Method and apparatus of measuring current, voltage, or duty cycle of a power supply to manage power consumption in a computer system

• US 6,367,023 B2
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kling, Ralph M., Grochowski, Edward T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Application Number:
  US09/219,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20010003207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300-340, 713/600-601, 714/14, 714/22, 714/47, 323/282-290
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3867 using instruction pipelines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system includes a power supply, a meter coupled to the power supply, and a controller. The meter takes a measurement of a parameter that is approximately proportional to the power consumed from the power supply by at least a portion of a computer system. This parameter may include, for example, the current or voltage between the power supply and the portion of the computer system, or the duty cycle of a switching signal in the power supply. This measurement is then used by the controller to determine if the power consumed by the portion of the computer system reaches a threshold, and if so, the controller sends a throttle signal. A system and method such as this may be found useful to reduce the risk of a computer system blowing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker.

Claims

1. A method of managing power consumption in a computer system comprising:

taking a measurement of a parameter that is approximately proportional to power consumed by at least a portion of the computer system; and

using the measurement to determine if the power consumed by the portion of the computer system has reached a threshold associated with a power delivery specification of a power outlet into which the computer system is plugged.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a throttle signal if the power consumed by the portion of the computer system has reached a threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reducing the power consumed by the portion of the computer system in response to an integrated circuit (IC) receiving the throttle signal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reducing the power consumed by the portion of the computer system includes reducing a clock frequency or voltage supplied to the IC.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein taking the measurement includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal in a power supply coupled to a processor, and reducing the power includes reducing power consumed by the processor in response to the processor receiving the throttle signal.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein taking the measurement includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal in a power supply that supplies the power, and reducing the power includes reducing power consumed by the IC in response to the throttle signal, the IC being determined to have a lower impact on operation of the computer system than an alternate IC.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein taking the measurement includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal in a power supply coupled to the portion of the computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein taking the measurement includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal in a power supply that supplies the power.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein using the measurement includes determining if the power consumed by the portion of the computer system has reached the threshold, the threshold being predetermined to be a constant value.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein using the measurement includes determining if the power consumed by the portion of the computer system has reached the threshold, the threshold being calculated as a function of time.

11. A method of limiting power consumed by a computer system comprising:

measuring a first parameter that is proportional to power consumed by a first portion of the computer system;

measuring a second parameter that is proportional to power consumed by a second portion of the computer system;

sending a throttle signal to an integrated circuit (IC) of the computer system if a calculation that combines at least the first and second parameters reaches a threshold associated with a power delivery specification of a power outlet into which the computer system is plugged; and

reducing power consumed by the IC in response to receiving the signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining if the calculation reaches a threshold that is predetermined to be a user-defined value associated with the power delivery specification of the outlet into which the computer system is plugged.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining if the calculation reaches the threshold, the threshold calculated as a function of time.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer system is a multiprocessor computer system in which the first portion includes a first processor and the second portion includes a second processor.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein measuring the first parameter includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal of a first power supply coupled to the first portion of the computer system, and measuring the second parameter includes measuring a duty cycle of a switching signal of a second power supply coupled to the second portion of the computer system.

16. A computer system comprising:

a power supply to supply power consumed by at least a portion of the computer system;

a meter to measure a value of a parameter that is approximately proportional to the power; and

a controller to send a throttle signal to an integrated circuit (IC) of the computer system if an amount calculated using the value reaches a threshold associated with a power delivery specification of a power outlet into which the computer system is plugged.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the IC is a processor.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the parameter includes a duty cycle of a switching signal of the power supply.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the controller is contained within a bridge of the computer system.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the threshold is predetermined to be a value associated with an approximate upper power level that can be reliably consumed by the computer system from the outlet.

21. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the threshold is a function of time.

22. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the parameter includes a current from the power supply to the portion of the computer system.

23. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the parameter includes a voltage across a resistor between the power supply and the portion of the computer system.