Administering offset voltage error in a current sensing circuit

1. A method of administering offset voltage error in a current sensing circuit, the method comprising:

recording by a power supply management module a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply, wherein:

the power supply further comprises a plurality of independent power output channels, each channel configured to deliver power to a separate active load;

each channel is characterized by a separate current sensing element that represents the output current of the channel as a channel sensing voltage; and

the current sensing circuit further comprises a summing amplifier configured to sum the channel sensing voltages of the channels; and

dynamically calculating by the power supply management module output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

recording a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply further comprises sampling the current sensing voltage in analog form, converting the sampled analog form of the current sensing voltage to a digital representation, and storing the digital representation of the current sensing voltage; and

calculating output current of the power supply with an active load further comprises calculating the output current of the power supply with the stored digital representation of the current sensing voltage.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the current sensing circuit comprises a summing network of resistors coupling current sensing elements to an input of a current sensing amplifier having a gain, with the current sensing voltage taken from an output of the current sensing amplifier; and

dynamically calculating output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage further comprises recording a current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load and calculating the output current of the power supply in accordance with:

I out =A ( V Load −V noLoad ),

where I out is the calculated output current, A is the gain of the current sensing amplifier, V Load is the current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load, and V noLoad is the current sensing voltage recorded when no operating load is drawn from the power supply.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining by the power supply management module whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering, by the power supply management module, an over-current fault in the power supply.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the power supply management module, whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering an interrupt in an operating system executing on a computer powered by the power supply, the interrupt invoking a power management interrupt handler in the operating system.

6. An apparatus for administering offset voltage error in a current sensing circuit, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

recording by a power supply management module a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply, wherein:

the power supply further comprises a plurality of independent power output channels, each channel configured to deliver power to a separate active load;

each channel is characterized by a separate current sensing element that represents the output current of the channel as a channel sensing voltage; and

the current sensing circuit further comprises a summing amplifier configured to sum the channel sensing voltages of the channels; and

dynamically calculating by the power supply management module output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

recording a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply further comprises sampling the current sensing voltage in analog form, converting the sampled analog form of the current sensing voltage to a digital representation, and storing the digital representation of the current sensing voltage; and

calculating output current of the power supply with an active load further comprises calculating the output current of the power supply with the stored digital representation of the current sensing voltage.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:

the current sensing circuit comprises a summing network of resistors coupling current sensing elements to an input of a current sensing amplifier having a gain, with the current sensing voltage taken from an output of the current sensing amplifier; and

dynamically calculating output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage further comprises recording a current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load and calculating the output current of the power supply in accordance with:

I out =A ( V Load −V noLoad ),

where I out is the calculated output current, A is the gain of the current sensing amplifier, V Load is the current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load, and V noLoad is the current sensing voltage recorded when no operating load is drawn from the power supply.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

determining by the power supply management module whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering, by the power supply management module, an over-current fault in the power supply.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

determining, by the power supply management module, whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering an interrupt in an operating system executing on a computer powered by the power supply, the interrupt invoking a power management interrupt handler in the operating system.

11. A computer program product for administering offset voltage error in a current sensing circuit, the computer program product disposed in a recordable computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

recording by a power supply management module a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply, wherein:

the power supply further comprises a plurality of independent power output channels, each channel configured to deliver power to a separate active load;

each channel is characterized by a separate current sensing element that represents the output current of the channel as a channel sensing voltage; and

the current sensing circuit further comprises a summing amplifier configured to sum the channel sensing voltages of the channels; and

dynamically calculating by the power supply management module output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

recording a current sensing voltage for a power supply when no operating load is drawn from the power supply further comprises sampling the current sensing voltage in analog form, converting the sampled analog form of the current sensing voltage to a digital representation, and storing the digital representation of the current sensing voltage; and

calculating output current of the power supply with an active load further comprises calculating the output current of the power supply with the stored digital representation of the current sensing voltage.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

the current sensing circuit comprises a summing network of resistors coupling current sensing elements to an input of a current sensing amplifier having a gain, with the current sensing voltage taken from an output of the current sensing amplifier; and

dynamically calculating output current of the power supply with an active load in dependence upon the recorded current sensing voltage further comprises recording a current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load and calculating the output current of the power supply in accordance with:

I out =A ( V Load −V noLoad ),

where I out is the calculated output current, A is the gain of the current sensing amplifier, V Load is the current sensing voltage for the power supply operating with an active load, and V noLoad is the current sensing voltage recorded when no operating load is drawn from the power supply.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

determining by the power supply management module whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering, by the power supply management module, an over-current fault in the power supply.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions capable of:

determining, by the power supply management module, whether the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than a predetermined threshold; and

if the calculated output current of the power supply is greater than the predetermined threshold, triggering an interrupt in an operating system executing on a computer powered by the power supply, the interrupt invoking a power management interrupt handler in the operating system.