TWI866286B - Heat dissipation method for server - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat dissipation method of a server of the present invention is divided into three control links, respectively, the first control link is the control data of the first fan corresponding to the temperature control of the electronic components of the server, and the second link is to consider whether the power supply unit is not The control data of the first fan generated by airflow backflow will be generated, and the third link is the control data of the second fan generated by feeding back the control data of the first fan to the power supply unit and considering the temperature control of the power supply unit itself. In this way, the rotation speed control of the first fan of the server system itself and the rotation speed control of the second fan of the power supply unit are realized under the condition that the power supply unit does not generate air flow back.

Description

Server cooling method

The present invention relates to a technical field of heat dissipation of a server and a power supply unit thereof by airflow, and more particularly to a heat dissipation method of a server under the condition of avoiding airflow backflow generated by the power supply unit of the server.

The electronic devices inside the server will generate heat when in operation. If the heat is not properly dissipated, the performance of the electronic devices will be affected by the temperature increase. Therefore, the server will be equipped with a fan to generate airflow in the chassis and use heat convection to dissipate the heat of the electronic devices. In addition, since the power supply unit is a high-power module, the power supply unit of the existing server is also equipped with a separate fan to directly dissipate the heat of the power supply unit.

In existing servers, in addition to the system fan being arranged at the front of the chassis to discharge air into the chassis to cool electronic modules or devices such as the motherboard, solid state drive or function expansion card, some other servers have the system fan arranged at the rear of the chassis and an air guide cover arranged at the front of the chassis to draw air into the chassis and pass through the motherboard, solid state drive or function expansion card in front of the system fan.

However, for the existing structure where the fan is installed at the rear of the chassis, a low-pressure area will be formed in front of the system fan. Since the power supply unit is installed near the system fan and located on the same plane, the air inlet of the power supply unit is located in the low-pressure area formed by the system fan, and the air outlet of the power supply unit is located at the rear of the chassis and in an area with higher air pressure. When the system fan is running at a large load, for the power supply unit, the airflow easily flows from the air outlet to the air inlet, causing the problem of airflow backflow.

Since the server with the system fan at the rear will have the problem of airflow backflow to the power supply unit, the airflow temperature at the air inlet of the power supply unit will increase. As for the existing server heat dissipation method, when the server detects that the airflow temperature at the air inlet of the power supply unit has increased, the server will increase the speed of the system fan (load), but this will make the problem of airflow backflow of the power supply unit more serious. In addition, increasing the speed of the system fan will also cause the pressure inside the server chassis to decrease more due to the significant increase in airflow velocity, causing the hot air outside the chassis to enter the chassis again, resulting in the deterioration of the server's heat dissipation performance.

In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat dissipation method for a server, especially for a server with a rear fan, which feeds back the control data of the first fan of the server to the control data of the second fan of the power supply unit, thereby solving the problem in the prior art that the first fan of the server and the second fan of the power supply unit are individually controlled, resulting in air flow backflow in the power supply unit, thereby deteriorating the heat dissipation performance of the server and the power supply unit.

An embodiment of the heat dissipation method of a server of the present invention is used for a server, which includes a first fan and a power supply unit. The first fan generates airflow through the server. The power supply unit includes a second fan. The second fan generates airflow through the power supply unit. The first fan currently controls the speed with a first current control data, and the second fan controls the speed with a second current control data.

The heat dissipation method of the server of the present embodiment includes the following steps: detecting a first air flow temperature of a first air inlet of the server; generating a first control data according to the first air flow temperature and the operation of each electronic component of the server; detecting the operation temperature of multiple electronic components of the power supply unit of the server; if the operation temperatures of the electronic components are within a predetermined range, then increasing the first control data by a first increment to generate a second control data; using the second control data as a first lower stage control data of the first fan, wherein when the first fan controls the rotation speed with the first lower stage control data, the air flow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is increased by 0.1%; and the air flow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is increased by 0.2%. The airflow temperature of the second air outlet of the power supply unit is less than the airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit; a second airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is detected; if the second airflow temperature of the second air inlet is within a predetermined range, a second current control data plus a second increment is used as a third control data; a fourth control data is generated according to the second control data and the third control data; the fourth control data is used as a second lower stage control data of the second fan, wherein when the second fan controls the rotation speed with the second lower stage control data, the airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is less than the airflow temperature of the second air outlet of the power supply unit.

The heat dissipation method of the server of the present invention is divided into three links, namely, the first link is the control data of the first fan generated by the temperature control of the electronic components of the server, the second link is the control data of the second fan generated by considering that the power supply unit will not generate airflow backflow, and the third link is the control data of the second fan generated by feeding back the control data of the first fan to the power supply unit and considering the temperature control of the power supply unit itself. In this way, the speed control of the first fan of the server system itself and the speed control of the second fan of the power supply unit are realized when the power supply unit does not generate airflow backflow.

1: Server

5: Chassis

5A: First air inlet

5B: First air outlet

10: First Fan

20: Second fan

DSM: Data Storage Module

MLB: Motherboard

PSU: Power Supply Unit

PA: Second air inlet

PB: Second air outlet

The first figure is a structural block diagram of a server to which the heat dissipation method of the server of the present invention is applied.

Figure 2A and Figure 2B are flow charts of an embodiment of the heat dissipation method for a server of the present invention.

Please refer to the first figure, the second figure A and the second figure B. The heat dissipation method of the server of the present invention is applied to a server with a rear fan.

The server 1 includes a chassis 5 and a plurality of first fans 10. The first fans 10 are arranged at the rear of the chassis 5. A first air inlet 5A and a plurality of air guide covers (not shown) are arranged at the front of the chassis 5. A first air outlet 5B is arranged at the rear of the chassis 5. A motherboard MLB and a data storage module DSM are arranged in front of the first fan 10 in the chassis 5. The motherboard MLB is provided with a central processing unit and a memory. The central processing unit of the motherboard MLB and the data storage module DSM generate heat and increase the temperature when they are running. The first fan 10 rotates to generate a first airflow, which enters the chassis 5 from the first air inlet 5A, flows through the data storage module DSM and the motherboard MLB, and is discharged from the first air outlet 5B, thereby dissipating heat from the electronic components of the data storage module DSM and the motherboard MLB by heat convection. The first air inlet 5A, the first air outlet 5B, and the heat-generating electronic components are provided with temperature sensors to detect the first air inlet 5A.

A plurality of power supply units PSU are arranged on the right side of the first fan 10, and each power supply unit PSU is provided with a second fan 20. Each power supply unit PSU has a second air inlet PA and a second air outlet PB, and the second air outlet PB is adjacent to the first air outlet 5B of the chassis 5. The second air inlet PA and the second air outlet PB of the power supply unit PSU are provided with temperature sensors for measuring the third temperature of the second air inlet PA of the power supply unit PSU and the fourth air flow temperature of the second air outlet PB. The temperature sensor of this embodiment is a thermocouple.

The heat dissipation method of the server of this embodiment includes three control links. The first control link

It is a control link used to control the temperature of the electronic modules and electronic components of the server.

In step S1, the temperature sensor detects the first airflow temperature of the first air inlet 5A, the second airflow temperature of the first air outlet 5B, the operating temperature of the electronic module and electronic components of the server 1, and detects the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA of the power supply unit PSU and the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB of the power supply unit PSU. Then proceed to step S2.

In step S2, determine whether the temperature of the first air inlet 5A and the first air outlet 5B is within the normal range. If it is within the normal range, proceed to step S3. If it is outside the normal range, proceed to step S6.

In step S3, a first control data is generated according to the first air flow temperature and the second air flow temperature. When the temperature of the first air inlet 5A and the first air outlet 5B is within the normal range, according to the operating state of each electronic component, the adjustment control data of each electronic component is the current adjustment control data plus an adjustment amount, that is, PWM _it = PWM _it-1 + δPWM _it-1 , for example, the current adjustment control data plus an adjustment amount of 5%. PWM _i is the adjustment control data of the i-th electronic component, i is 1 to n, that is, it is assumed that the server 1 includes n electronic modules or electronic components that generate heat. The first control data is the adjustment control PWM _0,t , PWM _1,t , PWM _2,t , PWM ₃ ,t, ... PWM _i,t , ... PWM _n,t of the first fan 10 under the condition that all electronic components will not overheat, wherein PWM _0,t represents the control data of the first fan 10 under the condition that all non-PID controlled electronic components or electronic modules in the server 1 will not produce overheating phenomenon.

The second control link is used for the electronic modules and electronic components of the server when the power supply unit PSU does not generate airflow backflow.

In step S4, it is determined whether the operating temperature of the electronic modules and electronic components of the server 1 is within the predetermined range. If the operating temperature of the electronic modules and electronic components of the server 1 is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S5. If the operating temperature of the electronic modules and electronic components of the server 1 is outside the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S5, the first control data is increased by a first increment to generate a second control data: PWMB _t =PWMA _t +δPWMB _t , wherein PWMB _t is the second control data, the first increment δPWMB _t is a positive value or a negative value, and the second control data is used as a first next stage control data of the first fan 10. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S6, the first airflow temperature of the first air inlet 5A of the server 1, the second airflow temperature of the first air outlet 5B, and the operating temperature of the electronic module and the electronic component are outside the predetermined range, that is, the electronic module or the electronic component has an overtemperature phenomenon due to a change in the operating state, so a system controller of the server 1 generates the first lower stage control data.

In step S7, the first fan 10 is controlled by the first lower stage control data. When the first fan 10 controls the rotation speed by the first lower stage control data, the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA of the power supply unit PSU is less than the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB of the PSU power supply unit, that is, the operation of the first fan 10 will not cause the power supply unit PSU to generate airflow backflow problems, and in this case, the server 1 is cooled.

The third control link is a control link used to control the temperature of the power supply unit PSU.

In step S8, it is determined whether the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA and the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB of the power supply unit PSU are within a predetermined range. If the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA and the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB are within a predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S9. If the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA and the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB are outside a predetermined range, the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S9, the second current control data of the second fan 20 is added with a second increment to obtain a third control data, PWMC _t =PWMC _t-1 +δPWMC _t-1 , PWMC _t is the third control data, PWMC _t-1 is the second current control data. Then, the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S10, if the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA is outside a predetermined range, a system controller of the server 1 generates the second lower stage control data. Then proceed to step S12.

In step S11, a fourth control data is generated according to the second control data and the third control data. The fourth control data of this embodiment is the maximum value of the second control data and the third control data, PWMD=max{PWMB _t ,PWMC _t }, and PWMD is the fourth control data. The fourth control data is used as a second lower stage control data of the second fan 20. Then, step S12 is entered.

In step S12, the speed of the second fan 20 is controlled by the second lower stage control data. When the speed of the second fan 20 is controlled by the second lower stage control data, the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet PA of the power supply unit PSU is less than the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet PB of the power supply unit PSU, that is, the second fan 20 operates without generating airflow backflow of the power supply unit PSU to dissipate heat of the power supply unit PSU.

The heat dissipation method of the server of the present invention is divided into three links, namely, the first link is the control data of the first fan generated by the temperature control of the electronic components of the server, the second link is the control data of the second fan generated by considering that the power supply unit will not generate airflow backflow, and the third link is to feed back the control data of the first fan to the power supply unit and consider the control data of the second fan generated by the temperature control of the power supply unit itself. In this way, the speed control of the first fan of the server system itself and the speed control of the second fan of the power supply unit are realized when the power supply unit does not generate airflow backflow.

The heat dissipation method of the server of the present invention realizes the control of the second fan of the power supply unit, prevents the power supply unit from overheating, and brings less power consumption waste and safer temperature control. From a logical point of view, it can avoid the backflow or blade reversal caused by the second fan in the power supply unit during normal or abnormal speed control stages, thereby avoiding the reduction of system heat dissipation efficiency and thus avoiding energy waste.

The above detailed description of the preferred specific embodiments is intended to more clearly describe the features and spirit of the present invention, but is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention by the preferred specific embodiments disclosed above. On the contrary, the purpose is to cover various changes and arrangements with equivalents within the scope of the patent that the present invention intends to apply for.

S1, S2, S4, S8: Steps

Claims (8)

A method for cooling a server comprises a first fan and a power supply unit. The first fan generates airflow through the server. The power supply unit comprises a second fan. The second fan generates airflow through the power supply unit. The first fan is currently controlled by a first current control data, and the second fan is controlled by a second current control data. The method for cooling a server comprises: detecting a first current control data of the server; a first airflow temperature of an air inlet and a second airflow temperature of a first air outlet; generating a first control data according to the first airflow temperature and the second airflow temperature; detecting the operating temperatures of a plurality of electronic components of a power supply unit of the server; if the operating temperatures of the electronic components are within a predetermined range, increasing the first control data by a first increment to generate a second control data; using the second control data as a first down setting of the first fan; The first lower stage control data, wherein when the first fan controls the rotation speed with the first lower stage control data, the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is less than the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet of the power supply unit; the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit and the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet of the power supply unit are detected; if the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet is within a predetermined range, the The second current control data is added with a second increment to form a third control data; a fourth control data is generated according to the second control data and the third control data; the fourth control data is used as a second lower stage control data of the second fan, wherein when the second fan controls the rotation speed with the second lower stage control data, the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet of the power supply unit is less than the fourth airflow temperature of the second air outlet of the power supply unit. The heat dissipation method of the server as described in claim 1, wherein if the operating temperature of the electronic components is outside the predetermined range, a system controller of the server generates the first lower stage control data. In the heat dissipation method of the server as described in claim 1, if the third airflow temperature of the second air inlet is outside a predetermined range, a system controller of the server generates the second lower stage control data. A heat dissipation method for a server as described in claim 1, wherein the first control data is the maximum value PWMA of the adjustment control data of the first fan under the condition that all the electronic components will not overheat, that is, PWMA=max{PWM ₁ ,PWM ₂ ,PWM ₃ ,...PWM _i ,...PWM _n }, PWM _i is the adjustment control data of the i-th electronic component, i=1 to n, and the adjustment control data of each electronic component is the current adjustment control data plus an adjustment amount, that is, PWM _it =PWM _it-1 +δPWM _it-1 . The heat dissipation method of a server as described in claim 4, wherein the second control data is the first control data plus the first increment, PWMB _t =PWMA _t +δPWMB _t , wherein PWMB _t is the second control data, and the first increment δPWMB _t is a positive value or a negative value. The heat dissipation method of the server as described in claim 5, wherein the third control data is the second current control data increased by the second increase amount, PWMC _t = PWMC _t-1 + δPWMC _t-1 , wherein PWMC _t is the third control data, and PWMC _t-1 is the second current control data. A heat dissipation method for a server as described in claim 5, wherein the fourth control data is the maximum value of the second control data and the third control data, PWMD _t =max{PWMB _t ,PWMC _t }, and PWMD is the fourth control data. A heat dissipation method for a server as described in claim 1, wherein the first fan is disposed at the rear end of a chassis of the server, and the power supply unit and the first fan are disposed at the same horizontal position.

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