INFRARED SENSOR ARRAY BASED TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEMS FOR DATA CENTERS AND RELATED METHODS

• US 20150123562A1
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Redwood Systems, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adriaenssens, Luc W., Findlater, Stewart
• Granted Patent: US 9,347,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/106 Arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/07 Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position optical collimating elements G01J5/0806
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/485 Temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Temperature monitoring systems for data centers include a plurality of ceiling-mounted infrared sensor arrays. Each infrared sensor array includes a two-dimensional array of infrared emission sensors, and at least some of the infrared emission sensors have field of view patterns that project onto aisle faces of equipment racks that are mounted in rows in the data center. These systems may further include a controller that is remote from at least some of the infrared sensor arrays and that is in communications with the infrared sensor arrays, the controller configured to provide a two-dimensional thermal map of the aisle faces of the equipment racks based at least in part on temperature data received from the infrared sensor arrays.

Claims

1. A temperature monitoring system for a data center that includes a plurality of aisles and a plurality of equipment racks that are mounted in rows between the aisles, the temperature monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of overhead-mounted infrared sensor arrays that are mounted above the aisles and/or the equipment racks, wherein each infrared sensor array includes a two-dimensional array of infrared emission sensors, and at least some of the infrared emission sensors have field of view patterns that project onto aisle faces of the equipment racks; and

a controller that is remote from at least some of the infrared sensor arrays and that is in communications with the infrared sensor arrays, the controller configured to provide a two-dimensional thermal map of the aisle faces of the equipment racks based at least in part on temperature data received from the infrared sensor arrays.

2. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a first of the infrared sensor arrays comprises a substrate that has the plurality of infrared emission sensors on a front surface of the substrate, and wherein a back surface of the substrate is mounted at an acute angle with respect to a plane defined by the floor of the data center.

3. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the acute angle is an angle of at least twenty degrees.

4. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a first of the overhead-mounted infrared sensor arrays comprises a ceiling-mounted infrared, sensor array that is mounted on a support that extends downwardly below the ceiling.

5. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the overhead-mounted infrared sensor arrays are co-located with light fixtures that are mounted above the aisles.

6. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a first of the infrared sensor arrays is powered via a cable that includes at least first and second conductors, and wherein the information received from the first of the infrared sensor arrays is transmitted to the controller over at least one of the first and second conductors.

7. The temperature monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the first and second conductors of the cable provide a direct current power signal to a light fixture.

8. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a first infrared emission sensor of a first of the infrared sensor arrays has a field of view pattern that projects onto an upper portion of the aisle face of a first equipment rack and a second infrared emission sensor of the first of the infrared sensor arrays has a field of view pattern that projects onto a lower portion of the aisle face of the first equipment rack.

9. The temperature monitoring system of claim 8, wherein a third infrared emission sensor of the first of the infrared sensor arrays has a field of view pattern that projects onto a top surface of the first equipment rack.

10. The temperature monitoring system of claim 8, wherein a third infrared emission sensor of the first of the infrared sensor arrays has a field of view pattern that projects onto a floor of the data center.

11. The temperature monitoring system of claim 9, wherein a fourth infrared emission sensor of the first of the infrared sensor arrays has a field of view pattern that projects onto a floor of the data center.

12. The temperature monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the first through fourth infrared emission sensors have field of view patterns that are aligned along an axis.

13. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor arrays comprise Grid Pattern Infrared sensor arrays that detect infrared emissions and convert the detected infrared emissions to temperature values.

14. The temperature monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the field of view pattern of the infrared emission sensors of a first of the overhead-mounted infrared sensor arrays have respective resolutions that vary at least as a function of a height of the field of view pattern above a floor of the data center.

15. The temperature monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the respective resolutions increase with increasing height of the field of view pattern above the floor.

16. The temperature monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control light emitted by the light fixtures based at least in part on motion detected by the overhead-mounted infrared sensor arrays.

17. A method of monitoring temperatures at a plurality of rack mounted electronic devices in a data center, the method comprising:

mounting a plurality of infrared sensor arrays that each include a plurality of infrared emission sensors above equipment racks and/or aisles of the data center so that the infrared emission sensors project multiple rows of field of view patterns that are at different heights above a floor of the data center on aisle faces of the equipment racks;

using the infrared sensor arrays to determine temperature readings at the aisle faces of the equipment racks at different heights above the floor of the data center;

transmitting the temperature readings to a centralized controller; and

outputting temperature information to a user.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising compiling a multi-dimensional thermal map of the aisle faces of the equipment racks based on the temperature readings.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein temperature readings taken at greater heights above the floor of the data center have greater resolution than temperature readings taken at smaller heights above the floor of the data center.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising performing a commissioning process for each of the infrared sensor arrays in which an average emissivity for each field of view pattern is determined.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the commissioning process further comprises determining a contribution of reflected light from one or more light fixtures to the infrared readings for each infrared emission sensor.

22. An integrated lighting and thermal monitoring system for a data center, comprising:

a solid state light fixture;

at least one infrared sensor array that is co-located with the solid state light fixture, the infrared sensor array including a plurality of infrared emission sensors that are configured to take temperature readings along the aisle face of a row of equipment racks, wherein the temperature readings are taken at different heights above a floor of the data center;

a cable that has first and second conductors that are configured to supply power to the solid state light fixture and to the infrared sensor array; and

a central controller,

wherein at least one of the first and second conductors is configured to provide a transmission medium for transmitting temperature data from the infrared sensor array to the central controller.

23. The integrated lighting and thermal monitoring system of claim 22, wherein the infrared sensor array is configured to take temperature readings along the aisle face of the row of equipment racks that have variable resolution as a function of height above the floor of the data center.

24. An integrated lighting and thermal monitoring system for a data center, comprising:

a solid state light fixture;

at least one infrared sensor array that is co-located with the solid state light fixture, the infrared sensor array including a plurality of infrared emission sensors that are configured to take temperature readings along the aisle face of a row of equipment racks, wherein the temperature readings are taken at different heights above a floor of the data center;

a cable that has first and second conductors that are configured to supply power to the solid state light fixture and to the infrared sensor array; and

a central controller,

wherein the infrared sensor array is configured to wirelessly transmit temperature data to the central controller.

25. The integrated lighting and thermal monitoring system of claim 24, wherein the infrared sensor array is configured to take temperature readings along the aisle face of the row of equipment racks that have variable resolution as a function of height above the floor of the data center.