Conductor Impedance Monitoring for In-Circuit Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information handling systems generate excessive heat due to high power consumption, leading to potential damage and the need for effective leak detection in cooling systems, which current monitoring techniques may not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A monitor and measurement circuit (MMC) with a voltage divider and voltage source is used to calculate the transfer function of a conductor's length, employing curve fitting to detect failures and determine the type of failure (open or short circuit) by analyzing the conductor's impedance at multiple frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling techniques are implemented to reduce heat, then temperature control is improved, but system integrity may deteriorate due to potential leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary leak detection by placing a conductor through cooling system components (such as cold plates or heat exchangers) before actual cooling operation begins. The conductor serves as a pre-installed sensing element that can detect leaks proactively, allowing the system to identify integrity issues before they cause damage, thus resolving the contradiction between implementing cooling and maintaining system reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a conductor as an intermediary element that physically passes through cooling system components to enable leak detection. This conductor acts as a mediator between the cooling system and the monitoring system, allowing indirect detection of leaks through electrical property changes without directly interfering with the cooling function, thus maintaining both temperature control and system integrity
2Reliability
If conductor monitoring is implemented to detect leaks, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the conductor multi-functional by using it both as an electrical connection element (its primary function in the circuit) and as a leak detection sensor (secondary function). This eliminates the need for separate dedicated sensing components, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable leak detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor performs self-diagnosis by utilizing its own electrical properties (such as capacitance or impedance changes) to detect leaks. When a leak occurs, the conductor's electrical characteristics change, and this change is measured by the monitoring system. The conductor essentially monitors itself without requiring additional active sensing elements, thereby simplifying the monitoring system
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time monitoring and measurement of conductor integrity, identifying failure conditions and their locations, facilitating timely corrective actions and improving system reliability.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a set of output voltages of the voltage divider circuit at the R frequencies
Implementation Method 2
calculating R values of a transfer function of the measurement circuit based on the R input and output voltages
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a monitor and measurement circuit (MMC), a processor, and a memory. The MMC includes a voltage divider circuit and a voltage source. The voltage divider is connected to a conductor which is placed on a path through circuit elements. The voltage source is applied to voltage divider circuit to drive the voltage divider circuit at N frequencies. The memory contains instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including calculating N values of a transfer function of the MMC at the N frequencies, obtaining a sinusoidal function that fits the N values, and calculating length of the conductor based on an argument of the sinusoidal function.