Apparatus for monitoring environmental parameters at network sites

• US 5,905,867 A
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Department Of Health And Human Services
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Giorgio, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMIREZ, ELLIS B
• Application Number:
  US08/759,359
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 361/687, 307/66, 417/44.1, 395/200.54
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20209 Thermal management, e.g. fan control

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed having a controller at each of several network es, each controller monitoring cooling fan output, ambient temperature and electrical load. Each controller includes a network interface and microcontroller for responding to requests for the values of monitored parameters. In response to such a request, the controller processes a procedure that retrieves a requested monitored parameter value and that transfers that value onto the network.

Claims

1. Apparatus for transferring operating parameters of a first digital computer in response to a request for operating status from a second digital computer connected to said first digital computer through a computer network, the first digital computer being cooled by directing ambient air through the first digital computer, said apparatus comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring at least one of the electrical load of the first digital computer, ambient temperature of the first digital computer and the rate of airflow through the first digital computer;

control means responsive to said monitoring means for controlling the airflow rate;

means for saving the monitored values of at least one of the electrical load, ambient temperature and airflow rate; and

means connected to the computer network for transferring the saved monitored values to the second digital computer.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said ambient air is directed by at least one variable speed fan and said saving means saves a monitored fan speed value for each variable speed fan.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein the electrical load is constituted by a variable load energized by a power supply in response to a load control signal and said saving means includes means for saving a value corresponding to a duty cycle of the load control signal.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the electrical load is constituted by a variable load energized by a power supply in response to a load control signal and said saving means includes means for saving a value corresponding to a duty cycle of the load control signal.

5. Apparatus for transferring operating parameters of a digital computer system in response to a request received over a network wherein the digital computer system includes at least one cooling fan for directing cooling air through the digital computer system and a variable electrical load energized by a switching power supply and operated in an environment with a variable ambient temperature, said apparatus comprising:

electrical load monitoring means for monitoring as a first parameter the power being coupled from the switching power supply to the electrical load;

temperature monitoring means for monitoring as a second parameter the ambient temperature;

fan speed monitoring means for monitoring as a third parameter the speed of the at least one fan;

control means for generating a fan speed control signal in response to the monitoring of the power, ambient temperature and fan speed; and

transferring means connected to said monitoring means and said control means, said transfer means being adapted for connection to the computer network for transferring onto the network the value of one of the monitored parameters in response to a network request.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the switching power supply operates in response to a pulse-width modulated control signal and said electrical load monitoring means includes means for measuring the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated control signal.

7. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein the at least one fan includes tachometer means for generating a signal indicating fan speed and said fan speed monitoring means includes means for measuring the tachometer signal.

8. Apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein the switching power supply operates in response to a pulse-width modulated control signal and said power monitoring means includes means for measuring the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated control signal.