System and Method for Monitoring a Battery Status in a Server in a Data Center

• US 20170160776A1
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahmed, Sajjad, Masuyama, Jinsaku, Palmer, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,241,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An information handling system includes a battery, a host processing complex, and a management system. The battery includes a battery power level gauge that determines a power level of the battery. The management system includes a wireless transceiver. When the host processing complex is unpowered, the management system is coupled to receive power from the battery and provides a first indication of the power level of the battery via the wireless transceiver.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a battery including a battery power level gauge that determines a power level of the battery;

a host processing complex; and

a management system including a wireless transceiver, wherein when the host processing complex is unpowered, the management system is coupled to receive power from the battery, and the management system provides a first indication of the power level of the battery via the wireless transceiver.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the management system periodically provides the first indication.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the management system provides the first indication when the power level of the battery is below a first threshold.

4. The information handling system of claim 3, further comprising:

a memory device coupled to receive power from the battery to maintain data stored in the memory device when the host processing complex is unpowered.

5. The information handling system of claim 4, wherein the first threshold indicates a first power level of the battery, below which the memory device is unable to maintain the data stored therein.

6. The information handling system of claim 5, wherein the management system provides a second indication of the power level of the battery via the wireless transceiver when the power level of the battery is above the first threshold but is below a second threshold, the second indication providing a warning that the power level of the battery is approaching the first threshold.

7. The information handling system of claim 3, further comprising:

a low battery indication, wherein the management system sets the low battery indication in response to providing the first indication.

8. The information handling system of claim 7, wherein, when the low battery indication is set, the information handling system will not boot.

9. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein further, when the low battery indication is set, the information handling system provides an option to boot with a default setting.

10. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein, when the battery is charged to a high power level, the low battery indication is reset, the high power level being higher than the first threshold.

11. A method, comprising:

determining a power level of a battery of an information handling system;

coupling a management system to receive power from the battery when a host processing complex of the information handling system is unpowered; and

providing, by a wireless transceiver of the management system, a first indication of the power level of the battery.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first indication is provided periodically.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first indication is provided when the power level of the battery is below a first threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

coupling a memory device of the information handling system to receive power from the battery to maintain data stored in the memory device when the host processing complex is unpowered.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first threshold indicates a first power level of the battery, below which the memory device is unable to maintain the data stored therein.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing, by the wireless transceiver, a second indication of the power level of the battery when the power level of the battery is above the first threshold but is below a second threshold, the second indication providing a warning that the power level of the battery is approaching the first threshold.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting a low battery indication of the information handling system in response to providing the first indication.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

preventing the information handling system from booting when the low battery indication is set.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including code for performing a method, the method comprising:

determining a power level of a battery of an information handling system;

coupling a management system to receive power from the battery when a host processing complex of the information handling system is unpowered; and

providing, by a wireless transceiver of the management system, an indication of the power level of the battery.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the indication is provided periodically.