Method for activating a computer system in a low temperature environment

• US 8,200,993 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2008
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitac Technology Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitac Technology Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chiu, Chia-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Rehman, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US12/247,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management

Abstract

A method for booting a computer device under a low temperature state is provided. A trigger signal is detected when a power button is pressed. A hard disk temperature of a hard disk is obtained via a temperature sensor to determine whether the hard disk temperature is less than a first predetermined temperature. If so, a heater is activated to heat the hard disk until the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature. If the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature, the heater is turned off and afterwards a voltage of a battery cell is checked if the voltage has reached a predetermined voltage. If the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, a system component of a computer device is activated.

Claims

1. A method for booting a computer device under a low temperature state, comprising:

detecting a trigger signal to determine whether a power button of the computer device is pressed;

obtaining a hard disk temperature via a second temperature sensor of a hard disk of the computer device, if the power button is pressed;

determining whether the hard disk temperature is less than a first predetermined temperature;

if the hard disk temperature is less than the first predetermined temperature, activating a heater of the hard disk to heat the hard disk;

determining whether the hard disk temperature is greater than a first predetermined temperature via the second temperature sensor;

if the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature, turning the heater off and determining whether a voltage of a battery cell of the computer device reached a predetermined voltage;

if voltage of a battery cell of the computer device has reached a predetermined voltage, activating a system component of the computer device;

if the hard disk temperature is less than the first predetermined temperature, obtaining a battery temperature of the battery cell via a first temperature sensor of the computer device; and

determining whether the battery temperature is less than a second predetermined temperature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the battery temperature is less than a second predetermined temperature, determining whether the amount of power of the battery cell is greater than a preset value; and

if the amount of power of the battery cell is not greater than a preset value, inactivating the system component.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if the amount of power of the battery cell is greater than the preset value, determining whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if the voltage of the battery cell has not reached the predetermined voltage, inactivating the system component.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, activating whether the heater to heat the hard disk;

obtaining whether the hard disk temperature via the second temperature sensor;

determining whether the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature; and

if the hard disk temperature is not greater than the first predetermined temperature, continuously heating whether the hard disk via the heater.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature, turning whether the heater off;

determining whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, activating whether the system component.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising activating whether the heater to heat the hard disk if the battery temperature is not less than the second predetermined temperature.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the second predetermined temperature is −

5°

C.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuously heating whether the hard disk via the heater if the hard disk temperature is not greater than the first predetermined temperature.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the hard disk temperature is not less than the first predetermined temperature, determining whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, activating whether the system component.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined temperature is 5°

C. and the predetermined voltage is 10.2V.

11. A computer device, comprising:

a power button;

a hard disk, installed with a heater and a second temperature sensor, wherein the heater is activated to heat the hard disk when the second temperature sensor detects a hard disk temperature less than a first predetermined temperature and is turned off when the second temperature sensor detects a hard disk temperature greater than the first predetermined temperature;

a battery cell;

a first temperature sensor, obtaining a battery temperature of the battery cell; and

an embedded controller, detecting whether the power button has been pressed according to a trigger signal, and if so, determining whether a voltage of the battery cell has reached a predetermined voltage when the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature and the heater has been turned off, and activating a system component of the computer device when a voltage of the battery cell has reached a predetermined voltage; and

if the hard disk temperature is less than the first predetermined temperature, the embedded controller obtains a battery temperature of the battery cell via the first temperature sensor and determines whether the battery temperature is less than a second predetermined temperature.

12. The computer device of claim 11, wherein:

if the battery temperature is less than the second predetermined temperature, the embedded controller determines whether the amount of power of the battery cell is greater than a preset value; and

if the amount of power of the battery cell is not greater than the preset value, the embedded controller inactivates the system component.

13. The computer device of claim 12, wherein:

if the amount of power of the battery cell is greater than the preset value, the embedded controller determines whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, the embedded controller inactivates the system component.

14. The computer device of claim 13, wherein:

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, the embedded controller activates the heater to heat the hard disk;

the embedded controller obtains the hard disk temperature via the second temperature sensor and determines whether the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature; and

if the hard disk temperature is not greater than the first predetermined temperature, the embedded controller continuously heats the hard disk via the heater.

15. The computer device of claim 14, wherein:

if the hard disk temperature is greater than the first predetermined temperature, the embedded controller turns the heater off and determines whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, the embedded controller activates the system component.

16. The computer device of claim 12, wherein the embedded controller activates the heater to heat the hard disk if the battery temperature is not less than the second predetermined temperature.

17. The computer device of claim 12, wherein the second predetermined temperature is −

5°

C.

18. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the embedded controller continuously heats the hard disk via the heater if the hard disk temperature is not greater than the first predetermined temperature.

19. The computer device of claim 11, wherein:

if the hard disk temperature is not less than the first predetermined temperature, the embedded controller determines whether the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage; and

if the voltage of the battery cell has reached the predetermined voltage, the embedded controller activates the system component.

20. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined temperature is −

5°

C. and the predetermined voltage is 10.2V.