TWI509393B - Computer system and the control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Computer system and control method thereof

The invention relates to an electronic system and a control method thereof, in particular to a computer system and a control method thereof.

With the development of digital technology, computer systems have been widely used in people's lives, such as desktop computers, notebook computers, and network processors and servers for providing network services. Wait.

Traditionally, some types of computer systems can use a baseboard management controller (BMC) to monitor the temperature of the internal devices in the computer system and the speed of the fan modules to adjust the fan modules. However, in order to facilitate the operation of the administrator, the fan management of the baseboard management controller usually has an automatic control mode and a manual control mode. If the manager sets the fan management of the baseboard management controller to the manual control mode, the baseboard management controller cannot be based on The temperature of the internal device monitored and the speed of the fan module adjust the fan module. In this way, if the manager neglects to make the fan module rotate insufficiently, the computer system may crash due to overheating, or cause internal components to be affected. damage.

An embodiment of the present invention is a computer system that utilizes a logic control device to assist a substrate control manager in controlling a fan module.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer system receives a manual control signal The number includes a fan module, a tachometer, a temperature sensor, a substrate management controller, and a logic control device. The tachometer is electrically connected to the fan module for detecting and outputting a first rotation frequency of the fan module. The temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the computer system and output an overheat signal when the computer system overheats. The baseboard management controller is configured to receive and according to a manual control signal to provide a fixed pulse width modulation signal to the fan module, and output the manual control signal. The logic control device is electrically connected to the tachometer, the substrate management controller and the fan module, and receives the manual control signal and the first rotation frequency, and according to the first rotation frequency when receiving the overheat signal Generate and output a cooling pulse signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the logic control device outputs a switching signal when receiving the overheat signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer system further includes a switch. The switch is electrically connected to the baseboard management controller, the logic control device, and the fan module. The switch selectively outputs the fixed pulse width modulation signal or the temperature drop pulse signal to the fan module according to the switching signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the logic control device outputs the temperature drop pulse signal and the switching signal after receiving the overheat signal for a predetermined time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when receiving the overheat signal, the logic control device compares the first rotation frequency with a second rotation frequency after receiving the preset time, and is used for the second Outputting the cooling pulse signal and the switching signal when the rotation frequency is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency No. and output a warning message to the baseboard management controller.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of controlling a computer system. According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer system receives a manual control signal and includes a fan module, a switch, a tachometer, a temperature sensor, a substrate management controller, and a logic control device. The control method includes: the tachometer detecting and outputting a first rotation frequency of the fan module; the temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the computer system, and outputting an overheat signal when the computer system is overheated; the substrate The management controller receives and provides a fixed pulse width modulation signal to the fan module according to the manual control signal, and outputs the manual control signal; the logic control device receives the manual control signal and the first rotation frequency; and The logic control device generates and outputs a temperature drop pulse signal according to the first rotation frequency when receiving the overheat signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the control method further includes the logic control device outputting a switching signal when receiving the overheat signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the control method further includes the switch receiving and selectively outputting the fixed pulse width modulation signal or the temperature drop pulse signal to the fan module according to the switching signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the step of outputting the switching signal further comprises: the logic control device outputting the cooling pulse signal and the switching signal after a predetermined time elapses after receiving the overheating signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the step of outputting the switching signal further comprises: when the logic control device receives the overheat signal, receiving the second rotation frequency after the preset time and the first rotation frequency Comparing, when the second rotation frequency is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency The cooling pulse signal and the switching signal are output, and a warning message is output to the baseboard management controller.

In summary, the above embodiments can be used to monitor the superheat signal, the control mode of the baseboard management controller, and the rotational speed of the fan module to assist the baseboard management controller in controlling the rotational speed of the fan module, thereby avoiding the administrator. Inadvertently overheating the computer system and causing the computer system to crash or cause damage to its internal components.

The spirit and scope of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. Modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

By "electrical connection" as used herein, it may mean that two or more elements are physically or indirectly electrically contacted.

One aspect of the present invention is a computer system, such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a network processor, a server, etc., in order to clarify the description, a server will be described as an example in the following paragraphs.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The computer system 100 includes a logic control device 110, a baseboard management controller (BMC) 120, a fan module 130, a tachometer 140, a switch 150, and a temperature sensor 160. The logic control device 110 is electrically connected to the substrate management controller 120, the tachometer 140, the switch 150, and the temperature sensor 160. The baseboard management controller 120 is electrically connected to the tachometer 140 and the switch 150. Fan module 130 electrical The tachometer 140 and the switch 150 are connected. The logic control device 110 can be used for, but not limited to, a logic circuit, a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or a programmable logic gate array (field programmable). Gate array, FPGA).

The tachometer 140 is configured to detect and output the first rotational frequency of the fan module 130 to the logic control device 110 and the substrate management controller 120.

The temperature sensor 160 can detect the temperature of the computer system 100 and its internal devices, such as detecting the temperature of the central processing unit, the memory, and the power supply. The temperature sensor 160 can send an overheat signal (for example, CPU VR Hot_N, MEM VR Hot_N, PSU Hot Alert_N or NM Prochot_N) to the logic control when the computer system 100 and its internal device are overheated (for example, the temperature exceeds a preset threshold). Device 110.

The substrate management controller 120 can be used to provide a pulse width modulation signal to the fan module 130 to control the rotational speed of the fan module 130. The base management controller 120 has an automatic control mode and a manual control mode. In the automatic control mode, the substrate management controller 120 can control the rotational speed of the automatic fan module 130 according to the rotational frequency of the fan module 130 provided by the tachometer 140 and the temperature of the internal device of the computer system 100. When the substrate management controller 120 receives the manual control signal input by the user, the substrate management controller 120 can switch to the manual control mode. At this time, the substrate management controller 120 provides a fixed pulse width modulation signal to the fan module 130 according to the manual control signal, and outputs a manual control signal to the logic control device 110 to notify the logic control device 110 that it is in the manual control mode.

The logic control device 110 can receive the output of the substrate management controller 120 The first rotation frequency of the fan module 130 outputted by the signal and the tachometer 140 is manually controlled, and when the superheat signal outputted by the temperature sensor 160 is received, a cooling pulse signal is generated and outputted to the fan module according to the first rotation frequency. Group 130.

Through the above setting, when the substrate management controller 120 is set to the manual control mode, the logic control device 110 can determine whether to replace the substrate management controller 120 to provide a cooling pulse according to the first rotation frequency output by the overheat signal and the tachometer 140. The signal is given to the fan module 130. This can prevent the computer system 100 from being damaged due to overheating.

In one embodiment, the operation of the logic control device 110 in place of the substrate management controller 120 to provide the cooling pulse signal to the fan module 130 can be implemented by the switch 150. The two input ends of the switch 150 can be electrically connected to the logic control device 110 and the substrate management controller 120 respectively. The output end of the switch 150 can be electrically connected to the fan module 130, and the control end of the switch 150 can be electrically connected. Logic control device 110. With the above configuration, the logic control device 110 can output a switching signal to the switch 150 to enable the switch 150 to selectively output the cooling pulse signal output by the logic control device 110 or the fixed pulse output by the substrate management controller 120. The width modulation signal is sent to the fan module 130.

In addition, in an embodiment, the specific operation of the logic control device 110 to generate and output the temperature drop pulse signal according to the first rotational frequency when receiving the overheat signal may be, for example, the following.

First, the logic control device 110 can receive the first rotational frequency of the fan module 130 output by the tachometer 140 after receiving the manual control mode signal and before receiving the overheat signal, and then at the logic control device 110. After receiving the overheat signal, after a predetermined time, a second rotation frequency of the fan module 130 output by the tachometer 140 is received. Then, the logic control device 110 can compare the first rotation frequency with the second rotation frequency. If the second rotation frequency is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency, and the logic control device 110 continuously receives the manual control mode signal and the overheat signal, the logic control The device 110 can output the cooling pulse signal and the switching signal sw_ctrl (for example, the switching signal sw_ctrl is a high level potential) to the switch 150 to cause the cooling pulse signal output by the logic control device 110 to be transmitted to the fan module 130 via the switch 150. At the same time, the logic control device 110 can also output a warning message to the baseboard management controller 120. The baseboard management controller 120 receives and stores the warning message to facilitate the administrator to grasp the overheating event.

On the other hand, when the switch 150 outputs the cooling pulse signal outputted by the logic control device 110 to the fan module 130 (that is, the logic control device 110 controls the rotation speed of the fan module 130), if the temperature sensor 160 stops outputting The overheat signal to the logic control device 110 causes the logic control device 110 to receive no overheat signal, and the overheat condition of the internal device of the computer system 100 can be cancelled. The logic control device 110 can issue another switching signal sw_ctrl (for example, the switching signal sw_ctrl). The low level potential is applied to the switch 150 to cause the switch 150 to output the fixed pulse width modulation signal output by the substrate management controller 120 to the fan module 130. Similarly, in the case that the switch 150 outputs the cooling pulse signal outputted by the logic control device 110 to the fan module 130, if the substrate management controller 120 stops outputting the manual control signal to the logic control device 110, the logic control device 110 is received. If the manual control mode signal is not available, it can represent that the baseboard management controller 120 has switched to the automatic control mode, and the logic control device 110 can also issue another cut. The switch number sw_ctrl (for example, the switching signal sw_ctrl is a low level potential) is sent to the switch 150 to cause the switch 150 to output the pulse width modulation signal output by the substrate management controller 120 to the fan module 130. At the same time, the logic control device 110 can also output a reply message to the baseboard management controller 120. The baseboard management controller 120 receives and stores the reply message to facilitate the administrator to grasp the overheating event.

Through such operation, the logic control device 110 can again control the fan management module of the substrate management controller 120 belonging to the higher-order computing device after the overheating condition of the internal device of the computer system 100 is released or the substrate management controller 120 is switched to the automatic control mode. The speed of 130.

In one embodiment, the logic control device 110 can provide a pulse width modulation signal according to the temperature of the internal device of the computer system 100 and/or the rotational frequency of the fan module 130 received by the logic control device 110, such as the rotational speed control module 116. A look-up table can be used to provide a pulse width modulation signal based on temperature or rotational frequency.

It is noted that the logic control device 110 can provide a pulse width modulation signal according to actual operating conditions. For example, in an embodiment, to quickly cool the computer system 100, the speed control module 116 can provide a pulse width modulation signal to enable the fan. The module 130 is operated at full speed, so the manner in which the speed control module 116 provides the pulse width modulation signal is not limited to the above embodiment.

The operation of the foregoing computer system 100 will be exemplified by an embodiment, but the operation is not limited thereto. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the computer system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 simultaneously, at time t0, the substrate management controller 120 outputs a manual control signal to the logic control device 110. During In t0-t1, since the logic control device 110 has not detected the overheat signal, the logic control device 110 receives the first rotational frequency output by the tachometer 140.

At time t1, logic control device 110 receives the overheat signal and begins a delay time, such as period t1-t2. The delay time can be used as a buffer time for the manager to adjust the rotational speed of the fan module 130. For example, if the temperature of the computer system 100 is too high by the manager at the time point t1, the manager may adjust the fan mode between the time points t1 and t2. The speed of group 130. In this way, the logic control device 110 can determine that the cooling pulse signal is not output to the fan module 130 to control the rotation speed of the fan module 130 in the subsequent steps.

At time t2, the delay time end logic control device 110 receives the second rotational frequency of the fan module 130.

At time t3, the second rotation frequency detection of the fan module 130 ends, and the logic control device 110 can determine whether the substrate management controller 120 is still in the manual control mode, whether the logic control device 110 still detects the overheat signal, and First, the second rotation frequency is the same. When the above conditions are met, the logic control device 110 sends a switching signal sw_ctrl (for example, a high level potential) to the switch 150, so that the switch 150 outputs the cooling pulse signal output by the logic control device 110 to the fan module 130. The rotational speed of the fan module 130 is controlled. When it is noted, the aforementioned preset time is, for example, the period t1-t3.

At time t4, the overheat condition is removed, and the logic control device 110 does not detect the overheat signal, so the logic control device 110 issues another switching signal sw_ctrl (eg, a low level potential) to control the switch 150 to cause the switch 150 to output the substrate. The pulse width modulation signal output by the management controller 120 to the fan The module 130 controls the rotation speed of the fan module 130.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method of controlling a computer system. This control method can be applied to a computer system having the same or similar structure as in the first drawing. For convenience of description, the following control method is described by taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 as an example, but is not limited to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

It is noted that in the steps of the following control methods, there is no specific order unless otherwise stated. In addition, the following steps may also be performed simultaneously or overlap in execution time.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a computer system control method 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The control method 300 may include: the tachometer 140 detects and outputs the first rotation frequency of the fan module 130; the temperature sensor 160 detects the temperature of the computer system 100, and outputs an overheat signal when the computer system 100 overheats; The controller 120 receives and provides a fixed pulse width modulation signal to the fan module 130 according to the manual control signal, and outputs a manual control signal. The logic control device 110 determines whether the baseboard management controller 120 is manual or not by receiving a manual control mode signal. Control mode (step S1); if the substrate management controller 120 is in the manual control mode, the logic control device 110 can receive the rotation frequency of the fan module 130 output by the tachometer 140 and the overheat signal output by the temperature sensor 160 (step S2). Then, the logic control device 110 generates and outputs a cooling pulse signal to the fan module 130 according to the first rotation frequency when receiving the overheat signal to control the rotation speed of the fan module 130 (step S3). For details of the overheating signal, refer to the previous embodiment, and details are not described herein.

By performing the above-described control method 300, through the above operation, when the substrate management controller 120 is set to the manual control mode, the logic control The device 110 can determine whether to replace the substrate management controller 120 to provide the cooling pulse signal to the fan module 130 according to the first rotation frequency output by the overheat signal and the tachometer 140. This can prevent the computer system 100 from being damaged due to overheating.

In step S1, if the substrate management controller 120 is in the automatic control mode, the fan module 130 is controlled by the substrate management controller 120, and the computer system 100 can repeatedly perform step S1 to determine whether the substrate management controller 120 is switched to Manual control mode.

After the substrate management controller 120 is switched to the manual control mode, the logic control device 110 may receive the first rotation frequency of the fan module 130 outputted by the tachometer 140 before receiving the overheat signal, and after receiving the overheat signal, After the time is set, the second rotation frequency of the fan module 130 outputted by the tachometer 140 is received.

In step S3, the logic control device 110 may determine whether an overheat signal is received, and compare the second rotation frequency of the fan module 130 with the first rotation frequency after receiving the overheat signal and after a predetermined time (substep S32) If the logic control device 110 receives the overheat signal and the second rotation frequency of the fan module 130 is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency, the logic control device 110 may determine whether the manual control mode signal is received, that is, determine the substrate management controller 120. Whether it is still in the manual control mode (sub-step S34); if the baseboard management controller 120 is still in the manual control mode, the logic control device 110 may output a switching signal sw_ctrl (for example, a high level potential) to the switch 150 to make the switch output logic The cooling pulse signal outputted by the control device 110 is sent to the fan module 130, that is, the rotation speed of the fan module 130 is controlled by the logic control device 110 (sub-step S36). Meanwhile, in an embodiment, the logic control device The 110 can also output a warning message to the baseboard management controller 120. The baseboard management controller 120 receives and stores the warning message to facilitate the administrator to grasp the overheating event.

On the other hand, in sub-step S32, if the logic control device 110 does not receive the overheat signal, the computer system 100 may repeatedly perform step S2 to continuously determine whether the overheat signal is received. Furthermore, in sub-step S34, if the substrate management controller 120 has been set to the automatic control mode during the period in which the computer system 100 performs step S2 and sub-step S32, the rotational speed of the fan module 130 is controlled by the baseboard management controller. Controlled by 120, the computer system 100 can repeatedly perform step S1 to determine whether the control mode of the baseboard management controller 120 is switched to the manual control mode.

In an embodiment, the control method 200 may further include: the switch 150 outputs a cooling pulse signal output by the logic control device 110 to the fan module 130 (that is, the rotation speed of the fan module 130 is controlled by the logic control device 110). Next, the logic control device 110 determines whether an overheat signal is received (step S4); if no overheat signal is received, the logic control device 110 sends another switching signal sw_ctrl (eg, a low level potential) to the switch 150 to make the switch 150 outputs the fixed pulse width modulation signal output from the substrate management controller 120 to the fan module 130 (that is, switches the rotation speed of the fan module 130 by the substrate management controller 120) (step S5). Through steps S4 and S5, the computer system 100 can again control the rotational speed of the fan module 130 by the substrate management controller 120 belonging to the higher-order computing device after the overheating condition of the internal device is released.

In addition, while the logic control device 110 sends the other switching signal, the logic control device 110 can also output a reply message to the substrate management. The controller 120 receives and stores the reply message to facilitate the administrator to grasp the overheating event.

On the other hand, in step S4, if the logic control device 110 continues to receive the overheat signal, the overheating condition of the internal device in the computer system 100 has not been eliminated, and the computer system 100 can perform sub-step S34 again to enable the logic control. The device 110 continues to determine whether the substrate management controller 120 is switched to the automatic control mode.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and the present invention can be modified and retouched without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100‧‧‧ computer system

110‧‧‧Logical control device

112‧‧‧Speed detection module

120‧‧‧Baseboard management controller

150‧‧‧Switch

160‧‧‧temperature sensor

S1-S5‧‧‧ steps

Sub-step S32-S36‧‧

130‧‧‧Fan module

Sw_ctrl‧‧‧Switch signal

140‧‧‧Tachometer

1 is a block diagram of a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of operation of a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention A schematic diagram of a control method of a computer system as illustrated in the example.

100‧‧‧ computer system

110‧‧‧Logical control device

120‧‧‧Baseboard management controller

130‧‧‧Fan module

140‧‧‧Tachometer

150‧‧‧Switch

160‧‧‧temperature sensor

Sw_ctrl‧‧‧Switch signal

Claims (6)

A computer system for receiving a manual control signal, the computer system comprising: a fan module; a tachometer electrically connected to the fan module for detecting and outputting a first rotation frequency of the fan module; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the computer system and outputting an overheat signal when the computer system overheats; a substrate management controller for receiving and providing a fixed pulse width according to a manual control signal Modulating the signal to the fan module and outputting the manual control signal; a logic control device electrically connecting the tachometer, the substrate management controller and the fan module, and receiving the manual control signal and the first rotation And generating, according to the first rotation frequency, a temperature drop pulse signal, wherein the logic control device outputs a switching signal when receiving the overheat signal; and a switch, electrically connecting The substrate management controller, the logic control device, and the fan module, the switch selectively outputting the fixed pulse width according to the switching signal The modulation signal or pulse signal to the cooling fan module. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the logic control device outputs the cooling pulse signal and the switching signal after a predetermined time period after receiving the overheat signal. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the logic control device receives the overheat signal, and compares the first rotation frequency with a second rotation frequency after receiving the preset time And outputting the temperature drop pulse signal and the switching signal when the second rotation frequency is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency, and outputting a warning message to the substrate management controller. A computer system control method, wherein the computer system receives a manual control signal, the computer system includes a fan module, a switch, a tachometer, a temperature sensor, a substrate management controller, and a logic control device The control method includes: the tachometer detecting and outputting a first rotation frequency of the fan module; the temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the computer system, and outputting an overheat signal when the computer system is overheated; The substrate management controller receives and provides a fixed pulse width modulation signal to the fan module according to the manual control signal, and outputs the manual control signal; the logic control device receives the manual control signal and the first rotation frequency; the logic The control device generates and outputs a cooling pulse signal according to the first rotation frequency when receiving the overheat signal; the logic control device outputs a switching signal when receiving the overheat signal; and the switch receives and selects according to the switching signal The fixed pulse width modulation signal or the cooling pulse signal is output to the fan module. The control method of claim 4, wherein the step of outputting the switching signal further comprises: the logic control device outputting the cooling pulse signal and the switching signal after a predetermined time elapses after receiving the overheating signal. The control method of claim 5, wherein the step of outputting the switching signal further comprises: when the logic control device receives the overheat signal, receiving the one of the first rotation frequency and receiving the preset time The second rotation frequency is compared to output the temperature drop pulse signal and the switching signal when the second rotation frequency is less than or equal to the first rotation frequency, and output a warning message to the substrate management controller.