TWI497283B - Supervisory control apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Monitoring device

The invention relates to a monitoring device, in particular to a multifunctional integrated hardware monitoring device applied in a computer system.

In the development of the computer system, hardware personnel of various technical backgrounds are required to cooperate to integrate the Super I/O, the South Bridge chip and the basic input/output system (BASIC INPUT/OUTPUT SYSTEM; BIOS) to complete the computer system. Temperature adjustment, fan control and health status display.

At the same time, in the development of computer systems, the number of temperature sensors and fan controls that can be used by hardware personnel is often limited by the number of Super I/Os provided by Southbridge chips, and cannot be regarded as the actual needs of computer systems. Planning used. The number of temperature sensors and fan controls that can be provided by Super I/O on a typical Southbridge chip may be sufficient for use on a personal computer or laptop, however, high-end server systems are often stretched.

In addition, in the development of computer systems, the implementation of computer system debugging cards is almost always implemented using multi-pin communication interfaces such as PCI, MINI-PCI or LPC, and these communication interfaces are not only too wasteful of resources, but also complicated. The cost is too high.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a monitoring device that can be applied to a general computer system, such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a server, or other embedded system. The monitoring device of the embodiment integrates functions of fan control, temperature control, system health display and power-on self-test (POST) code debugging display, and can be directly applied to the developing computer system to accelerate the development of the computer system. Process, reduce R&D and integration costs.

The monitoring device of the embodiment is coupled to a computer system, which includes a first circuit and a second circuit, wherein the first circuit has a main communication interface and a first slave communication interface, and the second circuit has a The second slave communication interface. The first circuit receives the plurality of temperature signals via the main communication interface, and controls the rotation speed of the corresponding one of the fans according to each of the temperature signals, and receives the rotation speed signals of each of the fans. At the same time, the first circuit is coupled to the computer system via the first slave communication interface and receives at least one system status signal from the computer system.

In addition, the second circuit is coupled to the main communication interface of the first circuit via the second slave communication interface, and the second circuit receives a function selection signal, the temperature signals, the speed signals, and the at least one system state from the first circuit. The signal, and according to the function selection signal, present a value corresponding to each of the temperature signals and each of the speed signals and a status light corresponding to the system status signals.

In summary, the monitoring device of the present embodiment uses the communication interface as a communication interface in terms of temperature sensing, health status display, and debugging of the power-on self-test (POST) code. In this way, the communication interface only needs two feet (low pin count) to complete the communication advantages, and the monitoring device of the embodiment can be directly applied to the computer system 2 under development, and can also accelerate the development of the computer system. Time-consuming, reduced R&D and integration costs, while simplifying complex circuit design and greatly reducing the cost of circuit design.

The detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings are to be understood by the claims

The monitoring device of the embodiment of the present invention integrates multiple sets of temperature sensors and fan control, and provides functions such as system health status display and power-on self-test (POST) code debugging, and can be directly Apply to any developing computer system. In this way, the monitoring device of the embodiment can speed up the development of the computer system, and can reduce the burden on the software and hardware personnel of the computer system, and reduce the development cost.

Refer to the first figure. The first figure is a functional block diagram of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment includes a first circuit 10 and a second circuit 12, wherein the first circuit 10 is coupled to the second circuit 12, the plurality of temperature detectors 14, the plurality of fans 16, and a computer. System 2.

Refer to the first figure. The first circuit 10 has a main communication interface 102, a first slave communication interface 104, a first processor 106, a temperature comparison unit 108, a PWM control circuit 110, and a rotation speed counting unit 111. The main communication interface 102 is coupled to the second circuit 12 and the temperature detectors 14 , and the first slave communication interface 104 is coupled to the computer system 2 . The first processor 106 is coupled to the main communication interface 102, the first slave communication interface 104, the temperature comparison unit 108, and the rotation speed counting unit 111. The first processor 106 is coupled to a function selection switch 114, receives a function selection signal S5 from the function selection switch 114, and forwards the function selection signal S5 to the second circuit 12.

The foregoing main communication interface 102 and the first slave communication interface 104 are a two-pin I ² C sequence bus, and are in a master-slave relationship. Meanwhile, the aforementioned function selection switch 114 may be a bit switch which is used as a selection switch for temperature display, fan speed display, status display or power on self test (POST) code display.

Refer to the first figure. The first processor 106 of the first circuit 10 is coupled to the computer system 2 via the first slave communication interface 104, and receives at least one system status signal S3 from the computer system 2 and temporarily stored in the internal register. The aforementioned system status signal S3 may be a status signal such as a hard disk state, a power state, a network state, and the like.

Refer to the first figure. The first processor 106 receives each of the temperature signals S1 from each of the temperature detectors 14 via the main communication interface 102, and temporarily stores the temperature signals S1 in an internal register (not labeled). In addition, the first processor 106 sends the temperature signals S1 to the temperature comparison unit 108. The temperature comparison unit 108 compares each of the temperature signals S1 with a temperature preset range (not labeled), and outputs a corresponding comparison result S6. The PWM control circuit 110 is coupled to the temperature comparison unit 108 and the fans 16, and controls the rotation speed of each of the fans 16 according to each of the comparison results S6. In addition, the rotation speed counting unit 111 is coupled to the first processor 106 and the fans 16 , and receives the rotation speed signal S2 of each of the fans 16 , and transfers the rotation speed signals S2 to the first processor 106 , and The temporary storage is temporarily stored in the first processor 106.

With the first figure, refer to the second figure. The second figure is a schematic diagram of the control curve of the hysteresis effect control of the embodiment of the present invention. The PWM control circuit 110 of the present embodiment can perform a hysteresis effect control mode to control the rotational speed of each of the fans 16. The PWM control circuit 110 compares the comparison result S6 of each of the temperature signals S1 and the temperature preset range according to the temperature comparison unit 108 to correspondingly control the rotation speed of each of the fans 16. As shown in the second figure, the temperature preset range is set between T1 and T2. At this time, the temperature signal S1 detected by the temperature detector 14 corresponding to each of the fans 16 is via the main communication interface 102. The first processor 106 sends it to the temperature comparison unit 108 and performs a comparison operation with the temperature preset range set at T1 and T2.

When each of the temperature signals S1 is less than T1, the PWM control circuit 110 will correspondingly control each of the fans 16 to maintain the first rotational speed rpm 1. And each of the temperature signals S1 gradually rises, and when T1 is exceeded, the PWM control circuit 110 correspondingly controls each of the fans 16, gradually accelerates from the first rotational speed rpm 1 to the second rotational speed rpm 2, and is second. The speed is maintained. At the same time, when each of the temperature signals S1 gradually decreases due to the heat dissipation effect of the second rotation speed rpm 2, and below T2, the PWM control circuit 110 will correspondingly control each of the fans 16, from the second rotation speed rpm 2 Gradually descend to the first rotational speed rpm 1, and maintain operation at the first rotational speed rpm 1. As such, the hysteresis effect control mode executed by the PWM control circuit 110 of the present embodiment can reduce the problem of noise and power loss caused by frequent switching of the rotational speed.

Refer to the first figure. The second circuit 12 has a second processor 122, a second slave communication interface 124, a status indicator module 125, a temperature digital decoding unit 126, a temperature digital display unit 127, a rotational speed digital decoding unit 128, and a Speed digital display unit 129. The second processor 122 is coupled to the second slave communication interface 124, the status indicator module 125, the temperature digital decoding unit 126, and the rotational speed digital decoding unit 128. The second processor 122 is coupled to the first circuit 10 via the second slave communication interface 124. The temperature signals S1, the speed signals S2 and the at least one system state signal S3 are received, and the various signals S1, S2, and S3 are temporarily stored in an internal register (not labeled).

Refer to the first figure. The second processor 122 receives a function selection signal S5 from the first circuit 10, and sends each system status signal S3 to the status indicator module 125 according to the function selection signal S5, so that the status indicator module 125 is presented. The status light corresponding to each system status signal S3. In addition, the second processor 122 also sends each of the temperature signals S1 to the temperature digital decoding unit 126 according to the function selection signal S5, and the temperature digital decoding unit 126 decodes each of the temperature signals S1, and The decoded value is presented through the temperature digital display unit 127. In addition, the second processor 122 also sends each of the rotational speed signals S2 to the rotational speed digital decoding unit 128 according to the function selection signal S5, and the rotational speed digital decoding unit 128 decodes each of the rotational speed signals S2, and The decoded value is presented through the rotational speed digital display unit 129.

Refer to the first figure. The first circuit 10 of the present embodiment further includes a debug digital decoding unit 112 and a debug digital display unit 116, wherein the debug digital decoding unit 112 is coupled to the first processor 106 and the debug digital display unit 116. The first processor 106 receives a power-on debug signal S4 from the computer system 2, and temporarily stores the power-on debug signal S4 in an internal temporary register. In addition, the first processor 106 sends the power-on debug signal S4 to the debug digital decoding unit 112 according to the function selection signal S5. At this time, the debug digital decoding unit 112 decodes the power-on debug signal S4, and The decoded power-on debug value is presented by the debug digital display unit 116.

The aforementioned power-on debug signal S4 may be a Power on Self Test (POST) code generated by the booting program in the basic input/output system (BIOS) when the computer system 2 is turned on. When the computer system 2 is under development, engineers often need to detect and debug the basic input/output system (BIOS) boot program according to the contents of the Power On Self Test (POST) code.

In addition, with the first figure, please refer to the third figure. The third figure is a flow chart showing the steps of the temperature monitoring of the monitoring system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment detects the corresponding temperature signal S1 from each temperature detector 14 via the main communication interface 102, and obtains the corresponding fan speed signal S2 via the speed counting unit 111, as by step S100. Then, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment stores all the acquired temperature signals S1 and the fan speed signal S2 in the internal register, as by step S102. In this way, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment can select each of the temperature signals S1 and the corresponding fan according to the function selection signal S5 generated by the user operating the function selection switch 14 (ie, the user's selection input). The speed signal S2 is sent out via the main communication interface 102 and the second slave communication interface 124, thereby displaying the values of each of the temperature signals S1 and the corresponding fan speed signal S2, as by step S104.

In step S104, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment first decodes the temperature signal S1 and the corresponding fan speed signal S2, and then presents the decoded value. In addition, the monitoring device 1 of the embodiment also compares each of the temperature signals S1 with a temperature preset range, as in step S103. Then, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment controls the rotation speed of each of the fans 16 according to the comparison result, as by step S105.

For the first picture, please refer to the fourth picture. The fourth figure is a flow chart showing the steps of monitoring the health status of the computer system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment acquires the system status signal S3 from the computer device 2 via the first slave communication interface 104, as by step S200. Then, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment stores all the acquired system state signals S3 in the internal register, as by step S202. As such, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment can select the system selection signal S5 (ie, the user's selection input) generated by the user after selecting the switch 14 to operate the system status signal S3 via the primary communication interface 102 and the second. The slave communication interface 124 sends out the value of the system status signal S3, as shown in step S204.

For the first picture, please refer to the fifth picture. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the steps of monitoring the startup and debugging of the computer system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment acquires the power-on debug signal S4 from the computer device 2 via the first slave communication interface 104, as by step S300. Then, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment stores all the obtained power-on debug signals S4 in the internal register, as by step S302. As such, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment can display the value of the power-on debug signal S4 according to the function selection signal S5 (ie, the user's selection input) generated after the user operates the function selection switch 14. S304. In step S304, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment first decodes the power-on debug signal S4, and then presents the decoded value.

As such, the monitoring device 1 provided in this embodiment can be applied to a general computer system 2, such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, a server, or other embedded system. At the same time, the monitoring device 1 of the embodiment integrates functions of fan control, temperature control, system health display and power-on self-test (POST) code debugging, and can be directly applied to the computer system 2 under development to accelerate Computer system development time, reduce R&D and integration costs.

In summary, the monitoring device 1 of the present embodiment uses the communication interfaces 102, 104, and 124 as communication interfaces in terms of temperature sensing, health status display, and debugging of the power-on self-test (POST) code. In this way, the communication interface 102, 104, 124 only needs two pins (low pin count) to complete the communication. The monitoring device 1 of the embodiment can be directly applied not only to the computer system 2 under development, It also accelerates the development time of the computer system 2, reduces the development and integration costs, and at the same time simplifies the complicated circuit design and greatly reduces the cost of the circuit design.

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the features of the present invention are not limited thereto, and any one skilled in the art can easily change or modify it in the field of the present invention. Both can be covered in the following patent scope of this case.

1. . . Monitoring device

10. . . First circuit

102. . . Main communication interface

104. . . First slave communication interface

106. . . First processor

108. . . Temperature comparison unit

110. . . PWM control circuit

111‧‧‧Speed counting unit

112‧‧‧Debug Digital Decoding Unit

114‧‧‧ function selection switch

116‧‧‧Diagram Digital Display Unit

12‧‧‧Second circuit

122‧‧‧second processor

124‧‧‧Secondary subordinate communication interface

125‧‧‧Status indicator module

126‧‧‧Temperature Digital Decoding Unit

127‧‧‧Temperature digital display unit

128‧‧‧Speed digital decoding unit

129‧‧‧Speed digital display unit

14‧‧‧Temperature Detector

16‧‧‧Fan

2‧‧‧ computer system

S1‧‧‧ temperature signal

S2‧‧‧ speed signal

S3‧‧‧ system status signal

S4‧‧‧Power-on debug signal

S5‧‧‧ function selection signal

S6‧‧‧ comparison results

The first figure is a functional block diagram of a monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

The second figure is a schematic diagram of a control curve of hysteresis effect control according to an embodiment of the present invention;

The third figure is a schematic flow chart of steps of monitoring the temperature of the computer system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the steps of monitoring the health status of the computer system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the steps of monitoring the startup and debugging of the computer system by the monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

1. . . Monitoring device

10. . . First circuit

102. . . Main communication interface

104. . . First slave communication interface

106. . . First processor

108. . . Temperature comparison unit

110. . . PWM control circuit

111. . . Speed counting unit

112. . . Debug digital decoding unit

114. . . Function selection switch

116. . . Debug digital display unit

12. . . Second circuit

122. . . Second processor

124. . . Second slave communication interface

125. . . Status indicator module

126. . . Temperature digital decoding unit

127. . . Temperature digital display unit

128. . . Speed digital decoding unit

129. . . Speed digital display unit

14. . . Temperature detector

16. . . fan

2. . . computer system

S1. . . Temperature signal

S2. . . Speed signal

S3. . . System status signal

S4. . . Power-on debug signal

S5. . . Function selection signal

S6. . . Comparing results

Claims (17)

A monitoring device, coupled to a computer system, comprising: a first circuit having a main communication interface and a first slave communication interface, the first circuit receiving a plurality of temperature signals via the main communication interface, and according to each The temperature signals respectively control the rotational speed of the corresponding one of the fans, and receive the rotational speed signals of each of the fans. The first circuit is coupled to the computer system via the first slave communication interface, and receives at least one from the computer system. And a second slave circuit having a second slave communication interface coupled to the master communication interface of the first circuit via the second slave communication interface, the second circuit from the first The circuit receives a function selection signal, the temperature signals, the rotation speed signals, and the at least one system status signal, and according to the function selection signal, presents each of the temperature signals and values corresponding to each of the rotation speed signals and a status light corresponding to the system status signals; wherein the first circuit includes a function selection switch and a first processor, the first processing The function selection switch is coupled to the first processor, the first processor receives the function selection signal from the function selection switch, and the function selection signal is coupled to the first communication interface. Transfer to the second circuit. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the first circuit further comprises: a temperature comparison unit coupled to the first processor, the temperature comparison unit receiving the temperature signals from the first processor And comparing each of the temperature signals with a temperature preset range, and outputting a corresponding comparison result; and a PWM control circuit coupled to the temperature comparison unit and the fans, the PWM control circuit according to each of the Comparing the results, the rotational speed of each of the fans is controlled correspondingly. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the first circuit is further The speed counting unit is coupled to the first processor and the fans, and the speed counting unit receives the speed signals of each of the fans, and temporarily stores the speed signals in the first processing. Device. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the main communication interface of the first circuit is coupled to the first processor and the plurality of temperature detectors, and respectively corresponding to each of the temperature detectors Each of the temperature signals is received, and the temperature signals are temporarily stored in the first processor. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the PWM control circuit performs a hysteresis effect control mode, and correspondingly controls the rotational speed of each of the fans according to each of the comparison results. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the first circuit receives a power-on debug signal from the computer system and presents a power-on debug value. The monitoring device of claim 6, wherein the first circuit further comprises: a debug digital decoding unit, the debug digital decoding unit is coupled to the first processor, and the debug digital decoding unit is The function selection signal receives the power-on debug signal from the first processor, and decodes the power-on debug signal; and a debug digital display unit coupled to the debug digital decoding unit to present the Turn on the debug value. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the second circuit comprises: a second processor coupled to the second slave communication interface; a temperature digital decoding unit coupled to the second processor Receiving the temperature signals from the second processor and decoding each of the temperature signals; and a temperature digital display unit coupled to the temperature digital decoding unit for presenting each of the temperatures The value corresponding to the signal. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the second circuit is further The method includes: a rotational speed digital decoding unit coupled to the second processor, and receiving the rotational speed signals from the second processor, and decoding each of the rotational speed signals; and a rotational speed digital display unit coupled The rotational speed digital decoding unit is configured to present a value corresponding to each of the rotational speed signals. The monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the second circuit further comprises: a status indicator module coupled to the second processor for presenting status of the system status signals Light number. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the primary communication interface, the first slave communication interface, and the second slave communication interface are I ² C sequence busbars of a 2-pin position. A monitoring method is applied to a monitoring device, the monitoring device is coupled to a computer system, the monitoring device includes a first circuit and a second circuit, and the method includes: receiving, by using a main communication interface in the first circuit a plurality of temperature signals, and respectively controlling a rotation speed of the corresponding fan according to each of the temperature signals, and receiving a rotation speed signal of the corresponding fan, wherein the first circuit is coupled to the computer system via a first slave communication interface, And receiving at least one system status signal from the computer system; the first circuit stores the temperature signals and the corresponding fan speed signals; the first circuit receives a function selection signal according to a user operating a function selection switch selection input And sending the temperature signal and the corresponding fan speed signal to the second circuit via the main communication interface; and a second slave communication interface of the second circuit is coupled to the main communication interface of the first circuit, Receiving the function selection signal, the temperature signal, the rotation speed signal, and the at least one system status signal from the first circuit And according to the function selection signal, each of the display with each of the temperature signal corresponding to the speed signal value and the state of the system corresponding to the shaped signal State light number. The monitoring method of claim 12, further comprising: the first circuit decoding the temperature signals and the corresponding fan speed signals. The monitoring method of claim 12, further comprising: comparing, by the first circuit, each of the temperature signals and a temperature preset range; and the first circuit correspondingly controlling each of the plurality of temperature signals according to the comparison result The speed of the fan. The monitoring method of claim 12, further comprising: the first circuit receiving, by using the first slave communication interface, a power-on debug signal from the computer system; the first circuit recording the power-on debug signal; And the first circuit displays the value of the power-on debug signal according to a user inputting a selection input of the function selection switch. The monitoring method described in claim 15 further includes: decoding the power-on debug signal. The monitoring method of claim 16, wherein the primary communication interface, the first slave communication interface, and the second slave communication interface are I ² C sequence busbars of a 2-pin position.