Automatic tuning for a memory voltage regulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9606598-B2
Application number	US-201514729558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2015
Priority date	Jun 3, 2015
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A voltage regulator may be tuned to reduce consumption of electrical power. An installed configuration of a dual inline memory module is used to load test the voltage regulator. Results of the load test may then reveal tuning parameters that make the voltage regulator more efficient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by an information handling system, an installed configuration associated with a dual inline memory module;
querying, by the information handling system, an electronic database for the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module, the electronic database having electronic database associations between different configurations of the dual inline memory module and different load tests for a voltage regulator;
retrieving, by the information handling system, one of the different load tests having a database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module; and
load testing, by the information handling system, the voltage regulator according to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining an output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising retrieving a voltage offset that corresponds to the output current.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising retrieving a slope of a load line that corresponds to the output current.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining an output voltage produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising retrieving a voltage offset that corresponds to the output voltage.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising retrieving a slope of a load line that corresponds to the output voltage.

8. An information handling system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining an installed configuration associated with a dual inline memory module;
querying an electronic database for the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module, the electronic database having electronic database associations between different configurations of the dual inline memory module and different load tests for a voltage regulator;
retrieving one of the different load tests having a database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module; and
load testing the voltage regulator according to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise determining an output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a voltage offset that corresponds to the output current.

11. The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a slope of a load line that corresponds to the output current.

12. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise determining an output voltage produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module.

13. The information handling system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a voltage offset that corresponds to the output voltage.

14. The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a slope of a load line that corresponds to the output voltage.

15. An information handling system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
determining an installed configuration associated with a dual inline memory module;
querying an electronic database for the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module, the electronic database having electronic database associations between different configurations of the dual inline memory module and different load tests for a voltage regulator;
retrieving one of the different load tests having a database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module;
load testing the voltage regulator according to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module;
determining an output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test having the database association to the installed configuration associated with the dual inline memory module;
querying another electronic database for the output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test, the another electronic database associating different ranges of currents to different operational configurations for the voltage regulator;
retrieving an operational configuration for the voltage regulator that corresponds with the output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test; and
tuning the voltage regulator according to the operational configuration.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a voltage offset that corresponds to the output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test.

17. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise retrieving a slope of a load line that corresponds to the output current produced by the voltage regulator in response to the load test.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Luo Shiguo
• Johnson Iii Ralph H
• Jenne John E

Classifications

• G06F1/3275 Primary

  Power saving in memory, e.g. RAM, cache · CPC title

• G06F1/26 Primary

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• G06F17/30424

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F1/32

  Means for saving power · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title