Providing power to a module

• US 7,525,219 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Leija, Javier, Campini, Edoardo, Handley, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis; Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US11/235,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 307/80
• US Class Current: 307/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0262 Arrangements for regulating voltages or for using plural voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0286 Programmable, customizable or modifiable circuits by programmable non-printed jumper connections H05K3/222
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10053 Switch
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10098 Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas

Abstract

A method to couple a module to a board including power circuitry. The method includes detecting a module'"'"'s power requirements before providing payload power to the module and routing a regulated power level to the module via at least one power feed based on the detected power requirements. The regulated power is provided by the board'"'"'s power circuitry.

Claims

1. A method to couple a module to a board including power circuitry, comprising:

detecting the module'"'"'s power requirements before providing payload power to the module;

routing a regulated power level to the module via a power feed based on the detected power requirements, wherein the regulated power level is provided by the board'"'"'s power circuitry; and

routing another regulated power level to the module via another power feed based on a fixed power requirement, the other regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein routing the regulated power level comprises activating a switch coupled between the regulated power level and the power feed.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a communication link.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the communication link is a management bus.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the communication link comprises a communication link associated with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), wherein the module includes a Radio Frequency tag and the board includes an RFID reader to emit radio signals to activate the module'"'"'s Radio Frequency tag and to read information in the Radio Frequency tag, the information including the module'"'"'s power requirements.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the board comprises a carrier board and the module comprises a mezzanine card, both the carrier board and the mezzanine card to operate in compliance with the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification, the carrier board to also operate in compliance with the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture specification.

7. A board comprising:

power circuitry to provide a plurality of regulated power levels;

a power feed to couple to the plurality of regulated power levels;

a power logic to detect a module'"'"'s power requirements before payload power is provided to the module and to route a regulated power level to the module via the power feed based on the detected power requirements, the regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels; and

another power feed to couple to the plurality of regulated power levels, wherein the power logic routes another regulated power level to the module via the other power feed based on a fixed power requirement, the other regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels.

8. A board according to claim 7, wherein the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a management bus communication link.

9. A board according to claim 7, wherein the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a communication link, the communication link associated with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), wherein the module includes a Radio Frequency tag and the power logic includes an RFID reader to emit radio signals to activate the module'"'"'s Radio Frequency tag and to read information in the Radio Frequency tag, the information including the module'"'"'s power requirements.

10. A board according to claim 7, wherein the power logic is to activate a switch coupled to the regulated power level to route the regulated power level to the module via the power feed based on the detected power requirements.

11. A board according to claim 7, wherein the board comprises a carrier board and the module comprises a mezzanine card, both the carrier board and the mezzanine card to operate in compliance with the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification, the carrier board to also operate in compliance with the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture specification.

12. A board according to claim 11, the carrier board to include an Intelligent Platform Management Controller and the mezzanine card to include a Module Management Controller, the Intelligent Platform Management Controller to include the power logic to detect the mezzanine card'"'"'s power requirements, wherein the mezzanine card'"'"'s power requirements are forwarded by the Module Management Controller to the power logic via a communication link, the communication link to operate in compliance with the Intelligent Platform Management Bus Communications Protocol specification.

13. A system comprising:

a module; and

a board including;

power circuitry to provide a plurality of regulated power levels,

a power feed to couple to the plurality of regulated power levels,

a power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements before payload power is provided to the module and to route a regulated power level to the module via the power feed based on the detected power requirements, the regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels; and

another power feed to couple to the plurality of regulated power levels, the other power feed to provide another regulated power level to the module based on a fixed power requirement, the other regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a management bus communication link.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises the power logic to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a communication link, the communication link associated with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), wherein the module includes a Radio Frequency tag and the power logic includes an RFID reader to emit radio signals to activate the module'"'"'s Radio Frequency tag and to read information in the Radio Frequency tag, the information including the module'"'"'s power requirements.

16. A system according to claim 13, the board comprising a carrier board and the module comprising a mezzanine card, both the carrier board and the mezzanine card to operate in compliance with the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification, the carrier board to also operate in compliance with the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture specification, wherein the power feed is to couple to contacts on the mezzanine card that are assigned to Extended Options in the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the carrier board routes the other regulated power level to the mezzanine card via the other power feed based on a fixed payload power requirement determined based on payload power requirements in the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification.

18. A machine-accessible medium comprising content, which, when executed by a machine causes the machine to:

detect a module'"'"'s power requirements before payload power is provided to the module;

route a regulated power level to the module via a power feed based on the detected power requirements, wherein the regulated power level is provided by the board'"'"'s power circuitry; and

route another regulated power level to the module based on a fixed power requirement, the other regulated power level from among the plurality of regulated power levels.

19. A machine-accessible medium according to claim 18, wherein to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises to receive the module'"'"'s power requirements via a communication link.

20. A machine-accessible medium according to claim 19, wherein the communication link is a management bus.

21. A machine-accessible medium according to claim 18, wherein to route the regulated power level comprises to activate a switch coupled between the regulated power level and the power feed.

22. A module to couple to a board having power circuitry, the module comprising:

a module management controller to indicate to the board the module'"'"'s power requirements prior to the board providing payload power, wherein based on the indicated power requirements, the board is to route a regulated power level to the module via a power feed, the regulated power level to be provided by the board'"'"'s power circuitry, and the board is to route another regulated power level to the module based on a fixed power requirement, the other regulated power level provided by the board'"'"'s power circuitry.

23. A module according to claim 22, wherein to detect the module'"'"'s power Requirements comprises to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a management bus communication link on the board.

24. A module according to claim 22, wherein to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements comprises to detect the module'"'"'s power requirements by receiving the module'"'"'s power requirements via a communication link, the communication link associated with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), wherein the module includes a Radio Frequency tag and the board includes an RFID reader to emit radio signals to activate the module'"'"'s Radio Frequency tag and to read information in the Radio Frequency tag, the information including the module'"'"'s power requirements.

25. A module according to claim 22, wherein the module comprises a mezzanine card and the board comprises a carrier board, both the mezzanine card and the carrier board to operate in compliance with the Advanced Mezzanine Card specification, the carrier board to also operate in compliance with the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture specification.

26. A module according to claim 25, the carrier board to include an Intelligent Platform Management Controller, the Intelligent Platform Management Controller to include power logic to detect the mezzanine card'"'"'s power requirements, wherein the mezzanine card'"'"'s power requirement are forwarded by the module management controller to the power logic via a communication link on the board, the communications link to operate in compliance with the Intelligent Platform Management Bus Communications Protocol specification.