System and method for managing power provided to a portable information handling system

• US 20070250722A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wood, Merle, Montero, Adolfo, Goodroe, Joey
• Granted Patent: US 7,536,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable information handling system having internal battery power and external adapter power manages power drawn from the external power adapter to avoid exceeding the power rating of the external power adapter. As power drawn from the external adapter approaches a predetermined limit of the power adapter power rating, a power manager of the information handling system alters the operation of the information handling system to reduce power drawn from the adapter, such as by reducing current drawn to charge the battery, enforcing battery optimized mode steps or throttling central processing unit operation. Incremental decreases in power consumption maintain power draw below the external adapter power rating while incremental increases in power consumption have a delay that returns the information handling system to normal operations without excessive oscillation between operating modes.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a chassis;

plural processing components disposed in the chassis and operable to process information;

a battery disposed in the chassis and operable to power the processing components;

a power adapter external to the chassis and operable to interface with and power the processing components and to interface with and charge the battery, the power adapter having a predetermined power rating; and

a power manger interfaced with the processing components, the battery and the power adapter, the power manger operable to detect that power drawn by the processing components approaches the power adapter power rating, the power manager further operable to manage operation of the processing components to maintain power drawn by the processing components at less than the power adapter rating.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the processing components have a battery optimized mode of operating, the battery optimized mode reducing power consumption of the processing components while operating on power provided by the battery, the power manager further operable to manage operation of the processing components to maintain power drawn by the processing components at less than the power adapter rating by selectively commanding the battery optimized mode.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the battery optimized mode comprises plural steps of reduced power consumption, the power manager managing operation of the processing components by incrementally selecting battery optimized mode steps to maintain power drawn by the processing components at less than the power adapter rating.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the power manager increments the battery optimized mode steps to reduce power drawn by the processing components in a first time increment having a first length and increments the battery optimized mode steps to increase power drawn by the processing components in a second time increment having a second length, the second length substantially longer than the first length.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the processing components comprises a central processing unit, the central processing unit having plural throttled modes of operation, the throttled modes having reduced power consumption, the power manager further operable to manage operation of the central processing unit to maintain power drawn by the processing components at less than the power adapter rating by selectively commanding the throttling.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the power manager increments the central processing unit throttled modes of operation to reduce power drawn by the processing components in a first time increment having a first length and increments the central processing unit throttled modes of operation to increase power drawn by the processing components in a second time increment having a second length, the second length substantially longer than the first length.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the power manager manages operation of the processing components to maintain power drawn by the processing components at less than the power adapter rating by first reducing power applied from the adapter for charging the battery, second reducing power drawn by the processing components by command of one or more battery optimized modes of operation for the processing components, and third reducing power drawn by the processing components by command of throttling of a central processing unit.

8. A method for managing power drawn by an information handling system from an external power adapter having a power rating, the method comprising:

detecting that power drawn by the information handling system falls within a predetermined limit of the power rating;

incrementally reducing power drawn by the information handling system to charge a battery; and

incrementally reducing power drawn by one or more processing components to maintain power drawn by the information handling system at less than the power adapter power rating.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

detecting that power drawn by the information handling system falls out of the predetermined limit of the power rating; and

incrementally increasing the power drawn by the one or more processing components to maintain power drawn by the information handling system at less than the power adapter rating.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein incrementally increasing the power drawn by the one or more processing components further comprises asserting a predetermined delay between each incremental increase of the power drawn.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined delay comprises approximately three seconds.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein incrementally reducing power drawn by one or more processing components further comprises incrementally imposing a battery optimized mode step.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein incrementally reducing power drawn by one or more processing components further comprises throttling a central processing unit.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

communicating identification information from the power adapter to the power adapter to the information handling system;

failing to recognize the identification information at the information handling system; and

selecting a reduced power adapter power rating for use at the information handling system.

15. A system for managing power drawn by an information handling system from an external power adapter, the system comprising:

an input current sensor operable detect current drawn from the adapter;

a comparator interfaced with the input current sensor, the comparator operable to compare the current drawn from the adapter with a maximum current and to issue a trip signal if the current drawn from the adapter falls within a predetermined limit of the maximum current; and

a power incrementer interfaced with the comparator, the power incrementer operable to alter the operation of one or more processing components of the information handling system in response to the trip signal, the altering of the operation of the one or more processing components to reduce power consumed by the one or more processing components so that the current drawn from the adapter remains below the maximum current.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the power incrementer comprises a battery optimized mode module operable to incrementally enforce battery optimized mode step reductions in power consumption in response to the trip signal.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the power incrementer comprises a central processing unit throttle module operable to incrementally throttle the central processing unit in step reductions of performance in response to the trip signal.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the power incrementer comprises a battery charge module operable to substantially eliminate charging of a battery associated with the information handling system before the altering of the operation of the one or more processing components in response to the trip signal.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the power incrementer is further operable to alter the operation of one or more processing components of the information handling system in response to absence of the trip signal, the altering of the operation of the one or more processing components to incrementally increase power consumed by the one or more processing components.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the power incrementer is further operable to enforce a predetermined delay before altering the operation of the one or more processing components to incrementally increase power.