Voltage Regulator Output Adjustment for Power Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power supplies and voltage regulators increase output voltage to compensate for voltage drops across resistive elements, leading to inefficiencies such as increased switching losses and power consumption, especially in systems with wider voltage tolerance limits.
Innovation Solution
A method to determine the number of components coupled to a voltage regulator, their voltage tolerance information, and the regulator's tolerance limit, allowing for calculated reduction of output voltage to optimize energy use without affecting system performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the power supply and voltage regulator output voltage is increased to compensate for voltage drops across resistive elements, then the minimum voltage limits are met for all supported options, but the efficiency of the server is reduced due to increased switching losses and power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by determining the specific voltage tolerance limits of individual components actually installed in the system, rather than using a universal conservative voltage setting for all possible configurations. The system identifies each component's specific requirements and adjusts the voltage regulator output accordingly, providing locally optimized voltage settings matched to the actual hardware present.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the voltage regulator output voltage adjustable and adaptive based on system configuration. Rather than a fixed high voltage setting, the system dynamically determines the appropriate voltage level by querying component tolerance information and adjusting the regulator output to meet the specific requirements of the installed components, thereby optimizing efficiency for each unique system configuration.
2Reliability
If the voltage regulator output voltage is increased to ensure minimum voltage limits are met, then all supported options can operate reliably, but the power consumption of the load increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the voltage regulator output parameter based on the actual voltage tolerance requirements of installed components. The system queries each component's voltage tolerance information and adjusts the regulator output voltage parameter to the minimum necessary level that ensures reliable operation, rather than maintaining a consistently high voltage setting. This dynamic parameter adjustment reduces load power consumption while preserving operational reliability.
3Reliability
If the power supply output voltage is increased to compensate for voltage drops, then voltage tolerance limits are met for all options, but switching losses on downstream voltage regulators increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining the voltage tolerance requirements of all installed components before configuring the power supply and voltage regulator settings. The system queries component information in advance, calculates the appropriate voltage levels needed to meet tolerance limits, and pre-configures the regulators accordingly. This preliminary determination prevents the need to over-compensate with high voltage settings, thereby reducing switching losses on downstream regulators while ensuring compliance with voltage tolerance requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for adjusting voltage settings, according to one embodiment, includes: determining a number of components electrically coupled to an output of a voltage regulator; determining voltage tolerance information corresponding to each of the number of components; determining a voltage tolerance limit of the voltage regulator; using the determined voltage tolerance information in combination with the voltage tolerance limit of the voltage regulator to determine whether an output voltage of the voltage regulator can be reduced; calculating an amount by which to reduce an output voltage of the voltage regulator in response to determining that the output voltage of the voltage regulator can be reduced; and sending one or more instructions to the voltage regulator to reduce the output voltage of the voltage regulator by the calculated amount.