Voltage monitoring

• US 7,646,110 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wade, Kenneth B., Smith, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US11/552,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20080106255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 307/125, 307/31, 307/33, 307/34, 307/38, 307/64, 307/66, 315/307
• US Class Current: 307/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of voltage monitoring are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an alternating current (AC) mains voltage monitor to continuously monitor AC mains voltage during operation and to issue an interrupt where the AC mains voltage drops below a threshold more than a predetermined number of times; and

,

a controller to receive the interrupt and in response to cause one or more components of an electronic device to reduce power usage from the AC mains to compensate for the AC mains voltage dropping below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times, by turning off one or more of the components of the electronic device in response to receiving the interrupt,

wherein the controller is further to receive one or more of sampled AC mains voltage, sampled AC mains current, and sampled AC mains power to manage power usage by the components of the electronic device based on the sampled AC mains voltage, the sampled AC mains current, and/or the sampled AC mains power,

wherein the controller is to receive the sampled AC mains voltage, the sampled AC mains current, and/or the sampled AC mains power a predetermined number of times per second and not continuousy,

and wherein the controller is further to manage power usage in response to receiving one or more of the sampled AC mains voltage, the sampled AC mains current, and the sampled AC mains power by increasing and/or reducing power usage by, but not turning off, one or more of the components of the electronic device.

2. The power-monitoring sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the AC mains voltage monitor is capable of issuing the interrupt in-between the controller receiving successive samples of the sampled AC mains voltage.

3. The power-monitoring sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the AC mains voltage monitor is capable of issuing the interrupt in response to at least substantially instantaneous changes in the AC mains voltage that cause the AC mains voltage to drop below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times, such that the controller is otherwise unable to react to at least substantially instantaneous changes in the AC mains voltage by just receiving the sampled AC mains voltage the predetermined number of times per second.

4. The power-monitoring sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a first threshold, and the controller is manage power usage by the components of the electronic device at least where the sampled AC mains voltage is less than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold in relation to which the AC mains voltage monitor continuously monitors the AC mains voltage.

5. The power-monitoring sub-assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an AC mains current monitor to monitor AC mains current;

an AC mains power monitor to receive the AC mains voltage from the AC mains voltage monitor and the AC mains current from the AC mains current monitor, and in response to determine AC mains power based thereon,

wherein the controller is to receive the sampled AC mains power from the AC mains power monitor, and the sampled AC mains voltage from the AC mains voltage monitor.

6. The power-monitor sub-assembly of claim 5, wherein the controller is to receive just the sampled AC mains voltage and the sampled AC mains power, and is not to receive the sampled AC mains current.

7. An electronic device comprising:

one or more components, each component using power originating from an alternating current (AC) mains; and

,

a power-monitoring sub-assembly to continuously monitor AC mains voltage during operation, to issue an interrupt where the AC mains voltage drops below a threshold more than a predetermined number of times, and to cause one or more of the components to reduce power usage from the AC mains to compensate for the AC mains voltage dropping below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times,

wherein the power-monitoring sub-assembly comprises;

an AC mains voltage monitor to continuously monitor the AC mains voltage and to issue the interrupt where the AC mains voltage drops below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times; and

,

a controller to receive the interrupt and in response to cause one or more of the components to reduce power usage from the AC mains to compensate for the AC mains voltage dropping below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times, by turning off one or more of the components in response to receiving the interrupt,

wherein the controller is further to receive one or more of sampled AC mains voltage, sampled AC mains current, and sampled AC mains power to manage power usage by the components of the electronic device, based on the sampled AC mains voltage, the sampled AC mains current, and/or the sampled AC mains power, by increasing and/or reducing power usage by, but not turning off, one or more of the components,

the controller receiving the sampled AC mains voltage, the sampled AC mains current, and/or the sampled AC mains power a predetermined number of times per second and not continuously.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the AC mains voltage monitor is capable of issuing the interrupt in-between the controller receiving successive samples of the sampled AC mains voltage, and is capable of issuing the interrupt in response to at least substantially instantaneous changes in the AC mains voltage, such that the controller is otherwise unable to react to at least substantially instantaneous changes in the AC mains voltage by just receiving the sampled AC mains voltage the predetermined number of times per second.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the AC mains voltage monitor is to continuously monitor the AC mains voltage to detect changes to the AC mains voltage resulting from causes external to the electronic device, and

wherein the controller is to receive the sampled AC mains voltage to detect changes to the AC mains voltage resulting from causes internal to the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a power supply to convert AC provided by the AC mains to direct current (DC),

wherein at least one of the components operates on the DC supplied by the power supply and at least one other of the components operates on the AC supplied by the AC mains.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the electronic device is an image-forming device, and the components comprise one or more of a fuser, a dryer, and a vacuum.

12. A method comprising:

sampling one or more of alternating current (AC) mains voltage, AC mains current, and AC mains power a predetermined number of times per second, and not continuously;

until an interrupt corresponding to the AC mains voltage as continuously monitored during operation dropping below a threshold more than a predetermined of times,

managing power usage from the AC mains by one or more components of an electronic device based on the AC mains voltage, the AC mains current, and/or the AC mains power as sampled, by increasing and/or reducing power usage by, but not turning off, one or more of the components; and

,

in response to receiving the interrupt,

causing one or more of the components of to reduce power usage from the AC mains to compensate for the AC mains voltage dropping below the threshold more than the predetermined number of times, by turning off one or more of the components.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein once sampling of the AC mains voltage, the AC mains current, and/or the AC mains power reflects reduced power usage by the components in response to receiving the interrupt, power from the AC mains is again managed based on the AC mains voltage, the AC mains current, and/or the AC mains power as sampled.