Patents by Inventor Kevin Locke

Kevin Locke has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10678278
    Abstract: Controlling an activation status of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for an information handling system cooling system, such as the on/off status of the PID controller, can reduce power consumption and processing and memory requirements for such a system. A decrease in resource consumption can be realized by deactivating the PID controller during certain periods and activating the PID controller during others. For example, the PID controller can be deactivated when a temperature of a system component falls below a threshold temperature and activated when the temperature of the system component rises above the threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Kevin Locke, Travis North, Joohyun Woo
  • Patent number: 10571979
    Abstract: Adjusting a cooling fan speed control profile to account for system implementation factors, such as ambient temperature and usage history, can optimize power consumption and reduce the volume and variation of sound generated by shifts in fan speed in response to changes in system and component temperature. Adjusting a cooling fan speed control profile may include adjusting a maximum fan speed based on an ambient temperature or component temperature of the information handling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Joohyun Woo, Kevin Locke, Travis North, Andrew Ingalls
  • Patent number: 10274977
    Abstract: Control signals, such as PWM control signals, can be used to control aspects of a cooling system and can be generated using proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. PID control systems for cooling systems are designed based on default environmental and system characteristics and pre-programmed for operation prior to delivery to customers or end users. Changes in environmental and system characteristics, such as component aging, environmental variations, and variation in manufacturing from system to system, such as heat sink effectiveness and application of thermal pastes, can impact system level performance of the control system. Adjusting gain parameters for the P, I, and D components of a PID control signal can reduce negative impact on system performance resulting from such changes and allow the control system to better adjust to external factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Travis North, Chris Helberg, Austin Shelnutt, Kevin Locke, Joohyun Woo
  • Patent number: 10141884
    Abstract: A method for cooling system components of information handling systems may include generating a first pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal for controlling at least one cooling fan configured to cool a system component, filtering the first PWM control signal, and applying the filtered first PWM control signal to the at least one cooling fan. The first PWM control signal may be used to control a component fan and then filtered to generate a filtered first PWM control signal used to control a system fan. The filtering of the control signal may include dampening the control signal such that the control signal is less responsive to temperature changes as the temperature nears a set temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Kevin Locke, Travis North, Joohyun Woo
  • Publication number: 20180275696
    Abstract: Control signals, such as PWM control signals, can be used to control aspects of a cooling system and can be generated using proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. PID control systems for cooling systems are designed based on default environmental and system characteristics and pre-programmed for operation prior to delivery to customers or end users. Changes in environmental and system characteristics, such as component aging, environmental variations, and variation in manufacturing from system to system, such as heat sink effectiveness and application of thermal pastes, can impact system level performance of the control system. Adjusting gain parameters for the P, I, and D components of a PID control signal can reduce negative impact on system performance resulting from such changes and allow the control system to better adjust to external factors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2017
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Travis North, Chris Helberg, Austin Shelnutt, Kevin Locke, Joohyun Woo
  • Publication number: 20180267582
    Abstract: Adjusting a cooling fan speed control profile to account for system implementation factors, such as ambient temperature and usage history, can optimize power consumption and reduce the volume and variation of sound generated by shifts in fan speed in response to changes in system and component temperature. Adjusting a cooling fan speed control profile may include adjusting a maximum fan speed based on an ambient temperature or component temperature of the information handling system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Joohyun Woo, Kevin Locke, Travis North, Andrew Ingalls
  • Publication number: 20180267566
    Abstract: Controlling an activation status of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for an information handling system cooling system, such as the on/off status of the PID controller, can reduce power consumption and processing and memory requirements for such a system. A decrease in resource consumption can be realized by deactivating the PID controller during certain periods and activating the PID controller during others. For example, the PID controller can be deactivated when a temperature of a system component falls below a threshold temperature and activated when the temperature of the system component rises above the threshold temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Kevin Locke, Travis North, Joohyun Woo
  • Publication number: 20180269821
    Abstract: A method for cooling system components of information handling systems may include generating a first pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal for controlling at least one cooling fan configured to cool a system component, filtering the first PWM control signal, and applying the filtered first PWM control signal to the at least one cooling fan. The first PWM control signal may be used to control a component fan and then filtered to generate a filtered first PWM control signal used to control a system fan. The filtering of the control signal may include dampening the control signal such that the control signal is less responsive to temperature changes as the temperature nears a set temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Kevin Locke, Travis North, Joohyun Woo