Power system configuration and recovery from a power fault condition in a computer system having multiple power supplies
First Claim
1. For use in an electronic device having a plurality of available power supplies, a method of selecting one of the plurality of available power supplies for operating the electronic device comprising the steps of:
- bridging all available power supplies simultaneously through a combined power path to provide power to the load of the electronic device;
iterating through a preference hierarchy of the plurality of available power supplies and selecting the first power supply in the hierarchy that is suitable for operating the electronic device; and
switching the power system of the electronic device from the bridged power supply circuit to the first power supply in the hierarchy that is suitable for supplying power to the load of the electronic device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power system fault handling mechanism for portable electronic devices having multiple power supplies. A safety-net circuit is triggered when a power fault condition is detected. The safety-net circuit is a diode-based bridging circuit which couples all available power supplies to the power load, yet avoids feeding power back from any of the supplies to one another. This ensures that the load continues to receive power after a fault condition occurs without interruption. A microcontroller may then implement routines to switch to a working power supply so that the device may resume normal operation. The power system fault detection mechanism thus allows for the switching between system power supplies without disrupting a running process.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. For use in an electronic device having a plurality of available power supplies, a method of selecting one of the plurality of available power supplies for operating the electronic device comprising the steps of:
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bridging all available power supplies simultaneously through a combined power path to provide power to the load of the electronic device; iterating through a preference hierarchy of the plurality of available power supplies and selecting the first power supply in the hierarchy that is suitable for operating the electronic device; and switching the power system of the electronic device from the bridged power supply circuit to the first power supply in the hierarchy that is suitable for supplying power to the load of the electronic device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer system comprising:
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a processing unit for executing instructions and processing data; a memory bus coupled to the processing unit for conveying instructions and data to and from the processing unit; a memory subsystem coupled to the memory bus for storing instructions and computer data; and a power system for providing the computer system with operating power, the power system including; a plurality of available power supplies for supplying an operating voltage to the computer system; power supply bridging circuitry coupled to the plurality of available power supplies for operatively coupling the plurality of available power supplies simultaneously together for supplying power to the computer system over a combined power path; and power supply selection logic for switching the power system from the power supply bridging circuitry to a single one of the plurality of available power supplies selected according to a preference hierarchy of the plurality of available power supplies. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A power system for providing power to the load of an electronic device comprising:
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a plurality of available power supplies for supplying an operating voltage to the load of the electronic device; power supply bridging circuitry coupled to the plurality of available power supplies for operatively coupling the plurality of available power supplies simultaneously together for supplying power to the load of the electronic device over a combined power path; and power supply selection logic for switching the power system from the power supply bridging circuit to a single one of the plurality of available power supplies selected according to a preference hierarchy of the plurality of available power supplies. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification