Power management system

• US 9,189,045 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Berke, Stuart Allen, Richards, George G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANDEY, KESHAB R
• Application Number:
  US13/647,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/310, 713/320, 713/321, 713/322, 713/323, 713/324, 713/340, 713/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power management system includes a power system. A powered component is coupled to the power system. A power detect circuit is coupled to the power system. A power system controller is coupled to the power system, the powered component, and the power detect circuit. The power system controller is operable, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting and determine that the first threshold was not exceeded while the workload was running. The power system controller is then operable to program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting, determine that the second threshold was exceeded while the workload was running and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

Claims

1. A power management system, comprising:

a power system;

a powered component coupled to the power system;

a power detect circuit coupled to the power system; and

a power system controller coupled to the power system, the powered component, and the power detect circuit, wherein the power system controller is configured, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to;

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the first system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of a first workload of the at least one workload and, in response to the first threshold for the first system operation setting not being exceeded during the running of the first workload, program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting that is less than the first threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold for the first system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the first system operation setting to allocate power from the power system.

2. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the first system operation setting allows the powered component to operate unrestrained.

3. The power management system of claim 2, wherein the power system controller is further configured, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to:

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a second system operating setting;

determine that the first threshold for the second system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response to the first threshold for the second system operation setting not being exceeded during the running of the first workload, program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the second system operation setting that is less than the first threshold for the second system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold for the second system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the second system operation setting to allocate power from the power system.

4. The power management system of claim 3, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the powered component relative to the first system operation setting.

5. The power management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of power detect circuits coupled to the power system, wherein the power system controller is confiqured, for each of at least one workload run using the powered component, to;

program each of the plurality of power detect circuits with a different threshold for the first system operation setting;

determine whether any of the different thresholds for the first system operation setting were exceeded during the running of the first workload and, if so, use the thresholds that were exceeded to allocate power from the power system.

6. The power management system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.

7. The power management system of claim 1, wherein the power system controller is confiqured to:

program the power detect circuit with the first threshold for the first system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the first system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of a second workload of the at least one workload;

program the power detect circuit with the second threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold for the first system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the second workload and, in response, use the second threshold to allocate power from the power system.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a processor;

a power detect circuit coupled to the processor; and

a power system controller coupled to the processor and the power detect circuit, wherein the power system controller is configured to couple to a power system and, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to;

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the first system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of a first workload of the at least one workload and, in response to the first threshold for the first system operation setting not being exceeded during the running of the first workload, program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting that is less than the first threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold for the first system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the first system operation setting to allocate power from the power system.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the first system operation setting allows the processor to operate unrestrained.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the power system controller is further configured, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to:

program the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a second system operation setting;

determine that the first threshold for the second system operation setting was not exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response to the first threshold for the second system operation setting not being exceeded during the running of the first workload, program the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the second system operation setting; and

determine that the second threshold for the second system operation setting was exceeded during the running of the first workload and, in response, use the second threshold for the second system operation setting to allocate power from the power system.

11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the processor relative to the first system operation setting.

12. The IHS of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of power detect circuits coupled to the processor, wherein the power system controller is confiqured, for each of at least one workload run using the processor, to;

program each of the plurality of power detect circuits with a different threshold for the first system operation setting;

determine whether any of the different thresholds for the first system operation setting were exceeded during the running of the workload and, if so, use the thresholds that were exceeded to allocate power from the power system.

13. The IHS of claim 12, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the power system controller is configured to:

program the power detect circuit with the plurality of thresholds for the first system operation setting;

determine whether one of the plurality of thresholds for the first system operation setting was exceeded during the running of a second workload of the at least one workload and, if so, use that threshold to allocate power from the power system.

15. A method for managing power, comprising:

running at least one workload using a powered component;

programming a power detect circuit with a first threshold for a first system operation setting;

determining that the first threshold for the first system operation setting was not exceeded while a first workload of the at least one workload was run using the powered component and, in response to the first threshold for the first system operation setting not being exceeded while the first workload was run, programming the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the first system operation setting that is less than the first threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determining that the second threshold for the first system operation setting was exceeded while the first workload was run using the powered component and, in response, using the second threshold for the first system operation setting to allocate power from a power system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first system operation setting allows the powered component to operate unrestrained.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

programming the power detect circuit with a first threshold for a second system operation setting;

determining that the first threshold for the second system operation setting was not exceeded while the first workload was run using the powered component and, in response to the first threshold for the second system operation setting not being exceeded while the first workload was run, programming the power detect circuit with a second threshold for the second system operation setting that is less than the first threshold for the second system operation setting; and

determining that the second threshold for the second system operation setting was exceeded while the first workload was run using the powered component and, in response, using the second threshold for the second system operation setting to budget the power system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second system operation setting restrains the operation of the powered component relative to the first system operation setting.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

programming the power detect circuit with the first threshold for the first system operation setting;

determining that the first threshold for the first system operation setting was not exceeded while a second workload of the at least one workload was run using the powered component;

programming the power detect circuit with the second threshold for the first system operation setting; and

determining that the second threshold for the first system operation setting was exceeded while the second workload was run using the powered component and, in response, using the second threshold to allocate power from a power system.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of power detect circuits include a first power detect circuit that is programmed with a first power threshold, a second power detect circuit that is programmed with a second power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold, and a third power detect circuit that is programmed with a third power threshold that is higher than the first power threshold and the second power threshold.