System and method for positioning and controlling air conditioning tiles for optimal cooling using voronoi diagrams
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJonathan Lenchner, Ravi Krishna Kosaraju
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method is disclosed that utilizes a Voronoi diagram to position and/or control perforated ventilation tiles in rooms of equipment requiring cooling air. The Voronoi sites used for constructing the Voronoi diagram are the air inlets of the equipment, and the Voronoi edges of the computed Voronoi diagram are used as the locations for placing (or controlling) perforated tiles.
Claims20
A computerized method of designing or specifying the locations of perforated tiles for venting air to equipment in a facility, said method comprising:
- receiving, as inputs, information on a room size and locations of equipment and partitions within said room, including identification of cooling input vents of said equipment;
- calculating, using a processor on a computer, a Voronoi diagram to serve as a basis for locations of perforated tiles for delivering cooling air to said equipment, said equipment comprising sites upon which the Voronoi diagram is computed;
- and
- providing locations of said perforated tiles, as output information.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a graphical user interface (GUI) to permit user inputs and display results, inputs including information on a room size and locations of equipment and partitions within said room, including the locations of the air intake vents of said equipment;
- and
- a Voronoi module, for calculating, using a processor on said apparatus, a Voronoi diagram to serve as a basis for locations of perforated tiles for delivering cooling air to said equipment.
An equipment room, comprising:
- a plurality of equipment racks with equipment, at least one or more said equipment having an associated cooling input vent for providing cooling air;
- a network of ducts to transport air under a predetermined pressure;
- and
- a plurality of perforated tiles at predetermined locations in said network of ducts, said perforated tiles providing opening in said network of ducts through which said pressurized air is provided to said cooling input vents,
- wherein said perforated tiles are located in cold aisles associated with said cooling input vents in accordance with locations based on a Voronoi diagram.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.