Method and apparatus for detecting heat sink faults
US7346468B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 8, 2006 |
| Grant date | Mar 18, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 8, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/24
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Detecting, predicting, and diagnosing faults in a cooling system. According to one embodiment, a heat sink is in thermal contact with a heat-generating electronic component. When a temperature differential between the electronic component and the heat sink exceeds a set point, a fault signal is generated. The set point may be empirically or theoretically determined. The set point may be a static set point, or it may be a dynamic set point determined according to real-time operational parameters of the system. The system may be implemented with predictive failure analysis (PFA) to provide a more reliable, efficient, inexpensive, and robust computer system.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.