Power distribution method, power distribution apparatus, and information handling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9735563-B2
Application number	US-201414260879-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2014
Priority date	Apr 30, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus includes a power supply configured to supply power and a first electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply. The apparatus includes a first electrical circuit electrically coupled to receive power from the power supply through the first electrical circuit breaker. The apparatus includes a second electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply and a second electrical circuit. During operation of the apparatus, in response to detection that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, the power supply and the first electrical circuit breaker are configured to power off, wherein the shutting off of the power supply prevents supplying the power from the power supply to the second electrical circuit breaker that is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit to receive the power from the power supply.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a power supply configured to supply power;
a first electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply;
a first electrical circuit electrically coupled to receive power from the power supply through the first electrical circuit breaker,
a second electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply;
a second electrical circuit; and
an electrical component having a first input coupled to an output of the first electrical circuit breaker, a second input coupled to an output from a first electrical device in the first electrical circuit, and an output coupled to the second electrical circuit break and that is a logical AND of the first input and the second input,
wherein, during operation of the apparatus, in response to detection that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, the power supply and the first electrical circuit breaker are configured to power off, wherein the shutting off of the power supply prevents supplying the power from the power supply to the second electrical circuit breaker that is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit to receive the power from the power supply.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein in response to detection that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has not exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, the power supply and the first electrical circuit breaker are configured to remain powered on to supply the power from the power supply to the second electrical circuit breaker that is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical circuit breaker is configured to transmit a power-good signal to the electrical component in response to the determination that the fault does not exist in the first electrical circuit breaker.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first device is configured to determine whether there a fault in the first device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first device is configured to transmit a different power-good signal to the electrical component in response to the determination that the first device is not faulty.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the electrical component is configured to transmit an output signal to the second electrical circuit breaker, in response to receipt of the power-good signal from the first electrical circuit breaker and receipt of the different power-good signal from the first device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second electrical circuit breaker is configured to become operational in response to receipt of the output signal from the electrical component.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical device comprises a voltage regulator module.

9. An apparatus comprising:
a power supply configured to supply power;
a first electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply;
a first electrical circuit electrically coupled to receive power from the power supply through the first electrical circuit breaker,
a second electrical circuit breaker electrically coupled to the power supply; and
a second electrical circuit;
wherein, during operation of the apparatus, in response to detection that at least one of the current and the voltage of the power has exceeded the operating threshold for the first electrical circuit, the power supply and the first electrical circuit breaker are configured to power off, wherein the shutting off of the power supply prevents supplying the power from the power supply to the second electrical circuit breaker that is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit to receive the power from the power supply;
an AND gate having a first input electrically coupled to an output of the first electrical circuit breaker, wherein a second input of the AND gate is electrically coupled to an output from a first electrical device in the first electrical circuit, wherein an output of the first AND gate is electrically coupled to the second electrical circuit breaker;
an OR gate electrically coupled to the power supply; and
a timer unit electrically coupled to the first electrical circuit breaker, the second electrical circuit breaker, the first electrical circuit, the second electrical circuit, the AND gate and the OR gate, wherein the timer unit is configured to transmit a management signal to the AND gate in response to the first device transmitting a power-good signal to the AND gate in a predetermined time period.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first electrical circuit breaker is configured to transmit a power-good signal to the AND gate in response to the determination that the fault does not exist in the first electrical circuit breaker and in response to receipt of the management signal from the timer unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first device is configured to determine whether there a fault in the first device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first device is configured to transmit a different power-good signal to the AND gate in response to the determination that the first device is not faulty.

Assignees

• Lenovo Entpr Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Wei Tien
• Cheng George
• Darmanto Yulianti
• Huang Peter Cy
• Lin Junhom
• Tseng Wj

Classifications

• H02H3/10

  additionally responsive to some other abnormal electrical conditions · CPC title

• H02H3/087

  for DC applications · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• H02H3/38 Primary

  responsive to both voltage and current; responsive to phase angle between voltage and current · CPC title