Information Handling System Thermal Management Enhanced By Estimated Energy States

• US 20160037686A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shabbir, Hasnain, Lovicott, Dominick A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,136,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20727 within server blades for removing heat from heat source
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Thermal conditions at processing components disposed in an information handling system are estimated by applying conservation of energy and component power consumption so that discrete control of information handling system exhaust temperatures is more accurately maintained. For example, a PCI backplane communications card has its power consumption estimated based upon its width so that air flow through the information handling system is adequate to meet an exhaust temperature constraint.

Claims

1. A system for thermal management at an information handling system, the system comprising:

plural temperature sensors operable to sense temperatures at plural locations associated with the information handling system;

a power supply operable to provide power to plural subsystems of the information handling system;

a cooling fan operable to generate a cooling airflow in the information handling system at plural airflow rates; and

a thermal manager stored in non-transitory memory and interfaced with the plural temperature sensors, the power supply and the cooling fan, the thermal manager operable to execute on a processing component to apply at least the power provided to one of the plural subsystems to estimate a thermal condition proximate the one of the plural subsystems and to apply the estimated thermal condition to set the cooling fan airflow rate.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the estimated thermal condition comprises an ambient temperature within the one of the plural subsystems.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the one of the plural subsystems comprises a backplane communications manager.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the backplane communications manager is a PCI card.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the estimated thermal condition is derived at least in part from a width of the PCI card.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the estimated thermal condition comprises an inlet temperature at another of the plural subsystems.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the thermal manager applies the estimated thermal condition to set the cooling fan airflow rate in order to maintain a thermal constraint of the one of the plural subsystems.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a training module monitoring the thermal module and operable to apply the estimated thermal conditions over time to generate a thermal profile of the one of the plural subsystems.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the thermal manager applies the estimated thermal condition to set the cooling fan airflow rate in order to maintain a cooling airflow exhaust constraint.

10. A method for thermal management at an information handling system, the method comprising:

monitoring plural temperature sensors disposed in the information handling system;

monitoring power applied to plural subcomponents in the server information handling system;

commanding airflow through the information handling system housing at a first airflow rate; and

applying at least one of the plural temperatures, the power applied to one of the plural subcomponents and the first airflow rate to determine a thermal condition at a discrete location in the information handling system, the discrete location lacking a temperature sensor.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the discrete location comprises an ambient temperature of the one of the subsystems having monitored power.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the discrete location comprises an exhaust temperature of the one of the subsystems having monitored power.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the one of the subsystems having monitored power comprises a backplane communications manager and wherein the thermal condition is further determined based upon a width of the backplane communications manager.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

comparing the thermal condition with a constraint; and

in response to comparing, commanding airflow through the information handling system housing at a second airflow rate.

15. An information handling system comprising:

a housing;

a cooling fan disposed in the housing and operable to generate a cooling airflow at selectable airflow rates;

plural temperature sensors operable to detect temperatures at plural locations associated with the housing;

plural subsystems disposed in the housing and operable to cooperate to process information, at least some of the plural subsystems lacking a temperature sensor;

a power supply operable to provide power to the plural subsystems; and

a thermal manager interfaced with the plural temperature sensors, the power supply and the cooling fan, the thermal manager operable to estimate a thermal condition proximate the one of the plural subsystems lacking a temperature sensor and to apply the estimated thermal condition to set the cooling fan airflow rate.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the one of the plural subsystems comprise a backplane communication manager.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 wherein the thermal manager estimates the backplane communication manager thermal condition by estimating power consumption based upon a width of the backplane communications manager.

18. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the estimated thermal condition is an ambient temperature of the one of the plural subsystems.

19. The information handling system claim 18 wherein the thermal manager is further operable to set the cooling fan airflow rate to maintain a desired ambient temperature.

20. The information handling system of claim 18 wherein the thermal manager is further operable to apply the ambient temperature to set the cooling fan airflow rate to maintain a desired exhaust temperature of the housing.