Sensor-swarm environmental event detection

{
  "publication_number": "US2013054032A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Sensor-swarm environmental event detection",
  "abstract": "Data center environmental sensing is provided by a measurement system that detects environmental events from inputs received from a plurality of movable sensors. The sensors are moved in response to detection of an event to a region of the data center associated with the event, providing increased spatial resolution of the measurement in the region of the event. Events such as leakage between hot and cold aisles of a data center can be detected by the system, which may use one or more movable devices that can be moved around, between and over equipment, to carry multiple sensors toward the source of the event, providing both diagnostic and detailed environmental information.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A system for evaluating an environmental event in a data center, the system comprising: multiple movable sensors for measuring an environmental parameter associated with the environmental event; a measurement system for receiving outputs of the multiple movable sensors and generating measurement values of the environmental parameter, wherein the measurement system detects the environmental event from the measurement values; and a controller for moving the multiple movable sensors in response to the measurement system detecting the environmental event to increase a spatial resolution of the measurement values in a region of the data center associated with the event. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a movable device to which one or more of the multiple movable sensors is affixed, wherein the movable device is controlled by the controller to move the movable device proximate to the region of the data center to increase the spatial resolution of the measurement values. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein a plurality of the multiple movable sensors are affixed to the movable device, and wherein the multiple movable sensors have fixed spatial relationship with respect to a frame of the movable device. 4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of fixed sensors having fixed locations within the data center, and wherein the controller determines the position of the movable device from an output of at least one of the plurality of fixed sensors indicating proximity of the movable device to the at least one fixed sensor. 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the movable device is movable along at least one aisle of the data center and having a plurality of the multiple movable sensors distributed along a movable boom extending in first axis, wherein the movable boom is movable along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, wherein the controller further moves the movable boom in the second axis, whereby the measurement system receives a first distribution of the measurement values along the first axis from the plurality of the multiple movable sensors and determines a second distribution of the measurement values along the second axis as the controller moves the movable boom. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the movable device receives power from a track disposed along the at least one aisle of the data center. 7. The system of claim 2, wherein the movable device increases the spatial resolution by movement of the movable device toward the region of the data center and providing a higher rate of measurement of the environmental values from the one or more of the multiple movable sensors affixed to the movable device to the measurement system. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the movable sensors communicate wirelessly with the measurement system. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the movable device is movable along an arbitrary trajectory, whereby the movable device follows the event by being directed to the region by the controller. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple movable sensors include thermal sensors, and wherein the event is a thermal anomaly caused by a thermal leak between a hot aisle and a cold aisle of the data center. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple movable sensors include sensors for detecting improper air pressure or composition within the data center. 12. A method of evaluating an environmental event in a data center, the method comprising: moving multiple movable sensors for measuring an environmental parameter associated with the environmental event; receiving outputs of the multiple movable sensors and generating measurement values of the environmental parameter; detecting the environmental event from the measurement values; and moving the multiple movable sensors in response to the measurement system detecting the environmental event to increase a spatial resolution of the measurement values in a region of the data center associated with the event. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more of the multiple movable sensors is affixed to a movable device, and wherein the moving comprises moving the movable device proximate to the region of the data center to increase the spatial resolution of the measurement values. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein a plurality of the multiple movable sensors are affixed to the movable device, and wherein the multiple movable sensors have fixed spatial relationship with respect to a frame of the movable device, wherein the measuring receives outputs from sensors disposed in the fixed spatial relationship at a current location of the cart. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the measurement further receives output from a plurality of fixed sensors having fixed locations within the data center, and further comprising determining the position of the movable device from an output of at least one of the plurality of fixed sensors indicating proximity of the movable device to the at least one fixed sensor. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the movable device is movable along at least one aisle of the data center and has a plurality of the multiple movable sensors distributed along a movable boom extending along a first axis, wherein the moving further moves the movable boom along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, whereby the measuring receives a first distribution of the measurement values along the first axis from the plurality of the multiple movable sensors and determines a second distribution of the measurement values as the controller moves the movable boom in the second axis. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving power at the movable device from a track disposed along the at least one aisle of the data center. 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the moving increases the spatial resolution by moving the movable device toward the region of the data center and providing a higher rate of measurement of the environmental values from the one or more of the multiple movable sensors affixed to the movable device to the measuring. 19. The method of claim 12, wherein the movable sensors communicate wirelessly with the measurement system. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the moving moves the movable device along an arbitrary trajectory, whereby the movable device follows the event by being directed to the region by moving. 21. The method of claim 12, wherein the multiple movable sensors include thermal sensors, and wherein the event is a thermal anomaly caused by a thermal leak between a hot aisle and a cold aisle of the data center. 22. The method of claim 12, wherein the multiple movable sensors include sensors for detecting improper air pressure or composition within the data center. 23. A data center having an ability to automatically detect an internal environmental event, the data center comprising: multiple equipment racks disposed along multiple aisles; a movable device having multiple environmental sensors affixed thereto for measuring an environmental parameter associated with the internal environmental event; a measurement system for receiving outputs of the multiple environmental sensors and generating measurement values of the environmental parameter, wherein the measurement system detects the environmental event from the measurement values; and a controller for moving the movable device along at least one of the multiple aisles in response to the measurement system detecting the environmental event to increase a spatial resolution of the measurement values in a region of the data center associated with the event. 24. The data center of claim 23, wherein the aisles alternate between hot aisles and cold aisles and wherein the event is a thermal leak between a hot aisle and a cold aisle. 25. The data center of claim 23, wherein the controller moves the movable device along multiple aisles and wherein at least one of the aisles is perpendicular to another one of the multiple aisles."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThe present invention is related to data center environmental management, and more specifically to a system and method for detecting environmental events within the data center.\n\n2. Description of Related Art\n\nWith the increased concentration of computing resources such as web servers and cloud computing facilities, data centers are becoming larger and more sophisticated in environmental and energy management. Since thermal management, or lack thereof, has a direct bearing on failure rates of devices, there are direct cost penalties and benefits associated with designing maintaining proper conditions within a data center.\n\nFurther, there are environmental conditions other than thermal conditions that can create hostile environments for operators and equipment, such as high or low air pressure conditions, out-of-range humidity levels, and presence of gases due to either equipment failures, e.g., combustion of components within a server rack, or unexpected introduction of substances into the data center.\n\nTherefore, it would be desirable to provide an efficient and economical system and method for both detecting and obtaining detailed and localized information about environmental events in a data center.\n\nThe invention is embodied in a method, system and data center, in which the data center is monitored for an environmental event by multiple sensors that sense an environmental parameter, such as temperature, air pressure, or air quality.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01D 21/00"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G06F 17/00",
    "G01D 21/00",
    "G05B 13/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "International Business Machines Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Wael El-Essawy",
    "Heather L. Hanson",
    "Thomas W. Keller, JR.",
    "Juan C. Rubio"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2011-08-23",
  "publication_date": "2013-02-28",
  "priority_date": "2011-08-23",
  "application_number": "US-201113215386-A",
  "family_id": "47744811",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
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  ]
}