IP Library Granted Patent US 11,199,888
Granted Patent B1
US 11,199,888 · App. 16/889,476 · Granted Dec 14, 2021

System and method for mitigating liquid damage to an information handling system

Inventors: Christopher M. Helberg (Austin, TX); Philip Joseph Grossmann (Austin, TX); Timothy Ray Graham (Round Rock, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F1/26G05B19/042G05B2219/2614
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,199,888
App. No.
16/889,476
Granted
Dec 14, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, for detecting, across a resistive sense circuit proximate to a venting system of an IHS, a first voltage at a first time, wherein the first voltage includes a state-steady voltage and a nominal voltage; comparing the first voltage to a voltage threshold, and determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold and in response, maintaining a power state of the IHS; detecting, across the resistive sense circuit, a second voltage at a second time after the first time, wherein the second voltage includes the steady-state voltage and a low-voltage; comparing the second voltage to the voltage threshold, and determining that the second voltage is greater than the threshold voltage, and in response preparing a computer-implemented response to mitigate damage to the IHS from liquid contacting one or more computing components of the IHS.

Claims (33)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting, across a resistive sense circuit proximate to a venting system of an information handling system (IHS), a first voltage at a first time, wherein the first voltage includes a state-steady voltage and a nominal voltage;

comparing the first voltage to a voltage threshold, and determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold;

in response to determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, maintaining a power state of the IHS;

detecting, across the resistive sense circuit, a second voltage at a second time after the first time, wherein the second voltage includes the steady-state voltage and a low-voltage;

comparing the second voltage to the voltage threshold, and determining that the second voltage is greater than the threshold voltage; and

in response to determining that the second voltage is greater than the voltage threshold, preparing a computer-implemented response to mitigate damage to the IHS from liquid contacting one or more computing components of the IHS, including changing a power state of a first portion of the IHS to be a powered-down power state to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS, while concurrently maintaining a power state of a second portion of the IHS that includes the resistive sense circuit to a powered-on power state such that continuous monitoring of voltage across the resistive sense circuit is performed.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein preparing the computer-implemented response further includes providing a notification for display by the IHS, the notification providing one or more user-selectable options to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein in response to providing the user-selectable options, receiving a user input indicating to manually change the power state of the IHS to be powered-down to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein changing the power state of the portion of the IHS to the powered-down power state further includes maintaining the powered-down state of the IHS for a predetermined time interval and preventing changing the power state of the portion of the IHS to the powered-on power state for the predetermined time interval.

5. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a venting system;

a resistive sense circuit coupled to the venting system;

a non-transitory memory media storing instructions;

a processor in communication with the memory media to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:

detecting, across the resistive sense circuit, a first voltage at a first time, wherein the first voltage includes a state-steady voltage and a nominal voltage;

comparing the first voltage to a voltage threshold, and determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold;

in response to determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, maintaining a power state of the IHS;

detecting, across the resistive sense circuit, a second voltage at a second time after the first time, wherein the second voltage includes the steady-state voltage and a low-voltage;

comparing the second voltage to the voltage threshold, and determining that the second voltage is greater than the threshold voltage; and

in response to determining that the second voltage is greater than the voltage threshold, preparing a computer-implemented response to mitigate damage to the IHS from liquid contacting one or more computing components of the IHS, including changing a power state of a first portion of the IHS to be a powered-down power state to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS, while concurrently maintaining a power state of a second portion of the IHS that includes the resistive sense circuit to a powered-on power state such that continuous monitoring of voltage across the resistive sense circuit is performed.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 , wherein preparing the computer-implemented response further includes providing a notification for display by the IHS, the notification providing one or more user-selectable options to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein in response to providing the user-selectable options, the operations further include receiving a user input indicating to manually change the power state of the IHS to be powered-down to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

8. The information handling system of claim 5 , wherein changing the power state of the portion of the IHS to the powered-down power state further includes maintaining the powered-down state of the IHS for a predetermined time interval and preventing changing the power state of the portion of the IHS to the powered-on power state for the predetermined time interval.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

detecting, across a resistive sense circuit proximate to a venting system of an information handling system (IHS), a first voltage at a first time, wherein the first voltage includes a state-steady voltage and a nominal voltage;

comparing the first voltage to a voltage threshold, and determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold;

in response to determining that the first voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, maintaining a power state of the IHS;

detecting, across the resistive sense circuit, a second voltage at a second time after the first time, wherein the second voltage includes the steady-state voltage and a low-voltage;

comparing the second voltage to the voltage threshold, and determining that the second voltage is greater than the threshold voltage; and

in response to determining that the second voltage is greater than the voltage threshold, preparing a computer-implemented response to mitigate damage to the IHS from liquid contacting one or more computing components of the IHS, including changing a power state of a first portion of the IHS to be a powered-down power state to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS, while concurrently maintaining a power state of a second portion of the IHS that includes the resistive sense circuit to a powered-on power state such that continuous monitoring of voltage across the resistive sense circuit is performed.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 , wherein preparing the computer-implemented response further includes providing a notification for display by the IHS, the notification providing one or more user-selectable options to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein in response to providing the user-selectable options, the operations further include receiving a user input indicating to manually change the power state of the IHS to be powered-down to mitigate the damage to the IHS from the liquid contacting the computing components of the IHS.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053578/0183) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060332/0864 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053574/0221) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060333/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053573/0535) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060333/0106 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 053531 FRAME 0108 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0371 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053578/0183 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053573/0535 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 21, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053574/0221 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 18, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 053531/0108 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2020
From: HELBERG, CHRISTOPHER M.; GROSSMANN, PHILIP JOSEPH; GRAHAM, TIMOTHY RAY
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 052803/0856 →