Patent ID: 8405373
Filing Date: 2013-03-26
Classification: H02M

Abstract:
1. A method for regulating voltage in an information handling system, comprising: providing DC/DC voltage regulation circuitry coupled to supply power to a system load of said information handling system, said DC/DC voltage regulation circuitry including a power processing circuit comprising one or more drive transistors; providing gate drive voltage controller circuitry, power monitoring controller circuitry, and gate drive voltage regulation circuitry; using the gate drive voltage regulation circuitry to regulate power supplied by said DC/DC voltage regulation circuitry to said system load of said information handling system by driving the gate of said one or more drive transistors of said power processing circuit with two or more different gate drive voltage levels; using the power monitoring controller circuitry to determine two or more real time operating efficiency values of said power processing circuit while said power processing circuit is driven at each of two or more respective gate drive voltage levels; and using the gate drive voltage controller circuitry to vary the value of said gate drive voltage level provided by said gate drive voltage regulation circuitry to drive the gate of said one or more drive transistors of said power processing circuit, and using the gate drive voltage controller circuitry to determine whether the gate drive voltage is to be increased, decreased or left unchanged based on said determined two or more real time operating efficiency values of said power processing circuit; where the gate drive voltage controller circuitry is separate from the power processing circuit, the power monitoring controller circuitry, and the gate drive voltage regulation circuitry; and where the gate drive voltage controller circuitry comprises a microcontroller or processor.