COOLING METHOD FOR COOLING ELECTRONIC DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140343748A1
• Filed: 08/05/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US14/452,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343748A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/00 Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus control arrangements in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A cooling method for cooling an electronic device that is performed by a processor included in an information processing apparatus, the cooling method includes acquiring a temperature history of the electronic device during a guaranteed period of the electronic device; determining a remaining lifetime of the electronic device by using a prediction model based on the temperature history; determining a reference temperature corresponding to the remaining lifetime and a remainder of the guaranteed period, the remainder indicating a difference of the guaranteed period and a total operation time of the electric device; setting a target temperature to cool the electronic device based on a comparison between the reference temperature and a predetermined temperature indicating an upper limit of the target temperature.

Claims

1. A cooling method for cooling an electronic device that is performed by a processor included in an information processing apparatus, the cooling method comprising:

acquiring a temperature history of the electronic device during a guaranteed period of the electronic device;

determining a remaining lifetime of the electronic device by using a prediction model based on the temperature history;

determining a reference temperature corresponding to the remaining lifetime and a remainder of the guaranteed period, the remainder indicating a difference of the guaranteed period and a total operation time of the electric device; and

setting a target temperature to cool the electronic device based on a comparison between the reference temperature and a predetermined temperature indicating an upper limit of the target temperature.

2. The cooling method according to claim 1, wherein the setting includes:

setting the target temperature which is equal to the reference temperature when the reference temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, and

setting the target temperature which is equal to the predetermined temperature when the reference temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature.

3. The cooling method according to claim 1,

wherein the setting includes setting the target temperature at a certain timing.

4. The cooling method according to claim 3,

wherein the setting of the target temperature includes setting a certain timing period that is shorter in a later half and longer in a former half of the guaranteed period.

5. The cooling method according to claim 3, further comprising:

calculating a temperature difference that represents a difference between an obtained temperature of the electronic device and a previously obtained temperature of the electronic device; and

determining whether the calculated temperature difference exceeds a preset threshold;

wherein the acquiring includes acquiring the temperature history regardless of the certain timing when it is determined that the calculated temperature difference exceeds the preset threshold.

6. The cooling method according to claim 1,

wherein the determining of the remaining lifetime includes:

calculating at every certain timing an acceleration factor that represents a ratio between a lifetime in a case where operation is performed at a preset use environment temperature and a lifetime that corresponds to an actual use environment temperature using the prediction model,

calculating, using the acceleration factor, an accumulated margin indicating an extended amount of lifetime obtained as a result of the electronic device being allowed to operate at a temperature lower than the preset use temperature in a period from a time point at which operation of the electronic device was started up to a timing at which the temperature history is obtained, and

calculating the remaining lifetime by adding the remaining guaranteed period to the calculated accumulated margin.

7. The cooling method according to claim 6,

wherein the determining of the use environment temperature includes:

calculating a permitted factor indicating a ratio of the remaining lifetime to the remaining guaranteed period, and

determining the use environment temperature based on the permitted factor.

8. The cooling method according to claim 6,

wherein the calculating of the accumulated margin includes:

calculating a lifetime margin in each of a plurality of periods separated by the certain timing in a period from the time point when operation of the electronic device was started until a timing at which the temperature history is obtained; and

calculating the accumulated margin by accumulating lifetime margins calculated in the plurality of periods.

9. The cooling method according to claim 1, further comprising:

controlling a cooling device such that a rotational speed of a cooling fan included in the cooling device which cools the electronic device becomes a rotational speed that corresponds to the determined reference temperature.

14. The cooling method according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is further configured to control a cooling device such that a rotational speed of a cooling fan included in the cooling device which cools the electronic device becomes a rotational speed that corresponds to the determined reference temperature.

10. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a memory, and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

acquire a temperature history of the electronic device during a guaranteed period of the electronic device;

determine a remaining lifetime of the electronic device by using a prediction model based on the temperature history;

determine a reference temperature corresponding to the remaining lifetime and a remainder of the guaranteed period, the remainder indicating a difference of the guaranteed period and a total operation time of the electric device; and

set a target temperature to cool the electronic device based on a comparison between the reference temperature and a predetermined temperature indicating an upper limit of the target temperature.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to:

set the target temperature which is equal to the reference temperature when the reference temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, and

set the target temperature which is equal to the predetermined temperature when the reference temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the processor is configured to set the target temperature at a certain timing.

13. The cooling method according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to:

calculate at every certain timing an acceleration factor that represents a ratio between a lifetime in a case where operation is performed at a preset use environment temperature and a lifetime that corresponds to an actual use environment temperature using the prediction model,

calculate, using the acceleration factor, an accumulated margin indicating an extended amount of lifetime obtained as a result of the electronic device being allowed to operate at a temperature lower than the preset use temperature in a period from a time point at which operation of the electronic device was started up to a timing at which the temperature history is obtained, and

calculate the remaining lifetime by adding the remaining guaranteed period to the calculated accumulated margin.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

acquiring a temperature history of the electronic device during a guaranteed period of the electronic device;

determining a remaining lifetime of the electronic device by using a prediction model based on the temperature history;

determining a reference temperature corresponding to the remaining lifetime and a remainder of the guaranteed period, the remainder indicating a difference of the guaranteed period and a total operation time of the electric device; and

setting a target temperature to cool the electronic device based on a comparison between the reference temperature and a predetermined temperature indicating an upper limit of the target temperature.