Wireless Sensor Mapping for Data Center Cooling Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional data centers face inefficiencies in energy usage for environmental control, as they often overcool entire rooms to meet the needs of individual computing devices, leading to unnecessary energy expenditure and inability to precisely monitor environmental conditions at various locations within the facility.

Innovation Solution

Deployment of a wireless sensor network using RF devices to monitor and visualize environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and pressure, providing a color-coded map of the data center's environmental state, enabling precise control and identification of problem areas through a 3D coordinate system and local control schemes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional data centers cool entire rooms to meet environmental requirements for individual computing devices, then environmental conditions are maintained for all systems, but significant energy is wasted on unnecessary cooling of other devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental condition maintenanceVSAvoidenergy waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the data center into multiple zones with distinct environmental conditions, allowing independent control of cooling in each zone based on actual computational needs rather than uniform room-wide cooling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements local quality control by adjusting environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, airflow) specifically at rack and device levels where computing workloads require it, rather than applying uniform conditions throughout the entire facility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If data centers push too much cooling air or liquid at very low temperature, then safe environmental conditions are ensured, but significant and unnecessary energy costs are incurred

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental safetyVSAvoidcooling energy cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic environmental control that continuously adjusts cooling parameters based on real-time computational workload measurements, allowing the system to scale cooling capacity to match actual demand rather than operating at fixed high capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor computational workload, temperature, and energy consumption to continuously optimize cooling operations, reducing energy waste by adjusting cooling intensity based on actual environmental needs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If conventional data centers operate without precise environmental monitoring, then simple control mechanisms are used, but the ability to identify specific problem areas and optimize cooling is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol mechanism simplicityVSAvoidenvironmental condition visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary environmental monitoring and control layer between the computing devices and cooling infrastructure, using sensors and controllers to collect environmental data and translate it into optimized cooling commands without requiring complex direct device control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

This solution allows for efficient energy use by precisely controlling cooling resources and identifying specific areas needing attention, reducing energy waste and improving operational efficiency by providing real-time monitoring and visualization of environmental conditions.

Implementation Method 1

Each of the sensor devices can be wirelessly networked together... each node includes a processor, a transceiver, and a power source

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRF wireless communication:

Data Source

PatentUS8160838B2Apparatus and method for visualizing environmental conditions in a data center using wireless sensor networks

Publication Date: 2012.04.17 VIGILENT CORP

AI summary

Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for visualizing environmental conditions in a data center using wireless sensor networks. An example embodiment includes: establishing communication with a plurality of networked environmental sensors deployed at particular points in one of a plurality of pre-defined layers for a facility; periodically obtaining measured environmental data values from each of the plurality of networked environmental sensors using a wireless sensor network; using the measured environmental data values at the particular points to extrapolate computed environmental data values at intermediate points in the facility; and using the measured environmental data values and the computed environmental data values to generate a visualization of environmental conditions in the facility.