Patent Application
20110298301
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system, and method of utilizing a wireless network to communicate with one or more wireless sensors and/or actuators to monitor and obtain information about a datacenter. A datacenter is a facility used to house data storage and processing equipment that can perform a variety of data storage and computational tasks. Datacenter facilities may also host servers, web servers, Internet services, and other enterprise-based services, computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications systems, among other equipment. The datacenter generally includes redundant or backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression) and security devices.
High carbon gas emissions are causing global warming concerns. Along with global warming, energy costs are skyrocketing, specifically, electrical energy use. There exists tremendous pressure on the information technology (IT) industry to cut back on their energy use and to monitor and track the how much alternating current (AC) power is used by equipment located in the datacenter. According to the environmental protection agency (EPA), datacenters across the United States (US) use 3% of all of the electricity used in the US. Therefore, there is a strong movement afoot to reduce the energy consumption of datacenters across the country and to become as efficiently green as possible because green is good for the planet.
There exists in a typical datacenter, constant AC power use in the equipment. Every equipment rack may contain one or more IT server which is critical to running modern businesses. Each rack's total AC power usage is very difficult to monitor. Datacenter managers are currently blind to this AC power usage and have no visibility as to the amount of AC power being used on a per rack basis or during periods when AC power usage is highest. Industry organizations such as Uptime Institute, Green Grid, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) have all recommended that datacenters measure the AC power usage and compare that usage value to the industry and to use the total AC power usage as compared to the overall building AC power usage to determine an industry metric for efficiency. Accordingly, datacenter managers who wish to calculate the industry metric for efficiency do not have the tools in place to instrument and monitor this AC power usage with disrupting other equipment in doing so. The ability to measure the AC power usage of the datacenter equipment provides a datacenter manager with full knowledge of the AC power consumed by each of the equipment loads and the variance of such consumption during different parts of the day.
Conventional techniques dictate that measuring the AC current consumption of datacenter equipment involves using an ammeter, either a clamp-on type or an in-line type, attached to the equipment under test. These ammeters are placed around a power cord or are wired connected to the equipment under test. These wired solutions are cumbersome to implement because wires or cables are drooped over the operating equipment causing a jumbled mess. As a result, managers are reluctant to implement such wired current metering solutions, and if so, only temporarily. In addition, a serviceperson or technician would be required to physically near to view the current readings of the ammeter periodically, as they are sometimes not machine readable or remotely readable. There exists machine readable devices, but they too require cable for transmitting the readings, which means this “data” cable can be a cause of the jumbled mess. To perform this task is time consuming and requires that the serviceperson manually take the ammeter readings and log the results. Such manual intervention is error-prone and inaccurate because it introduces errors in the process of reading the meters and converting the reading to a machine readable form. There has been some innovation to electronically measure and record the amount of current consumed by equipment in the datacenter but no innovation to provide the recorded readings wirelessly to an Internet dashboard application for display.
In addition, most datacenter facilities are inefficient because they waste energy by over cooling. Accordingly, there is tremendous inefficiency and waste in supplying more cooling than is required to properly cool the equipment. Wasted cooling is wasted energy use. Industry leaders such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Uptime Institute, Green Grid, ASHRAE, and NEBS have recommended datacenter facilities to operate at a server inlet temperature (set-point) of 27° C. or 80.6° F. Conventional datacenter technology adjusts the set-point based on the room thermostat measurements, located on walls, and is not based on actual measurements made at the equipment rack, which manufacturers prefer. A large percentage of the datacenter facility energy costs arise from the environmental controls required to ensure that the environment within the data facility is maintained within suitable parameters based on the equipment contained in the facility. Examples of environmental controls include cooling, air flow, humidity controls, power regulators, and so on. All of these controls work together to attempt to create an environment in which the data facility equipment can operate at maximum efficiency and thus decrease the overall energy costs for the data facility. Datacenter managers, however, are unwilling to blindly raise their set-points without having a second, more granular data point of confirmation. They need confidence that by changing room set-points or by adjusting their equipment in any manner, they will not jeopardize the “thermal health” safety of the equipment on the racks.
Today's datacenter environment is changing constantly. Workload problems can arise in a datacenter facility when the equipment servers' environmental conditions fail to remain within acceptable operating parameters. Hot spots can cause equipment to run at less than optimal efficiency and at extremes can result in equipment failure and service interruptions. Excess humidity can allow condensation to form in and around data facility equipment and result in data processing and storage errors and ultimately, equipment failure. To control environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, a data facility administrator needs to be aware of both global and local environmental conditions within the facility.
To enable data facility designers and administrators to determine optimal placement and settings for environmental controls, some form of environmental monitoring is desirable. Most current forms of environmental monitoring are difficult to implement and tend to create an incomplete and inaccurate image of data facility environmental conditions. Current temperature monitoring systems do not demand that sensors be placed on every rack in the datacenter, instead, a sensor may be placed on every other rack or every third rack, implying this correctly represents the inlet temperatures of all the racks in between. This patent claims that every rack in the datacenter must be instrumented with a sensor or multiple sensors to indicate the rack inlet temperatures experienced by that rack of equipment. Any deviation from this gives an incomplete picture and allows the consequence of a mistake in measurement and instills an area of non-confidence with the datacenter staff personnel.
Understanding heat profiles at each rack and the “hot spots” in a datacenter is very difficult and the lack of knowledge prevents managers from making any changes. The risks of randomly making changes are high and may adversely affect expensive equipment, without having confident, real-time temperature measurements about them at the point of interest such as the air inlet. Datacenter managers have no practical and inexpensive method to measure the temperature at every single rack today. Current technology is too expensive, inlet temperatures reported by servers are difficult to act upon, servers internal reported temperatures of inlet temperatures are inappropriate to guide the datacenter, and some wired solutions make it difficult to operate the server equipment, due to cable draping. Managers need visibility and confidence that by changing room set-points or by adjusting their equipment in any manner, they are not jeopardizing the “thermal health” and safety of the equipment in the racks.
Current technology requires a wired solution with cabled probes which are installed inside the equipment rack. The wired probes are extended to locate the probe temperature at exactly where an inlet temperature is needed. This cable solution drapes cabling and wiring, sometimes over operating equipment, causing a difficult access condition, and perhaps introduces an equipment downtime condition. Some wired sensors are instrumented inside equipment racks and some wired sensors are instrumented in the datacenter room. The combination of readings from these wired sensors determined the overall thermal profile of the datacenter. Due to the high cost of installation, monitoring, and maintenance of these wired temperature sensors, the total cost for outfitting the datacenter with instruments is expensive and complex to implement. As a result of the high cost, not every rack is instrumented, which leaves the datacenter manager guessing or estimating the rack temperatures of the non-instrumented racks. Due to the nature of blade servers, the concentration of heat is focused into a tighter area than previous, and the temperatures differ between upper and lower parts of the equipment racks. There will always exist some doubt about the performance of the un-instrumented racks, when you don't instrument all racks.
A less than full instrumentation of every rack with sensor detectors is insufficient to properly profile a datacenter and is in fact, very risky to take actions without a full comprehensive indication. Today, we understand that the Rack Air Inlet temperature (RAI) is the most important parameter for properly functioning IT equipment, and is the lone specification server manufacturers require for their equipment. Every equipment rack's front air inlet temperature should be tracked to be within the temperature ranges specified by the equipment manufacturer.
Conventional techniques dictate that either wired sensors or sensors based on IEEE 802.15.4 be instrumented in a datacenter to determine the temperature of certain regions of the datacenter. Prior solutions involve certain environmental detection, which included temperature and humidity, in either a wired sensor solution or wireless sensors operating under IEEE 802.15.4 PHY layers. This goes by ZigBee/802.15.4/mesh networks. This class of wireless has technical limits of bandwidth and reliability transmissions. The ZigBee technology is aggregated at 250 Kbps transmission, which is insufficient to support a large number of sensors (>1000), or large bandwidth media requirements. Audio and video media typically need 1 Mbps bandwidth for MPEG-2 quality. For a facility manager, who wants one wireless infrastructure that supports from environmental measurements through to video surveillance, ZigBee is not able to support this, due to the bandwidth required. In the case of Zigbee, the facility manager must implement two wireless infrastructures, one for environment and another different wireless technology for audio and video applications. These sensors were limited in their ability to properly monitor today's critical datacenters.
Today's datacenter requires that sensors be a sophisticated computer equipment with the ability to incorporate a number of sensing devices specifically tailored to the usage in a datacenter that has never existed before in these combinations and to use common wireless IEEE 802.11b/g networks, commonly referred to as Wi-Fi networks, for their communications. Wi-Fi has emerged as the worldwide standard for wireless Internet access in the enterprise. The IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standard eliminates the expense and complexity of RFID-based or proprietary systems, enabling a supply chain solution that leverages existing technologies, tools, and infrastructure. Wi-Fi is already installed in warehouses, distribution centers, loading docks, delivery trucks and even airport tarmacs. The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi frequency band has been approved around the world, and proven to be much more robust than competing wireless technologies, such as ZigBee/802.15.4. The Wi-Fi standard provides easy access, high performance and reliable security.
In accordance with one embodiment, an apparatus, system, and method comprises a housing comprising at least one inlet plug suitable for connection to an alternating current (AC) power outlet and at least one outlet receptacle suitable receiving an AC plug connected to a load device. An AC measurement module is coupled to the inlet plug and the outlet receptacle to measure AC voltage and AC current usage of the load device connected to the outlet receptacle. A communication module operative to transmit AC power values calculated based on the measured AC voltage and AC current in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard (Wi-Fi) to a wireless network access point.
The novel features of the various aspects of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The various aspects, however, both as to organization and methods of operation, are described herein by way of example in conjunction with the following figures and corresponding description, where like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides apparatuses, systems, and methods of utilizing a wireless network to communicate with one or more wireless sensors and/or actuators for monitoring and obtaining information about a datacenter. The information about the datacenter is measured by sensors and is wirelessly transmitted to a local wireless network connected to a wide area network such as the Internet. The measured data accumulated and is used to configure, modify settings, and administrate the datacenter manually and/or automatically in order to operate the datacenter more efficiently and to realize annual cost savings on energy usage.
The sensors are configured to measure one or more quantities such as: temperature, heat, electrical resistance, electrical current, electrical voltage, electrical power, magnetism, pressure gas and liquid flow, gas and liquid, odor, viscosity and density, humidity, chemical proportion, light time-of-flight, light, image, infra-red, proximity, radiation, subatomic particle, hydraulic, acoustic, sound, motion, vibration, orientation, distance, biological, geodetic. As described in more detail below, the sensors can be broadly divided into (1) “multimedia,” encompassing the measurement of still images, moving images (video), and sound; (2) “electrical metering,” encompassing electrical resistance, electrical current, electrical voltage, electrical power; and (3) “environmental,” encompassing all other categories of quantities to measured or sensed, such as temperature, heat, magnetism, pressure, gas and liquid flow, gas and liquid volume, odor, viscosity and density, humidity, chemical proportion, light, time-of-flight, infrared, proximity, radiation, subatomic particle, hydraulic, acoustic, motion, vibration, orientation, distance, biological, geodetic. The quantities to be measured are not exhaustive and are listed here for convenience and clarity of disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that there may be additional quantities of interest that may be measured in a datacenter using a suitably configured sensor as described hereinbelow within this specification. Reference herein to a sensor or wireless sensor is intended to mean a sensor or wireless configured for measuring one or more of the above listed quantities, without limitation.
In one embodiment, various conditions associated with the datacenter 104 are monitored by specifically purposed wireless sensors 1021, 1022, 102n, where n is any positive nonzero integer. Each of the wireless sensors 1021-n comprises a processor system, a memory, a radio frequency communications system, and a battery power system. The wireless sensors 1021-n may be arranged in a network configuration capable of wireless communication with a wireless network access point 106 using the IEEE 802.11b/g radio frequency (RF) infrastructure Wi-Fi radio frequency and protocol. Hence, in one aspect, the wireless sensors 1021-n may be referred to herein as a network of Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n or simply Wi-Fi sensor modules. In one embodiment, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n are enclosed in a package, operate only under battery power, communicate over an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, and are completely wireless for purposes of monitoring physical, electrical, and environmental conditions of the datacenter 104 or equipment located within the datacenter 104. In one aspect, physical, electrical, and environmental conditions of the datacenter 104 may be monitored using the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n and the monitored quantities may be communicated over the Wi-Fi infrastructure in order to control the operation of the datacenter 104 and make it more energy efficient.
In one embodiment, the network of wireless Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n is arranged in the datacenter 104 to monitor a variety of conditions associated with the datacenter 104. Each of the sensors 1021-n are preprogrammed to automatically generate data describing the specific conditions which it is specifically configured to sense. For example, as shown in
The Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n generally do not rely on any cables, wires, or other harnesses for supplying data or power transmissions. There are no exterior connections to the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n devices other than through wireless communications to the wireless access point 106. In one embodiment, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n disclosed herein are specifically configured to operate in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n are powered by battery so that there are no wired, cabled, or harnessed connections supplying power to the device.
In various embodiments, each of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor various environmental conditions and physical conditions associated with the datacenter 104. Each of these senses are wirelessly transmitted to a repository server which can then process the environmental and physical data sent, to produce an environmental depiction of at least part of the datacenter 104; and making the environmental depiction available for viewing on Internet enabled dashboards depicted in
The cloud application process 110 accumulates the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n data, manages the data, and using the data generates an environmental description of all or a portion of the datacenter 104 facility, a visual representation of the conditions at the datacenter 104, and/or generates signals to control the operation of the datacenter 104. The environmental description is viewed by the datacenter 104 facility personnel and can be used to manipulate one or more environmental conditions of the datacenter 104 facility. In various embodiments, specific types of senses are used to monitor the datacenter 104. The monitored information is transmitted to the cloud application process 110 over the Internet network 108 via the access point 106. In one aspect, the cloud application process 110 is a computer implemented software application program executing on a remote server, which receives the information associated with the datacenter 104 as recorded and transmitted by the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n. The cloud application process 110 also provides the information associated with the datacenter 104 on a dashboard like display, as described in more detail hereinbelow in connection with
In one aspect, for example, at least one of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor the temperature at the air inlet of every server rack and the room ambient temperature, light level, humidity levels, of the datacenter 104. In other aspects, at least one of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to record video or picture in the datacenter 104 and transmit the video or picture to the cloud application process 110. Still in other aspects, at least one of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured for metering the AC power consumed by the datacenter 104 or by the individual equipment in the datacenter 104. All the measurements are reported to the cloud application process 110 in order to adjust cooling solutions or heating solutions to maintain the desired temperature for the datacenter 104, watch over the security of the datacenter 104, or monitor the AC power consumption of the datacenter 104.
In aspects, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor odor emitted from certain equipment at the datacenter 104, which may indicate a burning condition at the datacenter 104. Upon notice that such odor was detected by the Wi-Fi sensor module 1021-n, the datacenter 104 management may investigate the cause.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor humidity. The humidity of the datacenter equipment and the room itself must be maintained properly so as not to create moist conditions in the datacenter 104. Excess moisture may cause condensation of the equipment and the resulting water drops leading to failed equipment.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor light radiation. Light radiation detection provides a form of security inside the datacenter 104. Current datacenters 104 operate with the “lights out” in order to save power. These lights out conditions also mean that no personnel should be in the datacenter 104 during restricted time periods. If a light on condition is detected by one of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n, then it means an unauthorized entry exists and an alert system should be initiated.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor electric current usage. A measure of electrical current on every datacenter equipment or groups of equipment provides a way to understand the amount of power used by the IT load during various times of the day. This knowledge is used to optimize and prepare the datacenter 104 for excess loads, determine a green baseline, or for efficiency programs.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor electric voltage. A measure of electrical voltage on single equipment or groups of equipment provides a way to understand the amount of power used by the IT load during various times of the day. This knowledge is used to optimize and prepare the datacenter 104 for excess loads, determine a green baseline, or for efficiency programs.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor acoustics. Monitoring acoustics provides a way to detect when the datacenter equipment racks begins to sound or vibrate differently than previous. Such differences in acoustics suggest that some portion of the equipment may become faulty. One instance is the fans stops turning will produce a different vibration than when operating. Such information is useful to the manager of the datacenter 104 for early and proactive maintenance of the equipment.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor sound. Monitoring sound provides a way to detect when the datacenter equipment begins to vibrate or vibrate differently than previous. Such differences in sound suggest that equipment may become faulty. One instance is the fans stops turning will produce a different vibration than when operating. Such information is useful to the manager of the datacenter 104 for early maintenance of the equipment.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor vibration. Monitoring vibration provides a way to detect when the datacenter equipment begins to vibrate or vibrate differently than previous. Such differences or vibrations suggest that equipment may become faulty. One instance is the fans stops turning will produce a different vibration than when operating. Such information is useful to the manager of the datacenter 104 for early maintenance of the equipment.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor orientation and location determination. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n in the datacenter 104 may be configured to report back their orientation and location determination with respect to the floor of the datacenter 104. Such orientation and location awareness information reports how the sensors are attached to the datacenter equipment and the location of the equipment for asset tracking.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor distance. Monitoring distance in a datacenter provides a way to estimate the location of the datacenter equipment. One such use is to locate and place three-dimensionally, the location of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n. Knowing the location of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n allows a self-discovery of the sensors and dimensionally accurate placing of the sensors on the dashboard of the cloud application process 110.
In another aspect, for example, one or more of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 1021-n may be configured to monitor geodetic measurements. Monitoring geodetic measurements in the datacenter 104 provides a way to detect a potential earthquake situation. Upon such an early detection, managers of the datacenter 104 may provide early shut-down of the equipment and save damage or loss of data.
In one embodiment, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be configured as wireless sensors and/or wireless actuators and utilize an existing Wi-Fi network to communicate information. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 can be configured to monitor a variety of parameters such as air inlet temperature, for example, on the one or more servers 204 on a per rack basis. The monitored accumulated information from the IEEE 802.11 wireless Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 and/or wireless actuators is employed to configure, modify settings, and administrate the datacenter 202 manually and/or automatically by the administrator 218 or any server connected to the Internet 214. The datacenter 202 cooling equipment can be controlled remotely to operate on a more efficient basis and to realize annual cost savings on the electrical power used by the cooling equipment.
The Wi-Fi sensor module 206 platform includes one or more IEEE 802.11-based, wireless sensors, where each wireless sensor comprises a processor system, a memory, a radio frequency communications system, and a battery power system. Generally, the sensors do not rely on any cables, wires, or other harnesses for supplying data or power transmissions. In various aspects, there are no exterior connections to the Wi-Fi sensor module 206 other than through wireless communications via the Wi-Fi wireless access point 208. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 are specifically configured to operate under the IEEE 802.11 standard and are configured to monitor the quantities discussed hereinabove, among others. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 are powered by battery to avoid wired, cabled, or harnessed connections supplying power to the device.
In one embodiment, the unwired Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 operating under the IEEE 802.11 standard are configured with sensing devices to monitor information particular to the datacenter 202 or equipment located in the datacenter 202 such as the servers 204. For example, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be located at the air input locations of each and every server 204 on the front rack space area of every equipment rack in the datacenter 202. The selection of the location of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be determined by and placed in accordance to specifications. Additional Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be placed in the input to the computer room air conditioner (CRAC), the output to the CRAC, the area of the room representative of the ambient, and on the exhaust areas of every equipment rack. Failure to instrument any one rack increases the probability that the rack, while operating, to violate a set operating temperature range and cause the equipment to fail.
In one embodiment, one or more Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be deployed in the datacenter 202 for collecting the front location air temperature of the equipment racks holding the servers 204. In one aspect, one or more Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be located on or in the front rack, side rack, and rear rack areas of every equipment rack in the datacenter 202. Furthermore, one of more of such Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be placed on or in the front location of every rack in the datacenter 202 to measure various sense parameters associated with the rack, such as air inlet temperature, electrical current, electrical voltage, electrical power, odor, humidity, light radiation, acoustic, sound, vibration, orientation, distance, geodetic measurements, among others discussed hereinabove. A representative height for the placement of such sensors may be above six feet off the floor of the datacenter 202, in the horizontal center of every equipment rack, below three feet off the floor of the datacenter 202, in the horizontal center of every equipment rack, or in any location desired. A representative placement of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 for determining the exit temperature of the equipment racks might be above five feet off the floor of the datacenter 202, in the horizontal center of the rear of every equipment rack, or in any location desired.
In one embodiment, for each rack, a Wi-Fi sensor module 206 may be placed immediately adjacent to the highest server, the lowest server, and the median point between the highest server and the lowest server. In one aspect, three Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be employed to provide temperature readings to a remotely located monitoring application 216 that may be accessed via the Internet 214. The monitoring application 216 can receive readings from the highest sensor, the lowest sensor, and the median point sensor and determine the set point temperature according to a selected formula. The formula can also apply weighting to the readings received from each of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206. For example, a lower weight can be placed with respect to the reading from the highest sensor since it would have the highest temperature. Thus, the set point temperature would be lowered due to the lower weight applied to the highest sensor and thereby resulting in energy cost savings. The placement of a particular Wi-Fi sensor module 206 with respect to the server is also important. A Wi-Fi sensor module 206 can be placed near the air inlet of each respective server 204 since it is the incoming air temperature that would affect the temperature inside the server 204 itself. By determining a number of temperature reading for each rack, the aggregate temperature generated for a specific temperature zone can be calculated and the temperature for that specific zone (instead of the entire area) may be tuned to save energy.
Each of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may be associated with one or more nearby Wi-Fi access points 208 in an existing IEEE 802.11 local wireless network infrastructure, assigned one or more Internet protocol (IP) address, communicated with and managed by one or more remote Wi-Fi compatible dedicated servers or Wi-Fi compatible server applications 216 running on one or more computers.
The entire process allows the monitoring of the data reports from the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 to be made by the Internet application 216. The Internet application 216 may be referred to as a dashboard application. The Internet application 216 is a computer implemented method for monitoring the Wi-Fi sensor module 206 data reports, analyzing the overall data reports of every Wi-Fi sensor module 206, monitoring the status of every Wi-Fi sensor module 206, compiling the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 data into useable trend information, and displaying the information intuitively to the manager of the datacenter 202 via a graphical user interface (GUI). The display can also be displayed on any IP-device which is capable of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) displays. The Internet application 216 is capable of monitoring as well as affecting corrective actions to the datacenter 202 environment. Critical CRAC adjustment decisions can be made based upon these measurements. The CRAC temperature may be adjusted up or down depending upon the results reported. A profile of the datacenter industry metric for Rack Cooling Index (RCI), Return Temperature Index (RTI), Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), and Datacenter infrastructure Efficiency (DCiE) can then be determined.
Based upon the results of the temperature measurements, the ambient temperature (set point) of the datacenter 202 may be adjusted to accommodate a more efficient setting while ensuring that all equipment racks are operating safely within their operating ranges. Such efficiency mechanisms can save a typical datacenter over seven million pounds of CO2 per year from being emitted into the atmosphere, and would qualify such datacenter as green.
The Internet application 216 may manage the temperatures continuously or periodically according to a predefined schedule or commands from the Wi-Fi compatible server application running on one or more computers via the existing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) local wireless network infrastructure and includes an alert system which instructs messages and alarms to be broadcast in a pre-determined sequence of events.
The remote dedicated Wi-Fi compatible servers or Wi-Fi compatible server applications running on one or more computers may reside in the same building as the datacenter 202, in remote locations, in the wireless sensor/actuator deploying enterprises and households, in the location of one or more monitoring and/or controlling service providers, among other locations. The remote dedicated Wi-Fi compatible servers or server applications running on one or more computers may group the Wi-Fi compatible wireless sensor/actuator based on the locations or IP addresses of one or more access points it associated with, its IP address, temperatures or location.
The one or more wireless Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may include, but are not limited to sensing the quantities described hereinabove and operate using, but not limited to, the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi). The applications for the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 may include, but are not limited to, datacenter and building facility, energy conservation, industrial field monitoring and response, wild fire monitoring and response, facility security monitoring and response, building automation, home automation, video surveillance, agriculture monitoring/responding, hazardous gas leakage monitoring/responding, medical equipment and human health engineering.
In one embodiment, the bridge server 210 operates in conjunction with the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 deployed in the available Wi-Fi wireless environment. In one aspect, the bridge server 210 is configured to perform traffic cop type services to control the data communications flowing from the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 to the Internet 214. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 can be remotely configured and managed using facilities provided by the bridge server 210. The Wi-Fi sensor modules 206, over time, send an enormous amount of valuable sensed data to the Internet application 216 to provide visibility on the health or trouble in any particular area they are deployed. In one aspect, the bridge server 210 can validates all of the data, compiles the data into proper formats, and sends the data in one of many forms, sometime in optimal form, to the Internet 214 host. In the event that the host disconnects, the bridge server 210 can store the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 data for an extended period of time, such as, for example, hours, days, weeks, months, years, until the connection is restored. In this manner, valuable data generated by the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 can be preserved.
In one embodiment, the bridge server 210 provides local management of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 configuration, data, networking, and traffic. In addition, the bridge server 210 may be configured to auto-discover all the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 located in its vicinity and to maintain connectivity and local administration. In one aspect, the bridge server 210 may be configured to identify the types of Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 deployed in the network and to validate proper system parameters. The bridge server 210 also may be configured to optimize and consolidate the data transmitted by the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 to the Internet 214 host and to manage the connection between the Internet 214 host and the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 using secure SNMP. In one aspect, the bridge server 210 also can be configured to continuously monitor the transmission quality of the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 and conformance in the system. In one aspect, the bridge server 210 can be pre-programmed and configured to directly manage the Wi-Fi sensor modules 206 and to operate in conjunction with common, off-the-shelf, Wi-Fi access point routers.
In one embodiment, the bridge server 210 may comprise a processor, memory, disk storage, and an operating system. The processor may operate at any suitable speed and in one embodiment the processor operates at about 1 GHZ. The memory may be any suitable size and in one embodiment the bridge server 210 has about 2 GB of memory and a storage disk size of about 250 GB. Any suitable operating system may be employed as the underlying operating system software and in one embodiment the Linux operating system may be employed. In other embodiments, any operating system software, consisting of programs and data that run on computers and manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for efficient execution so various application software may be employed. Popular modern operating systems that may be employed in the bridge server 210 include, without limitation, Microsoft® Windows®, Mac® OS X, GNU/Linux, and Unix, for example.
In one embodiment, the broadband access network 512 comprises a dashboard application 522 for analyzing and displaying the dashboard screen 518 information on remote computers 516 or mobile devices 520. The dashboard application 522 and one or more V-Bridges 524, 526 are coupled via network 528. Also coupled to the network 528 are a plurality of databases such as a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) database 530, domain name system (DNS) database 532, and a subscriber management database 534. The network 528 is coupled to the Internet via a router 536. Information can be transmitted from the broadband access network 512 to subscribers 538 via the Internet 514 through the router 536.
Turning now to
In one embodiment, the video capture system 910 comprises an image sensor, which is a device for converting an optical image into an electric signal as is generally used in digital cameras and other digital imaging devices. In one embodiment, the image sensor comprises either a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor to capture light and convert it to an electrical signal. Since a CCD is an analog device, when light strikes the chip it is held as a small electrical charge in each photo sensor. The small charges are converted to voltage one pixel at a time as they are read from the chip. Additional circuitry in the video capture system 910 converts the voltage into digital information. A CMOS chip is a type of active pixel sensor made using the CMOS semiconductor process. Extra circuitry next to each photo sensor converts the light energy to a voltage. Additional circuitry on the video capture system 910 may be included to convert the voltage to digital data. As the images are captured by the video capture system 910 they are processed by the processor 902, stored in the memory 904, and are wirelessly transferred by the Wi-Fi transceiver section 906 over the antenna 908.
Still with reference to
Data gathered with the video capture system 910, humidity sense system 912, and temperature sense system 914 can be transmitted over the Wi-Fi transceiver section 906 and antenna 908 over a Wi-Fi wireless network as described hereinabove in connection with systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 of respective
In one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 700 may comprise an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard power cord over molded into the housing 706. The inlet power plug 708 and the outlet receptacle 710 may be configured to conform to one of any internationally accepted configurations and designs for the shape and size of the connectors used for connecting electrical loads to AC power. Accordingly, the embodiments of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 700 should not be limited to the form factor shown and described in connection with
Turning now to
In one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 720 may be combined with Internet dashboard applications (computer implemented methods as discussed hereinabove) to continuously monitor sensor data from any IP-Device, at anytime, anywhere on the Internet as a service. In one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 720 can directly connect to a Wi-Fi access point and is compliant with the IEEE 802.11b/g performance and protocol. In one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 720 can communicate at a data rate of approximately 2-11 Mbps at 2.4 GHZ, ISM unlicensed band. The Internet Protocols include simple network management protocol (SNMP), address resolution protocol (ARP), user datagram protocol (UDP), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). Data Security (encryption) includes all IEEE 802.11 security modes available such as wired equivalent privacy (WEP), wireless application protocol (WAP), Wi-Fi protected access (WPA), Wi-Fi protected access II (WPA2). Sensor control is direct “Over-the-air” adjustable sample rate and other parameters using SNMP and provides automatic discovery and reporting over Wi-Fi. The AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 720 is also configured to communicate with cloud-based dashboard management software applications.
In various embodiments, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 720 is packaged inside a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standard power strip housing 722 containing from 1 to 20 power outlets 724. In the embodiment illustrated in
With reference now to
In one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 each comprise a control module comprising a multi-sockets manager system 1026 and an AC power measurement module comprising an AC voltage sense system 1028 and an AC current sense system 1030. These modules are coupled to the processor 1002 and the memory 1004 through an internal bus 1024. The multi-sockets manager system 1026 controls devices plugged into the multiple sockets 724 (
In one embodiment, the functional block diagram 1000 represents a digital solid state electric power usage meter for determining power usage by a load attached to an electric power network. The AC current sense system 1030 comprises a current sensor coupled to each phase of the electric power network for sensing current in each phase. The AC voltage sense system 1028 comprises a voltage divider coupled to each phase of the power network for detecting the voltage level on each phase. The A/D converter is coupled to the current sensors and voltage dividers and receives signals from the current sensors related to the current in each phase and signals from the voltage dividers related to the voltage on each phase. The A/D converter samples the current and voltage related signals at predetermined times at a rate which insures that samples of the current and voltage related signals do not repeat for a large number of cycles of the network frequency or never repeat and which rate is at least twice as fast as the rate of change of the current and voltage related signals and converts the samples to digital signals representing the voltage levels and current at the predetermined times. The processor 1002 calculates instantaneous values of power at the predetermined times from the digital signals and the memory 1004 accumulates the instantaneous values so as to form a value representative of electric power usage by the load attached to the network.
In one aspect, for example, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 may be configured for a typical 3-wire, 240 volt single phase electrical service. Those ordinarily skilled in the art can easily adapt the disclosed embodiment for other electrical services. In such as system, a first Leg A supplies 120 VAC (volts of alternating current) relative to a neutral supply 102. A second Leg B also supplies 120 VAC relative the neutral supply, but the AC voltage is 180 degrees out of phase with Leg A, so there is 240 VAC between Leg A and Leg B.
In one embodiment, the AC current sense system 1030 comprises a first current sensor coil element to produce a first set of differential signals that are proportional to the AC current in a first leg (Leg A) of the inlet plug and are suitable for input to an A/D converter, for example, and a second current sensor coil element to produce a second set of differential signals that are proportional to the AC current in a second leg (Leg B) of the inlet plug and are also suitable for input to the A/D converter. The AC voltage sense system 1028 comprises voltage sensor networks comprising a first set of resistors to divide the voltage between the first leg (Leg A) and neutral to produce a first differential voltage signal suitable for input to the A/D converter and a second set of resistors to divide the voltage between the second leg (Leg B) and neutral to produce a second differential voltage suitable for input to the A/D converter.
In one embodiment, the AC power meter function may be performed by a power integrated circuit (IC) designed specifically for use in utility power meters. Several suitable commercial products are readily available such as, for example, part number CS5467 provided by Cirrus Logic, Inc. (www.cirrus.com), 2901 Via Fortuna, Austin, Tex. 78746. Power IC 120 contains analog conditioning circuits and a 16-bit, 4-channel analog-to-digital converter for converting the sensed current and voltage signals into numerical values. The power IC also contains digital processing circuits for providing various measures of power and characteristics of the voltage and current sensed in Leg A and Leg B. The sampling rate may be about 4000 samples per second, or about 67 samples per cycle of 60 Hertz power, for example.
The power IC may be configured to provide electrical parameters as 24-bit quantities (3 bytes) to ensure that 16-bit accuracy of the A/D conversion is carried throughout the calculations.
In one embodiment, a single chip programmable preprocessor with sufficient processing capacity to read the electrical parameters from the power IC, process and characterize the electrical parameters, and then prepare reports that transfer information to the processor 1002 may be employed. Several manufacturers provide several products that are suitable for this purpose such as, for example, model PIC24HJ128GP202 provided by Microchip Technology Inc. (www.microchip.com), 2355 West Chandler Blvd., Chandler, Ariz.
The processor 1002 may be a general purpose processor or a specialized processor used in an energy management system. The processor 1002 either includes a large data memory or is coupled to the memory 1004 to store reports from the preprocessor or the digitized samples from the A/D converter, depending on the particular implementation.
Some embodiments may combine the functions of the preprocessor, the processor 1002, and the memory 1004 into a single processor or single circuit generally known as a microcontroller. This can be easily accomplished by those ordinarily skilled in the art of circuit design and programming. This particular implementation of combination of functions is anticipated. In addition, advances in technology or application requirements may enable and/or require additional and/or other combinations of functions. The latter implementation of combination of functions also is anticipated.
Each of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 also may comprise a humidity sense system 1012 and/or a temperature sense system 1014. Various other embodiments of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 may comprise, in any combination, all or some of these additional sense systems, without limitation: heat, electrical resistance, DC electrical current, DC electrical voltage, AC/DC electrical power, magnetism, pressure, gas and liquid flow, gas and liquid volume, odor, viscosity and density, chemical proportion, light, time-of-flight, image, infra-red, proximity, radiation, subatomic particle, hydraulic, acoustic, sound, motion, vibration, orientation, distance, biological, or geodetic measurements, among others, for example. For example, in one embodiment, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 also comprise a system power conditioning and management system 1016, a clock integrity system 1018, a peripheral interface 1020, such as a serial, universal serial bus (USB), or serial peripheral interface (SPI), and a human indicator system 1022 all coupled to the processor 1002 and the memory 1004.
In one embodiment, the wireless RF communications functionality of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 adheres to the IEEE 802.11b/g requirements and is compliant in the PHY layer as well as the network layer protocols. The AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 contain other electronic circuitry and intelligence capable of measuring AC current being drawn through the connector outlet 710, 724742 or terminal 760 as well as the AC voltage across the outlet terminals, and wirelessly communicating that information back to a centrally located system-wide processing element as discussed in connection with the systems 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 in respective
The on-board processor 1002 is capable of monitoring as well as switching the alternating current power outlet portion of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module in an ON state or an OFF state based on digital commands that are sent to the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 wirelessly via Wi-Fi. The commands are received, processed, and then acknowledged back by the on-board processor 1002. The command sent/acknowledgement functionality ensures against erroneously sent commands or incorrectly interpreted by the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750. This ensures that the AC power to a particular electrical load connected to the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 is turned “OFF” or “ON” when it is intended to be turned “OFF” or “ON.” A power control and monitoring network may be built by deploying a plurality of the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 onto each device that uses AC electrical power, each Wi-Fi wirelessly monitored and controlled by a central system-wide processor element.
In one embodiment, without limitation, IEEE 802.11 compatible wireless AC power meter sensor modules in accordance with the present specification may be provided in the package of a power strip with one or many power outlets. Such modules comprise a plug configured to connect to an AC power source and receptacles are configured to receive the plugs of any devices/equipment located in a datacenter for measuring the AC power usage information of the device/equipment plugged into the wireless sensor AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module. In other embodiments, IEEE 802.11 compatible wireless AC power meter sensor modules may be formed integrally with the equipment power cord. In accordance with the disclosed embodiments, the present specification provides the concept of wirelessly reporting AC current and voltage usage information through a wireless communications network similar to the systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 of respective
In one embodiment, without limitation, for example, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor module 700, 720, 740, 750 may be provided in a variety of form factors such as those shown in
In one embodiment, without limitation, as shown in
In various other embodiments, without limitation, as shown in
Each of the IEEE 802.11 based AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 receptor may be associated with one or more nearby Wi-Fi access points in an existing IEEE 802.11 local network infrastructures, assigned one or more IP address, communicated with and managed by one or more remote Wi-Fi compatible dedicate servers or Wi-Fi compatible server applications running on one or more computers similar to the systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 shown and described in connection with respective
In one embodiment, a method provides monitoring each IEEE 802.11 based AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 by an Internet dashboard application (110, 216, 316, 414, 522 of respective
Based upon the results of the measurements, the electrical usage of the datacenter may be adjusted to accommodate more efficient operating ranges. Such efficiency mechanisms can save a typical datacenter over 15 million pounds of CO2 per year from being emitted into the atmosphere, and qualifies for a green datacenter, for example.
The Internet dashboard application (110, 216, 316, 414, 522 of respective
The remote dedicated Wi-Fi compatible servers or Wi-Fi compatible server applications running on one or more computers may reside in the same building as the datacenter, in remote locations in a wireless network deployed in enterprises or households, or in the location of one or more monitoring and/or controlling service provider locations. The remote dedicated Wi-Fi compatible servers or server applications running on one or more computers may group the Wi-Fi compatible wireless sensor/actuator based on the locations or IP addresses using one or more access points it associates with, its IP address, temperatures or location.
In various embodiments, the AC power meter Wi-Fi sensor modules 700, 720, 740, 750 may be configured to sense, without limitation: temperature, heat, electrical resistance, electrical current, electrical voltage, electrical power, magnetism, pressure gas and liquid flow, gas and liquid, odor, viscosity and density, humidity, chemical proportion, light time-of-flight, light, image, infra-red, proximity, radiation, subatomic particle, hydraulic, acoustic, sound, motion, vibration, orientation, distance, biological, geodetic. Such modules can be configured operate under the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area networks (Wi-Fi) standard, although other wireless standards may be contemplated. The applications for these wireless sensor/actuator may comprise, without limitation, datacenter and building facility, energy conservation, industrial working field monitoring and response, wild fire monitoring and response, facility security monitoring and response, building automation, home automation, video surveillance, agriculture monitoring/responding, hazardous gas leakage monitoring/responding, medical equipment and human health engineering.
Turning now to
In one embodiment, the environmental Wi-Fi sensor module 800 may be combined with Internet dashboard applications (110, 216, 316, 414, 522 of respective
In one embodiment, the environmental Wi-Fi sensor module 800 comprises a housing 802. In one embodiment, the housing 802 has dimensions of approximately 88.8 mm×36 mm×28 mm (3.5″×1.4″×1.1″). The transmission range is approximately 100-150 meters omni-directional. The housing 802 contains functional circuitry for monitoring environmental conditions as discussed in more detail hereinbelow.
It will be appreciated that the functional elements described in connection with
Having described the various systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 shown in
Over time, the Wi-Fi enabled sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 send an enormous amount of valuable sensed data to the remote Internet server to provide visibility regarding the condition (health or trouble) in any particular area in which they are deployed. Management and presentation of this large amount of information is managed by a computer implemented method (e.g., software application) referred to herein as a dashboard application. Throughout the present specification, the dashboard application may be otherwise referred to, without limitation, as a cloud application process 110 (
In one embodiment, the dashboard application provides a managed display of all sensed readings received from the Wi-Fi enabled sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
In one embodiment, the dashboard application operates in conjunction with the bridge server 210 (
With reference still to
In one embodiment, the dashboard application may be considered a cloud based tool for monitoring the Wi-Fi enabled sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
At the top left corner of the Main window 1300, a datacenter list 1302 of all available datacenters and subgroups depending on access permissions is displayed. Upon clicking a particular datacenter, summary information 1304 associated with the selected datacenter will be displayed. The summary information 1304 provides general information about the subgroups that belong to it and how many sensors belong to each group. Subgroups in the datacenter list 1304 can be collapsed or expanded by clicking on the triangle 1306 to the left of the datacenter name. Clicking on the subgroup will provide information such as the Min/Max/Avg and table charts.
Historical data can be displayed by selecting a drop down selector 1406 located above the temperature axis. The historical data provides a view of the data over a longer time frame. By using this feature, historical data over predetermined period can be viewed. In one aspect, historical data up to three years can be viewed, for example. In one aspect, historical data older than three hours may be broken down into buckets of time that can be in hours or even days depending on the time frame to help consolidate the vast amounts of data. The stamped time represents the beginning time of when the bucket starts. For example, a 4 hour bucket stamped at 12:00 pm will contain data from 12:00 pm to 4 pm.
The table 1412 located below the Min/Max/Avg chart 1408 displays the same data in table format. Under the “Current View” column 1414, the Min/Max/Avg data for the currently viewed timeframe is displayed. This will be equivalent to the last three hours if the real-time view is selected or one week if the one week view is selected. The middle column 1416 will generally display the values from the last three hours. This is the quickest way to compare how a particular datacenter is running currently to how it ran over the last week or month or year.
A too Hot/Cold lists contain sensors that are reporting above or below set temperatures. The set temperatures threshold setting 1410 are set by individual users. The temperature threshold setting 1410 may be modified in the Profile window (2000 in
At the bottom right of the Min/Max/Avg chart 1408 a zoom button 1418 is provided to change the maximum and minimum temperatures shown on the graph to provide the user with more detail. A zoom button also is provided for the Sensor window (1700 in
In threshold mode, shown in
Purple 1602: <18° C. (<65° F.).
Blue 1604: 18-21° C. (65-70° F.).
Green 1606: 21-24° C. (70-75° F.).
Yellow 1608: 24-27° C. (75-80° F.).
Orange 1610: 27-30° C. (80-85° F.).
Red 1612: >30° C. (>85° F.).
These temperature color ranges can be seen on top of the layout picture (1602, 1604, 1606, 1608, 1610, 1612). Since all sensors should be operating within set threshold ranges, all sensors should be green in the threshold mode. This, however, provides the user with very little information. With different colors representing different temperature ranges, the heat map mode can give a better depiction of the hot and cold spots in the datacenter facility being monitored.
The administrator can place or move a sensor on the image of the datacenter view 1614 to accurately depict its location in reality. To move a sensor, the user can simply the UNLOCK/LOCK button 1616 on the top right hand corner of the window. Once unlocked, the user can use the mouse to drag and drop a sensor in the location desired. A finger shows when sensor is selected and then holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse to a desired location moves the sensor. Once the sensor is located in the desired position, the mouse button may be released and the process repeated for each sensor and pressing the LOCK button when finished.
An all sensors list 1710 is provided on the top left of the Sensor window 1700 screen displays all of the sensors belonging to the selected subgroup in the Main window 1440 (
Battery life can be monitored by a predetermined class of users. For example, users with the service provider or super user profiles (see
Datacenters and groups can be created manually in the datacenter information section 1802. The name (which can be at least 6 characters long in one aspect) and IP address for the datacenter to be added is entered in the appropriate text box (or data entry field). One the appropriate text has been entered in the text box, the new datacenter is added when the add button 1804 is clicked. In addition, the user can click on the update or delete buttons to execute those features. An image file to be shown on the datacenter view 1500 (
Groups may be created by entering information in a “Group Information” section 1810. To create a group, a user first selects a datacenter in the “Datacenter Information” section 1802 which is to be part of the new group. A name (which can be at least 6 characters long in one aspect) is entered in the appropriate text box for the group and if desired, an image also may be entered. The image may be used as a background image representing the location of the sensors in the group. Once the name has been entered, clicking the “Add” button 1812 creates the new group. Meaningful names such as “Hot Aisle,” “Cold Aisle,” “Expensive Servers,” “Rack 02 Top” or “Air-conditioning Ducts” groups, can help users analyze data from equipment and racks more intuitively, for example.
In addition, the user can click on the “Update” or “Delete” buttons to update or delete fields in the “Datacenter Information” 1802, “sensor Information” 1806, and/or “Group Information” 1810 sections. To change the name of a sensor, the datacenter and group to which the sensor belongs to is selected. Once selected, under the “Sensor Information” section 1806, the pull down the menu 1814 is selected until the desired sensor to be renamed is found. The name is entered and the “Update” button 1816 is selected. To delete a sensor and all its corresponding data, the sensor is selected from the pull down menu and the “Delete” button 1818 is selected. Under the “Sensor Information” section 1806, there is a move button 1820. Selecting the “Move” button 1820 will open a new window descried hereinbelow in connection with
To change to a new password, a new password is entered and confirmed in the corresponding boxes in the Change Password section 2010. When complete, the “Submit” button 2012 and “OK” are pressed on the confirmation popup box.
The Preference Settings section 2014 are where the units for temperature and the threshold temperatures can be changed. To change the default units for temperature, the datacenter and or group may be selected. The units of measure are then selected and the “Update” button 2016 on the bottom is clicked. Because datacenters or groups of sensors maybe located in various parts of the world, temperature unit settings are set for each datacenter and for each group. This means that one datacenter with many groups can have a group of sensors set to report in Celsius and another group in Fahrenheit even though they belong to the same datacenter.
Threshold alert settings below the temperature units settings are the threshold settings. Custom thresholds can be set by each user account for the same datacenter. When a threshold set by the user is breeched, the user can choose to be notified via e-mail or SMS. To enable this feature, make sure the boxes “E-mail” and/or “SMS” are checked. There is also an interval box next to each threshold that is set. The interval (minutes) is the period between each repeat notification once a threshold has been breached. An interval of 5 will send repeat notification alerts every 5 minutes until the threshold clear is crossed turning off the alert. By default the interval is set at 0 which will send an alert immediately every time a new data packet is received. This rate can vary depending on packet rate. There are two types of thresholds that can be set to trigger alerts: Group thresholds, which sets a threshold that is triggered only when the average temperature of the group of nodes crosses the set threshold temperature; and node thresholds, which sets a threshold that applies to each individual sensor within a group that is triggered when just one node triggers the alert. To set a group threshold or group node threshold, select from the pull downs the datacenter and then group to which you wish to apply the thresholds to. The corresponding threshold parameters can then be filled in and the “Update” button 2016 clicked. In one aspect, the threshold clear temperatures are temperatures that the system needs to cross in order to clear the alerted state and stop all future notifications if an interval of greater than 0 is set. For example, for node cold threshold, if the threshold is set at 60 F and the clear threshold is set at 65 F, the node must fall below 60 F to trigger the alert and then rise above 65 F to clear the alert. The same procedure applies to the low battery notifications except the values will be mV instead of Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Having described the various windows and screen shots associated with the dashboard application, the description now turns to one embodiment of a computer implemented method enabled by the Wi-Fi sensor module systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 (
Accordingly, although the computer implemented control method will now be described in terms of temperature control, it will be appreciated that the computer implemented control method may be adapted and configured for controlling other paramters, without limitation: heat, electrical resistance, electrical current, electrical voltage, electrical power, magnetism, pressure, gas and liquid flow, gas and liquid volume, odor, viscosity and density, humidity, chemical proportion, light time-of-flight, light radiation, image, infra-red, proximity, radiation, subatomic particle, hydraulic, acoustic, sound, motion, vibration, orientation, distance, biological, or geodetic measurements received by the computer. The computer implemented method provides the capability to set the datacenter's optimal set-point for that particular set of computer equipment matched to the cooling equipment. Accordingly, the datacenter manager can optimally adjust his datacenter room's cooling set-point level to suit his comfort level of air delivery to his equipment. This means the equipment inlet air is “customized” to the datacenter manager's wishes and to his heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
The computer implemented control method works in conjunction with the Wi-Fi sensor modules Wi-Fi sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
The process begins by placing Wi-Fi sensor modules in the front of at least one computer rack in the datacenter, and more preferably in front of all the computer racks in the datacenter. Accordingly, if the latter option is selected, a computer rack cannot be skipped and 100% or substantially all of the computer racks will be provided with the sensors. In one aspect, the Wi-Fi sensor modules are used to report on every computer rack air inlet temperature, whereas in other aspects the Wi-Fi sensor modules may be used to report on other parameters associated with every computer rack. The manager can adjust the temperature settings of the air-conditioning system to ensure change occurs slowly. Substantially every rack is to be instrumented to avoid any uncertainty about unanticipated hot spots endangering any of the equipment.
The manager then configures a profile on the dashboard computer implemented method discussed hereinabove specifying the threshold level to monitor for each rack, selecting a threshold temperature that he is confident up to which all his equipment will operate perfectly. The threshold set is the preferred temperature for the air inlet temperature to the existing equipment and generally does not need to adhere to any industry recommendation, such as from ASHRAE or NEBS. Once the threshold profile is set via the dashboard computer implemented method, the manager starts to adjust the room temperature by manually (or automatically) moving the thermostat or controls of the HVAC upwards, typically one degree at a time. After every degree moved, the manager waits for the room to settle to the new setting and uses the dashboard computer implemented method to ensure that all rack inlet temperatures are still operating below the new threshold. The manager repeats this process, one degree at a time, until one or more air inlet temperatures reaches the threshold, as shown on the dashboard computer implemented method and via email or via SMS alert. At this point the manager may stop this process: the SPOT-ON™ efficiency setting has been reached. The datacenter's set-point temperature has now been adjusted to the optimal setting for his particular set of equipment and matched with the room's cooling equipment capabilities. The benefit of this system is that the threshold level is one with which the manager feels most comfortable for the particular datacenter and knows that none of the equipment has been placed in harm's way. The uptime is maintained while the cooling efficiency is maximized. The process works for old inefficient datacenters as well as for most contemporary datacenters, because the set-point can be adjusted for the particular set of equipment, the particular HVAC system, and the particular threshold the manager has set. No new cooling equipment is introduced in this process.
For every degree of temperature that the HVAC equipment can be moved upwards, the datacenter saves 4% of the total cooling expenditures. For a typical datacenter, this could mean over $300,000 in a year. The Wi-Fi sensor module systems 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 (
In other implementations, the datacenter manager can use this newly gained information to direct localized cures to certain hot areas. The manager now has granular visibility of the datacenter equipment's actual heat exposure in real-time, a capability which was previously unavailable. Using this new “eye” (e.g., the computer implemented control method and/or dashboard) the manager can confidently make positive adjustments to the datacenter equipment. Changing equipment placement, shuffling around equipment, adding new equipment, and re-allocating unused resources can all now be performed with both visibility and confidence. Without the visibility provided by the computer implemented control method the datacenter manager would have never considered any change. One example of the system's use is to confirm, with actual measurements, a datacenter's Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. Another example is to direct a Wi-Fi sensor module specifically at the most important or expensive equipment to ensure it is well protected.
The Wi-Fi sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
In one embodiment, the temperature for rack inlet ranges may be set by the datacenter administrator and each sensor rack inlet will be monitored 24-hours per day, seven days per week, to thresholds and the policing criterion set by the datacenter management. Any violations can produce a response by issuing alerts to cell phone/SMS/Laptop, and triggering an escalation process.
In another embodiment, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
In summary, the computer implemented control and/or dashboard systems and methods provide, generally, matching of IT load inlets and equipment cooling to the best efficiency, full visibility of substantially or every equipment rack's air inlet temperature. The systems and methods also de-emphasize “hot spots.” As long as the hot-spots do not affect inlet levels, they are non-detrimental to the equipment. The systems and methods also provide completely wireless communications from sensor to access point using ubiquitous Wi-Fi access points. Manager selected air inlet temperature to the equipment, dashboard alerts to cell phone or SMS when critical thresholds are crossed, leverage of existing Wi-Fi and no back-end software integration are also additional advantages provided by the systems and methods. Finally, the Wi-Fi sensor modules 600, 700, 720, 740, 750, 800 (
In this example, the computing device 2300 comprises one or more processor circuits or processing units 2302, one or more memory circuits and/or storage circuit component(s) 2304 and one or more input/output (I/O) circuit devices 2306. Additionally, the computing device 2300 comprises a bus 2308 that allows the various circuit components and devices to communicate with one another. The bus 2308 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The bus 2308 may comprise wired and/or wireless buses.
The processing unit 2302 may be responsible for executing various software programs such as system programs, applications programs, and/or modules to provide computing and processing operations for the computing device 2300. The processing unit 2302 may be responsible for performing various voice and data communications operations for the computing device 2300 such as transmitting and receiving voice and data information over one or more wired or wireless communications channels. Although the processing unit 2302 of the computing device 2300 includes single processor architecture as shown, it may be appreciated that the computing device 2000 may use any suitable processor architecture and/or any suitable number of processors in accordance with the described embodiments. In one embodiment, the processing unit 2302 may be implemented using a single integrated processor.
The processing unit 2302 may be implemented as a host central processing unit (CPU) using any suitable processor circuit or logic device (circuit), such as a as a general purpose processor. The processing unit 2302 also may be implemented as a chip multiprocessor (CMP), dedicated processor, embedded processor, media processor, input/output (I/O) processor, co-processor, microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), or other processing device in accordance with the described embodiments.
As shown, the processing unit 2302 may be coupled to the memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 through the bus 2308. The memory bus 2308 may comprise any suitable interface and/or bus architecture for allowing the processing unit 2302 to access the memory and/or storage component(s) 2304. Although the memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may be shown as being separate from the processing unit 2302 for purposes of illustration, it is worthy to note that in various embodiments some portion or the entire memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may be included on the same integrated circuit as the processing unit 2302. Alternatively, some portion or the entire memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may be disposed on an integrated circuit or other medium (e.g., hard disk drive) external to the integrated circuit of the processing unit 2302. In various embodiments, the computing device 2300 may comprise an expansion slot to support a multimedia and/or memory card, for example.
The memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 represent one or more computer-readable media. The memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may be implemented using any computer-readable media capable of storing data such as volatile or non-volatile memory, removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. The memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may comprise volatile media (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile media (e.g., read only memory (ROM), Flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks and the like). The memory and/or storage component(s) 2304 may comprise fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, a fixed hard drive, etc.) as well as removable media (e.g., a Flash memory drive, a removable hard drive, an optical disk, etc.). Examples of computer-readable storage media may include, without limitation, RAM, dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., NOR or NAND flash memory), content addressable memory (CAM), polymer memory (e.g., ferroelectric polymer memory), phase-change memory, ovonic memory, ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of media suitable for storing information.
The one or more I/O devices 2306 allow a user to enter commands and information to the computing device 2300, and also allow information to be presented to the user and/or other components or devices. Examples of input devices include a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a microphone, a scanner and the like. Examples of output devices include a display device (e.g., a monitor or projector, speakers, a printer, a network card, etc.). The computing device 2300 may comprise an alphanumeric keypad coupled to the processing unit 2302. The keypad may comprise, for example, a QWERTY key layout and an integrated number dial pad. The computing device 2300 may comprise a display coupled to the processing unit 2302. The display may comprise any suitable visual interface for displaying content to a user of the computing device 2300. In one embodiment, for example, the display may be implemented by a liquid crystal display (LCD) such as a touch-sensitive color (e.g., 76-bit color) thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD screen. The touch-sensitive LCD may be used with a stylus and/or a handwriting recognizer program.
The processing unit 2302 may be arranged to provide processing or computing resources to the computing device 2300. For example, the processing unit 2302 may be responsible for executing various software programs including system programs such as operating system (OS) and application programs. System programs generally may assist in the running of the computing device 2300 and may be directly responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the individual hardware components of the computer system. The OS may be implemented, for example, as a Microsoft® Windows OS, Symbian OSTM, Embedix OS, Linux OS, Binary Run-time Environment for Wireless (BREW) OS, JavaOS, Android OS, Apple OS or other suitable OS in accordance with the described embodiments. The computing device 2300 may comprise other system programs such as device drivers, programming tools, utility programs, software libraries, application programming interfaces (APIs), and so forth.
Various embodiments may be described herein in the general context of computer executable instructions, such as software, program modules, and/or engines being executed by a computer. Generally, software, program modules, and/or engines include any software element arranged to perform particular operations or implement particular abstract data types. Software, program modules, and/or engines can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures and the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. An implementation of the software, program modules, and/or engines components and techniques may be stored on and/or transmitted across some form of computer-readable media. In this regard, computer-readable media can be any available medium or media useable to store information and accessible by a computing device. Some embodiments also may be practiced in distributed computing environments where operations are performed by one or more remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, software, program modules, and/or engines may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described as comprising functional components, software, engines, and/or modules performing various operations, it can be appreciated that such components or modules may be implemented by one or more hardware components, software components, and/or combination thereof. The functional components, software, engines, and/or modules may be implemented, for example, by logic (e.g., instructions, data, and/or code) to be executed by a logic device (e.g., processor). Such logic may be stored internally or externally to a logic device on one or more types of computer-readable storage media. In other embodiments, the functional components such as software, engines, and/or modules may be implemented by hardware elements that may include processors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor device, chips, microchips, chip sets, and so forth.
Examples of software, engines, and/or modules may include software components, programs, applications, computer programs, application programs, system programs, machine programs, operating system software, middleware, firmware, software modules, routines, subroutines, functions, methods, procedures, software interfaces, application program interfaces (API), instruction sets, computing code, computer code, code segments, computer code segments, words, values, symbols, or any combination thereof. Determining whether an embodiment is implemented using hardware elements and/or software elements may vary in accordance with any number of factors, such as desired computational rate, power levels, heat tolerances, processing cycle budget, input data rates, output data rates, memory resources, data bus speeds and other design or performance constraints.
In some cases, various embodiments may be implemented as an article of manufacture. The article of manufacture may include a computer readable storage medium arranged to store logic, instructions and/or data for performing various operations of one or more embodiments. In various embodiments, for example, the article of manufacture may comprise a magnetic disk, optical disk, flash memory or firmware containing computer program instructions suitable for execution by a general purpose processor or application specific processor. The embodiments, however, are not limited in this context.
It also is to be appreciated that the described embodiments illustrate example implementations, and that the functional components and/or modules may be implemented in various other ways which are consistent with the described embodiments. Furthermore, the operations performed by such components or modules may be combined and/or separated for a given implementation and may be performed by a greater number or fewer number of components or modules.
It is worthy to note that any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in one aspect” in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. These terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, some embodiments may be described using the terms “connected” and/or “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physical quantities (e.g., electronic) within registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
While certain features of the embodiments have been illustrated as described above, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of the disclosed embodiments.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, representative illustrative methods and materials are now described.
All publications and patent applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication or patent were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and are incorporated herein by reference to disclose and describe the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited. The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.
It is noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a “negative” limitation.
Certain ranges have been presented herein with numerical values being preceded by the term “about.” The term “about” is used herein to provide literal support for the exact number that it precedes, as well as a number that is near to or approximately the number that the term precedes. In determining whether a number is near to or approximately a specifically recited number, the near or approximating unrecited number may be a number which, in the context in which it is presented, provides the substantial equivalent of the specifically recited number.
As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual aspects described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several aspects without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any recited method can be carried out in the order of events recited or in any other order which is logically possible.
The foregoing description is provided as illustration and clarification purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims to the precise forms described. Other variations and embodiments are possible in light of the above teaching, and it is thus intended that the scope of the appended claims not be limited by the detailed description provided hereinabove. Although the foregoing description may be somewhat detailed in certain aspects by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present teachings that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not limited to the particular embodiments or aspects described hereinabove, and as such may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and aspects only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/326,188, filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “Environmental Monitoring Using Specifically Purposed WiFi-Sensors In Datacenter Facilities”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/326,189, filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “A Method And Apparatus For Using WiFi-Compatible Wireless Sensor Specifically Purposed For Determining The Optimal Temperature Conditions Of A Datacenter Infrastructure To Save Electrical Energy”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/326,191, filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “A WiFi Compatible Wireless Sensor Specifically Purposed For Determining Critical AC Power Conditions On A Per Rack Basis Of A Datacenter”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/326,195, filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “A Wireless Sensor For Determining Critical Environmental Conditions On A Per Rack Basis For A Datacenter Infrastructure”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/326,197, filed Apr. 20, 2010 and entitled “A WiFi Compatible AC power meter Module Specifically Purposed To Determine AC Power Conditions On Any Apparatus Using Electrical Alternating Current For Power”; each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61326188 | Apr 2010 | US | |
| 61326189 | Apr 2010 | US | |
| 61326191 | Apr 2010 | US | |
| 61326195 | Apr 2010 | US | |
| 61326197 | Apr 2010 | US |
