Device for realizing fan-free operation in process of transforming air-cooled mainboard into liquid-cooled mainboard

Abstract

The utility model provides a device for realizing fan-free operation in a process of transforming an air-cooled mainboard into liquid cooling, which is characterized in that the device is used for controlling a target air-cooled mainboard and comprises an IO (input / output) port, a power supply processing module and a calculation module, the IO port is respectively connected with the power supply processing module and the calculation module; the calculation module is connected with the power supply processing module; the power supply processing module is used for obtaining electric energy from the IO port and supplying power to the calculation module according to the electric energy; and the calculation module is used for obtaining the PWM signal from the terminal of the IO port, calculating the duty ratio of the PWM signal according to a preset program, obtaining the cooling effect fed back by the mainboard, generating a corresponding frequency square wave signal, and outputting an interface signal for controlling a fan of the target air cooling mainboard through the IO port by using the frequency square wave signal. According to the utility model, the cooling fan is directly replaced by the standard interface of the fan on the target mainboard, so that the fan is eliminated in the transformation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of computer devices, in particular to a device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled mainboard into a liquid-cooled mainboard. Background Art

[0002] As the performance of computers (or servers) becomes stronger and stronger, the heat generated by core components (such as CPU, graphics card, memory, power supply, etc.) is also getting worse. Conventionally, most computers (or servers) use fans to dissipate heat from CPU, graphics card, memory, power supply, etc. The energy consumed by these fans is often not low, and it also brings noise problems. In addition, the heat dissipation capacity is getting closer to the bottleneck. Data centers deploy a large number of servers, with higher heat density, and fan energy consumption and noise problems are becoming more and more serious.

[0003] In recent years, more and more people are using liquid cooling to cool computers (or servers). Some use pure water as the cooling medium, and some use unique synthetic organic working fluids. Some use low-temperature cooling liquid exchange to remove the heat of core components (single-phase heat dissipation), and some use cooling liquid evaporation and gasification to remove the heat of core components (two-phase heat dissipation). Regardless of the form and method, due to the high cooling efficiency, some (or even all) cooling fans can often be removed, which reduces power consumption and noise at the same time.

[0004] But this raises a problem. If the computer (or server) is not specially developed for liquid cooling, the motherboard is fan-cooled by default, and the fan will be detected and monitored. When the computer (or server) starts, it cannot start normally if the fan is missing. Some computers (or servers) can be set in the BIOS to ignore self-test errors (including fan-related errors) and continue to start, but a considerable number of conventional computers (or servers) cannot be set in this way. This brings great difficulties to the modification of the cooling method of these computers (or servers).

[0005] At present, the following solutions are often adopted to solve this situation:

[0006] 1. The user requires the manufacturer to customize and modify the BIOS (or EC / ME / BMC system) to remove or disable the detection and monitoring of the fan, so that the system can start and run without fans. The user does not need to do any additional targeted work.

[0007] 2. If it is a non-customized computer (or server), but the BIOS (or EC / ME / BMC system) provides options such as turning off fan self-check. Before starting the computer (or server), the user should first enter the BIOS system, turn off fan self-check and other related options, save and take effect, and restart to enable the system fan to start and run.

[0008] 3. If it is not the case of 1 or 2 above, the user changes the CPU (or other core components) from air cooling to liquid cooling, and still connects the cooling fan to the CPU_FAN (or corresponding SYS_FAN, etc.) interface. This method ensures that the system can detect the fan and can start and run normally. Due to the implementation of liquid cooling, if the system provides a speed control mechanism, the fan will run at a small probability with the support of liquid cooling. Utility Model Content

[0009] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard.

[0010] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following solutions:

[0011] A device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard, characterized in that the device is used to control a target air-cooled motherboard, and the device comprises: an IO port with multiple internal input and external output terminals, a power processing module, and a computing module for performing cooling effect simulation calculation;

[0012] The IO port is connected to the power processing module and the computing module respectively; the computing module is connected to the power processing module; the power processing module is used to obtain electric energy from the IO port and power the computing module according to the electric energy; the computing module is used to obtain a PWM signal from a terminal of the IO port, and calculate the duty cycle of the PWM signal according to a preset program to obtain the cooling effect fed back by the mainboard and generate a corresponding frequency square wave signal, and use the frequency square wave signal to output an interface signal for controlling the fan of the target air-cooled mainboard through the IO port.

[0013] Preferably, it also includes a firmware flashing interface; the firmware flashing interface is connected to the cooling effect simulation calculation module; the firmware flashing interface is used to update the firmware on the calculation module.

[0014] Preferably, the terminals include: a ground terminal, a +12V input terminal, a PWM input terminal and an interface signal output terminal; the PWM input terminal is respectively connected to the PWM output terminal in the fan interface of the computing module and the target air-cooled mainboard; the interface signal output terminal is respectively connected to the interface signal input terminal in the fan interface of the computing module and the target air-cooled mainboard; the +12V input terminal is connected to the power processing module; the PWM output terminal is used to output a PWM speed regulation signal.

[0015] Preferably, the fan interface is CPU_FAN or SYS_FAN.

[0016] Preferably, it further comprises a substrate; the IO port, the power processing module and the computing module are fixed on the substrate.

[0017] Preferably, a connector is also included; the IO port is connected to the fan interface of the target air-cooled mainboard via the connector.

[0018] Preferably, the connector is a connecting circuit having a 4-pin female port and a 4-pin male port.

[0019] Preferably, the connector is a connecting line having a 3-pin female port and a 3-pin male port.

[0020] Preferably, the connecting member is fixed on the substrate; the connecting member is connected to the IO port via a printed circuit on the substrate.

[0021] Preferably, the connector is a multi-channel discrete structure; the IO port is connected to each connecting line of the corresponding connector through a cable.

[0022] According to the specific embodiments provided by the utility model, the utility model discloses the following technical effects:

[0023] The utility model provides a device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard, characterized in that the device is used to control the target air-cooled motherboard, and the device includes: an IO port with multiple terminals for internal input and external output, a power processing module, and a calculation module for performing cooling effect simulation calculation; the IO port is respectively connected to the power processing module and the calculation module; the calculation module is connected to the power processing module; the power processing module is used to obtain electric energy from the IO port, and power the calculation module according to the electric energy; the calculation module is used to obtain a PWM signal from the terminal of the IO port, and calculate the duty cycle of the PWM signal according to a preset program, obtain the cooling effect fed back by the motherboard and generate a corresponding frequency square wave signal, and use the frequency square wave signal to output an interface signal for controlling the fan of the target air-cooled motherboard through the IO port. The utility model directly replaces the cooling fan through the standard interface of the fan on the target motherboard, thereby realizing the exemption of the fan during the transformation process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the logic structure provided for Embodiment 1 of the present utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the logic structure provided for Embodiment 2 of the present utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the logic structure provided for Embodiment 3 of the present utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the logical structure provided for Example 4 of the present utility model.

[0029] Description of reference numerals:

[0030] 1-IO port (among which, 1-1 ground terminal, 1-2 +12V input terminal, 1-3 PWM input terminal, 1-4 interface signal output terminal), 2-power processing module, 3-firmware flashing interface, 4-computing module, 5-baseboard, 6-connector, 7-cable, 8-fan interface (among which, 8-1 ground terminal, 8-2 +12V input terminal, 8-3 PWM output terminal, 8-4 interface signal input terminal). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0032] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figure 1As shown (the solid connecting lines in the drawings mentioned in all embodiments of the present invention are power supply, the dotted connecting lines are signals, and the arrows indicate the flow direction, which will not be repeated hereafter), the device includes an IO port 1 (including a ground terminal 1-1, a +12V input terminal 1-2, a PWM input terminal 1-3, and an interface signal output terminal 1-4, i.e., a TACH input), a power processing module 2, a firmware flashing interface 3, a computing module 4, a substrate 5, a connector 6, and a cable 7. The fan interface 8 is the CPU_FAN (or SYS_FAN) interface on the motherboard to be modified (including a ground terminal 8-1, a +12V input terminal 8-2, a PWM output terminal 8-3, and an interface signal input terminal 8-4).

[0035] The IO port 1 is connected to a standard connector 7 (a 4-pin female port in the figure) through a cable, and the connector 7 is connected to the target CPU_FAN (4-pin male port) on the motherboard to be modified.

[0036] The calculation module 4 obtains the PWM speed regulation signal from 8.3 of CPU_FAN, calculates the corresponding cooling effect through simulation, generates the corresponding square wave TACH signal, and outputs it to 8.4 of CPU_FAN.

[0037] The length of the cable 7 can be adjusted according to actual needs, so that the device where the substrate 5 is located can be placed in a suitable position, or can be pasted or adsorbed until it is suitable.

[0038] The calculation module 4 obtains the PWM signal from the IO port 1 terminal, calculates the cooling effect fed back by the mainboard according to the PWM duty cycle, generates a corresponding frequency square wave signal and outputs the TACH signal through the IO port 1. The IO port 1 includes four types of signals, namely, the ground terminal 1-1, the +12V input terminal 1-2, the PWM input terminal 1-3, and the interface signal output terminal 1-4. According to the actual specifications and modification requirements of the mainboard to be modified, the above four types of signals (or part of them) can be connected to the mainboard CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN interfaces in the form of suitable connectors. The firmware flashing interface can be used to update the firmware on the cooling effect simulation calculation module. Exemplarily, when the calculation module 4 does not obtain a valid PWM signal from a certain channel, it outputs the default frequency TACH signal by default to meet the requirements of some mainboards for air-cooling fans without speed control and only detecting the speed.

[0039] Specifically, the calculation module stores an array of PWM duty cycles and TACH output frequencies. When a PWM input signal is received, a linear fitting search is performed in the array. That is, the largest PWM1 that is not greater than the input value and the smallest PWM2 that is not less than the input value are found. According to the proportional relationship between PWM1 and PWM2, the TACH output frequencies TACH1 and TACH2 corresponding to PWM1 and PWM2 are used to calculate the output TACH in the same proportion.

[0040] IO port 1 can be connected to the CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN interfaces on the motherboard through cables connected to standard large 4-Pin female ports, large 3-Pin female ports, small 4-Pin female ports, small 3-Pin female ports, etc. It can also be connected to the CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN interfaces on the motherboard through independent 1-Pin female ports, so that various signals on IO port 1 can be connected to special interfaces on the target motherboard. IO port 1 can also directly fix the aforementioned standard female ports on the substrate to further reduce the volume.

[0041] The substrate can be encapsulated in an insulating shell. Double-sided adhesive or magnets can be provided behind the substrate (or shell), so that when the IO ports are connected via flexible cables, it is convenient for users to plug the device and fix it to a certain part of the chassis.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] like Figure 2 The device comprises an IO port 1, a power processing module 2, a firmware flashing interface 3, a computing module 4, a base plate 5, a connector 6, and a cable 7. The fan interface 8 is a CPU_FAN (or SYS_FAN) interface on the motherboard to be modified.

[0044] The IO port 1 is connected to a standard connector 7 (3-pin female port in the figure) through a cable, and the connector 7 is connected to the target CPU_FAN (3-pin male port) on the motherboard to be modified.

[0045] The calculation module 4 cannot obtain the PWM speed control signal from the CPU_FAN, so it directly generates the system default square wave TACH signal and outputs it to 8.4 of the CPU_FAN.

[0046] The length of the cable 7 can be adjusted according to actual needs, so that the device where the substrate 5 is located can be placed in a suitable position, or can be pasted or adsorbed until it is suitable.

[0047] Example 3

[0048] like Figure 3 The device comprises an IO port 1, a power processing module 2, a firmware flashing interface 3, a computing module 4, a base plate 5, and a connector 6. The fan interface 8 is a CPU_FAN (or SYS_FAN) interface on the motherboard to be modified.

[0049] The connector 6 is directly fixed on the substrate 5 and is directly connected to the IO port 1 through a new printed circuit on the board. The connector 7 is connected to the target CPU_FAN (4-pin male port) on the motherboard to be modified.

[0050] The calculation module 4 obtains the PWM speed regulation signal from 8.3 of CPU_FAN, calculates the corresponding cooling effect through simulation, generates the corresponding square wave TACH signal, and outputs it to 8.4 of CPU_FAN.

[0051] This implementation is applicable to the 3-pin CPU_FAN connection.

[0052] Embodiment 4:

[0053] like Figure 4 The device comprises an IO port 1, a power processing module 2, a firmware flashing interface 3, a computing module 4, a base plate 5, a connector 6, and a cable 7. The fan interface 8 is a non-standard CPU_FAN (or SYS_FAN) interface on the motherboard to be modified.

[0054] The IO port 1 is connected to the respective discrete connectors 7 (4 female ports in the figure) through cables, and the connectors 7 are connected to the 4 corresponding male ports in the target non-standard CPU_FAN on the motherboard to be modified (1.1 to 8.1, 1.2 to 8.2, 1.3 to 8.3, 1.4 to 8.4 respectively).

[0055] The calculation module 4 obtains the PWM speed regulation signal from 8.3 of CPU_FAN, calculates the corresponding cooling effect through simulation, generates the corresponding square wave TACH signal, and outputs it to 8.4 of CPU_FAN.

[0056] The length of the cable 7 can be adjusted according to actual needs, so that the device where the substrate 5 is located can be placed in a suitable position, or can be pasted or adsorbed until it is suitable.

[0057] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows:

[0058] 1. The utility model directly replaces the cooling fan through standard interfaces such as CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN on the motherboard, thereby eliminating the need for the fan during the transformation process;

[0059] 2. The utility model does not require customization of computers (or servers), does not require modification of the relevant software and hardware processing logic of computers (or servers), and does not require adjustment of the relevant operating parameters of the computers (or servers);

[0060] 3. The utility model does not require any driver or processing software to be installed on the computer (or server) to be modified;

[0061] 4. The utility model is simple and flexible, with a compact structure, and has no special requirements for the interface and space of the computer (or server) to be modified;

[0062] 5. The utility model facilitates the use of standard connectors (such as large 4-Pin female connector, large 3-Pin female connector, small 4-Pin female connector, small 3-Pin female connector, etc.) to connect the interface of the CPU (or SYS) to be exempted, and can also use discrete female connectors to connect special interfaces.

[0063] 6. The processing logic of the utility model is simple and can be realized by a single chip microcomputer at low cost.

[0064] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0065] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the utility model. The above examples are only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the utility model. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of the utility model, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting the utility model.

Claims

1. A device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard, characterized in that: The device is used to control a target air-cooled motherboard, and the device includes: an IO port with multiple internal input and external output terminals, a power processing module, and a calculation module for performing cooling effect simulation calculation; The IO port is connected to the power processing module and the computing module respectively; the computing module is connected to the power processing module; the power processing module is used to obtain electric energy from the IO port and power the computing module according to the electric energy; the computing module is used to obtain a PWM signal from a terminal of the IO port, and calculate the duty cycle of the PWM signal according to a preset program to obtain the cooling effect fed back by the mainboard and generate a corresponding frequency square wave signal, and use the frequency square wave signal to output an interface signal for controlling the fan of the target air-cooled mainboard through the IO port.

2. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a firmware flashing interface; the firmware flashing interface is connected to the cooling effect simulation calculation module; the firmware flashing interface is used to update the firmware on the calculation module.

3. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminals include: a ground terminal, a +12V input terminal, a PWM input terminal and an interface signal output terminal; the PWM input terminal is respectively connected to the PWM output terminal in the fan interface of the computing module and the target air-cooled mainboard; the interface signal output terminal is respectively connected to the interface signal input terminal in the fan interface of the computing module and the target air-cooled mainboard; the +12V input terminal is connected to the power processing module; the PWM output terminal is used to output a PWM speed regulation signal.

4. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fan interface is CPU_FAN or SYS_FAN.

5. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a substrate; the IO port, the power processing module and the computing module are fixed on the substrate.

6. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a connector; the IO port is connected to the fan interface of the target air-cooled mainboard through the connector.

7. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connector is a connecting line having a 4-pin female port and a 4-pin male port.

8. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connector is a connection circuit having a 3-pin female port and a 3-pin male port.

9. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connecting member is fixed on the substrate; the connecting member is connected to the IO port through a printed circuit on the substrate.

10. The device for realizing fan-free operation in the process of transforming an air-cooled motherboard into a liquid-cooled motherboard according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connector is a multi-channel discrete structure; the IO port is connected to each connecting line of the corresponding connector through a cable.

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