Peripheral device input-initiated resume system for combined hibernation system and back-up power supply for computer

• US 5,664,203 A
• Filed: 12/21/1995
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Shung-hyun, Hong, Jeong-Woo, Park, Hee-Duck, Park, Noh-Byung
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US08/576,343
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 395/750, 395/182.12, 395/182.2, 395/182.13, 395/182.21, 395/182.22, 364/707, 364/492, 307/66, 365/226, 365/227, 365/229
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices

Abstract

A peripheral device input-initiated resume system for a combined hibernation system and back-up power supply for a computer comprises a keyboard controller for inputting an appropriate signal to the operating condition based on the key selected by a user, a power management system for outputting a wake-up signal if the signal is inputted from the keyboard or other input devices, a data back-up power unit for supplying DC voltage in case the power is cut-off suddenly or a user does not use the computer for a predetermined time, a power supplying unit in which a switching-mode power supply SMPS converts the external source AC power at line voltage into DC power at a desired voltage and supplies that power to each device on the main board of the computer, thereby retrieving the previous work again by cutting off power of all devices, once the power is off or when a user does not use the computer for a predetermined time, and supplying the additional power only to the MICOM(Micro Computer) or keyboard controller in the state that a hibernation mode is performed. Then the system repeats supplying power if a signal is input again by a user, and consequently helps a user to use the computer more easily with this hibernation state by retrieving the work to the previous state.

Claims

1. A combined hibernation and back-up power supply system for a computer having a plurality of DC power-using devices, including a CPU and RAM of said computer, in a main board, and a keyboard controller, said system comprising:

a power management system, which generates a hibernation signal when an event is not generated from a peripheral device of said computer or said keyboard controller for a predetermined time, generates a WAKE-UP signal when an input is initiated by said peripheral device or by said keyboard controller, and generates a power cut-off signal when an external power is cut off;

a data backup power unit, which is capable of supplying a DC voltage when said external power is cut off or when said event is not generated from said peripheral device of said computer for said predetermined time;

a power supplying unit coupled to said power management system and said data backup power unit, said power supply unit including a switching mode power supply that converts said external power to said DC voltage and supplies said DC voltage to each of said devices on said main board and said keyboard controller, and which if said power cut-off signal is generated by said power management system, cuts off said external power, outputs a power supplying condition signal indicating that power is cut-off to said main board and instead supplies said DC voltage from said data backup power unit only to said keyboard controller, and which if said WAKE-UP signal is generated by said power management system, cuts off power supplying of said data backup power unit and resumes power supply to said main board in accordance with said converted external power.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said power supplying unit, if said hibernation signal is generated by said power management system, cuts off power to said main board, supplies either said external power converted to said DC voltage by said switching mode power supply or said DC voltage output from said data backup power unit in accordance with said power cut-off signal, and outputs said power supplying condition signal; and

said power management system reads the level of said power supplying condition signal more than one time, and determines that a hibernation function is successfully performed if the level of said power supplying condition signal remains the same after generating said hibernation signal.

3. The resume system as defined in claim 1, wherein said peripheral device is a modem that outputs a data receiving/transmitting signal said power management system generating said WAKE-UP signal in response to said data receiving/transmitting signal from said modem during a hibernation state.

4. A resume system for a computer, comprising:

a keyboard controller that processes user input via a keyboard or mouse;

a power supplying unit including;

a switching mode power supply for converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage, and

a backup power unit for supplying said DC voltage in case said AC voltage is not supplied; and

a mother board including;

a system unit including a CPU and RAM of said computer,

a power management unit,

a keyboard port,

a keyboard power terminal, and

a system power terminal,

wherein said keyboard controller and said power management unit are constructed to receive power from said keyboard port of said mother board while said system unit is constructed to receive power from said system power terminal, said power supplying unit supplying power to said keyboard power terminal and said system power terminal in a normal state of said computer and only to said keyboard power terminal in a hibernation state of said computer, so that power is only supplied to said power management unit and said keyboard controller, said power management unit controlling said normal state and said hibernation state in accordance with said user input via said keyboard controller.

5. A method for controlling a combined hibernation, and back-up power supply system for a computer comprising the steps of:

determining if a hibernation interrupt is generated in said computer in accordance with a lack of input from a peripheral device or a keyboard controller of said computer within a predetermined time;

outputting a signal to initiate a hibernation state of said computer if said hibernation interrupt is generated and to cut-off power supplied to a main board of said computer while maintaining power supplied to said keyboard controller from a data backup power unit;

determining if a hibernation function is successfully performed by verifying the level of a power supplying condition signal which is output by a power supplying unit that cuts off power to said main board in response to said signal initiating said hibernation state;

resuming power supply to said main board by outputting a wake-up signal when input from said peripheral device or said keyboard controller is generated; and

preventing initiation of said hibernation state if said power supplying condition signal indicates that power supply to said main board was not cut off by said power supplying unit.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising:

cutting off power supplied to said main board by a switching mode power unit in response to a power cut-off signal received by said power supplying unit;

supplying either an external power converted into DC by said switching mode power unit or a DC voltage supplied from said data backup power unit only to a power management system and said keyboard controller in accordance with said power cut-off signal; and

outputting said power supplying condition signal in correspondence with cutting off power to said main board.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said step for determining whether said hibernation function is successfully performed includes:

outputting said signal to initiate said hibernation state from a power management system;

sensing said power supplying condition signal outputted from said power supplying unit;

sensing the power supplying condition signal again after a predetermined delay if said power supplying condition signal indicates that power is cut-off to said main board according to performing said hibernation function; and

determining that said hibernation function is successfully performed if said power supplying condition signal continues to indicate that power is cut-off according to said hibernation function.