Techniques for Adaptive Demand/Response Energy Management of Electronic Systems

• US 20150005974A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Milenkovic, Milan, Hanebutte, Ulf R., Srinivasan, Vasudevan
• Granted Patent: US 10,079,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/12 Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Techniques for adaptive demand/response power management. Power consumption and battery charge level of a platform having a battery with a smart power module are monitored. Information indicating the power consumption and battery charge level for the platform is provided to a remote demand/response management device. The remote demand/response management device and the smart power module receive a command to modify one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform. The one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform are to be changed in response to the command.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a battery;

one or more functional components to be powered by the battery, wherein the one or more functional components are part of a platform;

a power module coupled with one or more hardware/firmware interfaces, an operating system interface and a battery controller, the power module to communicate with a remote demand/response management device, the power module to implement power policies received from the remote demand/response management device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power module is to track platform power and energy consumption.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power module is to enforce quality of service (QoS) guarantees by adapting energy consumption behavior of the platform.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hardware/firmware interfaces are to provide a bi-directional communication channel between the power module and the remote demand/response management device when the platform is in a sleep state.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the operating system interface is to provide a capability for the power module to communicate with the operating system to obtain system utilization information that is only available within the operating system.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the operating system interface is to provide information from the power module to the operating system and to user space applications and graphical interfaces.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power module is to operate using real-time analytics and machine learning mechanisms.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power module is to alter a power envelope of the platform by restricting high performance/high power states and is to adjust platform features to stay in a lower power mode.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, when a battery capacity level is too low to guarantee a requested system run time for the platform, the power module is to switche to grid power.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power module is to cause a platform battery to be charged when a local renewable energy source is providing power and to operate from battery power when the local renewable energy source is not providing power.

11. An article comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

monitor power consumption and battery charge level of a platform having a battery with a smart power module;

provide information indicating the power consumption and battery charge level for the platform to a remote demand/response management device;

receive from the remote demand/response management device and with the smart power module, a command to modify one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform;

cause, with the smart power module, the one or more power consumption characteristics of the platform to be changed in response to the command.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein the power module is coupled with one or more hardware/firmware interfaces, an operating system interface and a battery controller, and the power module operates to communicate with the remote demand/response management device, the power module to implement power policies received from the remote demand/response management device to track platform power and energy consumption.

13. The article of claim 11 wherein the power module is to enforce quality of service (QoS) guarantees by adapting energy consumption behavior of the platform in response to one or more power policies received from the remote demand/response management device.

14. The article of claim 11 wherein the hardware/firmware interfaces are to provide a bi-directional communication channel between the power module and the remote demand/response management device when the platform is in a sleep state.

15. The article of claim 11 wherein the operating system interface is to provide a capability for the power module to communicate with the operating system to obtain system utilization information that is only available within the operating system.

16. The article of claim 15 wherein the operating system interface is to provide information from the power module to the operating system and to user space applications and graphical interfaces.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the smart power module operates using real-time analytics and machine learning mechanisms.

18. The article of claim 11 wherein the power module is to alter a power envelope of the platform by restricting high performance/high power states and adjusting platform features to stay in a lower power mode.

19. The article of claim 11 wherein, when a battery capacity level is too low to guarantee a requested system run time for the platform, the power module is to switche to grid power.

20. The article of claim 11 wherein the power module is to cause a platform battery to be charged when local renewable energy sources are providing power and to operate from battery power when the local renewable energy sources are not providing power.

21. A system comprising:

a demand/response manager;

a plurality of client platform devices coupled with the demand/response manager, each of the plurality of client platform devices having one or more functional components and a power module coupled with one or more hardware/firmware interfaces, an operating system interface and a battery controller, the power module to communicate with the demand/response manager, the power module to implement power policies received from the demand/response manager.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the power module is to track platform power and energy consumption for the respective platforms.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein the power module is to enforce quality of service (QoS) guarantees by adapting energy consumption behavior of the respective platforms.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the hardware/firmware interfaces are to provide a bi-directional communication channel between the power module and the demand/response manager when the platform is in a sleep state.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the operating system interface is to provide a capability for the power module to communicate with the operating system to obtain system utilization information that is only available within the operating system.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the operating system interface is to provide information from the power module to the operating system and to user space applications and graphical interfaces.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the power module is to operate using real-time analytics and machine learning mechanisms.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the power module is to alter a power envelope of the platform by restricting high performance/high power states and adjusting platform features to stay in a lower power mode.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein, when a battery capacity level is too low to guarantee a requested system run time for the platform, the power module is to switch to grid power.

30. The system of claim 21 wherein the power module is to cause a platform battery to be charged when a local renewable energy source is providing power and to operate from battery power when the local renewable energy source is not providing power.