Thermal management computing system and method

• US 7,630,856 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rocky Research (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rocky Research (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Khalili, Kaveh, Rockenfeller, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Bryan
• Application Number:
  US12/053,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 702/130, 702/132, 702/182, 702/186, 361/687, 361/688, 700/299
• US Class Current: 702/132
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management

Abstract

A thermal management method of operation to cool critical heat generating components and when a critical electronic component approaches its designated maximum operation temperature or its rate of temperature increase is determined to be in excess a predetermined level, its operating speed is reduced in small increments (1% to 5%), and/or a cooling fan speed it increased in small increments, (1% to 5%), and, if necessary, operation of a variable capacity heat transfer component is induced to cool the critical component.

Claims

1. A method of thermal management in a computing system comprising a plurality of critical heat generating electronic components having designated maximum operating temperatures and designated maximum operating speeds, respectively, comprising:

monitoring the temperature of said critical components and the rate of temperature increase of said critical components;

determining that the temperature of a detected critical component approaches its designated maximum operating temperature, or determining that the rate of temperature increase of said detected component exceeds a predetermined temperature, and, in response to such determination initiating one or more of the following procedures as necessary to maintain operation of said detected component at or above at least about 80% of its designated maximum operating speed;

(a) reducing the operating speed of said detected component in increments of between about 1% and about 5% until a predetermined component temperature is reached,

(b) increasing the speed of one or more fans for cooling said detected component in increments of between about 1% and about 5% until the predetermined component temperature is reached, and

if carrying out step (a) or step (b) does not result in reducing the temperature of said detected component to the predetermined lower temperature within a predetermined time limit,

(c) inducing thermal communication between said detected component and a variable capacity heat transfer component.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining that the temperature of one or more of said critical components is lower than about 10% below its designated maximum operating temperature, and in response to such determination, reducing the fan speed of a fan configured to cool such lower temperature component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising first carrying out step (a) for a predetermined time and thereafter, only if necessary, concurrently carrying out step (b) until the temperature of said detected critical component is reduced to or below said predetermined component temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising first carrying out step (b) for a predetermined time and thereafter, only if necessary, concurrently carrying out step (a) until the temperature of said detected critical component is reduced to or below said predetermined component temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating and concurrently carrying out steps (a) and (b) until the temperature of said detected critical component is reduced to or below said predetermined component temperature.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to initiating either step (a) or step (b), determining that the operating speed of said detected component is above about 80% of its designated maximum operating speed and if not, first initiating step (b) without initiating step (a) until the temperature of said detected component is cooled to the predetermined component temperature.

7. A computing system comprising a plurality of critical heat-generating electronic components having designated maximum operating temperatures and designated maximum operating speeds, respectively, temperature sensors for measuring the temperatures of each of said critical components and means for relaying signals relating to sensed temperature to a controller, and one or more fans positioned for cooling one or more of said critical components, the computing system characterized by:

a controller configured to monitor the temperature of each of said critical components and for regulating the operating speed of each of said critical components and the speed of the said one or more fans, said controller configured to determine the rate of temperature increase of said critical components, and in response to a detected critical component temperature above a predetermined limit, or rate of temperature increase in excess of a predetermined level, configured to reduce the operating speed of the detected critical component and/or to increase the speed of said one or more fans in increments of between about 1% and about 5% until the operating temperature of said detected critical component is reduced to or below said predetermined limit.

8. The computing system of claim 7, further characterized by one or more variable capacity heat transfer components and devices configured for inducing thermal communication between said one or more heat transfer components and one or more of said critical components.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein said one or more variable capacity heat transfer components comprise one or more of variable capacity heat pipes and liquid/vapor refrigerant heat spreaders.

10. The computing system of claim 8, wherein said devices comprise one or more of switches and thermal modulators.

11. The computing system of claim 8, wherein said controller is further configured to operate said variable capacity heat transfer components.

12. The computing system of claim 8, wherein said controller is configured to operate said devices.

13. A computing system of claim 10, wherein said computing system is configured to operate said switches or thermal modulators.