US-12621952-B2 - Information technology rack ambient temperature visualization

US12621952B2US 12621952 B2US12621952 B2US 12621952B2US-12621952-B2

Abstract

A rack assembly for physically supporting information technology (IT) devices is disclosed. The rack assembly includes a plurality of interconnected panels forming a volumetric space having a front access and a rear access with opposing side panels. The front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge. The plurality of interconnected panels allow air to flow in either direction between the front access and the rear access. An ambient temperature indicator is mounted adjacent to the front access or the rear access. The ambient temperature indicator is configured to visually indicate temperature values between the top edge and the bottom edge.

Inventors

Eric Michael TUNKS
Daniel Alvarado

Assignees

DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220714

Claims (15)

1 . A rack assembly comprising: a plurality of interconnected panels that form a volumetric space which has a front access and a rear access with opposite side panels, wherein the front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge; a door mounted in the front access, wherein the door comprises a vented grille configured to allow air to flow through the door and into the volumetric space; and an ambient temperature indicator comprising a sticker mounted to a hinge-side portion of the door, the ambient temperature indicator configured to visually indicate values of air temperatures between the top edge and the bottom edge, wherein the sticker comprises a temperature-sensitive ink or paint that changes color, shade, or tone at different temperatures and a plurality of holes in the sticker configured to align with holes in the vented grille.
2 . The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ambient temperature indicator further comprises a continuous band of temperature-sensitive ink or paint.
3 . The rack assembly of claim 2 , wherein the continuous band of temperature-sensitive ink or paint extends from the bottom edge to the top edge.
4 . The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ambient temperature indicator further comprises localized regions configured to change color based upon temperature in each localized region, to enable visual detection of localized airflow anomalies.
5 . The rack assembly of claim 4 , wherein temperature in each localized region corresponds to a temperature of air flow into the rack assembly.
6 . The rack assembly of claim 4 , wherein temperature in each localized region corresponds to a temperature of air flow out of the rack assembly.
7 . The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rack assembly further comprises the ambient temperature indicator mounted adjacent to the vented grille, wherein the vented grill has a vented grille side edge parallel to a length of the vented grille.
8 . A method to make a rack assembly, the method comprising: interconnecting a plurality of panels to form a volumetric space which has a front access and a rear access with opposite side panels, wherein the front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge; mounting a door in the front access, wherein the door comprises a vented grille configured to allow air to flow through the door and into the volumetric space; and mounting an ambient temperature indicator comprising a sticker to a hinge-side portion of the door, the ambient temperature indicator configured to visually indicate values of air temperatures between the top edge and the bottom edge, wherein the sticker comprises a temperature-sensitive ink or paint that changes color, shade, or tone at different temperatures and a plurality of holes in the sticker configured to align with holes in the vented grille.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises configuring the ambient temperature indicator with a continuous band of temperature-sensitive ink or paint.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises extending the continuous band of temperature-sensitive ink or paint from the bottom edge to the top edge.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises configuring the ambient temperature indicator with localized regions configured to change color based upon temperature in each localized region, to enable visual detection of localized airflow anomalies.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises configuring temperature in each localized region to correspond to a temperature of air flow into the rack assembly.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises configuring temperature in each localized region to correspond to a temperature of air flow out of the rack assembly.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises mounting the ambient temperature indicator adjacent to the vented grille, wherein the vented grill has a vented grille side edge parallel to a length of the vented grille.
15 . A rack assembly kit comprising: a plurality of interconnectable panels configured to form a volumetric space which has a front access and a rear access with opposite side panels, wherein the front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge; a door configured to be mounted in the front access, wherein the door comprises a vented grille configured to allow air to flow through the door and into the volumetric space; and an ambient temperature indicator comprising a sticker configured to be mounted to a hinge-side portion of the door, the ambient temperature indicator configured to visually indicate values of air temperatures between the top edge and the bottom edge, wherein the sticker comprises a temperature-sensitive ink or paint that changes color, shade, or tone at different temperatures and a plurality of holes in the sticker configured to align with holes in the vented grille.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to Information Handling Systems and, more particularly, to providing an ambient temperature indication on a rack for Information Handling Systems that is easily visualized and interpreted. BACKGROUND An Information Handling System (IHS) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. Groups of IHSs may be housed within data center environments. A data center may include a large number of IHSs, such as server chassis that are stacked and installed within racks. A data center may include large numbers of such server racks that are organized into rows of racks. Administration of such large groups of IHSs may require teams of remote and local administrators working in shifts in order to support around-the-clock availability of the data center operations while minimizing any downtime. As IHS components such as processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM), etc. have increased in clock speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by such components during normal operation has also increased. Often, the temperatures of these components need to be kept within a selected range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction, and damage that would lead to a shortened component lifespan and lowered datacenter reliability. Accordingly, cooling systems often been used in IHSs to cool certain components. To control the temperature of components of an IHS, an approach may include using a “passive” cooling system that serves to reject heat of a component to air driven by one or more system-level air movers (e.g., fans, blowers, etc.). A different approach may include using an “active” cooling system in which a heat-exchanging cold plate is thermally coupled to the IHS component, and a chilled fluid is passed through conduits internal to the cold plate to remove heat from that component. SUMMARY In various embodiments, a rack assembly for physically supporting information technology (IT) devices comprises a plurality of interconnected panels forming a volumetric space having a front access and a rear access with opposing side panels. The front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge. The plurality of interconnected panels allow air to flow in either direction between the front access and the rear access. An ambient temperature indicator is mounted adjacent to the front access or the rear access. The ambient temperature indicator is configured to visually indicate temperature values between the top edge and the bottom edge. The rack assembly may further comprise a door frame adjacent to the front access, and a door mounted in the door frame. The door may include a vented grille configured to allow the air to flow through the door. The ambient temperature indicator is mounted to the door frame in some arrangements. The ambient temperature indicator may alternatively be mounted on a side panel. The ambient temperature indicator may comprise a temperature-sensitive ink or paint. The ambient temperature indicator may comprise a sticker that is affixed to the rack assembly. The ambient temperature indicator may comprise a plurality of individual stickers stacked from the bottom edge to the top edge, wherein each individual sticker configured to react to temperature by displaying indicia associated with a temperature or temperature range. The indicia may be a range of colors, shades, or tones associated with various temperatures or temperature ranges. The indicia may include a series of segments that change color at different temperatures. The indicia may be numerical values that are associated with particular temperatures or temperature ranges. The ambient temperature indicator may comprise a continuous band of temperature-sensitive ink or paint extending from the bottom edge to the top edge of the rack. Localized regions of the ambient temperature indicator may change colors based upon the temperature in each region. The temperature values may correspond to a temperature of air flowing past the ambient temperature indicator, air flowing into the rack assembly, or air flowing out of the rack assembly in various embodiments. An alternative rack assembly for physically supporting IT devices comprises a plurality of interconnected panels forming a volumetric space having a front access and a rear access with opposing side panels. The front access and the rear access extend from a bottom edge to a top edge. A door is mounted in the front access. The door includes a vented grille that is configured to allow the air to flow through the door and into the volumetric space. An am