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US 10,372,575 B1Granted
Systems and methods for detecting and removing accumulated debris from a cooling air path within an information handling system chassis enclosure
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsTravis C. North, Karunakar P. Reddy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are provided that may be implemented to detect impaired flow of cooling air within a chassis enclosure of an information handling system during system operation, and to implement a diagnostic or system boot mode to reverse direction of cooling air flow through the chassis enclosure after such detection of impeded cooling air flow so as to remove any dust or other accumulated debris that is causing the impeded cooling air flow.
Claims20
An information handling system, comprising:
- a chassis enclosure having at least one inlet defined in the chassis enclosure and at least one outlet defined in the chassis enclosure;
- at least one heat-generating component disposed within the chassis enclosure;
- at least one cooling fan disposed within the chassis enclosure, the cooling fan configured to draw in air from outside the chassis enclosure through the inlet into the interior of the chassis enclosure to move the air in a first direction through a first air flow path within the chassis enclosure to cool the heat-generating component and to expel the air from the interior of the chassis enclosure through the outlet, and to selectably draw in air from outside the chassis enclosure through the outlet into the interior of the chassis enclosure to move the air in a second direction through a second air flow path within the chassis enclosure to expel the cooling air from the interior of the chassis enclosure through the inlet;
- at least one pressure sensor disposed within the first air flow path within the chassis enclosure;
- and
- at least one processing device coupled to the pressure sensor to monitor the real time air pressure within the first air flow path and coupled to the cooling fan to selectably control an operation of the cooling fan to change the direction the cooling fan moves the air through the chassis enclosure from the first direction to the second direction based on the monitored air pressure within the first air flow path.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- controlling at least one cooling fan disposed within a chassis enclosure of an information handling system to draw in air from outside the chassis enclosure through at least one inlet defined in the chassis enclosure into the interior of the chassis enclosure to move the air in a first direction through a first air flow path within the chassis enclosure to cool at least one heat-generating component within the chassis enclosure and to expel the air from the interior of the chassis enclosure through at least one outlet defined in the chassis enclosure;
- monitoring real time air pressure within the first air flow path while the cooling fan is moving the air in the first direction through the first air flow path within the chassis enclosure;
- and
- controlling the at least one cooling fan based on the monitored air pressure within the first air flow path to change the direction that air moves though the chassis enclosure from the first direction to a different and second direction so as to draw in air from outside the chassis enclosure through the outlet into the interior of the chassis enclosure and move the air in a second direction through a second air flow path within the chassis enclosure to expel the cooling air from the interior of the chassis enclosure through the inlet.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.