Method and system for monitoring the thermal status of a card shelf

• US 6,359,565 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Network Communications Incorporated (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Brolin, Steven J., Burnell, James F., Pedoeem, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US09/325,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 340/679, 340/691.1, 340/691.3, 340/692, 340/577, 340/581, 340/588, 340/589, 340/635, 340/643, 361/106, 361/695, 361/103-105, 361/687, 361/688, 361/697, 361/692, 361/694
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20581 Cabinets including a drawer for fans
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/207 Thermal management, e.g. cabinet temperature control

Abstract

A method for monitoring the operating temperature within a card shelf having a plurality of discrete electronic cards includes receiving a first temperature indicative of an operating temperature of an item on one of the electronic cards. A second temperature indicative of an ambient temperature in which the electronic card is operating is also received. Based on the first and second temperatures, a temperature controller determines whether the item is operating within specified limits.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a fan assembly having at least one fan for each of a plurality of temperature zones in a card shelf, comprising:

receiving a plurality of temperature inputs from a plurality of temperature sensors for each temperature zone in the card shelf, the temperature inputs each indicative of an operating temperature of an item within the temperature zone, each temperature sensor associated with a particular item;

determining a temperature profile for each zone in the card shelf based on the temperature inputs for the zone; and

in response to at least one temperature profile for a zone being above a specified limit for the zone and a fan failure within the fan assembly, generating an alarm indicative of a fan failure for the zone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fan assembly includes redundant fans for each of the temperature zones, further comprising in response to at least one temperature profile for a zone being over a specified limit for the zone and multiple fan failures within the fan assembly, generating an alarm indicative of a redundant fan failure for the zone.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining for each zone whether the temperature profile is over a specified value for the zone; and

generating an alarm for each zone in which the temperature profile is over the specified limit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a correlating temperature associated with each item, the correlating temperature corresponding to a difference between the temperature input and the operating temperature of the item, and wherein determining a temperature profile comprises determining the temperature profile based on the temperature inputs and the correlating temperatures.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising accessing a relational database to retrieve the correlating temperatures.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a relational database to retrieve the corresponding associations between the temperature sensors and the items.

7. A card shelf, comprising:

a plurality of temperature zones within the card shelf, each temperature zone including at least one electronic card;

a fan assembly including at least one fan for each temperature zone in the card shelf;

each temperature zone including a plurality of temperature sensors distributed on electronic cards in the zone, each temperature sensor disposed proximate an item on the electronic card and reporting a temperature indicative of an operating temperature of the item within the temperature zone;

a temperature controller comprising software stored on a computer-readable medium, the temperature controller operable to determine a temperature profile for each zone in the card shelf based on the temperatures reported for the zone, to determine the occurrence of a fan failure in the fan assembly, and to generate an alarm signal indicative of a fan failure for a zone in response to determining at least the occurrence of a fan failure and the temperature profile for the zone being above a specified limit.

8. The card shelf of claim 7, further comprising:

the fan assembly including redundant fans for each temperature zone in the card shelf;

the temperature controller operable to determine the occurrence of a multiple fan failure in the fan assembly and to generate an alarm signal indicative of a redundant fan failure for a zone in response to determining at least the occurrence of a multiple fan failure and the temperature profile for the zone being above a specified limit.

9. The card shelf of claim 7, wherein each temperature sensor is associated with a particular item on a card.

10. The card shelf of claim 9, further comprising a relational database containing information corresponding to the associations between the temperature sensors and the items, and wherein the temperature controller is operable to receive the association information from the relational database.

11. The card shelf of claim 7, further comprising a relational database containing correlating temperatures corresponding to each of the items, the correlating temperature corresponding to a difference between the reported temperature of an item and the operating temperature of the item, and wherein the temperature controller is further operable to determine the temperature profile for each zone from the reported temperatures.

12. A card shelf comprising:

a plurality of temperature zones within the card shelf, each temperature zone including at least one electronic card;

a fan assembly including at least one fan for each temperature zone in the card shelf;

each temperature zone including a plurality of temperature sensors distributed in the temperature zone, each temperature sensor associated with a particular item within the temperature zone, each temperature sensor reporting a temperature indicative of an operating temperature of the item within the temperature zone; and

a temperature controller comprising software stored on a computer-readable medium, the temperature controller operable to determine a temperature profile for each temperature zone in the card shelf based on the temperatures reported for each temperature zone, to determine the occurrence of a fan failure in the fan assembly, and to generate an alarm signal indicative of a fan failure for a specific temperature zone in response to determining at least the occurrence of a fan failure and the temperature profile for the specific temperature zone being above a specified limit.