Granted Patent B2

US 11,809,246 · App. 16/938,677 · Granted Nov 7, 2023

Inventors: Steven Embleton (Austin, TX); Jon Taylor Fitch (Austin, TX); Sandor T. Farkas (Round Rock, TX); Joseph Danny King (Georgetown, TX)

Assignee: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.

G06F1/206G05B19/0428H05K7/20309H05K7/20381G01N17/04G05B2219/24015

Abstract

Claims (97)

1. A computing device of an information handling system, comprising:

a hardware component;

a trace connected to the hardware component;

a corrosion management component comprising a sacrificial anode of an electrometrically active material, physically connected to the trace, adapted to reduce a rate of corrosion of the trace due to an ambient environment in which the trace resides by applying an electrical potential to the trace;

a chassis comprising a hot zone and a cold zone, wherein:

the chassis is a rack mountable enclosure for housing at least the hardware component, trace, and corrosion management component, and

the trace is disposed in the cold zone; and

an environmental manager programmed to:

monitor an environmental corrosion risk associated with the trace;

make a determination that the trace is associated with the corrosion management component;

in response to the determination:

estimate a corrosion risk of the trace using a predictive model that outputs future levels of corrosion, wherein the predictive model is based on:

the environmental corrosion risk, and

a risk reduction factor associated with the corrosion management component,

wherein the future levels of corrosion specify a first amount of corrosion of the component at a first point in time in the future and a second amount of corrosion of the component at a second point in time in the future;

make a second determination that the corrosion risk of the trace indicates a premature failure of the trace; and

remediate the corrosion risk of the trace.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the corrosion management component is mounted to the trace as a surface mount component.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the corrosion management component comprises:

a corrosion management layer disposed on the trace.

4. The computing device of claim 3 , further comprising:

a circuit card on which the trace is disposed,

wherein the corrosion management layer is disposed on a surface of the trace opposite the circuit card.

5. The computing device of claim 3 , further comprising:

a circuit card on which the trace is disposed,

wherein the corrosion management layer is disposed between the trace and the circuit card.

6. The computing device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second trace disposed in the cold zone that is not electrically connected to any corrosion management components.

7. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein remediating the corrosion risk of the trace comprises:

performing an action set comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

increasing a temperature of the trace;

decreasing a humidity level of an atmosphere proximate to the trace; and

reducing a rate of flow of the atmosphere proximate to the trace.

8. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the environmental manager is further programmed to:

monitor a second environmental corrosion risk associated with the second trace;

make a third determination that the second trace is not associated with any corrosion management components;

in response to the third determination:

estimate a corrosion risk of the second trace based on:

the second environmental corrosion risk, and

no risk reduction factors associated with any corrosion management components;

make a fourth determination that the corrosion risk of the second trace indicates a premature failure of the second trace; and

remediate the corrosion risk of the second trace.

9. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the environmental corrosion risk is estimated based on a temperature of the trace and a relative humidity level of an atmosphere proximate to the trace.

10. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the environmental corrosion risk is estimated based on a corrosion rate measured by a corrosion detector.

11. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the risk reduction factor specifies a reduction in a rate of corrosion of the trace based on the electrical potential applied to the trace.

12. A method for environmentally managing a computing device of an information handling system, comprising:

monitoring an environmental corrosion risk associated with a trace of the computing device, wherein the trace is physically connected to a corrosion management component adapted to reduce a rate of corrosion of the trace due to an ambient environment in which the trace resides by applying an electrical potential to the trace;

making a determination that the trace is associated with the corrosion management component;

in response to the determination:

estimating a corrosion risk of the trace using a predictive model that outputs future levels of corrosion, wherein the predictive model is based on:

the environmental corrosion risk, and

a risk reduction factor associated with the corrosion management component,

wherein the future levels of corrosion specify a first amount of corrosion of the component at a first point in time in the future and a second amount of corrosion of the component at a second point in time in the future;

making a second determination that the corrosion risk of the trace indicates a premature failure of the trace; and

remediating the corrosion risk of the trace,

wherein the computing device comprises a chassis that is a rack mountable enclosure that includes a hot zone and a cold zone, and

wherein the trace is disposed in the cold zone.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein remediating the corrosion risk of the trace comprises:

performing an action set comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

increasing a temperature of the trace;

decreasing a humidity level of an atmosphere proximate to the trace; and

reducing a rate of flow of the atmosphere proximate to the trace.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

monitoring a second environmental corrosion risk associated with a second trace, wherein the second trace is not physically connected to any corrosion management components;

making a third determination that the second trace is not associated with any corrosion management components;

in response to the third determination:

estimating a corrosion risk of the second trace based on:

the second environmental corrosion risk, and

no risk reduction factors associated with any corrosion management components;

making a fourth determination that the corrosion risk of the trace indicates a premature failure of the trace; and

remediating the corrosion risk of the second trace.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code, which when executed by a computer processor enables the computer processor to perform a method for environmentally managing a computing device of an information handling system, the method comprising:

monitoring an environmental corrosion risk associated with a trace of the computing device, wherein the trace is physically connected to a corrosion management component adapted to reduce a rate of corrosion of the trace due to an ambient environment in which the trace resides by applying an electrical potential to the trace;

making a determination that the trace is associated with the corrosion management component;

in response to the determination:

estimating a corrosion risk of the trace using a predictive model that outputs future levels of corrosion, wherein the predictive model is based on:

the environmental corrosion risk, and

a risk reduction factor associated with the corrosion management component,

wherein the future levels of corrosion specify a first amount of corrosion of the component at a first point in time in the future and a second amount of corrosion of the component at a second point in time in the future;

making a second determination that the corrosion risk of the trace indicates a premature failure of the trace; and

remediating the corrosion risk of the trace,

wherein the computing device comprises a chassis that is a rack mountable enclosure that includes a hot zone and a cold zone, and

wherein the trace is disposed in the cold zone.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein remediating the corrosion risk of the trace comprises:

performing an action set comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

increasing a temperature of the trace;

decreasing a humidity level of an atmosphere proximate to the trace; and

reducing a rate of flow of the atmosphere proximate to the trace.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:

monitoring a second environmental corrosion risk associated with a second trace, wherein the second trace is not physically connected to any corrosion management components;

making a third determination that the second trace is not associated with any corrosion management components;

in response to the third determination:

estimating a corrosion risk of the second trace based on:

the second environmental corrosion risk, and

no risk reduction factors associated with any corrosion management components;

making a fourth determination that the corrosion risk of the trace indicates a premature failure of the trace; and

remediating the corrosion risk of the second trace.

Assignments (9)