# US 2026/0063501 A1 · Secure optical leak sensing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0063501 A1 - Document ID: US20260063501A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/819,378 - Filed: 2024-08-29 - Published: 2026-03-05 - Earliest claimed: 2024-08-29 - Assignees: Dell Products L.P. - Applicants: Dell Products L.P. - Inventors: Sandor Farkas; Michael Stumpf - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260063501A1 ## CPC - G01M 3/38: by using light (G01M3/02 takes precedence) - G01M 3/04: by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An optical detector for detecting a coolant leak within an information handling system includes a light source, light sensor, and controller. The light source is configured to illuminate objects within the information handling system with a pattern of light. The pattern is determined according to a randomized encoding. The light sensor is configured to generate a signal in response to absorbing light emitted from an object illuminated by the light source. The signal is encoded according to the randomized encoding. A controller operatively coupled with the light sensor is configured to generate a decoded signal by reversing the randomized encoding of the signal. The controller is configured to identify a potential coolant leak in response to the decoded signal matching a predetermined pattern that indicates a coolant leak. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical detector for detecting a coolant leak within an information handling system, the optical detector comprising: a light source configured to illuminate objects within the information handling system with a pattern of light, wherein the pattern determined according to a randomized encoding; a light sensor configured to generate a signal in response to absorbing light emitted from an object illuminated by the light source, wherein the signal is encoded according to the randomized encoding of the pattern; and a controller operatively coupled with the light sensor to generate a decoded signal by reversing the randomized encoding of the signal, and wherein the controller is configured to identify a potential coolant leak in response to the decoded signal matching a predetermined pattern indicating a coolant leak. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical detector of claim 1, wherein the controller is a microcontroller unit (MCU) configured to generate the randomized encoding, and wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The optical detector of claim 2, wherein the randomized encoding determines a time interval between each pulse. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The optical detector of claim 3, wherein the time interval between each pair of successive pulses varies randomly. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The optical detector of claim 2, wherein the MCU is configured to generate the randomized encoding by frequency modulating a clock of the MCU based on a random number. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The optical detector of claim 5, wherein the light sensor is a color sensor having a plurality of red-green-blue (RGB) channels and wherein the MCU is configured to generate the random number by XORing bits of the RGB channels. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The optical detector of claim 6, wherein the MCU is configured to bit-reverse one or more bits of the RGB channels prior to the XORing. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The optical detector of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to generate the randomized encoding, wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding, and wherein the randomized encoding determines a duration of each pulse. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The optical detector of claim 8, wherein the duration of each pulse varies randomly. ### Claim 10 A method of detecting a coolant leak within an information handling system, the method comprising: illuminating objects within the information handling system with a pattern of light generated by a light source, wherein the pattern corresponds to a randomized encoding; generating with a light sensor a signal in response to the sensor absorbing light emitted from an object illuminated by the light source, wherein the signal is encoded according to the randomized encoding of the pattern; generating with a controller a decoded signal, wherein the decoded signal is generated by reversing the randomized encoding of the signal; and identifying with the controller a potential coolant leak in response to the decoded signal matching a predetermined pattern indicating a coolant leak. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the controller is a microcontroller unit (MCU) that is used to generate the randomized encoding, and wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the randomized encoding determines a time interval between each pulse. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the time interval between each pair of successive pulses varies randomly. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the randomized encoding is generated by the MCU frequency modulating a clock of the MCU, and wherein the frequency modulating is based on a random number. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the light sensor is a color sensor having a plurality of red-green-blue (RGB) channels and wherein the random number is generated by the MCU XORing bits of the RGB channels. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the randomized encoding is generated by the controller, wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding, and wherein the randomized encoding determines a duration of each pulse. ### Claim 17 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the duration of each pulse varies randomly. ### Claim 18 An information handling system, comprising: a chassis; at least one processor contained within the chassis; a memory contained within the chassis; a bus operatively coupling the memory with the at least one processor; a liquid cooling subsystem configured to circulate a liquid coolant within the chassis; and an optical detector configured to detect a coolant leak, the optical detector including a light source configured to illuminate objects within the information handling system with a pattern of light, wherein the pattern corresponds to a randomized encoding; a light sensor configured to generate a signal in response to absorbing light emitted from an object illuminated by the light source, wherein the signal is encoded according to the randomized encoding of the pattern; and a controller operatively coupled with the light sensor to generate a decoded signal by reversing the randomized encoding of the signal, and wherein the controller is configured to identify a potential coolant leak in response to the decoded signal matching a predetermined pattern indicating a coolant leak. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The information handling system of claim 18, wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding, and wherein the randomized encoding determines a random time interval between each pulse. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The information handling system of claim 18, wherein the pattern comprises a sequence of pulses occurring according to the randomized encoding, and wherein the randomized encoding determines a random duration of each pulse.