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Processing unit and system including plurality of the processing units

  • US 5,317,366 A
  • Filed: 05/19/1993
  • Issued: 05/31/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A system having a plurality of processing units and a common power source connected thereto for supplying power to the plurality of processing units, comprising:

  • a plurality of switching means, respectively corresponding to and incorporated in the plurality of processing units and interconnecting the respective plurality of processing units with the common power source, for receiving respective control inputs thereto and selectively being switched thereby to ON and OFF conditions for respectively and selectively supplying power therethrough, or discontinuing the supply of power therethrough, to the respective processing units from the common power source;

    a plurality of request means, respectively associated with and incorporated in said plurality of processing units, each operable for determining the requirement for, and correspondingly generating a request for, the selective supply of power from the common power source to the respective processing unit; and

    a plurality of individual controllers respectively associated with and incorporated in the plurality of processing units, each thereof detecting the power supply condition of the common power source, comparing the detected condition with a predetermined power supply condition and determining, based on the comparison result, an allowable condition permitting the supply of further power from the common power source and a non-allowable such condition, each individual controller further being responsive to a request received from the associated request means of the respective processing unit and in accordance with determining the allowable condition of the common power source, selectively generating and supplying a corresponding control input to the associated switching means for selectively switching said associated switching means to the ON condition thereby to supply power through the associated, selectively switched switching means to the respective processing unit.

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