User-removable central processing unit card for an electrical device

• US 5,748,912 A
• Filed: 06/13/1995
• Issued: 05/05/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Jack B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, RAYMOND NGAN
• Application Number:
  US08/489,864
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 395/281, 395/282, 395/283, 395/306, 395/308, 395/309, 395/500, 395/828, 395/830, 395/831, 395/835, 395/836, 395/800
• US Class Current: 710/301
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438

Abstract

A user-removable CPU card includes a microprocessor and a bus bridge memory controller that allows the use of the microprocessor as a central processing unit of an electrical device (e.g. notebook PC or desktop PC). The user-removable CPU card includes a first connector that can be detachably coupled to a second connector in the electrical device, when the user-removable CPU card is inserted through an opening of the electrical device. When the electrical device is powered up subsequent to such insertion, the microprocessor on the user-removable CPU card functions as the central processing unit. Inclusion of a central processing unit of a computing device on a user-removable CPU card allows easy replacement of the CPU, for example, by simply opening a door and operating an eject mechanism, without disassembly of the housing. Therefore, a user can upgrade to a new central processing unit by simply ejecting a previously inserted user-removable CPU card and inserting a new user-removable CPU card, as easily as switching diskettes in the prior art (except for powering up the electrical device after such switching).

Claims

1. A user-removable CPU card comprising:

a substrate having a width approximately the width of a credit card;

a bus bridge memory controller supported by said substrate, said bus bridge memory controller comprising a bus interface unit;

a central processing unit supported by said substrate, said central processing unit being electrically coupled to said bus bridge memory controller;

read-only-memory supported by said substrate, said read-only-memory being electrically coupled by said bus bridge memory controller to said central processing unit;

a first connector supported by said substrate, said first connector being coupled by said bus bridge memory controller to said central processing unit;

dynamic random-access-memory said dynamic random-access-memory being supported by said substrate, said bus bridge memory controller further comprising a memory control unit, said memory control unit coupling said dynamic random-access-memory and said read-only-memory to said central processing unit; and

a plurality of chip select lines coupled to said memory control unit, wherein said memory control unit distinguishes between said read-only-memory and said dynamic random-access-memory by driving a plurality of signals on said plurality of chip select lines;

wherein on insertion of said CPU card through an opening in a housing of an electrical device, said first connector is detachably and electrically coupled with a second connector of a system board enclosed by said housing;

wherein said system board supplies power to said CPU card through said second connector and said first connector on said insertion; and

wherein said bus bridge memory controller passes a first address signal to said first connector on receipt of said first address signal from said central processing unit.

2. The user-removable CPU card of claim 1 further comprising static random-access-memory, said static random-access-memory being supported by said substrate, said static random-access-memory being directly connected to said central processing unit.

3. The user-removable CPU card of claim 1 wherein:

a first data path of a first length couples said memory control unit to said read-only-memory and a second data path of a second length couples said memory control unit to said dynamic random-access-memory.

4. The user-removable CPU card of claim 1 wherein said bus bridge memory controller further comprises a resource control unit coupled to said central processing unit, said resource control unit decoding a second address signal from said central processing unit to provide an interface to a peripheral addressed by said second address signal.

5. The user-removable CPU card of claim 2 wherein:

said bus bridge memory controller further comprises a cache controller coupled to said static random-access-memory, said dynamic random-access-memory and said first connector; and

said cache controller invalidates a location in said static random-access-memory in response to a write command from said first connector to a corresponding location in said dynamic random-access-memory.

6. The user-removable CPU card of claim 3 wherein said second length is a multiple of said first length.

7. The user-removable CPU card of claim 4 further comprising an oscillator coupled to said resource control unit, and said resource control unit comprises a clock controller for generating a clock signal.

8. The user-removable CPU card of claim 4 wherein said resource control unit comprises a plurality of configuration registers for supplying a corresponding plurality of default values to said central processing unit.

9. The user-removable CPU card of claim 4 wherein said resource control unit comprises an interrupt translator that ORs active signals from a plurality of interrupt lines into a single interrupt line, said single interrupt line being coupled to said central processing unit.

10. The user-removable CPU card of claim 4 further comprising a temperature line and a thermistor coupled by said temperature line to said resource control unit, and said resource control unit comprises a thermal monitor for monitoring a signal on said temperature line.

11. A user-removable CPU card comprising:

a substrate having a width approximately the width of a credit card;

a circuit supported by the substrate, the circuit comprising a bus interface unit;

a central processing unit supported by the substrate, the central processing unit being electrically coupled to the circuit;

a first connector supported by the substrate, the first connector being coupled by the circuit to the central processing unit,

read-only-memory supported by the substrate, the read-only-memory being encoded with basic-input-output-system (BIOS) instructions;

a memory control unit included in the circuit; and

a memory bus that electrically couples the memory control unit to the read-only-memory, the memory bus including a chip select line;

wherein the memory control unit drives a signal active on the chip select line thereby to retrieve the BIOS instructions for execution by the central processing unit;

wherein on insertion of the CPU card through an opening in a housing of an electrical device, the first connector is detachably and electrically coupled with one of a plurality of connectors of a system board enclosed by the housing; and

wherein the circuit passes a first address signal to the first connector on receipt of the first address signal from the central processing unit.

12. The user-removable CPU card of claim 11 wherein the CPU and the circuit are formed together as a single integrated circuit.

13. The user-removable CPU card of claim 11, wherein the circuit is coupled by a Peripheral Component Interconnect bus to the first connector and the circuit includes a central resource of the Peripheral Component Interconnect bus.

14. The user-removable CPU card of claim 11 wherein the circuit is physically located between the first connector and the central processing unit.

15. The user-removable CPU card of claim 11 further comprising:

a resource control unit included in the circuit and coupled to the central processing unit; and

a thermistor coupled to the resource control unit, wherein the resource control unit monitors a signal from the thermistor indicative of temperature of the CPU card.