Sensor system for monitoring data center equipment

• US 9,310,784 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Roy, Richard Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/721,763
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40 Bus networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4026 Bus for use in automation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20709 for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring the thermal state of a data center. According to the method and apparatus, thermal sensors are placed at various locations in a data center and readings from those sensors are collected. Once collected, the readings are used in controlling the operation of the data center.

Claims

1. A data center comprising:

a control device configured to monitor temperatures of one or more devices in the data center;

a sensor control board that is operatively connected to the control device;

a device enclosure for the one or more devices; and

a plurality of sensor boards disposed within the device enclosure and connected to the sensor control board, the sensor boards in the plurality being connected in series to one another using a single run of cable;

wherein the sensor control board is configured to receive temperature readings from the plurality of sensor boards and forward those readings to the control device; and

wherein, during registration of the plurality of sensor boards, only one of the plurality of sensor boards is in an ON state at a time, the only one of the plurality of sensor boards in the ON state being enabled by a signal from an immediately preceding sensor board of the plurality of sensor boards through the single run of cable, and the only one of the plurality of sensor boards being configured to supply a registration number only to the immediately preceding sensor board.

2. The data center of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices include at least one of a server, a battery backup system, or a power distribution board.

3. The data center of claim 1, wherein the sensor control board is disposed inside the device enclosure.

4. The data center of claim 1, further comprising a server rack, wherein the one or more devices are housed in the server rack.

5. The data center of claim 1, wherein the control device includes a rack management unit.

6. The data center of claim 1, wherein the control device includes a management system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the sensor boards includes a substrate base that is less than 1.5 mm thick that enables the sensor board to have a low thermal mass.

8. A system for monitoring the temperature of data center equipment comprising:

a control device;

a cable;

a plurality of sensor boards connected in series to one another via the cable, the sensor boards being spaced apart from one another, along the cable, in a pattern that depends on distances between positions in a device enclosure that are designated for mounting of the sensor boards; and

a sensor control board including a memory configured to store indications of locations where the sensor boards are mounted, and a processor configured to receive temperature readings from the plurality of sensor boards and forward the temperature readings to the control device along with an indication of location for each sensor reading that corresponds to a location of a sensor that took that reading;

wherein, during registration of the plurality of sensor boards, only one of the plurality of sensor boards is in an ON state at a time, the only one of the plurality of sensor boards in the ON state being enabled by a signal from an immediately preceding sensor board of the plurality of sensor boards through the cable, and the only one of the plurality of sensor boards being configured to supply a registration number only to the immediately preceding sensor board.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each one of the sensor boards includes a substrate base that is less than 1.5 mm thick thereby enabling the sensor board to have a low thermal mass.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the cable is soldered onto the sensor boards.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the cable includes a plurality of wires, each wire being coupled to only two sensor boards from the plurality of sensor boards.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the locations where the sensor boards are mounted are entered as user input into the sensor control board.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein forwarding the temperature readings to the control device includes identifying, for each of the sensor readings, a location where a sensor board that took the reading is mounted.

14. A system comprising a sensor control board coupled to a plurality of sensor boards, the sensor control board and the plurality of sensor boards being connected in series to one another via a single cable, wherein the cable includes:

a jacket;

a plurality of connectors;

a first wire disposed within the jacket and coupled to all connectors in the plurality of connectors, the first wire being used as a data bus for the exchange of data between the sensor control board and the plurality of sensor boards;

a second wire disposed within the jacket and coupled to only two connectors from the plurality of connectors, the second wire being coupled to a first one from the plurality of connectors and a second one from the plurality of connectors,

wherein;

the first one of the plurality of connectors is configured to mate with a first sensor board of the plurality of sensor boards and transfer a signal that is output by the first sensor board onto the second wire,

the second one of the plurality of connectors is configured to mate with a second sensor board of the plurality of sensor boards,

the signal is a signal that enables a registration of the second sensor board with the sensor control board, and

wherein, during the registration of the second sensor board, only the second sensor board is in an ON state, and the second sensor board is configured to supply a registration number only to the first sensor board.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the cable further comprises a plurality of wires disposed within the jacket, the plurality of wires being different from the first wire and the second wire; and

each one of the plurality of wires being coupled to only two connectors from the plurality of connectors.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein each one of the plurality of sensor boards includes a thermal sensor.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensor boards comprises a substrate base that is less than 1.5 mm thick that enables the sensor board to have a low thermal mass.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor control board is configured to receive temperature readings from the plurality of sensor boards.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor control board is configured to store an indication of a location where at least one of the sensor boards is mounted.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor control board is configured to:

receive temperature readings from a sensor board in the plurality of sensor boards;

store in a memory an indication of a location where the sensor board is mounted; and

transmit the temperature reading and the indication of location to a control device.