JP2013125501A - Information processor and method for cooling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently cool a computer while suppressing temperature rise of the computer in an information processor and a method for cooling the same.SOLUTION: An exhaust port 12b of a server rack 11 which stores a plurality of computers 12 is provided with baffle plates 13 for every computer 12, and is provided with permanent magnets 15 fixed on the principal planes of the baffle plates 13, and electromagnets 15 which exert magnetism on the permanent magnets 15. The permanent magnet 15 and the baffle plates 13 are deviated for an amount according to loads of the computers 12 to adjust a supply amount of cooled wind to the respective computers 12 by directly flowing supply current to the computers 12 to an electromagnet 16.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a cooling method thereof.

  With the development of information technology in recent years, the amount of data handled in a data center has increased, and along with this, more computers are being installed in server racks in the data center. Therefore, it is said that a large amount of power is consumed for cooling in the data center, which is comparable to the total power consumed by all computers.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the power required for cooling the computer, a fan unit and a baffle plate are installed in the server rack equipped with multiple computers, and the direction of the baffle plate is changed to efficiently cool the computer according to the temperature of each computer. A method of distributing the wind has been proposed.

  However, in this method, since it is necessary to calculate with the controller to calculate the direction of the air guide plate, there is a time lag from the increase in the computer load to the temperature rise in the computer, and the load on the computer fluctuates. The direction of the wind guide plate changes with a delay. For this reason, it takes time until the air volume necessary for cooling the computer is supplied, and the temperature of the computer may rise transiently.

JP 2009-117472 A JP 2011-65444 A

  An object of the information processing apparatus and its cooling method is to efficiently cool a computer while suppressing a temperature rise of the computer.

  According to one aspect of the following disclosure, a server rack that accommodates a plurality of computers, an air guide plate that is provided for each computer and adjusts the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer, and the computer An information processing apparatus is provided that includes a drive mechanism that changes the direction of the air guide plate using the supplied current.

  According to another aspect of the disclosure, a server rack that accommodates a plurality of computers is provided with an air guide plate that adjusts the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to the computers, and the supply current to the computers A cooling method for the information processing apparatus is provided that adjusts the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer by changing the direction of the air guide plate using the above-described information.

  According to the following disclosure, since the direction of the air guide plate is controlled using the current supplied to the computer, the amount of cooling air to the computer can be adjusted almost simultaneously with the change in the computer load, and the computer can be efficiently operated. Can be cooled.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus according to a preliminary matter. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B are circuit diagrams of the electromagnet and its surroundings of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the movement of the air guide plate of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph showing temporal fluctuations of the supply current to the computer and the cooling air volume. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the simulation result of the temperature change of the computer. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating simulation results of the temperature distribution of the air around the information processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

  Prior to the description of the embodiment, the preliminary items as the basis will be described.

  The server rack installed in the data center is supplied with cooling air for cooling individual computers in the server rack. The cooling air is generated by the fan unit. In order to reduce the power consumption of the fan unit, it is preferable to efficiently distribute the cooling air to each computer and increase the cooling efficiency of the computer.

  An example of a method for supplying cooling air to the computer will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus 80 according to a preliminary matter.

  A plurality of servers are mounted side by side in the height direction as computers 82 on the server rack 81 of the information processing apparatus 80. In these computers 82, heat generating components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) are mounted.

  A fan unit 18 that generates cooling air is attached to the side of the server rack 81 via an air passage 19 and a heat exchanger 17 in order to cool the heat generating components. The fan unit 18 generates cooling air in the direction of the arrow in the drawing by the fan 18a. The cooling air is taken into the computer 82 from the air inlet 82a of the computer 82, cools the heat generating components, and is then discharged from the air outlet 82b of the computer 82. The cooling air leaving the computer 82 is cooled by the heat exchanger 17 and then discharged from the fan unit 18.

  Near the exhaust port 82b of the computer 82, a plurality of wind guide plates 84 are provided by hinges 85, and the amount of cooling air supplied to each computer 82 by controlling the orientation of these wind guide plates 84. Adjustments are made.

  A stepping motor (not shown) is connected to the hinge 85, and the direction of the air guide plate 84 is adjusted by the controller 86 adjusting the rotation angle of the stepping motor.

  The controller 86 measures the temperature of the computer 82 with a temperature sensor 83 provided in each computer 82, opens the air guide plate 84 of the computer 82 with a high temperature based on the measurement result, and sets the computer 82 with a low temperature. The air guide plate 84 is closed to distribute the cooling air to each computer 82.

  According to the information processing apparatus 80 as described above, since the actual temperature of the computer 82 is measured by the temperature sensor 83, an optimal amount of cooling air corresponding to the temperature can be generated. Therefore, excess cooling air can be suppressed, and the power of the fan unit 18 can be suppressed correspondingly.

  However, in this information processing apparatus 80, a time lag due to heat conduction of air occurs from when the load on the computer 82 increases until the temperature of the temperature sensor 83 rises. Furthermore, it takes time for the controller 86 to control the direction of the air guide plate 84.

  As a result, the heat generating components inside the computer 82 may be overheated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The information processing apparatus 10 includes a server rack 11, in which a plurality of computers 12 are mounted side by side in the height direction. The computer 12 is a rack mount server, for example, and houses a system board on which a heat generating component such as a CPU is mounted.

  A fan unit 18 is attached to the side of the server rack 11 via a ventilation path 19 and a heat exchanger 17. The fan unit 18 generates cooling air in the direction of the arrow in the figure by the fan 18a, and the generated cooling air is taken into the computer 12 from the air inlet 12a of the computer 12 to cool the heat generating components inside the computer 12. The air is discharged from the exhaust port 12b of the computer 12.

  The heat exchanger 17 exchanges heat between a refrigerant (not shown) and the cooling air discharged from the computer 12 to lower the temperature of the cooling air. The cooling air cooled by the heat exchanger 17 is discharged to the computer room through the fan unit 18.

  A plurality of air guide plates 13 for adjusting the amount of cooling air supplied to each computer 12 are provided on the exhaust port 12 b side of the computer 12 in correspondence with each computer 12. One end of each of these air guide plates 13 is attached to a boundary portion of the computer 12 adjacent in the vertical direction via a hinge 14, and the other end side thereof can be displaced in the vertical direction. The material of the air guide plate 18 is not particularly limited, but in this example, an acrylic resin is used.

  Further, the information processing apparatus 10 acts as a drive mechanism for driving the air guide plate 13 between the permanent magnet 15 attached on the main surface of the air guide plate 13 and the permanent magnet 15. And an electromagnet 16.

  The electromagnet 16 includes a solenoid coil and a magnetic material magnetic core disposed at the center of the solenoid coil. The material of the magnetic core is not particularly limited. For example, iron having a relative permeability of about 5000 can be used. One electromagnet 16 is provided for each computer 12 and is arranged near the middle of the air guide plates 13 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. These electromagnets 16 are connected in series to each computer 12 as described below.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are circuit diagrams of the electromagnet 16 and its surroundings. In this embodiment, either of the configurations shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B may be adopted.

  Among these, in the case of FIG. 3A, the AC current supplied from the external AC power supply 21 is converted into a DC current by the AC / DC converter 22 provided in the server rack 11, and the DC current is converted into each DC current. Distributed to the computer 12.

  On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 3B, an AC / DC converter 22 is provided for each computer 12, and an electromagnet 16 is connected to each output side of the AC / DC converter 22.

  In either case of FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B, the electromagnet 16 is connected in series with each of the computers 12. Therefore, the current supplied to each computer 12 flows directly to the electromagnet 16, and the electromagnet 16 generates a magnetic field having a strength corresponding to the load of the computer 12.

  Refer to FIG. 2 again.

  The permanent magnet 15 is fixed to a portion of the air guide plate 13 facing the magnetic pole of the electromagnet 16 in a direction repelling the electromagnet 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the upper side of each electromagnet 16 has an N pole, each permanent magnet 15 is fixed to the air guide plate 13 with the lower side as an N pole. The permanent magnet 15 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a magnet having a stronger magnetic force than other magnets such as a neodymium magnet.

  Next, the operation of the air guide plate 13 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when each computer 12 of the information processing apparatus 10 is not in operation, a current supplied to each computer 12 does not flow through the electromagnet 16, and therefore, between the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15. Repulsion does not work. Therefore, in this case, the air guide plate 3 is directed in the same direction as the direction of the cooling air by the force received from the cooling air.

  On the other hand, in a state where each computer 12 is in operation, since the current supplied to the computer 12 flows through the electromagnet 16, the electromagnet 16 generates a magnetic field having a strength corresponding to the load of the computer 12. And the permanent magnet 15 of the baffle plate 13 adjacent to the upper and lower sides of the electromagnet 16 receives a repulsive force by this magnetic field.

  However, when the supply currents of the respective computers 12 are equal, the repulsive force that the permanent magnet 15 receives from the electromagnet 16 that is adjacent to the upper side balances the repulsive force that is received from the electromagnet 16 that is adjacent to the lower side. Therefore, the position of the air guide plate 13 does not change from the state of FIG. At this time, the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer 12 becomes equal.

  On the other hand, when the supply current of some of the computers 12 is larger than the load of the other adjacent computers 12, the direction of the air guide plate 13 changes. Here, a case where the load on the central computer 12 in FIG. 2 increases will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the operation of the air guide plate 13 when the load on the computer 12 at the center of the server rack 11 in FIG. 2 is larger than the load on the other computers 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the load on the central computer 12 increases, the supply current to the computer 12 also increases, so the current flowing through the central electromagnet 16 connected to the computer 12 increases. As a result, the magnetic field of the central electromagnet 16 is stronger than the magnetic fields of the upper and lower electromagnets 16. The repulsive force from the central electromagnet 16 acts more strongly on the permanent magnet 15 attached to the wind guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper and lower sides of the central electromagnet 16, and the upper and lower wind guide plates 13 are separated from the central electromagnet 16. Tilt in the direction.

  Thereby, the flow path of the cooling air of the central computer 12 increases, and the amount of cooling air increases. Further, for the upper and lower computers 12 having a smaller load than the central computer 12, the flow path of the cooling air is narrowed by the baffle plate 13, and the flow rate of the cooling air is suppressed.

  In this way, in the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the supply current to each computer 12 is directly used for excitation of the electromagnet 16, so that the supply current increases and the load on each computer 12 increases almost simultaneously. The air guide plate 13 operates.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing temporal variations of the supply current to the computer 12 and the cooling air volume.

In FIG. 5, the solid line 51 in the upper graph represents the time fluctuation of the supply current of the computer 12. In this example, the load increases at time t _{0 and} decreases at time t ₁ .

  A solid line 52 in the lower graph indicates an ideal value of the air volume required for cooling the computer 12. As shown by the solid line 52, in order to prevent overheating of the computer 12, it is preferable to change the amount of cooling air without delay with respect to the load fluctuation represented by the solid line 51.

  On the other hand, an alternate long and short dash line 54 in the lower graph indicates a change in the flow rate of the cooling air of the information processing apparatus 80 according to the comparative example illustrated in FIG.

  As indicated by the alternate long and short dash line 54, when the direction of the air guide plate 13 is controlled based on the temperature of the computer 12, the adjustment of the cooling air supply amount is delayed with respect to the load variation of the computer 12.

  On the other hand, a broken line 53 in the lower graph indicates a change in the amount of cooling air of the information processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown by the broken line 53, in this embodiment, since the air guide plate 13 is driven by the electromagnet 16 excited by the current supplied to the computer 12, the flow rate of the cooling air can be adjusted almost simultaneously with the fluctuation of the load of the computer 12. .

  Thus, in the information processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the air volume of the cooling air without delay with respect to the increase in the load of each computer 12. Thereby, the computer 12 can be prevented from being overheated, and the power consumption of the fan unit 18 can be reduced by efficiently cooling the computer 12.

  Further, a control device and a sensor for controlling the operation of the air guide plate 13 are unnecessary, and the amount of cooling air supplied to each computer 12 can be adjusted with a simpler configuration.

  Next, the result of verifying the operation of the information processing apparatus 10 by simulation will be described.

  In the simulation, the calculator 12 is assumed to have a height of 3 U (about 133.5 mm) and a width of 450 mm. The air guide plate 13 was an acrylic plate having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 450 mm, and a length of 100 mm. The permanent magnet 15 is a neodymium magnet having a diameter of 3 cm and a magnetic flux density near the magnetic pole of 1 T (Tesla). Further, as the electromagnet 16, an electromagnet having a 30-turn coil having a diameter of 3 cm and a length of 3 cm and an iron core (relative magnetic permeability 5000) arranged at the center thereof is used.

  In such an information processing apparatus 10, when the supply current of the upper and lower computers 12 in FIG. 2 is 0.5 A and the supply current of the central computer 12 is 2 A, the degree of inclination of the air guide plate 13 is calculated. Determined by Note that the calculation here was performed under the condition that gravity does not act on the air guide plate 13 and it moves only by the repulsive force from the electromagnet 16.

  As a result, the air guide plate 13 between the central computer 12 and the uppermost computer 12 is tilted 9.99 ° upward, and the air guide plate 13 between the central computer 12 and the lowermost computer 12 is downward. It was confirmed that the tilt angle was 9.99 °. From this result, it can be seen that the flow rate of the cooling air can be adjusted based on the load of the computer 12.

  Next, how the temperature near the exhaust port 12b of the central computer 12 changes under the above conditions was determined by simulation. As a first comparative example, when the air guide plate 13 was displaced 60 seconds after the change in the supply current of the computer 12, the change in temperature near the exhaust port 12b of the central computer 12 was obtained.

  FIG. 6 is a graph showing a simulation result of a temperature change near the exhaust port 12b of the computer of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment and the first comparative example.

  In FIG. 6, a solid line 61 indicates a temperature change in the vicinity of the exhaust port 12 b of the computer 12 of the present embodiment, and a broken line 62 indicates the temperature of the air guide plate 13 60 seconds after the supply current of the central computer 12 is changed to 2 A. A temperature change in the vicinity of the exhaust port 12b of the first comparative example in which the inclination is changed is shown.

  As shown by the solid line 61, in the present embodiment, it can be seen that the temperature of the exhaust port 12b is maintained at a lower temperature than the first comparative example shown by the broken line 62. In the case of the present embodiment, it was confirmed that the temperature in the vicinity of the exhaust port 12b decreased by about 0.64 ° C. at the maximum compared to the first comparative example.

  From this result, it can be seen that according to the information processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the temperature rise inside the computer 12 can be more effectively suppressed.

  Next, the temperature distribution around the information processing apparatus in which twelve computers 12 having a height of 3 U and a width of 450 mm are mounted on the server rack 11 is obtained by simulation. Each computer 12 has 1 kW, 2 kW, 1.5 kW, 1.5 kW, 1 kW, 1 kW, 1.5 kW, 1 kW, 0.5 kW, 0.5 kW, 0.25 kW, and 0.25 kW in order from the top. Power was input at the same time.

  FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a temperature distribution around the server rack according to the present embodiment.

  On the other hand, FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the temperature distribution around the server rack of the second comparative example in which the air guide plate 13 of each computer 12 is driven 60 seconds after the change in the supply current to each computer 12.

  In the case of the second comparative example, since the direction of the air guide plate is changed 60 seconds after the change in the supply current of each computer, as shown in FIG. The flow rate is insufficient, and the temperature of the nearby ventilation path 19s is rising.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the flow rate of the cooling air is adjusted almost simultaneously with the fluctuation of the load of each computer 12, so that the ventilation in the vicinity of the computer 12s having a large calorific value as shown in FIG. The temperature rise of the path 19s is suppressed.

  According to the result of this calculation, in this embodiment, it was confirmed that the temperature rise of the ventilation path 19s near the computer 12s having a large calorific value compared to the second comparative example is reduced by about 2.5 ° C. at the maximum.

(Second Embodiment)
Depending on the weight of the air guide plate, a large force may be required to drive the air guide plate. Further, due to the gravity applied to the wind guide plate, a larger force is required when the wind guide plate is tilted upward than when the wind guide plate is tilted downward. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which electromagnets are arranged in consideration of the weight and gravity of the air guide plate as described below will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the information processing apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, two permanent magnets 15 are arranged on the upper surface of each air guide plate 13, and two electromagnets 16 are arranged between each air guide plate 13. To do.

  Thus, in this embodiment, by arranging two permanent magnets 15 and two electromagnets 16, the wind guide plate 13 can be driven with a greater force than in the first embodiment. Even if the weight increases, the air guide plate 13 can be driven.

  The number of permanent magnets 15 and electromagnets 16 is not limited to two, and may be further increased according to the weight of the air guide plate.

Moreover, in this embodiment, each electromagnet 16 is arrange | positioned above the middle of the baffle plate 13 adjacent to the upper and lower sides. That is, the distance L ₂ between the electromagnet 16 and the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the lower side thereof is longer than the distance L ₁ between the electromagnet 16 and the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper side thereof.

  Thereby, when the electromagnet 16 is excited, the repulsive force acting on the permanent magnet 15 of the wind guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper side of the electromagnet 16 is applied to the permanent magnet 15 of the wind guide plate 13 adjacent to the lower side. Bigger than.

  As a result, even if the force for inclining the air guide plate 13 is increased and gravity acts on the air guide plate 13, the air guide plate 13 is inclined by an amount corresponding to the power consumption of the computer 12. Can do.

  In addition, the other structure of the information processing apparatus 20 of this embodiment is the same as that of the information processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, and description about a common structure is abbreviate | omitted.

  Hereinafter, the result of having calculated | required the displacement amount of the baffle plate 13 in the information processing apparatus 20 of this embodiment by simulation is demonstrated.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the calculation is performed for the information processing apparatus 20 in which three servers 12 having a height of 3U (133.5 mm) and a width of 450 mm are mounted on the server rack 11 having a width of 19 inches in the vertical direction. It was. The air guide plate 13 is an acrylic resin plate having a width of 450 mm, a length of 100 mm, and a thickness of 1 mm, and is arranged at a boundary portion of each computer 12. The weight of the air guide plate 13 was about 53.6 g, and 0.53 N gravity was applied to the air guide plate 13 and was bent about 0.5 mm downward.

  Here, in consideration of the gravity applied to the air guide plate 13 and the bending of the air guide plate 13, the electromagnet 16 is installed 3.65 cm above the middle position between the adjacent air guide plates 13 in the vertical direction. It was. The electromagnet 16 has a diameter of 3 cm and a length of 3 cm and an iron core is arranged at the center of the coil. The permanent magnet 15 uses a neodymium magnet having a diameter of 3 cm and a magnetic flux density of about 1 T. It was.

  With such a configuration, the inclination of the air guide plate 13 was determined when the supply current to the upper and lower computers 12 was 0.5A and the supply current to the central computer 12 was 2A.

  As a result, the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper side of the central electromagnet 16 is inclined 5.36 ° upward, and the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the lower side of the central electromagnet 16 is inclined 11.78 ° downward. I understood.

  From this result, it was confirmed that the flow rate of the cooling air can be adjusted according to the load of each computer 12 even when gravity acts on the air guide plate.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the information processing apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment uses a proportional solenoid 33 as a drive mechanism for the air guide plate 13. Other than this, it is the same as the information processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 2, and a description of the common configuration is omitted.

  The proportional solenoid 33 includes a solenoid coil 31 and a shaft 32 protruding in the vertical direction from the solenoid coil 31 by a length proportional to the current flowing through the solenoid coil 31. Further, the proportional solenoid 33 is disposed in the vicinity of the middle of the air guide plate 13 adjacent vertically, and the upper end of the shaft 32 is in contact with the lower surface of the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper side.

  The solenoid coil 31 is connected in series with the computer 12 and is excited by a supply current to the computer 12, similarly to the electromagnet 16 of FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b).

  In such an information processing apparatus 30, the direction of the air guide plate 13 is changed by increasing the protruding amount of the shaft 32 of the proportional solenoid 33 according to the current supplied to the computer 12. As a result, the flow path of the cooling air is increased / decreased according to the load of the computer 12 and the amount of cooling air supplied to each computer 12 is adjusted.

  As described above, since the direction of the air guide plate 13 also changes according to the load of the computer 12 according to this embodiment, the amount of cooling air can be adjusted without delay from fluctuations in the load of the computer 12, and the computer 12 can be reliably Can be cooled.

  Next, a description will be given of results obtained by simulating the amount of displacement of the air guide plate 13 of the information processing apparatus 30 of the present embodiment.

  In the simulation, in the information processing apparatus 30 in which the 3U-high computer 12 is mounted on the server rack 11 as shown in FIG. 9, the supply current of the uppermost computer 12 and the lowermost computer 12 is 0.5A, The supply current of the computer 12 was set to 2A.

  As a result of the simulation, it was confirmed that the air guide plate 13 adjacent to the upper side of the central proportional solenoid 33 in FIG. 9 is inclined upward by about 8.2 °.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the information processing apparatus 40 of the present embodiment, the hinge 14, the air guide plate 13 and the permanent magnet 15 are attached to the inlet 12a side of the computer 12, and the electromagnet 16 is also added to the computer. 12 are arranged on the inlet 12a side.

  Each electromagnet 16 is connected in series to the computer 12 in the same manner as in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and is excited by a supply current to the computer 12.

  The other configuration of the information processing apparatus 40 is the same as that of the information processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, and the description of the overlapping configuration is omitted.

  In this information processing apparatus 40, the air guide plate 13 provided on the inlet 12 a side of the computer 12 is driven by the repulsive force between the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15.

  Then, the flow rate of the cooling air is expanded or reduced according to the load on the computer 12 accompanying the change in the supply current, so that the amount of cooling air supplied to each computer 12 is adjusted.

  As described above, even if the air guide plate 13, the electromagnet 16, and the permanent magnet 15 are provided on the inlet 12 a side of the computer 12, the cooling air supplied to the computer 12 is the same as the information processing apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 2. You can adjust the amount.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15 are used as the driving mechanism for the air guide plate 13, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the proportional mechanism is used as the driving mechanism for the air guide plate 13. A solenoid 33 (see FIG. 9) may be used.

  Regarding the above embodiment, the following additional notes are disclosed.

(Supplementary note 1) a server rack containing a plurality of computers;
An air guide plate that is provided for each computer and adjusts the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer;
A drive mechanism for changing the direction of the air guide plate using a current supplied to the computer;
An information processing apparatus comprising:

  (Additional remark 2) The said drive mechanism is equipped with the permanent magnet attached to the said baffle plate, and the electromagnet arrange | positioned facing the said permanent magnet and excited with the electric current supplied to the said computer, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The information processing apparatus according to attachment 1.

  (Supplementary note 3) The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 2, wherein the permanent magnet is arranged in a direction repelling the electromagnet, and is displaced in a direction away from the electromagnet due to an increase in a supply current of the computer.

(Appendix 4) The drive mechanism is a proportional solenoid having a shaft and a coil that vertically displaces the shaft by a distance corresponding to the supply current.
The information processing apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein a lower surface of the air guide plate is in contact with one end of the shaft.

  (Supplementary note 5) The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 6, wherein the proportional solenoid is provided for each computer, and a current supplied to the computer flows through a coil of the proportional solenoid.

  (Additional remark 6) The said electromagnet is arrange | positioned in the position higher than the intermediate position of the said baffle plate adjoining up and down, and is located on the upper side rather than the permanent magnet of the baffle plate adjacent on the lower side. The information processing apparatus according to appendix 3, wherein a greater repulsive force is exerted on the permanent magnet of the plate.

  (Appendix 7) The server rack includes a plurality of computers arranged in the vertical direction, and the air guide plate is connected to a boundary portion between the computers adjacent in the vertical direction. The information processing apparatus described in 1.

(Supplementary note 8) The computer includes an intake port for taking in the cooling air and an exhaust port for discharging the cooling air,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of appendix 1 to appendix 7, wherein the air guide plate and the drive mechanism are arranged on either the inlet side or the exhaust side of the computer. .

  (Supplementary note 9) The information processing apparatus according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 8, further comprising a fan unit that generates the cooling air.

  (Supplementary Note 10) A server rack containing a plurality of computers is provided with a wind guide plate for adjusting the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer, and the wind guide plate is utilized using a current supplied to each computer. A cooling method for an information processing apparatus, wherein the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each of the computers is adjusted by changing the direction of the information processing apparatus.

  10, 20, 30, 40, 80 ... information processing device, 11, 81 ... server rack, 12, 82 ... computer, 12a, 82a ... intake port, 12b, 82b ... exhaust port, 13, 84 ... wind guide plate, 14 , 85 ... Hinge, 15 ... Permanent magnet, 16 ... Electromagnet, 17 ... Heat exchanger, 18 ... Fan unit, 18a ... Fan, 19 ... Ventilation path, 83 ... Temperature sensor, 86 ... Controller.

Claims (5)

A server rack containing multiple computers;
An air guide plate that is provided for each computer and adjusts the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer;
A drive mechanism for changing the direction of the air guide plate using a current supplied to the computer;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The said drive mechanism is provided with the permanent magnet attached to the said baffle plate, and the electromagnet arrange | positioned facing the said permanent magnet, and excited by the electric current supplied to the said computer. The information processing apparatus described.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet is arranged in a direction repelling the electromagnet, and is displaced in a direction away from the electromagnet due to an increase in a supply current of the computer. The drive mechanism is a proportional solenoid having a shaft and a coil that vertically displaces the shaft by a distance corresponding to the supply current;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower surface of the air guide plate is in contact with one end of the shaft.   A server rack accommodating a plurality of computers is provided with a wind guide plate for adjusting the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each computer, and the direction of the wind guide plate is changed using a current supplied to the computer. Thereby, the flow rate of the cooling air supplied to each of the computers is adjusted.

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