# US 2025/0085753 A1 · Current based power monitoring in computing platforms > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0085753 A1 - Document ID: US20250085753A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/367,038 - Filed: 2023-09-12 - Published: 2025-03-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-09-12 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Brandon COURTNEY; Greg LA TOUR; Wei-Yi SUNG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250085753A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) - G06F 1/28: Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision - G06F 1/30: Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Disclosed are techniques for implementing power monitoring in computing systems using current sense devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: control circuitry having a power input to monitor power from a DC power source that is to provide power to a computing load; the control circuitry including a system voltage input to identify a voltage of the DC power source and logic circuitry to reduce power to the computing load in response to the monitored power reaching or exceeding a power threshold, wherein the control circuitry is to program the power threshold based at least on the identified DC power source voltage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry has a power reducing signal line to cause the computing load to throttle down its power consumption in response to a logic circuitry assertion to reduce power to the computing load. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is implemented with a voltage regulator (VR) controller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is implemented with the VR controller and a platform controller. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power input is to be coupled to a current meter to receive a signal indicative of current from the DC power source. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the current meter is implemented with a current sense amplifier and a sense resistor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the logic circuit is to correlate the received current indicative signal to a power level based at least on the identified power source voltage level. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DC power source does not include a battery. ### Claim 9 A computing platform, comprising: a voltage regulator (VR) module having a VR to be powered from a DC power source; and a processor to receive power from the VR, the VR module having a power monitor input to receive an analog signal indicative of current being supplied by the DC power source and logic circuitry to translate the current indicative analog signal into at least one power parameter to reduce power to the processor in response to a power threshold being reached or exceeded by the DC power source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computing platform of claim 9, wherein the VR module includes VR control circuitry with at least one register to be programmed with a translated power threshold value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The computing platform of claim 9, further comprising a platform controller to identify a supply voltage from the DC power source and to implement the logic circuitry to translate the current indicative signal based at least on the identified voltage. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computing platform of claim 11, wherein the platform controller is to program one or more power parameter registers of the VR module based at least on the identified supply voltage, the one or more register power parameters to be correlated with the current indicative signal received by the VR module. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The computing platform of claim 9, further comprising a current meter to generate the current indicative analog signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computing platform of claim 13, wherein the current meter is implemented with a current sense amplifier integrated circuit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The computing platform of claim 9, wherein the DC power source does not include a battery. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The computing platform of claim 9, wherein the VR module has a power reducing line coupled to the processor to cause the processor to throttle down its power responsive to the power reducing line being asserted by the VR module in response to the power threshold being reached or exceeded. ### Claim 17 A computer system, comprising: a processor; a voltage regulator to receive power from a DC power source and to provide a regulated voltage supply to the processor; a VR control circuit to control the VR and to issue a power reducing signal to the processor in response to an over-power condition occurring; the VR control circuit having a power monitor input to receive an analog signal indicative of current being drawn from the DC power source; and a platform control circuit having an analog input to identify a voltage of the DC power source, the platform control circuit to program the VR control circuit with one or more power parameters based at least on the identified DC power source voltage, wherein the computer system is a small form factor (SFF) computer system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more power parameters is a threshold that in response to being exceeded indicates an occurrence of the over-power condition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the DC power source includes an AC adapter. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the DC power source has no battery.