PC-CPU motherboards with common fault-tolerant power supply

• US 6,823,475 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2000
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Consolidated Work Station Computing LLC
• Original Assignee: Robin Harker
• Inventors: Harker, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Damiano, Anne L.
• Application Number:
  US09/711,983
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 714/14, 714/22, 714/11, 713/300, 713/340
• US Class Current: 714/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/185 Mounting of expansion boards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/186 Securing of expansion boards in correspondence to slots provided at the computer enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

Processor modules (2) are supported side-by-side with one another to slide in and out of a cabinet (1) on tracks (6, 7), each module (2) including a PC-CPU motherboard (11) and a hard-disk unit (16) mounted on a metal plate (3). Power is supplied to all the modules (2) in parallel from two power-supply units (18) mounted in the back of the cabinet (1), each comprising a pair of power-supply modules (19). The pairs of power-supply modules (19) supply power in parallel with one another to the processor modules (2). Diode circuitry (20) is included in each power-supply module (19) to isolate that power-supply module (19) from its paired power-supply module (19) in the event that a fault occurs by which the output voltage of the respective power-supply module (19) fall below that of the power-supply module (19) with which it is paired.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a multiplicity of PC-CPU motherboards, each of the multiplicity of PC-CPU motherboards includes a CPU processor having electrical circuitry interconnected with the processor, and a power-input connector connected to the circuitry for use in the supply of electrical power to power the respective motherboard;

an electrical power-supply means for affording fault-tolerating redundancy for supplying electrical power;

a mounting means for mounting the motherboards together with the power-supply means as a single unit; and

a wiring means for connecting the power-supply means n common to the power-input connectors of the motherboards for powering the motherboards in parallel with one another;

and wherein the power-supply means comprises a plurality of pairs of power-supply modules, means coupling the two power-supply modules of each said pair together for supplying power in parallel with one another and wherein the wiring means couples the pairs of power-supply modules together in parallel with one another for supplying power to the motherboards in parallel.

2. The computer system according to claim 1 wherein each power-supply module includes fault-responsive circuitry for responding to the occurrence of a fault within that respective power-supply module to isolate that individual power-supply module from powering the motherboards.

3. The computer system according to claim 2 wherein the fault-responsive circuitry of each individual power-supply module is responsive to reduction in voltage output of the respective power-supply module to isolate that individual power-supply module from supplying power to the motherboards.

4. A computer system comprising:

a multiplicity of processor modules each of the multiplicity of processor modules comprises a PC-CPU motherboard and a power-input connector, the PC-CPU motherboard including a CPU processor and electrical circuitry interconnected with the processor, and the power-input connector being interconnected with the PC-CPU motherboard for use in the supply of electrical power to power the PC-CPU motherboard;

a cabinet housing the processor modules, the cabinet including means mounting the processor modules side-by-side with one another within the cabinet;

an electrical power-supply means mounted within the cabinet, the power-supply means affording fault-tolerating redundancy in its supply of electrical power; and

a wiring means within the cabinet for connecting the power-supply means to the power-input connectors of all the processor modules in common for powering the motherboards in parallel with one another;

wherein the power-supply means comprises a plurality of power-supply modules, and means coupling the power-supply modules in parallel with one another for supplying power to the processor modules in parallel, and wherein the power-supply means comprises a plurality of pairs of power-supply modules, and means coupling the two power-supply modules of each said pair together for supplying power in parallel with one another, and wherein the wiring means couples the pairs of power-supply modules in parallel with one another for supplying power to the processor modules in parallel.

5. The computer system according to claim 4 wherein the means mounting the processor modules within the cabinet comprises a multiplicity of tracks for receiving the processor modules individually, the processor modules being mounted on respective ones of the tracks for sliding movement selectively in and out of the cabinet.

6. The computer system according to claim 4 wherein each processor module includes a hard-disk unit, and the hard-disk unit is interconnected with the PC-CPU motherboard of the respective processor module for data interchange therewith.

7. The computer system according to claim 4 wherein each power-supply module includes fault-responsive circuitry for responding to the occurrence of a fault within that respective power-supply module to isolate that individual power-supply module from supplying power to the processor modules.

8. The computer system according to claim 7 wherein the fault-responsive circuitry of each power-supply module is responsive to reduction in voltage output of the respective power-supply module to isolate that individual power-supply module from supplying power to the processors.