Patent · US Active

Detecting an increase in thermal resistance of a heat sink in a computer system

US7962306B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
5References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 9, 2008
Grant dateJun 14, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/30
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products for detecting an increase in thermal resistance of a heat sink in a computer system, the heat sink dissipating heat for a component of the computer system, the computer system including a fan controlling airflow across the heat sink, the computer system also including a temperature monitoring device, including: measuring, by a monitoring module through use of the temperature monitoring device during operation of the computer system, thermal resistance of the heat sink; determining whether the measured thermal resistance of the heat sink is greater than a threshold thermal resistance, the threshold thermal resistance stored in a thermal profile in non-volatile memory, and if the measured thermal resistance of the heat sink is greater than the threshold thermal resistance, notifying a system administrator.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.