WO2025002191A1 - Power supply method for computer system, and related apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of computers. Disclosed are a power supply method for a computer system, and a related apparatus. The method comprises: when a power supply circuit supplies power to an electric device at a first voltage, a sensor in a computer system collecting power supply parameters which indicate the degree of aging of the computer system; and according to the power supply parameters, controlling the power supply circuit to output a second voltage, so as to supply power to the electric device at the second voltage. The degree of aging of a computer system is estimated in real time, and a power supply voltage of an electric device is dynamically and accurately controlled in real time according to the degree of aging of the computer system, so as to avoid continuously supplying power to the electric device at a fixed voltage, thereby effectively reducing the electric energy consumption, improving the energy efficiency of the electric device, and prolonging the service life of the electric device.

Description

Power supply method and related device for computer system

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on June 28, 2023, with application number 202310782507.6 and application name “A power supply control method”. This application also claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 4, 2023, with application number 202311138811.3 and application name “Power supply method and related device for computer system”. All of these contents are incorporated by reference in this application.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of computers, and in particular to a power supply method, a controller, a mainboard, a computer device and a computer system.

Background Art

At present, the integrated circuits, processors, and memories in the computer system are powered by a fixed voltage to support the normal operation of the computer system. For example, the power supply voltage is higher than the voltage required by the power supply device, that is, the power supply voltage is higher than the voltage required by the power supply device. However, continuously powering the power supply device with a voltage higher than the voltage required by the power supply device will lead to energy waste and accelerate the aging of the power supply device. Therefore, how to reduce power consumption, improve the energy efficiency of power supply devices, and extend the life of power supply devices has become an urgent problem to be solved.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a power supply method, a controller, a mainboard, a computer device and a computer system for a computer system, thereby reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of electrical components and extending the life of electrical components.

In a first aspect, a power supply method for a computer system is provided, wherein the computer system includes a controller, at least one sensor, a power supply circuit, and an electrical device. The controller is respectively connected to the power supply circuit and the at least one sensor, the power supply circuit is connected to the electrical device, and the method is executed by the controller. The method includes: when the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at a first voltage, the sensor in the computer system collects power supply parameters indicating the aging degree of the computer system, controls the power supply circuit to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameters, and supplies power to the electrical device at the second voltage.

Compared with the solution of continuously supplying power to devices at a voltage higher than that required by the devices, the solution provided in the present application estimates the degree of aging of the computer system in real time, and accurately controls the power supply voltage of the electrical devices in real time and dynamically according to the degree of aging of the computer system, thereby avoiding continuously supplying power to the electrical devices at a fixed voltage, thereby effectively reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of the electrical devices, and delaying the life of the electrical devices.

In a possible implementation manner, the at least one sensor includes a first sensor disposed around the electrical device, and the power supply parameter includes a first power supply parameter of the electrical device collected by the first sensor.

Therefore, sensors are set around electrical devices to collect power supply parameters of the electrical devices, and the aging degree of the electrical devices is estimated in real time based on the power supply parameters of the electrical devices. The power supply voltage of the electrical devices is accurately controlled in real time and dynamically according to the aging degree of the electrical devices, so as to avoid continuously supplying power to the electrical devices with a fixed voltage, thereby effectively reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of electrical devices and delaying the life of electrical devices.

In another possible implementation manner, the at least one sensor includes a second sensor disposed around the power supply circuit, and the power supply parameter includes a second power supply parameter of the power supply circuit collected by the second sensor.

Therefore, sensors are arranged around the power supply circuit to collect power supply parameters of the power supply circuit. The impact of the aging degree of the power supply circuit on the electrical devices is estimated in real time based on the power supply parameters of the power supply circuit. The power supply voltage of the electrical devices is accurately controlled dynamically in real time according to the aging degree of the power supply circuit to avoid continuously supplying power to the electrical devices with a fixed voltage, thereby effectively reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of electrical devices and delaying the life of electrical devices.

In another possible implementation, the power supply parameter includes at least one of humidity, temperature, power or working time.

In another possible implementation manner, the power supply parameter further includes at least one of an external environment parameter of the electrical device or an external environment parameter of the power supply circuit.

In another possible implementation, controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameter includes: controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameter. The first voltage is adjusted to obtain a second voltage, and the power supply circuit is controlled to output the second voltage.

In another possible implementation, adjusting the first voltage according to the power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage includes: adjusting the first voltage according to the voltage adjustment value corresponding to the power supply parameter to obtain an intermediate voltage; and obtaining the second voltage according to the intermediate voltage and a voltage margin value.

Therefore, the current voltage of the electrical device is adjusted based on the voltage margin value to ensure the power supply demand of the electrical device and the normal operation of the electrical device.

In another possible implementation, controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to power supply parameters includes: controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to external parameters and power supply parameters, wherein the external parameters include at least one of power supply requirements, supply voltage variation trend, or expected life span of electrical devices.

Thus, the current voltage adjusted based on the external parameters ensures the power supply demand of the electrical device and the normal operation of the electrical device.

In another possible implementation, the electrical device includes at least one of a processor, a memory, or a peripheral device.

Optionally, the electrical device may also be an electronic component inside the processor.

In a second aspect, a power supply device is provided, the power supply device comprising modules for executing the power supply method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect. For example, the power supply device comprises a communication module and a control module.

For example, the communication module is used to obtain a power supply parameter collected by at least one sensor, and the power supply parameter is used to indicate the aging degree of the computer system.

The control module is used to control the power supply circuit to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameters, and supply power to the electrical device with the second voltage.

Optionally, the control module is specifically configured to adjust the first voltage according to a power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage, and control the power supply circuit to output the second voltage.

In a third aspect, a controller is provided, which is used to execute the operating steps of the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to control the power supply voltage of electrical components as the aging degree of the computer system changes.

In a fourth aspect, a mainboard is provided, which includes a power supply circuit, an electrical device, at least one sensor, a memory and a controller, wherein the sensor is used to obtain power supply parameters collected by at least one sensor, the memory is used to store the power supply parameters, and the controller is used to execute the operating steps of the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to control the voltage supplied by the power supply circuit to the electrical device.

In a fifth aspect, a computer device is provided, comprising the mainboard as described in the fourth aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a computer system is provided, which includes a power supply device and a computer device as described in the fifth aspect, the power supply device is used to supply power to the computer device, and the computer device is used to execute the operating steps of the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect to control the voltage of the powered circuit to supply power to the electrical device.

In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: computer software instructions; when the computer software instructions are executed in a processor, the processor executes the operating steps of the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the operation steps of the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

The technical effects brought about by any design method in the second to eighth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by the first aspect or different design methods in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

Based on the implementations provided in the above aspects, this application can also be further combined to provide more implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a computer system provided by the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a power supply circuit and a voltage control circuit provided by the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a power supply circuit and a voltage control circuit provided by the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a power supply circuit and an electrical device provided by the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a power supply method for a computer system provided in the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a power supply parameter and a voltage provided in the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of another power supply method for a computer system provided by the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a power supply device provided in the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To facilitate understanding, the main terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained.

Power Supply Unit (PSU): A power supply mounted on a printed circuit board. Power supply modules are used to provide power to various devices in a computer system. Devices include, but are not limited to, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microprocessors, memories, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and other digital or analog loads.

Voltage: It can also be called potential difference or electric potential difference. It is a physical quantity that measures the energy difference caused by different electric potentials of unit charges in an electrostatic field.

Voltage Regulator Module (VRM): used to control the DC-DC conversion circuit on the motherboard to provide a stable voltage for electrical devices. The power supply circuit formulated according to the VRM standard can meet the requirements of different processors, reduce the complexity of manual intervention, and simplify the voltage control design of the voltage stabilization circuit.

Power: A physical quantity used to indicate the work done by an object in a unit of time, that is, power represents the speed of an object doing work. The unit of power is watt (W), abbreviated as W. Power can be represented by P, P = W/t, W represents work, the unit of work is joule, t represents unit time, and the unit of t is second (S).

Energy efficiency: Also known as energy efficiency, it refers to the ratio of the amount of energy that works to the amount of energy actually consumed in energy utilization. The higher the energy efficiency, the more energy-saving it is. For example, if an air conditioner can consume less electricity to provide a stronger cooling effect, it means that the air conditioner is more energy-saving and has a higher energy efficiency.

Aging: refers to the phenomenon that materials gradually deteriorate and lose their value due to the combined effects of internal and external factors. Aging is an irreversible change. For example, during the use of polymer materials, due to the combined effects of environmental factors such as heat, oxygen, water, light, microorganisms, and chemical media, the chemical composition and structure of polymer materials undergo a series of changes, and the physical properties also deteriorate accordingly, such as hardening, stickiness, brittleness, discoloration, and loss of strength. These changes and phenomena are called aging.

During the operation of computer equipment, the electronic components in the computer equipment also age. The aging of electronic components can lead to the performance degradation of computer equipment (such as the decrease of the capacitance value of capacitors and the increase of the resistance value), increase of the failure rate, and even the failure of electronic components (such as the failure of transistors and diodes). Therefore, the aging of electronic components is of great significance to improving the reliability and stability of computer equipment.

The causes of aging of electronic components include the following.

1. Changes in the internal structure of electronic components.

As electronic components are used for a longer time, their internal structures change, and these changes can affect their performance, such as metal surface oxidation, dielectric aging, loose solder joints, etc. Changes in the internal structures of electronic components can cause the temperature of electronic components to rise, affecting the stability of electronic equipment.

2. Temperature changes and humidity changes.

Temperature change and humidity change are one of the important factors in the aging of electronic components. In a high temperature and high humidity environment, the internal structure of electronic components will change, leading to the aging of electronic components.

3. Voltage changes and current changes.

During the operation of computer equipment, voltage changes and current changes can also cause electronic components to age. For example, electronic components that are exposed to high voltage and high current for a long time are prone to damage.

In order to solve the problem of continuously supplying power to electrical devices at a voltage higher than that required by the electrical devices, resulting in energy waste and accelerated aging of the electrical devices. The present application provides a power supply method for a computer system, that is, when the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical devices at a first voltage, a sensor in the computer system collects power supply parameters indicating the aging degree of the computer system, controls the power supply circuit to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameters, and supplies power to the electrical devices at the second voltage. By estimating the aging degree of the computer system in real time, the supply voltage (supply voltage) of the electrical devices is accurately controlled in real time and dynamically according to the aging degree of the computer system, avoiding continuous power supply to the electrical devices at a fixed voltage, thereby effectively reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of the electrical devices, delaying the life of the electrical devices, and improving the reliability and stability of computer equipment.

The power supply method of the computer system provided by the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a computer system provided by the present application. As shown in FIG1, the computer system 100 includes a voltage control circuit 110, an electrical device 120, and a power supply circuit 130. The voltage control circuit 110, the electrical device 120, and the power supply circuit 130 are connected to each other. For example, the voltage control circuit 110, the electrical device 120, and the power supply circuit 130 are connected to each other via a bus. The bus may include a path for connecting the above components (such as the electrical The bus may be a PCIe bus, an I2C bus, a PMBus bus, an AVS bus, or the like.

The electrical device 120 includes electronic components used for data processing or communication in a computer system, such as a processor, a memory and a memory unit (also referred to as a main memory unit), a network adapter (such as a network interface card (NIC), an intelligent network interface card (iNIC)), etc. The processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a data processing unit (DPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an embedded neural network processor (NPU), etc., such as an XPU used for data processing.

Optionally, the electrical device 120 may also refer to electronic components in chips such as processors, memories, and memory units. Alternatively, the electrical device 120 may be a circuit board powered by multiple power supplies. The present application does not limit the specific form of the electrical device. The electrical device may also be referred to as an electrical unit.

For ease of description, the following embodiments are described by taking the electrical device 120 as a CPU as an example.

The power supply circuit 130 is used to adjust the voltage provided by the power module to supply power to the power-consuming device 120. The power module can be arranged in the computer system 100 or outside the computer system 100.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , the power supply circuit 130 includes a voltage regulation module 131 , a voltage conversion module 132 , and a voltage filtering module 133 .

The voltage regulating module 131 is used to control the voltage converting module 132 to provide a stable DC voltage for the electrical device 120 .

The voltage conversion module 132 is used to convert the DC voltage provided by the voltage regulation module 131 into the DC voltage required by the electrical device 120. The voltage conversion module 132 may include power field effect transistors and inductors. The number of power field effect transistors and inductors included in the voltage conversion module 132 is not limited.

The voltage filter module 133 is used to filter out interference components such as clutter and noise in the voltage signal input to the electrical device 120, output a stable DC voltage signal, and ensure the normal operation of the electrical device 120. Wherein, the voltage filter module 133 may include capacitors and inductors. The filter network composed of capacitors and inductors filters out the high-frequency components in the voltage signal and retains the output of low-frequency components. The capacitor can filter out the high-frequency noise in the voltage signal through the accumulation and release of the voltage, while the inductor can pass the low-frequency components through its self-inductance, thereby avoiding voltage instability. According to specific design requirements, a single voltage filter module or a plurality of voltage filter modules can be used in combination to achieve better filtering effect. For example, the voltage filter module includes a low-pass filter, a band-pass filter and a band-stop filter.

The voltage control circuit 110 is used to monitor the aging degree of the computer system 100 in real time, and dynamically control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the electrical device 120 in real time according to the aging degree of the computer system 100 .

In some embodiments, since the reasons for the aging of electronic components in a computer system are different, resulting in different degrees of aging of electronic components, the computer system can be divided into multiple ranges or multiple areas, and the aging degrees of different ranges or different areas can be monitored respectively. Thus, the power supply voltage of the electrical components can be accurately controlled in real time and dynamically, reducing power consumption, improving the energy efficiency of the electrical components, and extending the life of the electrical components, thereby improving the reliability and stability of computer equipment.

The voltage control circuit 110 can monitor the aging degree of different ranges in the computer system 100, and control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the electrical device 120 according to the aging degree of different ranges. The aging degree of different ranges can refer to the aging degree of different ranges in the power supply path. The power supply path can refer to the path composed of the power supply circuit to the electrical device. The power supply path includes at least the power supply circuit and the electrical device.

For example, the voltage control circuit 110 monitors the aging degree of the electrical device 120 , and uses the aging degree of the electrical device 120 as the aging degree of the computer system 100 , and dynamically controls the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the electrical device 120 in real time.

For another example, the voltage control circuit 110 also monitors the aging degree of the power supply circuit 130 , and uses the aging degree of the power supply circuit 130 as the aging degree of the computer system 100 , and dynamically controls the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the electrical device 120 in real time.

For another example, the voltage control circuit 110 dynamically controls the supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the power device 120 in real time based on the aging degree of the power device 120 and the aging degree of the power supply circuit 130 as the aging degree of the computer system 100 .

For example, as shown in FIG2 , the voltage control circuit 110 includes a controller 111 and at least one sensor 112. The controller 111 The power supply circuit 130 and the at least one sensor 112 are connected respectively. The at least one sensor 112 may be disposed around the power supply circuit 130 and the electric device 120.

The controller 111 may be other general processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), systems on chip (SoC), complex programmable logical devices (CPLD) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general processor may be a microprocessor or a microcontroller unit (MCU) or any conventional processor, etc.

At least one sensor 112 is used to collect power supply parameters of the computer system 100, and the power supply parameters are used to indicate the aging degree of the computer system 100. For example, at least one sensor 112 is used to monitor the power supply parameters of the power supply circuit 130 and the power supply parameters of the electrical device 120.

The controller 111 is used to control the output voltage of the power supply circuit 130 according to the power supply parameters, and to supply power to the electrical device 120 with the output voltage of the power supply circuit 130 .

Optionally, the voltage control circuit 110 further includes a memory 113. The memory 113 is used to store the power supply parameters collected by the sensor 112 and the current voltage of the electrical device 120. For example, the memory 113 can be a flash memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROM), a hard disk or other storage media.

For example, as shown in FIG3 , assuming that the power device 120 is a CPU, the controller 111 is an MCU, the voltage conversion module 132 includes a voltage output device and an inductor, and the voltage filtering module 133 includes a capacitor. The voltage output device can be implemented by a driver and metal oxide silicon field effect transistor module (Driver and Metal Oxide Silicon Field Effect Transistors Module, DRMOS), which is a voltage regulator module (VRM) using an external pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller in a buck configuration.

A sensor 1 is arranged around the DRMOS, a sensor 2 is arranged around the capacitor, and a sensor 3 is arranged inside the CPU.

The controller 111 is connected to the sensor 1 , the sensor 2 , and the sensor 3 respectively through the I2C bus.

The controller 111 is connected to the voltage regulation module 131 via the power management bus (PMBus).

The sensor 1 is used to collect power supply parameters of the electronic components included in the power supply circuit 130. For example, the sensor 1 collects the temperature, humidity and power of the DRMOS.

Sensor 2 is a temperature sensor, which is used to collect the average temperature of the board-level filter capacitor. For example, sensor 2 collects the board-level filter capacitor in a preset period of time and calculates the average temperature of the board-level filter capacitor.

The sensor 3 is used to collect the power and temperature of the electrical device 120 when it is running.

Optionally, the electrical device 120 feeds back the current voltage of the electrical device 120 to the voltage regulating module 131. This allows the controller 111 to obtain the current voltage of the electrical device 120 and the power supply parameters collected by the sensor, and dynamically control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 130 to the electrical device 120 in real time. The current voltage may be a voltage peak value under the actual service state of the electrical device.

The present application does not limit the arrangement of the sensors and the number of sensors.

In some embodiments, the sensor may be connected to the device, or the sensor may not be connected to the device. For example, the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor may not be connected to the device, but may be arranged around the device to collect the temperature and humidity in the environment around the device. For another example, the power sensor is connected to the device to collect the power of the device.

Optionally, the sensor may be disposed in the device or outside the sensor. For example, the processor includes a sensor, and the sensor inside the processor is reused to collect the power, temperature and humidity of the processor.

In some embodiments, each electronic component and electrical device in the power supply circuit can share a sensor, and the sensor is used to collect power supply parameters of each electronic component and electrical device in the power supply circuit. For example, a temperature sensor is used to collect the temperature of each electronic component and electrical device in the power supply circuit.

Alternatively, each electronic component and electrical device in the power supply circuit is connected to a sensor, and each sensor collects the power supply parameters of the device connected to it. For example, each electronic component in the power supply circuit is connected to a power sensor to collect the power of the electronic component in the power supply circuit; and the electrical device is connected to a power sensor to collect the power of the electrical device.

Alternatively, the sensor shared by each electronic component and electrical device in the power supply circuit can be a comprehensive sensor that can collect power supply parameters such as temperature, humidity, and power.

The present application does not limit the connection method between the power supply circuit and the electrical device, nor the number of electrical devices supplied by the power supply circuit. One power supply circuit can be connected to one or more electrical devices to supply power to one or more electrical devices. In addition, the present application does not limit the number of voltage control circuits, nor the number of sensors included in the voltage control circuit. One voltage control circuit can be set for each power supply circuit and electrical device, or one voltage control circuit can be set for multiple power supply circuits and electrical devices.

For example, as shown in (a) in FIG4 , three power supply circuits are respectively connected to an electrical device. Each power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device to which it is connected. Power supply circuit 1 is connected to electrical device 1 to supply power to the electrical device 1 to which it is connected. Voltage control circuit 1 is respectively connected to power supply circuit 1 and electrical device 1. Voltage control circuit 1 is used to monitor the aging degree of electrical device 1 in real time, and dynamically control the supply voltage provided by power supply circuit 1 to electrical device 1 in real time according to the aging degree of electrical device 1. The explanation of voltage control circuit 2 and voltage control circuit 3 refers to the explanation of voltage control circuit 1 and will not be repeated here.

As shown in (b) of FIG4 , the voltage control circuit 1 is respectively connected to the power supply circuit 1, the power supply circuit 2, the power supply circuit 3, the electric device 1, the electric device 2 and the electric device 3. The voltage control circuit 1 is used to monitor the aging degree of the electric device 1, the aging degree of the electric device 2 and the aging degree of the electric device 3 in real time, and dynamically control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 1 to the electric device 1 according to the aging degree of the electric device 1, dynamically control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 2 to the electric device 2 according to the aging degree of the electric device 2, and dynamically control the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 3 to the electric device 3 according to the aging degree of the electric device 3.

As shown in (c) of FIG. 4 , one power supply circuit is connected to three electrical devices. Among them, the multiple electrical devices connected to one power supply circuit may belong to the same module or different modules. For example, the power supply circuit 1 is connected to different electronic components in the processor 1, and the power supply circuit 1 can provide the required voltages to different electronic components in the processor 1. The voltage control circuit 1 is connected to the power supply circuit 1 and the processor 1. The voltage control circuit 1 controls the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 1 to different electronic components in the processor 1 in real time and dynamically according to the aging degree of different electronic components in the processor 1. Optionally, since the power supply circuit 1 supplies power to different electronic components in the processor 1, when the voltage control circuit 1 regulates the voltage of each electronic component, the power supply voltage provided by the power supply circuit 1 to the electronic component is controlled in real time and dynamically according to the aging degree of the electronic component and the aging degree of the power supply circuit 1.

FIG1 only takes a computer system 100 including a voltage control circuit 110, an electrical device 120 and a power supply circuit 130 as an example. Here, the voltage control circuit 110 and the electrical device 120 are respectively used to indicate a type of device or equipment. In a specific embodiment, the number of each type of device or equipment can be determined according to business requirements.

A power supply method for a computer system provided by the present application is described below in conjunction with Figure 5, as shown in Figure 5. Here, the voltage control circuit 110 shown in the computer system shown in Figure 1 controls the power supply circuit 130 to supply power to the electrical device 120 as an example.

Step 510: When the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at a first voltage, the controller obtains a power supply parameter collected by at least one sensor.

The first voltage refers to the current voltage of the electrical device or the real-time voltage supplied to the electrical device. When the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device for the first time, the first voltage may refer to the real-time voltage that the power supply circuit initially supplies power to the electrical device. For example, the power supply circuit may supply power to the electrical device based on the initial voltage, and the first voltage is the initial voltage. The initial voltage may be a system default voltage or a pre-configured voltage. Alternatively, the initial voltage may refer to the voltage required when the electrical device is not aged. For another example, the power supply circuit may supply power to the electrical device based on the initial voltage and the first voltage margin value, and the first voltage may be the sum of the initial voltage and the first voltage margin value. Thus, an additional margin voltage is provided to the electrical device to ensure the voltage required by the electrical device, thereby avoiding the phenomenon that the performance of the electrical device is reduced, and the reliability and stability are reduced due to the voltage supplied by the power supply circuit being lower than the voltage required by the electrical device.

After the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device for the first time, the controller can obtain the power supply parameters collected by at least one sensor, and control the voltage of the power supply circuit to the electrical device according to the power supply parameters, that is, adjust the voltage of the power supply to the electrical device according to the power supply parameters. Then, after the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device for the first time, the first voltage can refer to any real-time voltage after the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device.

The power supply parameters are used to indicate the aging degree of the computer system. The controller obtains the power supply parameters collected by the sensor and uses the power supply parameters collected by the sensor to sense the aging degree of the computer system.

Since the causes of computer system aging include changes in the internal structure, temperature, humidity, voltage and current of the electronic components in the computer system, the power supply parameters include but are not limited to: humidity, temperature, power, voltage, current, working hours, etc. Humidity can refer to the temperature of the electronic components themselves or the temperature of the external environment of the electronic components. Temperature can refer to the temperature of the electronic components themselves or the temperature of the external environment of the electronic components. Power can refer to the power of the electronic components. Voltage can refer to the power of the electronic components. The current voltage of the device. The current may refer to the current current of the electronic component. The working time may refer to the cumulative power-on time of the electronic component. That is, there is no need to time the power-off time of the electronic component, only the power-on time of the electronic component needs to be timed, and the working time may refer to the total power-on time of the electronic component.

For example, the controller obtains power supply parameters collected by a first sensor set in a cycle of the electrical device, where the power supply parameters include a first power supply parameter of the electrical device collected by the first sensor.

For another example, the controller obtains power supply parameters collected by a second sensor set in a power supply circuit cycle, and the power supply parameters include second power supply parameters of the power supply circuit collected by the second sensor. For example, the power supply circuit includes a voltage regulation module, a voltage conversion module, and a voltage filtering module. The second power supply parameters of the power supply circuit include power supply parameters of the voltage regulation module, power supply parameters of the voltage conversion module, and power supply parameters of the voltage filtering module.

Optionally, the temperature in the power supply parameter may include at least one of the temperature of the electrical device, the temperature of the power supply circuit, the temperature of the external environment of the electrical device, or the temperature of the external environment of the power supply circuit.

Optionally, the humidity in the power supply parameter may include at least one of the humidity of the electrical device, the humidity of the power supply circuit, the humidity of the external environment of the electrical device, or the humidity of the external environment of the power supply circuit.

Step 520: The controller controls the power supply circuit to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameter.

The controller adjusts the first voltage according to the power supply parameters to obtain the second voltage, that is, adjusts the current voltage of the electrical device according to the power supply parameters to obtain the second voltage, and controls the power supply circuit to output the second voltage. The second voltage refers to the adjusted voltage. Since the longer the working time of the electrical device, the more obvious the aging phenomenon of the electrical device, and the higher the voltage required by the electrical device, the second voltage adjusted according to the power supply parameters can be greater than the first voltage. It can be understood that the first voltage adjusted by the controller for the i-th time is the second voltage obtained after the i-1-th adjustment.

The following is an example of how to adjust the power supply voltage of an electrical device.

In a first approach, a controller obtains a voltage adjustment value corresponding to a power supply parameter, and adjusts the first voltage according to the voltage adjustment value to obtain a second voltage.

The controller obtains the aging-voltage correspondence, queries the aging-voltage correspondence according to the power supply parameters collected by the sensor, determines the voltage adjustment value corresponding to the power supply parameters in the correspondence, and adjusts the first voltage according to the voltage adjustment value to obtain the second voltage.

The aging-voltage correspondence is used to indicate the correspondence between the aging data and the voltage adjustment value. The aging data includes data related to the aging cause. For example, the aging data includes at least one of temperature, humidity, power, voltage, or working time.

The aging-voltage correspondence relationship may be stored in a memory in a computer system or in a memory in the voltage control circuit described in the above embodiment.

For example, the aging-voltage correspondence is stored for device types. The device types include, but are not limited to, processors, memories, network cards, etc. The memory can store the aging-voltage correspondence of the processor, the aging-voltage correspondence of the memory, and the aging-voltage correspondence of the network card.

For another example, the aging-voltage correspondence relationship is stored for the device model. For different models of the same device, the memory can store the aging-voltage correspondence relationship of the same model of the device.

The memory is also used to store the power supply parameters collected by the sensor. For example, the memory stores the power supply parameters of each electronic component in the computer system collected by the sensor. The power supply parameters of the electronic components are used to indicate the working status of the electronic components, and the aging degree of the electronic components is estimated based on the power supply parameters of the electronic components.

The memory is also used to store the current voltage of the electrical device, that is, the first voltage of the electrical device, so that the controller can control the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameters.

This application does not limit the storage method of the aging-voltage correspondence relationship and the power supply parameter method.

For example, the aging-voltage correspondence and the power supply parameters are stored in a database manner. For another example, the aging-voltage correspondence and the power supply parameters are stored in a list manner.

For example, as shown in (a) of FIG6 , the power supply parameters include the working time and current voltage of the electrical device, and the aging data of the electrical device 1 collected by the sensor, and the aging data includes temperature, humidity and power collected at multiple times. As shown in (b) of FIG6 , it is a schematic diagram of the aging-voltage correspondence relationship. The working time refers to the working time of the electrical device. The current voltage refers to the current voltage of the electrical device. Device 1 may refer to the aging data of the electrical device. Device 2 may refer to the aging data of the power supply circuit.

Optionally, the power supply parameters and corresponding relationships may be recorded in a table for each device, as shown in Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1

As can be seen from Table 1, the power supply parameters of the electrical device 1 are recorded, including working time, current voltage, temperature, humidity and power. The power supply parameters of the electrical device 1 indicate the aging degree of the electrical device 1. The longer the working time of the electrical device 1, the more obvious the aging phenomenon of the electrical device 1, and the higher the voltage of the electrical device 1. For example, if t2 is greater than t1, then V2 is greater than V1. Among them, when the working time of the electrical device 1 is T1, the power supply parameters collected at time t1 are: the current voltage of the electrical device 1 is V1, the temperature is T1℃, the humidity is H1, and the power is P1.

Table 2

As can be seen from Table 2, the aging-voltage correspondence of the electrical device 1 is recorded, including the correspondence between the working time, the power supply parameters and the voltage adjustment value. For example, when the working time of the electrical device 1 is 100 hours and the power supply parameters collected by the sensor include temperature 1, humidity 1 and power 1, the voltage adjustment value is 1mv.

The aging-voltage correspondence relationship can be obtained based on an empirical value of the relationship between the aging process of the electrical device and the required voltage. For example, the relationship between the aging process of the electrical device and the required voltage can be obtained through testing.

It should be noted that Table 1 only illustrates the storage form of the corresponding relationship in the storage device in the form of a table, and does not limit the storage form of the corresponding relationship in the storage device. Of course, the storage form of the corresponding relationship in the storage device can also be stored in other forms, and this embodiment does not limit this.

For example, it is assumed that the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device with a first voltage, and the first voltage is the sum of the initial voltage required by the electrical device and the first voltage margin value. For example, V0=V-init+V-A, where V0 represents the first voltage, V-init represents the initial voltage, and V-A represents the first voltage margin value.

The controller obtains the power supply parameters of the electrical device and the power supply parameters of the power supply circuit collected by the sensor, determines the first voltage adjustment value according to the power supply parameters of the electrical device, and determines the second voltage adjustment value according to the power supply parameters of the power supply circuit. The voltage adjustment value of the first voltage adjusted by the controller includes the first voltage adjustment value and the second voltage adjustment value. For example, V-ex=V-ex-device 1+V-ex-device 2+…, wherein V-ex represents the voltage adjustment value, V-ex-device 1 represents the voltage adjustment value of device 1, V-ex-device 2 represents the voltage adjustment value of device 2, and V-ex-device 1, V-ex-device 2, etc. can be obtained by looking up the table. Device 1 is an electronic component in the electrical device. Device 2 can be an electronic component in the power supply circuit.

The controller obtains an adjusted voltage according to the voltage adjustment value and the initial voltage, and compares the adjusted voltage with the first voltage.

When the adjusted voltage is greater than the first voltage, it indicates that the first voltage cannot meet the voltage requirement of the electrical device and the power supply voltage of the electrical device needs to be increased. For example, the adjusted voltage and the second voltage margin value can be determined as the second voltage, that is, the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at the second voltage.

When the adjusted voltage is less than or equal to the first voltage, it means that the first voltage meets the voltage requirement of the electrical device, and the power supply voltage of the electrical device may be increased or not. For example, the adjusted voltage and the second voltage margin value may be determined as the second voltage, that is, the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at the second voltage.

For example, V1=Vinit+V-ex, V1 represents the adjusted voltage, V'=V0-V1=V-init+VA-Vinit+V-ex=VAV-ex, V' represents the difference between the adjusted voltage and the first voltage, if the difference is greater than 0, it means that the first voltage meets the voltage requirement of the electrical device, if the difference is less than or equal to 0, it means that the first voltage cannot meet the voltage requirement of the electrical device. VA represents the first voltage margin value.

Optionally, the controller adjusts the first voltage according to the voltage adjustment value corresponding to the power supply parameter to obtain an adjusted voltage; and obtains the second voltage according to the adjusted voltage and the second voltage margin value. Thus, it is ensured that the power supply voltage meets the voltage requirements of the electrical device. The second voltage margin value may be the same as or different from the first voltage margin value.

For example, when the difference between the adjusted voltage and the first voltage is less than the second voltage margin value, the second voltage is obtained according to the adjusted voltage and the second voltage margin value. For example, V'<=V-B, V2=Vinit+V-ex+V-B. V2 represents the second voltage. V-B represents the second voltage margin value.

In a second method, the controller predicts the voltage adjustment value or the second voltage based on the neural network model. For example, the neural network model is trained based on the empirical value of the relationship between the aging process of the electrical device and the required voltage, so that the neural network model has the function of adjusting the power supply voltage according to the power supply parameters. The obtained power supply parameters are input into the neural network model, and the voltage adjustment value is output. Alternatively, the obtained power supply parameters are input into the neural network model, and the second voltage is output.

In a third mode, the controller controls the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to external parameters and power supply parameters. The external parameters include at least one of power supply demand, power supply voltage change trend or life cycle.

For example, the controller adjusts the first voltage according to the power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage, and determines whether the second voltage meets the power supply requirement. When the second voltage meets the power supply requirement, the power supply circuit is controlled to supply power to the electrical device with the second voltage. When the second voltage does not meet the power supply requirement, the power supply circuit is controlled to supply power to the electrical device with the voltage indicated by the power supply requirement.

For another example, the controller uses a neural network model to predict the second voltage based on power supply parameters, supply voltage change trends, and the expected life of the electrical device. The supply voltage change trend can be estimated based on the historical supply voltage of the electrical device, and the required voltage can be supplied to the electrical device in advance to ensure stable power supply to the electrical device. The expected life of the electrical device can refer to the product service life of the electrical device. A higher supply voltage can be provided to the electrical device in the later stage of its product service life so that the electrical device can operate stably.

Step 530: The power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at the second voltage.

For example, the power supply circuit includes a voltage regulating module, a voltage conversion module and a voltage filtering module. The voltage regulating module controls the voltage conversion module to provide a stable second voltage for the electrical device. The voltage conversion module converts the DC voltage provided by the voltage regulating module into the second voltage required by the electrical device. The voltage filtering module filters out interference components such as clutter and noise in the second voltage input to the electrical device, and outputs a stable second voltage to ensure the normal operation of the electrical device.

It should be noted that, when the power supply circuit is controlled to supply power to the electrical device according to the power supply method provided by the present application, the electrical device is powered at the initial voltage in the early stage of the life cycle of the electrical device, and the power supply voltage in the early stage of the life cycle of the electrical device is lower than the power supply voltage of the electrical device powered at a fixed voltage, so as to avoid powering the electrical device with a voltage higher than the voltage required by the electrical device, which will lead to waste of electric energy and accelerate the aging of the electrical device. In addition, during the entire life cycle of the electrical device, the aging degree of the electrical device is evaluated, and the power supply voltage of the electrical device is accurately controlled in real time and dynamically according to the aging degree of the electrical device, so as to ensure that the power supply voltage of the electrical device meets the required voltage of the electrical device, and the power supply voltage of the non-electrical device is at a higher voltage. The power supply voltage at the end of the life cycle of the electrical device can be lower than the power supply voltage of the electrical device powered at a fixed voltage. For example, if the aging degree of any device in the power supply circuit and the electrical device is lower than the estimated aging degree, including but not limited to the power not being at full load, the temperature of the device being lower than the estimated temperature, etc., the power supply voltage at the end of the life cycle of the electrical device can be lower than the power supply voltage of the electrical device powered at a fixed voltage. Alternatively, the power supply voltage at the end of the life cycle of the electrical device can be equal to the power supply voltage of the electrical device at a fixed voltage. Thus, by optimizing the power supply voltage during the life cycle of the electrical device, the power consumption can be effectively reduced, the energy efficiency of the electrical device can be improved, the life of the electrical device can be extended, and the reliability and stability of the computer equipment can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of another method for powering a computer system provided in the present application.

The power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device with the initial voltage, and the electrical device is powered on (step 710). The controller obtains the power supply parameters collected by the sensor (step 720). The power supply parameters stored in the system are updated according to the power supply parameters collected by the sensor (step 730). The controller determines the adjusted voltage according to the power supply parameters (step 740). It is determined whether the adjusted voltage meets the safety threshold (such as the second voltage margin value mentioned above) (step 750). If the adjusted voltage meets the safety threshold, the power supply circuit is controlled to supply power to the electrical device with the adjusted voltage (step 760), the adjusted voltage is stored (step 770), and step 720 is continued; if the adjusted voltage does not meet the safety threshold, step 720 is continued. Alternatively, the adjusted voltage is increased, for example, the adjusted voltage is added to the second voltage margin value to obtain the second voltage, and the electrical device is powered with the second voltage.

For example, assuming that the initial voltage of the electrical device is 1.0V, the power supply voltage V0 provided by the power supply circuit to the electrical device in the traditional solution is 1.15V. In the solution provided by the present application, the power supply circuit provides the electrical device with a power supply voltage V0=1.01V, and then gradually increases the power supply voltage as the power supply circuit and the electrical device age. At the end of the life cycle of the electrical device, the power supply voltage of the electrical device is The voltage can reach V0 = 1.13 V. Compared with the traditional solution, the power supply voltage is reduced by 80mV on average during the life cycle of the power-consuming device, which is equivalent to improving the power supply efficiency of the power-consuming device by 7%.

The power supply method for a computer system described in the present application can be applied to any power supply system, such as computing nodes, servers, personal computers, and other systems in a data center.

The power supply circuit described in the present application may be a power supply circuit for any electrical device in the system.

The voltage control circuit described in the present application may be a circuit independent of the power supply circuit and the electrical device, or may be integrated inside the electrical device, inside the power module, or inside the voltage regulation module, etc.

The sensors described in this application are not limited to temperature sensors, power sensors, and voltage sensors. All sensors that can be used to evaluate device aging or lifespan can be integrated into this system.

It is understandable that, in order to implement the functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, the controller includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

The power supply method for the computer system provided according to the present embodiment is described in detail above in conjunction with FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 . The power supply device provided according to the present embodiment will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 8 .

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible power supply device provided in this embodiment. These power supply devices can be used to implement the functions of the controller in the above method embodiment, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment. In this embodiment, the power supply device can be a controller as shown in FIG2, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the controller.

As shown in Fig. 8, the power supply device 800 includes a communication module 810, a control module 820 and a storage module 830. The power supply device 800 is used to implement the function of the controller in the method embodiment shown in Fig. 5 above.

The communication module 810 is used to obtain power supply parameters collected by at least one sensor, and the power supply parameters are used to indicate the aging degree of the computer system. For example, the communication module 810 is used to execute step 510 in FIG. 5 .

The control module 820 is used to control the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameter, and to supply power to the electrical device with the second voltage. For example, the control module 820 is used to execute step 520 in FIG. 5 .

Optionally, the control module 820 is specifically configured to adjust the first voltage according to a power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage, and control the power supply circuit to output the second voltage.

The storage module 830 is used to store power supply parameters and a first voltage of the electrical device, so that the control module 820 controls the power supply circuit to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameters and supplies power to the electrical device with the second voltage.

It should be understood that the power supply device 800 of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), and the PLD can be a complex programmable logical device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof. The power supply shown in FIG. 5 can also be implemented by software, and its various modules can also be software modules, and the power supply device 800 and its various modules can also be software modules.

According to the embodiment of the present application, the power supply device 800 may correspond to executing the method described in the embodiment of the present application, and the above-mentioned and other operations and/or functions of each unit in the power supply device 800 are respectively for realizing the corresponding processes of each method in Figure 5, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

The present application also provides a mainboard, including: a power supply circuit, an electrical device, at least one sensor, a memory and a controller; wherein the sensor is used to obtain power supply parameters collected by at least one sensor, the memory is used to store the power supply parameters, and the controller is used to execute the operating steps of the methods described in the above embodiments to achieve control of the voltage supplied by the power supply circuit to the electrical device.

The present application also provides a computer system, which includes a power supply device and a computer device, and the computer device is used to execute the operating steps of the methods described in the above embodiments.

The method steps in this embodiment can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, CD-ROMs, etc. Or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a computing device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist in a computing device as discrete components.

In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instruction may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape; it may also be an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc (DVD); it may also be a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid state drive (SSD). The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (12)

A power supply method for a computer system, characterized in that the computer system comprises a controller, at least one sensor, a power supply circuit and an electrical device, the controller is respectively connected to the power supply circuit and the at least one sensor, the power supply circuit is connected to the electrical device, the method is executed by the controller, and the method comprises: When the power supply circuit supplies power to the electrical device at a first voltage, obtaining a power supply parameter collected by the at least one sensor, wherein the power supply parameter is used to indicate the aging degree of the computer system; The power supply circuit is controlled to output a second voltage according to the power supply parameter, and the electrical device is powered by the second voltage. The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the at least one sensor includes a first sensor arranged around the electrical device, and the power supply parameter includes a first power supply parameter of the electrical device collected by the first sensor. The method according to claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the at least one sensor includes a second sensor arranged around the power supply circuit, and the power supply parameter includes a second power supply parameter of the power supply circuit collected by the second sensor. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameter comprises: The first voltage is adjusted according to the power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage, and the power supply circuit is controlled to output the second voltage. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that adjusting the first voltage according to the power supply parameter to obtain the second voltage comprises: Adjusting the first voltage according to the voltage adjustment value corresponding to the power supply parameter to obtain an intermediate voltage; The second voltage is obtained according to the intermediate voltage and the voltage margin value. The method according to any one of claims 1-5 is characterized in that the power supply parameter includes at least one of humidity, temperature, power or working time. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is characterized in that the power supply parameters also include at least one of the external environmental parameters of the electrical device or the external environmental parameters of the power supply circuit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that controlling the power supply circuit to output the second voltage according to the power supply parameter comprises: The power supply circuit is controlled to output a second voltage according to external parameters and the power supply parameters, wherein the external parameters include at least one of power supply requirements, supply voltage variation trends, or expected lifespans of electrical devices. A controller, characterized in that the controller is used to execute the operating steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 to achieve controlling the voltage supplied by a power supply circuit to an electrical device. A mainboard, characterized in that the mainboard includes a power supply circuit, an electrical device, at least one sensor, a memory and a controller, the sensor is used to obtain power supply parameters collected by the at least one sensor, the memory is used to store the power supply parameters, and the controller is used to execute the operating steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 to achieve control of the voltage supplied by the power supply circuit to the electrical device. A computer device, characterized in that the computer device comprises the mainboard as claimed in claim 10. A computer system, characterized in that the computer system comprises a power supply device and a computer device as described in claim 11, the power supply device is used to supply power to the computer device, and the computer device is used to execute the operating steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 to control the voltage of the power supply to the computer device.