Patent ID: 7983860

Claim:
A system ( 10 ) for monitoring power consumption, the system ( 10 ) comprising: a computer system component on a substrate ( 20 ) of a computer, the computer system component being supplied with supply power from a power supply unit ( 22 ) of the computer through a power supply cable ( 14 ): a coupling ( 12 ) disposed between the power supply unit ( 22 ) and the substrate ( 20 ), the coupling ( 12 ) being electrically connected to at least one power supply line ( 18 ) of the power supply cable ( 14 ) and connected with a plug ( 42 ) to a power supply connector ( 24 ) on the substrate ( 20 ), the at least one power supply line ( 18 ) carrying a supply voltage; means ( 26 , 34 , 36 ) contained within the coupling ( 12 ) for determining current flow through the at least one power supply line ( 18 ); and means ( 34 , 46 ) for generating a power consumption reading for the computer system component based on the supply voltage and the current flow through the at least one power supply line ( 18 ).