International Business Machines Corporation

Whitcomb Randolph Scott, Iii

Karl Klaus Dittus

Michael Sven Miller

Vinod Kamath

Michael Sean June

Ralph M Begun

Raymond Mathew Clemo

Troy Williams Glover

Joel Edwin Walker

William Beauchamp

Warren E Price

Jean Jidong Xu

Robert S Smith

A computer system and method for measuring air density in a computer chassis. The computer chassis includes a fan, an ambient air temperature sensor, and a heat-generating device with a heat sink, a heat sink temperature sensor, and a controller. The controller controls the fan speed and applies a known amount of thermal energy to the heat sink, then determines the air density from the difference in temperature between the ambient air and the heat sink. The controller may then use the air density determination to adjust the air flow rate through the computer chassis to provide a proper air flow rate for cooling.

System and method for determining air density based on temperature sensor data

A system comprising a chassis that includes a plurality of modules and a fan assembly disposed in a distal end of the chassis for drawing air in parallel pathways through the plurality of modules. At least one of the modules is a compute module having a thermal sensor disposed to sense the temperature of air flowing across a processor mounted on a motherboard. The system further comprises a fan controller receiving output from the thermal sensor, wherein the fan controller operates the fan assembly to cool the plurality of modules and maintain the thermal sensor output within an operating temperature range. The fan controller controls the fan speed according to predetermined thermal profile settings associated with one of the compute modules received in the chassis. For example, the predetermined thermal profile settings may include a minimum fan speed, a maximum fan speed, and control loop feedback settings.

Plurality of configurable independent compute nodes sharing a fan assembly

A method and apparatus for substantially preventing recirculation of heated air from an exhaust outlet of an expansion card to an air inlet of the expansion card, wherein the air inlet and exhaust outlet are both on the same end of the chassis. The apparatus comprises a chassis with a chassis fan, a motherboard within the chassis having an expansion card connector, and an expansion card in communication with the expansion card connector and secured to the front end of the chassis. The expansion card also includes a card fan configured to move cooling air through the air inlet to the exhaust outlet. An air duct redirects the hot air from the exhaust outlet to prevent recirculation into the expansion card and causes the heated air to exit through the chassis fan. The air duct may include a longitudinal segment through a computer module and a lateral segment selectively securable over the exhaust outlet.

Duct system for high power adapter cards

An apparatus comprising a chassis providing a plurality of module bays, one or more modules received in the module bays, wherein each module has at least one damper actuator extending from a distal end of the module. A fan assembly and a plurality of air flow dampers are secured in a distal end of the chassis, wherein each damper is aligned with one module bay to control air flow through the aligned module bay. Each damper is biased to close in the absence of contact with a damper actuator and opens in response to contact with a damper actuator. Each damper opens to a variable extent determined by the profile of the contacting damper actuator. The damper actuator of a particular module has a profile corresponding to the thermal load of that module, such that installing a module into the chassis automatically opens the aligned damper to the desired extent.

Variable position dampers for controlling air flow to multiple modules in a common chassis

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Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Whitcomb Randolph Scott, Iii