METHOD FOR DIRECTING POWER TO A HOT SWAPPED CIRCUIT BOARD

• US 20090034221A1
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kerrigan, Brian Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/250,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20090034221A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/801
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1414 with power interlock

Abstract

Method for controlling power and communications between to an electronic circuit board. A chassis includes a first electronic circuit board with a first connector and a cassette includes a second electronic circuit board with a second connector. When the cassette is received by the chassis, chassis flex circuitry and cassette flex circuitry come into contact to complete a circuit between the components. Closing the circuit indicates to a controller that the cassette is properly secured to the chassis and that a user is not attempting removal of the cassette. The controller instructs a power source to provide power to the second electronic circuit board through the first connector. When the circuit is broken by a user, the controller causes the completion of operations on the second electronic circuit board and causes the power source to stop supplying power to the second electronic circuit board.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a circuit between cassette flex circuitry and chassis flex circuitry whenever a cassette including the cassette flex circuitry is placed in an operable position relative to the chassis including chassis flex circuitry;

using the circuit to detect whether a user is handling the cassette;

providing power from the chassis to the cassette in response to detecting that the cassette is simultaneously in the operable position and a user is not handling the cassette; and

allowing the assignment of processing jobs to an electronic component within the cassette when the cassette is provided with power.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the electronic component within the cassette to complete any existing processing jobs and disallowing the assignment of new processing jobs to the electronic component in response to detecting that a user is handling the cassette; and

halting power provided from the chassis to the cassette in response to detecting that the electronic component has no more processing jobs.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selectively opening or closing the cassette flex circuitry.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cassette flex circuitry is selectively opened or closed with a switch.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the switch is in a closed condition unless a user has actuated a switch trigger on a cassette handle.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

insulating the switch trigger to prevent electrical shock to a user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

closing an access cover to prevent the cassette from being removed from a chassis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access cover may activate a switch that is physically adjacent the access cover and electronically in series within the chassis flex circuitry.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

ignoring changes in the flex circuit when the access door is indicated as being closed.

10. The method of claim 1, independently controlling power from each of a plurality of bays to each of a plurality of cassettes.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

informing a user that the electronic component within the cassette is quiescent.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user is informed through use of a visual indicator light.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual indicator light is a light emitting diode (LED).