Method for restarting an apparatus if the integrity of data in a memory is lost during micro-outage of power supply

• US 6,795,913 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ST-Ericcson SA (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ricordel, Eloi
• Primary Examiner(s): Browne, Lynne H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cao, Chun
• Application Number:
  US09/718,248
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 713/300, 713/310, 713/340, 455/572, 455/343
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

This apparatus comprises a battery (15) for supplying a voltage to the apparatus, a power cut detecting circuit (20) for detecting cuts of this supply voltage, a random-access memory (12) fed by this battery (15). A processor (10) loads this data memory. To avoid this memory being reloaded after a very brief electric power cut of the battery, its integrity is tested. If its contents have remained intact, there is no need for it to be reloaded.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising;

an electric power supply device for supplying a voltage to the apparatus,

an electric power cut detecting circuit for detecting cuts of this supply voltage,

a memory fed by this electric power supply device,

a device for loading this memory,

a restarting device for initializing the apparatus, characterized in that it further includes

a control device for controlling the integrity of the memory to switch the restart device into service in the case where the integrity of said memory is lost.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the restart device is inhibited if the apparatus was dead before said very brief electric power cut.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the control device further comprises a check for information that occurs inserted in said memory whose value is different from the contained information when this memory is no longer supplied with electric power.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 for which the electric power supply device is formed by a rechargeable battery and which has a restart input, characterized in that this input is also connected to a wire indicating the presence of a charger.

5. A method of starting and restarting an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a processor and a random-access memory, characterized in that when a very brief electric power cut has been detected, the integrity of said random-access memory is tested to verify if the contents of the random-access memory have not been changed during the very brief electric power cut.

6. A method of starting and restarting an apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the restarting of the apparatus is inhibited if the contents of the memory have changed.

7. An apparatus having a power supply with a power cut detecting circuit for detecting lose of power from the power supply, a memory that receives power from the power supply device, a mechanism for reading and writing to the memory, and a restarting device for initializing the apparatus comprising:

a control device that restarts the apparatus if integrity for the memory is lost.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the control device tests the memory to insure integrity of the memory.

9. The apparatus or claim 7 wherein the control device further comprises a check for information that occurs inserted in said memory whose value is different from the contained in information when this memory is no longer supplied with electric power.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the power supply device is a rechargeable battery and which has a restart input and an operative connection indicating the presence of a charger.