EP0340787B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ride-through energy boost circuit
Assignee: Digital Equipment Corp
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Filing: 1989-05-05
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Granted: 1993-12-22
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Expires: 2009-05-05
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
- 👤 Don Luis Drinkwater
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 09:14
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F1/00; G06F1/26; G06F1/30; H; H02; H02J; H02J9/00; H02J9/04; H02J9/06; H02J9/061
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
A device for riding through variations in a power supply and delaying initiation of a shut down procedure in a computer, the device characterized by : an energy booster (26) for raising the power supplied to the computer; an interrupter (30) for receiving and interrupting an asserted shut down signal and outputting an interrupt signal when said shut down signal has been asserted; a gate trigger (32) coupled to said interrupter (30) and said energy booster (26) for triggering said energy booster (26) to raise the power supplied to the computer when said gate trigger (32) receives said interrupt signal from said interrupter (30); means for monitoring (12) an amount of energy remaining in said energy booster (26) coupled to said energy booster (26), said means for monitoring (12) outputting a depletion signal when the amount of energy in said energy booster (26) is below a reference value; and an output stage (36) having inputs coupled to said interrupter (30) and said means for monitoring (12), said output stage (36) receiving at said inputs said interrupt signal and said depletion signal and outputting a reasserted shut down signal to said computer when both said interrupt signal and said depletion signal are present at the inputs of said output stage (36).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
66 words
The device of claim 1, wherein said means for monitoring (12) comprises a voltage divider (60, 62) having an input coupled to said energy booster (26), and a comparator (34) coupled at one input to a reference voltage supply to receive a reference voltage and at another input to said voltage divider (60, 62) to receive a remaining energy voltage from said voltage divider (60, 62).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
51 words
The device of claim 2, wherein said means for monitoring (12) further comprises an isolator (68) coupled between the comparator (34) and the output stage (36), said isolator (68) issuing said depletion signal upon receiving a signal from said comparator (34) indicating said remaining energy voltage is below said reference voltage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The device of claim 3, wherein said isolator (68) is an optical isolator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The device of claim 4, wherein said interrupter (30) includes a logic gate (39) which receives as inputs said shut down signal and a constant signal, and outputs said interrupt signal when said shut down signal is asserted.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 5, wherein said logic gate (38) is a NAND gate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
86 words
The device of claim 3, wherein said gate trigger (32) includes a transistor (44) controlled by said interrupt signal, a resistor (46) and a capacitor (48) both connected at one end to said transistor (44), and an isolating transformer (50) connected to both said resistor (46) and said capacitor (48) at the other ends of said resistor (46) and said capacitor (48), said isolating transformer (50) outputting a trigger signal to trigger said energy booster (26) when said interrupt signal is received by said transistor (44).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The device of claim 1, wherein said interrupter (30) includes a logic gate (38) which receives as inputs said shut down signal and a constant signal, and outputs said interrupt signal when said shut down signal is asserted.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The device of claim 8, wherein said logic gate (38) is a NAND gate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
86 words
The device of claim 1, wherein said gate trigger (32) includes a transistor (44) controlled by said interrupt signal, a resistor (46) and a capacitor (48) both coupled at one end to said transistor (44), and an isolating transformer (50) coupled to both said resistor (46) and said capacitor (48) at the other ends of said resistor (46) and said capacitor (48), said isolating transformer (50) outputting a trigger signal to trigger said energy booster (26) when said interrupt signal is received by said transistor (44).
Claim 11
Independent Claim
103 words
A method for causing a computer to ride through a variation in power supplied to the computer, the variation being indicated by an asserted shut down signal, the method characterized by : (a) interrupting the asserted shut down signal; (b) controlling an energy booster (26) upon assertion of the shut down signal to boost the power supplied to the computer; and (c) outputting to the computer a re-asserted shut down signal to allow initiation of a shut down of the computer when an amount of energy in said energy booster (26) is below a reference value and said shut down signal is reasserted.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 11, wherein step (c) further comprises the step of comparing in an operational amplifier (52) the amount of energy in said energy booster (26) with the reference value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 12, wherein said comparing step includes the step of converting the amount of energy in said energy booster (26) and the reference value into voltages which are inputs to said operational amplifier (52).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 13, wherein said comparing step includes controlling an isolator (68) in accordance with an output of said operational amplifier (52).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 12, wherein step (c) includes controlling an output stage (36) according to a signal from an output of the isolator (68) and from said asserted shut dawn signal, said output stage (36) outputting said reasserted shut dawn signal when the energy of said energy booster (26) is below the reference value and the shut down signal is asserted.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 11, wherein step (b) includes the step of operating a gate trigger (32) in response to assertion of the shut down signal such that said gate trigger (32) triggers the energy booster (26) to boost the power supplied to the computer.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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