CN115373508A

CN115373508A - Electronic equipment and method and device for adjusting output voltage of power supply of electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN115373508A
Application number: CN202110538631.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘造
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-05-18
Filing date: 2021-05-18
Publication date: 2022-11-22

Abstract

The application provides electronic equipment and a method and a device for adjusting output voltage of a power supply of the electronic equipment, and belongs to the technical field of electronics. In the scheme provided by the application, the power supply can output a higher first voltage first, and the controller can control the output voltage of the power supply to be reduced to a second voltage when detecting that the under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold. Because the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply in the electronic equipment can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Description

Electronic equipment and method and device for adjusting output voltage of power supply of electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of electronic technologies, and in particular, to an electronic device and a method and an apparatus for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply of the electronic device.

Background

The server comprises a power supply and a load, wherein the power supply is used for supplying power to the load so as to drive the load to work. The loads in the server can be generally divided into two types, wherein the first type of load generally includes a network card and a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), and the second type of load generally includes a processor, a memory, a fan, and the like.

When the server is in the working mode, the power supply in the server can respectively supply power for the two types of loads so as to drive the two types of loads to work. When the server is in a standby mode, the power supply stops supplying power to the second type of load and supplies power to only the first type of load. The voltage output by the power supply in the operating mode and the standby mode is the same, for example, 12 volts (V) each.

However, since the first type of load generally includes a load with a rated operating voltage less than 12V, the power supply continuously outputs a voltage of 12V in the operating mode and the standby mode, so that the loss of the power supply is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an electronic device and a method and a device for adjusting output voltage of a power supply of the electronic device, which can solve the technical problem of high loss of the power supply in the electronic device.

In one aspect, an electronic device is provided, which includes: a power supply, a controller and at least one first load; the power supply is respectively connected with the controller and at least one first load; the power supply is used for outputting a first voltage; the controller is used for acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load and controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage if the undervoltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold, wherein the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is larger than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load.

The controller can control the power supply to reduce the output voltage to the second voltage when detecting that the under-voltage point of each first load is low, namely, the power supply is controlled to enter the energy-saving mode. Because the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that at least one load can normally work.

The first load needs a rated supply voltage (also referred to as a rated voltage) to ensure that the first load operates, and the rated voltage is a voltage range. The brown-out point of the first load may refer to a minimum value of a rated voltage of the first load, or may be less than the minimum value of the rated voltage. Also, the undervoltage point of the first load may be a voltage value or may also be a voltage range.

Optionally, each first load in the electronic device may report feature information such as a model, a type, and/or a version of the first load to the controller, and the controller may determine the magnitude of the under-voltage point of the first load based on the feature information reported by the first load. For example, the controller stores in advance a corresponding relationship between the characteristic information of the load and the under-voltage point, and after receiving the characteristic information reported by the first load, the controller may obtain the under-voltage point corresponding to the characteristic information of the first load from the corresponding relationship.

Optionally, the controller may be a BMC, and the at least one first load may include a network card.

Optionally, the at least one first load may refer to a load of the electronic device, which is to be monitored for an under-voltage point. For example, if the under-voltage points of a certain load in the electronic device are different under different models or types or versions, the load is the first load to be monitored for the under-voltage point. If the undervoltage points of a certain load in the electronic equipment are the same in different models, the undervoltage points in different types and the undervoltage points in different versions, the load is the load without monitoring the undervoltage point, and correspondingly, the controller does not need to acquire the undervoltage point of the load.

It is understood that the first load may include a functional chip and/or a power supply circuit for supplying power to the functional chip, and the undervoltage point of the first load may refer to an undervoltage point of the functional chip or may refer to an undervoltage point of an input voltage of the power supply circuit.

Optionally, the controller is configured to send a first instruction to the power supply to modify a value of a register in the power supply if the brown-out point of each first load is less than the voltage threshold; the power supply is further configured to regulate the output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage based on the modified value of the register.

The voltage threshold may be a voltage value pre-stored in the controller, and the voltage threshold is smaller than the first voltage. The first instruction may be an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) instruction. The power supply may include a power supply control circuit and a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter, the power supply control circuit being connected to the controller and the DC/DC converter, respectively, the DC/DC converter being connected to the controller and the at least one first load, respectively. The power supply control circuit may adjust a duty ratio and/or a frequency of a driving signal for driving the DC/DC converter based on the modified value of the register to adjust the output voltage of the DC/DC converter to the second voltage.

Alternatively, the first instruction sent by the controller may be a hardware signal with a fixed level (e.g., a low level). A power control circuit in the power supply may adjust a duty cycle and/or frequency of a drive signal used to drive the DC/DC converter based on a change in a level of a pin to which the controller is connected (e.g., the level is changed from high to low) to adjust an output voltage of the DC/DC converter to a second voltage.

Optionally, the controller is specifically configured to obtain an undervoltage point of each first load when the electronic device is in the standby mode.

Since the power supply needs to supply power to at least one second load in the electronic device when the electronic device is in the operating mode, and the under-voltage point of the second load is usually high, the power supply needs to maintain a high output voltage, for example, the output voltage needs to be maintained at the first voltage when the electronic device is in the operating mode. When the electronic device is in the standby mode, the power supply does not need to supply power to the second load, so the controller can acquire the under-voltage point of the first load and determine whether to control the power supply to adjust the output voltage based on the magnitude of the under-voltage point of the first load.

Optionally, the controller is further configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage if it is determined that the electronic device needs to be switched to the operating mode.

When the electronic device is in the working mode, the power supply needs to supply power to at least one second load in the electronic device, and the undervoltage point of the second load is usually high. Therefore, before the electronic device switches to the operating mode, the controller needs to control the power supply to regulate the output voltage to the first voltage, i.e., control the power supply to exit the energy saving mode. Therefore, after the electronic equipment is switched to the working mode, the power supply can drive the at least one second load to work normally.

Optionally, the electronic device may further include: the power supply is also connected with the at least one second load through the switch; the controller may be further configured to control the switch to be turned off when the electronic device is in a standby mode, so as to power down the at least one second load; and if the electronic equipment is determined to be required to be switched to the working mode, controlling the switch to be closed so as to electrify the at least one second load.

Wherein the at least one second load may include: a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a memory, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a fan, and a power supply circuit (e.g., a DC/DC converter) of the second load.

Optionally, the power supply in the electronic device may include one DC/DC converter connected to the controller, the at least one first load, and the switch, respectively. That is, the power supply may supply power to the at least one first load and the at least one second load through one DC/DC converter, thereby effectively reducing the cost of the power supply.

Alternatively, the power supply in the electronic device may comprise two DC/DC converters, one of which is connected to the controller and the at least one first load, respectively, and the other of which is connected to the switch. That is, the at least one first load and the at least one second load may be supplied by two DC/DC converters, respectively. In the power supply mode, the controller can control the power supply to regulate the output voltage of the DC/DC converter supplying power to the first load no matter whether the electronic device is in the standby mode or the operating mode.

Optionally, a plurality of different voltage thresholds may be stored in the controller, each voltage threshold corresponding to an output voltage. If the controller detects that the under-voltage points of the at least one first load are all smaller than the target voltage threshold and not smaller than other voltage thresholds, or if the controller detects that the upper limit of the under-voltage point of the at least one first load is smaller than a plurality of candidate voltage thresholds and the difference between the upper limit and the target voltage threshold in the plurality of candidate voltage thresholds is minimum (i.e., is closest to the target voltage threshold), the controller may control the power supply to adjust the output voltage to the target output voltage corresponding to the target voltage threshold.

In another aspect, an electronic device is provided, including: a power supply, a controller and at least one first load; the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the power supply is used for outputting a second voltage; the controller is used for acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load and controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be a first voltage if the second voltage is smaller than the undervoltage point of any first load, wherein the first voltage is larger than the second voltage and is larger than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load.

In the scheme provided by the application, the power supply can output a lower second voltage firstly, and the controller can control the power supply to increase the output voltage when detecting that the second voltage is smaller than an under-voltage point of any first load, so as to ensure that the at least one first load can work normally. And if the controller determines that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the power supply does not need to be controlled to adjust the output voltage, namely, the power supply can keep the output voltage of the power supply to be the lower second voltage, so that the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

In another aspect, a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply is provided, and the method is applied to a controller in an electronic device, where the electronic device further includes a power supply and at least one first load, and the power supply is connected to the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps: acquiring an undervoltage point of each first load; and if the under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, controlling the power supply to regulate the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load.

Optionally, the process of controlling the power supply to regulate the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage may include: a first instruction is sent to the power supply, the first instruction being for modifying a value of a register in the power supply to cause the power supply to regulate the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage according to the modified value of the register.

Optionally, the process of obtaining the under-voltage point of each first load may include: and when the electronic equipment is in a standby mode, acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load.

Optionally, the method may further include: and if the electronic equipment is determined to be required to be switched to the working mode, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage.

Optionally, the electronic device may further include: the power supply is also connected with the at least one second load through the switch; the method may further comprise: if the electronic equipment is determined to be in the standby mode, controlling the switch to be switched off; and if the electronic equipment is determined to be required to be switched to the working mode, controlling the switch to be closed.

In another aspect, a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply is provided, where the method is applied to a controller in an electronic device, the electronic device further includes the power supply and at least one first load, and the power supply is connected to the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps: acquiring an undervoltage point of each first load; and if the second voltage output by the power supply is less than the undervoltage point of any first load, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage, wherein the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load.

In another aspect, a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply is provided, and is applied to a power supply in an electronic device, where the electronic device further includes: the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps: outputting a first voltage, and adjusting the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage based on a first instruction if the first instruction sent by the controller is received; the first instruction is sent by the controller after determining that the undervoltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, and the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is larger than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load.

In another aspect, a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply is provided, and is applied to a power supply in an electronic device, where the electronic device further includes: the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps: outputting a second voltage, and if receiving a second instruction sent by the controller, adjusting the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the second instruction; the second instruction is sent by the controller after the second voltage is determined to be smaller than the under-voltage point of any one first load, and the first voltage is larger than the second voltage and larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load.

In yet another aspect, a controller is provided, the controller including: programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions for implementing the method of regulating an output voltage applied to a controller provided by the above aspects.

In yet another aspect, a power supply is provided, the power supply comprising: programmable logic circuitry and/or program instructions for implementing the method of regulating an output voltage applied to a power supply as provided by the above aspects.

In yet another aspect, a controller is provided that includes at least one module that can be used to implement the method of adjusting an output voltage applied to the controller provided by the above aspects.

In yet another aspect, a power supply is provided that includes at least one module that can be used to implement the method of regulating an output voltage applied to a power supply provided by the above aspects.

In yet another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein for execution by a processing circuit to implement the method of adjusting an output voltage applied to a controller or a power supply provided by the above aspects is provided.

In a further aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which when run on a processing circuit causes the processing circuit to perform the method of regulating an output voltage applied to a controller or a power supply as provided in the above aspect.

In summary, the present application provides an electronic device and a method and an apparatus for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply thereof, where the power supply in the electronic device may output a higher first voltage first, and a controller in the electronic device may control the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage when detecting that an under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold. Because the second voltage is less than the first voltage and is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a driving signal for driving a DC/DC converter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another driving signal for driving a DC/DC converter according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of another method for regulating an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method for regulating an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for regulating an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a method for regulating an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The following describes in detail an electronic device and a method and an apparatus for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply thereof according to an embodiment of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiment of the application provides an electronic device which can be a server, a computer or a switching device. The computer may be a desktop computer or a notebook computer, and the switching device may be a router or a switch. Moreover, the electronic device supports at least the following two operation modes: a standby mode and an operating mode. In the working mode, various loads in the electronic equipment are in a working state. In the standby mode, the second type of load in the electronic device is powered down, and only the first type of load operates, so the standby mode may also be referred to as a light load mode.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 1, the electronic device includes: a power supply 01, a controller 02 and at least one first load 03, for example the first load 03 shown in fig. 1 by way of example. The power supply 01 is connected to a controller 02 and to at least one first load 03.

The power supply 01 is used for outputting a first voltage.

The controller 02 is configured to obtain a brown-out point of each first load 03, and control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage if the brown-out point of each first load 03 is less than a voltage threshold, wherein the second voltage is less than the first voltage and greater than or equal to the brown-out point of each first load 03. The voltage threshold may be a voltage value pre-stored in the controller 02 and is smaller than the first voltage.

In this embodiment, if the controller 02 detects that the under-voltage point of each first load 03 is low, the power supply 01 may be controlled to reduce the output voltage to the second voltage, so that the loss of the power supply may be effectively reduced. Since the regulated output voltage (i.e., the second voltage) is still greater than the under-voltage point of each first load 03, it is ensured that the at least one first load 03 can operate normally.

Optionally, each first load 03 in the electronic device may report feature information, such as a model, a type, and/or a version of the first load 03, to the controller 02, for example, the first load 03 may report the feature information of the first load 03 to the controller 02 after the electronic device is accessed (e.g., plugged into a motherboard). The controller 02 may determine the magnitude of the under-voltage point of the first load 03 based on the characteristic information reported by the first load 03.

For example, the controller 02 stores in advance a corresponding relationship between the characteristic information of the load and the under-voltage point, and after receiving the characteristic information reported by the first load 03, the controller 02 may obtain the under-voltage point of the first load 03 by querying the corresponding relationship.

It is understood that the power supply 01 typically includes a DC/DC converter therein, and the output voltage of the DC/DC converter is the output voltage of the power supply 01. The magnitude of the output voltage of the DC/DC converter is positively correlated with the duty ratio of a drive signal for driving the DC/DC converter, and the magnitude of the output voltage of the DC/DC converter is also positively correlated with the frequency of the drive signal. Therefore, if the output voltage of the DC/DC converter is adjusted to be low, the duty ratio and/or frequency of the driving signal becomes low, the operating time period of the DC/DC converter becomes short, and accordingly, the loss of the DC/DC converter becomes low. Based on the above analysis, it can be known that reducing the output voltage of the power supply can effectively reduce the loss of the power supply.

It will also be appreciated that the second voltage is also greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of the controller 02 to ensure that the controller 02 will also function properly after the output voltage is regulated.

Alternatively, the first voltage may be about 12V, for example, the fluctuation range of the first voltage may be (12 ± 1.2) V, or may be (12 ± 0.6) V. The voltage threshold and the second voltage may both be less than a lower limit of the fluctuation range of the first voltage, for example, the power supply threshold may be 7V, and the second voltage may be 7.6V.

The first voltage is 12V, the voltage threshold is 7V, and the second voltage is 7.6V. It is assumed that the electronic device includes a first load 03, and the first load 03 is a network card. If the undervoltage point of the network card acquired by the controller 02 is less than 7V, the controller 02 may control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage from 12V to 7.6V. Therefore, the normal work of the network card can be ensured, and the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

Alternatively, the controller 02 may be a BMC, or may also be another device having a control function, for example, a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).

In the embodiment of the present application, the first load 03 may be a load that also maintains an operating state in the standby mode. For example, the first load 03 may be a network card or a CPLD. The controller 02 and the at least one first load 03 may also be referred to as a first type of load, which is a load that needs to be powered when the electronic device is powered on.

It is understood that the first load 03 may also refer to a load of the electronic device that needs to monitor the under-voltage point. For example, if the under-voltage points of a certain load in the electronic device are different under different models or types or versions, the load is the first load 03 that needs to monitor the under-voltage point. If the under-voltage points of a certain load in the electronic device are the same in different models, the under-voltage points are the same in different types, and the under-voltage points are the same in different versions, the load is the load without monitoring the under-voltage points, and correspondingly, the controller 02 does not need to acquire the under-voltage points of the load.

For example, since the under-voltage point of an Open Computing Project (OCP) network card is generally about 12V, and the under-voltage points of other common network cards are less than 7V, the controller 02 needs to monitor the under-voltage point of the network card in the electronic device, that is, the first load 03 may include the network card. Since the under-voltage points of the CPLD are usually all about 3.3V, the controller 02 does not need to monitor the under-voltage point of the CPLD, and the first load 03 may not include the CPLD.

It is further understood that the first load 03 may include a functional chip and/or a power supply circuit for supplying power to the functional chip, and the brown-out point of the first load 03 may refer to a brown-out point of the functional chip or may refer to a brown-out point of an input voltage of the power supply circuit. The power supply circuit may include, among other things, a voltage converter, such as a DC/DC converter. The power supply circuit may be provided independently of the functional chip or may be integrated in the functional chip. For example, assuming that the functional chip is a network card, a power circuit of the network card may be integrated in the network card.

It is also understood that the first load 03 needs to have a nominal supply voltage (also referred to as a nominal voltage), which is a voltage range, to ensure that the first load 03 operates. The brown-out point of the first load 03 may refer to a minimum value of the rated voltage of the first load 03, or may be smaller than the minimum value of the rated voltage. In addition, the undervoltage point of the first load 03 may be a voltage value or a voltage range, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

Alternatively, in the embodiment of the present application, the controller 02 may send a first instruction to the power supply 01 when detecting that the under-voltage point of each first load 03 is smaller than the voltage threshold. The power supply 01 may then adjust its output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage based on the first command. That is, the power supply 01 may enter the power saving mode based on a first instruction, which may also be referred to as a power saving instruction.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 2, the power supply 01 may include an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) converter 011, a DC/DC converter 012, and a power supply control circuit 013. The AC/DC converter 011 is connected to the DC/DC converter 012, and converts AC power into DC power and transmits the DC power to the DC/DC converter 012. The DC/DC converter 012 is respectively connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, and is configured to perform voltage conversion on the direct current transmitted by the AC/DC converter 011 and output the direct current to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03.

The power supply control circuit 013 is connected to the controller 02 and the DC/DC converter 012, respectively, and the power supply control circuit 013 can adjust the duty ratio and/or frequency of a drive signal for driving the DC/DC converter 012 based on a first command sent from the controller 02, thereby adjusting the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012. The driving signal for driving the DC/DC converter 012 may be a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal.

For example, as shown in fig. 3, before the power supply control circuit 013 receives the first instruction, the duty ratio of the driving signal PWM1 for driving the DC/DC converter 012 is high, and the DC/DC converter 012 can output the first voltage, for example, 12V under the driving of the driving signal PWM 1. After receiving the first instruction, the power supply control circuit 013 can adjust the duty ratio of the driving signal PWM1 to obtain the driving signal PWM2. The duty ratio of the driving signal PWM2 is low, and the DC/DC converter 012 can output the second voltage, for example, 7.6V under the driving of the driving signal PWM2. Referring to fig. 3, it can be seen that the period T1 of the driving signal PWM1 is equal to the period T2 of the driving signal PWM1, that is, when the power supply control circuit 013 adjusts the duty ratio of the driving signal, the period (i.e., frequency) of the driving signal can be kept unchanged.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 4, before the power supply control circuit 013 receives the first instruction, the frequency of the driving signal PWM3 for driving the DC/DC converter 012 is high (i.e., the period T3 is short), and the DC/DC converter 012 can output the first voltage, for example, 12V, under the driving of the driving signal PWM 3. After receiving the first instruction, the power supply control circuit 013 can adjust the frequency of the driving signal PWM3 to obtain the driving signal PWM4. The driving signal PWM4 has a low frequency (i.e., the period T4 is long), and the DC/DC converter 012 can output the second voltage, for example, 7.6V under the driving of the driving signal PWM4. Referring to fig. 4, it can be seen that the duty ratio of the driving signal PWM3 is equal to the duty ratio of the driving signal PWM4, that is, when the power supply control circuit 013 adjusts the frequency of the driving signal, the duty ratio of the driving signal can be kept unchanged.

Alternatively, the controller 02 and the power supply control circuit 013 may be connected via an I2C bus. Accordingly, the first instruction may be an I2C instruction, and the I2C instruction may be used to modify the value of a register within the power supply 01. The power control circuit 013 can adjust the duty cycle and/or frequency of the drive signal based on the modified value of the register.

Of course, the controller 02 and the power supply control circuit 013 may be connected in other manners, and the first command may be a command of another form. For example, the first instruction may also be a fixed level hardware signal. Assuming that the fixed level is a low level, the controller 02 may transmit a low level signal to the power supply control circuit 013 when detecting that the under-voltage point of each first load 03 is less than the voltage threshold, that is, pull down the level of a pin connected to the controller 02 in the power supply control circuit 013. The power supply control circuit 013 can further adjust the duty ratio and/or frequency of a drive signal for driving the DC/DC converter 012 based on the level change.

As shown in fig. 2, the electronic device may further comprise a switch 04 and at least one second load 05, for example two second loads 05 are exemplarily shown in fig. 2. The second load 05 may refer to a load that is powered on when the electronic device is in the operating mode and powered off when the electronic device is in the standby mode, and the at least one second load 05 may also be referred to as a second type of load. The second load is a load that can be powered down when the service of the electronic device is not running. For example, the at least one second load 05 may include a CPU, a memory, an HDD, a fan, a power supply circuit (such as a DC/DC converter) of the second load, and the like. The memory may be a dual-inline-memory-module (DIMM). The service refers to a service of a user that the electronic device needs to process.

As can be seen with reference to fig. 2, the power supply 01 can be connected to the at least one second load 05 via a switch 04. The controller 02 may also be used to: if the electronic equipment is determined to be in the standby mode, controlling the switch 04 to be switched off so as to power down the at least one second load 05; and if the electronic equipment is determined to need to be switched to the working mode, controlling the switch 04 to be closed so that the at least one second load 05 can normally work under the driving of the power supply 01.

As a possible implementation manner, as shown in fig. 2, the DC/DC converter 012 in the power supply 01 can also be connected to the switch 04, i.e., each type of load in the electronic device is supplied with power by the same DC/DC converter 012. Since the brown-out point of the second load 05 in the electronic device is usually high, in order to ensure that the second load 05 can normally operate in the operation mode, the DC/DC converter 012 needs to maintain a high output voltage in the operation mode, for example, the output voltage needs to be maintained at the first voltage.

It can be understood that in this implementation, the controller 02 may control the power supply 01 to regulate the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012 only when the electronic device is in the standby mode. That is, when the electronic device is in the standby mode, the controller 02 may further obtain an under-voltage point of the at least one first load 03, and then determine whether to control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012 according to the obtained magnitude of the under-voltage point.

In this implementation, after the controller 02 controls the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage to the second voltage, if it is determined that the electronic device needs to switch to the operating mode, the power supply 01 may also be controlled to adjust the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage. For example, the controller 02 may send a second instruction to the power supply 01, and the power supply 01 may adjust its output voltage to the first voltage based on the second instruction. That is, the power supply 01 may exit the power saving mode based on the second instruction to ensure that the electronic device can be normally switched to the operating mode. The implementation manner of the second instruction may be the same as that of the first instruction, and is not described herein again.

For example, the controller 02 may transmit a second instruction to a power control circuit 013 in the power supply 01, and the power control circuit 013 may adjust a duty ratio and/or a frequency of a driving signal for driving the DC/DC converter 012 based on the second instruction so that the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012 is restored to the first voltage.

In this implementation, since the power supply 01 can supply power to the two types of loads through one DC/DC converter 012, the cost of this implementation is lower than when two DC/DC converters are provided to supply power to the two types of loads respectively.

As another possible implementation, as shown in fig. 5, the power supply 01 may include a DC/DC converter 012a and a DC/DC converter 012b. The DC/DC converter 012a is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, and the DC/DC converter 012b is connected to the switch 04. That is, the two types of loads in the electronic device may be supplied with power by different DC/DC converters, respectively.

Since in this implementation, the two types of loads are independently supplied by two DC/DC converters, the controller 02 may control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012a not only when the electronic device is in the standby mode, but also when the electronic device is in the operating mode, the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012 a. That is, when the electronic device is in the standby mode or the operating mode, the controller 02 may obtain the under-voltage point of the at least one first load 03, and determine whether to control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 012a according to the obtained magnitude of the under-voltage point.

Since the power of the second type of load in the electronic device is generally high and the power of the first type of load is generally low, in this implementation, the power of the DC/DC converter 012b can be high and the power of the DC/DC converter 012a can be low. When the electronic device is in the standby mode, the high-power DC/DC converter 012b can be turned off, and only the low-power DC/DC converter 012a can be operated, whereby the loss of the power supply in the standby mode can be further reduced.

It is understood that the electronic device is in a standby mode after being started, and the power supply 01 supplies power to a first type of load (including the controller 02 and at least one first load 03) to drive the first type of load to operate. The controller 02 may perform power-on self-test (also referred to as power-on self-test) on the electronic device after power-on, and after the power-on self-test is passed, the controller 02 may determine that the electronic device may be switched to the operating mode. Further, the controller 02 may control the switch 04 to be closed, so that the power supply 01 supplies power to the second load 05, and at this time, the electronic device enters the operating mode. And, after the electronic device enters the operating mode, the controller 02 may further control the electronic device to switch to the standby mode again based on the received standby instruction.

The operation of the electronic device shown in fig. 2 will be described below by taking the first voltage as 12V, the second voltage as 7.6V, and the voltage threshold as 7V as an example. As shown in fig. 6, assuming that the electronic device is started at time t0, the electronic device enters a standby mode first. In the standby mode, the output voltage of the power supply 01 is 12V, and a first type of load including the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03 is powered on. The controller 02 may send a first command to the power supply 01 if it detects that the under-voltage points of the at least one first load 03 are all less than 7V. After receiving the first command, the power supply 01 may adjust its output voltage from 12V to 7.6V to enter the energy saving mode. For example, referring to fig. 6, the controller 02 may send a first command at time t1, and the power supply 01 adjusts its output voltage to 7.6V at time t 2.

If the controller 02 determines that the power-on self-test of the electronic device is passed at the time t3, it may be determined that the electronic device needs to be switched to the working mode, and a second instruction may be sent to the power supply 01. The power supply 01 may further regulate its output voltage from 7.6V to 12V based on the second instruction, i.e., the power supply 01 may exit the power saving mode.

In this embodiment, the controller 02 may control the switch 04 to be closed after determining that the output voltage of the power supply 01 has been adjusted to 12V, so as to ensure that the electronic device can be normally switched to the operating mode. For example, referring to fig. 6, assuming that the output voltage of the power supply 01 is stabilized at 12V at time t4, the controller may control the switch 04 to close after time t 4. Thereby, it can be ensured that the at least one second load 05 can be powered up normally at a voltage of 12V provided by the power supply 01 after the switch 04 is closed.

Assume that the total power of the first type of load in the electronic device is 7.3 watts (W), the first voltage is 12V, and the second voltage is 7.6V. When the electronic device is in the standby mode, if the output voltage of the power supply 01 is 12V, the total loss of the power supply 01 and the first type load is 14.5W. If the output voltage of the power supply 01 is reduced to 7.6V, the total loss of the power supply 01 and the first type of load can be reduced to 11W, which is reduced by 3.5W compared to 14.5W.

It will be appreciated that a plurality of different voltage thresholds may be stored in the controller 02, one for each output voltage. If the controller 02 detects that the under-voltage point of at least one first load 03 is smaller than the target voltage threshold and not smaller than other voltage thresholds; alternatively, if it is detected that the upper limit of the under-voltage point of the at least one first load 03 is smaller than the plurality of candidate voltage thresholds and the difference between the upper limit and the target voltage threshold of the plurality of candidate voltage thresholds is the smallest, that is, the upper limit is closest to the target voltage threshold, the controller 02 may control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage to the target output voltage corresponding to the target voltage threshold.

Alternatively, the controller 02 may have a plurality of different voltage ranges stored therein, each voltage range corresponding to an output voltage. If the controller 02 detects that the under-voltage point of the at least one first load 03 is within the target voltage range, the controller 02 may control the power supply 02 to adjust the output voltage to a target output voltage corresponding to the target voltage range.

For example, referring to table 1, it is assumed that the controller 02 stores three voltage ranges, wherein the first voltage range is a range smaller than Vth1, and the corresponding output voltage is V1; the second voltage range is [ Vth1, vth 2%), and the corresponding output voltage is V2; the third voltage range is [ Vth2, vth 3%), which corresponds to an output voltage of V3. Wherein V1 < V2 < V3, for example, V1 may be 7.6V, V2 may be 12V, and V3 may be 48V.

If the controller 02 detects that the voltages of the at least one first load 03 are all less than Vth1, the power supply 01 may be controlled to adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to V1. If the controller 02 detects that the voltages of the at least one first load 03 are all greater than or equal to Vth2 and less than Vth3, the power supply 01 may be controlled to adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to V3.

TABLE 1

Range of voltage	Output voltage
		＜Vth1	V1
[Vth1，Vth2)	V2
		[Vth2，Vth3)	V3

It is understood that the types of the first loads 03 in the electronic device may be more, and the voltage requirements may be different, that is, the fluctuation range of the under-voltage point of the first load 03 may be larger. Therefore, by setting a plurality of voltage thresholds (or a plurality of voltage ranges), the controller 02 can flexibly and finely control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage according to the magnitude of the under-voltage point of the currently located first load 03, so that the loss of the power supply 01 can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that at least one first load 03 can normally operate.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 7, the electronic device may include a plurality of power supplies 01, for example, two power supplies 01 are shown in fig. 7. The plurality of power supplies 01 may have the same structure, and may be, for example, each of the same structures as the power supplies shown in fig. 2 or 5. By arranging a plurality of power supplies 01, when any one power supply 01 fails, other power supplies 01 can continue to supply power to the load, so that the reliability of the electronic equipment is effectively improved.

With continued reference to fig. 7, both the first type load and the second type load in the electronic device may be disposed on the motherboard 00, and the motherboard 00 may also be referred to as a board. The switch 04 may be provided on the main board 00, or may be integrated in the power supply 01.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 7, the at least one first load 03 in the electronic device may include a network card 03a and a DC/DC converter 03b. The DC/DC converter 03b may be connected to other first-type loads such as a CPLD, and is configured to convert the voltage output by the power supply 01 and supply the voltage to the other first-type loads such as the CPLD. For example, the DC/DC converter 03b may convert a voltage of 12V or 7.6V output from the power supply 01 into 3.3V.

It is understood that, referring to fig. 7, the at least one second load 05 in the electronic device may include a CPU 05a, an HDD05b, a memory 05c, and the like, and may further include a DC/DC converter 05d for supplying power to the above-mentioned loads. The DC/DC converter 05d is used to convert the voltage output from the power supply 01 and supply the converted voltage to the second load connected thereto.

In the above, the electronic device includes two types of loads as an example, and for a scenario in which the electronic device includes the two types of loads, a power supply domain of the power supply may be divided into a VCC domain and a standby (standby) domain. The VCC domain is used for supplying the second type of load, and the standby domain is used for supplying the first type of load. Where VCC is an abbreviation for volt current capacitor (volt current concentrator), representing the supply voltage.

It will be appreciated that the electronic device may also comprise three or more types of loads and, correspondingly, the power supply may comprise three or more power supply domains. For example, the electronic device may further comprise a third type of load, and the power supply may further comprise a third power supply domain for supplying power to the third type of load. And for each type of load, the controller 02 may control the power supply domain corresponding to the type of load to adjust the output voltage based on the magnitude of the under-voltage point of the type of load. The process of the controller 02 controlling the corresponding power supply domain to adjust the output voltage may refer to the above description, and is not described herein again.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, where a power supply in the electronic device may output a first voltage that is higher first, and when detecting that an under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold, a controller may control an output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage. Because the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

An embodiment of the present application further provides another electronic device, as shown in fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7, the electronic device includes: the power supply 01 is connected with the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03 respectively.

The power supply 01 is used for outputting a second voltage.

The controller 02 is configured to obtain a voltage drop point of each first load 03, and control the output voltage of the power supply 01 to be a first voltage if the second voltage is less than the voltage drop point of any first load 03, where the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and greater than or equal to the voltage drop point of each first load 03.

That is, the power supply 01 may output a lower second voltage first, and if the controller 02 detects that any one of the first loads 03 cannot normally operate under the driving of the second voltage, the power supply 01 may be controlled to increase the output voltage to the first voltage, so as to ensure that the at least one first load 03 can normally operate. It can be understood that if the controller 02 detects that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load 03, it is not necessary to control the power supply 01 to adjust the output voltage, that is, the power supply 01 can continue to output the lower second voltage, thereby effectively reducing the loss of the power supply.

For example, assuming that the second voltage output by the power supply 01 is 7.6V, the at least one first load 03 includes an OCP network card, and the brown-out point of the OCP network card is 12V. After the controller 02 is powered on, it can be detected that the undervoltage point of the OCP network card is greater than 7.6V, so that the power supply 01 can be controlled to adjust the output voltage to 12V, so as to ensure that the OCP network card can also work normally.

Alternatively, the controller 02 may send a second instruction to the power supply 01 after detecting that the second voltage is less than the under-voltage point of any of the first loads 03. The power supply 02 may then regulate its output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the second command. The process of adjusting the output voltage of the power supply 02 based on the second instruction may refer to the above embodiments, and is not described herein again.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, in which a power supply in the electronic device may output a lower second voltage first, and a controller may control an output voltage of the power supply to be increased to a first voltage when detecting that the second voltage is smaller than an under-voltage point of any one of the first loads, so as to ensure that the at least one first load can operate normally. And if the controller determines that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the power supply does not need to be controlled to adjust the output voltage, namely, the power supply can keep the output voltage of the power supply to be the lower second voltage, so that the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method may be applied to a controller in an electronic device, for example, the method may be applied to the controller 02 shown in any one of fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7. As can be seen by referring to the above figures, the electronic device further includes a power supply 01 and at least one first load 03, and the power supply 01 is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, respectively. As shown in fig. 8, the method includes:

and 101, acquiring an undervoltage point of each first load.

In this embodiment, the controller may obtain the under-voltage point of each first load when the output voltage of the power supply is the first voltage.

And 102, if the undervoltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, controlling the power supply to regulate the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage.

If the controller detects that the under-voltage point of each first load is low, the controller can determine that the power supply can enter the energy-saving mode, and therefore the controller can control the power supply to regulate the output voltage to the second voltage. The second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and larger than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load. The voltage threshold is also less than the first voltage.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, where a controller may control the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage when detecting that an under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold. Because the second voltage is less than the first voltage and is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of another method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method may be applied to a controller in an electronic device, for example, the method may be applied to the controller 02 shown in any one of fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7. As can be seen by referring to the above figures, the electronic device further includes a power supply 01 and at least one first load 03, and the power supply 01 is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03 respectively. As shown in fig. 9, the method includes:

step 201, obtaining the under-voltage point of each first load.

In this embodiment, the controller may obtain the under-voltage point of each first load when the output voltage of the power supply is the second voltage.

Step 202, if the second voltage output by the power supply is less than the under-voltage point of any first load, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage.

If the controller detects that the second voltage is less than the undervoltage point of any first load, it can be determined that the first load cannot normally work under the driving of the power supply, and therefore the output voltage of the power supply can be controlled to be the first voltage. The first voltage is greater than the second voltage and greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, where the power supply may output a lower second voltage first, and the controller may control the power supply to increase the output voltage to the first voltage when detecting that the second voltage is smaller than an under-voltage point of any one of the first loads, so as to ensure that the at least one first load can operate normally. And if the controller determines that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the power supply does not need to be controlled to adjust the output voltage, namely, the power supply can keep the output voltage of the power supply to be the lower second voltage, so that the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method may be applied to an electronic device, for example, the electronic device shown in any one of fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7. As shown in the above figures, the electronic device comprises: a power supply 01, a controller 02, at least one first load 03, a switch 04 and at least one second load 05. The power supply 01 is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, and is connected to the at least one second load 05 through a switch 04. The following description will be given taking an example in which the power supply 01 outputs the first voltage first when the electronic device is in the standby mode. As shown in fig. 10, the method includes:

in the standby mode, the power supply outputs a first voltage, step 301.

The first voltage may be equal to the voltage that the power supply needs to output when the electronic device is in the operational mode, i.e. the first voltage may be higher. For example, the first voltage may be equal to 12V.

It is understood that the electronic device will be in the standby mode after being powered on. The controller can control the electronic equipment to enter a working mode after determining that the electronic equipment passes the power-on self-test. After the electronic device enters the working mode, the controller may further control the electronic device to switch to the standby mode again based on the received standby instruction.

Step 302, in the standby mode, the controller controls the switch to be turned off.

The controller may control the switch to be turned off if it is determined that the electronic device is in the standby mode. At this time, the power supply cannot supply power to at least one second load (i.e., a second type of load), which is powered down.

Step 303, the controller obtains the under-voltage point of each first load.

The controller may also obtain an under-voltage point for each first load when the electronic device is in the standby mode.

Step 304, if the controller detects that the under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, the controller sends a first instruction to the power supply.

The voltage threshold is a voltage value pre-stored in the controller, and the power supply threshold is smaller than the first voltage. If the controller detects that the undervoltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, the controller may determine that the power supply can enter the energy saving mode, and thus may send a first instruction to the power supply. The first instruction is to instruct the power supply to regulate an output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage.

Step 305, the power supply adjusts the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage based on the first command.

After the power supply receives a first instruction sent by the controller, the output voltage of the power supply can be adjusted from the first voltage to the second voltage based on the instruction of the first instruction. The second voltage is less than the first voltage and greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load. That is, the power supply may enter the power saving mode based on the first instruction. Therefore, the at least one first load can be ensured to work normally, and the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

Alternatively, the first instruction sent by the controller may be for modifying a value of a register internal to the power supply, and the power supply may adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on the modified value of the register. Alternatively, the first instruction sent by the controller may be a hardware signal with a fixed level (e.g., low level), and the power supply may adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on a level change (e.g., a level change from high to low) of a pin of the power supply connected to the controller.

And step 306, if the controller determines that the electronic device needs to be switched to the working mode, sending a second instruction to the power supply.

After controlling the power supply to adjust the output voltage to the second voltage, the controller may send a second instruction to the power supply if it is determined that the electronic device needs to be switched to the operating mode. The second instructions are for instructing the power supply to regulate the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage.

Step 307, the power supply adjusts the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the second command.

After the power supply receives a second instruction sent by the controller, the output voltage of the power supply can be restored to the first voltage based on the instruction of the second instruction. That is, the power supply may exit the power saving mode based on the second instruction.

Alternatively, the second instruction sent by the controller may be used to modify a value of a register internal to the power supply, which may adjust the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the modified value of the register. Alternatively, the second instruction sent by the controller may be a hardware signal with a fixed level (e.g., high level), and the power supply may adjust the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the level change (e.g., level is changed from low to high) of the pin connected with the controller.

And 308, after the power supply outputs the first voltage, the controller controls the switch to be closed.

The controller can control the switch to be closed after detecting that the output voltage of the power supply is recovered to the first voltage. At this time, the power supply may output the first voltage to at least one second load, and the at least one second load can normally operate under the driving of the first voltage, that is, the electronic device can normally switch to the operating mode.

It is also understood that the execution sequence of each step in the above method embodiments may be adjusted according to the situation, and the steps may also be increased or decreased according to the situation. For example, step 303 may be performed before step 302, or may be performed synchronously with step 302. Alternatively, step 302 may be eliminated according to the circumstances, for example, if the initial state of the switch may be an off state when the electronic device is powered on and enters a standby mode, the controller need not execute step 302. Or, the step 306 and the step 308 may be deleted according to a situation, for example, if the controller detects that the power-on self-test of the electronic device fails, it may be determined that the electronic device cannot be switched to the working mode, and then the step 306 and the step 308 need not be executed. Still alternatively, after the step 308, if the controller receives the standby command, the controller may further execute the steps 302 to 304 again.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, where when an electronic device is in a standby mode, the power supply may output a first voltage that is higher first, and when a controller detects that an under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold, the controller may control the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage. Because the second voltage is less than the first voltage and is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a further method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method may be applied to a power supply in an electronic device, for example, the method may be applied to the power supply 01 shown in any one of fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7. As can be seen with reference to the above figures, the electronic device further comprises a controller 02 and at least one first load 03, and the power supply 01 is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, respectively. As shown in fig. 11, the method includes:

step 401, outputting a first voltage.

Step 402, if a first instruction sent by the controller is received, adjusting the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage based on the first instruction.

The second voltage is less than the first voltage and greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load. The first instruction is sent by the controller after determining that the undervoltage point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold, wherein the voltage threshold is a voltage value stored in the controller in advance and is smaller than the first voltage. That is, if the controller detects that the under-voltage point of each first load is low, the controller may instruct the power supply to enter the energy-saving mode through the first instruction.

For example, the first instruction may be to modify a value of a register internal to the power supply, and the power supply may adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on the modified value of the register.

It is understood that the

steps

401 and 402 may be executed when the electronic device is in a standby mode, or may also be executed when the electronic device is in an operating mode, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, where the power supply may output a higher first voltage first, and if the controller detects that an under-voltage point of each first load is lower, the controller may send a first instruction to the power supply to instruct the power supply to decrease the output voltage to enter an energy saving mode. Therefore, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method may be applied to a power supply in an electronic device, for example, the power supply 01 shown in any one of fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, and fig. 7. As can be seen with reference to the above figures, the electronic device further comprises a controller 02 and at least one first load 03, and the power supply 01 is connected to the controller 02 and the at least one first load 03, respectively. As shown in fig. 12, the method includes:

and step 501, outputting a second voltage.

Step 502, if a second instruction sent by the controller is received, adjusting the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the second instruction.

The second instruction is sent by the controller after the second voltage is determined to be smaller than the under-voltage point of any first load, and the first voltage is larger than the second voltage and larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load. That is, the power supply may output the lower second voltage first, and if the controller detects that any one of the first loads cannot normally operate under the driving of the second voltage, the controller may instruct the power supply to increase its output voltage by sending the second instruction.

For example, the second instruction may be to modify a value of a register internal to the power supply, and the power supply may adjust the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the modified value of the register.

It is understood that if the power supply does not receive the second command sent by the controller, that is, the second voltage is greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load, the power supply may maintain its output voltage at the lower second voltage.

It is also understood that

steps

501 and 502 described above may be performed while the electronic device is in a standby mode.

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the implementation processes of each step in the foregoing described method embodiments may refer to the related description in the foregoing electronic device embodiments, and are not described herein again.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the controller may be applied to the electronic device shown in the foregoing embodiment, for example, the electronic device shown in fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, or fig. 7. Referring to fig. 13, the controller 02 includes:

and the obtaining module 021 is used for obtaining the undervoltage point of each first load. The functional implementation of the acquiring module 021 can refer to the related description of step 101 or step 303 in the above method embodiments.

And a regulating module 022 configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage if the brown-out point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, where the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and greater than or equal to the brown-out point of each first load. The functional implementation of the adjustment module 022 can refer to the related description of step 102 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the conditioning module 022 can be configured to: a first instruction is sent to the power supply, the first instruction to modify a value of a register in the power supply, the power supply to regulate an output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on the modified value of the register. The functional implementation of the adjustment module 022 can also refer to the related description of step 304 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, the obtaining module 021 may be specifically configured to: and when the electronic equipment is in a standby mode, acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load.

Optionally, the conditioning module 022 may also be configured to: and if the electronic equipment is determined to need to be switched to the working mode, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be a first voltage. The functional implementation of the adjustment module 022 can also refer to the related description of step 306 in the above method embodiment.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 13, the controller 02 may further include a control module 023, where the control module 023 may be configured to: when the electronic equipment is in a standby mode, the control switch is opened, and if the electronic equipment is determined to be switched to a working mode, the control switch is closed. The functional implementation of the control module 023 can refer to the related description of step 302 and step 308 in the above method embodiment.

In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a controller, which can control a power supply to adjust an output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage when detecting that a brown-out point of each first load is smaller than a voltage threshold. Because the second voltage is less than the first voltage and is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

An embodiment of the present application further provides another controller, as shown in fig. 13, where the controller 02 includes:

and the obtaining module 021 is configured to obtain an undervoltage point of each first load. The functional implementation of the acquiring module 021 can refer to the relevant description of step 201 in the above method embodiment.

And a regulating module 022, configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be a first voltage if a second voltage output by the power supply is less than an under-voltage point of any one of the first loads, where the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and is greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each of the first loads. The functional implementation of the adjusting module 022 can refer to the related description of step 202 in the above method embodiment.

In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a controller, which can control a power supply to increase an output voltage when detecting that a second voltage output by the power supply is less than an under-voltage point of any one of first loads, so as to ensure that the at least one first load can operate normally. And if the controller determines that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the power supply does not need to be controlled to adjust the output voltage, namely, the power supply can keep the output voltage of the power supply to be the lower second voltage, so that the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

Fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the power supply may be applied to the electronic device shown in the foregoing embodiment, for example, the electronic device shown in fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 5, or fig. 7. Referring to fig. 14, the power supply 01 includes:

the output module 014 outputs a first voltage. The functional implementation of the output module 014 may refer to the related description of step 301 or step 401 in the above method embodiment.

And the adjusting module 015 is configured to adjust the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage based on the first instruction if the first instruction sent by the controller is received. The first instruction is sent by the controller after determining that the under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold, and the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load. The function of the adjusting module 015 may be implemented as described above with reference to step 305 or step 402 in the method embodiments.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a power supply, where the power supply may output a higher first voltage first, and if the controller detects that the under-voltage point of each first load is lower, the controller may send a first instruction to the power supply, and the power supply may further reduce the output voltage based on the first instruction to enter an energy saving mode. Therefore, the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced on the premise of ensuring that the at least one first load can normally work.

Another power supply is provided in the embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 14, the power supply 01 includes:

the output module 014 is used for outputting the second voltage. The functional implementation of the output module 014 can refer to the relevant description of step 501 in the above method embodiment.

And the adjusting module 015 is configured to adjust the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on a second instruction if the second instruction sent by the controller is received. The second instruction is sent by the controller after the second voltage is determined to be smaller than the under-voltage point of any first load, and the first voltage is larger than the second voltage and is larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load. The function of the adjusting module 015 may refer to the related description of step 307 or step 502 in the above method embodiments.

To sum up, the embodiment of the present application provides a power supply, where the power supply may output a lower second voltage first, and the controller may send a second instruction to the power supply when detecting that the second voltage is smaller than an under-voltage point of any one of the first loads, and the power supply may further increase the output voltage based on the second instruction, so as to ensure that the at least one first load can normally operate. And if the controller determines that the second voltage is greater than or equal to the undervoltage point of each first load, the power supply can keep the output voltage of the power supply to be the lower second voltage without sending the second instruction, so that the loss of the power supply can be effectively reduced.

It should be understood that the controller and the power supply in the electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), which may be a CPLD, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the method for adjusting the output voltage of the power supply provided in the foregoing method embodiment may also be implemented by software, and when the method for adjusting the output voltage of the power supply provided in the foregoing method embodiment is implemented by software, software modules for implementing the steps in the foregoing method embodiment may be included in the controller and the power supply.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a controller, including: programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions, the controller being operative to implement the steps performed by the controller in the above-described method embodiments.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a power supply, which includes: programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions for implementing the steps performed by the power supply in the above-described method embodiments.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored, and the instructions are executed by a processing circuit to implement the method for adjusting an output voltage, performed by a controller or a power supply, provided by the foregoing method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, which when run on a processing circuit, causes the processing circuit to execute the method for adjusting an output voltage performed by a controller or a power supply according to the above method embodiments.

It will be appreciated that the processing circuitry described above may refer to processing circuitry in a controller or power supply.

The above embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loaded or executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, data center, etc., that contains one or more collections of available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium may be a Solid State Drive (SSD).

The term "at least one" in this application means one or more, and the term "plurality" in this application means two or more, e.g., a plurality of nodes means two or more nodes.

Reference herein to "and/or" means that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may represent: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

The above description is only an alternative embodiment of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and these modifications or substitutions should be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device comprises: a power supply, a controller and at least one first load; the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively;

the power supply is used for outputting a first voltage;

the controller is used for acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load;

the controller is further configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be a second voltage if the under-voltage point of each of the first loads is smaller than a voltage threshold, wherein the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each of the first loads.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is specifically configured to send a first instruction to the power supply to modify a value of a register in the power supply if the brown-out point of each of the first loads is less than a voltage threshold;

the power supply is further configured to regulate an output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage based on the modified value of the register.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller is configured to obtain an under-voltage point for each of the first loads when the electronic device is in a standby mode.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage if it is determined that the electronic device needs to be switched to the operating mode.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, further comprising: the power supply is also connected with the at least one second load through the switch;

the controller is further configured to control the switch to be turned off when the electronic device is in a standby mode, and control the switch to be turned on if it is determined that the electronic device needs to be switched to a working mode.

6. An electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device comprises: a power supply, a controller and at least one first load; the power supply is respectively connected with the controller and the at least one first load;

the power supply is used for outputting a second voltage;

the controller is used for acquiring the undervoltage point of each first load;

the controller is further configured to control the output voltage of the power supply to be a first voltage if the second voltage is less than an under-voltage point of any of the first loads, wherein the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and is greater than or equal to an under-voltage point of each of the first loads.

7. The method for adjusting the output voltage of the power supply is characterized by being applied to a controller in electronic equipment, wherein the electronic equipment further comprises the power supply and at least one first load, and the power supply is respectively connected with the controller and the at least one first load; the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring an undervoltage point of each first load;

and if the under-voltage point of each first load is smaller than the voltage threshold value, controlling the power supply to regulate the output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein the second voltage is smaller than the first voltage and is larger than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein controlling the power supply to regulate the output voltage from a first voltage to a second voltage comprises: sending a first instruction to the power supply, wherein the first instruction is used for modifying the value of a register in the power supply so that the power supply adjusts the output voltage from the first voltage to the second voltage according to the modified value of the register.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the obtaining the under-voltage point of each of the first loads comprises: and when the electronic equipment is in a standby mode, acquiring an under-voltage point of each first load.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

and if the electronic equipment is determined to be required to be switched to the working mode, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be the first voltage.

11. The method for adjusting the output voltage of the power supply is applied to a controller in electronic equipment, the electronic equipment further comprises the power supply and at least one first load, and the power supply is respectively connected with the controller and the at least one first load; the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring an undervoltage point of each first load;

and if the second voltage output by the power supply is less than the under-voltage point of any first load, controlling the output voltage of the power supply to be a first voltage, wherein the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and is greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load.

12. A method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, applied to a power supply in an electronic device, the electronic device further comprising: the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps:

outputting a first voltage;

if a first instruction sent by the controller is received, adjusting the output voltage from the first voltage to a second voltage based on the first instruction;

wherein the first instruction is sent by the controller after determining that the under-voltage point of each first load is less than the voltage threshold, and the second voltage is less than the first voltage and greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each first load.

13. A method for adjusting an output voltage of a power supply, the method being applied to a power supply in an electronic device, the electronic device further comprising: the power supply is connected with the controller and the at least one first load respectively; the method comprises the following steps:

outputting a second voltage;

if a second instruction sent by the controller is received, adjusting the output voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage based on the second instruction;

wherein the second command is sent by the controller after determining that the second voltage is less than the under-voltage point of any of the first loads, and the first voltage is greater than the second voltage and greater than or equal to the under-voltage point of each of the first loads.

14. A controller, characterized in that the controller comprises: programmable logic circuitry and/or program instructions for implementing the method of any one of claims 7 to 11.

15. A power supply, characterized in that the power supply comprises: programmable logic circuits and/or program instructions for implementing the method of claim 12 or 13.

16. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions for execution by a processing circuit for performing the method of any one of claims 7 to 13.