fan arrangement by

detecting a pre-determined pattern in the pin, and

recognizing the pre-determined pattern as a mode command received from the second system, and

in response to recognizing the pre-determined pattern as the mode command received from the second system, change an operating mode of the fan motor controller to a programming mode to permit the fan motor controller to receive, via the pin, the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement from the second external system.

13. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 12, further comprising a memory, wherein the fan motor controller is further configured to:

subsequent to changing the operating mode of the fan motor controller to the programming mode, receive the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement from the second system, wherein the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement comprises an operating parameter of the cooling fan arrangement; and

program the memory of the fan motor controller with the operating parameter of the cooling fan arrangement.

14. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 13, wherein the fan motor controller is further configured to, subsequent to programming the memory of the fan motor controller:

receive, on the pin from the second system, a serial port command to end the programming mode;

in response to receiving on the pin from the second system the serial port command to end the programming mode, change the operating mode of the fan motor controller from the programming mode.

15. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 13, wherein while the operating mode of the fan motor controller is in the programming mode, the information for programming the cooling fan arrangement is received by the fan motor controller, via the pin, from the second system in accordance with a serial port communication protocol.

16. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 15, wherein:

the cooling fan arrangement comprises a three-wire control arrangement; and

the serial port communication protocol is a one-wire serial port communication protocol.

17. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 15, wherein:

the cooling fan arrangement comprises a four-wire control arrangement; and

the serial port communication protocol is a two-wire serial port communication protocol.

18. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 15, wherein the pin is a fault monitor pin, wherein the cooling fan arrangement further comprises:

a pulse width modulation (PWM) pin,

wherein the serial port communication protocol is a two-wire serial port communication protocol, and

wherein the fan motor controller is further configured to utilize the fault monitor pin and the PWM pin for the two-wire serial port communication protocol.

19. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 18, wherein during the two-wire serial port communication protocol, the PWM pin is utilized as a data pin and the fault monitor pin is utilized as a serial clock pin.

20. The cooling fan arrangement of claim 18, wherein during the two-wire serial port communication protocol, the fault monitor pin is utilized as a data pin and the PWM pin is utilized as a serial clock pin.