# US 2023/0054476 A1 · Real-time communication of power supply unit power loading status

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

- Number: US 2023/0054476 A1
- Document ID: US20230054476A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/407,363
- Filed: 2021-08-20
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2021-08-20
- Assignees: Dell Products L.P.
- Applicants: Dell Products L.P.
- Inventors: Mark T. Ellis; Adolfo S. Montero
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230054476A1

## CPC

- G06F 1/3206: Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
- 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 1/28: Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
- G06F 1/3234: Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
- G06F 1/3296: by lowering the supply or operating voltage
- G06F 13/24: using interrupt (G06F13/32 takes precedence)
- G06F 1/3212: Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

An information handling system includes a power supply unit (PSU) and a motherboard. The PSU provides power to components of the information handling system, and includes power monitoring circuitry and digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry. The power monitoring circuitry of the PSU determines whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of thresholds during a respective one of a plurality of time periods, and provides a digital value on one of a plurality of pins based on one of the threshold voltages being exceeded during the corresponding time period. The D/A circuitry of the PSU detects the digital value on one of the pins, and provides one of a plurality of quantized voltages. Each of quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins. The motherboard receives the one of quantized voltages, and activates a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information handling system comprising:
a power supply unit to provide power to components of the information handling system, the power supply unit including:
power monitoring circuitry to:
monitor the provided power;
determine whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of threshold voltages during a respective one of a plurality of time periods; and
provide a digital value on one of a plurality of pins based on one of the threshold voltages being exceeded during the corresponding time period; and
digital-to-analog circuitry to communicate with the power monitoring circuitry, the digital-to-analog circuitry to:
detect the digital value on one of the pins; and
provide one of a plurality of quantized voltages, wherein each of the quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins; and
a motherboard to communicate with the power supply unit, the motherboard to:
receive the one of the quantized voltages; and
activate a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the motherboard includes an embedded controller to perform the throttling operation on a processor of the information handling system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information handling system of claim 2, wherein the embedded controller includes a comparator to generate an embedded controller interrupt based on the one of the quantized voltages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1, wherein digital-to-analog circuitry further to:
determine if the digital value is on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time; and
in response to the digital value being on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time, provide one of the quantized voltages based on priority levels of the pins.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the threshold voltages increase as an amount of time in the time periods decrease.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1, wherein each of the threshold voltages is a maximum amount of power the power supply unit may provide during a corresponding time period.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The information handling system of claim 1, wherein each of the quantized voltages corresponds to a different throttling operation.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The information handling system of claim 7, wherein the different throttling operations includes reduction of a power level 1 wattage, reduction of a power level 2 wattage, and perform a power-brake throttle operations.

### Claim 9

A method comprising:
providing, by a power supply unit, power to components of an information handling system;
monitoring, by power monitoring circuitry, the provided power;
determining whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of threshold voltages during a respective one of a plurality of time periods;
providing a digital value on one of a plurality of pins based on one of the threshold voltages being exceeded during the corresponding time period;
detecting, by digital-to-analog circuitry, the digital value on one of the pins;
providing one of a plurality of quantized voltages, wherein each of the quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins;
receiving, by a motherboard of the information handling system, the one of the quantized voltages; and
activating a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
performing, by an embedded controller of the motherboard, the throttling operation on a processor of the information handling system.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
generating, by a comparator of the embedded controller, an embedded controller interrupt based on the one of the quantized voltages.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining if the digital value is on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time; and
in response to the digital value being on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time, providing one of the quantized voltages based on priority levels of the pins.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold voltages increase as an amount of time in the time periods decrease based on a prioritization scheme.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein each of the threshold voltages is a maximum amount of power the power supply unit may provide during a corresponding time period.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein each of the quantized voltages corresponds to a different throttling operation.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the different throttling operations includes reducing a power level 1 wattage, reducing a power level 2 wattage, and performing a power-brake throttle operations.

### Claim 17

An information handling system comprising:
a power supply unit to provide power to components of the information handling system, the power supply unit including:
power monitoring circuitry to:
determine whether the provided power exceeds one of a plurality of threshold voltages during a respective one of a plurality of time periods;
provide a digital value on a first pin of a plurality of pins if the threshold voltages are not exceeded during the corresponding time periods; and
provide the digital value on one of the remaining pins if one of the threshold voltages is exceeded during the corresponding time period; and
digital-to-analog circuitry to communicate with the power monitoring circuitry, the digital-to-analog circuitry to:
detect the digital value on one of the pins; and
provide one of a plurality of quantized voltages, wherein each of quantized voltages corresponds to a different one of the pins, wherein a first quantized voltage corresponds to the threshold voltages not being exceeded during the corresponding time periods; and
a motherboard to communicate with the power supply unit, the motherboard to:
receive the one of the quantized voltages;
in response to the received quantized voltage being the first quantized voltage, determine that no action is needed; and
in response to the received quantized voltage being one of the remaining quantized voltage, activate a throttling operation based on the received one of quantized voltages.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The information handling system of claim 17, wherein the motherboard includes an embedded controller to perform the throttling operation on a processor of the information handling system.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The information handling system of claim 18, wherein the embedded controller includes a comparator to generate an embedded controller interrupt based on the one of the quantized voltages.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The information handling system of claim 17, wherein digital-to-analog circuitry further to:
determine if the digital value is on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time; and
in response to the digital value being on more than one of the pins at substantially the same time, provide one of the quantized voltages based on priority levels of the pins.