Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control – Power conservation
Patent
1997-03-28
2000-08-08
Auve, Glenn A.
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
Power conservation
713324, 714 24, G06F 126
Patent
active
061016101
ABSTRACT:
A computer system employs a thermal sensor in the main CPU housing to detect operating temperature. If a preselected trip point is reached indicating that overheating may be about to occur, the system goes into an orderly shutdown mode. A standby mode uses a low-power service processor which continues to operate even when the main unit is shut down. The service processor has limited functions, including detecting temperature within the main housing, and communicating by a network with a system administrator unit and reporting on the temperature in the main housing, and on the operating status of the main unit. A mechanism is provided to prevent the main processor unit from being unnecessarily shut down when the operating temperature is near but not beyond the trip point, as may occur due to variations in the power supply voltage and the voltage-dependence of the thermal sensor. This mechanism employs voltage stabilization of the supply for the thermal sensor when the computer is in its standard operating mode and the power supply for the main processor unit is running. Here the sensor is supplied from a precision voltage reference of a high degree of accuracy. However, when entering the standby mode, the main power supply is shut down, and so the thermal sensor is then operating from an auxiliary voltage source that is not stabilized. A simple isolating circuit allows one sensor to be used in both operating conditions, using one or the other of the power supplies. Since the trip point is much less important in the standby mode, there is no problem caused by the lack of precision in the voltage source.
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Beebe William Eldred
Upton John Daniel
Auve Glenn A.
Emile Volel
International Business Machines - Corporation
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