# US 10,320,215 B2 · Apparatus and method for instant on ability

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,320,215 B2
- Document ID: US10320215B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/865,347
- Filed: 2015-09-25
- Published: 2017-03-30
- Granted: 2019-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2015-09-25
- Assignees: Intel Corporation
- Applicants: Intel Corporation
- Inventors: Viacheslav Suetinov; Hans Joakim Bangs; Nicholas P. Cowley; Mark S. Mudd; Ruchir Saraswat; Richard J. Goldman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320215B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/263: {Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence)}
- H02J 7/00: Circuit arrangements for charging or discharging batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
- H02J 7/865: {Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence)}
- H02J 7/92: with prioritisation of loads or sources
- H02J 7/96: in response to battery voltage
- H02M 3/158: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
- G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt}
- G06F 1/3212: Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
- H02J 7/04: Regulation of charging current or voltage
- H02M 1/0045: {Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode}
- H02M 1/008: {Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators}
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- H02M: APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF (transformers H01F; dynamo-electric converters H02K47/00; controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, control or regulation of electric motors, generators or dynamo-electric converters H02P)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

In an embodiment, a system includes voltage sensing logic to determine a first source voltage Vfirst source corresponding to a first source, and a controller to receive an indication of Vfirst source from the voltage sensing logic. The controller is to, responsive to Vfirst source>a first output voltage (V1), select a first source first regulator to input Vfirst source and provide V1; responsive to Vfirst source>a second output voltage (V2), select a first source second voltage regulator that inputs Vfirst source, and provide V2; responsive to Vfirst source≤V1, select a second source first voltage regulator that inputs a second source voltage Vsecond source that corresponds to a second source and is substantially constant in time where Vsecond source>V1, and provide V1 independent of the first source first regulator and the first source second voltage regulator. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
voltage sensing logic to determine a first source voltage Vfirst source that corresponds to a first source; and
a controller to receive an indication of Vfirst source from the voltage sensing logic, and further to:
responsive to Vfirst source>a first output voltage (V1), select a first source first voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and to provide V1;
responsive to Vfirst source>a second output voltage (V2), select a first source second voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and to provide V2; and
responsive to Vfirst source≤V1, select a second source first voltage regulator to input a second source voltage Vsecond source that corresponds to a second source, wherein Vsecond source is substantially constant in time and Vsecond source>V1, and to provide V1 independent of the first source first voltage regulator and of the first source second voltage regulator.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first source includes a rechargeable source.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein responsive to Vfirst source≤V2 the controller is to select a second source second voltage regulator to input Vsecond source, wherein Vsecond source>V2, to provide V2, and to deactivate the first source second voltage regulator.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein Vsecond source>an Nth output voltage (VN) and VN>V2, wherein N>2 and wherein responsive to Vfirst source≤VN the controller is to select a second source Nth voltage regulator to input Vsecond source and to provide VN.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, further comprising responsive to Vfirst source>VN the controller is to select a first source Nth voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and to output VN and to deactivate the second source Nth voltage regulator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a charging source, wherein responsive to Vfirst source≤V1, the charging source is to supply power to the first source, and wherein after power is provided to the first source and responsive to an increase in Vfirst source to greater than V1, the controller is to select the first source first voltage regulator to output V1 and to deactivate the second source first regulator.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein responsive to Vfirst source≤VN wherein VN is an Nth output voltage, N≥2, and VN<Vmax wherein Vmax is a maximum voltage of the first source, the controller is to select a second source Nth voltage regulator to input Vsecond source and to provide VN and the controller is to deactivate a first source Nth voltage regulator, and the charging source is to supply power to the first source, and wherein responsive to an increase in Vfirst source to greater than VN, the controller is to select the first source Nth voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and provide VN and the controller is further to deactivate the second source Nth voltage regulator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the first source Nth voltage regulator and the second source Nth voltage regulator are included in an Nth composite regulator that is a switching regulator, wherein in a first mode the Nth composite regulator is to input Vfirst source and to provide VN, and in a second mode the composite regulator is to input Vsecond source and to provide VN.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the second source first voltage regulator includes a switching regulator to input Vsecond source and to provide V1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first source first voltage regulator comprises a first switching regulator to input Vfirst source and to provide V1 responsive to Vfirst source>V1.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the first source second voltage regulator comprises a second switching regulator to, responsive to Vfirst source>V2, input Vfirst source and to provide V2.

### Claim 12

A method comprising:
receiving, by control circuitry, an indication of a first source voltage Vfirst source of a first source;
selecting, by the control circuitry, a first source first voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and supply a first voltage (V1) responsive to Vfirst source>V1, and selecting by the controller responsive to Vfirst source≤V1 a second source first voltage regulator to input from a second source a voltage Vsecond source>V1 wherein Vsecond source is substantially constant, and to supply V1 independent of the first source first voltage regulator; and
selecting, by the control circuitry, a first source second voltage regulator that is to input Vfirst source and supply a second voltage (V2) responsive to Vfirst source>V2, wherein V2>V1 and selecting by the control circuitry responsive to Vfirst source≤V2 a second source second voltage regulator that is to input Vsecond source and is to supply V2 independent of the first source first voltage regulator and of the first source second voltage regulator, wherein Vsecond source>V2.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the first source comprises a rechargeable source, further comprising responsive to Vfirst source<V1 determining to charge the first source.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising responsive Vfirst source being greater than an Nth voltage (VN), wherein VN>V2, selecting by the control circuitry a first source Nth voltage regulator that is to input Vfirst source and is to supply VN, and responsive to Vfirst source<VN selecting a second source Nth voltage regulator to input Vsecond source and to supply VN independent of the first source first voltage regulator, the first source second voltage regulator, and the first source Nth voltage regulator, wherein Vsecond source>VN.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the second source first voltage regulator comprises a linear voltage regulator.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the first source first voltage regulator comprises a switching regulator.

### Claim 17

A system comprising:
a first source voltage regulator module that includes a first source first voltage regulator to input a first source voltage Vfirst source from a first source, and to supply a first output voltage (V1) responsive to selection of the first source first voltage regulator by a controller, and further includes a first source second voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and to supply a second output voltage (V2) responsive to selection of the first source second voltage regulator by the controller, wherein V2>V1;
a second source voltage regulator module that includes a second source first voltage regulator to input a second source voltage Vsecond source that is substantially constant from a second source that is distinct from the first source and wherein Vsecond source>V1 and Vsecond source>V2, and responsive to selection of the second source first voltage regulator by the controller, to supply the first output voltage V1 independent of the first source first voltage regulator and independent of the first source second voltage regulator, and a second source second voltage regulator to input Vsecond source and responsive to selection of the second source second voltage regulator by the controller to supply V2 independent of the first source first voltage regulator and independent of the first source second voltage regulator; and
the controller to monitor Vfirst source and to select the first source first voltage regulator to supply V1 responsive to Vfirst source>V1 otherwise to select the second source first voltage regulator to supply V1, the controller further to select the first source second voltage regulator to supply V2 responsive to Vfirst source>V2 otherwise to select the second source second voltage regulator to supply V2.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the first source first voltage regulator includes a first switching regulator to supply V1 responsive to selection by the controller of the first source first voltage regulator.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the second source first voltage regulator includes a first linear regulator to supply V1 responsive to selection by the controller of the second source first voltage regulator.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17, wherein the first source voltage regulator module includes a first source Nth voltage regulator and the second source voltage regulator module includes a second source Nth voltage regulator, wherein N>2 and VN is an Nth output voltage, wherein responsive to Vfirst source≤VN the controller is to select the second source Nth voltage regulator to input Vsecond source and to supply VN, and responsive to Vfirst source>VN the controller is to select the first source Nth voltage regulator to input Vfirst source and to supply VN.