# US 2010/0164292 A1 · Apparatus, system, and method for reducing power consumption on devices with multiple power supplies > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0164292 A1 - Document ID: US20100164292A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/346,261 - Filed: 2008-12-30 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2008-12-30 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Joseph W. Freeman; Randhir S. Malik; Derek Robertson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100164292A1 ## CPC - G11C 5/147: {Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops (G11C5/141 takes precedence)} - G06F 1/263: {Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence)} - H02J 1/102: being switching converters (H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence) - H02J 9/005: {using a power saving mode (for copiers G03G15/5004)} - G11C: STATIC STORES (semiconductor memory devices H10B) - 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 ## Abstract A load module determines that a load of an electronic device is operating at a power level below a predetermined power threshold. The electronic device is configured to receive power simultaneously from two or more redundant power supplies. Each redundant power supply configured to receive input power from one or more power sources and configured to provide regulated output power to the load of the electronic device. A disconnection module disconnects at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus to increase efficiency on devices with redundant power supplies, the power supply comprising: a load module that determines that a load of an electronic device is operating at a power level below a predetermined power threshold by receiving a signal from the electronic device indicating that the electronic device is operating in a standby mode, the electronic device receives power simultaneously from two or more redundant power supplies, each redundant power supply receives input power from one or more power sources and provides regulated output power to the load of the electronic device, the redundant power supplies redundantly providing power to the load such that if one of the redundant power supplies fails, the remaining power supplies are capable of supplying power to the load while maintaining regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load; a disconnection module comprising one or more relays that disconnects all but one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold; and a reconnection module that reconnects at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies to the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level above the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 2 An apparatus to increase efficiency on devices with redundant power supplies, the apparatus comprising: a load module that determines that a load of an electronic device is operating at a power level below a predetermined power threshold, the electronic device receives power simultaneously from two or more redundant power supplies, each redundant power supply receives input power from one or more power sources and provides regulated output power to the load of the electronic device, the redundant power supplies redundantly providing power to the load such that if one of the redundant power supplies fails, the remaining power supplies are capable of supplying power to the load while maintaining regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load; and a disconnection module that disconnects at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the disconnection module disconnects all but one of the redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein determining that the load is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold comprises receiving a standby signal, the standby signal indicating that the electronic device is in a standby mode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein determining that the load is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold comprises monitoring an amount of power provided to the load and detecting whether the amount of power provided to the load is below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein ‘n’ comprises the number of the two or more redundant power supplies required to supply sufficient power to the load to maintain regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load during operation of the load at or below the predetermined power threshold, and wherein the disconnection module disconnects all but ‘n’ of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein ‘n’ comprises the number of the two or more redundant power supplies required to supply sufficient power to the load to maintain regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load during operation of the load at a maximum rated capacity of the load, and wherein the disconnection module disconnects all but ‘n’ of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a reconnection module that reconnects at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies to the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level above the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reconnection module reconnects all of the disconnected redundant power supplies to the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level above the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the disconnection module comprises one or more switches configured to selectively disallow input power to flow from the one or more power sources into the redundant power supplies in response to an electrical signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein one of the one or more switches is placed at the input of each of the redundant power supplies. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the switches is positioned in a power path of each redundant power supply such that substantially no input power is consumed by any power component in the power path of the power supply during operation of the switch in an ‘open’ position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each switch comprises a solid state relay. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the switch comprises an electromechanical switch. ### Claim 15 A system to increase efficiency on devices with redundant power supplies, the system comprising: two or more redundant power supplies; a load module that determines that a load of an electronic device is operating at a power level below a predetermined power threshold, the electronic device receives power simultaneously from the two or more redundant power supplies, each redundant power supply receives input power from one or more power sources and provides regulated output power to the load of the electronic device, the redundant power supplies redundantly providing power to the load such that if one of the redundant power supplies fails, the remaining power supplies are capable of supplying power to the load while maintaining regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load; and a disconnection module that disconnects at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising the electronic device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the electronic device comprises one of a blade server, peripheral component interconnect (“PCI”) card, personal computer, laptop, router, switch, personal digital assistant, appliance, and digital media player. ### Claim 18 A method to increase efficiency on devices with redundant power supplies, the method comprising: determining that a load of an electronic device is operating at a power level below a predetermined power threshold, the electronic device receives power simultaneously from two or more redundant power supplies, each redundant power supply receives input power from one or more power sources and provides regulated output power to the load of the electronic device, the redundant power supplies redundantly providing power to the load such that if one of the redundant power supplies fails, the remaining power supplies are capable of supplying power to the load while maintaining regulation of a voltage on a common bus connected to the load; and disconnecting at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein disconnecting at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources comprises disconnecting all but one of the redundant power supplies from the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level below the predetermined power threshold. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising reconnecting at least one of the two or more redundant power supplies to the one or more power sources in response to the load module determining that the load of the electronic device is operating at a power level above the predetermined power threshold.