Apparatus and method for controlling computer room air conditioning units (CRACs) in data centers

• US 8,600,560 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vigilent Corporation
• Original Assignee: Synapsense Corporation (Panduit Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Garret, Pandey, Raju, Pfeifer, Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): HARTMAN JR, RONALD D
• Application Number:
  US13/566,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 700276-277, 700/299
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for controlling computer room air conditioning units (CRACs) in data centers. An example embodiment includes: receiving an alert message from a reporting wireless network sensor of a plurality of wireless network sensors via a wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in a data center; and using the information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition at a networked controller to command a device capable of modifying the environmental condition to modify the environmental condition in a manner corresponding to the information in the alert message, commanding the device including controlling fan speed in the CRAC to correct an indication of instability.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an alert message from a reporting wireless network sensor of a plurality of wireless network sensors via a wireless sensor network, each wireless network sensor being configured to route data to and from other wireless network sensors of the wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in to data center, the indication of stability or instability including an indication of a level of airflow across a refrigeration coil of the CRAC as required by the CRAC to ensure reliable operation of a refrigeration compressor of the CRAC; and

using the information indicative of a modification needed to an environmental condition at a networked controller to command a device capable of modifying the environmental condition to modify the environmental condition in a manner corresponding to the information in the alert message, commanding the device including controlling fan speed in the CRAC to correct an indication of instability.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 including receiving feedback information from the reporting wireless network sensor after the network controller has commanded the device capable of modifying the environmental condition.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the capable of modifying the environmental condition is a CRAC.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the environmental condition is a temperature.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the environmental condition is a pressure.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 including receiving the alert message from a reporting wireless network sensor via a gateway in the wireless sensor network.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 including determining if the environmental condition is within prescribed limits.

8. A method comprising:

defining one or more influence zones, a particular influence zone of the one or more influence zones including information identifying one or more networked controllers that can control a device capable of modifying an environmental condition within the particular influence zone;

sensing an environmental condition within a particular influence zone;

using the influence zone information to determine which one of the one or more networked controllers can control a device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone; and

sending an alert message, via a wireless sensor network, to a network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone, sending the alert message including routing data to and from other wireless network sensors of the wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to the environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in a data center, the indication of stability or instability including an indication of a level of airflow across a refrigeration coil of the CRAC by the CRAC to ensure reliable operation of a refrigeration compressor of the CRAC.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 including sending feedback information to the network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone after the network controller has commanded the device capable of modifying the environmental condition.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the device capable of modifying the environmental condition is a CRAC.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the environmental condition is a temperature.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the environmental condition is a pressure.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8 including determining if the environmental condition is within prescribed limits.

13. The method as claimed in claim including sending the alert message via a gateway in the wireless sensor network.

15. A networked sensing device comprising:

a storage component to store information related to one or more influence zones, a particular influence zone of the one or more influence zones including information identifying one or more networked controllers that can control a device capable of modifying an environmental condition within the particular influence zone;

a sensing component to sense an environmental condition within a particular influence zone, the sensing component using the influence zone information to determine which one of the one or more networked controllers can control a device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone; and

a network communication component to send an alert message, via a wireless sensor network, to a network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone, the network communication component being configured to route data to and from other wireless network sensors of the wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to the environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in a data center the indication of stability or instability including an indication of a level of airflow across a refrigeration coil of the CRAC as required by the CRAC to ensure reliable operation of a refrigeration compressor of the CRAC.

16. The networked sensing device as claimed in claim 15 being further configured to send feedback information to the network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone after the network controller has commanded the device capable of modifying the environmental condition.

17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

store information related to one or more influence zones, a particular influence zone of the one or more influence zones including information identifying one or more networked controllers that can control a device capable of modifying an environmental condition within the particular influence zone;

sense an environmental condition within a particular influence zone;

use the influence zone information to determine which one of the one or more networked controllers can control a device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone; and

send an alert message, via a wireless sensor network, to a network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone, sending the alert message including routing data to and from other wireless network sensors of the wireless sensor network, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to the environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (CRAC) in a data center, the indication of stability or instability including an indication of a level of airflow across a refrigeration coil of the CRAC as required by the CRAC to ensure reliable operation of a refrigeration compressor of the CRAC.

18. The article of manufacture as claimed in claim 17 being further configured to send feedback information to the network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone after the network controller has commanded the device capable of modifying the environmental condition.

19. A system comprising:

a wireless sensor network;

one or more networked controllers in data communication via the wireless sensor network, the one or more networked controllers being configured to control a device capable of modifying an environmental condition within one or more influence zones; and

a plurality of networked sensing devices in data communication with the one or more networked controllers via the wireless sensor network, each of the plurality of networked sensing devices being configured to route data to and from other networked sensing devices of the wireless sensor network, each of the plurality of networked sensing devices being configured to store information related to the one or more influence zones, a particular influence zone of the one or more influence zones including information identifying one or more networked controllers that can control a device capable of modifying an environmental condition within the articular influence zone, each of the plurality of networked sensing devices being further configured to sense an environmental condition within a particular influence zone and to use the influence zone information to determine which one of the one or more networked controllers can control a device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone, and each of the plurality of networked sensing devices being further configured to send an alert message, via the wireless sensor network, to a network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone, the alert message including information indicative of a modification needed to the environmental condition, the alert message including an indication of stability or instability of a computer room air conditioning unit (MAC) in a data center, the indication of stability or instability including an indication of a level of airflow across a refrigeration coil of the CRAC as required by the CRAC to ensure reliable operation of a refrigeration compressor of the CRAC.

20. The system as claimed in claim 19 wherein each of the plurality of networked sensing devices being configured to send feedback information to the network controller determined able to control the device capable of modifying the environmental condition within the particular influence zone after the network controller has commanded the device capable of modifying the environmental condition.