Dynamic voltage regulation device and method and computer equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of computers, discloses a dynamic voltage regulation device and method and computer equipment, and aims to solve the problem of inconvenience in reliability test or voltage Margin test operation of electronic products such as a server and the like. The dynamic voltage regulation device comprises a management controller, a digital-to-analog converter, at least one power supply module and at least one load. A power supply module is used for supplying power to at least one load. The management controller is connected with the digital-to-analog converter, the management controller is used for issuing the voltage-regulating digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter, and the digital-to-analog converter is used for converting the voltage-regulating digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulating analog signal and issuing the voltage-regulating analog signal to the power supply module. The power supply module is used for receiving the voltage regulating analog signal and regulating the output voltage according to the voltage regulating analog signal. The dynamic voltage regulation device provided by the invention can regulate the load voltage in a relatively large range on line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to a dynamic voltage regulation device, method and computer equipment. Background Art

[0002] The server system mainly includes key components and modules such as CPU (Central Processing Unit), BMC (Baseboard Management Controller), memory, hard disk and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) module. Since each of the above components or modules has multiple different voltages, the power supply module uses a fixed reference voltage to output the corresponding fixed voltage to different loads.

[0003] However, when performing reliability testing or voltage margin testing, the voltage value of the corresponding load can only be adjusted by adjusting the proportional relationship of the voltage regulating resistor near the power supply module. Since reliability testing or voltage margin testing requires frequent switching of the voltage value of the load, it is necessary to frequently disassemble and assemble the equipment (replace different proportional voltage regulating resistors) to adjust different voltage values ​​for testing. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a dynamic voltage regulation device, method and computer equipment to solve the problem of inconvenient operation of reliability test or voltage margin test of electronic products such as servers.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a dynamic voltage regulation device, including a management controller, a digital-to-analog converter, at least one power supply module and at least one load. A power supply module is used to supply power to at least one load. The management controller is connected to the digital-to-analog converter, and the management controller is used to send a voltage regulation digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter, and the digital-to-analog converter is used to convert the voltage regulation digital signal into a corresponding voltage regulation analog signal and send it to the power supply module. The power supply module is used to receive the voltage regulation analog signal and adjust the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

[0006] Beneficial effect: Since the power supply module can receive the voltage regulation analog signal through the feedback pin and adjust the output voltage according to the preset instruction output, the load of the load device can be adjusted. That is, the power supply module can adjust the output voltage in real time, rather than outputting a fixed voltage value, so that the power supply module can output a wider range of voltages. In addition, through the setting of the management controller and the digital-to-analog converter, the management controller can convert different voltage regulation digital signals into corresponding voltage regulation analog signals through the digital-to-analog converter to control and adjust the power supply module to output different voltage values, thereby realizing online dynamic adjustment of the voltage value of the input load device.

[0007] Based on this, in electronic products such as servers and computers, if reliability testing or voltage margin testing of components such as integrated circuits is required, the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device can be used to directly adjust the voltage digital signal online through the management controller to adjust the input voltage at the load device, so that the output voltage of the power supply module can be flexibly adjusted between the minimum and maximum values, so as to achieve a larger range of adjustable output of the power supply module.

[0008] Compared with the technical solution of disassembling and replacing the voltage regulating resistor to change the output voltage for reliability test or voltage margin test in the related art, the online digital adjustment method is convenient and fast, and the automatic adjustment of the output voltage can be realized through a computer program.

[0009] Furthermore, since the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device has a large adjustable voltage range, that is, through the control of different voltage digital signals, the output voltage of the power supply module can be flexibly adjusted between the minimum and maximum values. In this way, in reliability testing or voltage margin testing, various voltage scenarios under different temperature ranges such as normal temperature and pressure, high temperature and high pressure, and low temperature and low pressure can be tested in combination with temperature changes, thereby improving the reliability of integrated circuit and other device testing and the integrity of the test range.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the dynamic voltage regulation device further includes an analog-to-digital converter, the acquisition end of the analog-to-digital converter is connected between the power supply module and the corresponding load, and the analog-to-digital converter is used to collect the output voltage value of the power supply module as a voltage analog signal. The analog-to-digital converter is connected to the management controller, and the analog-to-digital converter is used to convert the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and send it to the management controller.

[0011] The management controller compares the voltage digital signal with the voltage regulation digital signal.

[0012] If the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to the preset standard value, the voltage regulation ends.

[0013] Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value, the management controller controls the voltage regulation digital signal to reduce a preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0014] Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage-regulated digital signal and the voltage digital signal is smaller than a preset standard value, the management controller controls the voltage-regulated digital signal to increase a preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0015] Beneficial effect: Due to the individual differences of various components, taking the resistance value as an example, there is a difference between its nominal value and the actual resistance value, which leads to an error in the output voltage value of the power supply module. In this way, through the coordinated setting of the management controller and the analog-to-digital converter, the feedback circuit formed can compare the output voltage value of the power supply module with the preset voltage adjustment value, and perform feedback adjustment on the output voltage value of the power supply module, thereby improving the accuracy of the output voltage value of the power supply module. In this way, it is beneficial to improve the voltage input accuracy of the load components in electronic products such as servers, and facilitate precise voltage regulation

[0016] In an optional implementation, there are multiple power supply modules.

[0017] The digital-to-analog converter has multiple output channels, and a feedback pin of a power supply module is connected to an output channel of the digital-to-analog converter.

[0018] And / or, there are multiple digital-to-analog converters, one digital-to-analog converter is provided with one or more output channels, and one power supply module is connected to one output channel of one digital-to-analog converter.

[0019] Beneficial effect: By setting a power supply module to be connected to an output channel in a one-to-one correspondence, the management controller can control the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules respectively through different output channels of the digital-to-analog converter.

[0020] For example, when the management controller sends down the voltage regulation digital signal, it will send down the corresponding voltage regulation digital signal according to the identification address of the power supply module or the identification address of the corresponding output channel of the digital-to-analog converter. After identifying the voltage regulation digital signal, the digital-to-analog converter converts the voltage regulation digital signal into the corresponding voltage regulation analog signal according to the functional relationship of the register and sends it down to the feedback pin of the corresponding power supply module through the corresponding output channel, so that the power supply module (such as the power management integrated circuit) can switch and provide accurate output voltage according to the preset built-in data. Thereby, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules can be stably and accurately adjusted.

[0021] In an optional implementation, multiple output channels of the digital-to-analog converter output voltage-regulated digital signals in parallel.

[0022] Beneficial effect: By setting the digital-to-analog converter to output voltage-regulated digital signals in parallel in multiple channels, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules can be adjusted simultaneously, which is beneficial to improving the reliability test or voltage margin test efficiency of electronic products such as servers.

[0023] In an optional implementation, there are multiple power supply modules.

[0024] The analog-to-digital converter has a plurality of collecting terminals, one of which is connected to an output terminal of a power supply module for collecting an output voltage value of the power supply module.

[0025] And / or, there are multiple analog-to-digital converters, and one acquisition terminal of one analog-to-digital converter is correspondingly connected to an output terminal of a power supply module to acquire the output voltage value of the power supply module.

[0026] Beneficial effect: By setting a collection end of the analog-to-digital converter to be connected one-to-one with an output end of a power supply module, the management controller can respectively detect the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules through different collection ends of the analog-to-digital converter.

[0027] For example, after the acquisition end of the analog-to-digital converter acquires the output voltage value of the corresponding power supply module as a voltage analog signal, it will convert the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal according to the functional relationship of the register. The voltage digital signal includes the identification address of the corresponding power supply module or the corresponding acquisition end, and sends it to the management controller so that the management controller can accurately identify the output voltage value of the corresponding power supply module according to the identification address. This enables accurate detection of the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules.

[0028] In an optional implementation, multiple acquisition terminals of the analog-to-digital converter are connected in parallel and input voltage analog signals.

[0029] Beneficial effect: By setting the analog-to-digital converter to be able to input multiple voltage analog signals in parallel, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules can be detected at the same time, thereby greatly improving the accuracy and efficiency of adjusting the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules. This is also conducive to improving the reliability test or voltage margin test efficiency of electronic products such as servers.

[0030] In an optional implementation, the management controller and the digital-to-analog converter are connected via an I2C bus.

[0031] And / or, the management controller and the analog-to-digital converter are connected via an I2C bus.

[0032] Beneficial effect: At least one of the digital-to-analog converter and the analog-to-digital converter is connected to the management controller via the I2C bus. Since the I2C bus has two wirings, serial data and serial clock, for connecting the controller to peripheral devices, the I2C bus can be connected to multiple slave devices (digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters) through the two wirings, serial data and serial clock, with a simple structure and convenient connection. It only needs to define an identification address for each slave device, so that the management controller can accurately communicate with multiple slave devices such as digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters and transmit command signals. In a second aspect, the present invention provides a dynamic voltage regulation method, which comprises:

[0033] Issue target voltage regulation instructions.

[0034] The management controller sends a voltage-regulated digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0035] The digital-to-analog converter receives the voltage-regulated digital signal, converts the voltage-regulated digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal, and sends the analog signal to the power supply module.

[0036] The power supply module receives the voltage regulation analog signal and adjusts the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

[0037] Beneficial effects: Since the dynamic voltage regulation method is a regulation method corresponding to the dynamic voltage regulation device in the first aspect, the dynamic voltage regulation method has all the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device, which will not be repeated here.

[0038] In an optional implementation, the adjustment method further includes:

[0039] The control analog-to-digital converter collects the output voltage value of the power supply module as a voltage analog signal, and converts the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and sends it to the management controller.

[0040] After receiving the voltage digital signal, the management controller compares the voltage digital signal with the corresponding voltage regulation digital signal to determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to a preset standard value.

[0041] If yes, the voltage regulation ends.

[0042] Otherwise, it is determined whether the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value.

[0043] If so, the voltage-regulated digital signal is reduced by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0044] Otherwise, the voltage-regulated digital signal is increased by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0045] Beneficial effects: It is helpful to improve the voltage input accuracy of load components in electronic products such as servers, and facilitates precise voltage regulation.

[0046] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a computer device, comprising the dynamic voltage regulation apparatus in the first aspect.

[0047] Beneficial effects: Since the computer device is a structural device corresponding to the dynamic voltage regulation device in the first aspect, the computer device has all the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the related technologies, the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments or the related technical descriptions will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0049] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a first dynamic voltage regulation device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a second dynamic voltage regulation device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a third dynamic voltage regulation device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 A flow chart of a first dynamic voltage regulation method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 5 A flow chart of a second dynamic voltage regulation method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Description of reference numerals:

[0056] 100. Dynamic voltage regulator;

[0057] 10. Management controller; 20. Digital-to-analog converter; 30. Power supply module; 40. Load; 50. Analog-to-digital converter;

[0058] 300. Computer device; 301. Processor; 302. Memory; 303. Communication interface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate directions or positional relationships based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0061] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0062] With the rapid development of technologies such as 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology), material network, cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence big model, the market demand for the integrated circuit industry continues to grow, the integration level is getting higher and higher, and the complexity is getting higher and higher, so the requirements for integrated circuit packaging and device level testing are also getting higher and higher. Especially for different levels such as industrial grade, automotive grade and military grade, the requirements for device reliability are very high, and the testing of device, board level and system level is also further strengthened.

[0063] In the process of devices from tape-out to product market application, they will go through different tests at different stages. From the application end, the most important is the PVT (Process Voltage Temperature) test based on the process level of the integrated circuit. The PVT test covers the three dimensions of performance, voltage and temperature of the integrated circuit. The performance of the integrated circuit is determined after production, and the performance of the integrated circuit is further divided into different process corners. Typical process corners include TT (Typical N Typical P), FF (Fast N Fast P), SS (Slow N Slow P), FS (Fast N Slow P) and SF (Slow N Fast P). These process corners represent different average carrier drift velocities. As the voltage and temperature change, the characteristics of the integrated circuit will also be different. Since the differences in the manufacturing process of the integrated circuit are inevitable, the performance of each integrated circuit will be different. Therefore, when applying, they will be tested based on two external controllable factors, voltage and temperature.

[0064] For example, servers are devices that face the entire network and need to work 24 / 7 to provide services to users, so they must have extremely high stability. However, in the long-term operation process, there will be problems such as component failure and voltage drift, so we need to conduct strict tests before leaving the factory and going online. Strict tests on voltage and temperature can cover and intercept defects that may occur in complex scenarios and long-term operation after going online.

[0065] The server system mainly includes key components and modules such as CPU (Central Processing Unit), BMC (Baseboard Management Controller), memory, hard disk and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) module. Since each of the above components or modules has multiple different voltages, the power supply module uses a fixed reference voltage to output the corresponding fixed voltage to different loads.

[0066] However, when performing reliability testing or voltage margin testing, the voltage value of the corresponding load can only be adjusted by adjusting the proportional relationship of the voltage regulating resistors near the power supply module. Since reliability testing or voltage margin testing requires frequent switching of the voltage value of the load, that is, it is necessary to frequently disassemble and assemble the equipment (replace voltage regulating resistors of different proportions) to adjust different voltage values ​​for testing. Moreover, the adjustment range of the above voltage value is small and cannot exceed the fixed voltage value output by the power supply module. Based on this, the present invention provides a dynamic voltage adjustment device, method and computer equipment to solve the problem of inconvenient operation of reliability testing or voltage margin testing of electronic products such as servers.

[0067] Combine the following Figures 1 to 6 The present invention describes a dynamic voltage regulation device.

[0068] First, as Figure 1 As shown, the present application provides a dynamic voltage regulation device 100, including a management controller 10, a digital-to-analog converter 20, at least one power supply module 30 and at least one load 40. A power supply module 30 is used to supply power to at least one load 40. The management controller 10 is connected to the digital-to-analog converter 20, and the management controller 10 is used to send a voltage regulation digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter 20, and the digital-to-analog converter 20 is used to convert the voltage regulation digital signal into a corresponding voltage regulation analog signal and send it to the power supply module 30. The power supply module 30 is used to receive the voltage regulation analog signal and adjust the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

[0069] In the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply module 30 can receive the voltage regulation analog signal through the feedback pin and adjust the output voltage according to the preset instruction output, thereby adjusting the load of the load element 40. That is, the power supply module 30 can adjust the output voltage in real time, rather than outputting a fixed voltage value, so that the power supply module 30 can output a larger range of voltages. In addition, through the configuration of the management controller 10 and the digital-to-analog converter 20, the management controller 10 can convert different voltage regulation digital signals into corresponding voltage regulation analog signals through the digital-to-analog converter 20 to control and adjust the power supply module 30 to output different voltage values, thereby realizing online dynamic adjustment of the voltage value of the input load element 40.

[0070] Based on this, in electronic products such as servers and computers, if reliability testing or voltage margin testing of components such as integrated circuits is required, the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device 100 can be used to directly adjust the voltage digital signal online through the management controller 10 to adjust the input voltage at the load device 40, so that the output voltage of the power supply module 30 can be flexibly adjusted between the minimum value and the maximum value, so as to achieve a larger range of adjustable output of the power supply module 30.

[0071] Compared with the technical solution of disassembling and replacing the voltage regulating resistor to change the output voltage for reliability test or voltage margin test in the related art, the online digital adjustment method is convenient and fast, and the automatic adjustment of the output voltage can be realized through a computer program.

[0072] Moreover, since the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device 100 has a large adjustable voltage range, that is, through the control of different voltage digital signals, the output voltage of the power supply module 30 can be flexibly adjusted between the minimum value and the maximum value, thereby facilitating the pull-up of different voltages, so as to accelerate the appearance of test problems by pulling the bias voltage. In this way, in reliability testing or voltage margin testing, various voltage scenarios under different temperature ranges such as normal temperature and pressure, high temperature and high pressure, and low temperature and low pressure can be tested in combination with temperature changes, thereby improving the reliability of integrated circuit and other device testing and the integrity of the test range.

[0073] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the dynamic voltage regulation device 100 further includes an analog-to-digital converter 50, the acquisition end of the analog-to-digital converter 50 is connected between the power supply module 30 and the corresponding load 40, and the analog-to-digital converter 50 is used to collect the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 as a voltage analog signal. The analog-to-digital converter 50 is connected to the management controller 10, and the analog-to-digital converter 50 is used to convert the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and send it to the management controller 10.

[0074] The management controller 10 compares the voltage digital signal with the voltage regulation digital signal.

[0075] If the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to the preset standard value, the voltage regulation ends.

[0076] Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value, the voltage regulation digital signal is increased by a preset gradient value and sent to the power supply module 30 .

[0077] Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage regulation digital signal and the voltage digital signal is greater than a preset standard value, the voltage regulation digital signal is reduced by a preset gradient value and sent to the power supply module 30 .

[0078] By setting an analog-to-digital converter 50 between the output end of the power supply module 30 and the management controller 10, the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 is collected, and the collected dual output voltage values ​​are converted into corresponding voltage digital signals as voltage analog signals. The analog-to-digital converter 50 sends the voltage digital signal to the management controller 10, so that the management controller 10 can monitor the real-time output voltage of the power supply module 30 in real time. In addition, the management controller 10 can also compare the voltage digital signal with the voltage regulation digital signal, so as to detect whether the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 is within the preset error range of the preset voltage regulation value.

[0079] For example, the management controller 10 can compare the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal with the preset standard value. If the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to the preset standard value, it means that the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 is within the preset error range of the preset voltage regulation value, and the voltage regulation process ends.

[0080] If the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than the preset standard value, it means that the error between the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 and the preset voltage regulation value is large, and the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 needs to be finely adjusted.

[0081] At this time, the management controller 10 may continue to compare the magnitude relationship between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal.

[0082] If the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than the preset standard value (or greater than 0), it means that the voltage digital signal is larger, that is, the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 is larger. At this time, the management controller 10 controls the voltage regulation digital signal to reduce the preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter 20. The digital-to-analog converter 20 converts the adjusted voltage regulation digital signal into the corresponding voltage regulation analog signal and sends it to the corresponding power supply module 30, thereby fine-tuning and reducing the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 until the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 drops to a preset error that meets the preset voltage regulation value, and the voltage regulation process ends.

[0083] If the difference between the voltage regulation digital signal and the voltage digital signal is less than the preset standard value (or less than 0), it means that the voltage digital signal is small, that is, the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 is small. At this time, the management controller 10 controls the voltage regulation digital signal to increase the preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter 20. The digital-to-analog converter 20 converts the adjusted voltage regulation digital signal into a corresponding voltage regulation analog signal and sends it to the corresponding power supply module 30, thereby fine-tuning and increasing the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 until the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 rises to a preset error that meets the preset voltage regulation value, and the voltage regulation process ends.

[0084] It should be noted that the voltage regulating digital signal, the voltage regulating analog signal and the preset voltage regulating value can be equal in value or can be set in a linear function correspondence between them. And the output voltage value, the voltage analog signal and the voltage digital signal can be equal in value or can be set in a linear function correspondence between them.

[0085] Among them, the preset standard value can be set accordingly according to the preset error of the preset voltage value. Take the preset error of the preset voltage value as an example, which is between 1mV and 10mV. If the values ​​of the voltage regulating digital signal, the voltage regulating analog signal and the preset voltage regulating value are equal, the preset standard value can also be 1mV-10mV, such as 1mV, 2mV, 3mV, 4mV, 5mV, 6mV, 7mV, 8mV, 9mV or 10mV. If the voltage regulating digital signal, the voltage regulating analog signal and the preset voltage regulating value are set in a linear function, the ratio of the preset standard value to the preset error is equal to the ratio of the voltage regulating digital signal to the preset voltage regulating value.

[0086] Due to the individual differences of various components, for example, there is a difference between the nominal value and the actual resistance value of the resistor, which leads to an error in the output voltage value of the power supply module 30. In this way, through the coordinated setting of the management controller 10 and the analog-to-digital converter 50, the feedback circuit formed can compare the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 with the preset voltage adjustment value, and perform feedback adjustment on the output voltage value of the power supply module 30, thereby improving the accuracy of the output voltage value of the power supply module 30.

[0087] This is beneficial to improving the voltage input accuracy of the load device 40 in electronic products such as servers, and facilitates precise voltage regulation.

[0088] In some embodiments, the management controller 10 and the digital-to-analog converter 20 are connected via an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) bus. And / or, the management controller 10 and the analog-to-digital converter 50 are connected via an I2C bus.

[0089] That is, at least one of the digital-to-analog converter 20 and the analog-to-digital converter 50 is connected to the management controller 10 via the I2C bus. Since the I2C bus has two wires, serial data and serial clock, for connecting the controller and the peripheral device, the I2C bus can be connected to up to 127 slave devices (digital-to-analog converter 20 and analog-to-digital converter 50) through the two wires, serial data and serial clock, and has a simple structure and convenient connection. It only needs to define an identification address for each slave device, so that the management controller 10 can accurately communicate with multiple slave devices such as the digital-to-analog converter 20 and the analog-to-digital converter 50 and transmit command signals.

[0090] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the management controller 10 and the digital-to-analog converter 20 and the analog-to-digital converter 50 may also be connected and arranged via an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) protocol, which is not limited thereto.

[0091] In some embodiments, the number of the digital-to-analog converter 20, the power supply module 30 and the analog-to-digital converter 50 may be one, that is, the dynamic voltage regulating device 100 may be a single-channel structure, which is simple in structure and convenient for flexible arrangement.

[0092] Alternatively, there may be multiple power supply modules 30 .

[0093] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the digital-to-analog converter 20 has multiple output channels (ie, OUTn), and a feedback pin (ie, FB) of a power supply module 30 is connected to one output channel of the digital-to-analog converter 20 .

[0094] and / or, combined with Figure 3 There are multiple digital-to-analog converters 20 , one digital-to-analog converter 20 is provided with one or more output channels, and one power supply module 30 is connected to one output channel of one digital-to-analog converter 20 .

[0095] Based on this, by setting a power supply module 30 to be connected to an output channel in a one-to-one correspondence, the management controller 10 can control the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 respectively through different output channels of the digital-to-analog converter 20.

[0096] For example, when the management controller 10 sends down the voltage-regulated digital signal, it will send down the corresponding voltage-regulated digital signal according to the identification address of the power supply module 30 or the identification address of the corresponding output channel of the digital-to-analog converter 20. After identifying the voltage-regulated digital signal, the digital-to-analog converter 20 converts the voltage-regulated digital signal into the corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal according to the functional relationship of the register and sends it down to the feedback pin of the corresponding power supply module 30 through the corresponding output channel, so that the power supply module 30 (such as a power management integrated circuit) can switch and provide accurate output voltage according to the preset built-in data. Thereby, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 can be stably and accurately adjusted.

[0097] In some embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, there are multiple power supply modules 30. The analog-to-digital converter 50 has multiple acquisition terminals (ie, INn), and one acquisition terminal of the analog-to-digital converter 50 is correspondingly connected to an output terminal of a power supply module 30 for acquiring the output voltage value of the power supply module 30.

[0098] and / or, if Figure 3 As shown, there are multiple analog-to-digital converters 50 , and one acquisition end of one analog-to-digital converter 50 is correspondingly connected to an output end of one power supply module 30 for acquiring the output voltage value of the power supply module 30 .

[0099] Based on this, by setting a collection end of the analog-to-digital converter 50 to be connected one-to-one with the output end of a power supply module 30, the management controller 10 can respectively detect the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 through different collection ends of the analog-to-digital converter 50.

[0100] For example, after the acquisition end of the analog-to-digital converter 50 acquires the output voltage value of the corresponding power supply module 30 as a voltage analog signal, it converts the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal according to the functional relationship of the register. The voltage digital signal includes the identification address of the corresponding power supply module 30 or the corresponding acquisition end, and sends it to the management controller 10, so that the management controller 10 can accurately identify the output voltage value of the corresponding power supply module 30 according to the identification address. Thereby, accurate detection of the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 is achieved.

[0101] In some embodiments, multiple output channels of the DAC 20 output voltage-regulated digital signals in parallel.

[0102] And / or, multiple acquisition terminals of the analog-to-digital converter 50 are parallel and input with the voltage analog signal.

[0103] That is, by setting the digital-to-analog converter 20 to output voltage-regulated digital signals in parallel in multiple channels, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 can be adjusted simultaneously, which is beneficial to improving the reliability test or voltage margin test efficiency of electronic products such as servers.

[0104] By setting the analog-to-digital converter 50 to be able to input multiple voltage analog signals in parallel, the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30 can be detected simultaneously, thereby greatly improving the accuracy of adjusting the output voltage values ​​of multiple power supply modules 30. This is also conducive to improving the reliability test or voltage margin test efficiency of electronic products such as servers.

[0105] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a dynamic voltage regulation method. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions (such as a server, an electronic computer, a mobile phone and other electronic devices), and although a logical sequence is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in a different order than that here.

[0106] like Figure 4 As shown, the dynamic voltage regulation method includes the following steps:

[0107] Step S110: issuing a target adjustment instruction.

[0108] Among them, the target voltage regulation instruction includes the identification address of the target (such as a power supply module or a load), and the voltage regulation digital signal corresponding to the preset voltage value. The action of issuing the target regulation instruction can be manually clicked to confirm so that it can be automatically run through the preset program. The identification address and the voltage regulation digital signal can also be manually edited and confirmed. The corresponding regulation instruction can also be issued through a control system or other means, which is not limited to this.

[0109] Step S120: the management controller sends a voltage-regulated digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0110] The voltage regulation digital signal includes a first voltage regulation digital signal, which is an initial voltage regulation signal and is used as a part of the target regulation instruction to control the power supply module to output a voltage of a preset voltage regulation value to the corresponding load.

[0111] Step S130: the digital-to-analog converter receives the voltage-regulated digital signal, and the digital-to-analog converter converts the voltage-regulated digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal and sends it to the power supply module.

[0112] The digital-to-analog converter has built-in registers (equivalent to storage modules) and processing modules. The processing module retrieves the identification address information and function information in the register according to the voltage-regulated digital signal to convert the voltage-regulated digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal, and sends it to the feedback pin of the corresponding power supply module through the corresponding output channel.

[0113] Step S140: the power supply module receives the voltage regulation analog signal and adjusts the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

[0114] The feedback pin of the power supply module 30 (such as a power management integrated circuit) receives the voltage regulation analog signal and can switch and provide accurate output voltage according to preset built-in data, thereby achieving online regulation of the preset voltage value at the load device.

[0115] Since the dynamic voltage regulation method is a regulation method corresponding to the dynamic voltage regulation device in the first aspect, the dynamic voltage regulation method has all the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned dynamic voltage regulation device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0116] In some embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, after step S140, the dynamic voltage regulation method further includes the following steps:

[0117] Step S210: controlling the analog-to-digital converter to collect the output voltage value of the power supply module as a voltage analog signal, and converting the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and sending it to the management controller.

[0118] The analog-to-digital converter has built-in registers (equivalent to storage modules) and processing modules. After the acquisition end of the analog-to-digital converter acquires the output voltage value of the power supply module as a voltage analog signal, the processing module retrieves the identification address information and function information in the register according to the voltage analog signal and the corresponding acquisition end to convert the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal, which can be sent to the management controller via the I2C bus.

[0119] Step S220: After receiving the voltage digital signal, the management controller compares the voltage digital signal with the corresponding voltage regulation digital signal to determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to a preset standard value.

[0120] If yes, the voltage regulation ends.

[0121] Otherwise, execute step S230.

[0122] Step S230: determining whether the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value.

[0123] If so, the voltage-regulated digital signal is reduced by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0124] Otherwise, the voltage-regulated digital signal is increased by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter.

[0125] The step S130 is repeatedly executed.

[0126] The voltage regulating digital signal includes a first voltage regulating digital signal and a second voltage regulating digital signal, wherein the first voltage regulating digital signal is an initial voltage regulating instruction. When the first voltage regulating digital signal or the second voltage regulating digital signal increases a preset gradient value, it is sent to the digital-to-analog converter as a second voltage regulating digital signal to accurately adjust the output voltage value of the power supply module.

[0127] It is beneficial to improve the voltage input accuracy of load components in electronic products such as servers, and facilitates precise voltage regulation.

[0128] The preset gradient value may be one or more fixed values, such as a range of the preset gradient value being 1 / 2-3 times of a preset standard value.

[0129] Exemplarily, the preset gradient value includes a first preset gradient value and a second preset gradient value, the first preset gradient value has a value range of 1 / 2-1 times the preset standard value, and the second preset gradient value has a value range of 2-3 times the preset standard value.

[0130] In step S220, when the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage-regulated digital signal is more than 5 times the preset standard value, in step S230, the voltage-regulated digital signal is correspondingly reduced or increased by a second preset gradient value and then sent to the digital-to-analog converter as a second voltage-regulated digital signal.

[0131] In step S220, when the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulating digital signal is within 1 to 5 times of the preset standard value, in step S230, the voltage regulating digital signal is reduced or increased by the first preset gradient value and then sent to the digital-to-analog converter as the second voltage regulating digital signal.

[0132] It is beneficial to improve the efficiency of precise voltage regulation.

[0133] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer device having the above Figures 1 to 3 The dynamic voltage regulation device shown.

[0134] See also Figure 6The computer device 300 includes: one or more processors 301, a memory 302, and a communication interface 303 for connecting various components, including a high-speed interface and a low-speed interface. The various components are connected to each other using different buses for communication, and can be installed on a common motherboard or installed in other ways as needed. The processor 301 can process instructions executed in the computer device 300, including instructions stored in the memory 302 or on the memory 032 to display graphical information of the GUI on an external input / output device (such as a display device coupled to the interface).

[0135] In some optional embodiments, if desired, multiple processors 301 and / or multiple buses can be used with multiple memories 032. Similarly, multiple computer devices can be connected, each device providing part of the necessary operations (for example, as a server array, a group of blade servers, or a multi-processor system). Figure 6 A processor 301 is taken as an example.

[0136] The processor 301 may be a central processing unit, a network processor, a baseboard management processor, a power management processor (such as a power module) or a combination thereof, or may be a built-in management module of a digital-to-analog converter and an analog-to-digital converter. The processor 301 may further include a dedicated integrated circuit, a programmable logic device or a combination thereof. The programmable logic device may be a complex programmable logic device, a field programmable logic gate array, a general purpose array logic or any combination thereof.

[0137] Exemplarily, the management controller 10 may be a complex programmable logic device, such as a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device).

[0138] The memory 032 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 301 so as to enable at least one processor 301 to implement the method shown in the above embodiment.

[0139] The memory 302 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system and an application required by at least one function. The data storage area may store data created according to the use of the computer device, etc. In addition, the memory 302 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-transient memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-transient solid-state storage devices.

[0140] In some optional embodiments, the memory 302 may include a memory remotely arranged relative to the processor 301, and these remote memories may be connected to the computer device 300 via a network. Examples of the above network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0141] The memory 302 may include a volatile memory, such as a random access memory, or a non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory, a hard disk, or a solid state drive. The memory 302 may also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memory.

[0142] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and variations are all within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dynamic voltage regulation device, characterized in that: It comprises a management controller (10), a digital-to-analog converter (20), at least one power supply module (30) and at least one load device (40); One of the power supply modules (30) is used to supply power to at least one of the load components (40); The management controller (10) is connected to the digital-to-analog converter (20), and the management controller (10) is used to send a voltage-regulated digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter (20), and the digital-to-analog converter (20) is used to convert the voltage-regulated digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal and send it to the power supply module (30); The power supply module (30) is used to receive the voltage regulation analog signal and adjust the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

2. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dynamic voltage regulation device further comprises: an analog-to-digital converter (50), wherein a collection end of the analog-to-digital converter (50) is connected between the power supply module (30) and the corresponding load element (40), and the analog-to-digital converter (50) is used to collect an output voltage value of the power supply module (30) as a voltage analog signal; The analog-to-digital converter (50) is connected to the management controller (10), and the analog-to-digital converter (50) is used to convert the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and send it to the management controller (10); The management controller (10) compares the voltage digital signal with the voltage regulation digital signal; If the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to the preset standard value, the voltage regulation ends; Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value, the management controller (10) controls the voltage regulation digital signal to reduce a preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter (20); Alternatively, if the difference between the voltage regulation digital signal and the voltage digital signal is smaller than a preset standard value, the management controller (10) controls the voltage regulation digital signal to increase a preset gradient value and sends it to the digital-to-analog converter (20).

3. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the power supply modules (30) is multiple; The digital-to-analog converter (20) has multiple output channels, and a feedback pin of the power supply module (30) is connected to one output channel of the digital-to-analog converter (20); And / or, there are multiple digital-to-analog converters (20), one digital-to-analog converter (20) is provided with one or more output channels, and one power supply module (30) is connected to one output channel of one digital-to-analog converter (20).

4. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The multiple output channels of the digital-to-analog converter (20) output voltage-regulated digital signals in parallel.

5. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The number of the power supply modules (30) is multiple; The analog-to-digital converter (50) has a plurality of collection terminals, and one collection terminal of the analog-to-digital converter (50) is correspondingly connected to an output terminal of the power supply module (30) and is used to collect the output voltage value of the power supply module (30); And / or, there are multiple analog-to-digital converters (50), and one acquisition end of one analog-to-digital converter (50) is correspondingly connected to an output end of one power supply module (30) for acquiring the output voltage value of the power supply module (30).

6. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The multiple acquisition terminals of the analog-to-digital converter (50) are parallel and input voltage analog signals.

7. The dynamic voltage regulation device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The management controller (10) and the digital-to-analog converter (20) are connected via an I2C bus; And / or, the management controller (10) and the analog-to-digital converter (50) are connected via an I2C bus.

8. A dynamic voltage regulation method, characterized in that: The adjustment method comprises: Issue target voltage regulation instructions; The management controller sends a voltage regulation digital signal to the digital-to-analog converter; The digital-to-analog converter receives the voltage-regulated digital signal, and the digital-to-analog converter converts the voltage-regulated digital signal into a corresponding voltage-regulated analog signal and sends it to the power supply module; The power supply module receives the voltage regulation analog signal and adjusts the output voltage according to the voltage regulation analog signal.

9. The dynamic voltage regulation method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The adjustment method further comprises: Controlling the analog-to-digital converter to collect the output voltage value of the power supply module as a voltage analog signal, and converting the voltage analog signal into a corresponding voltage digital signal and sending it to the management controller; After receiving the voltage digital signal, the management controller compares the voltage digital signal with the corresponding voltage regulation digital signal to determine whether the absolute value of the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is less than or equal to a preset standard value; If yes, the voltage regulation ends; Otherwise, determining whether the difference between the voltage digital signal and the voltage regulation digital signal is greater than a preset standard value; If so, the voltage-regulated digital signal is reduced by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter; Otherwise, the voltage-regulated digital signal is increased by a preset gradient value and sent to the digital-to-analog converter.

10. A computer device, characterized in that: The invention comprises the dynamic voltage regulating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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