System and method for improving fan life in an information handling system
View Patent ↗An information handling system includes a first fan in a first location for cooling a first component of the information handling system, a second fan in a second location for cooling a second component of the information handling system, and a management controller. The management controller determines that the first fan has experienced greater stress than the second fan, and recommends that the first fan be placed in the second location and that the second fan be placed in the first location.
1. A fan for an information handling system, the fan comprising:
a speed sensor;
a temperature sensor at an outlet of the fan;
a power sensor; and
a processor configured to:
receive inlet temperature information from the information handling system;
determine a rise in temperature at the outlet of the fan based upon the inlet temperature information and outlet temperature information from the sensor;
determine a usage level as:
Usage
=
∑
0
N
(
RPM
60
sec
min
×
T
Inlet
+
T
Rise
60
°
C
.
)
where N is the time since the fan was new in seconds, RPM is a speed of the fan in revolutions per minute, as determined by the speed sensor, T Inlet is a temperature at the inlet of the fan, as determined by the inlet temperature information, and T Rise is the rise in temperature from the inlet to the outlet of the fan; and
determine an efficiency level of the fan based upon efficiency information provided by the power sensor.
2. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine that the usage level of the fan is above a usage threshold level.
3. The fan of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further operable to provide an indication to a management controller that the usage level is above the usage threshold level.
4. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine that the efficiency level of the fan is below an efficiency threshold level.
5. The fan of claim 4 , wherein the processor is further operable to provide an indication to a management controller that the efficiency level is below the efficiency threshold level.
6. The fan of claim 1 , further comprising:
a persistent read-writable memory;
wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive identification information from a management controller; and
store the identification information in the memory.
7. The fan of claim 6 , wherein the identification information includes at least one of a unique identifier for the fan, an efficiency level of the fan, and a usage level of the fan.
8. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to provide an indication to swap the fan with another fan of the information handling system based upon the usage level of the fan.
9. The fan of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to provide an indication to swap the fan with another fan of the information handling system based upon the efficiency level of the fan.
10. A method comprising:
determining, by a speed sensor of a fan, speed information for the fan;
receiving, from an information handling system, inlet temperature information for a temperature at an inlet of the fan;
determining a rise in temperature at an outlet of the fan based upon the inlet temperature information and outlet temperature information from a temperature sensor of the fan; and
determining a usage level as:
Usage
=
∑
0
N
(
RPM
60
sec
min
×
T
Inlet
+
T
Rise
60
°
C
.
)
where N is the time since the fan was new in seconds, RPM is a speed of the fan in revolutions per minute, as determined by the speed sensor, is a temperature at the inlet of the fan, as determined by the inlet temperature information, and T Inlet is the rise in temperature from the inlet to the outlet of the fan; and
determining, by the processor, an efficiency level of the fan based upon efficiency information provided by a power sensor of the fan.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, that the usage level of the fan is above a usage threshold level.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing, by the processor, an indication to a management controller that the usage level is above the usage threshold level.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, that the efficiency level of the fan is below an efficiency threshold level.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing, by the processor, an indication to a management controller that the efficiency level is below the efficiency threshold level.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor, identification information from a management controller; and
storing, by the processor, the identification information in a persistent read-writable memory of the fan.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the identification information includes at least one of a unique identifier for the fan, an efficiency level of the fan, and a usage level of the fan.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
providing, by the processor, an indication to swap the fan with another fan of the information handling system based upon the efficiency level of the fan.
18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code for performing a method, the method comprising:
determining, by a speed sensor of a fan, speed information for the fan;
determining, by a processor of the fan, a usage level of the fan based upon speed information;
receiving, from an information handling system, inlet temperature information for a temperature at an inlet of the fan;
determining a rise in temperature at an outlet of the fan based upon the inlet temperature information and outlet temperature information from a temperature sensor of the fan; and
determining the usage level as:
Usage
=
∑
0
N
(
RPM
60
sec
min
×
T
Inlet
+
T
Rise
60
°
C
.
)
where N is the time since the fan was new in seconds, RPM is a speed of the fan in revolutions per minute, as determined by the speed information, T Inlet is a temperature at the inlet of the fan, as determined by the inlet temperature information, and T Rise is the rise in temperature from the inlet to the outlet of the fan, as determined by the outlet temperature information.