Non-Uniform Power Supply Load Sharing via Thermal Derating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional information handling systems uniformly derate all power supply units based on the highest temperature reading, leading to unnecessary reduction in power availability as some units are derated below their capacity, resulting in inefficient power utilization and increased throttling frequency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a controller that receives temperature signals from each power supply unit, determines individual derating limits based on specific thermal parameters, and communicates these limits to each unit, allowing for non-uniform load sharing and optimized power output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform derating is applied to all power supply units based on the highest temperature reading, then thermal safety is ensured, but power availability is unnecessarily reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power supply units into individual entities with independent thermal management. Instead of treating all PSUs uniformly, each PSU is monitored individually with its own temperature sensor and derating limit, allowing customized power delivery based on each unit's specific thermal conditions rather than applying a system-wide uniform restriction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different derating limits to different power supply units based on their individual temperature readings. Each PSU receives a customized derating limit tailored to its specific thermal state, allowing units with lower temperatures to operate at higher power levels while units with higher temperatures are appropriately restricted, rather than applying the same restriction to all units
2Reliability
If uniform derating is applied to all power supply units, then thermal limits are maintained, but system performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system segments the power supply management into individual unit controls, where each PSU's power delivery is independently managed based on its own temperature sensor readings. This segmentation allows the system to maintain thermal limit compliance for each unit while maximizing overall power delivery by preventing uniform derating of units that are operating within safe thermal parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic derating limits that adjust based on real-time temperature conditions of each individual PSU. The derating limits are not fixed but are dynamically calculated and communicated to each power supply unit, allowing the system to optimize performance by adapting power delivery to current thermal conditions rather than applying static uniform restrictions
3Reliability
If the highest temperature reading from all power supply units is used to determine maximum power demand, then thermal safety is ensured, but power utilization efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the thermal monitoring and power management into individual PSU-level operations. Each power supply unit has its own temperature sensor and derating limit, allowing the system to calculate power delivery based on each unit's specific thermal conditions rather than using the highest temperature reading from any unit to uniformly restrict all units, thereby eliminating unnecessary energy loss
Solution Approach 2:
Each power supply unit effectively serves itself by having its own temperature sensor monitor its thermal conditions and receiving its own customized derating limit from the control system. This self-service approach allows each PSU to operate at its optimal power level based on its own thermal state rather than being constrained by the thermal conditions of other units, maximizing overall power utilization efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include at least one information handling resource and a controller. The controller may be configured to receive signals from a plurality of power supply units, each signal indicative of a temperature associated with a respective power supply of the plurality of power supply units. The controller may also be configured to determine, for each of the plurality of power supply units, a respective derating limit based on the respective signal indicative of the temperature for such power supply unit. The controller may be further configured to communicate messages to each of the plurality of power supply units, each message indicative of the respective derating limit determined with respect to such power supply unit.