Output voltage to serial communication port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10031569-B2
Application number	US-201415112560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2014
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

One of a first voltage and a second voltage may be selected based on input from a basic input/output system (BIOS). One of the selected voltage and no voltage may be output to a carrier detect (CD) pin and a ring Indicator (RI) pin of a serial communication port, based on the input from the BIOS.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device, comprising:
a voltage selection unit to toggle between a first voltage and a second voltage based on input from a basic input/output system (BIOS); and
a power unit to output one of the toggled voltage and no voltage to a serial communication port based on the input from the BIOS, wherein
the power unit is to output to a carrier detect (CD) pin and a ring Indicator (RI) pin of the serial communication port.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein,
the input from the BIOS includes a first select and a second select,
the voltage selection unit is to toggle between the first and second voltages based on the first and second selects, and
the power unit is to output one of the toggled voltage and no voltage based on the first select.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein,
the voltage selection unit is to select the first voltage if at least one of the first and second selects is at a logic low, and
the voltage selection unit is select the second voltage if the first and second selects are at a logic high.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein,
the first voltage is five volts and the second voltage is twelve volts, and
the serial communication port is compliant with an RS-232 standard and includes at least one of a DA, DB, DC, DD, and DE sized connector.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the voltage selection unit includes,
the first voltage connected to a source of a first transistor,
a first node connected to a gate of the first transistor, a base of a second transistor, a gate of a third transistor, and a collector of a fourth transistor,
the second voltage connected to a source of the third transistor, a collector of the second transistor, an emitter of the fourth transistor and the first node, and
an emitter of the second transistor connected to a ground.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the voltage selection unit further includes,
a drain of the first transistor connected to an output node,
a drain of the third transistor connected to the output node,
the first select connected to a gate of a fifth transistor and the second select connected to a gate of a sixth transistor, and
the first node connected to a drain of the fifth transistor, a source of the fifth transistor connected to a drain of the sixth transistor and a source of the sixth transistor connected to a ground.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the power unit includes,
drains of seventh and eight transistors connected to the output node,
a source of the seventh transistor connected to a source of a ninth transistor,
a source of the eighth transistor connected to a source of a tenth transistor,
a drain of the ninth transistor connected to a first pin of the serial communication port, and
a drain of the tenth transistor connected to a ninth pin of the serial communication on port.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the power unit further includes,
gates and the sources of the seventh and ninth transistors connected to a drain of an eleventh transistor,
gates and sources of the eighth and tenth transistors connected to a drain of a twelfth transistor, and
sources and gates of the eleventh and the twelfth transistors connected to a third voltage greater than the first and second voltages.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the power unit further includes,
the first select connected to a gate of a thirteenth transistor and the third voltage connected to a drain of the thirteenth transistor, and
a source of the thirteenth transistor connected to a drain of a fourteenth transistor, a source of the fourteenth transistor connected to a ground and a gate of the fourteenth transistor connected to a power safe signal, wherein
the power safe signal is at a high logic level if all if power rails of the device are operating properly.

10. The device of claim 9 . further comprising:
a first fuse between the first pin and the ninth transistor; and
a second fuse between the ninth pin and the tenth transistor, wherein,
the serial communication port includes nine pins, with the CD pin to correspond to the first pin and the RI pin to correspond to the ninth pin.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein,
the first, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, thirteenth and fourteenth transistors are N-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET),
third, eleventh and twelfth transistors are P-channel MOSFETs,
the second transistor is an NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and
the fourth transistor is a PNP BJT.

12. A method, comprising:
receiving, from a basic input/output system (BIOS), a first select and a second select;
selecting one of a first voltage and a second voltage based on the first and second selects; and
outputting one of the selected voltage and no voltage based on the first select to both a carrier detect (CD) pin and a ring Indicator (RI) pin of a serial communication port.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein,
the selecting outputs the first voltage by default,
the outputting outputs no voltage by default, and
the outputting is not based on the second select.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable, storage medium storing instructions that, if executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to:
select, at a basic input output system (BIOS), a logic of a tint select and a logic of a second select; and
output the first and second selects to a power select circuit, wherein
the power select circuit is to select one of a first voltage and a second voltage based on the first and second selects; and
the power select circuit is to output one of the selected voltage and no voltage to both a carrier detect (CID) pin and a ring indicator (RI) pin of a serial communication port, based on the first select to the serial communication port.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein,
the logic of the first and second selects are selected via a graphical user interface (GUI) based on a type of device to be connected to the serial communication port.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Nguyen Nam
• Wright Robert S
• Truong Binh T

Classifications

• G06F1/266 Primary

  Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• G06F9/4401

  Bootstrapping (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title