Cooling Component Control Using Weighted Effectiveness Ratios
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional air cooling methods are inadequate for managing heat in electronic devices with high power density, as they struggle to effectively remove heat from densely packed circuits, leading to increased device temperatures and potential thermal runaway conditions.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system comprising multiple adjustable components, with a controller that determines control settings based on the weighting ratios of cooling effectiveness to ensure target temperatures are maintained within a desired range, while minimizing power consumption by optimizing the applied power to each component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional air cooling methods are used, then the cooling system is simple, but the cooling effectiveness is insufficient for high power density devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cooling components (liquid cooling system and air cooling system) into a hybrid cooling system. The liquid cooling component handles high heat flux areas through direct contact with electronic devices, while the air cooling component provides supplementary cooling, achieving synergistic cooling effectiveness that neither system could achieve alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independently controllable cooling components, each targeting specific thermal zones. The controller divides the total cooling demand among components based on real-time temperature measurements and pre-determined weighting ratios, allowing differentiated cooling strategies for different device regions.
2Reliability
If multiple cooling components are used to improve cooling effectiveness, then the cooling performance increases, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the operating state of each cooling component based on real-time thermal conditions. The controller continuously monitors temperatures and adjusts component power levels according to weighting ratios, enabling the system to consume only the necessary amount of power to maintain target temperatures rather than operating at fixed high power levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller changes operational parameters (power levels) of cooling components based on thermal demand. By adjusting parameters such as pump speed, fan rotation, or valve positions according to real-time temperature feedback and pre-determined weighting ratios, the system optimizes the balance between cooling effectiveness and power consumption.
3Temperature
If cooling components are adjusted to maintain target temperatures, then temperature control is achieved, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a closed-loop feedback control mechanism where temperature sensors continuously monitor the thermal state of electronic devices, and the controller adjusts cooling component power levels based on the difference between measured temperatures and target temperatures. This feedback loop maintains temperature control while automating the adjustment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller pre-determines weighting ratios for each cooling component based on their relative cooling effectiveness, which are stored and readily available when temperature control is needed. This preliminary calculation of optimal power distribution ratios simplifies the real-time control process, as the controller only needs to apply these pre-determined ratios to the current thermal demand rather than calculating optimal distribution from scratch.
4Reliability
If high power is applied to cooling components, then cooling effectiveness improves, but energy efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial cooling action to each component based on its weighting ratio rather than maximizing all components simultaneously. The controller distributes the total cooling demand proportionally among components according to their pre-determined weighting ratios, achieving sufficient cooling effectiveness while avoiding the excessive energy consumption that would result from running all components at maximum power.
Data Source
AI summary
Energy efficient control of cooling system cooling of an electronic system is provided based, in part, on weighted cooling effectiveness of the components. The control includes automatically determining speed control settings for multiple adjustable cooling components of the cooling system. The automatically determining is based, at least in part, on weighted cooling effectiveness of the components of the cooling system, and the determining operates to limit power consumption of at least the cooling system, while ensuring that a target temperature associated with at least one of the cooling system or the electronic system is within a desired range by provisioning, based on the weighted cooling effectiveness, a desired target temperature change among the multiple adjustable cooling components of the cooling system. The provisioning includes provisioning applied power to the multiple adjustable cooling components via, at least in part, the determined control settings.