Load selection for receiving power from a battery module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016349822-A1
Application number	US-201415116632-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Examples herein disclose determining when a battery module is below a full charge and selecting a subset of loads based on a prioritization among multiple loads. The selected subset of loads is to receive power from the battery module. The examples herein deliver power to the selected subset of loads.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A system comprising:
a host device to:
determine when a battery module is below a full charge; and
select a subset of loads based on a prioritization among multiple loads, the selected subset of loads to receive power from the battery module; and
a battery module to deliver the power to the selected subset of loads.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein:
the host device is further to determine when the system is experiencing a brownout, and
the battery module is further to serve as a backup power source to the multiple loads during the brownout.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the host device is further to monitor the battery module.

4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the host device is further to:
prioritize the multiple loads for the selection of the subset of the multiple loads, wherein a controller is higher priority than a memory module; wherein if there are multiple controllers, each is prioritized according to an order of communication to the host device.

5 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a different battery module to communicate with the host device; and
wherein the host device is to:
determine when the different battery module has suffered a failure;
prioritize the multiple loads between the different battery module and the battery module for selection of the subset of loads; and

wherein the battery module is to serve as a backup power module to the different battery module for the delivery of power to the selected subset of loads.

6 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:
monitor a battery module for determining when the battery module is below a full charge; upon the determination the battery module is below the full charge, divide multiple loads into selected loads and unselected loads to receive power from the battery module, the division of multiple loads based on a prioritization; and deliver power from the battery module to the selected loads.

7 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including the instructions of claim 11 , wherein to deliver power from the battery module to the subset of loads is further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
interrupt power to the unselected loads among the multiple loads.

8 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including the instructions of claim 7 , wherein to monitor the battery module, divide the multiple loads, and deliver power to the selected loads occur during a brownout and is further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
determine an occurrence of the brownout in a server prior to monitoring the battery module; and utilize the battery module as a backup power source in the server.

9 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including the instructions of claim 7 wherein the division of multiple loads based on the prioritization is further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
communicate with a different battery module for determination the different battery module has suffered a failure; and
prioritize the multiple loads between the different battery module and the battery module for the division of the multiple loads into selected loads and unselected loads, wherein the battery module serves as a backup power module to the different battery module for delivery of the power to the selected loads.

10 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including the instructions of claim 7 , wherein the division of multiple loads based on the prioritization is further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
prioritize each of the multiple loads according to a type of load, wherein a controller is higher in priority than a memory module and further wherein if there are multiple controllers, each controllers is prioritized according to consecutive communication.

11 . A method comprising
determining when a battery is operating below a full charge; dividing multiple loads into a subsets of selected loads and of unselected loads, the subset of the selected loads are based on a prioritization, and delivering power to the subset of selected loads.

12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising:
interrupting power to the subset of unselected loads among the multiple loads.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein the method occurs during a brownout and the battery module is a backup power source in a server during the brownout.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the selection of the subset of selected loads based on the prioritization further comprises:
prioritizing each of the multiple loads according to a type of load, wherein a controller type load has a higher rated priority than a memory module load.

15 . The method of claim 11 wherein a charge of the battery module decreases over time further dropping below the full charge.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Nguyen Hai Ngoc
• Wang Han
• Raymond Patrick A
• Venugopal Raghavan V

Classifications

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F1/3212 Primary

  Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level · CPC title

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title