System and method for providing multi-dimensional power supply efficiency profiles

• US 9,791,902 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ragupathi, Dinesh K., Munjal, Ashish, Archer, Thomas F., Kuruvila, Binay A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHIL K
• Application Number:
  US14/716,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• 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

Abstract

A first operating condition and a second operating condition at a power supply unit (PSU) are determined at a first time. A power conversion efficiency of the PSU is determined at the first time. A first entry at a power conversion efficiency profile is generated, the first entry associating the first power conversion efficiency with the first operating condition and the second operating condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a first power supply unit (PSU) and a second PSU, each PSU associated with a corresponding power conversion efficiency profile;

determining a first operating condition at the first PSU at a first time;

determining a second operating condition at the first PSU at the first time;

determining a power conversion efficiency of the first PSU corresponding to the first time;

generating a three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile,

the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile electronically associating the power conversion efficiency with the first operating condition and with the second operating condition; and

engaging an operation of the second PSU based on the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operating condition is an amount of power provided by the first PSU.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second operating condition is a temperature at the first PSU.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time is determined based on a timer arranged to periodically indicate that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time is determined based on determining that a change in a value of the first operating condition exceeds a first threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disengaging the operation of the second PSU based on the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile at a data storage device at an information handling system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile at a data storage device at the first PSU.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first operating condition further comprises determining an average value of the first operating condition over a predetermined period of time.

10. A system comprising:

a data processing device;

a first power supply unit (PSU) and a second PSU to provide power to the data processing device, the first PSU and the second PSU associated with a corresponding power conversion efficiency profile;

a power management unit coupled to each of the first PSUs and the second PSU, the power management unit to;

determine a first operating condition at the first PSU at a first time;

determine a second operating condition at the first PSU at the first time;

determine a power conversion efficiency of the first PSU corresponding to the first time;

generate a three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile, the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile electronically associating the power conversion efficiency with the first operating condition and with the second operating condition; and

engage operation of the second PSU based on the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first operating condition is an amount of power provided by the first PSU.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second operating condition is a temperature at the first PSU.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first time is determined based on a timer arranged to periodically indicate that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first time is determined based on determining that a change in a value of the first operating condition exceeds a first threshold.

15. The system of claim 10,

wherein the power management unit is further to disengage operation of the second PSU based on the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the power management unit is further to store the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile at a data storage device at a data storage device at the first PSU.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a software program, the software program comprising a set of instructions to manipulate at least one processor to:

determine a first operating condition at a first power supply unit (PSU) at a first time;

determine a second operating condition at the first PSU at the first time;

determine a power conversion efficiency of the first PSU corresponding to the first time;

generate a three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile corresponding to the first PSU, the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile electronically associating the power conversion efficiency with the first operating condition and the second operating condition; and

engage an operation of the second PSU based on the three-dimensional power conversion efficiency profile.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first operating condition is an amount of power provided by the first PSU.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second operating condition is a temperature at the first PSU.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first time is determined based on a timer arranged to periodically indicate that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed or based on determining that a change in a value of the first operating condition exceeds a first threshold.