Patent ID: 7714731

Claim:
A detection mechanism for monitoring airflow in an enclosure that has an interior space housing electronics cooled with forced ambient air and at least one air intake unit for forcing air through the interior space, the detection mechanism comprising: a first thermal sensor positioned proximate the enclosure for measuring an ambient air temperature; a second thermal sensor positioned proximate an exit air stream of the enclosure for measuring the temperature of air that is heated in the enclosure; a control circuit coupled with the first and second thermal sensors and configured for receiving output signals from the thermal sensors and determining a temperature differential between the measured temperatures of the thermal sensors; the control circuit includes a timer and is further coupled with the air intake unit and operable to selectively temporarily deactivate or reverse the direction of the air intake unit when the temperature differential exceeds the setpoint; the control circuit further operable for initiating an alarm when the temperature differential exceeds a setpoint thereby indicating restricted airflow in the enclosure.