Power Management Subsystem for Dynamic Environmental Capacity Adjustment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional information handling systems experience reduced power capacity and performance due to power supply unit throttling in extreme temperature environments, as they only account for rated effective power capacities and fail to adapt to varying environmental conditions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a power management subsystem that receives signals from power supply units, determines environmental effective power capacity based on environmental profiles, and manages power consumption accordingly to prevent over-temperature and over-current conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional power management systems use rated effective power capacities of power supply units, then power capacity is sufficient in controlled temperature environments, but power capacity is significantly reduced in extreme temperature environments causing throttling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower supply reliabilityVSAvoidadaptability to temperature environments

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The power management system dynamically adjusts power allocation to components based on real-time environmental conditions and power supply unit status. The system continuously monitors temperature and power capacity, then dynamically redistributes power to prevent throttling while maintaining reliability across varying environmental conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes operational parameters of power supply units and components based on environmental conditions. By monitoring temperature and power capacity parameters, the system adjusts power allocation, clock speeds, and operational thresholds to maintain optimal performance across different temperature ranges without causing throttling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If power supply units take protective measures such as powering down to prevent damage, then power supply unit reliability is maintained, but overall power capacity is reduced causing system throttling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower supply unit protectionVSAvoidsystem performance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The power management system takes preliminary action by continuously monitoring environmental conditions and power supply status before critical thresholds are reached. By anticipating potential overheating or over-current conditions, the system proactively adjusts power allocation to prevent protective measures from being triggered, thereby maintaining both reliability and performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor power supply unit status, temperature, and power consumption. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts power allocation to components, ensuring that protective measures are only taken when necessary and that overall system performance is maintained through real-time optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If power management systems only consider rated effective power capacities, then system operation is simple, but performance decreases in extreme temperature environments due to inability to adapt

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower management simplicityVSAvoidsystem performance in extreme temperatures

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The power management system performs self-service by automatically monitoring its own environmental conditions and power supply status without external intervention. The system self-adjusts power allocation based on real-time temperature and power capacity data, maintaining optimal performance in extreme environments while requiring minimal manual configuration or operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11243590B2Systems and methods for minimizing system hardware throttling due to power supply unit environmental effective capacity

Publication Date: 2022.02.08 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

An information handling system may include at least one information handling resource and a power management subsystem configured to: receive signals from a plurality of power supply units, each signal indicative of an environmental parameter associated with a respective power supply of the plurality of power supply units; determine, for each of the plurality of power supply units, a respective environmental effective power capacity based on the respective signal indicative of the environmental parameter for such power supply unit and an environmental profile for such power supply unit; and manage power consumption of the at least one information handling resource based on environmental effective power capacities of the plurality of power supply units.