Control system for peripheral devices of a high-density server

• US 20030151885A1
• Filed: 02/13/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Ben
• Application Number:
  US10/073,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20030151885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence

Abstract

A control system for peripheral devices of a high-density server. A USB interface is used to connect several motherboards of a high-density server with a system connection back panel and a system management unit, and to control several peripheral devices. The control system of the invention includes a plurality of motherboard USB ports, a USB interface switching module, a USB extension device and a switch control unit.

Claims

1. A control system for peripheral devices of a high-density server utilizing a USB interface to connect a plurality of motherboards of the high-density server, a system connection back panel and a system management unit for controlling a plurality of peripheral devices, which comprises:

a plurality of motherboard USB ports for connecting the plurality of motherboards;

a USB interface switching module, which is installed on the system connection back panel and connects to the plurality of motherboards through a plurality of USB connection wires, the plurality of USB connection wires connecting to a plurality of switches in the USB interface switching module and the plurality of switches connecting together to a USB output port;

a USB extension device, which is installed on the system management unit and uses a USB connection wire to connect with the USB output port of the USB interface switching module as a USB signal output port, the USB extension device further having a plurality of USB extension ports each of which connects to one of the plurality of peripheral devices through a USB connection wire; and

a switch control unit, which is installed on the system management unit and connects to the switching module for outputting a switching signal to the switching module to control the ON and OFF of the plurality of switches, thereby determining the connections among the plurality of motherboards and the plurality of peripheral devices.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches in the USB interface switch module receive the control signals from the switch control unit, turn on one of the plurality of switches and turn off the rest switches.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the number of signal lines conveying the switching signals of the switch control unit is determined by the number of the plurality of motherboards.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the number of the plurality of motherboards is 2 to the Nth power and the number of switch signal lines is N.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of USB ports of the USB extension device includes keyboard USB ports, mouse USB ports, floppy disk drive USB ports and CD-ROM USB ports.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of peripheral devices includes a keyboard, a mouse, a floppy disk drive and a CD-ROM.