# US 12,111,707 B2 · System and method for power management of devices connected to data processing systems

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- Number: US 12,111,707 B2
- Document ID: US12111707B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/159,929
- Filed: 2023-01-26
- Published: 2024-08-01
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2023-01-26
- Assignees: Dell Products L.P.
- Applicants: Dell Products L.P.
- Inventors: William Andrew Smith; Timothy M. Lambert; Jeffrey Leighton Kennedy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111707B2

## CPC

- G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C)
- G06F 1/266: {Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips}
- G06F 1/3215: Monitoring of peripheral devices
- G06F 13/4221: {being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus}
- G06F 13/4295: {using an embedded synchronisation}
- G06F 2213/0026: PCI express
- G06F 2213/0042: Universal serial bus [USB]
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Methods and systems for managing operation of data processing systems are disclosed. The data processing systems may include a limited number of hardware components. To increase the usable number or types of hardware components, an add-in card or other device may be attached to the data processing system. When connected to the data processing system, these devices may consume power delivered by the data processing system. The devices may cooperate with the host data processing system so that power is consumed in a manner that is less likely to negatively impact operation of the devices and host system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for managing operation of a data processing system, the method comprising:
identifying an occurrence of an attachment of a device to a connector of the data processing system;
in response to the occurrence:
gating off primary power of the data processing system that is received via the connector;
while the primary power is gated off, performing a discovery process for presence of a point-to-point communication link through the connector;
in a first instance of the discovery process where the point-to-point communication link through the connector is present:
continuing to gate off the primary power until an instruction is received via the point-to-point communication link;
initiating use of the primary power by the device in response to receiving the instruction;
initiating power management for the primary power while in use; and
providing computer implemented services, in part, using the device while the primary power is in use by the device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein performing the discovery process comprises:
advertising, to the data processing system, a type of the device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the type of the device is advertised via an assertion and de-assertion using a sideband pin of the connector, and the type of the device indicates whether the device will gate off the primary power until instructed to utilize the primary power.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising:
in a second instance of the discovery process where the point-to-point communication link through the connector is not present:
initiating use of the primary power by the device without waiting for the instruction;
initiating power management for the primary power while in use; and
providing computer implemented services, in part, using the device while the primary power is in use by the device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein initiating the use of the primary power by the device in response to receiving the instruction comprises:
performing a power management action to maintain a voltage level of the primary power as the use of the primary power is initiated by the device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein initiating the power management comprises:
monitoring the voltage level of the primary power from the data processing system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the instruction is generated by a management controller of the data processing system tasked with managing the voltage level of the primary power.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein primary power is gated off from hardware components of the device, the hardware components being used, in part, to provide the computer implemented services.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein, while the primary power is gated off, low power is consumed by a controller of the device to perform the discovery process.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein, the low power provided by the data processing system.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein, the low power is generated by the device using a voltage regulator and the primary power from the data processing system.

### Claim 12

A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for managing operation of a data processing system, the operations comprising:
identifying an occurrence of an attachment of a device to a connector of the data processing system;
in response to the occurrence:
gating off primary power of the data processing system that is received via the connector;
while the primary power is gated off, performing a discovery process for presence of a point-to-point communication link through the connector;
in a first instance of the discovery process where the point-to-point communication link through the connector is present:
continuing to gate off the primary power until an instruction is received via the point-to-point communication link;
initiating use of the primary power by the device in response to receiving the instruction;
initiating power management for the primary power while in use; and
providing computer implemented services, in part, using the device while the primary power is in use by the device.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein performing the discovery process comprises:
advertising, to the data processing system, a type of the device.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the type of the device is advertised via an assertion and de-assertion using a sideband pin of the connector, and the type of the device indicates whether the device will gate off the primary power until instructed to utilize the primary power.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:
in a second instance of the discovery process where the point-to-point communication link through the connector is not present:
initiating use of the primary power by the device without waiting for the instruction;
initiating power management for the primary power while in use; and
providing computer implemented services, in part, using the device while the primary power is in use by the device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein initiating the use of the primary power by the device in response to receiving the instruction comprises:
performing a power management action to maintain a voltage level of the primary power as the use of the primary power is initiated by the device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein initiating the power management comprises:
monitoring the voltage level of the primary power from the data processing system.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instruction is generated by a management controller of the data processing system tasked with managing the voltage level of the primary power.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein primary power is gated off from hardware components of the device, the hardware components being used, in part, to provide the computer implemented services.

### Claim 20

A device, comprising:
hardware components; and
a controller programmed to perform operations, the operations comprising:
identifying an occurrence of an attachment of the device to a connector of a data processing system;
in response to the occurrence:
gating off primary power of the data processing system that is received by the device via the connector,
while the primary power is gated off, performing a discovery process for presence of a point-to-point communication link through the connector;
in a first instance of the discovery process where the point-to-point communication link through the connector is present:
continuing to gate off the primary power until an instruction is received via the point-to-point communication link;
initiating use of the primary power by the device in response to receiving the instruction;
initiating power management for the primary power while in use; and
contributing to computer implemented services provided by the data processing system using the hardware components while powered by the primary power.