SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTIPLE SENSE POINT VOLTAGE REGULATION

• US 20090091186A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Taylor, Jacques B., Clemo, Raymond M., Foster, Jimmy G. SR., Michelich, Suzanne M., Sigrist, Sheldon J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,741,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network

Abstract

The present invention is a system and method for sensing the voltage at multiple sense points. The present invention acquires optimal feedback from a plurality of sources including those integrated on the same motherboard, for populated or unpopulated connectors and for adapter cards plugged into the connectors, for the purpose of controlling the voltage regulator output. The voltage regulator, connected to a logic system, provides voltage to those connectors needing the voltage.

Claims

1. A method, in a system having connectors for receiving adapters or other electronic devices, the system having connections at the connectors for sensing the voltage feedback at multiple sense points at the connectors, the system further having a voltage regulator for regulating the sensed voltage feedback, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving the voltage feedback from each of the connectors;

b. sensing voltage feedback from each of the connectors;

c. determining which connector of each of the connectors has sensed voltage feedback which is closest to violation; and

d. connecting, to the voltage regulator, the voltage from the connector closest to violation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of hardwiring the connector closest to violation to the regulator.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining step is accomplished utilizing a smart switch which comprises an analog multiplexor and logic and further wherein the method further comprises the step of switching, by the smart switch, the connector closest to violation to the regulator.

4. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for operating in a system comprising a network I/O, a CPU, one or more databases, connectors for receiving adapters or other electronic devices, the system having connections at the connectors for sensing the voltage feedback at multiple sense points at the connectors, the system further having a voltage regulator for regulating the sensed voltage feedback, the computer program product for implementing a method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving the voltage feedback from each of the connectors;

b. sensing voltage feedback from each of the connectors;

c. determining which connector of each of the connectors has sensed voltage feedback which is closest to violation; and

d. connecting, to the voltage regulator, the voltage from the connector closest to violation.

5. The computer program product of claim 4 wherein the method further comprises the step of hardwiring the connector closest to violation to the regulator.

6. The computer program product of claim 4 wherein the determining step is accomplished utilizing a smart switch which comprises an analog multiplexor and logic and further wherein the method further comprises the step of switching, by the smart switch, the connector closest to violation to the regulator.

7. A method, in a system having connectors for receiving adapters or other electronic devices, the system having connections at the connectors for sensing the voltage feedback at multiple sense points at the connectors, the system further having a voltage regulator for regulating the sensed voltage feedback, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving, at a smart circuit having logic, the voltage feedback from the multiple sense points at each of the connectors;

b. sensing, at the smart circuit, voltage feedback from each of the connectors;

c. determining, at the smart circuit, an optimal voltage for voltage regulation using the logic; and

d. providing, by the smart circuit, the optimal voltage for voltage regulation to the voltage regulator.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of switching the voltage feedback from the multiple sense points at each of the connectors to the smart circuit using a multiplexor.

9. A system for sensing the voltage at multiple sense points comprising:

a. one or more connectors for receiving adapters or other electronic components;

b. sensors, connected to each of the connectors, for sensing the voltage used and needed by the connectors;

c. a multiplexer (MUX) for receiving voltage readings from the sensors and for multiplexing those readings and passing those readings to a logic system;

d. a logic system for determining which reading is closest to being a violation; and

e. a voltage regulator, connected to the logic system, for receiving the reading closest to being a violation.

10. A system for sensing the voltage at multiple sense points comprising:

a. one or more connectors for receiving adapters or other electronic components;

b. sensors, connected to each of the connectors, for sensing the voltage used and needed by the connectors;

c. a smart circuit, having a logic system, for receiving voltage readings from the sensors, the smart circuit further for determining an optimum voltage to be regulated; and

d. a voltage regulator, connected to the logic system, for receiving the optimum voltage.