Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses power supply voltage and load consumption control. <CIT> discloses a power supply monitor with a variable gain amplifier that provides a first signal to a comparator, with the gain of the amplifier set according to a preset threshold.

Computing devices are made up of multiple, and various, components. Examples of these components include processors, memory units, and input/output devices. Each of these devices consume power, which power is supplied by a power supply device of the computing device. As computing devices become more powerful, they consume more power; power that may not be sufficiently supplied by a smaller power supply device. However, simply adding a larger power supply device may be undesirable. For example, larger power supplies take up more space, are heavier, and are more costly to implement. Power management systems can allow for more efficient use of power supplies. The present specification describes a portion of a larger power management system. This portion provides a flexible manner to monitor the power supplied to the computing device.

Specifically, the present specification describes a system that <NUM>) determines a rating for a power supply device that provides an input power. Based on the rating, a programmable scaling device of the system scales input power information. The input power information is scaled such that when the power supply is delivering its rated power, the output of the programmable scaling device is a predetermined value. For example, assume the predetermined value is <NUM> volts (V). Accordingly, the scale is such that were the power supply device to be operating at its rated power, the output voltage would be 2V. However, if the power supply device were operating at <NUM>% its rated power, the output voltage would be 1V.

This can be performed for different power supply devices that are coupled to the system and is compatible with a plurality of power supply device ratings. That is, over time old power supply devices may be swapped out for new power supply devices. Sometimes the new power supply device may have a different rating. This one power monitoring device can be used to scale information on input power from power supply devices having any rating. That is, by using the present system, there is no limitation regarding a rating of a power supply device that may supply power to an associated computing device.

Specifically, in one example this can be done by implementing a programmable potentiometer as a resistance device of a voltage divider. A signal is received by a controller of the power monitoring device, which signal indicates a rating of the power supply device coupled to the power monitoring device. From a mapping, a resistance value for the programmable potentiometer is calculated. This mapping may be a linear scale such that a predetermined voltage is output when the power supply device is delivering its rated power. This output voltage can then be passed onto other components of the system to further monitor system power requirements or control power to the system. For example, the other components can control power when an output voltage is above a threshold amount for longer than a predetermined period of time.

Specifically, the present specification describes a power monitoring device. The power monitoring device includes an input line to receive input power information from a power supply device. The input power information is indicative of a level of input power from the power supply device. A controller of the computing device determines a scaling amount for the input power information based on a power rating of the power supply device. A programmable scaling device of the computing device scales the input power information based on the scaling amount to generate output information that is a scaled representation of the input power information, which output information is passed to a set of recipient devices.

The present specification also describes a method for scaling input power for power supply devices. According to the method, a level of input power supplied by a power supply device is monitored. Based on a power rating of the power supply device, a scaling amount is determined. The scaling amount determines how much to scale the input power information to be supplied as output information. The input power information is indicative of the level of input power. Accordingly, the input power information is scaled based on a determined scaling amount, and output information passed, which output information is a scaled representation of the input power information. Such scaling can be carried out by programming a variable resistance device that forms a second resistance device, e.g., a potentiometer, of a voltage divider. A first resistance device of the voltage divider has a fixed resistance.

The present specification also describes a computing system. The computing system includes a processor and a machine-readable storage medium coupled to the processor. An instruction set stored in the machine-readable storage medium is executed by the processor. The instruction set includes instructions to monitor a level of input power supplied by a power supply device; determine, based on a power rating of the power supply device, a scaling amount of input power information, the scaled amount to be supplied as output information which is a scaled representation of the input power information, and to set a variable resistance device that forms a second resistance device, e.g., a potentiometer, of a voltage divider based on the scaling amount. A first resistance device of the voltage divider has a fixed resistance.

In summary, using such a power monitoring device <NUM>) increases flexibility of the monitoring system by accommodating power supply devices having any rating; <NUM>) accounts for the swapping of power supply devices; <NUM>) reduces part count on a circuit; and <NUM>) reduces circuit complexity. However, it Is contemplated that the devices disclosed herein may address other matters and deficiencies in a plurality of technical areas.

As used in the present specification and in the appended claims, the term "power rating" refers to a highest amount of power that a power supply device can safely provide, without risk to overheating or otherwise damaging the power supply device.

Turning now to the figures, <FIG> is a block diagram of a power monitoring device <NUM> for input power scaling of power supply devices, according to an example of the principles described herein. The power monitoring device <NUM> may be included in a computing device. Examples of such computing devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and personal digital assistants, among others.

The power monitoring device <NUM> includes an input line <NUM>. through which input power information is supplied to the power monitoring device <NUM> components. That is, a power supply device is coupled to the input line <NUM> and input power information is passed thereon. In some examples, the input power information may be a voltage value that is indicative of the input power. The input power voltage value may be an unsealed representation of the input power.

As used in the present specification and appended claims, the term power supply device refers to a device that provides power to a computing device. Examples of power supply devices include an Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) unit, an ATX12V unit, 19V source from an Adapter (ADP) port and a power supply device connected to a Universal Serial Bus, Type-C (USB-C) port. Each power supply device has a power rating which indicates the amount of power that it can safely provide without overheating or otherwise failing.

The power monitoring device <NUM> also includes an output line <NUM> to generate output information to a set of recipient devices, which output information has been scaled with respect to the input power information. The output information may be a scaled representation of the input power information, and similarly may be a voltage value.

The output information may be passed to recipient devices that monitor or control the system's power demand of the power supply devices. As a specific example, a recipient device may be a voltage regulator (VR) controller, which communicates the system power demand to the central processing unit (CPU). Another example of a recipient device is a super input/output (SIO) device, which controls system power demand based on the system's average power over pre-defined time intervals. In other words, the recipient devices to which the output information is supplied may be system power monitoring or controlling devices. In some examples, the set of recipient devices may include a single device or may include multiple devices. For example, the output information could be passed to just a VR controller or may be sent to both a VR controller and a SIO device.

It may be desirable to scale the input power information down to a particular scale of outputs. For example, the recipient devices to which the output information is sent may <NUM>) monitor the power supply devices and <NUM>) operate within a certain range. Accordingly, the output information, e.g., an output voltage, may indicate the input power, and the scaling of such an output information places the output information in a range acceptable to the devices to which it is sent.

Accordingly, the power supply devices are coupled to the power monitoring device <NUM> in order to provide an output that is <NUM>) indicative of the input power and <NUM>) that is scaled to be within a predetermined range. Accordingly, the power monitoring device <NUM> includes a controller <NUM> to determine an amount by which input power information is to be scaled and a programmable scaling device <NUM> to actually scale the input power information.

Specifically, the controller <NUM> receives an indication of a power rating for the power supply device that is presently coupled to the power monitoring device <NUM>. As described above, the power rating of a power supply device refers to an amount of power that can safely be provided by the power supply device without risk of overheating or otherwise causing the power supply device to fail. Some power supply devices have a higher rating than others do; that is, they safely provide a higher power level than others. From this rating, the controller <NUM> determines an amount to scale input power information. The scale by which the input power information is reduced is such that an output from the power scaling device (<NUM>) is a predefined value when the power supply device is operating at its rated power. For example, a power supply device rated at <NUM> W may result in a <NUM> V output voltage when providing <NUM> W of power. If the <NUM> W power supply device is supplying <NUM> W of power, the output voltage may be <NUM> V. In other words, the controller <NUM> determines a scale that applies to the power supply device based on its rating, and scales the input power information according to that scale.

Using such a device that relies on the determined rating accounts for more than a few predetermined power supply devices. For example, the power monitoring device <NUM> of the present specification can accommodate unanticipated power supply devices.

Again, this scaling amount is dependent upon the power rating of the power supply device, with larger power supply devices, or power supply devices with a higher rating, being reduced according to a different scale as compared to power supply devices with a lower rating.

The power monitoring device <NUM> also includes a programmable scaling device <NUM> that scales the input power information based on the scaling amount. For example, after a controller <NUM> determines the relationship between input power information and a desired output range for a particular power supply device based on its rating, the programmable scaling device <NUM> operates to scale the input power information accordingly.

In one specific example, the programmable scaling device <NUM> includes a current-to-voltage converter to convert the input power information from current to voltage. The programmable scaling device <NUM> also includes a voltage divider with a fixed first resistance device above the output line <NUM> and a variable second resistance device, e.g., a potentiometer, below the output line <NUM>. The scaling occurs as the variable second resistance device, which may be potentiometer, is set to a resistance value calculated as a function of the power supply device coupled to the system. The resistance of this second resistance device, e.g., the potentiometer, affects the information output along the output line <NUM>. Accordingly, by changing the programmable potentiometer, an output is generated based on the identified relationship.

In some examples, the power monitoring device <NUM> can accommodate different power supply devices at different points in time. While at any given moment, one power supply device may be supplying power, the power supply device may be swappable. The different power supply devices may have a different rating and therefore may have a different mapping with regards to an output. For example, a linear relationship between rated input power and the predefined output value differs based on the rating of the power supply device. However, the present power monitoring device <NUM> is not tailored to any one, or few, ratings of power supply devices. That is, a wide variety of power supply devices with different ratings can be coupled to the computing device at any time, and the power monitoring device <NUM> can accurately output information within a desired range that is indicative of the power being supplied by that power supply device. Put another way, when the programmable scaling device <NUM> includes a variable resistance device, such as a potentiometer in a voltage divider, the potentiometer can be set to a plurality of values. Specifically, the potentiometer may be programmable to at least <NUM> different resistance values, thus accommodating a wide variety of power supply device ratings. Moreover, the power monitoring device <NUM>, by basing scaling on ratings of the different power supply devices, can update the scaling when a new power supply device is added to the system.

<FIG> is a flowchart of a method <NUM> for input power scaling of power supply devices, according to an example of the principles described herein. According to the method, a level of input power is monitored block <NUM>. Specifically, power supply devices provide input power to a computing device. This input power can be used to allow components of the computing device to carry out their intended function. As is described below, this input power if drawn for too long a period of time can cause damage to the power supply device itself and/or the components that receive it.

Accordingly, within a power management system, the power monitoring device <NUM> of <FIG> provides an output indicative of the amount of input power from a power supply device. The output is scaled from the input power. Specifically, a scaling amount of input power information is determined block <NUM>, In one specific example, an input power may be converted to an input voltage value. In this example, the scaling amount indicates the degree to which the input voltage value is reduced so as to force the output to be within a desired range. The scale by which the input voltage is reduced is such that the power supply device operating at its rated power generates an output voltage at a predetermined voltage value. Any reduction in system or operating power results in a corresponding reduction of the output voltage. In this example, the input voltage value may be an unscaled representation of the input power.

The scaling amount is dependent upon a power supply device power rating. Accordingly, the controller <NUM> of <FIG> receives an indication of the power rating of the power supply device that is coupled to the controller <NUM> of <FIG>. With this information, the controller <NUM> of <FIG> determines a scale by which the input power information is reduced to generate an output within a desired range. As described above, such a determination of the scaling amount based on the power supply device rating accommodates a wide variety of ratings of power supply devices.

Once a scaling amount has been determined, the input power information is scaled block <NUM> based on the scaling amount. That is, a signal is sent from the controller <NUM> of <FIG> to the programmable scaling device <NUM> of <FIG> where the input power information is reduced. In some examples, the programmable scaling device <NUM> of <FIG> is a voltage divider with a fixed resistance device, a variable resistance device, and the output line <NUM> of <FIG> coupled between them. In a voltage divider, changing the tail resistance device affects the output of a line disposed between the resistance devices. The input power information, which may be an input voltage, can be scaled by programming the variable resistance device of the voltage divider. Accordingly, the variable resistance device may be a potentiometer that is set to a particular value as indicated by the controller <NUM> of <FIG>. Specifically, the variable resistance device that forms the second resistance device, e.g., the potentiometer, of the voltage divider is set such that an output voltage aligns with the scale determined by the controller <NUM> of <FIG>.

In some examples, monitoring block <NUM> the input power level, determining block <NUM> a scaling amount, and scaling block <NUM> the input power information, may occur during a power-on self-test (POST) operation for the computing device. That is, upon booting a computing device, the controller <NUM> of <FIG> executes an operation to determine the rating of the power supply device, and determines a scale based on the indicated rating. If at any time a different power supply device is coupled to the computing device, a reboot, wherein new monitoring block <NUM>, determining block <NUM>, and scaling block <NUM> operations are carried out, may account for the change of the power supply device.

<FIG> is a circuit diagram for input power scaling of power supply devices <NUM>, according to an example of the principles described herein. In this specific example, the input power information is an input voltage and the output information is an output voltage. As described above, the power monitoring device <NUM> can accommodate multiple power supply devices <NUM>; however, just one power supply device <NUM> is supplying power for any given time. As described above, the present device <NUM> is compatible with different power supply devices <NUM> at different times throughout its operational life. In this example, the controller <NUM> receives, from the power supply device <NUM>, an indication of that power supply device rating.

As described above, in some examples, a representation of the input power is converted to an input voltage. In this example, the power monitoring device <NUM> includes various components to convert the input power to an input voltage. Specifically, the power monitoring device <NUM> may include a shunt resistor <NUM>. All current supplied by the power supply device <NUM> passes through the shunt resistor <NUM> and a voltage drop across the shunt resistor <NUM> is measured and amplified to generate a voltage representation of the power supplied. That is, the voltage drop across the shunt resistor <NUM> is passed through an operational amplifier <NUM> to generate an input voltage representation of the input power.

As a specific numeric example, the shunt resistor <NUM> may have a resistance of <NUM> Ohms, the operational amplifier <NUM> may have a gain of <NUM>, and a fixed resistance device <NUM> having a resistance of <NUM> kiloohms. Accordingly, if the operational amplifier <NUM> detects three amps across the shunt resistor <NUM>, then the input voltage would be six volts. The voltage generated by the shunt resistor <NUM> and operational amplifier <NUM> is input to the voltage divider of the power monitoring circuit <NUM>.

The controller <NUM> then determines a mapping between <NUM>) the input voltage and <NUM>) output voltage based on the power supply device <NUM> rating and a predetermined output voltage value. In some examples, the power-monitoring device <NUM> further includes a database <NUM>. The database includes these mappings of input power supply device ratings to settings for the variable resistance device. For example, the database may indicate that, when a predetermined output voltage of 2V is desired when the power supply device <NUM> is operating at its rated <NUM> W, the variable resistance device within the potentiometer <NUM> should be set to <NUM> kiloohms.

As another example, the database may indicate that, when a predetermined output voltage of 2V is desired, when a different power supply device <NUM> is operating at its rated 65W, the variable resistance device within the potentiometer <NUM> should be set to <NUM> kiloohms.

As yet another example, the database may indicate that, when a predetermined output voltage of 2V is desired, when yet a different power supply device <NUM> is operating at its rated 150W, the variable resistance device within the potentiometer <NUM> should be set to <NUM> kiloohms. While specific reference is made to particular power ratings and corresponding resistance values, power supply devices <NUM> with any rating could be used and a plurality of different mappings could be used. While <FIG> represents a database <NUM> that includes a mapping. In some examples, the scaling amount could be calculated, in which case a database <NUM> would not be used.

An instruction is then sent to the programmable scaling device <NUM> of <FIG>, which may be a potentiometer <NUM> that includes a variable resistance device. The instruction sets the variable resistance device to a resistance value identified by the controller <NUM>. Including such a potentiometer <NUM> with a variable resistance device accommodates changes to the power supply devices <NUM> within a computing system, as the variable resistance device within the potentiometer <NUM> may be set to between <NUM> and <NUM>,<NUM> resistance values. While specific reference is made to a potentiometer <NUM> with a specified range of resistance values, different potentiometers <NUM> may be used which can be set to any range of resistance values.

Returning to the programmable scaling device <NUM> of <FIG>. The programmable scaling device <NUM> of <FIG> includes a voltage divider made up of a fixed resistance device <NUM> having a fixed resistance and a variable resistance device having a variable resistance. As an input voltage is received, which input voltage may be unsealed, it is scaled down at the voltage divider and the scaled version passed along the output line <NUM> to the recipient devices <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>. The recipient devices <NUM> may be a variety of types. For example, the devices may be system power monitoring or controlling devices such as a VR controller and/or a super input/output (SIO) device.

As can be seen from <FIG>, the power monitoring device <NUM> provides a simple way to indicate the input power from a power supply device <NUM>. This is done by determining the rating of the power supply device <NUM> and then setting a variable resistance device of a potentiometer <NUM> to a resistance value commensurate with that rating. An input voltage, i.e.. that is produced by the shunt <NUM>/operational amplifier <NUM> and indicates the input power, is then scaled based on this mapping. Moreover, different power supply devices <NUM> could be added, and a similar method would be used to account for the change of those power supply devices <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flowchart of a method <NUM> for input power scaling of power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG>, according to an example of the principles described herein. Specifically, as described above, the power monitoring device <NUM> of <FIG> can accommodate the changing of power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG>. That is the power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG> may change over an operating life of the computing device. As the power supply device <NUM> of <FIG> is replaced with power supply devices having different ratings, the relationship between input power and output voltage also changes. The present method <NUM> accommodates for such changes,.

According to the method <NUM>, a level of input power is monitored block <NUM>. This may be performed as described above in connection with <FIG>. A scaling amount may be then be determined block <NUM> based on this rating. Specifically, the controller <NUM> of <FIG> may determine from a mapping, a resistance value for a variable resistance device in a voltage divider that may yield a desired output r given the particular rating. The input power information is then scaled block <NUM> based on the scaling amount This may be performed as described above in connection with <FIG>.

Then as described above, when there is a change to the power supply device <NUM> of <FIG>. an indication may be received block <NUM> by the controller <NUM> of <FIG> of the change. For example, during a re-boot operation, the controller <NUM> of <FIG> could receive an indication of a different power supply device <NUM> of <FIG> rating. The controller then adjusts block <NUM> the scaling amount based on the change of power supply device <NUM> of <FIG>. Doing so increases the flexibility of a power monitoring device <NUM> of <FIG> as it can accommodate any size, i.e., rating, of power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a computing system <NUM> for input power scaling of power supply devices, according to an example of the principles described herein. To achieve its desired functionality, the computing system <NUM> includes various hardware components. Specifically, the computing system <NUM> includes a processor <NUM> and a machine-readable storage medium <NUM>. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the processor <NUM>. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> includes a plurality of instruction sets <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for performing a designated function. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> causes the processor <NUM> to execute the designated function of the instruction sets <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>,.

Although the following descriptions refer to a single processor <NUM> and a single machine-readable storage medium <NUM>, the descriptions may also apply to a computing system <NUM> with multiple processors and multiple machine-readable storage mediums. In such examples, the instruction sets <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may be distributed (e.g., stored) across multiple machine-readable storage mediums and the instructions may be distributed (e.g., executed by) across multiple processors.

The processor <NUM> may include at least one processor and other resources used to process programmed instructions. For example, the processor <NUM> may be a plurality of central processing units CPUs, microprocessors, and/or other hardware devices suitable for retrieval and execution of instructions stored in machine-readable storage medium <NUM>. In the computing system <NUM> depicted in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may fetch, decode, and execute instructions <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for scaling input power form power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG>. In one example, the processor <NUM> may include a plurality of electronic circuits comprising a plurality of electronic components for performing the functionality of a plurality of the instructions in the machine-readable storage medium <NUM>. With respect to the executable instruction, representations (e.g., boxes) described and shown herein, it should be understood that part or all of the executable instructions and/or electronic circuits included within one box may, in alternate examples, be included in a different box shown in the figures or in a different box not shown.

The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> represent generally any memory capable of storing data such as programmed instructions or data structures used by the computing system <NUM>. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> includes a machine-readable storage medium that contains machine-readable program code to cause tasks to be executed by the processor <NUM>. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be tangible and/or non-transitory storage medium. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be any appropriate storage medium that is not a transmission storage medium. For example, the machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions. Thus, machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM), a storage drive, an optical disc, and the like. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be disposed within the computing system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. In this situation, the executable instructions may be "installed" on the computing system <NUM>. In one example, the machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be a portable, external or remote storage medium, for example, that allows the computing system <NUM> to download the instructions from the portable/external/remote storage medium. In this situation, the executable instructions may be part of an "installation package". As described herein, the machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be encoded with executable instructions for scaling input power from power supply devices <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, monitor instructions <NUM>, when executed by a processor <NUM>, may cause the computing system <NUM> to monitor a level of input power supplied by a power supply device <NUM> of <FIG>. Determine instructions <NUM>, when executed by a processor <NUM>, may cause the computing system <NUM> to determine, based on a power rating of the power supply device <NUM> of <FIG>, a scaling amount for the input power information to be supplied as output information. Set instructions <NUM>, when executed by a processor <NUM>, may cause the computing system <NUM> to set a variable resistance device that forms a second resistance device (e.g., the potentiometer <NUM> of <FIG>) of a voltage divider based on the scaling amount.

In some examples, the processor <NUM> and machine-readable storage medium <NUM> are located within the same physical component, such as a server, or a network component. The machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be part of the physical component's main memory, caches, registers, non-volatile memory, or elsewhere in the physical component's memory hierarchy. In one example, the machine-readable storage medium <NUM> may be in communication with the processor <NUM> over a network. Thus, the computing system <NUM> may be implemented on a user device, on a server, on a collection of servers, or combinations thereof.

The computing system <NUM> of <FIG> may be part of a general-purpose computer. However, in some examples, the computing system <NUM> is part of an application specific integrated circuit.

In summary, using such a power monitoring device <NUM>) increases flexibility of the monitoring system by accommodating power supply devices having any rating; <NUM>) accounts for the swapping of power supply devices: <NUM>) reduces part count on a circuit; and <NUM>) reduces circuit complexity. However, it is contemplated that the devices disclosed herein may address other matters and deficiencies in a plurality of technical areas.

Claim 1:
A power monitoring device (<NUM>) comprising:
an input line (<NUM>) to receive an input voltage from a power supply device, wherein the input voltage is indicative of a level of input power from the power supply device (<NUM>);
a controller (<NUM>) configured to receive from the power supply device an indication of a power rating of the power supply device to determine a scaling amount of the input voltage based on the power rating of the power supply device, wherein the controller is configured to determine a mapping between the input voltage and an output voltage based on the power supply device rating and a predetermined output voltage value;
a programmable scaling device (<NUM>) to scale the input voltage based on the scaling amount to generate the output voltage; and
an output line (<NUM>) to pass the output voltage to a set of recipient devices.