Methods and apparatuses for dynamic power control

• US 8,332,665 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Conroy, David G., Cox, Keith Alan, Culbert, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Application Number:
  US12/500,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/321, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• 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 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for dynamically budgeting power usage in a data processing system. In one aspect, a data processing system, includes: one or more first components capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings; one or more second components; and one or more power usage sensors. The one or more power usage sensors are to determine information on power usage during a first time period of operation of the data processing system. The one or more first components and the one or more second components may include a computing element to determine one of the performance level settings of the one or more first components of the data processing system for a second time period subsequent to the first time period using the information on the power usage during the first time period.

Claims

1. A data processing system, comprising:

a plurality of throttled components capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings;

a plurality of non-throttled components, wherein at least one of the non-throttled components cannot be regulated to trade performance for power consumption by a component which is not part of the at least one of the non-throttled components;

a power manager which is configured to obtain at least one operating signal from the at least one of the non-throttled components at a first time interval, the power manager configured to determine a state of the at least one of the non-throttled components from the at least one operating signal, and is configured to dynamically determine a power usage requirement for the at least one of the non-throttled components at a second time interval according to the state, wherein the second time interval is after the first time interval; and

a power supply coupled to the power manager to supply a power to the portion of the data processing system including at least one of the plurality of throttled components, the power supply being limited to a continuous state power capacity;

wherein the power manager is capable of providing a worst case power consumption of the data processing system from the power supply to exceed the continuous state power capacity, while maintaining an average of power consumption of the data processing system over time under the continuous state power capacity based at least in part on the dynamically determined power usage requirement.

2. The data processing system of claim 1, wherein an average of power consumption from the power supply approaches the continuous state power capacity when the data processing system runs a continuous worst case workload.

3. The data processing system of claim 2, wherein the data processing system comprises a control element which dynamically throttles the plurality of throttled components according to the power usage requirement to limit the average of power consumption to be under the continuous state power capacity.

4. The data processing system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of throttled components comprise the control element which comprises a microprocessor.

5. A data processing system, comprising:

one or more first components capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings;

a power manager which is configured to obtain at least one of operating signals from one or more second components at a first time interval, the one or more second components are non-throttled components that cannot be regulated to trade performance for power consumption by a third component which is not part of the second components, wherein the power manager is configured to determine a state of the one or more second components according to the at least one operating signal, and is configured to dynamically determine a power usage requirement for the one or more second components at a second time interval according to the state, wherein the second time interval is after the first time interval; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of different performance level settings of the first components is set, for a limited period of time, to exceed a continuous state power capacity of a power supply, while an average of power consumption of the data processing system over time is configured to be under the continuous state power capacity of the power supply based, at least in part, on the dynamically determined power usage requirement.

6. The data processing system of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the plurality of different performance level settings of the first components is set according to an actual power usage of the one or more first components at the first time interval.

7. The data processing system of claim 6, wherein the power consumption state of the first components is adjusted over time to keep an average of power consumption from the power supply under the continuous state power capacity.

8. A data processing system, comprising:

a plurality of non-throttled subsystems, each capable of consuming a set of different power levels, wherein at least one of the non-throttled subsystems cannot be regulated to trade performance for power consumption by a component which is not part of the at least one of the non-throttled components; and

a sensor coupled to at least one of the plurality of non-throttled subsystems to obtain an operating signal from the at least one of the non-throttled subsystems at a first time interval, the sensor configured to determine a state of the at least one of the non-throttled subsystems from the operating signal, wherein the state is associated with one of the different power consumption levels, and wherein the sensor is configured to dynamically derive a combined measurement of power consumption of the plurality of non-throttled subsystems at a first time interval based at least in part on the state of the at least one of the non-throttled subsystems, wherein the combined measurement of power consumption of the plurality of non-throttled subsystems is used to compute a power usage requirement for the at least one of the non-throttled components at a second time interval after the first time interval to maintain an average power consumption of the data processing system over time that is associated with a history of the power consumption of the data processing system including the first time interval and the power usage requirement under a limit.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein each of the non-throttled subsystems cannot be regulated to trade performance for power consumption by the component which is not part of each of the non-throttled subsystems.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, further comprising:

one or more throttled subsystems, each capable of being dynamically throttled to a plurality of different performance level settings;

wherein the combined measurement is used to dynamically throttle the one or more throttled subsystems.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, further comprising:

a sensor coupled to each of one or more throttled subsystems to derive a combined measurement of power consumption of the one or more throttled subsystems;

wherein the combined measurement of power consumption of the plurality of non-throttled subsystems and the combined measurement of power consumption of the one or more throttled subsystems are used to dynamically throttle the one or more throttled subsystems and keep power consumption under the limit.