Controlled cooling of a data center

• US 7,114,555 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Beitelmal, Abdlmonem H., Bash, Cullen E., Sharma, Ratnesh K., Patel, Chandrakant D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CIRIC, LJILJANA V
• Application Number:
  US10/157,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20030221821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: 165/247, 165/11.1, 165/253, 165/257, 165/288, 165/290, 901/1, 318/641, 318/568.12, 700/258, 700/259, 700/276, 236/91.C, 374/141, 374/142
• US Class Current: 165/247
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/125 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/40 HVAC with raised floors
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center. The device includes a chassis, a propelling mechanism, a power supply, a steering mechanism, and a controller supported on the chassis. The chassis also supports at least one environmental condition sensor and is operable to travel through the data center and sense at least one environmental condition at various locations throughout the data center.

Claims

1. A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center, said device comprising:

a chassis;

a propelling mechanism, a power supply, a steering mechanism, and a controller supported on said chassis, wherein said controller is connected to and controls the propelling mechanism and the steering mechanism to thereby cause the device to follow a route in the data center, and wherein the controller and the propelling mechanism receive power from the power supply; and

a plurality of environmental condition sensors supported at various heights on the chassis, said plurality of environmental condition sensors configured to substantially simultaneously sense one or more of temperature, humidity, and air flow at the various heights as the device travels through said data center, and wherein the plurality of environmental condition sensors are configured to communicate the sensed one or more environmental conditions to the controller.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an apparatus for logging data received by the controller from said plurality of environmental condition sensors, wherein the controller stores the data in the apparatus for logging data.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said apparatus for logging data is configured to evaluate the data received by the controller from said plurality of environmental condition sensors.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a network adapter, wherein the controller communicates with a data center controller through the network adapter.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a guidance sensor provided on said chassis, wherein the guidance sensor detects the locations of objects relative to the guidance sensor, and wherein the guidance sensor communicates the locations of objects to the controller.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the guidance sensor comprises at least one of an optical sensor and an acoustic sensor.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of environmental condition sensors are attached at various heights to a pole fixed to the chassis, wherein the pole extends substantially vertically from the chassis.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pole attached to the chassis, said pole having a length, wherein the plurality of environmental condition sensors are attached along the length of the pole.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the pole is pivotally attached to the chassis.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the pole is telescopic.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a memory that stores one or more algorithms that controls the motion of the device.

12. A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center, said device comprising:

a chassis;

a propelling mechanism and a steering mechanism attached to the chassis;

a controller supported on the chassis, wherein the controller is connected to and operates the propelling mechanism and the steering mechanism to control the speed and direction of travel of the device, and wherein the controller controls the propelling mechanism and the steering mechanism to control the device to follow a route in the data center; and

a plurality of environmental condition sensors configured to detect one or more of temperature, humidity, and air flow, supported at various heights along a pole extending from the chassis, wherein the plurailty of environmental condition sensors detect at least one environmental condition at various heights with respect to the chassis and communicate the detected at least one condition to the controller.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the controller devises the route to follow in the data center.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the controller receives instructions on the route to follow in the data center.

15. The device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a data logging apparatus supported on the chassis, wherein said data logging apparatus receives and stores the at least one environmental condition detected by the at least one environmental condition sensor.

16. The device according to claim 12, wherein the pole is fixed to the chassis, and wherein the pole extends substantially vertically from the chassis.

17. The device according to claim 12, wherein the pole is movably attached to the chassis.

18. The device according to claim 12, wherein the pole is telescopic.

19. The device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a guidance sensor supported on said chassis, wherein the guidance sensor detects the locations of objects relative to the guidance sensor, and wherein the guidance sensor communicates the locations of objects to the controller.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the guidance sensor comprises at least one of an optical sensor and an acoustic sensor.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein the controller controls to direction and speed of travel of the device based upon the locations of objects communicated by the guidance sensor.

22. The device according to claim 12, wherein the controller communicates with a data center controller, and wherein to controller communicates the detected at least one condition to the data center controller.

23. A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center, said device comprising:

a chassis supported on a plurality of wheels;

a propelling mechanism attached to at least one of the plurality of wheels, wherein the propelling mechanism rotates the at least one of the plurality of wheels to move the chassis;

a steering mechanism attached to at least one of the plurality of wheels, wherein in the steering mechanism controls the direction of chassis movement;

a controller supported on the chassis, wherein the controller is connected to and operates the propelling mechanism and the steering mechanism to control the speed and direction of travel of the device, and wherein the controller controls the propelling mechanism and the steering mechanism to control the device to follow a route in data center;

a guidance sensor supported on said chassis, wherein the guidance sensor detects the locations of objects relative to the guidance sensor, and wherein the guidance sensor communicates the locations of objects to the controller;

a plurality of environmental condition sensors configured to sense at least one of temperature, humidity, and air flow, supported at various heights with respect to the chassis, wherein the plurality of environmental condition sensors detect at least one environmental condition at the various heights in vicinities of the pluralit of environmental condition sensors; and

a data logging apparatus supported on the chassis, wherein the plurality of environmental condition sensors are configured to communicate the detected at least one condition to the data logging apparatus, and wherein said data logging apparatus receives and stores the at least one environmental condition detected by the plurality of environmental condition sensors.