A device for liquid flow monitoring and liquid leakage protection on a server
By adding an annular infrared receiver and transmitter to the water flow meter, the problem of false alarms in the liquid leakage protection system of the liquid-cooled server was solved, and accurate detection and timely protection of the liquid level under hot and cold temperature differences were achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202210868017.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-07-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-21
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-07-22
AI Technical Summary
The leakage protection system of existing liquid-cooled servers is prone to false alarms and may not be able to accurately detect leakage under the influence of hot and cold temperature differences.
A ring-shaped infrared receiver and transmitter are installed on the water flow meter. The liquid level changes are detected by blocking and receiving infrared light, and an accurate leakage signal is generated through the GPIO of the BMC.
Improves the accuracy of leakage detection, reduces false alarms, and ensures accurate leakage detection and timely protection of servers even when the temperature difference between hot and cold changes.
Smart Images

Figure CN115237714B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of servers, and in particular to a device for monitoring liquid flow and protecting liquid leakage on a server. Background Art
[0002] NF5498LA5 is based on the NF5488A5 optimization project to meet water cooling needs. Due to the market's high CPU power consumption and high-wattage GPU demand, a duct-type water cooling model was developed to meet the heat dissipation requirements.
[0003] Because servers are rarely shut down for extended periods, solid rubber water-cooling pipes are prone to deterioration and cracking. Leakage detection is used to protect hardware from damage. The technology currently used by NF5498LA5 is described in patent number CN113867512A. This invention provides a system, method, and device for optimizing leakage protection in liquid-cooled servers. The system includes a server motherboard and a backplane, which are connected to the backplane via a connector card. A liquid-cooling circulation pipeline and a BMC are provided on the server motherboard. A leakage detection cable is wrapped around the outside of the liquid-cooling circulation pipeline, forming a leakage detection loop. A CPLD is provided on the backplane. A power switch is provided on the connector card, which is connected to the server motherboard. After receiving a leakage simulation command from the BMC, the CPLD sends a leakage simulation signal to the leakage detection cable to detect whether a leakage has occurred in the liquid-cooling circulation pipeline. When a leakage occurs, the power switch is controlled to turn off, stopping power supply to the server motherboard. This invention uses CPLD to achieve rapid response to leakage in the server's liquid cooling circulation pipeline, avoiding the risk of losing the leakage protection function. When leakage occurs, all power to the server motherboard is turned off, and at the same time, the load on the original BMC is reduced.
[0004] However, the invention provides a system, method and device for optimizing leakage protection of liquid-cooled servers, which utilizes a cotton thread with two single-core wires in one line. If leakage occurs, the two single-core wires will short-circuit and lower the potential.
[0005] Furthermore, the current technology is flawed and prone to false alarms. Because the water temperature in the liquid cooling tubes is too high, when the computer room draws in cold air, the temperature difference causes water droplets to condense on the surface of the liquid cooling tubes. This condensed water vapor fills the cotton thread, triggering a leak alarm even though no leak has actually occurred. Therefore, customers generally set the leak alarm to stop the alarm (power off for protection). Furthermore, if the winding density is not high enough, detection may not occur. Summary of the Invention
[0006] To solve the above technical problems and achieve the purpose of detecting liquid leakage through monitoring by a water flow meter, the present invention provides a device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server. Based on the existing water flow meter available on the market, a ring-shaped infrared receiver and transmitter are added to solve the technical problem that the current liquid cooling server leakage protection is prone to false alarms.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:
[0008] In a first aspect, in one embodiment provided by the present invention, a device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server is provided, comprising a water flow meter, an infrared receiver, an infrared transmitter, a signal cable, a BMC, and a GPIO;
[0009] The water flow meter is equipped with a ring-shaped distributed infrared receiver and infrared transmitter, and the infrared receiver is used to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter; when the water level in the water flow meter is above the normal water level line, the infrared receiver will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter and the BMC; when the water level in the water flow meter is lower than the abnormal water level line, the infrared receiver receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter send a leakage signal to the BMC through a signal cable, and the GPIO of the BMC is at a low potential to generate an alarm.
[0010] As a further solution of the present invention, the water flow meter is a plastic tube rotor float flow meter, which adopts a thickened corrosion-resistant tube body. The tube body of the water flow meter is marked with a caliber size. The caliber size is set to different caliber sizes from 20mm to 90mm according to the model of the water flow meter.
[0011] As a further embodiment of the present invention, a guide post is provided axially within the water flow meter. The guide post is made of an upright metal rod with a diameter of 1-3 mm. A float is provided on the guide post. A through hole is provided in the middle of the float, which slides along the guide post. When water is injected into the water flow meter, the float inside the water flow meter floats at the liquid level under the action of buoyancy. This not only indicates the water level within the water flow meter, but also blocks infrared light between the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter.
[0012] When the water level in the water flow meter is above the normal water level line, the float floats on the liquid surface. Under the obstruction of the float, the infrared receiver will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver, the infrared transmitter and the BMC; when the water level in the water flow meter is lower than the abnormal water level line, the float floats on the liquid surface. Since the floating height of the float is lower than the transmission height of the infrared light between the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter, the infrared light cannot be obstructed, and the infrared receiver receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter. The infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter send a leakage signal to the BMC through the signal cable, and the GPIO of the BMC is at a low potential, generating an alarm.
[0013] As a further solution of the present invention, the model of the water flow meter is LZS-D. The thickened corrosion-resistant tube body of the water flow meter is made of transparent material, so that the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter can pass through the tube body to illuminate the infrared receiver position on the other side of the water flow meter, and the infrared receiver receives the infrared light to generate a leakage signal.
[0014] As a further solution of the present invention, the thickened corrosion-resistant tube body of the water flow meter is further marked with scale lines and scale values, and the scale lines and scale values are used to indicate the liquid level in the water flow meter.
[0015] As a further solution of the present invention, both ends of the water flow meter are provided with external thread interfaces, and the external thread interfaces are connected with locking nuts. The water flow meter is used to be connected to a liquid cooling circulation pipeline for cooling the server motherboard.
[0016] As a further solution of the present invention, the external threaded interface at the bottom end of the water flow meter is connected to the liquid cooling circulation pipeline through a T-shaped three-way pipe joint. When the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline does not leak, the liquid level in the water flow meter is at a stable height. At this time, the liquid level in the water flow meter is above the normal water level line of the water flow meter. At this time, under the obstruction of the float, the infrared receiver will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter and the BMC.
[0017] As a further solution of the present invention, the external threaded interface at the top of the water flow meter is connected to a return line, and the return line is connected to the liquid cooling circulation line, the coolant recovery pipe or the coolant recovery tank, and is used to recover the coolant overflowing from the water flow meter when the liquid level height is abnormal.
[0018] As a further solution of the present invention, the liquid cooling circulation pipeline is provided on the server mainboard, the server mainboard is connected to a backplane via a connection card, and a CPLD is provided on the backplane.
[0019] As a further solution of the present invention, a power switch is provided on the connection card, and the power switch is connected to the circulation control pump of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline. The CPLD is used to determine whether the liquid cooling circulation pipeline has leaked according to the leakage signal sent to the BMC by the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter. When leakage occurs, the power switch is controlled to be turned off, power supply to the circulation control pump is stopped, the circulation control pump stops working, and the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline connected to the circulation control pump stops flowing.
[0020] As a further solution of the present invention, the liquid cooling circulation pipeline is also provided with a solenoid valve connected to the power supply switch. When leakage occurs, the power supply switch is controlled to be closed and the solenoid valve connected to the power supply switch is turned off. At this time, the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline is prevented from continuing to leak, thereby preventing leakage from occurring.
[0021] As a further solution of the present invention, the server motherboard is also provided with a functional module that is fitted with the liquid cooling circulation pipeline. The functional module is a heating device installed on the server motherboard and an air cooling device installed on the server motherboard for dissipating heat from the heating device.
[0022] As a further solution of the present invention, the air-cooling device on the server motherboard is connected to a backup power supply switch. When the power switch is turned off, the backup power supply switch is started, and the air-cooling device on the server motherboard is started by connecting the power to the backup power switch, replacing the shut-down liquid cooling circulation pipeline, and performing air cooling and heat dissipation on the heat-generating device on the server motherboard to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the heat-generating device on the server motherboard when it is working.
[0023] As a further solution of the present invention, the CPLD includes a node power control unit, which is connected to the power switch and the backup power switch. When the BMC detects and receives a leakage signal, the CPLD is triggered according to the leakage judgment result to control the power switch to be disconnected and the backup power switch to be closed.
[0024] As a further solution of the present invention, the server mainboard is further provided with a node presence signal line, and the node presence signal line is connected to the CPLD via a connection card;
[0025] The node power control unit also detects whether the server mainboard is in place via the node presence signal line.
[0026] As a further solution of the present invention, when the infrared receiver receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, it generates a leakage signal sent to the BMC. After receiving the leakage signal, the BMC cooperates with the alarm mechanism on the server motherboard to warn the user, and triggers the node power control unit and CPLD to control the power switch to be disconnected and the backup power switch to be closed, thereby more accurately monitoring the liquid flow of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline on the server and detecting leakage protection.
[0027] The technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0028] The device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server provided by the present invention has two advantages:
[0029] The device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server of the present invention comprises a water flow meter, an infrared receiver, an infrared transmitter, a signal cable, a BMC and a GPIO; an infrared receiver and an infrared transmitter distributed in a ring are installed on the water flow meter, and the infrared receiver is used to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter; when the water level in the water flow meter is above the normal water level line, the infrared receiver will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver and the infrared transmitter and the BMC; when the water level in the water flow meter is below the abnormal water level line, the infrared receiver receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter. The infrared receiver and infrared transmitter send a leakage signal to the BMC through a signal cable, and the GPIO of the BMC is at a low potential to generate an alarm; when performing liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection detection, the accuracy is high and false alarms are not easy to occur; compared with the traditional liquid cooling pipe where the water temperature is too high, when the computer room inhales cold air, the temperature difference between hot and cold will cause water droplets to condense on the surface of the liquid cooling pipe, and the condensed water vapor will fill the cotton thread and trigger a leakage alarm, but in fact no leakage has occurred, it is more accurate to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter through the infrared receiver, and a leakage signal is generated after the infrared light is detected. The protection mechanism of monitoring the water flow through the infrared transmitter and reporting it to the BMC is more accurate.
[0030] These and other aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent in the following description of the embodiments. It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the present invention.
[0031] These and other aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent in the following description of the embodiments. It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings:
[0033] Figure 1 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of a water flow meter in a device for monitoring liquid flow and protecting against leakage on a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] Figure 2 The present invention is a schematic top view of a water flow meter in a device for monitoring liquid flow and protecting against leakage on a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Figure 3 The present invention is a schematic diagram of the structural principle of a device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] Reference numerals in the figures:
[0037] 1-Water flow meter, 2-Infrared receiver, 3-Infrared transmitter, 4-Signal cable, 5-BMC, 6-GPIO, 7-Power cable, 8-Server motherboard, 9-Liquid cooling circulation pipeline, 10-Backplane, 11-CPLD, 12-Power switch, 13-Connection card, 14-Backup power switch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0039] The schematic diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily include all contents and operations / steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps may be decomposed, combined, or partially merged, so the actual execution order may vary depending on the actual situation.
[0040] It should be understood that the terms used in this specification are only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification and appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0041] The optimized leakage protection mechanism currently used in liquid-cooled servers is prone to false alarms. This is because the water temperature in the cooling tube is too high. When the computer room draws in cold air, the temperature difference causes water droplets to condense on the surface of the cooling tube. This condensed water vapor fills the cotton thread, triggering a leak warning. In reality, no leak has occurred. Therefore, customers generally set the leak alarm to stop the alarm. Furthermore, if the winding density is not high enough, detection may not occur.
[0042] Therefore, the present invention provides a device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server. The server is equipped with a ring-shaped infrared receiver and transmitter based on the existing water flow meter 1 available on the market to solve the technical problem that the current liquid cooling server leakage protection is prone to false alarms.
[0043] Specifically, the embodiments of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0044] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a device for monitoring liquid flow and protecting liquid leakage on a server provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server, including a water flow meter 1, an infrared receiver 2, an infrared transmitter 3, a signal cable 4, a BMC 5 and a GPIO 6.
[0045] The water flow meter 1 is additionally equipped with a ring-shaped distributed infrared receiver 2 and an infrared transmitter 3, and the infrared receiver 2 is used to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3; wherein, when the water level in the water flow meter 1 is above the normal water level line a, the infrared receiver 2 will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 and the BMC5; when the water level in the water flow meter 1 is lower than the abnormal water level line b, the infrared receiver 2 receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 send a leakage signal to the BMC5 through the signal cable 4, and the GPIO6 of the BMC5 is at a low potential to generate an alarm.
[0046] In an embodiment of the present invention, the water flow meter 1 is a plastic tube rotor float flow meter, which adopts a thickened corrosion-resistant tube body. The tube body of the water flow meter 1 is marked with a caliber size. The caliber size is set to different caliber sizes from 20mm to 90mm according to the model of the water flow meter 1.
[0047] In an embodiment of the present invention, a guide post is provided axially inside the water flow meter 1. The guide post is made of an upright metal rod with a diameter of 1-3 mm. A float is provided on the guide post. A through hole is provided in the middle of the float, which slides along the guide post. When water is injected into the water flow meter 1, the float inside the water flow meter 1 floats at the liquid level under the action of buoyancy. The float not only indicates the water level inside the water flow meter 1, but also blocks infrared light between the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3.
[0048] When the water level in the water flow meter 1 is above the normal water level line a, the float floats on the liquid surface. Under the obstruction of the float, the infrared receiver 2 will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver 2, the infrared transmitter 3 and the BMC5; when the water level in the water flow meter 1 is lower than the abnormal water level line b, the float floats on the liquid surface. Since the floating height of the float is lower than the transmission height of the infrared light between the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3, the infrared light cannot be obstructed, and the infrared receiver 2 receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3. The infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 send a leakage signal to the BMC5 through the signal cable 4, and the GPIO6 of the BMC5 is at a low potential, generating an alarm.
[0049] In an embodiment of the present invention, the model of the water flow meter 1 is LZS-D, and the thickened corrosion-resistant tube body of the water flow meter 1 is made of transparent material, so that the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3 can pass through the tube body to the position of the infrared receiver 2 on the other side of the water flow meter 1, and the infrared light is received by the infrared receiver 2 to generate a leakage signal.
[0050] In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickened corrosion-resistant tube body of the water flow meter 1 is further marked with scale lines and scale values, and the scale lines and scale values are used to indicate the liquid level in the water flow meter 1 .
[0051] In an embodiment of the present invention, both ends of the water flow meter 1 are provided with external thread interfaces, and locking nuts are connected to the external thread interfaces. The water flow meter 1 is used to be connected to a liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 for cooling the server motherboard 8.
[0052] In an embodiment of the present invention, the external threaded interface at the bottom end of the water flow meter 1 is connected to the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 through a T-shaped three-way pipe joint. When the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 does not leak, the liquid level in the water flow meter 1 is at a stable height. At this time, the liquid level in the water flow meter 1 is above the normal water level line a of the water flow meter 1. At this time, under the obstruction of the float, the infrared receiver 2 will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 and the BMC5.
[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, the external threaded interface at the top of the water flow meter 1 is connected to a return line, and the return line is connected to the liquid cooling circulation line 9, the coolant recovery pipe or the coolant recovery tank, and is used to recover the coolant overflowing from the water flow meter 1 when the liquid level height is abnormal.
[0054] In the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 is provided on the server mainboard 8 , the server mainboard 8 is connected to the backplane 10 via a connection card 13 , and the backplane 10 is provided with a CPLD 11 .
[0055] In an embodiment of the present invention, a power switch 12 is provided on the connection card 13, and the power switch 12 is connected to the circulation control pump of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9. The CPLD 11 is used to determine whether the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 is leaking according to the leakage signal sent by the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 to the BMC 5. When leakage occurs, the power switch 12 is controlled to be closed, the power supply to the circulation control pump is stopped, the circulation control pump stops working, and the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 connected to the circulation control pump stops flowing.
[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 is also provided with a solenoid valve connected to the power supply switch 12. When leakage occurs, the power supply switch 12 is controlled to be closed and the solenoid valve connected to the power supply switch 12 is turned off. At this time, the coolant in the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 is prevented from continuing to leak, thereby preventing leakage from occurring.
[0057] In an embodiment of the present invention, the server motherboard 8 is also provided with a functional module that is fitted with the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9. The functional module is a heating device installed on the server motherboard 8 and an air cooling device installed on the server motherboard 8 for dissipating heat from the heating device.
[0058] In an embodiment of the present invention, the air-cooling device on the server motherboard 8 is connected to the backup power supply switch 14. When the power switch 12 is turned off, the backup power supply switch 14 is started, and the air-cooling device on the server motherboard 8 is started by connecting the power to the backup power supply switch 14, replacing the shut-down liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9, and performing air cooling on the heat-generating device on the server motherboard 8 to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the heat-generating device on the server motherboard 8 when working.
[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the CPLD11 includes a node power control unit, which is connected to the power switch 12 and the backup power switch 14. When the BMC5 detects and receives a leakage signal, the CPLD11 is triggered according to the leakage judgment result to control the power switch 12 to be disconnected and the backup power switch 14 to be closed.
[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, the server mainboard 8 is further provided with a node presence signal line, which is connected to the CPLD 11 via a connection card 13;
[0061] The node power control unit also detects whether the server mainboard 8 is in place via the node presence signal line.
[0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the infrared receiver 2 receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, it generates a leakage signal sent to the BMC5. After receiving the leakage signal, the BMC5 cooperates with the alarm mechanism on the server motherboard 8 to warn the user, and triggers the node power control unit and CPLD11 to control the power switch 12 to be disconnected and the backup power switch 14 to be closed, so that the liquid flow monitoring of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 9 on the server and the detection of leakage protection are more accurate.
[0063] It should be noted that the BMC5 is a baseboard management controller (Baseboard Management Controller), which is used to provide intelligent features in the IPMI architecture and is a dedicated microcontroller embedded on a computer (usually a server) motherboard.
[0064] In the embodiment of the present invention, the BMC 5 is responsible for managing the interface between the system management software and the platform hardware.
[0065] It should be noted that the CPLD 11 is a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD). The CPLD 11 is suitable for implementing various operations and combinatorial logic. A single CPLD contains several PALs (Programmable Array Logic), and the interconnections between the PALs (logic blocks) can be programmably programmed and recorded. This all-in-one integration allows a single CPLD to implement circuits requiring thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of logic gates.
[0066] It should be noted that the GPIO6 is the abbreviation of General-purpose input / output.
[0067] The function of GPIO6 is similar to P0-P3 of 8051. Its pins can be freely used by the user through program control. The pins can be used as general-purpose input (GPI), general-purpose output (GPO), or general-purpose input and output (GPIO) according to practical considerations.
[0068] In the GPIO6, a pin can be used for input, output, or other special functions. Registers are used to select these functions. For input, a register is read to determine the pin's voltage level; for output, a register is written to set the pin to output a high or low voltage. Other special functions are controlled by separate registers.
[0069] In summary, the device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server of the present invention includes a water flow meter 1, an infrared receiver 2, an infrared transmitter 3, a signal cable 4, a BMC5 and a GPIO6; an infrared receiver 2 and an infrared transmitter 3 distributed in a ring are installed on the water flow meter 1, and the infrared receiver 2 is used to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3; when the water level in the water flow meter 1 is above the normal water level line a, the infrared receiver 2 will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 and the BMC5; when the water level in the water flow meter 1 is lower than the abnormal water level line b, the infrared receiver 2 receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3, and the infrared receiver 2 and the infrared transmitter 3 send a leakage signal to the BMC5 through the signal cable 4, and the GPIO6 of the BMC5 is at a low potential to generate an alarm.
[0070] The present invention has high accuracy when monitoring liquid flow and detecting leakage protection, and is not prone to false alarms. Compared with the traditional liquid cooling pipe where the water temperature is too high, when the machine room inhales cold air, the temperature difference between hot and cold will cause water droplets to condense on the surface of the liquid cooling pipe, and the condensed water vapor will fill the cotton thread and trigger a leakage warning. In fact, if no leakage occurs, it is more accurate to receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter 3 through the infrared receiver 2, and a leakage signal is generated after the infrared light is detected. The protection mechanism of monitoring the water flow through the infrared transmitter and reporting it to the BMC5 is more accurate.
[0071] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0072] The above are exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention, but it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed in the claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the disclosed embodiments described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although the elements disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention may be described or required in individual form, they may also be understood as multiple unless expressly limited to the singular.
[0073] It should be understood that, as used herein, the singular form "a" or "an" is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly supports an exception. It should also be understood that, as used herein, "and / or" refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the items listed in association. The serial numbers of the embodiments disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.
[0074] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention (including the claims) is limited to these examples. Within the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the above embodiments of the present invention, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server, characterized in that: It includes a water flow meter (1), an infrared receiver (2), an infrared transmitter (3), a signal cable (4), a BMC (5) and a GPIO (6); The water flow meter (1) is additionally provided with an infrared receiver (2) and an infrared transmitter (3) distributed in a ring shape, and the infrared receiver (2) is used to receive infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter (3); wherein, when the water level in the water flow meter (1) is above the normal water level line, the infrared receiver (2) will not receive the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter (3), and there is no leakage signal between the infrared receiver (2) and the infrared transmitter (3) and the BMC (5); When the water level in the water flow meter (1) is lower than the abnormal water level line, the infrared receiver (2) receives the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter (3), and the infrared receiver (2) and the infrared transmitter (3) send a leakage signal to the BMC (5) through the signal cable (4), and the GPIO (6) of the BMC (5) is at a low potential to generate an alarm; The thickened corrosion-resistant tube of the water flow meter (1) is made of a transparent material, and is used to allow the infrared light emitted by the infrared transmitter (3) to pass through the tube and illuminate the infrared receiver (2) on the other side of the water flow meter (1), and the infrared receiver (2) receives the infrared light to generate a leakage signal; both ends of the water flow meter (1) are provided with external threaded interfaces, and the external threaded interfaces are connected to locking nuts, and the water flow meter (1) is used to connect to a liquid cooling circulation pipe for cooling the server motherboard (8). The liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9) is provided on the server mainboard (8), the server mainboard (8) is connected to the backplane (10) via a connection card (13), and the backplane (10) is provided with a CPLD (11); the connection card (13) is provided with a power switch (12), the power switch (12) is connected to the circulation control pump of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9), and the CPLD (11) is used to send power to the BMC ( 5) sends a leakage signal to judge whether the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9) has leaked; the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9) is also provided with a solenoid valve connected to the power switch (12); when leakage occurs, the power switch (12) is controlled to be closed, and the solenoid valve connected to the power switch (12) is turned off; the server motherboard (8) is also provided with a functional module that is arranged in close contact with the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9), the functional module is a heating device installed on the server motherboard (8) and an air cooling device installed on the server motherboard (8) for dissipating heat from the heating device; the air cooling device on the server motherboard (8) is connected to the standby power switch (14), the CPLD (11) includes a node power control unit, the node power control unit is connected to the power switch (12) and the standby power switch (14), when the BMC (5) detects and receives the leakage signal, it triggers the CPLD (11) to control the power switch (12) to be disconnected and the standby power switch (14) to be closed according to the leakage judgment result.
2. The device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water flow meter (1) is a plastic tube rotor float flow meter. The water flow meter (1) uses a thickened corrosion-resistant tube body. The tube body of the water flow meter (1) is marked with a caliber size. The caliber size is set to different caliber sizes from 20 mm to 90 mm according to the model of the water flow meter (1).
3. The device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server according to claim 2, characterized in that: A guide column is provided inside the water flow meter (1) along the axial direction. The guide column is made of an upright metal rod with a diameter of 1-3 mm. A float is provided on the guide column. A through hole is provided in the middle of the float for sliding along the guide column. The float inside the water flow meter (1) floats at the liquid surface position and is used to indicate the water level inside the water flow meter (1) and to shield infrared light between the infrared receiver (2) and the infrared transmitter (3).
4. The device for liquid flow monitoring and leakage protection on a server according to claim 1, characterized in that: The external threaded interface at the bottom end of the water flow meter (1) is connected to the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9) via a T-shaped three-way pipe joint; the external threaded interface at the top end of the water flow meter (1) is connected to a return pipeline, and the return pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling circulation pipeline (9), a coolant recovery pipe or a coolant recovery tank.
Citation Information
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