Processing unit and system including plurality of the processing units

Claim 1

A system having a plurality of processing units and a common power source connected thereto for supplying power to the plurality of processing units, comprising: a plurality of switching means, respectively corresponding to and incorporated in the plurality of processing units and interconnecting the respective plurality of processing units with the common power source, for receiving respective control inputs thereto and selectively being switched thereby to ON and OFF conditions for respectively and selectively supplying power therethrough, or discontinuing the supply of power therethrough, to the respective processing units from the common power source; a plurality of request means, respectively associated with and incorporated in said plurality of processing units, each operable for determining the requirement for, and correspondingly generating a request for, the selective supply of power from the common power source to the respective processing unit; and a plurality of individual controllers respectively associated with and incorporated in the plurality of processing units, each thereof detecting the power supply condition of the common power source, comparing the detected condition with a predetermined power supply condition and determining, based on the comparison result, an allowable condition permitting the supply of further power from the common power source and a non-allowable such condition, each individual controller further being responsive to a request received from the associated request means of the respective processing unit and in accordance with determining the allowable condition of the common power source, selectively generating and supplying a corresponding control input to the associated switching means for selectively switching said associated switching means to the ON condition thereby to supply power through the associated, selectively switched switching means to the respective processing unit.

Claim 2

A system having a plurality of processing units and a common power source connected thereto for supplying power to the plurality of processing units, comprising: a plurality of switching means, respectively corresponding to and incorporated in the plurality of processing units and interconnecting the respective plurality of processing units with the common power source, for receiving respective control inputs thereto and selectively being switched thereby to ON and OFF conditions for respectively and selectively supplying power therethrough, or discontinuing the supply of power therethrough, to the respective processing units from the common power source; a plurality of request means, respectively associated with and incorporated in said plurality of processing units, each operable for determining the requirement for, and correspondingly generating a request for, the selective supply of power from the common power source to the respective processing unit; and a plurality of individual controllers respectively associated with and incorporated in the plurality of processing units, each thereof detecting the power supply condition of the common power source, comparing the detected condition with a predetermined power supply condition and determining, based on the comparison result, an allowable condition permitting the supply of further power from the common power source and a non-allowable such condition, each individual controller further being responsive to a request received from the associated request means of the respective processing unit and in accordance with determining the allowable condition of the common power source, selectively generating and supplying a corresponding control input to the associated switching means for selectively switching said associated switching means to the ON condition thereby to supply power through the associated, selectively switched switching means to the respective processing unit.

Claim 9

A system comprising: plural processing units, each unit having a maximum rated electrical power requirement and comprising a device which consumes a first portion of the maximum rated electrical power and other components which collectively consume a second portion of the maximum rated electrical power, the first portion comprising almost all of, and the second portion comprising the remainder of, the maximum rated electrical power requirement of the processing units, the device requiring a supply of power on a periodic and thus non-continuous basis and the other components requiring a substantially continuous and non-interrupted supply of power; an electrical power source having a maximum electrical power output which is less than the total of the respective maximum rated electrical power requirements of the plural processing units but is greater than the total of the respective second portions of the respective maximum rated electrical power requirements of the plural processing units; the respective, other components of the plural processing units being connected directly to the power source; and each of the plural processing units further having individually and respectively associated therewith; switching means, connected between the power source and the device, for receiving a control input thereto and selectively being switched thereby to ON and OFF conditions for, respectively, supplying power from the power source to the device and terminating the supply of power form the power source to the device, request means for determining the requirement for, and correspondingly generating a request for, the supply of power from the power source to the device, and controller means for detecting the power supply condition of the power source, comparing the detected condition with a predetermined power supply condition and determining, based on the comparison result, an allowable condition permitting the supply of power from the power source and a non-allowable such condition, the controller means further being responsive to a request received from the request means, and in accordance with determining the allowable condition of the common power source, for selectively generating and supplying a control input to the switching means for selectively switching said switching means to the ON condition thereby to supply power therethrough to the device.

Claim 10

A system comprising: plural processing units, each unit having a maximum rated electrical power requirement and comprising a device which consumes a first portion of the maximum rated electrical power and other components which collectively consume a second portion of the maximum rated electrical power, the first portion comprising almost all of, and the second portion comprising the remainder of, the maximum rated electrical power requirement of the processing units, the device requiring a supply of power on a periodic and thus non-continuous basis and the other components requiring a substantially continuous and non-interrupted supply of power; an electrical power source having a maximum electrical power output which is less than the total of the respective maximum rated electrical power requirements of the plural processing units but is greater than the total of the respective second portions of the respective maximum rated electrical power requirements of the plural processing units; the respective, other components of the plural processing units being connected directly to the power source; and each of the plural processing units further having individually and respectively associated therewith; switching means, connected between the power source and the device, for receiving a control input thereto and selectively being switched thereby to ON and OFF conditions for, respectively, supplying power from the power source to the device and terminating the supply of power form the power source to the device, request means for determining the requirement for, and correspondingly generating a request for, the supply of power from the power source to the device, and controller means for detecting the power supply condition of the power source, comparing the detected condition with a predetermined power supply condition and determining, based on the comparison result, an allowable condition permitting the supply of power from the power source and a non-allowable such condition, the controller means further being responsive to a request received from the request means, and in accordance with determining the allowable condition of the common power source, for selectively generating and supplying a control input to the switching means for selectively switching said switching means to the ON condition thereby to supply power therethrough to the device.