TWI528179B - Server with power source protection system and power source protection method - Google Patents

Description

Server and power protection with power protection system method

The present invention relates to a power protection technology, and more particularly to a server and power protection method having a power protection system.

In the server system, the hard disk (HDD) storage capacity and the ability to process data play a pivotal role, especially in the modern development of data transmission capabilities, the face of huge data processing depends on the hard disk Stable operation; therefore, the power protection of hard disk connectors is becoming more and more important. In the past, the protection of the power supply of the hard disk connector mostly used the thermistor. However, the thermistor is passive protection. Once the power failure occurs, the effect of reducing the system damage is limited. If it is serious, the hard disk may lose its normal operation capability. This in turn affects the functionality of the entire server system.

In order to protect the power of the hard disk connector, the present invention One aspect is to provide a server with a power protection system that includes a power control device and a hard disk connector. The power control device includes an input unit, an output unit, a switching unit, and a processor. The input unit receives an input voltage; the output unit outputs a load voltage; the switching unit is coupled between the input unit and the output unit; the processor is coupled to the switching unit, monitors a load current, and controls the switching unit to turn the load on or off. The output of the voltage. A hard disk connector coupled to the output unit receives the load voltage. When the load current exceeds a preset current value, the processor turns off the switching unit and continues for a power-off time; after the power-off time, the processor retries to turn on the switching unit to output the load voltage.

In an embodiment of the invention, there is a power protection system The server further includes a storage expansion controller that sends a consistent energy signal to the processor to turn on the switching unit to output the load voltage.

In an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the storage expansion controller detects The transmission of the enable signal is stopped until the hard disk connector is electrically connected to the output unit.

In an embodiment of the invention, there is a power protection system The server further includes a signal device that displays the power state of the hard disk connector; wherein the output unit outputs a load voltage including a precharge phase.

In an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the storage expansion controller detects When it is detected that the power of the hard disk connector is damaged, the enable signal is retransmitted to the processor to turn on the switching unit, thereby outputting the load voltage.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a power protection method. The method comprises the steps of: receiving an input voltage; when a switching unit is turned on, Outputting a load voltage; receiving the load voltage through a hard disk connector; monitoring a load current, controlling the switching unit to turn on or off the output of the load voltage; and when the load current exceeds a preset current value, turning off the switching unit And continuing the power-off time; when the power-off time is exceeded, the switching unit is re-opened to output the load voltage.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power protection method further comprises: Receiving a matching energy signal sent by the storage expansion controller to turn on the switching unit, thereby outputting the load voltage.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power protection method further comprises: When the storage expansion controller detects the electrical connection of the hard disk connector, the sending of the enable signal is stopped.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power protection method further comprises: The power state of the hard disk connector is displayed through a light device; the precharge phase is included when the load voltage is output.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power protection method further comprises: When the storage expansion controller detects that the power of the hard disk connector is damaged, re-transmitting the enable signal to turn on the switching unit, thereby outputting the load voltage.

In summary, the present invention is to improve the current of the hard disk connector. Flow protection is the starting point. Monitor the load current of the hard disk connector. When the current overcurrent occurs, turn off the load voltage immediately, and wait for a while before re-trying to turn on the output load voltage to reduce the possible damage by active protection.

The above description will be described in detail in the following embodiments, and further explanation of the technical solutions of the present invention will be provided.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent and understood.

100‧‧‧Server with power protection system

110‧‧‧Power supply

112‧‧‧Input voltage

120‧‧‧Power control unit

122‧‧‧Input unit

124‧‧‧Switch unit

126‧‧‧ processor

128‧‧‧Output unit

130‧‧‧Load voltage

140‧‧‧hard disk connector

200‧‧‧Server with power protection system

240‧‧‧ Storage Expansion Controller

242‧‧‧Enable signal

300‧‧‧Server with power protection system

350‧‧‧Lighting device

400‧‧‧Power protection method

S402~S412‧‧‧Steps

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become more <RTIgt; 2 is a schematic diagram showing a server having a power protection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a server having a power protection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Example of a power protection method flow chart.

To make the description of the present disclosure more detailed and complete, reference is made to the drawings and the various embodiments described below. The examples are not intended to limit the scope of the invention; the description of the steps is not intended to limit the order of execution thereof, and any device having equal efficiency resulting from recombination is covered by the present invention. range.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which illustrates a server 100 having a power protection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A server having a power protection system includes a power control device 120 and a hard disk connector 140. The power control device includes an input unit 122, an output unit 128, a switching unit 124, and a processor. 126. In practice, the input unit 122 can be at least one input terminal, and can include a DC-to-AC circuit, an AC-to-DC circuit, a transformer circuit, and the like. The output unit 128 can be at least one output, and can include a DC-to-AC circuit, an AC-to-DC circuit, a transformer circuit, and the like. The switching unit 124 can be a gold oxide half field effect transistor (MOSFET), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a logic circuit, other components or circuits having a switching function, and the like. The hard disk connector 140 can be a SATA (Serial AT attachment), a SAS (Serial attached small computer system interface) or other interface. Processor 126 can be a central processing unit, a microcontroller, or other circuitry. The input unit 122, the output unit 128, the switching unit 124, and the processor 126 can be integrated into a single chip set to save circuit area.

The input unit 120 receives an input from the power supply 110 The voltage 112 is turned on by the processor 126 to open the switching unit 124 to be electrically connected to the output unit 128, and the load voltage 130 is outputted to the hard disk connector 140. The processor 126 has the ability to monitor the load current. When the load current of the hard disk connector 140 exceeds the preset current value, the processor 126 turns off the switching unit 124; at this time, the output unit 128 is electrically isolated from the input unit 122 to stop outputting. Load voltage 130. After the processor 126 detects that the current overcurrent is removed, the switching unit 124 is retried to resume the output of the load voltage 130. The time when the processor 126 turns off the switching unit 124 to retry the switching unit 124 is the power-off time; that is, the power-off time is the time for the current over-current phenomenon to be eliminated, so as to avoid re-opening the current without overcurrent removal. The hard disk connector is causing damage again.

In order to control the output of the load voltage, please refer to Figure 2, It shows a server 200 with a power protection system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The server 200 with the power protection system of FIG. 2 has substantially the same hardware as the server 100 with the power protection system of FIG. 1 except that the storage expansion controller 240 is added. In practice, the memory expansion controller 240 can include various circuits, such as logic circuits, control circuits, filter circuits, registers, and at least one input and at least one output.

Storage expansion controller 240 sends enable signal 242 to processing The 126 turns on the switching unit 124 and outputs the load voltage 130. In practice, the hard disk connector 140 requires a p5v, p12v voltage supply, and can be controlled by the two power control devices 120 through the same enable signal 242 to control the power on; the storage expansion controller 240 can independently transmit 24 enable signals 242. That is, control 24 sets of p5v and p12v load voltage output. The storage expansion controller 240 can be flexibly adjusted according to the user's needs, and the firmware is controlled to transmit the enable signal to stabilize the operation of the server system.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, the storage expansion controller 240 can Detecting whether the hard disk connector 140 is electrically connected to the output unit 128; if the hard disk connector 140 is electrically connected to the output unit 128, the storage expansion controller 240 can send the enable signal 242 to the processing according to the setting of the firmware. The device 126 controls the stable operation of the load voltage 130. If the hard disk connector 140 is not electrically connected to the output unit 128, the memory expansion controller 240 stops transmitting the enable signal 242 to the processor 126, and the no load voltage 130 is output. .

In order to monitor the power state of the hard disk connector, please refer to FIG. 3, which illustrates a servo with a power protection system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Device 300. The server 300 with the power protection system of FIG. 3 has substantially the same hardware as the server 200 of the power protection system of FIG. 2 except for the addition of the signal device 350. The light device 350 can indicate that the power to the hard disk connector 140 is normal or abnormal; in practice, the light device 350 can be a light emitting diode or other display element or device that recognizes different states.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, the output unit 128 outputs a load The voltage 130 includes a pre-charge phase that limits the magnitude of the output current to avoid damage to the hard disk connector 140 caused by the inrush current at the initial stage of the output of the load voltage 130. Therefore, the resistor-capacitor RC circuit for pre-charging can be omitted, and the effect of saving the circuit area can be achieved. In general, the surge current value is limited to a value lower than the preset current value described above so that the processor 126 immediately turns off the switching unit 124 when the load voltage 130 is output, causing the output to fail.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the storage expansion controller 240 The feedback signal from the hard disk connector 140 is detected for monitoring. If the power of the hard disk connector 140 is suspected to be damaged, the storage expansion controller 240 will again send the enable signal 242 to the processor 126 for output again. Load voltage 130 to hard disk connector 140 to confirm if the power supply is damaged. As described above, the memory expansion controller 240 can independently transmit 24 enable signals, and can also independently detect potential changes of the 24 enable signals. In practice, the detection potential change function can be realized by the logic circuit and the filter circuit inside the storage expansion controller 240.

4 is a power protection method of a fourth embodiment of the present invention Flow chart of 400. The power protection method 400 can be implemented via a circuit system For example, the foregoing servers 100, 200, and 300 having a power protection system can also implement some functions as at least one chip set to save circuit area.

As shown in FIG. 4, the power protection method 400 includes multiple steps S402~S412. Those skilled in the art should understand that the steps mentioned in this embodiment can be adjusted according to actual needs, and can be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously, unless the order is specifically stated. As for the hardware device for carrying out these steps, since the above embodiments have been specifically disclosed, the description thereof will not be repeated.

First, in step S402, an input voltage is received; In S404, when the switching unit is turned on, the input voltage can be output to the load, wherein the load voltage can be designed to be the same as the input voltage or converted to another voltage value via the transformer circuit and then output to the load; in step S406, through the hard disk connector Receive the load voltage as the power required for operation. In step S408, continuously monitoring whether the load current of the hard disk connector operates has an overcurrent phenomenon, and controlling the switching unit to turn on or off the output of the load voltage. Once the load current exceeds the preset current value, the switching unit is turned off and a power-off time is continued (step S410); if the load current is lower than the preset current value, the output of the load voltage is maintained. Finally, in step S412, after the power off time, the switching unit is re-tried to output the load voltage; if the load current still exceeds the preset current value, it continues to wait until the detected load current is lower than the preset current value. In this way, when the output is again ensured, the load current is within the preset current value range to avoid damage to the hard disk connector again.

In order to control the output of the load voltage, through receiving and storing The storage expansion controller sends an enable signal to turn on the switching unit, thereby outputting the load voltage. In practice, the hard disk connector requires p5v, p12v voltage supply, can control the p5v, p12v power supply through the same enable signal; the storage expansion controller can independently send 24 enable signals, that is, control 24 groups of p5v and p12v Load voltage output. The storage expansion controller can be flexibly adjusted according to the user's needs, and the firmware is controlled to send the enable signal to stabilize the operation of the server system.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, the storage expansion controller can detect Whether the hard disk connector is electrically connected; if the hard disk connector is electrically connected, the storage expansion controller can send an enable signal according to the setting of the firmware to control the stable operation of the load voltage; if the hard disk connector is not yet electrically connected Then, the storage expansion controller stops transmitting the enable signal, and at this time, no load voltage is output.

In order to monitor the power status of the hard disk connector, the signal can be transmitted through The device indicates that the power of the hard disk connector is normal or abnormal; in practice, the light device may be a light emitting diode or other display component or device that recognizes different states.

Furthermore, in an embodiment, the output voltage is included in the preload During the charging phase, the magnitude of the output current is limited to avoid damage to the hard disk connector caused by the surge current at the initial stage of the load voltage output. Therefore, the resistor-capacitor RC circuit for pre-charging can be omitted, and the effect of saving the circuit area can be achieved. In general, the value of the surge current is limited to be lower than the above-mentioned preset current value to avoid the case where the switching unit is immediately turned off when the load voltage is output.

Or, in another embodiment, the storage expansion controller detects Feedback from the hard drive connector for monitoring, if the hard drive is powered The source is suspected to be in a damaged condition; at this time, the storage expansion controller will send an enable signal again to output the load voltage to the hard disk connector again to confirm whether the power supply is damaged. As described above, the memory expansion controller can independently transmit 24 enable signals, and can also independently detect potential changes of 24 enable signals. In practice, the detection potential change can be realized by the logic circuit and the filter circuit inside the storage expansion controller.

In summary, the present invention can monitor the load current of the hard disk connector through the above embodiments, and immediately turn off the load voltage when a current overcurrent occurs, and wait for a period of time and the current overcurrent factor is removed, and then retry to turn on. Output load voltage to reduce the damage that the system may cause by active protection.

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 modified 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.

110‧‧‧Power supply

112‧‧‧Input voltage

120‧‧‧Power control unit

122‧‧‧Input unit

124‧‧‧Switch unit

126‧‧‧ processor

128‧‧‧Output unit

130‧‧‧Load voltage

140‧‧‧hard disk connector

200‧‧‧Server with power protection system

240‧‧‧ Storage Expansion Controller

242‧‧‧Enable signal

Claims (10)

A server with a power protection system includes: a power control device, comprising: an input unit that receives an input voltage; an output unit that outputs a load voltage; and a switching unit coupled to the input unit and the output unit And a processor coupled to the switching unit to monitor a load current, controlling the switching unit to turn on or off the output of the load voltage; and a hard disk connector coupled to the output unit to receive the load voltage When the load current exceeds a preset current value, the processor turns off the switching unit and continues for a power-off time; after the power-off time, the processor re-opens the switching unit to output the load voltage. The server with the power protection system as claimed in claim 1 further includes a storage expansion controller that sends a consistent energy signal to the processor to turn on the switching unit, thereby outputting the load voltage. The server of the power protection system of claim 2, wherein the storage expansion controller stops transmitting the enable signal before detecting that the hard disk connector is electrically connected to the output unit. The server with the power protection system as claimed in claim 3 further includes a signal device for displaying the power state of the hard disk connector; wherein the output unit outputs the load voltage to include a pre-charging phase. The server of claim 2, wherein the storage expansion controller detects that the power of the hard disk connector is damaged, and retransmits the enable signal to the processor to enable the switching unit. The load voltage is further output. A power protection method includes the steps of: receiving an input voltage; outputting a load voltage when a switching unit is turned on; receiving the load voltage through a hard disk connector; monitoring a load current, controlling the switching unit to turn the switching unit on or off The output of the load voltage; when the load current exceeds a preset current value, the switching unit is turned off and continues for a power-off time; and when the power-off time is exceeded, the switching unit is re-opened to output the load voltage. The power protection method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving a consistent energy signal sent by the storage expansion controller to turn on the switching unit, and outputting the load voltage. The power protection method of claim 7, further comprising: stopping the sending of the enable signal before the storage expansion controller detects the electrical connection of the hard disk connector. The power protection method according to claim 8, further comprising: displaying a power state of the hard disk connector through a light signal device; and outputting the load voltage includes a precharge phase. The power protection method of claim 7, further comprising: when the storage expansion controller detects that the power of the hard disk connector is damaged, resending the enable signal to turn on the switching unit, and output the load voltage. .