Power input utilization system

• US 10,222,846 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Sultenfuss, Andrew Thomas, Sauber, William Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Connolly, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US15/153,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage

Abstract

A power input utilization system includes a plurality of components and a plurality of power input connectors. A power utilization engine is coupled between the plurality of power input connectors and the plurality of components. The power utilization engine is operable to detect a power input to the plurality of power input connectors and determine a power input characteristic for the power input. The power utilization engine is also operable to use the power input characteristic to determine a plurality of operation characteristics for the plurality of components. The power utilization engine is also operable to operate the plurality of components using on the power input and the plurality of operation characteristics.

Claims

1. A power input utilization system, comprising:

a power input connector;

a plurality of components, wherein each of the plurality of components includes at least one component characteristic that defines a power consumption of that component when that component operates with different operation characteristics; and

a power utilization engine that is coupled to the power input connector and the plurality of components, wherein the power utilization engine is configured to;

receive a first power amount that is provided to the power input connector from a power input;

determine, based on the first power amount, a respective first operation characteristic for each of the plurality of components that is defined by the at least one component characteristic for that component;

cause each of the plurality of components to operate using power allocated from the first power amount and according to the respective first operation characteristic for that component;

detect a change from the first power amount that is provided to the power input connector from the power input to a second power amount that is provided to the power input connector from the power input, wherein the power input remains coupled to the power input connector during the change;

determine, based on the second power amount, a respective second operation characteristic for at least a subset of the plurality of components that is defined by the at least one component characteristic for each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components; and

cause each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components to operate using power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective second operation characteristic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power utilization engine is configured to:

cause each of a first subset of the plurality of components to operate using a first power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective first operation characteristic of that component; and

cause each of a second subset of the plurality of components to operate using a second power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective second operation characteristic of that component.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery system, wherein the power utilization engine is configured to;

determine, based on the second power amount, a charging characteristic for the battery system; and

cause the battery system to charge using power allocated from the second power amount and according to the charging characteristic.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to:

determine that the battery system has been drained; and

provide power allocated from the first power amount to the battery system such that the battery system includes a minimum charge level.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one component characteristic for the plurality of components includes at least one of:

a power consumption for a processor operating state, a power consumption for a memory technology type, and a power consumption for a storage technology type.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to:

increase, in response to determining that the second power amount is above a power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the at least the subset of the plurality of components until either each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components reaches a maximum operation level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reduce, in response to determining that the second power amount is below a power input threshold, the power allocated from the second power amount to the at least the subset of the plurality of components until either each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components reaches a minimum operation level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery system, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to;

increase, in response to determining that the second power amount is above a power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the battery until either the battery reaches a maximum charge level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reduce, in response to determining that the second power amount is below the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the battery until either the battery reaches a minimum charge level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of components is a processing system and the at least one component characteristic for the processing system identifies the power consumption of the processing system when the processing system operates according to each of a plurality of different processing system performance settings.

9. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a chassis;

a processing system that is located in the chassis and that includes a processing system characteristic;

a memory system that is located in the chassis and that includes a memory system characteristic;

a battery system that is located in the chassis;

a power input connector that is provided on the chassis; and

a power utilization engine that is located in the chassis and that is coupled to the power input connector and each of the processing system, the memory system, and the battery system, wherein the power utilization engine is configured to;

cause, in response to receiving a first power amount at the power input connector from a power input, the processing system to perform first processing system operations that are based on the processing system characteristic;

cause, in response to receiving the first power amount at the power input connector, the memory system to perform first memory system operations that are based on the memory system characteristic;

cause, in response to receiving the first power amount at the power input connector from the power input, the battery system to charge according to a first charging characteristic; and

cause, in response to receiving a second power amount at the power input connector from the power input that is greater than the first power amount, wherein the power input remained coupled the power input connector subsequent to the receiving of the first power amount and at least up to the receiving of the second power amount, at least one of;

the processing system to perform second processing system operations that are different than the first processing system and that are based on the processing system characteristic;

the memory system to perform second memory system operations that are different than the first memory system operations and that are based on the memory system characteristic; and

the battery system to charge according to a second charging characteristic that is different than the first charging characteristic.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to:

retrieve a battery system characteristic from the battery system, wherein the second charging characteristic for the battery system is determined in response to receiving that second power amount at the power input connector and is based on the battery system characteristic.

11. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to:

determine that the battery has been drained; and

provide power allocated from the first power amount to the battery system such that the battery system includes a minimum charge level.

12. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the power utilization engine is further configured to:

increase, in response to determining that the second power amount is above a power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the processing system until either the processing system reaches a maximum operation level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reduce, in response to determining that the second power amount is below the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the processing system until either the processing system reaches a minimum operation level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

13. The IHS of claim 9, wherein power utilization engine is further configured to:

increase, in response to determining that the second power amount is above a power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the memory system until either the memory system reaches a maximum operation level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reduce, in response to determining that the second power amount is below the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the memory system until either the memory system reaches a minimum operation level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

14. The IHS of claim 9, wherein power utilization engine is further configured to:

increase, in response to determining that the second power amount is above the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the battery system until either the battery system reaches a maximum charge level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reduce, in response to determining that the second power amount is below the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the battery system until either the battery system reaches a minimum charge level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

15. A method for power utilization, comprising:

receiving, by a power utilization system, a first power amount that is provided to a power input connector from a power input;

determining, by the power utilization system based on the first power amount, a respective first operation characteristic for each of a plurality of components that is defined by at least one component characteristic for that component;

causing, by the power utilization system, each of the plurality of components to operate using power allocated from the first power amount and according to the respective first operation characteristic for that component;

detecting, by the power utilization system, a change from the first power amount that is provided to the power input connector from the power input to a second power amount that is provided to the power input connector from the power input, wherein the power input remains coupled to the power input connector during the change;

determining, by the power utilization system based on the second power amount, a respective second operation characteristic for at least a subset of the plurality of components that is defined by the at least one component characteristic for each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components; and

causing, by the power utilization system, each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components to operate using power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective second operation characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

causing, by the power utilization system, each of a first subset of the plurality of components to operate using a first power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective first operation characteristic of that component; and

causing, by the power utilization system, each of a second subset of the plurality of components to operate using a second power allocated from the second power amount and according to the respective second operation characteristic of that component.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the power utilization system based on the second power amount, a charging characteristic for a battery system; and

causing, by the power utilization system, the battery system to charge using power allocated from the second power amount and according to the charging characteristic.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the power utilization system, that the battery system has been drained; and

causing, by the power utilization system, power allocated from the first power amount to the battery system such that the battery system includes a minimum charge level.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

increasing, by the power utilization system in response to determining that the second power amount is above a power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the at least the subset of the plurality of components until either each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components reaches a maximum operation level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reducing, by the power utilization system in response to determining that the second power amount is below a power input threshold, the power allocated from the second power amount to the at least the subset of the plurality of components until either each of the at least the subset of the plurality of components reaches a minimum operation level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

increasing, by the power utilization system in response to determining that the second power amount is above the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to a battery system until either the battery system reaches a maximum charge level or the second power amount drops below the power input threshold; and

reducing, by the power utilization system in response to determining that the second power amount is below the power input threshold, power allocated from the second power amount to the battery system until either the battery system reaches a minimum charge level or the second power amount rises above the power input threshold.